AMD Radeon RX 7700S vs NVIDIA A2 Comparison

The NVIDIA A2 and AMD Radeon RX 7700S represent two very different philosophies in GPU design: one is a low-power, passive workstation accelerator aimed at density and specific compute tasks, while the other is a mobile gaming and creator-focused chip built for performance-per-watt in laptops. The benchmark data reveals a clear split in their capabilities, with the AMD part taking a decisive lead in raw compute tests, while the NVIDIA part holds its own in a specific API workload. This analysis will break down the numbers from the FACT PACK to see exactly where each card excels.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The direct comparison between the two cards is starkly one-sided in terms of raw score, but the margin of victory varies significantly depending on the API test. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD Radeon RX 7700S delivers a score of 62,983, which is a massive 43.9% higher than the NVIDIA A2's 35,357. This is a substantial gap that highlights the fundamental compute throughput difference between the two architectures. The RX 7700S is not just winning; it is winning by a wide margin that would translate to significantly faster performance in OpenCL-accelerated applications like certain rendering, physics simulation, or data processing tasks.

However, the Geekbench Vulkan test tells a different, more nuanced story. While the AMD card still wins, its advantage shrinks dramatically to just 6.5%. The RX 7700S scores 36,380, while the NVIDIA A2 is close behind at 34,023. This narrowing of the performance gap in Vulkan is a key insight. It suggests that the NVIDIA A2's architecture, despite its lower raw compute numbers, is more efficient in handling the specific workloads and driver optimizations of the Vulkan API. For a user whose primary application relies on Vulkan, the difference between these two cards would be far less noticeable than in OpenCL.

The data shows the AMD Radeon RX 7700S is the clear winner in both head-to-head tests, securing a 2-0 win count. Its OpenCL performance is in a different league, while its Vulkan lead, though smaller, still confirms its overall superiority in these synthetic benchmarks. The overall average benchmark scores corroborate this, with the RX 7700S averaging 33,849 points against the A2's 34,690. Interestingly, this average is lower for the AMD card, despite it winning both head-to-head tests, because the A2 has no result for the demanding 3DMark Steel Nomad test that the RX 7700S completed (a score of 2,185). This absence of a score for the NVIDIA card in a modern DX12 test is itself a data point, suggesting a potential weakness or lack of support for that specific benchmark.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7700S is significantly faster, scoring 62,983 compared to the NVIDIA A2's 35,357. This represents a 43.9% higher score for the AMD part.

Q: Is the NVIDIA A2 competitive in any benchmark from the data?

A: Yes, in the Geekbench Vulkan test. While it loses, its score of 34,023 is only 6.5% behind the RX 7700S's 36,380, showing a much closer margin than in OpenCL.

Q: What is the overall performance percentile for each GPU?

A: The NVIDIA A2 sits at the 79th percentile of all GPUs, while the AMD Radeon RX 7700S is just a single point lower at the 78th percentile. Their average benchmark scores are also very close, with the A2 at 34,690 and the RX 7700S at 33,849.

Q: How does the AMD Radeon RX 7700S compare to its nearest rivals?

A: Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon HD 7950, which has an average score of 33,951, a mere 0.3% difference. It also sits close to the AMD Radeon RX 480 (33,997, -0.4%) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB (33,694, 0.5%).

Q: Who is the NVIDIA A2's closest competitor?

A: The data shows the NVIDIA T1000 8 GB is its closest rival, with an average score of 34,561, just 0.4% behind the A2's average of 34,690. The NVIDIA TITAN V is also close at 34,355, a 1% difference.

Q: Does the AMD card have a result in the 3DMark Steel Nomad test?

A: Yes, the AMD Radeon RX 7700S has a score of 2,185 in the 3dmark_3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 test. The NVIDIA A2 does not have a listed score for this benchmark.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the benchmark data, the AMD Radeon RX 7700S is the superior performer for general compute and graphics workloads. It wins both head-to-head tests, and its victory in OpenCL is by a landslide. For any application that leverages OpenCL, the choice is clear. The RX 7700S also holds a massive advantage in raw specs like FP32 throughput, which is detailed later. Its performance in Vulkan is also better, making it the more versatile card for gaming and modern graphics APIs.

The NVIDIA A2, on the other hand, presents a more specific case. Its performance is not far behind in Vulkan, and it is a much lower-power, single-slot, passively cooled solution. The data shows it holds a higher percentile ranking (79th) and a slightly higher average score than the RX 7700S, which is skewed by the A2's lack of a Steel Nomad score. However, its absence from the 3DMark Steel Nomad benchmark is a potential red flag for high-end DX12 gaming performance. The A2 should be considered by those who prioritize its form factor and power profile over raw speed, and whose workloads are well-suited to its architecture. For a pure performance comparison, the RX 7700S is the winner.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets for these two GPUs reveal a core difference in their design targets. The NVIDIA A2 is built for maximum efficiency in a constrained environment, while the AMD Radeon RX 7700S is built for higher performance in a mobile chassis.

• Process Node: The AMD RX 7700S is built on a 6 nm process at TSMC, while the NVIDIA A2 uses an 8 nm process from Samsung.
• Transistors: The AMD chip has 13,300 million transistors, significantly more than the A2's 8,700 million.
• Die Size: The dies are similar in size, with the AMD at 204 mm² and the NVIDIA at 200 mm², but the transistor density is much higher on the AMD (65.2M / mm²) compared to NVIDIA (43.5M / mm²).
• Memory Size: The NVIDIA A2 has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, double the 8 GB on the RX 7700S.
• Memory Speed & Bandwidth: The AMD card runs its memory at 18 Gbps effective and achieves 288.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the A2's 12.5 Gbps effective memory provides 200.1 GB/s.
• Shading Units: The RX 7700S has 2048 shading units, far more than the A2's 1280.
• TMUs & ROPs: The AMD card has 128 TMUs and 64 ROPs, versus the A2's 40 TMUs and 32 ROPs.
• RT Cores: The RX 7700S has 32 ray tracing cores, compared to the A2's 10.
• Tensor Cores: Only the NVIDIA A2 has Tensor cores (40 of them).
• Clocks: The AMD card has a base clock of 1500 MHz and a boost of 2500 MHz, while the A2 has a 1440 MHz base and 1770 MHz boost.
• TDP: The NVIDIA A2 is rated for only 60 W, while the RX 7700S is rated for 100 W.
• Bus Interface: The AMD GPU uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 connection, while the A2 uses PCIe 4.0 x8.
• Slot Width: The A2 is a single-slot card, whereas the RX 7700S is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) for mobile devices.
• Release Date: The NVIDIA A2 was released in November 2021, while the RX 7700S came later in January 2023.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures from their respective manufacturers. The NVIDIA A2 is based on the Ampere architecture (chip GA107), which is a design focused on professional workstation tasks and inference. The AMD Radeon RX 7700S is based on RDNA 3.0 (chip Navi 33), a chiplet-based architecture designed for gaming and consumer graphics performance. This architectural split explains many of their performance characteristics. The A2's purpose is reflected in its inclusion of Tensor cores, which are absent in the AMD chip, and its 1:1 FP16/FP32 ratio (4.531 TFLOPS each). This suggests a focus on workloads where both precision levels are equally important.

In contrast, the RDNA 3.0 architecture in the RX 7700S is built for high-throughput, parallel work. It has a 2:1 FP16 to FP32 ratio, with FP16 performance at 40.96 TFLOPS and FP32 at 20.48 TFLOPS. This design prioritizes gaming and general compute where FP32 is the standard, and FP16 is used for acceleration. The AMD chip also has a much higher number of shading units, texture mapping units, and render output units, which are the building blocks for traditional graphics rendering. The NVIDIA A2's architecture, with its lower unit counts and specific features like Tensor cores, is clearly optimized for a different class of tasks, such as AI inference, where those tensor units are critical.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data and specifications point to very different use cases where each GPU has a clear advantage.

The AMD Radeon RX 7700S wins in almost every aspect of raw performance. It is the clear choice for gaming, as evidenced by its better Vulkan performance and its successful run in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark. Its architecture with 2,048 shading units, 32 RT cores, and a 2:1 FP16 ratio makes it a formidable general-purpose compute and graphics processor. The data shows it is 43.9% ahead in OpenCL and 6.5% ahead in Vulkan. For any user seeking maximum frame rates in games or accelerated performance in OpenCL-heavy creative applications, the RX 7700S is the superior option based on the data.

The NVIDIA A2 wins in scenarios where its unique characteristics are more valuable than raw speed. Its 60 W TDP is exceptionally low, and its single-slot, passive design makes it ideal for dense server environments where space and power are at a premium. Its inclusion of Tensor cores and 16 GB of VRAM makes it a more suitable candidate for AI inference workloads that require those specific features and large memory capacity for model storage. While it loses in raw benchmarks, its Vulkan score is respectable, and its high 79th percentile ranking shows it is far from a slouch. The A2 is not a gaming card; it is a specialized accelerator where its efficiency and features are the primary selling points, not its Geekbench scores.