AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Comparison

The Verdict

The recorded data presents a clear generational split. The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT wins 8 of the 10 head-to-head benchmark comparisons, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 wins only 2. However, the nature of those wins matters more than the raw count. The RTX 2070 dominates in the Vulkan compute test by a massive 70.6%, and it also holds a narrower but solid 30.6% advantage in the DirectX 10 legacy test. For everything else, the RX 7600 XT is faster, often by substantial margins.

The RX 7600 XT is the default choice for modern workloads. Its average benchmark score sits at 17083, which places it in the 60th percentile of all GPUs. The RTX 2070, with an average score of 18789, sits in the 63rd percentile, a higher overall percentile despite losing most direct comparisons. This is a curious data point: the RTX 2070 averages a higher score across all its recorded benchmarks, yet in the paired head-to-head tests, it trails the RX 7600 XT in most categories. The explanation lies in the benchmark mix. The RTX 2070's Vulkan result is exceptionally high, which lifts its average, while the RX 7600 XT's Vulkan score is far lower, pulling its average down despite wins elsewhere.

For a buyer deciding today, the RX 7600 XT offers the more balanced modern profile. It leads in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test by 33.2%, in OpenCL by 13.5%, in DirectX 11 by 22.8%, in DirectX 12 by 7.7%, in DirectX 9 by 7.5%, in 2D graphics by 20.5%, in 3D graphics by 6.1%, and in GPU compute by 28.7%. The only places where the RTX 2070 recovers are the Vulkan API and the aging DirectX 10 path. If a user's software relies heavily on Vulkan, the RTX 2070 is the clear winner. Otherwise, the RX 7600 XT is the faster card in nearly every measurable scenario.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different architectural eras. The RTX 2070 uses the TU106 chip with Turing architecture, built on a 12 nm process at TSMC. The RX 7600 XT uses the Navi 33 chip with RDNA 3.0 architecture, built on a 6 nm process, also at TSMC. The manufacturing node difference is stark: 12 nm versus 6 nm. That shrunk process allows the RX 7600 XT to pack 13,300 million transistors into a 204 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 65.2M per mm². The RTX 2070, by contrast, has 10,800 million transistors on a 445 mm² die, for a density of 24.3M per mm². The RX 7600 XT is more than twice as dense, which explains how it achieves higher clock speeds and throughput on a much smaller physical package.

Core counts differ as well. The RTX 2070 has 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. It also includes 36 RT cores and 288 tensor cores, features inherited from the Turing design. The RX 7600 XT has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with 32 RT cores and no tensor cores. Despite having fewer shading units, the RX 7600 XT achieves a much higher FP32 throughput of 22.57 TFLOPS versus 7.465 TFLOPS for the RTX 2070. That is a 3x advantage in raw floating-point performance. The FP16 numbers also differ: the RTX 2070 reaches 14.93 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, while the RX 7600 XT reaches 22.57 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, meaning it does not accelerate FP16 separately.

Memory architecture diverges significantly. The RTX 2070 uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 7600 XT has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s. The RX 7600 XT has double the capacity but narrower bandwidth. Clock speeds tell the rest of the story. The RTX 2070 runs at a base of 1410 MHz and a boost of 1620 MHz, with memory at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The RX 7600 XT runs at a base of 1980 MHz, a boost of 2755 MHz, and a game clock of 2470 MHz, with memory at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective). The RX 7600 XT's higher clocks, enabled by the smaller process node, compensate for its narrower memory bus.

The pixel and texture rates reflect these differences. The RX 7600 XT reaches 176.3 GPixel/s and 352.6 GTexel/s, while the RTX 2070 reaches 103.7 GPixel/s and 233.3 GTexel/s. The RX 7600 XT is roughly 70% faster in pixel fill and 51% faster in texture fill. The power draw is close: the RTX 2070 has a TDP of 175 W, and the RX 7600 XT has a TDP of 190 W. Both use a single 8-pin power connector and suggest a 450 W PSU. The bus interface differs, with the RTX 2070 using PCIe 3.0 x16 and the RX 7600 XT using PCIe 4.0 x8. Display outputs also differ, with the RTX 2070 offering DVI, HDMI 2.0, two DisplayPort 1.4a, and USB Type-C, while the RX 7600 XT offers HDMI 2.1a and three DisplayPort 2.1.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT scores 2348, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 scores 1569. The RX 7600 XT leads by 33.2%.

Q: Does the RTX 2070 have any significant lead over the RX 7600 XT?

A: Yes, in the Geekbench Vulkan test, the RTX 2070 scores 82521 versus 48366 for the RX 7600 XT, a 70.6% advantage. It also wins the Passmark DirectX 10 test, 111 to 85, a 30.6% lead.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The RTX 2070 has an average benchmark score of 18789, placing it in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs. The RX 7600 XT has an average of 17083, placing it in the 60th percentile. Despite the lower average, the RX 7600 XT wins most head-to-head tests.

Q: Which card has more memory and what is the bandwidth difference?

A: The RX 7600 XT has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 2070 has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 2070 has higher bandwidth, but the RX 7600 XT has double the capacity.

Q: What are the production statuses of these two cards?

A: The RTX 2070 is listed as end-of-life, while the RX 7600 XT is listed as active. The RTX 2070 was released on 2018-10-16, and the RX 7600 XT was released on 2024-01-23.

Q: Which card has higher boost clock speed?

A: The RX 7600 XT has a boost clock of 2755 MHz, compared to the RTX 2070's boost clock of 1620 MHz.

Specification Differences

The recorded specifications show differences in nearly every core category. The process node differs: the RTX 2070 uses 12 nm, while the RX 7600 XT uses 6 nm. Transistor count is 10,800 million for the RTX 2070 versus 13,300 million for the RX 7600 XT. Die size is 445 mm² for the RTX 2070 versus 204 mm² for the RX 7600 XT. Transistor density is 24.3M per mm² versus 65.2M per mm². Base clock is 1410 MHz versus 1980 MHz. Boost clock is 1620 MHz versus 2755 MHz. The RX 7600 XT also has a game clock of 2470 MHz, which the RTX 2070 does not list. Memory clock is 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) versus 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective). Memory size is 8 GB versus 16 GB. Memory bus width is 256 bit versus 128 bit. Memory bandwidth is 448.0 GB/s versus 288.0 GB/s. Shading units are 2304 versus 2048. TMUs are 144 versus 128. ROPs are 64 for both. RT cores are 36 versus 32. Tensor cores are 288 for the RTX 2070, while the RX 7600 XT lists none. Pixel rate is 103.7 GPixel/s versus 176.3 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 233.3 GTexel/s versus 352.6 GTexel/s. FP32 is 7.465 TFLOPS versus 22.57 TFLOPS. FP16 is 14.93 TFLOPS (2:1) versus 22.57 TFLOPS (1:1). TDP is 175 W versus 190 W. Bus interface is PCIe 3.0 x16 versus PCIe 4.0 x8. Display outputs: the RTX 2070 has DVI, HDMI 2.0, two DisplayPort 1.4a, and USB Type-C; the RX 7600 XT has HDMI 2.1a and three DisplayPort 2.1. Dimensions: the RTX 2070 is 229 mm long, 113 mm high, and 35 mm wide; the RX 7600 XT is 204 mm long and 115 mm high, with width not listed.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test shows the RX 7600 XT scoring 2348 against the RTX 2070's 1569, a 33.2% lead. That is the largest difference in the modern 3D workload category. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 7600 XT scores 92426 versus 79966, a 13.5% advantage. The Geekbench Vulkan test flips decisively: the RTX 2070 scores 82521 against 48366 for the RX 7600 XT, a 70.6% margin. This is the single biggest win for either card in the entire dataset.

Passmark results split by API generation. In DirectX 10, the RTX 2070 wins 111 to 85, a 30.6% lead. In DirectX 11, the RX 7600 XT wins 167 to 129, a 22.8% margin. In DirectX 12, the RX 7600 XT wins 65 to 60, a 7.7% edge. In DirectX 9, the RX 7600 XT wins 228 to 211, a 7.5% margin. The 2D graphics test goes to the RX 7600 XT, 1030 to 819, a 20.5% lead. The 3D graphics test goes to the RX 7600 XT, 17132 to 16094, a 6.1% advantage. The GPU compute test goes to the RX 7600 XT, 8987 to 6411, a 28.7% lead.

The pattern is consistent: the RX 7600 XT wins every modern compute and graphics workload except Vulkan. The RTX 2070's Vulkan score is so high that it single-handedly accounts for its higher average benchmark score of 18789 versus 17083. The RTX 2070's DirectX 10 win is notable for legacy compatibility, but DirectX 10 is not a modern target. The RX 7600 XT's DirectX 11 and DirectX 12 wins are more relevant for current games and applications.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 7600 XT is the choice for users running DirectX 12, DirectX 11, DirectX 9, OpenCL, or general 3D rendering. Its 33.2% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 indicates strong modern gaming performance. Its 28.7% lead in GPU compute makes it suitable for compute-heavy tasks like rendering or physics simulations. The 22.8% DirectX 11 lead covers a vast library of current and recent games. The 13.5% OpenCL lead extends to many productivity applications that use OpenCL for acceleration. The 7.7% DirectX 12 and 7.5% DirectX 9 leads round out a broad API coverage. Even the 2D graphics test, where it leads by 20.5%, suggests faster desktop and UI rendering.

The RTX 2070 wins in two specific scenarios. First, Vulkan-based applications: the 70.6% lead in Geekbench Vulkan is massive, and any user whose primary software uses Vulkan should take note. Second, DirectX 10 workloads: the 30.6% lead in that legacy API matters for older software that has not been updated. The RTX 2070 also has the advantage of tensor cores, which the RX 7600 XT lacks, though no benchmark in the dataset specifically tests tensor performance. The RTX 2070's higher memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s versus 288.0 GB/s could benefit bandwidth-sensitive workloads, but the recorded benchmarks do not show a win in any memory-heavy test.

For most users, the RX 7600 XT is the faster card. The data shows wins in 8 of 10 paired benchmarks, including all modern API tests except Vulkan. The RTX 2070 remains relevant only for Vulkan-centric workflows and legacy DirectX 10 applications. The RX 7600 XT's active production status, versus the RTX 2070's end-of-life status, further tilts the practical recommendation. The RX 7600 XT also offers 16 GB of memory, double the RTX 2070's 8 GB, which matters for large textures and high-resolution assets. The RTX 2070's 70.6% Vulkan advantage is the one metric that keeps it competitive in a specific niche.