AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT vs AMD Radeon RX 7600S Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT and the AMD Radeon RX 7600S share the same Navi 33 chip and RDNA 3.0 architecture, yet they are positioned at opposite ends of the performance spectrum. The desktop-focused RX 7600 XT is an active, dual-slot card with a 190 W TDP, while the RX 7600S is an IGP for mobile devices with a 75 W TDP. The benchmark data reveals a clear hierarchy, but the single win for the mobile part in Vulkan performance raises intriguing questions about driver optimization and workload-specific behavior. This analysis will dissect the head-to-head results, architectural nuances, and the specific use cases where each GPU excels.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data is decisively in favor of the RX 7600 XT, which secures victory in 9 out of 10 benchmark tests. The most significant margin is in the Passmark GPU Compute test, where the RX 7600 XT scores 8987 against the RX 7600S's 6520, a substantial 37.8% advantage. This suggests a major gap in raw compute throughput, likely stemming from the desktop card's higher clock speeds and greater shader core count.

The Geekbench OpenCL result reinforces this trend, with the RX 7600 XT posting 92426 points versus 68012 for the RX 7600S, a 35.9% lead. This is a strong indicator of general-purpose GPU compute performance, where the desktop card's higher FP32 throughput (22.57 TFLOPS vs 15.77 TFLOPS) provides a clear edge. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, a modern gaming workload, shows a 24.4% win for the RX 7600 XT (2348 vs 1888), which is a more moderate but still significant difference in real-world gaming scenarios.

In DirectX 11 and older API tests, the RX 7600 XT maintains a comfortable lead. The Passmark DirectX 11 score is 167 vs 140 (19.3% delta), and the DirectX 10 score is 85 vs 74 (14.9% delta). Even the legacy DirectX 9 test shows an 8.1% advantage (228 vs 211). The Passmark G3D score, often used as a general gaming metric, is 17132 for the RX 7600 XT against 15408 for the RX 7600S, an 11.2% delta. Interestingly, the DirectX 12 test is a dead heat, with both cards scoring exactly 65 points, implying that the newer API might be better optimized for the mobile part's architecture or that the test is not sensitive to the clock speed differences.

The one exception to this pattern is the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the RX 7600S surprisingly wins with a score of 73868 compared to the RX 7600 XT's 48366, a 34.5% delta in favor of the mobile GPU. This is a stark reversal of the OpenCL results and suggests that the RX 7600S has superior Vulkan driver efficiency or that the test is heavily influenced by memory latency or other factors not captured by the specification sheet. This anomaly makes the RX 7600S a potentially interesting option for Vulkan-specific applications, despite its overall lower performance.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT has a higher average benchmark score of 17083, while the AMD Radeon RX 7600S averages 16696. This places the RX 7600 XT roughly 2.3% ahead on average, despite its much higher power draw.

Q: Is the RX 7600 XT always faster than the RX 7600S?

A: No. While the RX 7600 XT wins 9 of the 10 head-to-head tests, the RX 7600S wins the Geekbench Vulkan test by a significant 34.5% margin. This indicates that the mobile GPU has a distinct advantage in Vulkan API performance.

Q: How do these cards compare to their closest rivals?

A: The RX 7600 XT's nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, which has an average score of 17208, putting the RX 7600 XT 0.7% behind it. The RX 7600S's closest competitor is the NVIDIA T400 4 GB, which scores 16792, placing the RX 7600S 0.6% behind that rival.

Q: What is the performance difference in the most demanding graphics test?

A: In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the RX 7600 XT scores 2348, which is 24.4% higher than the RX 7600S's score of 1888. This indicates a clear gaming performance advantage for the desktop card in modern DX12 titles.

Q: Which card has better compute performance for non-gaming tasks?

A: The RX 7600 XT is significantly better for compute. Its Passmark GPU Compute score of 8987 is 37.8% higher than the RX 7600S's 6520, and its Geekbench OpenCL score of 92426 is 35.9% higher than the RX 7600S's 68012.

Q: Are these cards in the same performance percentile overall?

A: Yes, both the RX 7600 XT and the RX 7600S are listed at the 60th percentile when compared to all GPUs, meaning they both outperform the majority of graphics cards on the market, despite their internal performance differences.

Architecture Differences

Despite sharing the Navi 33 chip, the 6 nm process node, and the RDNA 3.0 architecture, the two cards are configured differently, leading to their performance gap. The most prominent difference is in the execution units. The RX 7600 XT has 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 32 ray tracing (RT) cores. The RX 7600S has fewer of each: 1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 28 RT cores. This reduction in core counts directly explains the RX 7600 XT's higher texture rate (352.6 GTexel/s vs 246.4 GTexel/s) and FP32 throughput (22.57 TFLOPS vs 15.77 TFLOPS).

Clock speeds are another major differentiator. The RX 7600 XT has a base clock of 1980 MHz, a game clock of 2470 MHz, and a boost clock of 2755 MHz. In contrast, the RX 7600S runs at a much lower 1500 MHz base, 1865 MHz game, and 2200 MHz boost clock. This is a direct consequence of the mobile card's 75 W TDP, which forces it to operate at lower frequencies to manage heat and power consumption within a laptop chassis. The desktop card's 190 W TDP allows for significantly higher sustained clocks.

The memory subsystems also differ. While both use GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, the RX 7600 XT has 16 GB of memory running at 18 Gbps effective, yielding a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. The RX 7600S has half the capacity at 8 GB, with a memory clock of 16 Gbps effective, resulting in a lower bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. This combination of fewer cores, lower clocks, and reduced memory bandwidth makes the RX 7600S a fundamentally less powerful variant of the same chip.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets for the two cards highlight their divergent purposes. The RX 7600 XT is a dual-slot desktop card that requires a single 8-pin power connector and a 450 W suggested PSU, while the RX 7600S is an IGP (Integrated Graphics Processor) with no power connectors and a 75 W TDP. This makes the RX 7600S suitable for thin-and-light gaming laptops, whereas the RX 7600 XT is for traditional desktop towers.

The memory capacity is a key spec difference: 16 GB on the RX 7600 XT versus 8 GB on the RX 7600S. This doubles the framebuffer for the desktop card, which is crucial for high-resolution textures and future-proofing. The bus interface also differs, with the RX 7600 XT using PCIe 4.0 x8 and the RX 7600S using PCIe 4.0 x16. Interestingly, the mobile part has a wider interface, possibly to compensate for its lower memory bandwidth. Display outputs are also a contrast: the RX 7600 XT offers 1x HDMI 2.1a and 3x DisplayPort 2.1, while the RX 7600S's outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent," meaning they vary by laptop design.

The FP16 performance is a notable divergence. The RX 7600 XT lists FP16 at 22.57 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio with FP32), whereas the RX 7600S lists FP16 at 31.54 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio). This means the mobile GPU has a higher theoretical FP16 throughput, which could be leveraged in specific AI or compute workloads that utilize half-precision. The release dates also differ, with the RX 7600S launching on 2023-01-03 and the RX 7600 XT on 2024-01-23, and the RX 7600 XT has a launch MSRP of 329 USD.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 7600 XT is the clear winner for most desktop-centric workloads. Its 37.8% lead in Passmark GPU Compute and 35.9% lead in Geekbench OpenCL make it the superior choice for GPU-accelerated tasks like video rendering, scientific simulations, and machine learning inference. In gaming, its 24.4% advantage in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and 11.2% lead in Passmark G3D indicate it will provide higher frame rates in modern DirectX 12 titles. Its 16 GB memory buffer also gives it an edge for games that exceed 8 GB of VRAM usage at high settings.

The RX 7600S, despite its overall deficit, has a clear niche in Vulkan-based applications. Its 34.5% win in Geekbench Vulkan suggests that it could be a better performer in Vulkan-exclusive games or emulators. Furthermore, its 75 W TDP and IGP form factor make it the only option for ultra-portable gaming laptops. The RX 7600S also has a higher FP16 throughput (31.54 TFLOPS vs 22.57 TFLOPS), which could be beneficial for specific compute tasks that heavily utilize half-precision arithmetic, even though its overall FP32 performance is lower.

The Verdict

The data indicates that the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT is the more powerful and versatile GPU. It wins the vast majority of benchmarks, including all the key gaming and compute tests, and offers twice the memory capacity. Users building a desktop system should pick the RX 7600 XT for its superior performance and headroom. Its 60th percentile ranking and proximity to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 (0.7% behind) show it is a competitive mid-range desktop option.

The AMD Radeon RX 7600S is a specialized mobile part. It should be chosen only when the requirement is for a discrete-class GPU in a laptop. Its performance is respectable, sitting within 1.1% of the NVIDIA T400 in average score, but it is clearly a step below the RX 7600 XT. The sole exception is its outstanding Vulkan performance, which makes it a compelling choice for users who prioritize Vulkan-based games or software above all else. However, for any other task, the RX 7600 XT's higher clock speeds, more cores, and larger memory buffer make it the definitive choice.