AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 has a higher average benchmark score at 12,773, compared to the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT's 11,627. However, both GPUs sit in nearly the same percentile rank against all GPUs, with the GTX 670 at the 52nd percentile and the RX 7800 XT at the 51st percentile.

Q: What are the biggest benchmark differences between the two cards?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT wins both head-to-head tests decisively. In Geekbench Vulkan, the RX 7800 XT scores 54,228 versus the GTX 670's 15,553, a delta of -71.3% from the AMD card's perspective. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 7800 XT scores 18,290 versus 15,341 for the GTX 670, a -16.1% delta.

Q: How do the memory specifications compare?

A: The RX 7800 XT ships with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 624.1 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 670 has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, with 192.3 GB/s bandwidth. Both use a 256-bit bus, but the AMD card has eight times the memory capacity and over three times the bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has the higher transistor density and what does that indicate?

A: The RX 7800 XT has a transistor density of 81.2 million transistors per mm² (28,100 million total on a 346 mm² die), while the GTX 670 has 12.0 million per mm² (3,540 million on a 294 mm² die). The RX 7800 XT's density is nearly seven times higher, reflecting its 5 nm process node versus the GTX 670's 28 nm node.

Q: What is the production status and release timeframe for each card?

A: The GTX 670 is end-of-life, released on 2012-05-09, with the GeForce 700 series as its successor. The RX 7800 XT is active, released on 2023-09-05, with the Navi IV generation as its successor. The RX 7800 XT is also listed as the Radeon RX 7000 series, while the GTX 670 belongs to the GeForce 600 generation.

Q: Which API features differentiate the two cards?

A: The RX 7800 XT supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), Vulkan 1.4, and includes 60 ray tracing cores. The GTX 670 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The AMD card's DirectX 12 Ultimate and newer Vulkan support indicate a more modern feature set.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is the superior performer in every head-to-head benchmark available. It wins both tests, with particularly dominant results in Vulkan. However, the aggregate benchmark picture is more nuanced. The GTX 670 posts a higher average score (12,773 vs 11,627) and sits at the 52nd percentile versus the RX 7800 XT's 51st percentile, despite losing both direct comparisons.

For users prioritizing raw modern API performance, the RX 7800 XT is the clear choice. It delivers 54,228 in Geekbench Vulkan versus the GTX 670's 15,553 — a 71.3% advantage. In OpenCL, it leads 18,290 to 15,341, a 16.1% gap. The RX 7800 XT also brings 60 ray tracing cores, 16 GB of memory, and a 5 nm process node.

For those looking at the broader benchmark landscape, the GTX 670's higher average score and percentile rank suggest it holds its own in legacy workloads. Its nearest rivals include the GeForce GTX 590 (-0.4% delta), Radeon Pro 455 (-0.4%), and Radeon RX 7600M XT (+0.5%), placing it in a competitive mid-range bracket. The RX 7800 XT's nearest rivals are the GeForce GTX 1660 (-0.5% delta), Radeon Pro 5500M (+0.9%), and Radeon RX 6500 XT (-1.8%).

The verdict depends on context. For modern gaming and compute, the RX 7800 XT is the only rational pick. For legacy compatibility or specific workloads where the GTX 670's driver optimizations shine, its aggregate scores justify consideration. But the head-to-head data favors AMD overwhelmingly.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two cards share only two direct benchmark comparisons, and the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT wins both. This is not a close contest.

Geekbench Vulkan: RX 7800 XT wins by 71.3%

The RX 7800 XT scores 54,228, while the GTX 670 manages 15,553. The delta of -71.3% means the GTX 670 trails by nearly three-quarters. This is the largest performance gap in the dataset, reflecting the architectural gulf between Kepler and RDNA 3.0. The GTX 670's Vulkan support is version 1.2.175, while the RX 7800 XT supports Vulkan 1.4, and the AMD card's 3,840 shading units versus 1,344 for the GTX 670 provide a massive compute advantage.

Geekbench OpenCL: RX 7800 XT wins by 16.1%

The RX 7800 XT scores 18,290 against the GTX 670's 15,341. The -16.1% delta shows a meaningful but less dramatic gap than Vulkan. In OpenCL, the GTX 670's 2.634 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is simply outmatched by the RX 7800 XT's 37.32 TFLOPS. The GTX 670's 112 texture units and 32 ROPs also trail the RX 7800 XT's 240 TMUs and 96 ROPs.

Aggregate context: GTX 670 leads on average

Despite losing both head-to-head tests, the GTX 670's average benchmark score of 12,773 exceeds the RX 7800 XT's 11,627. This discrepancy arises because the two cards are tested across different benchmark suites. The GTX 670's scores come from Geekbench Metal (7,424), OpenCL (15,341), and Vulkan (15,553). The RX 7800 XT's average includes a broader set: Geekbench OpenCL (18,290) and Vulkan (54,228), plus multiple Passmark tests where scores range from 93 (DirectX 12) to 24,176 (G3D). The RX 7800 XT's lower average is pulled down by its Passmark DirectX results, not by its Geekbench performance.

Specification Differences

The specification gap between these two GPUs is vast, reflecting over a decade of technological advancement.

Process and die: The RX 7800 XT uses a 5 nm TSMC process with 28,100 million transistors on a 346 mm² die. The GTX 670 uses a 28 nm TSMC process with 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. Transistor density jumps from 12.0 million per mm² to 81.2 million per mm².

Memory: The RX 7800 XT has 16 GB of GDDR6 at 19.5 Gbps effective, yielding 624.1 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 670 has 2 GB of GDDR5 at 6 Gbps effective, yielding 192.3 GB/s. Both use a 256-bit bus, but the memory technology and capacity are generations apart.

Compute units: The RX 7800 XT has 3,840 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The GTX 670 has 1,344 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The AMD card also includes 60 ray tracing cores; the GTX 670 has none.

Clock speeds: The RX 7800 XT runs at a 1,295 MHz base, 2,124 MHz game clock, and 2,430 MHz boost. The GTX 670 runs at 915 MHz base and 980 MHz boost. The RX 7800 XT's boost clock is 2.48 times higher.

Power and cooling: The RX 7800 XT has a 263 W TDP with dual 8-pin power connectors and a 600 W suggested PSU. The GTX 670 has a 170 W TDP with dual 6-pin connectors and a 450 W suggested PSU. Both are dual-slot cards, but the RX 7800 XT is longer (267 mm vs 241 mm) and thicker (50 mm vs 38 mm).

Interface and outputs: The RX 7800 XT uses PCIe 4.0 x16 with 1x HDMI 2.1a and 3x DisplayPort 2.1. The GTX 670 uses PCIe 3.0 x16 with 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2.

Compute throughput: The RX 7800 XT delivers 37.32 TFLOPS FP32 and 37.32 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1). The GTX 670 delivers 2.634 TFLOPS FP32 and has no listed FP16 capability. Pixel rate is 233.3 GPixel/s for the RX 7800 XT versus 27.44 GPixel/s for the GTX 670. Texture rate is 583.2 GTexel/s versus 109.8 GTexel/s.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between Kepler and RDNA 3.0 explains nearly every performance difference in the data.

Node and density: The GTX 670's GK104 chip on 28 nm TSMC packs 3,540 million transistors at 12.0 million per mm². The RX 7800 XT's Navi 32 on 5 nm TSMC packs 28,100 million transistors at 81.2 million per mm². The 5 nm node enables nearly seven times the transistor density, allowing the AMD card to fit 2.86 times more shading units, 2.14 times more TMUs, and 3 times more ROPs.

Shader architecture: The GTX 670's 1,344 shading units process FP32 at 2.634 TFLOPS. The RX 7800 XT's 3,840 shading units process FP32 at 37.32 TFLOPS — a 14.2-fold increase. The RX 7800 XT also supports FP16 at a 1:1 ratio, meaning equal throughput for half-precision workloads, while the GTX 670 lists no FP16 capability.

Ray tracing: The RX 7800 XT includes 60 ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the GTX 670. This enables hardware-accelerated ray tracing, which the Kepler architecture cannot perform.

Memory architecture: Both cards use a 256-bit memory bus, but the RX 7800 XT pairs it with GDDR6 at 19.5 Gbps effective versus GDDR5 at 6 Gbps. This yields 624.1 GB/s versus 192.3 GB/s — a 3.25-fold bandwidth advantage. The 16 GB capacity versus 2 GB is an eight-fold difference.

API feature level: The GTX 670 supports DirectX 12 (11_0), which is a limited implementation of DirectX 12. The RX 7800 XT supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), enabling features like mesh shaders and variable rate shading. Vulkan support jumps from 1.2.175 to 1.4.

Rasterization throughput: The RX 7800 XT's pixel rate of 233.3 GPixel/s is 8.5 times the GTX 670's 27.44 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 583.2 GTexel/s versus 109.8 GTexel/s — a 5.3-fold difference. These metrics directly translate to fill-rate-bound performance.

Where Each One Wins

AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT wins in modern API performance. The Vulkan score of 54,228 versus 15,553 is a 71.3% advantage that dwarfs every other comparison. The OpenCL score of 18,290 versus 15,341 adds a 16.1% lead in compute workloads. Any application leveraging Vulkan or modern OpenCL will favor the RX 7800 XT decisively.

AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT wins in ray tracing and memory capacity. With 60 ray tracing cores, the RX 7800 XT can handle hardware ray tracing, which the GTX 670 cannot. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory versus 2 GB of GDDR5 makes it suitable for large textures, high-resolution assets, and compute datasets that would exhaust the GTX 670's frame buffer.

AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT wins in raw throughput. The 37.32 TFLOPS FP32, 583.2 GTexel/s texture rate, and 233.3 GPixel/s pixel rate are orders of magnitude beyond the GTX 670's capabilities. For any compute-heavy or fill-rate-bound workload, the RX 7800 XT is the only viable option.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 wins in aggregate legacy benchmarks. The GTX 670's average score of 12,773 exceeds the RX 7800 XT's 11,627, and its 52nd percentile rank edges out the 51st percentile of the AMD card. This suggests that in the specific benchmark suites where the GTX 670 is tested — Geekbench Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan — it performs competitively relative to its era.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 wins in power efficiency per benchmark point. The GTX 670 produces an average score of 12,773 at a 170 W TDP, while the RX 7800 XT produces 11,627 at 263 W. This translates to roughly 75 points per watt for the GTX 670 versus 44 points per watt for the RX 7800 XT, though this ratio does not account for the different benchmark suites.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 wins in physical footprint. The GTX 670 measures 241 mm in length and 38 mm in width, versus 267 mm and 50 mm for the RX 7800 XT. It also requires only a 450 W suggested PSU versus 600 W, and uses dual 6-pin power connectors instead of dual 8-pin. For small form factor builds with older power supplies, the GTX 670 is more accommodating.