AMD Radeon RX 6700M vs AMD Radeon RX 9070 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a lopsided contest. AMD Radeon RX 9070 wins nine of the ten head-to-head comparisons, with the AMD Radeon RX 6700M taking a single, decisive victory. The most dramatic gap appears in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, where the RX 9070 scores 6290 against the RX 6700M's 1845, a delta of -70.7% from the older card's perspective. That is not a marginal improvement; it is a generational leap in raw rasterization throughput.

Compute workloads tell a similar story. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 9070 posts 131539 versus 77666 for the RX 6700M, a 41% advantage. Passmark GPU Compute reinforces the trend: 14737 against 5191, a 64.8% deficit for the RX 6700M. The RX 9070's lead in these tests indicates substantially higher raw shader throughput, which aligns with its larger shading unit count.

DirectX legacy tests show consistent but less extreme wins for the RX 9070. In Passmark DirectX 11, the RX 9070 scores 281 against 129, a 54.1% lead. DirectX 10 shows 141 versus 92, a 34.8% gap. DirectX 9 sees 343 versus 155, a 54.8% advantage. Even the narrowest win in the DirectX family — DirectX 12 at 74 versus 65, a 12.2% delta — still favors the RX 9070. These results suggest the newer card handles older API workloads with more headroom, though the margins vary considerably by API generation.

The 2D and 3D Passmark tests further confirm the RX 9070's dominance. Passmark G3D shows 25381 versus 13536, a 46.7% lead. Passmark G2D shows 1280 versus 555, a 56.6% margin. The G2D result is notable because it reflects memory bandwidth and interface efficiency rather than raw compute, and the RX 9070's wider memory bus and higher bandwidth appear to pay off here.

The single exception is Geekbench Vulkan. Here the RX 6700M wins decisively: 90816 against 58705, a 54.7% advantage for the older card. This is a remarkable outlier. It suggests that in low-level graphics API workloads, the RX 6700M's architecture or driver stack delivers superior performance despite losing everywhere else. The magnitude of the win — more than half again as fast — makes it impossible to dismiss as noise.

Overall, the head-to-head record is 9-1 in favor of the RX 9070. The average benchmark scores reflect this split: the RX 6700M averages 25633, while the RX 9070 averages 23877. That average is dragged down by the Vulkan result; without it, the RX 9070's aggregate would be far higher. The RX 6700M's 71st percentile versus the RX 9070's 69th percentile is a statistical artifact of that single outlier, not an indication of overall parity.

Architecture Differences

The two cards belong to different architectural generations. The RX 6700M uses RDNA 2.0 on the Navi 22 chip, fabricated on TSMC's 7 nm process. The RX 9070 uses RDNA 4.0 on the Navi 48 chip, built on TSMC's 4 nm node. The process shrink is significant: transistor density jumps from 51.3M per mm² to 151.0M per mm². Total transistor count rises from 17,200 million to 53,900 million, even though die size stays roughly similar — 335 mm² for the RX 6700M against 357 mm² for the RX 9070. The RX 9070 packs more than three times the transistors into nearly the same physical space.

Core configuration differs substantially. The RX 6700M has 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. The RX 9070 has 3584 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 128 ROPs. That is 55.6% more shading units, 55.6% more TMUs, and exactly double the ROPs. Ray tracing cores also increase, from 36 on the RX 6700M to 56 on the RX 9070. Neither card has tensor cores listed.

Clock behavior is nuanced. The RX 6700M has a higher base clock (1489 MHz versus 1330 MHz) and a higher game clock (2300 MHz versus 2070 MHz). The RX 9070 wins on boost clock: 2520 MHz versus 2400 MHz. Memory clocks also differ, with the RX 9070 running at 2518 MHz (20.1 Gbps effective) against the RX 6700M's 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective). The RX 9070's memory subsystem is wider and faster: 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus delivering 644.6 GB/s, versus 10 GB on a 160-bit bus at 320.0 GB/s. That is double the bandwidth, exactly.

Theoretical throughput figures reflect the architectural gulf. The RX 9070 delivers 36.13 TFLOPS FP32 against 11.06 TFLOPS for the RX 6700M — more than a threefold increase. FP16 performance tells a different story: the RX 6700M achieves 22.12 TFLOPS at a 2:1 ratio, while the RX 9070 matches its FP32 rate at 36.13 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio. The RX 9070 does not gain the usual FP16 boost; it simply runs FP16 at full rate, which is a notable design choice.

Pixel and texture rates follow the core counts. The RX 9070 hits 322.6 GPixel/s and 564.5 GTexel/s, versus 153.6 GPixel/s and 345.6 GTexel/s for the RX 6700M. Power draw rises accordingly: 220 W TDP for the RX 9070 against 135 W for the RX 6700M. The RX 9070 requires dual 8-pin power connectors and a 550 W suggested PSU, while the RX 6700M is an IGP with no power connectors and portable-device-dependent outputs. The RX 9070 is a dual-slot desktop card with 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1a outputs.

Bus interface also differs: PCIe 4.0 x16 on the RX 6700M versus PCIe 5.0 x16 on the RX 9070. API support is identical — both list DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Production status contrasts sharply: the RX 6700M is end-of-life, while the RX 9070 is active. Release dates are nearly four years apart: May 2021 for the RX 6700M, March 2025 for the RX 9070.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 9070 wins overwhelmingly in modern and legacy workloads alike. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 result — 6290 versus 1845 — indicates strong DirectX 12 performance for current-generation titles. The Passmark G3D score of 25381 against 13536 suggests broad 3D rendering capability across multiple APIs. Compute-heavy tasks clearly favor the RX 9070: Geekbench OpenCL at 131539 and Passmark GPU Compute at 14737 both more than double the RX 6700M's figures.

For users running OpenCL-based applications — video encoding, physics simulation, or general-purpose GPU compute — the RX 9070 is the clear choice. Its 36.13 TFLOPS FP32 throughput dwarfs the RX 6700M's 11.06 TFLOPS. The 16 GB memory capacity and 644.6 GB/s bandwidth also provide headroom for large datasets and high-resolution textures that would exhaust the RX 6700M's 10 GB at 320.0 GB/s.

The RX 6700M's lone win comes in Geekbench Vulkan, where it scores 90816 against the RX 9070's 58705. This is a 54.7% margin in favor of the older card. Vulkan is used in many modern game engines and emulators, so this result is not purely academic. If a workload is heavily Vulkan-bound, the RX 6700M may deliver better frame pacing or lower latency despite its older architecture. The data does not explain why this inversion occurs, but it is consistent and substantial.

Legacy DirectX support is a mixed but mostly positive story for the RX 9070. It wins every DirectX test, from DirectX 9 (343 versus 155) through DirectX 12 (74 versus 65). The margins shrink with newer API versions — 54.8% at DirectX 9, 54.1% at DirectX 11, 12.2% at DirectX 12 — which suggests the RX 6700M closes the gap as the API becomes more modern. For older titles running on DirectX 9 or 11, the RX 9070 still holds a clear edge.

Power efficiency is the RX 6700M's implicit advantage. At 135 W versus 220 W, it draws 85 W less while delivering competitive performance in Vulkan. For a portable device with battery constraints, that efficiency matters. The RX 9070's 220 W TDP and dual 8-pin connectors make it unsuitable for such form factors, but that is a physical constraint rather than a performance one.

The Verdict

The data points to a straightforward conclusion: the AMD Radeon RX 9070 is the superior card in nearly every measurable way. It wins nine of ten head-to-head benchmarks, with wins ranging from 12.2% (DirectX 12) to 70.7% (3DMark Steel Nomad). Its compute throughput, memory bandwidth, and pixel rate all exceed the RX 6700M by wide margins. Users seeking maximum performance in DirectX 12 titles, OpenCL compute, or general 3D rendering should choose the RX 9070 without hesitation.

The RX 6700M's case rests on two pillars: the Geekbench Vulkan win and lower power draw. For Vulkan-centric workloads, the RX 6700M is demonstrably faster — 54.7% ahead — which could matter for specific game emulators or Vulkan-native applications. Its 135 W TDP also suits portable or power-constrained systems, though its end-of-life status and 10 GB memory limit cap its future relevance.

The RX 9070's active production status and launch MSRP of 549 USD position it as a current-generation option. Its nearest rivals — including the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z at 0.6% delta and the AMD Radeon RX 6800S at -0.8% — bracket its average score of 23877. The RX 6700M's nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile at -0.4%, cluster around its 25633 average. Neither card dominates its immediate competitive field, but the RX 9070's absolute performance is in a different class.

For most buyers, the RX 9070 is the answer. The Vulkan anomaly is real but narrow — one benchmark out of ten. The RX 6700M is a capable card for legacy Vulkan workloads or power-sensitive mobile systems, but its end-of-life status and generational disadvantages make it a niche pick. The RX 9070 offers current support, higher throughput, and more memory. The data is unambiguous: nine wins to one.

FAQ

Q: Which card wins the most benchmarks?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9070 wins nine of ten head-to-head benchmarks. The RX 6700M wins only Geekbench Vulkan.

Q: What is the largest performance gap between the two cards?

A: The largest gap is in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, where the RX 9070 scores 6290 versus the RX 6700M's 1845, a delta of -70.7% from the RX 6700M's perspective.

Q: Where does the RX 6700M outperform the RX 9070?

A: The RX 6700M wins Geekbench Vulkan with a score of 90816 against 58705 for the RX 9070, a 54.7% advantage.

Q: How do the memory systems compare?

A: The RX 9070 has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 644.6 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 6700M has 10 GB on a 160-bit bus with 320.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The RX 9070 has a 220 W TDP and requires dual 8-pin power connectors plus a 550 W suggested PSU. The RX 6700M has a 135 W TDP and uses no power connectors.

Q: Are the two cards in the same production status?

A: No. The RX 6700M is end-of-life, while the RX 9070 is active.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 6700M | AMD Radeon RX 9070 |

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

| Architecture | RDNA 2.0 | RDNA 4.0 |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 4 nm |

| Transistors | 17,200 million | 53,900 million |

| Die Size | 335 mm² | 357 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 51.3M / mm² | 151.0M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1489 MHz | 1330 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2400 MHz | 2520 MHz |

| Game Clock | 2300 MHz | 2070 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) | 2518 MHz (20.1 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 10 GB | 16 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 160 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 320.0 GB/s | 644.6 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2304 | 3584 |

| TMUs | 144 | 224 |

| ROPs | 64 | 128 |

| Ray Tracing Cores | 36 | 56 |

| Pixel Rate | 153.6 GPixel/s | 322.6 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 345.6 GTexel/s | 564.5 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 11.06 TFLOPS | 36.13 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 22.12 TFLOPS (2:1) | 36.13 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 135 W | 220 W |

| Slot Width | IGP | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | None | 2x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | None listed | 550 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 5.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | 1x HDMI 2.1b, 3x DisplayPort 2.1a |

| Production Status | End-of-life | Active |

| Release Date | 2021-05-30 | 2025-03-05 |