AMD Radeon RX 6700 vs AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6700 has a higher average benchmark score of 30433, while the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT scores 27425. This puts the RX 6700 in the 75th percentile of all GPUs, compared to the 72nd percentile for the RX 6700 XT.

Q: How does the RX 6700 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 6700 sits within 1.6% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti, trails the NVIDIA CMP 70HX by 0.1%, and leads the AMD Radeon RX 6800 by 1.1%. The RX 6700 XT, by contrast, is essentially tied with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile and trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 by 0.5%.

Q: Which card wins the most head-to-head benchmarks?

A: The RX 6700 XT wins 9 out of 11 recorded tests. The RX 6700 wins only 2 tests: Geekbench OpenCL and PassMark DirectX 9.

Q: What is the biggest single-test victory for either card?

A: The RX 6700 beats the RX 6700 XT by 121.6% in Geekbench OpenCL (97841 vs 44152). This is the largest delta in either direction across all recorded benchmarks.

Q: Do both cards use the same physical dimensions and power connectors?

A: No. Both are dual-slot cards at 267 mm length, 110 mm height, and 40 mm width, but the RX 6700 uses a single 8-pin connector while the RX 6700 XT requires one 6-pin plus one 8-pin connector. The suggested PSU also differs: 450 W for the RX 6700 versus 550 W for the RX 6700 XT.

Q: What is the release timeline for these two cards?

A: The RX 6700 XT was released on 2021-03-02, while the RX 6700 followed on 2021-06-08. Both are now end-of-life products. The RX 6700 XT had a launch MSRP of 479 USD.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs are built on the same Navi 22 chip using RDNA 2.0 architecture, fabricated on TSMC's 7 nm process. The die is identical: 17,200 million transistors spread across 335 mm², yielding a transistor density of 51.3M per mm². Neither card has tensor cores, and both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The internal configuration differs meaningfully. The RX 6700 XT deploys 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 40 ray tracing cores. The RX 6700 reduces each of these: 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 36 RT cores. Both cards keep 64 raster operation units, so pixel throughput stays close (156.8 GPixel/s for the RX 6700 versus 165.2 GPixel/s for the RX 6700 XT). Texture rate diverges more sharply: 352.8 GTexel/s versus 413.0 GTexel/s.

Clock behavior also separates the two. The RX 6700 runs a base clock of 1941 MHz, a game clock of 2174 MHz, and a boost of 2450 MHz. The RX 6700 XT runs higher across the board: 2321 MHz base, 2424 MHz game, and 2581 MHz boost. These clock lifts, combined with the extra shading units, push FP32 throughput from 11.29 TFLOPS on the RX 6700 to 13.21 TFLOPS on the RX 6700 XT. FP16 follows the same 2:1 ratio, with 22.58 TFLOPS versus 26.43 TFLOPS.

Memory capacity and bus width differ. The RX 6700 carries 10 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus, delivering 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 6700 XT expands to 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, raising bandwidth to 384.0 GB/s. Both run memory at 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective data rate. Power draw reflects the larger configuration: the RX 6700 XT is rated at 230 W TDP versus 175 W for the RX 6700.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a clear pattern: the RX 6700 XT dominates modern workloads, but the RX 6700 has one spectacular counterpunch.

In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the RX 6700 XT scores 2435 against 2014 for the RX 6700, a 17.3% advantage. This is the largest win for the XT card and aligns with its higher FP32 throughput and memory bandwidth. The gap narrows in Geekbench Metal, where the XT leads 130896 to 122223, a 6.6% margin. Geekbench Vulkan shows a 10.2% lead for the XT (93500 versus 83974).

Compute workloads split oddly. Geekbench OpenCL is a massive win for the RX 6700: 97841 versus 44152, a 121.6% margin. This is the single largest delta in the entire head-to-head set, and it flips the expected hierarchy. PassMark GPU Compute also favors the XT, but by a smaller 11.7% (9336 versus 8240).

Legacy DirectX tests tell a mixed story. PassMark DirectX 9 goes to the RX 6700 by 3.3% (250 versus 242). PassMark DirectX 10 favors the XT by 7.3% (124 versus 115). DirectX 11 gives the XT a 4% edge (173 versus 166), and DirectX 12 gives it a 7.8% lead (77 versus 71). PassMark G2D is nearly tied, with the XT ahead just 1.6% (951 versus 936). PassMark G3D shows a 4.3% XT advantage (19786 versus 18931).

The overall tally is decisive: 9 wins for the RX 6700 XT, 2 for the RX 6700. Yet the OpenCL outlier means the RX 6700 cannot be written off in compute scenarios, depending on the API in use.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every compute and memory field. The RX 6700 XT has 256 more shading units, 16 more TMUs, and 4 more RT cores. Both have 64 ROPs. Pixel rate is 165.2 GPixel/s for the XT versus 156.8 GPixel/s for the RX 6700. Texture rate jumps from 352.8 GTexel/s to 413.0 GTexel/s. FP32 rises from 11.29 TFLOPS to 13.21 TFLOPS, and FP16 from 22.58 TFLOPS to 26.43 TFLOPS.

Clocks differ at every tier: base 1941 MHz versus 2321 MHz, game 2174 MHz versus 2424 MHz, boost 2450 MHz versus 2581 MHz. Memory capacity goes from 10 GB to 12 GB, bus width from 160-bit to 192-bit, and bandwidth from 320.0 GB/s to 384.0 GB/s. Memory clock is identical at 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective.

Power requirements are distinct. TDP is 175 W for the RX 6700 and 230 W for the RX 6700 XT. The RX 6700 uses a single 8-pin power connector; the XT needs a 6-pin plus an 8-pin. Suggested PSU rating moves from 450 W to 550 W. Physical dimensions are exactly the same: 267 mm length, 110 mm height, 40 mm width, both dual-slot. Display outputs match: 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. Bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x16 for both. Release dates differ by about three months, with the XT arriving first. The RX 6700 XT carries a launch MSRP of 479 USD; the RX 6700 has no recorded launch MSRP.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 6700 XT is the clear choice for modern DirectX 12 gaming and general 3D rendering. Its 17.3% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and 10.2% advantage in Vulkan point to stronger performance in current titles and game engines. The 11.7% edge in PassMark GPU Compute also makes it the better pick for general-purpose compute that uses standard graphics pipelines. The 4.3% lead in PassMark G3D and 6.6% lead in Metal reinforce that the XT is the more capable all-round GPU for contemporary workloads.

The RX 6700 wins in exactly two recorded scenarios. Its 121.6% OpenCL advantage is enormous and suggests that for OpenCL-specific compute tasks, the RX 6700 is not merely competitive but dramatically faster. The 3.3% DirectX 9 win is modest, but it shows the RX 6700 holds a slight edge in legacy DirectX 9 titles. For users running older games or OpenCL-based applications, the RX 6700 may actually be the better fit despite its lower overall specifications.

The XT also wins the memory-capacity argument: 12 GB versus 10 GB, with a wider 192-bit bus and higher bandwidth. This matters for texture-heavy workloads and higher resolutions, where the extra capacity and bandwidth reduce stutter and improve asset streaming.

The Verdict

The data points to a straightforward conclusion for most builders: the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT is the stronger card for modern gaming and mainstream compute. It wins 9 of 11 head-to-head tests, with its largest margins in DirectX 12, Vulkan, and GPU compute. The higher FP32 throughput, extra RT cores, larger memory pool, and faster clocks all contribute to a consistent performance advantage across current APIs.

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 is the specialist pick. Its 121.6% OpenCL lead is too large to ignore for anyone running OpenCL-heavy workloads, and its 3.3% DirectX 9 edge gives it a small niche in legacy gaming. It also draws less power (175 W versus 230 W), needs only a single 8-pin connector, and can run on a 450 W PSU versus 550 W. For a compact or lower-power build that still wants RDNA 2 features, the RX 6700 is a viable alternative.

However, the average benchmark scores complicate the picture. The RX 6700 posts a higher average score (30433 versus 27425) and a better percentile ranking (75th versus 72nd), driven almost entirely by its OpenCL result. This means the "better" card depends on the workload. For gaming and typical DirectX 12 content, take the RX 6700 XT. For OpenCL compute, take the RX 6700. The XT is the safer default; the RX 6700 is the data-driven exception.