AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a decisive overall picture, with the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT claiming victory in 9 of the 10 recorded head-to-head tests. The most dramatic result appears in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, where the RX 7800 XT scores 4157 against the GTX 1070's 1082, a 284.2% delta. This is the single largest margin in the entire comparison and signals a generational leap in modern API performance.

The Vulkan results reinforce this trend, with the RX 7800 XT posting 54228 points versus 22121 for the GTX 1070, a 145.1% advantage. This suggests that the RDNA 3.0 architecture handles low-level API workloads with far greater efficiency than the older Pascal design. The PassMark DirectX 11 test also shows a substantial gap: 249 for the RX 7800 XT against 100 for the GTX 1070, a 149% delta. DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 results follow the same pattern, with the RX 7800 XT leading by 54.3% and 47.6%, respectively.

Compute-oriented benchmarks show a similar story. In PassMark GPU Compute, the RX 7800 XT scores 13473 versus 6102 for the GTX 1070, a 120.8% delta. The PassMark G3D test, which often reflects overall gaming performance, gives the RX 7800 XT a 79.1% lead (24176 vs 13498). Even the 2D test favors the newer card, with the RX 7800 XT scoring 1177 against 846, a 39.1% advantage. The DirectX 12 overhead test shows a 93.8% delta (93 vs 48), indicating that the RX 7800 XT handles modern API draw calls more efficiently.

However, the GTX 1070 claims one notable victory. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the older NVIDIA card scores 44700 against 18290 for the RX 7800 XT, a 59.1% advantage in favor of the GTX 1070. This result is unusual given the RX 7800 XT's much higher raw FP32 throughput. The data suggests that OpenCL on this AMD driver stack may not be fully optimized, or that the Pascal architecture's compute scheduling excels in this specific workload. The GTX 1070 also has a Geekbench Metal score of 18801, while the RX 7800 XT has no Metal result recorded, which is expected given that Metal is Apple's API and the AMD card runs on a different ecosystem.

The Verdict

The recorded data leads to a clear conclusion: the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is the dominant performer in nearly every measured category. For users seeking modern DirectX 12 Ultimate features, Vulkan performance, and high compute throughput, the RX 7800 XT is the obvious choice. Its average benchmark score of 11627 places it in the 51st percentile of all GPUs, while the GTX 1070's average of 9780 sits in the 47th percentile. The RX 7800 XT's nearest rivals in the database include the GeForce GTX 1660 (delta -0.5%), the Radeon Pro 5500M (delta 0.9%), and the Tesla K20c (delta 1.3%), showing that it competes with cards from a similar performance tier.

The GTX 1070, by contrast, is surrounded by much older hardware in its nearest rivals: the AMD FirePro W5000 (delta -0.2%), the Quadro M2000M (delta -0.5%), the Tesla M10 (delta 0.6%), and the Tesla C2070 (delta 0.7%). This positioning confirms that the GTX 1070 now sits in a legacy performance bracket. The single OpenCL win for the GTX 1070 is interesting but does not outweigh the nine losses. Any user considering the GTX 1070 today should recognize that it is end-of-life hardware with production status listed as "End-of-life," while the RX 7800 XT remains in active production.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two cards is substantial. The RX 7800 XT uses the Navi 32 chip built on RDNA 3.0 architecture, fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It packs 28,100 million transistors on a 346 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 81.2M per mm². The GTX 1070 uses the GP104 chip on the older Pascal architecture, built on a 16 nm process, also at TSMC. It contains 7,200 million transistors on a 314 mm² die, with a much lower density of 22.9M per mm². The process node difference alone explains much of the performance gap, as the RX 7800 XT crams nearly four times the transistors into a similar physical footprint.

The RX 7800 XT features 3840 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. It also includes 60 dedicated ray tracing cores. The GTX 1070 has 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with no ray tracing hardware. The FP32 compute figures highlight the chasm: the RX 7800 XT delivers 37.32 TFLOPS, while the GTX 1070 manages 6.463 TFLOPS. Even more striking is the FP16 comparison, where the RX 7800 XT achieves 37.32 TFLOPS at a 1:1 ratio (same as FP32), while the GTX 1070 manages only 101.0 GFLOPS at a 1:64 ratio. This means the RX 7800 XT handles half-precision compute at full speed, a feature absent on the older Pascal part.

Memory configurations also diverge sharply. The RX 7800 XT comes with 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 1070 offers 8 GB of GDDR5 on the same 256-bit bus, but with only 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 7800 XT's memory clock runs at 2438 MHz (19.5 Gbps effective), whereas the GTX 1070's memory operates at 2002 MHz (8 Gbps effective). The RX 7800 XT also supports PCIe 4.0 x16, while the GTX 1070 uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Display output capabilities differ as well: the RX 7800 XT offers 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 2.1, while the GTX 1070 provides 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT has an average benchmark score of 11627, compared to 9780 for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070.

Q: Does the GTX 1070 win any benchmark tests?

A: Yes, the GTX 1070 wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 44700 against 18290 for the RX 7800 XT, a 59.1% advantage.

Q: What is the largest single benchmark margin between the two cards?

A: The largest margin is in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, where the RX 7800 XT scores 4157 versus 1082 for the GTX 1070, a 284.2% delta.

Q: How do the memory capacities compare?

A: The RX 7800 XT has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory with 624.1 GB/s bandwidth, while the GTX 1070 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory with 256.3 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card has ray tracing cores?

A: Only the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT has ray tracing cores, with 60 dedicated RT cores. The GTX 1070 has no ray tracing hardware.

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

A: The RX 7800 XT is listed as "Active" in production, while the GTX 1070 is listed as "End-of-life."

Where Each One Wins

The use-case split from the data is straightforward, though with one notable exception. The RX 7800 XT is the clear winner for any workload involving DirectX 12, Vulkan, or modern compute APIs. Its 284.2% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and 145.1% lead in Geekbench Vulkan make it the superior choice for current and future game titles that leverage these APIs. The PassMark G3D score of 24176 versus 13498 suggests that general 3D rendering tasks, including gaming and graphics-intensive applications, will see roughly 79.1% better performance on the AMD card. For compute-heavy tasks like rendering or machine learning inference using FP32 or FP16 precision, the RX 7800 XT's 37.32 TFLOPS (FP32) and 37.32 TFLOPS (FP16) dwarf the GTX 1070's 6.463 TFLOPS (FP32) and 101.0 GFLOPS (FP16).

The GTX 1070's lone win in Geekbench OpenCL is a niche case. Users who rely specifically on OpenCL acceleration in applications that are not optimized for the RX 7800 XT's architecture might see better results on the older card. The GTX 1070 also shows a Metal score of 18801, but since the RX 7800 XT has no Metal result, any comparison there is impossible. For legacy DirectX 9 or DirectX 10 applications, the RX 7800 XT still wins, with 54.3% and 47.6% deltas respectively, so even backward compatibility favors the newer card. The RX 7800 XT also wins the 2D test, suggesting faster desktop compositing and 2D rendering performance.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every specification category. The process node is 5 nm for the RX 7800 XT versus 16 nm for the GTX 1070. Transistor counts are 28,100 million versus 7,200 million, with die sizes of 346 mm² and 314 mm² respectively. Transistor density is 81.2M per mm² on the RX 7800 XT and 22.9M per mm² on the GTX 1070. The RX 7800 XT has a base clock of 1295 MHz, a boost clock of 2430 MHz, and a game clock of 2124 MHz. The GTX 1070 has a base clock of 1506 MHz and a boost clock of 1683 MHz, with no game clock listed. Memory clocks are 2438 MHz (19.5 Gbps effective) for the RX 7800 XT and 2002 MHz (8 Gbps effective) for the GTX 1070.

Memory size is 16 GB GDDR6 versus 8 GB GDDR5, while bus width is identical at 256 bit. Bandwidth is 624.1 GB/s versus 256.3 GB/s. The RX 7800 XT has 3840 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, while the GTX 1070 has 1920, 120, and 64 respectively. RT cores are 60 on the RX 7800 XT and absent on the GTX 1070. Pixel rate is 233.3 GPixel/s versus 107.7 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 583.2 GTexel/s versus 202.0 GTexel/s. FP32 is 37.32 TFLOPS versus 6.463 TFLOPS, and FP16 is 37.32 TFLOPS versus 101.0 GFLOPS. TDP is 263 W versus 150 W, with the RX 7800 XT requiring 2x 8-pin connectors and a 600 W suggested PSU, while the GTX 1070 uses 1x 8-pin and a 450 W PSU. The bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x16 versus PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs are 1x HDMI 2.1 plus 3x DisplayPort 2.1 for the RX 7800 XT, and 1x DVI plus 1x HDMI 2.0 plus 3x DisplayPort 1.4a for the GTX 1070. DirectX support is 12 Ultimate (12_2) versus 12 (12_1), while OpenGL and Vulkan support are identical at 4.6 and 1.4 respectively. Power draw is higher on the RX 7800 XT, reflecting its performance advantage.