AMD Radeon RX 6700M vs AMD Radeon RX 6800M Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 6800M is the stronger overall performer, winning 6 of the 11 head-to-head benchmark comparisons, while the RX 6700M wins 5. However, the nature of those wins reveals a clear split: the 6800M dominates in modern, graphics-intensive workloads, while the 6700M holds its own in legacy API scenarios and a few compute tasks.

The 6800M's biggest victories come in the most demanding tests. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the 6800M scores 2238 versus 1845 for the 6700M, a 21.3% advantage. That is a decisive margin in a modern DirectX 12 workload, indicating that the 6800M is the better choice for current-generation gaming. The 6800M also leads in Geekbench Metal by 23.7% (113721 versus 91911) and in Geekbench OpenCL by 12.8% (87621 versus 77666). These are substantial leads in cross-platform compute and graphics APIs.

The Vulkan test tells a different story in terms of margin, but not direction. The 6800M wins Geekbench Vulkan with a score of 94766 versus 90816, a much narrower 4.3% edge. This suggests that in Vulkan titles, the gap between the two cards closes considerably, though the 6800M still comes out ahead.

The 6700M, meanwhile, secures wins in several Passmark tests. It leads in DirectX 11 (129 versus 127, a 1.6% margin), DirectX 9 (155 versus 147, a 5.2% margin), G2D (555 versus 538, a 3.1% margin), G3D (13536 versus 13261, a 2% margin), and GPU Compute (5191 versus 5032, a 3.1% margin). These are all relatively small margins, but they show that in certain legacy rasterization and 2D workloads, the 6700M actually edges out its higher-tier sibling.

The DirectX 12 Passmark test is a perfect tie at 65 points. In that specific workload, neither card has an advantage.

The database's average benchmark scores confirm the overall hierarchy. The 6800M averages 28874 across all recorded tests, placing it in the 74th percentile of all GPUs. The 6700M averages 25633, placing it in the 71st percentile. The 6800M's average score is 12.7% higher than the 6700M's, which aligns with its broader wins in heavyweight workloads.

For users prioritizing modern DX12 gaming, high-resolution rendering, or Metal-based applications, the 6800M is the clear pick. For users running older DirectX titles or workloads that favor 2D performance, the 6700M's small but consistent wins in those specific tests make it a surprisingly competitive option.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs are built on the same fundamental architecture: RDNA 2.0. They share the Navi 22 chip, the TSMC 7 nm process, and identical transistor counts of 17,200 million on a 335 mm² die. The transistor density is also identical at 51.3M per mm². This means the architectural foundation, including the DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 API support, is the same for both.

The difference lies in how the chip is configured. The 6800M enables more of the silicon. It has 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 40 ray tracing cores. The 6700M, by contrast, is cut down to 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 36 ray tracing cores. Both retain 64 raster operation units (ROPs), so pixel throughput is nearly identical: 153.0 GPixel/s for the 6800M versus 153.6 GPixel/s for the 6700M. In fact, the 6700M has a marginally higher pixel rate.

The clock behavior also differs. The 6800M has a base clock of 2116 MHz, which is substantially higher than the 6700M's 1489 MHz base. However, the boost clocks are nearly the same: 2390 MHz for the 6800M and 2400 MHz for the 6700M. The game clock, which represents typical sustained performance under gaming loads, is identical at 2300 MHz for both. This means the 6700M's lower base clock is a specification for power management, not a reflection of sustained performance.

Memory is a major differentiator. The 6800M has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, yielding 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The 6700M has 10 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus, yielding 320.0 GB/s. Both use 16 Gbps effective memory clocks. The 6800M's wider bus and larger frame buffer give it a clear advantage in memory-heavy workloads, such as high-resolution textures or ray tracing.

The compute throughput follows the shading unit counts. The 6800M delivers 12.24 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 24.47 TFLOPS of FP16 (2:1). The 6700M delivers 11.06 TFLOPS FP32 and 22.12 TFLOPS FP16. The texture rate is also higher on the 6800M at 382.4 GTexel/s versus 345.6 GTexel/s.

The power envelope differs as well. The 6800M has a TDP of 145 W, while the 6700M is rated at 135 W. Both are IGP (integrated graphics processor) designs with no power connectors, and both use a PCIe 4.0 x16 bus interface. Display outputs are portable-device dependent for both.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in modern DirectX 12 workloads?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6800M. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, it scores 2238 versus 1845 for the RX 6700M, a 21.3% lead. The 6800M also wins the Passmark DirectX 12 test, though by a tie at 65 points.

Q: Does the RX 6700M win any benchmarks?

A: Yes. The RX 6700M wins Passmark DirectX 11 (129 versus 127), DirectX 9 (155 versus 147), G2D (555 versus 538), G3D (13536 versus 13261), and GPU Compute (5191 versus 5032). These are all small margins between 1.6% and 5.2%.

Q: How do the memory configurations compare?

A: The RX 6800M has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 384.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 6700M has 10 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus with 320.0 GB/s bandwidth. Both use 16 Gbps effective memory.

Q: Are these GPUs based on the same chip?

A: Yes, both use the Navi 22 chip on TSMC's 7 nm process, with 17,200 million transistors on a 335 mm² die. The architecture is RDNA 2.0 for both.

Q: What is the average performance difference between the two?

A: The RX 6800M has an average benchmark score of 28874, while the RX 6700M averages 25633. The 6800M sits in the 74th percentile of all GPUs, and the 6700M sits in the 71st percentile.

Q: Which card has more ray tracing cores?

A: The RX 6800M has 40 ray tracing cores, while the RX 6700M has 36. Both use the RDNA 2.0 architecture with DirectX 12 Ultimate support.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 6800M | AMD Radeon RX 6700M |

|---|---|---|

| Shading Units | 2560 | 2304 |

| TMUs | 160 | 144 |

| ROPs | 64 | 64 |

| Ray Tracing Cores | 40 | 36 |

| Base Clock | 2116 MHz | 1489 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2390 MHz | 2400 MHz |

| Game Clock | 2300 MHz | 2300 MHz |

| Memory Size | 12 GB | 10 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 192 bit | 160 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 384.0 GB/s | 320.0 GB/s |

| FP32 Performance | 12.24 TFLOPS | 11.06 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 24.47 TFLOPS (2:1) | 22.12 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| Pixel Rate | 153.0 GPixel/s | 153.6 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 382.4 GTexel/s | 345.6 GTexel/s |

| TDP | 145 W | 135 W |

Both cards share identical values for architecture, process node, foundry, transistor count, die size, memory type, memory clock, bus interface, API support, and release date.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The largest win for the RX 6800M comes in Geekbench Metal, where it scores 113721 against 91911 for the RX 6700M, a 23.7% advantage. This is the single biggest delta in the entire comparison, and it highlights the 6800M's strength in Metal-based applications, which are common in macOS and iOS development environments.

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test is the second-largest margin. The 6800M's 2238 score beats the 6700M's 1845 by 21.3%. This is a modern, demanding DirectX 12 workload, and the result indicates that the 6800M is significantly better equipped for current-generation games.

Geekbench OpenCL shows a 12.8% lead for the 6800M (87621 versus 77666), and Geekbench Vulkan shows a 4.3% lead (94766 versus 90816). The Vulkan margin is notably smaller, suggesting that the 6700M's architecture is more competitive in Vulkan-specific workloads, though it still loses.

The Passmark DirectX 10 test gives the 6800M a 9.8% win (101 versus 92), which is its only other double-digit victory.

For the RX 6700M, the wins are all single-digit. The largest is in Passmark DirectX 9, where it scores 155 versus 147, a 5.2% margin. It also wins Passmark G2D by 3.1% (555 versus 538), Passmark GPU Compute by 3.1% (5191 versus 5032), and Passmark G3D by 2% (13536 versus 13261). Its narrowest win is Passmark DirectX 11 at 1.6% (129 versus 127).

Passmark DirectX 12 is a dead tie at 65 points each.

The overall win count is 6 for the 6800M and 5 for the 6700M, but the magnitude of the 6800M's wins is much larger. The 6700M's victories are all within 5.2%, while the 6800M's wins range from 4.3% to 23.7%. This asymmetry is important: the 6800M loses small but wins big.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear conclusion for most users: the AMD Radeon RX 6800M is the superior GPU. It wins the most demanding modern benchmarks by large margins, has more memory, more bandwidth, more shading units, and more ray tracing cores. Its average benchmark score is 28874 versus 25633 for the RX 6700M, and it ranks in the 74th percentile of all GPUs compared to the 71st for the 6700M.

The RX 6800M is the choice for anyone running DirectX 12 titles, Metal-based applications, or OpenCL compute workloads. Its 21.3% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and 23.7% lead in Geekbench Metal are decisive. The 12 GB memory and 384.0 GB/s bandwidth also give it more headroom for high-resolution textures and future game requirements.

The RX 6700M is not without merit. It wins in Passmark DirectX 9, DirectX 11, G2D, G3D, and GPU Compute, albeit by small margins. For users running older games that rely on DirectX 9 or DirectX 11, the 6700M is marginally better. Its higher pixel rate of 153.6 GPixel/s versus 153.0 GPixel/s is a tiny but real advantage. And at 135 W TDP, it draws less power than the 6800M's 145 W, which could matter in thin-and-light laptops.

However, the 6700M's wins are all within 5.2%, while its losses extend to 23.7%. That asymmetry means the 6700M is only preferable in a narrow set of legacy workloads. For any modern, graphics-intensive task, the 6800M is the stronger option by a wide margin.

The verdict is straightforward: pick the RX 6800M for current and future gaming performance, especially in DirectX 12 and Metal environments. Pick the RX 6700M only if your workload is dominated by legacy DirectX 9 or DirectX 11 titles, or if the lower 135 W TDP is a critical constraint for your laptop design. For everyone else, the 6800M is the data-backed choice.