AMD Radeon RX 590 GME vs AMD Radeon RX 6700 Comparison

AMD Radeon RX 590 GME and AMD Radeon RX 6700 are both end-of-life AMD graphics cards, but they come from very different generations. The RX 590 GME is a 14nm Polaris part based on GCN 4.0, while the RX 6700 is a 7nm Navi 22 part based on RDNA 2.0. In the three benchmark tests where both cards appear, the RX 6700 wins every single one, with the smallest margin being a 27.9% lead in Vulkan and the largest being a 62.9% lead in OpenCL. The average benchmark score across all tests also favors the RX 6700, though the RX 590 GME actually holds a higher percentile rank among all GPUs (77th vs 75th) due to differences in the test pools.

Where Each One Wins

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon RX 6700 wins in every head-to-head benchmark category available. There are zero wins for the RX 590 GME across the three compared tests. The RX 6700’s strongest relative performance comes in Geekbench OpenCL, where it scores 97,841 against the RX 590 GME’s 36,294, a 62.9% advantage. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the RX 6700 scores 2,014 versus 1,001, which is a 50.3% lead. The narrowest gap is in Geekbench Vulkan, with the RX 6700 scoring 83,974 against 60,508, still a significant 27.9% edge.

For the RX 590 GME, its only claim to a use-case win is its percentile ranking. It sits at the 77th percentile of all GPUs, while the RX 6700 sits at the 75th percentile. This suggests that in the broader context of all graphics cards, the RX 590 GME holds its own relative position slightly better, but this is a statistical artifact of which GPUs are in each card’s comparison pool rather than a direct performance advantage. In any direct comparison between these two specific cards, the RX 6700 is the clear winner across compute, DX12, and Vulkan workloads.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in DirectX 12 workloads?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6700. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, it scores 2,014 compared to the RX 590 GME’s 1,001, giving the RX 6700 a 50.3% performance advantage.

Q: How does the RX 6700 compare in OpenCL compute performance?

A: The RX 6700 is dramatically faster in OpenCL. It scores 97,841 in Geekbench OpenCL versus 36,294 for the RX 590 GME, a 62.9% lead. This is the largest performance gap between the two cards in any benchmark.

Q: Is the RX 590 GME better in any benchmark?

A: No. In the three head-to-head tests (3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, Geekbench OpenCL, and Geekbench Vulkan), the RX 590 GME wins zero tests. The RX 6700 wins all three.

Q: What is the Vulkan performance difference?

A: In Geekbench Vulkan, the RX 6700 scores 83,974 while the RX 590 GME scores 60,508. The RX 6700 leads by 27.9%, which is the smallest relative margin between the two cards.

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The RX 590 GME has a higher average benchmark score of 32,601 compared to the RX 6700’s 30,433. However, this average includes different sets of benchmarks for each card, so it is not a direct comparison.

Q: How do their overall GPU percentile rankings compare?

A: The RX 590 GME ranks at the 77th percentile of all GPUs, while the RX 6700 ranks at the 75th percentile. Despite losing every direct head-to-head test, the RX 590 GME has a slightly better percentile position in the full GPU database.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The largest win for the RX 6700 comes in Geekbench OpenCL, where it scores 97,841 against the RX 590 GME’s 36,294. This 62.9% delta is massive and highlights the compute capability difference between the two architectures. The RX 6700’s FP32 throughput is listed at 11.29 TFLOPS versus 6.543 TFLOPS for the RX 590 GME, and its FP16 performance is 22.58 TFLOPS compared to 6.543 TFLOPS, which explains the OpenCL gap.

In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the RX 6700 scores 2,014, which is more than double the RX 590 GME’s 1,001. The 50.3% delta here reflects the RX 6700’s newer RDNA 2.0 architecture with DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) versus the RX 590 GME’s DirectX 12 (12_0) support. The RX 6700 also has 36 dedicated ray tracing cores that the RX 590 GME lacks entirely.

The closest contest is in Geekbench Vulkan, where the RX 6700 scores 83,974 versus 60,508. The 27.9% delta is still substantial but notably smaller than the other tests. The RX 6700 supports Vulkan 1.4, while the RX 590 GME supports Vulkan 1.3, and the RX 6700’s higher boost clock of 2450 MHz versus 1420 MHz helps close what might otherwise be a larger gap in this API.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ significantly in nearly every core specification. The RX 6700 uses a 7nm process from TSMC, while the RX 590 GME uses a 14nm process from GlobalFoundries. Transistor counts reflect this: the RX 6700 has 17,200 million transistors on a 335 mm² die, while the RX 590 GME has 5,700 million on a 232 mm² die. The RX 6700’s transistor density is 51.3M per mm² versus 24.6M per mm² for the RX 590 GME.

Clock speeds are dramatically different. The RX 6700 runs at a base clock of 1941 MHz and boosts to 2450 MHz, with a game clock of 2174 MHz. The RX 590 GME has a base clock of 1257 MHz and a boost clock of 1420 MHz. Memory configurations also diverge: the RX 6700 has 10 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus with 320.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the RX 590 GME has 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth. Both have memory running at 2000 MHz, but the RX 6700’s effective rate is 16 Gbps versus 8 Gbps for the RX 590 GME.

Compute units differ in output capabilities. The RX 6700 has 64 ROPs and a pixel rate of 156.8 GPixel/s, while the RX 590 GME has 32 ROPs and a pixel rate of 45.44 GPixel/s. Texture rates are 352.8 GTexel/s versus 204.5 GTexel/s in favor of the RX 6700. Both cards have 2304 shading units and 144 TMUs, but the RX 6700 adds 36 ray tracing cores. The RX 6700 uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the RX 590 GME uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs are similar, but the RX 6700 has HDMI 2.1 versus HDMI 2.0b on the RX 590 GME. The RX 6700 is longer at 267 mm versus 241 mm, and it has specified dimensions of 110 mm height and 40 mm width.

Architecture Differences

The RX 590 GME is built on GCN 4.0 architecture, which AMD used for the Polaris generation. It is a 14nm part manufactured by GlobalFoundries. The RX 6700 is built on RDNA 2.0 architecture, which is a significant redesign that powers the Navi II generation. It is a 7nm part manufactured by TSMC. The RDNA 2.0 architecture introduces hardware ray tracing support, which is why the RX 6700 has 36 RT cores while the RX 590 GME has none.

DirectX support differs, with the RX 6700 supporting DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and the RX 590 GME supporting DirectX 12 (12_0). Vulkan support also differs, with the RX 6700 at version 1.4 and the RX 590 GME at version 1.3. Both cards support OpenGL 4.6. The FP16 compute ratio is different: the RX 590 GME has 1:1 FP16 to FP32 (both 6.543 TFLOPS), while the RX 6700 has 2:1 FP16 to FP32 (22.58 TFLOPS vs 11.29 TFLOPS). This makes the RX 6700 much more capable for workloads that leverage half-precision math.

The power delivery is identical in specification: both are dual-slot cards with a 175 W TDP, a single 8-pin power connector, and a suggested 450 W PSU. The RX 6700 is physically larger, measuring 267 mm in length versus 241 mm for the RX 590 GME. The RX 590 GME was released on March 8, 2020, while the RX 6700 came later on June 8, 2021. The RX 590 GME’s predecessor is listed as Arctic Islands and its successor as Vega, while the RX 6700’s predecessor is Navi and its successor is Navi III.

The Verdict

The benchmark data makes the choice straightforward: the AMD Radeon RX 6700 is the superior card in every direct comparison. It wins all three head-to-head tests, with margins ranging from 27.9% in Vulkan to 62.9% in OpenCL. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 result shows a 50.3% advantage, meaning the RX 6700 delivers over twice the DX12 performance of the RX 590 GME.

The RX 6700’s architectural advantages are clear from the specification sheet. It uses a newer 7nm process, has three times the transistor count, doubles the FP32 throughput, and adds ray tracing support. Its higher clocks (2450 MHz boost versus 1420 MHz) and faster memory (16 Gbps effective versus 8 Gbps) contribute to its benchmark dominance. The RX 6700 also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, making it more future-proof for modern titles.

The RX 590 GME’s only statistical advantage is its 77th percentile ranking versus the RX 6700’s 75th, and its higher average benchmark score of 32,601 versus 30,433. However, these figures are derived from different benchmark suites and do not reflect direct performance. In any scenario where both cards are available, the RX 6700 is the clear choice for users prioritizing compute performance, DX12 gaming, or Vulkan workloads. The RX 590 GME remains a functional Polaris-era card, but it is outclassed by the RDNA 2.0 part across the board.