AMD Radeon RX 570 vs AMD Radeon RX 6800M Comparison

The Verdict

The data presents a stark generational contrast: the AMD Radeon RX 6800M is decisively faster than the AMD Radeon RX 570 in every direct benchmark comparison. Across four head-to-head tests, the RX 6800M wins all four, with deltas ranging from 121.7% to 189%. The average benchmark scores are nearly identical — 28874 for the RX 6800M versus 28766 for the RX 570 — but this aggregate hides the fact that the RX 6800M’s score is buoyed by modern API tests while the RX 570’s is pulled by legacy workloads. Both cards sit at the 74th percentile of all GPUs, but that is where the similarity ends.

For a buyer choosing strictly from this data, the RX 6800M is the clear pick for any workload involving DirectX 12, Metal, OpenCL, or Vulkan. Its 154.3% advantage in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and 189% lead in Geekbench Metal make it a generation ahead in compute and rasterization. The RX 570, however, remains relevant only in scenarios where its 4 GB GDDR5 frame buffer and 256-bit bus are sufficient, and where the user accepts a 150 W TDP and dual-slot footprint. The RX 6800M, being an IGP (integrated graphics package) with no power connector, fits mobile or compact designs but demands a 145 W TDP that rivals the RX 570’s 150 W. In short: the RX 6800M wins on performance outright; the RX 570 wins only on historical availability and a lower launch MSRP of 169 USD.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two AMD parts is vast. The RX 6800M uses the Navi 22 chip built on RDNA 2.0 architecture at TSMC’s 7 nm process, packing 17,200 million transistors into a 335 mm² die. That yields a transistor density of 51.3M per mm². In contrast, the RX 570 uses the Polaris 20 chip on GCN 4.0 architecture, fabricated by GlobalFoundries on a 14 nm process, with 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die — a density of just 24.6M per mm². The RX 6800M is not only newer but nearly three times as transistor-dense.

The RX 6800M features 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units (TMUs), 64 raster operation units (ROPs), and 40 dedicated ray tracing cores. The RX 570 has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, with no ray tracing hardware at all. Memory configurations differ fundamentally: the RX 6800M runs 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 384.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the RX 570 uses 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus at 224.0 GB/s. The RX 6800M’s smaller bus is compensated by faster memory and a higher effective data rate of 16 Gbps versus 7 Gbps.

Clock speeds tell a similar story. The RX 6800M has a base clock of 2116 MHz, a boost of 2390 MHz, and a game clock of 2300 MHz. The RX 570’s base is 1168 MHz with a boost of 1244 MHz. The RX 6800M’s FP32 throughput is 12.24 TFLOPS, more than double the RX 570’s 5.095 TFLOPS. Its FP16 performance is 24.47 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), while the RX 570 offers only 5.095 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1). API support diverges as well: the RX 6800M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, whereas the RX 570 is limited to DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3. The RX 6800M also uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the RX 570 is on PCIe 3.0 x16.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance?

A: The RX 6800M delivers 12.24 TFLOPS FP32 and 24.47 TFLOPS FP16, versus the RX 570’s 5.095 TFLOPS for both FP32 and FP16. That is a 140% advantage in FP32.

Q: Do both cards support ray tracing?

A: No. The RX 6800M has 40 ray tracing cores; the RX 570 has none. The RX 6800M also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the RX 570 tops out at DirectX 12 (12_0).

Q: Which card has more memory and bandwidth?

A: The RX 6800M has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 384.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 570 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s. The RX 6800M’s effective memory speed is 16 Gbps versus 7 Gbps for the RX 570.

Q: What are the power and physical requirements?

A: The RX 6800M is an IGP with no power connector and a 145 W TDP, making it portable-device dependent for display outputs. The RX 570 is a dual-slot card with a 150 W TDP, one 6-pin power connector, a suggested PSU of 450 W, and a length of 241 mm (9.5 inches).

Q: How do they compare in average benchmark scores?

A: The RX 6800M’s average benchmark score is 28874, and the RX 570’s is 28766 — a 0.4% difference. Both rank at the 74th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: Which card is newer and what is its production status?

A: The RX 6800M was released on 2021-05-30 and is end-of-life. The RX 570 was released on 2017-04-17 and is also end-of-life. The RX 6800M’s predecessor is Polaris Mobile; the RX 570’s predecessor is Arctic Islands and its successor is Vega.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every measurable specification. The RX 6800M uses a 7 nm process at TSMC, while the RX 570 uses 14 nm at GlobalFoundries. Transistor count is 17,200 million versus 5,700 million; die size is 335 mm² versus 232 mm²; transistor density is 51.3M per mm² versus 24.6M per mm². The RX 6800M has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and 40 RT cores; the RX 570 has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, with no RT cores.

Clock speeds: the RX 6800M runs at 2116 MHz base, 2390 MHz boost, and 2300 MHz game clock, with memory at 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective). The RX 570 runs at 1168 MHz base and 1244 MHz boost, with memory at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective). Memory size is 12 GB GDDR6 versus 4 GB GDDR5; bus width is 192-bit versus 256-bit; bandwidth is 384.0 GB/s versus 224.0 GB/s.

Pixel rate is 153.0 GPixel/s for the RX 6800M versus 39.81 GPixel/s for the RX 570. Texture rate is 382.4 GTexel/s versus 159.2 GTexel/s. FP32 is 12.24 TFLOPS versus 5.095 TFLOPS; FP16 is 24.47 TFLOPS (2:1) versus 5.095 TFLOPS (1:1). TDP is 145 W versus 150 W. Slot width is IGP versus dual-slot; power connectors are none versus 1x 6-pin; suggested PSU is absent versus 450 W. Bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x16 versus PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs are portable-device dependent versus 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. DirectX support is 12 Ultimate (12_2) versus 12 (12_0); Vulkan is 1.4 versus 1.3. The RX 6800M’s launch MSRP is not listed; the RX 570’s launch MSRP is 169 USD.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The direct benchmark comparisons show a complete sweep for the RX 6800M. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the RX 6800M scores 2238 against the RX 570’s 880, a 154.3% lead. This is the most telling result for modern gaming workloads, as it reflects DirectX 12 rasterization and compute at current API levels. The RX 570’s score of 880 is less than 40% of the RX 6800M’s output.

Geekbench Metal is the largest gap: the RX 6800M scores 113721 versus 39349, a 189% difference. This benchmark is relevant for macOS and Metal-based applications, where the RX 6800M’s RDNA 2 architecture and higher shading unit count provide a massive advantage. The RX 570’s score is roughly one-third of the RX 6800M’s.

Geekbench OpenCL shows a 173.1% delta, with the RX 6800M at 87621 and the RX 570 at 32084. OpenCL is a cross-platform compute workload, and the RX 6800M’s 12.24 TFLOPS FP32 throughput translates directly into a near-tripling of compute performance. The RX 570’s 5.095 TFLOPS is the limiting factor here.

Geekbench Vulkan narrows the gap slightly but remains decisive: the RX 6800M scores 94766 versus 42752, a 121.7% lead. Vulkan is the lowest delta of the four tests, but the RX 6800M still outperforms by more than double. The RX 570’s Vulkan 1.3 support and older GCN architecture cannot match the RX 6800M’s Vulkan 1.4 implementation and newer hardware.

Beyond these four head-to-head tests, the RX 6800M’s additional benchmark suite shows strength in legacy APIs: Passmark DirectX 9 scores 147, DirectX 10 scores 101, DirectX 11 scores 127, and DirectX 12 scores 65. Its Passmark G3D score is 13261, with a G2D score of 538 and GPU compute score of 5032. The RX 570 does not have equivalent Passmark data in the pack, so no direct comparison is possible there. However, the pattern from the four shared tests is unambiguous: the RX 6800M wins all four with an average delta of approximately 159.5%. The RX 570’s best showing is in Vulkan, but even there it trails by 121.7%. The verdict is clear — the RX 6800M is the superior part on every measurable axis.