AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN BLACK Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark record splits cleanly along workload boundaries. The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT dominates the modern graphics and compute tests, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN BLACK holds a single, narrow advantage in one OpenCL workload.

Looking at the head-to-head results, the RX 7800 XT wins 8 of 9 recorded tests. Its strongest showings come in compute-heavy and DirectX workloads. In Passmark GPU Compute, the AMD card scores 13,473 against 3,726 for the GTX TITAN BLACK, a 261.6% advantage. That is the largest margin in the entire comparison. DirectX 11 tells a similar story: 249 versus 73, a 241.1% lead. DirectX 12 follows at 173.5% (93 versus 34), and DirectX 10 lands at 157.4% (121 versus 47). Even the legacy DirectX 9 path shows a 128.6% gap, with 304 versus 133.

The 3D rendering aggregate tells the same direction. Passmark G3D scores 24,176 for the RX 7800 XT versus 9,184 for the GTX TITAN BLACK, a 163.2% difference. The 2D test, Passmark G2D, shows 1,177 versus 595, a 97.8% lead. Vulkan performance is also firmly in AMD's favor: 54,228 versus 29,561, an 83.4% advantage.

The one test the GTX TITAN BLACK wins is Geekbench OpenCL. There, NVIDIA posts 27,218 against AMD's 18,290, a 32.8% margin. This is notable because it is the only workload where the older Kepler architecture outperforms RDNA 3.0. It suggests the GTX TITAN BLACK retains strength in certain OpenCL compute patterns, likely tied to its 2,880 shading units and 384-bit memory bus. But the surrounding data shows this is an isolated result, not a trend.

The average benchmark score reinforces the overall split. The RX 7800 XT sits at 11,627 across all recorded tests, while the GTX TITAN BLACK averages 9,474. The AMD card also ranks at the 51st percentile among all GPUs in the database, versus the 46th percentile for the NVIDIA card. Neither card sits near the top of the overall rankings, but the RX 7800 XT consistently places above its rival in almost every category that matters for modern gaming and general compute.

The Verdict

The data points to a straightforward choice for most users. The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is the stronger card in nearly every recorded workload. It wins the modern API tests, the 3D rasterization aggregates, and the compute tests by wide margins. The DirectX 11 result alone, a 241.1% lead, tells you that generation-over-generation progress has not been kind to the GTX TITAN BLACK. The RX 7800 XT is built for DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan, and heavy GPU compute, and the numbers reflect that.

The GTX TITAN BLACK is not without merit, but its case rests on a single benchmark. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 27,258 may appeal to users running OpenCL-focused workflows, where the NVIDIA card beats the RX 7800 XT by 32.8%. That is a real advantage, and it is worth acknowledging in compute environments that rely on that specific API. However, the RX 7800 XT counters with a 261.6% lead in Passmark GPU Compute, which is the more comprehensive compute aggregate in the database. The single OpenCL win does not offset eight losses.

Users who prioritize modern gaming, DirectX 12, Vulkan, and overall 3D throughput should choose the RX 7800 XT. Users who specifically need OpenCL performance and are willing to accept a slower card everywhere else might consider the GTX TITAN BLACK, but the data shows that is a narrow and increasingly isolated use case. The production status also matters: the RX 7800 XT is active, while the GTX TITAN BLACK is end-of-life. For any long-term use, the RX 7800 XT is the data-backed pick.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The largest single win for the AMD card is in Passmark GPU Compute. The RX 7800 XT scores 13,473, and the GTX TITAN BLACK scores 3,726. That is a 261.6% delta, meaning the AMD card more than triples the NVIDIA card's compute throughput in this test. The gap is so wide that no other comparison comes close.

The second-largest margin is DirectX 11. The RX 7800 XT posts 249, the GTX TITAN BLACK posts 73, for a 241.1% advantage. This is a legacy API, but it is still significant because it shows the RX 7800 XT does not merely win on modern features; it wins on raw throughput even in older rendering paths.

DirectX 12 shows a 173.5% lead (93 versus 34). Passmark G3D, the overall 3D aggregate, shows a 163.2% lead (24,176 versus 9,184). DirectX 10 follows at 157.4% (121 versus 47). DirectX 9 is next at 128.6% (304 versus 133). Passmark G2D is the smallest AMD win, at 97.8% (1,177 versus 595). Vulkan rounds out the AMD victories at 83.4% (54,228 versus 29,561).

The GTX TITAN BLACK's only win is Geekbench OpenCL, where it scores 27,218 against 18,290. The delta is 32.8% in NVIDIA's favor. This is an interesting result because the RX 7800 XT wins the Passmark GPU Compute test by such a wide margin, yet loses the Geekbench OpenCL test. The two tests clearly measure different aspects of compute performance, and the GTX TITAN BLACK's Kepler architecture appears to handle the Geekbench OpenCL workload more efficiently.

Looking at the nearest rivals for context, the RX 7800 XT's average score of 11,627 places it just 0.5% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 (11,680) and 0.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M (11,528). The GTX TITAN BLACK's average of 9,474 sits 0.2% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 (9,458) and 1.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon R7 M380 (9,313). This means the RX 7800 XT competes in a higher performance tier than the GTX TITAN BLACK, even though both cards have low overall percentiles.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT averages 11,627 across all recorded benchmarks, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN BLACK averages 9,474.

Q: Does the GTX TITAN BLACK win any benchmark?

A: Yes, it wins Geekbench OpenCL with a score of 27,218 compared to 18,290 for the RX 7800 XT, a 32.8% margin.

Q: How large is the RX 7800 XT's lead in DirectX 11?

A: The RX 7800 XT scores 249 versus 73 for the GTX TITAN BLACK, a 241.1% advantage.

Q: What is the biggest performance gap in the comparison?

A: The largest gap is in Passmark GPU Compute, where the RX 7800 XT scores 13,473 against 3,726 for the GTX TITAN BLACK, a 261.6% delta.

Q: How do the two cards compare in Vulkan?

A: The RX 7800 XT scores 54,228 in Geekbench Vulkan, while the GTX TITAN BLACK scores 29,561, giving AMD an 83.4% lead.

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

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT has an active production status, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN BLACK is end-of-life.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from fundamentally different eras and design philosophies. The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT uses the Navi 32 chip built on RDNA 3.0 architecture, with the codename Wheat Nas. It is part of the Navi III generation and is manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC. The chip contains 28,100 million transistors on a 346 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 81.2 million per square millimeter.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN BLACK uses the GK110B chip built on Kepler architecture. It belongs to the GeForce 700 generation. The manufacturing process is 28 nm at TSMC, and the die is 561 mm², which is larger than the Navi 32 die. However, it contains only 7,080 million transistors, resulting in a transistor density of 12.6 million per square millimeter. The density difference is enormous: the RX 7800 XT packs over six times more transistors per area.

The RX 7800 XT has 3,840 shading units, 240 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units. It also includes 60 dedicated ray tracing cores. The GTX TITAN BLACK has 2,880 shading units, 240 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units. It has no ray tracing cores. The shading unit count is higher on the AMD card, and the ROP count is double.

The RX 7800 XT supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The GTX TITAN BLACK supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The DirectX version difference is notable: the AMD card supports the full 12_2 feature set, while the NVIDIA card is limited to the 11_1 feature level within DirectX 12.

The RX 7800 XT uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 bus interface, while the GTX TITAN BLACK uses PCIe 3.0 x16. The AMD card's display outputs are 1x HDMI 2.1a and 3x DisplayPort 2.1. The NVIDIA card offers 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2. The RX 7800 XT also has a 1:1 FP16 to FP32 ratio, with both rated at 37.32 TFLOPS, while the GTX TITAN BLACK has no recorded FP16 figure.

Specification Differences

The memory subsystems differ substantially. The RX 7800 XT has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, with bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s and a memory clock of 2438 MHz (19.5 Gbps effective). The GTX TITAN BLACK has 6 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, with bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s and a memory clock of 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective). The AMD card has more capacity and higher bandwidth, despite the narrower bus.

Clock speeds also favor the RX 7800 XT. The AMD card has a base clock of 1295 MHz, a boost clock of 2430 MHz, and a game clock of 2124 MHz. The GTX TITAN BLACK has a base clock of 889 MHz and a boost clock of 980 MHz, with no recorded game clock. The boost clock difference is over 1.4 GHz in AMD's favor.

Pixel and texture rates follow the same pattern. The RX 7800 XT achieves 233.3 GPixel/s and 583.2 GTexel/s. The GTX TITAN BLACK achieves 58.80 GPixel/s and 235.2 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 37.32 TFLOPS for the AMD card versus 5.645 TFLOPS for the NVIDIA card.

Power specifications are close but not identical. The RX 7800 XT has a TDP of 263 W and requires 2x 8-pin power connectors. The GTX TITAN BLACK has a TDP of 250 W and requires 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin. Both cards suggest a 600 W power supply. Physical dimensions match in length and height: 267 mm (10.5 inches) long and 111 mm (4.4 inches) tall for both. The width differs slightly, with the RX 7800 XT at 50 mm (2 inches) and the GTX TITAN BLACK at 38 mm (1.5 inches). Both are dual-slot cards.

The RX 7800 XT was released on 2023-09-05, with a launch MSRP of 499 USD. The GTX TITAN BLACK was released on 2014-02-17, with a launch MSRP of 999 USD. The production statuses differ: active for the RX 7800 XT, end-of-life for the GTX TITAN BLACK. The AMD card's predecessor is Navi II and its successor is Navi IV. The NVIDIA card's predecessor is GeForce 600 and its successor is GeForce 900.