AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT vs AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head results show a decisive overall win for the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX, which takes 9 of the 10 recorded benchmarks. The only exception is Geekbench OpenCL, where the RX 7700 XT posts a dramatic 174.2% advantage, scoring 138383 against 50465. This is the largest delta in either direction across the entire comparison set, a striking outlier given the pattern of the other tests.

Looking at the modern DirectX 12 workload, 3DMark Steel Nomad, the RX 7900 XTX scores 6841 versus 3316 for the RX 7700 XT, a 51.5% lead. That is the second-largest gap in the dataset and underscores the higher-end card's raw rendering advantage in a current-generation API test. The Vulkan result tells a similar story, with the RX 7900 XTX at 85612 and the RX 7700 XT at 46443, a 45.8% difference.

The PassMark suite reinforces the pattern. In DirectX 11, the RX 7900 XTX scores 356 against 232, a 34.8% margin. DirectX 12 shows 131 versus 79, a 39.7% gap. DirectX 10 follows with 166 against 119, a 28.3% difference. Even the older DirectX 9 test favors the RX 7900 XTX, though by a smaller 10.9% (330 vs 294). The compute-oriented PassMark GPU Compute test shows 17689 for the RX 7900 XTX versus 12912 for the RX 7700 XT, a 27% lead. In the 2D test, the RX 7900 XTX edges ahead with 1267 against 1161, an 8.4% margin.

The PassMark G3D score, a common aggregate gaming metric, gives the RX 7900 XTX a 31238 score versus 22547, a 27.8% win. The average benchmark score in the database, however, tells a different story: the RX 7700 XT averages 22549 while the RX 7900 XTX averages 19410. This inversion occurs because the Geekbench OpenCL result for the RX 7700 XT is so large that it pulls its average above the higher-end card's mean. The RX 7700 XT sits in the 67th percentile of all GPUs, while the RX 7900 XTX sits in the 64th percentile, a direct consequence of that OpenCL spike. These percentile figures show that raw head-to-head wins do not always translate to a higher aggregate standing.

Architecture Differences

Both cards belong to the Radeon RX 7000 series and share the RDNA 3.0 architecture, but they use distinct chips. The RX 7700 XT is built on the Navi 32 die with the codename Wheat Nas, while the RX 7900 XTX uses the Navi 31 die with the codename Plum Bonito. Both are fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC, so the manufacturing node is identical.

The transistor counts diverge sharply. The RX 7900 XTX packs 57,700 million transistors on a 529 mm² die, while the RX 7700 XT has 28,100 million on a 346 mm² die. The transistor density also differs: 109.1M per mm² for the RX 7900 XTX versus 81.2M per mm² for the RX 7700 XT. The larger die and higher density give the RX 7900 XTX significantly more hardware resources.

Compute units scale accordingly. The RX 7900 XTX has 6144 shading units, 384 texture mapping units, 192 raster operation units, and 96 ray tracing cores. The RX 7700 XT has 3456 shading units, 216 TMUs, 96 ROPs, and 54 RT cores. This is a roughly 1.78x ratio in shading units and TMUs, and a 2x ratio in ROPs and RT cores, which explains the RX 7900 XTX's consistent wins in DirectX and Vulkan tests.

Clock speeds show an interesting crossover. The RX 7700 XT has a higher boost clock at 2544 MHz versus 2498 MHz for the RX 7900 XTX, but the RX 7900 XTX has a higher base clock (1929 MHz vs 1435 MHz) and a higher game clock (2365 MHz vs 2171 MHz). Memory clocks also favor the RX 7900 XTX at 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective) versus 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) for the RX 7700 XT.

Memory configuration is another major differentiator. The RX 7900 XTX has 24 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus, yielding 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 7700 XT has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, yielding 432.0 GB/s. The RX 7900 XTX delivers more than double the memory bandwidth, which matters for high-resolution textures and compute workloads.

The FP32 throughput reflects the compute unit count: 61.39 TFLOPS for the RX 7900 XTX versus 35.17 TFLOPS for the RX 7700 XT. The FP16 rates differ in ratio as well: the RX 7900 XTX achieves 122.8 TFLOPS at a 2:1 ratio, while the RX 7700 XT achieves 35.17 TFLOPS at a 1:1 ratio. The RX 7900 XTX also leads in pixel rate (479.6 GPixel/s vs 244.2 GPixel/s) and texture rate (959.2 GTexel/s vs 549.5 GTexel/s).

Both cards use dual-slot designs with dual 8-pin power connectors and a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface. Display outputs are identical: one HDMI 2.1a, two DisplayPort 2.1, and one USB Type-C. API support matches as well, with DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The production status diverges: the RX 7700 XT is marked Active, while the RX 7900 XTX is End-of-life. The RX 7700 XT launched on 2023-09-05, the RX 7900 XTX on 2022-11-02.

FAQ

Q: Which card wins more head-to-head benchmarks?

A: The RX 7900 XTX wins 9 of the 10 recorded head-to-head tests. The RX 7700 XT wins only the Geekbench OpenCL test, but by a very large margin of 174.2%.

Q: Why does the RX 7700 XT have a higher average benchmark score?

A: The RX 7700 XT averages 22549 versus 19410 for the RX 7900 XTX. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 138383 is so far above the RX 7900 XTX's 50465 that it raises the RX 7700 XT's overall mean despite losing most other tests.

Q: What is the biggest performance gap in either direction?

A: The largest delta is the Geekbench OpenCL result, where the RX 7700 XT leads by 174.2%. The largest RX 7900 XTX win is in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, where it leads by 51.5%.

Q: How do the memory configurations compare?

A: The RX 7900 XTX has 24 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus with 960.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 7700 XT has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 432.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 7900 XTX offers exactly double the memory capacity and more than double the bandwidth.

Q: Are both cards built on the same process node?

A: Yes, both use a 5 nm process at TSMC. However, the RX 7900 XTX uses the Navi 31 chip with 57,700 million transistors, while the RX 7700 XT uses the Navi 32 chip with 28,100 million transistors.

Q: Which card has a higher boost clock?

A: The RX 7700 XT has a higher boost clock at 2544 MHz versus 2498 MHz for the RX 7900 XTX. The RX 7900 XTX compensates with higher base and game clocks.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in every major specification category except for architecture, process node, foundry, slot width, power connectors, bus interface, display outputs, and API support. The table below lists only the fields where the two differ.

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT | AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX |

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

| Chip | Navi 32 | Navi 31 |

| Codename | Wheat Nas | Plum Bonito |

| Transistors | 28,100 million | 57,700 million |

| Die Size | 346 mm² | 529 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 81.2M / mm² | 109.1M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1435 MHz | 1929 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2544 MHz | 2498 MHz |

| Game Clock | 2171 MHz | 2365 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 2250 MHz (18 Gbps) | 2500 MHz (20 Gbps) |

| Memory Size | 12 GB | 24 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 192 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 432.0 GB/s | 960.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 3456 | 6144 |

| TMUs | 216 | 384 |

| ROPs | 96 | 192 |

| RT Cores | 54 | 96 |

| Pixel Rate | 244.2 GPixel/s | 479.6 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 549.5 GTexel/s | 959.2 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 35.17 TFLOPS | 61.39 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 35.17 TFLOPS (1:1) | 122.8 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 245 W | 355 W |

| Suggested PSU | 550 W | 750 W |

| Length | 267 mm (10.5 inches) | 287 mm (11.3 inches) |

| Height | 135 mm (5.3 inches) | 110 mm (4.3 inches) |

| Width | 50 mm (2 inches) | 51 mm (2 inches) |

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

| Release Date | 2023-09-05 | 2022-11-02 |

| Launch MSRP | 449 USD | 999 USD |

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split. The RX 7900 XTX is the stronger card in the vast majority of recorded workloads, winning 9 of 10 head-to-head tests. Its advantages in shading units, ROPs, memory bandwidth, and FP32 throughput translate directly into higher scores in DirectX 10, 11, and 12, Vulkan, 3DMark Steel Nomad, and PassMark compute. The RX 7900 XTX also holds a substantial lead in the aggregate gaming metric PassMark G3D, scoring 31238 versus 22547.

The RX 7700 XT, however, claims the single most extreme victory in the comparison. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 138383 is a 174.2% improvement over the RX 7900 XTX, a margin so large that it gives the RX 7700 XT a higher average benchmark score (22549 vs 19410) and a higher percentile rank (67th vs 64th). This suggests the RX 7700 XT has a specialized strength in OpenCL compute that the RX 7900 XTX does not match.

For most users, the RX 7900 XTX is the better choice. It wins every gaming-oriented test in the database, often by 28% to 52%. The only scenario where the RX 7700 XT appears preferable is one that relies heavily on OpenCL performance, where its 174.2% lead is unmatched. The RX 7900 XTX also carries a higher launch MSRP of 999 USD versus 449 USD, and its production status is End-of-life, whereas the RX 7700 XT remains Active.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 7900 XTX wins across the board in DirectX workloads. In DirectX 9, it leads by 10.9%. In DirectX 10, the margin grows to 28.3%. DirectX 11 shows a 34.8% gap. DirectX 12 shows a 39.7% gap. Each successive API generation sees the RX 7900 XTX extend its advantage, which points to its larger compute and memory resources being more fully utilized by newer graphics interfaces.

The RX 7900 XTX also wins in the modern 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test by 51.5%, and in Vulkan by 45.8%. These are the two most representative current-generation gaming benchmarks in the set, and the RX 7900 XTX dominates both. The PassMark G3D score, another gaming aggregate, gives it a 27.8% win. The RX 7900 XTX also takes the compute-oriented PassMark GPU Compute test by 27%, and the 2D test by 8.4%.

The RX 7700 XT's single win is in Geekbench OpenCL, where it scores 138383 versus 50465. That 174.2% margin is larger than any RX 7900 XTX victory in the entire dataset. This is the only recorded workload where the RX 7700 XT outperforms the RX 7900 XTX, but the magnitude of the win is substantial enough to raise its aggregate standing above the higher-end card.

For use-case selection, the RX 7900 XTX is the pick for gaming across DirectX and Vulkan, for compute workloads measured by PassMark GPU Compute, and for any task that benefits from 24 GB of memory and 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 7700 XT is the pick specifically for OpenCL compute, where its 174.2% lead makes it the clear choice in that narrow but significant niche. Its lower TDP of 245 W versus 355 W and lower suggested PSU of 550 W versus 750 W also make it the more modest power requirement option in the database, though it remains the slower card in nearly every benchmark.