AMD Radeon RX 7700 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is the decisive winner in this comparison, taking 8 of 9 head-to-head benchmarks and delivering an average benchmark score of 15852 against the RTX 2060’s 15290. The RX 7700’s most dramatic victories come in modern DirectX workloads and compute, where it more than doubles the RTX 2060’s score in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and nearly doubles it in Passmark GPU Compute. The RTX 2060’s single win in Passmark DirectX 10 is narrow, at 98 versus 92, but it does not offset the generational gap in raw performance, memory capacity, and bandwidth that the data reveals.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 dominates across nearly every workload category measured. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the RX 7700 scores 2865 versus the RTX 2060’s 1242, a 130.7% advantage that signals far stronger performance in modern DirectX 12 titles. The gap persists in Passmark DirectX 11, where the RX 7700 leads 186 to 110 (69.1% ahead), and in Passmark DirectX 12, where it wins 96 to 53 (81.1% ahead). Even in legacy DirectX 9, the RX 7700 leads 261 to 190, a 37.4% margin. Compute workloads also favor AMD heavily: Geekbench OpenCL shows 106028 versus 65014 (63.1% ahead), and Passmark GPU Compute shows 10963 versus 5488 (99.8% ahead). The RX 7700 also wins in 2D performance (Passmark G2D: 1206 vs 745, 61.9% ahead) and overall 3D rendering (Passmark G3D: 20974 vs 14111, 48.6% ahead).

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060’s only victory is in Passmark DirectX 10, where it edges out the RX 7700 by 6.1% (98 vs 92). This is a narrow, legacy-focused win that does not reflect modern gaming or compute workloads. Additionally, the RTX 2060’s percentile ranking among all GPUs is 58, identical to the RX 7700’s percentile of 58, but its average benchmark score of 15290 places it just 0.1% above the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 and 0.6% above the RTX 3050 OEM, indicating it sits at a similar performance tier to those older cards rather than competing with the RX 7700’s nearest rivals, which include the RTX 3060 Ti (16129 avg score).

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different design generations, and the data reflects that. The RX 7700 uses the Navi 32 chip on a 5 nm TSMC process, packing 28,100 million transistors into a 346 mm² die for a transistor density of 81.2M per mm². The RTX 2060 uses the TU106 chip on a 12 nm TSMC process, with 10,800 million transistors on a 445 mm² die, yielding just 24.3M per mm². The RX 7700’s newer node allows it to run at a base clock of 1900 MHz and boost to 2459 MHz, while the RTX 2060 is limited to a 1365 MHz base and 1680 MHz boost. Memory configurations also diverge sharply: the RX 7700 carries 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 624.1 GB/s bandwidth, whereas the RTX 2060 has 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Compute resources follow the same pattern. The RX 7700 has 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, 96 ROPs, and 40 ray tracing cores. The RTX 2060 has 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, 48 ROPs, and 30 ray tracing cores, but it also includes 240 tensor cores that the RX 7700 lacks. The RX 7700’s FP32 throughput is 25.18 TFLOPS, compared to the RTX 2060’s 6.451 TFLOPS; the RX 7700 also sustains FP16 at 25.18 TFLOPS (1:1), while the RTX 2060 reaches 12.90 TFLOPS (2:1). Pixel and texture rates follow suit: the RX 7700 delivers 236.1 GPixel/s and 393.4 GTexel/s versus the RTX 2060’s 80.64 GPixel/s and 201.6 GTexel/s. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, but the RTX 2060 uses a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface while the RX 7700 uses PCIe 4.0 x16. The RX 7700 also offers newer display outputs, including 2x DisplayPort 2.1, while the RTX 2060 is limited to DisplayPort 1.4a and still includes DVI.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon RX 7700 is the stronger card for every modern workload. Its 130.7% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and 99.8% lead in Passmark GPU Compute indicate that it is more than twice as fast in advanced DirectX 12 and compute tasks. The RX 7700 also wins in DirectX 11, DirectX 9, OpenCL, G2D, and G3D, with margins ranging from 37.4% to 81.1%. For any user prioritizing gaming performance, content creation, or general compute, the RX 7700 is the clear choice based on benchmark results alone.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 remains relevant only for one narrow scenario: legacy DirectX 10 applications, where it leads by 6.1%. It also has the advantage of a lower TDP at 160 W versus 200 W and a smaller physical footprint, but its 6 GB memory capacity and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are less than half of the RX 7700’s 16 GB and 624.1 GB/s. The RTX 2060’s production status is end-of-life, while the RX 7700 is active. The RTX 2060 does have a launch MSRP of 349 USD, but the RX 7700 has no listed launch MSRP. Users with strict power or size constraints might consider the RTX 2060, but the benchmark data shows the RX 7700 provides overwhelmingly superior performance in nearly all measurable categories.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the AMD Radeon RX 7700 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12?

A: The RX 7700 scores 2865 versus the RTX 2060’s 1242, a delta of 130.7% in favor of the RX 7700.

Q: Does the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 win any benchmark against the RX 7700?

A: Yes, the RTX 2060 wins Passmark DirectX 10 with a score of 98 versus the RX 7700’s 92, a 6.1% advantage.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference between the two cards?

A: The RX 7700 has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 624.1 GB/s bandwidth, while the RTX 2060 has 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card has more shading units and ray tracing cores?

A: The RX 7700 has 2560 shading units and 40 ray tracing cores, while the RTX 2060 has 1920 shading units and 30 ray tracing cores. The RTX 2060 does have 240 tensor cores that the RX 7700 lacks.

Q: How do the two cards compare in compute performance?

A: The RX 7700 scores 10963 in Passmark GPU Compute versus the RTX 2060’s 5488, a 99.8% lead. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 7700 scores 106028 versus 65014, a 63.1% lead.

Q: What is the production status of each card?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is listed as Active, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is listed as End-of-life.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The largest win for the AMD Radeon RX 7700 comes in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, where it scores 2865 against the RTX 2060’s 1242. This 130.7% delta is the single biggest margin in the entire comparison, demonstrating that the RX 7700 excels in the most demanding modern DirectX 12 scenarios. The second-largest win is in Passmark GPU Compute, where the RX 7700’s 10963 more than doubles the RTX 2060’s 5488, a 99.8% advantage. This suggests the RX 7700 is far better suited for compute-heavy applications, which aligns with its higher FP32 throughput of 25.18 TFLOPS versus 6.451 TFLOPS.

In Passmark DirectX 12, the RX 7700 wins 96 to 53, an 81.1% lead, reinforcing its strength in current-generation APIs. Passmark DirectX 11 also favors the RX 7700 heavily, with 186 versus 110 (69.1% ahead). Geekbench OpenCL shows a 63.1% lead for the RX 7700 (106028 vs 65014), and Passmark G2D shows a 61.9% lead (1206 vs 745). The RX 7700’s win in Passmark G3D is 48.6% (20974 vs 14111), and its smallest win is in Passmark DirectX 9, where it leads 261 to 190 (37.4%). The only benchmark the RTX 2060 wins is Passmark DirectX 10, with a score of 98 versus 92, a 6.1% edge that represents the sole bright spot for NVIDIA in this head-to-head.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ on nearly every core specification. The RX 7700 uses a 5 nm process, while the RTX 2060 uses 12 nm. Transistor counts are 28,100 million for the RX 7700 versus 10,800 million for the RTX 2060, with die sizes of 346 mm² and 445 mm² respectively. Clock speeds diverge: the RX 7700 has a 1900 MHz base and 2459 MHz boost, while the RTX 2060 has a 1365 MHz base and 1680 MHz boost. Memory is 16 GB GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 624.1 GB/s bandwidth for the RX 7700, versus 6 GB GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth for the RTX 2060.

Compute units differ substantially: the RX 7700 has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, 96 ROPs, and 40 RT cores, while the RTX 2060 has 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, 48 ROPs, 30 RT cores, and 240 tensor cores. The RX 7700’s pixel rate is 236.1 GPixel/s and texture rate is 393.4 GTexel/s, versus 80.64 GPixel/s and 201.6 GTexel/s for the RTX 2060. FP32 performance is 25.18 TFLOPS for the RX 7700 versus 6.451 TFLOPS for the RTX 2060. Power requirements differ, with the RX 7700 rated at 200 W TDP and a 550 W suggested PSU, while the RTX 2060 is rated at 160 W TDP with a 450 W suggested PSU. The RX 7700 uses PCIe 4.0 x16 and has 2x 8-pin power connectors, whereas the RTX 2060 uses PCIe 3.0 x16 and a single 8-pin connector. Display outputs also differ, with the RX 7700 offering 1x HDMI 2.1a and 2x DisplayPort 2.1, while the RTX 2060 has 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 2x DisplayPort 1.4a. Physical dimensions favor the RTX 2060, which is shorter (229 mm vs 267 mm), lower (113 mm vs 135 mm), and thinner (35 mm vs 50 mm).