AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT are two end-of-life GPUs that target different segments of the market, yet their benchmark scores place them in a dead heat. Both cards achieve a 65th percentile ranking against all GPUs, and their average benchmark scores are remarkably close: 20,534 for the NVIDIA and 19,765 for the AMD. However, a closer look at the head-to-head data reveals that these two cards win in completely different arenas, making the choice between them a matter of workload rather than raw overall performance. The data indicates a statistical tie in aggregate, with the NVIDIA card winning 5 benchmark tests and the AMD card winning 5 as well, but the magnitude and nature of those wins tell a more complex story.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark results paint a clear picture of contrasting strengths. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile establishes its dominance in modern, API-heavy workloads. Its most significant victory comes in the Geekbench OpenCL test, where it scores 92,939 against the AMD’s 10,111, a staggering 819.2% difference. This suggests the NVIDIA architecture is vastly more efficient in general-purpose compute tasks that leverage OpenCL. It also takes the lead in the newer 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, scoring 2,380 versus 1,859, a 28% advantage, indicating better performance in current-generation DirectX 12 gaming. The NVIDIA card also pulls ahead in Geekbench Vulkan with a 6.7% lead, and narrowly wins in Passmark DirectX 10 and DirectX 12 tests with margins of 3.7% and 3.2% respectively.

Conversely, the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT claims victory in legacy and specific workload categories. Its most substantial win is in the Passmark DirectX 9 test, where it scores 215 against NVIDIA’s 160, a 25.6% advantage. This indicates a significant edge in older games that rely on DirectX 9. The AMD card also excels in 2D performance, winning the Passmark G2D test with a score of 918 versus 641, a 30.2% lead. In the broader Passmark G3D test, the AMD card takes a 10.8% lead with a score of 17,166 over NVIDIA’s 15,309. It also wins the Passmark GPU Compute test by 9.4% and the DirectX 11 test by 18.3%. This split suggests the AMD card is a more versatile performer across a wider range of traditional benchmarks, while the NVIDIA card is specialized for modern graphics APIs and compute.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures and manufacturing processes, which explains their divergent strengths. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile is based on the Ampere architecture, fabricated by Samsung on an 8 nm process. It uses the GA104 chip, which is a large die measuring 392 mm² and containing 17,400 million transistors, resulting in a transistor density of 44.4M per mm². This high transistor count supports 5,120 shading units, 160 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 80 render output units (ROPs). Critically, it also includes 40 dedicated ray tracing cores and 160 tensor cores, which are absent in the AMD card. The NVIDIA card’s FP32 performance is rated at 15.97 TFLOPS, with FP16 performance matching that at a 1:1 ratio.

In contrast, the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a more advanced 7 nm process. It uses the Navi 23 chip, which is significantly smaller at 237 mm² and contains 11,060 million transistors, leading to a higher transistor density of 46.7M per mm². This chip has fewer shading units (2,048), TMUs (128), and ROPs (64). It does include 32 ray tracing cores but lacks tensor cores entirely. The AMD card’s FP32 performance is lower at 10.79 TFLOPS, but its FP16 performance is higher at 21.59 TFLOPS due to a 2:1 rate. The process node advantage allows AMD to pack more transistors per area, but NVIDIA’s larger die provides more raw compute resources, particularly for FP32 and tensor operations.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most telling result is the Geekbench OpenCL score, where the NVIDIA RTX 3070 Mobile’s 92,939 utterly crushes the AMD RX 6650 XT’s 10,111. This 819.2% delta is not just a win; it suggests the NVIDIA card is in a different class for OpenCL compute workloads. The presence of tensor cores and a higher FP32 throughput likely contribute to this massive gap. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the NVIDIA card’s 28% lead (2,380 vs 1,859) shows it is better equipped for the latest DirectX 12 games that utilize advanced features.

However, the AMD card fights back in more traditional metrics. In the Passmark G2D test, the AMD RX 6650 XT scores 918, which is 30.2% higher than NVIDIA’s 641. This suggests better 2D acceleration and desktop compositing performance. In the Passmark DirectX 9 test, the AMD card’s 215 score beats NVIDIA’s 160 by 25.6%, indicating superior performance in older game engines that many users still play. The Passmark G3D test, which is a composite of various 3D workloads, shows the AMD card winning by 10.8% (17,166 vs 15,309). This might indicate that the AMD card provides more consistent performance across a broader range of scenarios, whereas the NVIDIA card is more narrowly focused on specific modern APIs.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile has a higher average benchmark score of 20,534, compared to the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT’s 19,765. However, both sit at the 65th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: Is there a significant difference in DirectX 12 performance?

A: Yes, in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the NVIDIA card leads by 28% with a score of 2,380 versus 1,859. In the Passmark DirectX 12 test, the NVIDIA card also wins, but by a much smaller margin of 3.2% (64 vs 62).

Q: How do the two cards compare in legacy DirectX 9 workloads?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is clearly superior in DirectX 9, scoring 215 in the Passmark DirectX 9 test, which is 25.6% higher than the NVIDIA card’s score of 160.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between the two?

A: The NVIDIA card has a 256-bit memory bus providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, while the AMD card has a narrower 128-bit bus with 280.3 GB/s. The NVIDIA card also has a higher effective memory speed of 14 Gbps versus AMD’s 17.5 Gbps.

Q: Are there differences in ray tracing or AI capabilities?

A: The NVIDIA card has 40 dedicated ray tracing cores and 160 tensor cores. The AMD card has 32 ray tracing cores but no tensor cores, which are typically used for AI acceleration.

Q: Which GPU has a higher clock speed?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT operates at a base clock of 2055 MHz and a boost clock of 2635 MHz, which is significantly higher than the NVIDIA card’s base of 1110 MHz and boost of 1560 MHz.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ fundamentally in their core specifications, reflecting their different design philosophies. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile uses an 8 nm process from Samsung, while the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT uses a 7 nm process from TSMC. The NVIDIA card has a larger die (392 mm²) and more transistors (17,400 million) than the AMD card (237 mm², 11,060 million). The NVIDIA card features 5,120 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, compared to AMD’s 2,048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The NVIDIA card also has more ray tracing cores (40 vs 32). The AMD card has a higher base and boost clock (2055 MHz/2635 MHz) versus NVIDIA’s (1110 MHz/1560 MHz). The NVIDIA card has a wider 256-bit memory bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the AMD card has a 128-bit bus with 280.3 GB/s. The NVIDIA card has a lower TDP of 115 W, whereas the AMD card is rated at 176 W. The AMD card is a dual-slot design with a 1x 8-pin power connector, while the NVIDIA card has no power connectors listed. The AMD card supports PCIe 4.0 x8, while the NVIDIA card uses PCIe 4.0 x16.

The Verdict

Based on the data, the choice between these two GPUs hinges entirely on the target workload. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile is the superior choice for modern, compute-heavy and future-proofed applications. Its massive 819.2% lead in Geekbench OpenCL and 28% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 make it the definitive pick for professionals or gamers who prioritize the latest APIs, ray tracing, and general-purpose compute. The presence of tensor cores and a higher FP32 throughput solidify its position for AI-related tasks and modern game engines.

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT, on the other hand, is the better option for a broader range of traditional gaming and 2D workloads. Its wins in Passmark G3D, DirectX 9, DirectX 11, G2D, and GPU Compute indicate that it offers more consistent performance across a wider spectrum of applications. This makes it a more versatile choice for a general user who plays a mix of older and newer games, or for systems where 2D performance and legacy API compatibility are important. Its higher clock speeds and smaller, more efficient process node also suggest a different performance profile, favoring raw throughput in specific scenarios. Ultimately, the data shows a 5-5 split in benchmark wins, indicating that neither card is objectively superior, but rather they are specialized for different tasks.