AMD Radeon RX 7700S vs NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The two GPUs split their recorded benchmark wins evenly, but the nature of those wins points to very different workloads. The AMD Radeon RX 7700S takes the OpenCL compute test decisively, scoring 62,983 against the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile's 41,263, a 34.5% advantage. That is a massive gap in raw parallel compute throughput, which matters for rendering, physics simulations, and other general-purpose GPU compute tasks. The NVIDIA part counters in the Vulkan graphics test, scoring 37,873 versus 36,380, a 4.1% margin. Vulkan is a low-level graphics API, and the result suggests NVIDIA's driver and architecture handle that workload more efficiently despite the AMD chip's larger memory and faster clocks.

For gaming, the AMD RX 7700S is the clear pick based on the data. It has 8 GB of memory versus 4 GB, a 128-bit bus versus 64-bit, and 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth versus 96.00 GB/s. Those are structural advantages that show up in texture-heavy scenes and higher resolutions. The NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile, by contrast, is a professional mobile workstation part with an end-of-life production status, and its benchmark profile aligns more with CAD, engineering, and compute-oriented tasks where OpenCL performance is less critical than stability and driver certification. The Vulkan win for NVIDIA is notable, but it is narrow, and the rest of the specification sheet does not favor it for gaming.

The average benchmark scores tell a different story than the head-to-head results. The NVIDIA part averages 39,568 across its two recorded tests, while the AMD part averages 33,849 across three tests, which includes a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2,185 that drags the average down. The percentile rankings also differ: NVIDIA sits at the 82nd percentile of all GPUs, AMD at the 78th. So while AMD wins the compute battle outright, NVIDIA has the higher overall standing in the database, likely because its OpenCL and Vulkan scores are both strong and consistent.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap is substantial. NVIDIA uses the GA107S chip on Ampere architecture, built on Samsung's 8 nm process. AMD uses Navi 33 on RDNA 3.0, built on TSMC's 6 nm node. The transistor counts reflect the process difference: NVIDIA packs 8,700 million transistors on a 200 mm² die, while AMD fits 13,300 million on a slightly larger 204 mm² die. Transistor density favors AMD at 65.2M per mm² versus 43.5M for NVIDIA. That density advantage, combined with a more modern architecture, explains much of the compute performance gap.

Both parts have 2,048 shading units, but AMD doubles the texture mapping units (128 versus 64) and the render output units (64 versus 32). AMD also has 32 ray tracing cores versus NVIDIA's 16, though NVIDIA counters with 64 tensor cores, which AMD lacks entirely. Clock speeds are far apart: AMD runs a 1,500 MHz base and 2,500 MHz boost, with a 2,200 MHz game clock, while NVIDIA runs 832 MHz base and 1,537 MHz boost. The AMD chip also has a 2:1 FP16 ratio, delivering 40.96 TFLOPS half-precision versus 6.296 TFLOPS for NVIDIA, which runs FP16 at 1:1. Full-precision FP32 is 20.48 TFLOPS for AMD versus 6.296 TFLOPS for NVIDIA.

Memory architecture is a major divider. AMD has 8 GB GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus at 18 Gbps effective, yielding 288.0 GB/s. NVIDIA has 4 GB GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus at 12 Gbps effective, yielding 96.00 GB/s. That is a 3x bandwidth difference, which directly impacts fill-rate-heavy workloads. Pixel rate for AMD is 160.0 GPixel/s versus 49.18 GPixel/s for NVIDIA, and texture rate is 320.0 GTexel/s versus 98.37 GTexel/s. Both support PCIe 4.0, but AMD uses x16 while NVIDIA uses x8. Both are integrated into the laptop (IGP slot width) with no external power connectors, though AMD's TDP is 100 W versus NVIDIA's 30 W, which explains the performance gap but also means AMD needs more thermal headroom.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The OpenCL result is the single biggest differentiator. AMD scores 62,983, NVIDIA scores 41,263, a 34.5% delta in AMD's favor. That is not a marginal edge; it is a generational leap in compute throughput. The specification sheet explains why: AMD has 3.25x the FP32 throughput, 3x the memory bandwidth, double the TMUs and ROPs, and a 6 nm process with 53% more transistors. For any OpenCL-based workload, the RX 7700S is the clear winner.

The Vulkan result is closer but still decisive for NVIDIA. NVIDIA scores 37,873, AMD scores 36,380, a 4.1% difference. This is interesting because AMD has higher raw specs across nearly every category. The Vulkan win suggests NVIDIA's driver overhead is lower or its architecture handles the API's draw-call patterns more efficiently. It is a narrow win, though, and it does not offset the OpenCL gap in overall compute capability. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test appears only for AMD, scoring 2,185, which indicates a modern DirectX 12 workload result but cannot be compared directly since NVIDIA has no recorded score for that test.

Looking at the nearest rivals for each part provides context. NVIDIA's closest competitor is the AMD Radeon Pro 575 at 39,555 average score, a 0% delta, meaning they are statistically identical. The AMD RX 7700S's nearest rival is the AMD Radeon HD 7950 at 33,951, a -0.3% delta, also essentially tied. This puts the two GPUs in different performance tiers despite the head-to-head results. NVIDIA sits among older workstation-class parts, while AMD sits among older gaming-class parts, but the RX 7700S's OpenCL score is far above any of its nearest rivals, suggesting the average score is dragged down by the 3DMark result.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile has a higher average benchmark score of 39,568, compared to 33,849 for the AMD Radeon RX 7700S, placing NVIDIA at the 82nd percentile versus AMD's 78th.

Q: Why does the AMD Radeon RX 7700S win OpenCL by such a large margin?

A: The RX 7700S delivers 20.48 TFLOPS FP32 performance versus 6.296 TFLOPS for the RTX A500 Mobile, along with 288.0 GB/s memory bandwidth versus 96.00 GB/s, which are the primary drivers behind the 34.5% OpenCL score advantage.

Q: Does the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile have any ray tracing advantage?

A: No, the AMD Radeon RX 7700S has 32 ray tracing cores while the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile has 16, and the AMD chip also runs at much higher clock speeds, so AMD has the ray tracing edge on paper.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7700S has 8 GB GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, while the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile has 4 GB GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus, resulting in 288.0 GB/s versus 96.00 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has tensor cores?

A: Only the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile has 64 tensor cores; the AMD Radeon RX 7700S has no tensor cores listed in the database.

Q: How do their production statuses differ?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile is listed as end-of-life, while the AMD Radeon RX 7700S is active, with the AMD part released about nine months later.

The Verdict

For compute-heavy workloads, the AMD Radeon RX 7700S is the decisive choice. The 34.5% OpenCL lead, combined with 3x memory bandwidth, doubled TMUs and ROPs, and more than 3x FP32 throughput, makes it the stronger GPU for any task that scales with raw parallel compute. The 8 GB memory capacity also gives it a practical edge for larger datasets and higher-resolution textures.

For Vulkan-based graphics workloads, the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile wins, but narrowly at 4.1%. That result, combined with its lower 30 W TDP versus 100 W, makes it the better option for thin-and-light laptops where power draw is a constraint and OpenCL compute is not the primary task. Its 64 tensor cores also provide hardware acceleration for AI workloads that the AMD part cannot match.

The average benchmark scores favor NVIDIA, but that is misleading because AMD's average includes a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score that NVIDIA does not have. The head-to-head results are split evenly, yet the magnitude of AMD's OpenCL win is far larger than NVIDIA's Vulkan win. For most users, the AMD Radeon RX 7700S is the more capable part, offering a larger memory pool, faster clocks, and nearly three times the bandwidth. The NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile remains relevant only for specific use cases, such as Vulkan development or power-sensitive professional workloads where its tensor cores and lower TDP are valuable.

The production statuses reinforce this: NVIDIA's part is end-of-life, while AMD's is active, suggesting the AMD GPU is the forward-looking choice. The percentile rankings show NVIDIA slightly higher overall, but the recorded data places AMD ahead in the workloads that matter most for modern gaming and compute.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile | AMD Radeon RX 7700S |

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

| Architecture | Ampere | RDNA 3.0 |

| Process Node | 8 nm (Samsung) | 6 nm (TSMC) |

| Transistors | 8,700 million | 13,300 million |

| Die Size | 200 mm² | 204 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 43.5M / mm² | 65.2M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 832 MHz | 1500 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1537 MHz | 2500 MHz |

| Game Clock | Not specified | 2200 MHz |

| Memory Size | 4 GB GDDR6 | 8 GB GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus Width | 64 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 96.00 GB/s | 288.0 GB/s |

| Memory Clock | 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective) | 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) |

| Shading Units | 2048 | 2048 |

| TMUs | 64 | 128 |

| ROPs | 32 | 64 |

| RT Cores | 16 | 32 |

| Tensor Cores | 64 | Not specified |

| Pixel Rate | 49.18 GPixel/s | 160.0 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 98.37 GTexel/s | 320.0 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 6.296 TFLOPS | 20.48 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 6.296 TFLOPS (1:1) | 40.96 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 30 W | 100 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

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

| Release Date | 2022-03-21 | 2023-01-03 |