AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER occupy different corners of the GPU landscape, and the benchmark data reflects a decisive performance gap. The RX 7800 XT wins 9 of 10 head-to-head tests, while the GTX 1650 SUPER manages a single victory. These results show a clear hierarchy, yet the specific margins vary from a narrow 7.3% to a dominant 1081%, revealing where each card’s architecture excels.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The largest single margin appears in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, where the RX 7800 XT scores 4157 against the GTX 1650 SUPER’s 352. That is an 1081% delta, the most extreme gap in the dataset. This test stresses modern DirectX 12 workloads, and the RX 7800 XT’s RDNA 3.0 architecture with dedicated ray tracing hardware produces a result that is an order of magnitude higher. By contrast, the GTX 1650 SUPER’s Turing-based design, which lacks dedicated RT cores, cannot keep pace in this forward-looking benchmark.

PassMark GPU Compute shows another massive divergence. The RX 7800 XT posts 13473, while the GTX 1650 SUPER records 4477, a 200.9% advantage for AMD. This aligns with the FP32 throughput figures: the RX 7800 XT delivers 37.32 TFLOPS compared to the GTX 1650 SUPER’s 4.416 TFLOPS. Compute-heavy tasks such as rendering or scientific workloads will see a dramatic scaling advantage on the AMD card.

DirectX 11 performance also favors the RX 7800 XT heavily. In PassMark DX11, AMD scores 249 versus NVIDIA’s 73, a 241.1% delta. This is a legacy API, but the RX 7800 XT still manages a lead of more than three times. The pattern repeats in PassMark G3D, where the RX 7800 XT’s 24176 dwarfs the GTX 1650 SUPER’s 10179, a 137.5% margin. For overall 3D graphics throughput, the AMD card is consistently ahead by a wide margin.

The RX 7800 XT also wins the older DirectX tests. PassMark DX9 shows a 105.4% delta (304 vs 148), and PassMark DX10 shows a 142% delta (121 vs 50). Even PassMark DX12, which is not the largest margin, still gives AMD a 106.7% advantage (93 vs 45). These results show that the RX 7800 XT is not just faster in modern workloads; it also maintains a solid lead in backward-compatible scenarios.

The 2D performance gap narrows considerably. PassMark G2D scores 1177 for the RX 7800 XT and 749 for the GTX 1650 SUPER, a 57.1% delta. While still a clear win for AMD, this is the smallest relative difference among the PassMark tests, suggesting that 2D operations are less dependent on the raw compute resources that dominate 3D workloads.

Vulkan performance is the closest contest in the dataset. The RX 7800 XT scores 54228 in Geekbench Vulkan, while the GTX 1650 SUPER scores 50519, a modest 7.3% delta. This indicates that the NVIDIA card is relatively strong in Vulkan, closing the gap that exists in other APIs. Still, the AMD card takes the win.

The single NVIDIA victory comes in Geekbench OpenCL. The GTX 1650 SUPER scores 43875, while the RX 7800 XT scores 18290, a -58.3% delta in NVIDIA’s favor. This is an unusual result, as the RX 7800 XT wins the PassMark GPU Compute test by a large margin. The discrepancy may reflect driver optimizations or benchmark-specific workloads that favor the Turing architecture in OpenCL. Regardless, this is the one test where the GTX 1650 SUPER demonstrates a clear advantage.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 7800 XT dominates in almost every measurable category. Its wins span DirectX 9, 10, 11, and 12, as well as Vulkan, 3DMark Steel Nomad, PassMark G3D, GPU Compute, and G2D. This makes it the clear choice for gaming across API generations, from older titles that rely on DX9 to modern DX12 games. The 3DMark Steel Nomad result, with its 1081% lead, suggests that future-proofing is a strong suit for the AMD card. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, compared to 4 GB on the NVIDIA card, also supports higher-resolution textures and larger scenes.

The GTX 1650 SUPER’s only win is in Geekbench OpenCL, where it leads by 58.3%. This suggests that for specific OpenCL compute workloads, the NVIDIA card is unexpectedly competitive. The GTX 1650 SUPER’s FP16 performance is noteworthy here: it delivers 8.832 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, while the RX 7800 XT offers 37.32 TFLOPS at 1:1. Although the AMD card has higher absolute FP16 throughput, the NVIDIA card’s architecture may handle certain OpenCL kernels more efficiently. Users with OpenCL-specific applications might see acceptable performance on the older card, but this is a narrow use case.

For general compute, the RX 7800 XT is again the winner. PassMark GPU Compute shows a 200.9% lead, and the raw FP32 numbers support this. The GTX 1650 SUPER’s 4.416 TFLOPS is a fraction of the RX 7800 XT’s 37.32 TFLOPS. The AMD card’s 60 RT cores and 3840 shading units, versus 1280 shading units and no RT cores on the NVIDIA card, provide the hardware foundation for this dominance.

The Verdict

The data points to the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT as the superior performer in nearly every benchmark. For users seeking maximum 3D graphics performance, modern API support, and compute throughput, the RX 7800 XT is the clear choice. Its 9-1 win record, with margins exceeding 100% in multiple tests, leaves no ambiguity about which card is faster in mainstream gaming and rendering tasks.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER retains relevance only in the narrow niche of OpenCL compute, where it outperforms the RX 7800 XT by 58.3%. This is a legacy card from the GeForce 16 series, positioned as end-of-life, and its 12 nm process node and 100 W TDP reflect an older generation. The RX 7800 XT, built on a 5 nm node with a 263 W TDP, is a current-generation product with active production status.

For most buyers, the verdict is straightforward: the RX 7800 XT wins on raw performance, memory capacity, and architectural features. The GTX 1650 SUPER’s single benchmark victory does not compensate for its losses in every other test, particularly the 1081% deficit in 3DMark Steel Nomad. The data does not support choosing the NVIDIA card for any general-purpose workload.

FAQ

Q: Which card wins the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT wins with a score of 4157, compared to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER’s 352, a delta of 1081%.

Q: Is there any benchmark where the GTX 1650 SUPER beats the RX 7800 XT?

A: Yes, in Geekbench OpenCL, the GTX 1650 SUPER scores 43875 while the RX 7800 XT scores 18290, a -58.3% delta in favor of NVIDIA.

Q: How much faster is the RX 7800 XT in PassMark G3D?

A: The RX 7800 XT scores 24176, while the GTX 1650 SUPER scores 10179, giving AMD a 137.5% advantage.

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

A: The RX 7800 XT has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the GTX 1650 SUPER has 4 GB of GDDR6 memory.

Q: Which card has a higher shading unit count?

A: The RX 7800 XT has 3840 shading units, while the GTX 1650 SUPER has 1280 shading units.

Q: What are the production statuses of these two GPUs?

A: The RX 7800 XT is listed as Active, while the GTX 1650 SUPER is listed as End-of-life.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations. The RX 7800 XT uses the Navi 32 chip based on RDNA 3.0, with the codename "Wheat Nas", belonging to the Navi III (RX 7000) generation. The GTX 1650 SUPER uses the TU116 chip based on Turing, from the GeForce 16 generation. The RX 7800 XT is fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC, while the GTX 1650 SUPER uses a 12 nm process at the same foundry. This process difference is substantial, with the RX 7800 XT packing 28,100 million transistors on a 346 mm² die, yielding a density of 81.2M per mm². The GTX 1650 SUPER contains 6,600 million transistors on a 284 mm² die, with a density of 23.2M per mm².

The RX 7800 XT features 60 RT cores, while the GTX 1650 SUPER has no RT cores at all. This is a defining architectural difference, as the AMD card can handle hardware-accelerated ray tracing. The RX 7800 XT also has 3840 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, compared to 1280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs on the GTX 1650 SUPER. These resource counts explain the massive performance gap in most tests.

Memory architecture differs as well. The RX 7800 XT uses a 256-bit bus with 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth, while the GTX 1650 SUPER uses a 128-bit bus with 192.0 GB/s. The RX 7800 XT’s memory clock is 2438 MHz (19.5 Gbps effective), while the GTX 1650 SUPER runs at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective). The API support also differs slightly: the RX 7800 XT supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the GTX 1650 SUPER supports DirectX 12 (12_1).

Specification Differences

The clock speeds differ significantly. The RX 7800 XT has a base clock of 1295 MHz and a boost clock of 2430 MHz, with a game clock of 2124 MHz. The GTX 1650 SUPER has a base clock of 1530 MHz and a boost clock of 1725 MHz. Despite the higher base clock on the NVIDIA card, the AMD card’s boost clock is much higher, contributing to its performance lead.

Memory specifications are another major differentiator. The RX 7800 XT offers 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, with 624.1 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 1650 SUPER offers 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, with 192.0 GB/s bandwidth. This fourfold difference in memory size and more than threefold difference in bandwidth is critical for high-resolution gaming and large datasets.

Power and connectivity specs also differ. The RX 7800 XT has a TDP of 263 W, uses 2x 8-pin power connectors, and recommends a 600 W PSU. The GTX 1650 SUPER has a TDP of 100 W, uses 1x 6-pin connector, and recommends a 300 W PSU. The RX 7800 XT uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the GTX 1650 SUPER uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs vary too: the RX 7800 XT offers 1x HDMI 2.1a and 3x DisplayPort 2.1, while the GTX 1650 SUPER offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 1x DisplayPort 1.4a.

Physical dimensions differ as well. The RX 7800 XT is 267 mm long, 111 mm high, and 50 mm wide. The GTX 1650 SUPER is 229 mm long, 111 mm high, and 35 mm wide. Both are dual-slot cards. The release dates are separated by nearly four years, with the RX 7800 XT launching on 2023-09-05 and the GTX 1650 SUPER on 2019-11-21. The RX 7800 XT’s launch MSRP is 499 USD, while the GTX 1650 SUPER’s is 159 USD.