AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT vs AMD Radeon RX 7700S Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT and the AMD Radeon RX 7700S represent two distinct approaches to high-performance graphics from the same manufacturer, separated by two generations of architecture and designed for entirely different physical envelopes. The RX 6900 XT is an end-of-life desktop flagship from the Navi II generation, built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture, while the RX 7700S is an active mobile part from the Navi Mobile generation, using the newer RDNA 3.0 architecture. Benchmark data shows that the desktop card holds a commanding lead in raw performance, but the mobile chip’s architectural advantages narrow the gap in surprising ways. Below is a detailed breakdown of their measured performance, design differences, and use-case outcomes.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark results are decisively one-sided, with the RX 6900 XT winning all three common tests. The largest margin comes in the Geekbench OpenCL compute test, where the RX 6900 XT scores 167,057 against the RX 7700S’s 69,728, a delta of 139.6% in favor of the desktop card. This massive lead reflects the RX 6900 XT’s far higher shading unit count and memory bandwidth, which directly benefit raw compute workloads. In the Geekbench Vulkan test, the RX 6900 XT again dominates with a score of 166,636 versus 85,603 for the RX 7700S, a 94.7% advantage. The gap narrows somewhat in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, where the RX 6900 XT scores 4,079 and the RX 7700S scores 2,185, resulting in an 86.7% delta. While the desktop part wins outright, the relative closeness of the 3DMark result compared to the compute tests suggests the RX 7700S’s newer architecture helps it punch above its weight in gaming-oriented DX12 workloads.

Looking at aggregate performance, the RX 6900 XT holds an average benchmark score of 53,489 across all tests, while the RX 7700S averages 52,505. This translates to a 1.9% lead for the desktop card in the nearest rivals comparison, a surprisingly slim margin given the individual test deltas. The reason for this discrepancy is the benchmark sample sizes: the RX 6900 XT has 11 recorded benchmark scores, while the RX 7700S has only three. The RX 7700S’s average is buoyed by its relatively strong Geekbench Vulkan showing, while the RX 6900 XT’s average is dragged down by its poor Passmark DirectX 10 and DirectX 12 scores of 167 and 113, respectively. Notably, the RX 7700S matches the RX 6900 XT’s 88th percentile ranking among all GPUs, indicating that despite the raw performance gap, both parts sit in the same tier of overall capability relative to the broader market.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is stark, reflecting the generational leap from RDNA 2.0 to RDNA 3.0. The RX 6900 XT uses the Navi 21 chip on a 7 nm TSMC process, packing 26,800 million transistors into a 520 mm² die for a density of 51.5M transistors per mm². In contrast, the RX 7700S uses the Navi 33 chip, fabricated on a more advanced 6 nm TSMC process, with 13,300 million transistors on a much smaller 204 mm² die, achieving a higher density of 65.2M transistors per mm². The RX 7700S’s die size is less than half that of the RX 6900 XT, yet it still delivers competitive performance in some tests, evidence of the efficiency gains of the newer process node and architecture.

The RX 7700S also benefits from a more modern feature set. It carries the codename "Hotpink Bonefish" and belongs to the Navi Mobile (RX 7000M) generation, while the RX 6900 XT is part of the Navi II (RX 6000) generation. The RX 7700S has a higher boost clock at 2500 MHz compared to the RX 6900 XT’s 2250 MHz, and its game clock of 2200 MHz exceeds the desktop card’s 2015 MHz. The memory clocks also differ, with the RX 7700S running at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) versus the RX 6900 XT’s 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective). Despite these clock advantages, the RX 7700S is constrained by its narrower 128-bit memory bus and 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, yielding 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth, whereas the RX 6900 XT offers a 256-bit bus, 16 GB of GDDR6, and 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

The compute unit configurations are radically different. The RX 6900 XT houses 5,120 shading units, 320 texture mapping units, 128 raster operation units, and 80 ray tracing cores. The RX 7700S, by comparison, has 2,048 shading units, 128 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and 32 ray tracing cores — all exactly half or less of the desktop part’s counts. This explains the RX 6900 XT’s higher theoretical peak rates: 23.04 TFLOPS FP32, 288.0 GPixel/s pixel fill, and 720.0 GTexel/s texture fill, versus the RX 7700S’s 20.48 TFLOPS FP32, 160.0 GPixel/s, and 320.0 GTexel/s. The fact that the RX 7700S achieves 89% of the FP32 throughput with only 40% of the shading units highlights the per-clock efficiency improvements in RDNA 3.0.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 6900 XT is the clear winner in raw compute and memory-intensive tasks. Its 16 GB frame buffer and 512.0 GB/s bandwidth make it suitable for high-resolution texture-heavy workloads, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4,079 versus 2,185 shows a substantial lead in modern DX12 gaming. The data suggests the desktop card is better suited for 4K gaming, content creation, and any workload that demands large memory capacity and high throughput. Its PassMark G3D score of 26,732 and GPU compute score of 14,547 further underscore its strength in general 3D rendering and compute acceleration.

The RX 7700S, while losing every head-to-head test, has its own merits. Its 100 W TDP is exactly one-third of the RX 6900 XT’s 300 W, making it a far more power-efficient solution for portable devices. Its 6 nm process and higher boost clock of 2500 MHz mean it can deliver competitive performance in a much smaller physical footprint — it is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no power connectors, whereas the RX 6900 XT is a triple-slot card requiring 2x 8-pin connectors and a 700 W suggested PSU. The Geekbench Vulkan score of 85,603, while 94.7% behind the RX 6900 XT, is still strong for a mobile part, and its 88th percentile ranking among all GPUs shows it performs at the same percentile level as the desktop flagship. For laptop users, the RX 7700S offers a compelling balance of performance and portability.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT | AMD Radeon RX 7700S |

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

| Architecture | RDNA 2.0 | RDNA 3.0 |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 6 nm |

| Transistors | 26,800 million | 13,300 million |

| Die Size | 520 mm² | 204 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 51.5M / mm² | 65.2M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1825 MHz | 1500 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2250 MHz | 2500 MHz |

| Game Clock | 2015 MHz | 2200 MHz |

| Memory Size | 16 GB | 8 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 256 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 512.0 GB/s | 288.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 5120 | 2048 |

| TMUs | 320 | 128 |

| ROPs | 128 | 64 |

| Ray Tracing Cores | 80 | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 288.0 GPixel/s | 160.0 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 720.0 GTexel/s | 320.0 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 23.04 TFLOPS | 20.48 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 46.08 TFLOPS (2:1) | 40.96 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 300 W | 100 W |

| Slot Width | Triple-slot | IGP |

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

| Suggested PSU | 700 W | None |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1x USB Type-C | Portable Device Dependent |

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

| Release Date | 2020-10-27 | 2023-01-03 |

| Predecessor | Navi | Polaris Mobile |

| Successor | Navi III | None |

| Launch MSRP | 999 USD | None |

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7700S has a higher boost clock at 2500 MHz, compared to the RX 6900 XT’s 2250 MHz.

Q: How much faster is the RX 6900 XT in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The RX 6900 XT scores 167,057, which is 139.6% higher than the RX 7700S’s score of 69,728.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same DirectX version?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), as well as OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The RX 6900 XT offers 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth, while the RX 7700S provides 288.0 GB/s, a difference of 224.0 GB/s.

Q: Which GPU has a higher transistor density?

A: The RX 7700S has a higher transistor density at 65.2M transistors per mm², versus the RX 6900 XT’s 51.5M per mm².

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The RX 6900 XT has an average benchmark score of 53,489, which is 1.9% higher than the RX 7700S’s average of 52,505. Both rank in the 88th percentile among all GPUs.