AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT holds an average benchmark score of 13745, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M records 11261. That places the RX 7900 XT roughly 22% higher in overall average performance.

Q: How do the two cards compare in Geekbench Vulkan performance?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT scores 71068 in Geekbench Vulkan, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M scores 12696. The RX 7900 XT leads by 459.8%, a massive margin that reflects its modern architecture and much higher compute resources.

Q: Is there any benchmark where the GTX 780M wins?

A: Yes, in Geekbench OpenCL the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M scores 12769 versus 12756 for the RX 7900 XT, a delta of -0.1% in favor of the GTX 780M. It is a razor-thin victory, but it is the only head-to-head test where the older card comes out ahead.

Q: What are the process nodes for each GPU?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M uses a 28 nm process, also at TSMC. The RX 7900 XT packs 57,700 million transistors on a 529 mm² die, whereas the GTX 780M has 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die.

Q: What memory configurations do the two cards use?

A: The RX 7900 XT features 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus with 800.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 780M has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 160.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What is the percentile ranking of each GPU among all GPUs?

A: The RX 7900 XT sits at the 55th percentile, while the GTX 780M sits at the 50th percentile. Both are mid-pack in the database, though the RX 7900 XT edges out the older card by five percentile points.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split: the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is the overwhelming choice for anyone prioritizing raw compute throughput, modern API support, and large memory capacity. Its Geekbench Vulkan score of 71068 versus 12696 for the GTX 780M is not a close contest; it is a generational gap. The RX 7900 XT also holds a higher average benchmark score (13745 versus 11261) and a higher percentile ranking (55th versus 50th).

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M is the pick only for a very narrow scenario: legacy OpenCL workloads where its score of 12769 barely beats the RX 7900 XT's 12756. That 0.1% margin is within noise and hardly a recommendation. The GTX 780M also carries a much lower TDP of 122 W versus 300 W, and its MXM module form factor makes it relevant for older portable workstations. Buyers with a GTX 780M slot in a legacy laptop may find it acceptable, but no benchmark justifies choosing it over the RX 7900 XT on performance grounds.

The verdict from the database is unambiguous: the RX 7900 XT wins the head-to-head on almost every measurable axis. The GTX 780M remains a historical artifact with one negligible benchmark win.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head results in the database cover two tests: Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M scores 12769, beating the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT's 12756 by 0.1%. This is the closest result in the entire comparison, and it is the only test where the GTX 780M leads. The difference of 13 points is far smaller than the variance one would expect between runs of the same card, so this should be treated as a statistical tie rather than a meaningful win.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the picture flips dramatically. The RX 7900 XT scores 71068, while the GTX 780M manages only 12696. That is a delta of 459.8% in favor of the AMD card. The RX 7900 XT delivers more than five times the Vulkan score of the GTX 780M. This reflects the fundamental architectural differences between the two: the RX 7900 XT is a modern RDNA 3.0 design with 5,376 shading units, 84 RT cores, and full Vulkan 1.4 support, while the GTX 780M is a Kepler-era part with 1,536 shading units, no RT cores, and Vulkan 1.2.175 support.

Looking beyond the head-to-head, the average benchmark scores reinforce the same story. The RX 7900 XT averages 13745 across its recorded benchmarks, which includes PassMark G3D at 29009, PassMark GPU Compute at 16828, and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 at 5623. The GTX 780M averages 11261 across its recorded benchmarks, which include only Geekbench Metal at 8319, Geekbench OpenCL at 12769, and Geekbench Vulkan at 12696. The RX 7900 XT's nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT at 13543 (1.5% lower) and the AMD Radeon RX 570X at 13871 (-0.9% relative to the RX 7900 XT). The GTX 780M's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 at 11228 (0.3% lower) and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q at 11088 (1.6% higher than the GTX 780M).

The conclusion from the data is straightforward: one Vulkan test shows a 459.8% blowout for AMD, and the OpenCL test is effectively tied. Everything else leans heavily toward the RX 7900 XT.

Specification Differences

The two cards diverge on nearly every core specification.

The RX 7900 XT uses a 5 nm process node, the GTX 780M uses 28 nm. The RX 7900 XT has 57,700 million transistors on a 529 mm² die with a transistor density of 109.1M per mm². The GTX 780M has 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die with a transistor density of 12.0M per mm².

Clock speeds differ substantially: the RX 7900 XT has a base clock of 1387 MHz, a boost clock of 2394 MHz, a game clock of 2025 MHz, and a memory clock of 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective). The GTX 780M has a base clock of 771 MHz and a boost clock of 797 MHz, with a memory clock of 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective).

Memory: the RX 7900 XT has 20 GB of GDDR6 on a 320-bit bus with 800.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 780M has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 160.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Compute resources: the RX 7900 XT has 5,376 shading units, 336 TMUs, and 192 ROPs. The GTX 780M has 1,536 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The RX 7900 XT's pixel rate of 459.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 804.4 GTexel/s dwarf the GTX 780M figures of 25.50 GPixel/s and 102.0 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 51.48 TFLOPS for the RX 7900 XT versus 2.48 TFLOPS for the GTX 780M. The RX 7900 XT also lists FP16 at 103.0 TFLOPS (2:1), while the GTX 780M has no FP16 figure recorded.

Power and form factor: the RX 7900 XT consumes 300 W with a dual-slot cooler, 2x 8-pin power connectors, and a suggested PSU of 700 W. The GTX 780M is an MXM module with no power connectors and no suggested PSU listed. Bus interface: PCIe 4.0 x16 for the RX 7900 XT versus MXM-B (3.0) for the GTX 780M. Display outputs: the RX 7900 XT has 1x HDMI 2.1a, 2x DisplayPort 2.1, and 1x USB Type-C. The GTX 780M is portable device dependent.

Release dates: the RX 7900 XT launched 2022-11-02, the GTX 780M launched 2013-05-10. The RX 7900 XT has a launch MSRP of 899 USD, which is stated once here for reference.

Architecture Differences

The RX 7900 XT is built on AMD's RDNA 3.0 architecture, codenamed Plum Bonito, part of the Navi III (RX 7000) generation, using the Navi 31 chip. It is a 5 nm TSMC design with 57,700 million transistors, 84 RT cores, and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The RDNA 3.0 architecture brings a chiplet-based design philosophy and a 2:1 FP16 ratio, reflected in the 103.0 TFLOPS FP16 figure.

The GTX 780M is built on NVIDIA's Kepler architecture, using the GK104 chip, part of the GeForce 700M generation. It is a 28 nm TSMC design with 3,540 million transistors, no RT cores, and support for DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. Kepler was designed for the 2013-era mobile market, and the GTX 780M's MXM-B (3.0) interface and lack of dedicated power connectors reflect that origin.

The architectural gulf is enormous. The RX 7900 XT has 84 RT cores dedicated to ray tracing, while the GTX 780M has none. The RX 7900 XT's Vulkan 1.4 support versus the GTX 780M's Vulkan 1.2.175 explains part of the 459.8% Vulkan benchmark gap. The RX 7900 XT's 5 nm process versus 28 nm means far higher transistor density (109.1M per mm² versus 12.0M per mm²), enabling 57,700 million transistors on a 529 mm² die compared to 3,540 million on a 294 mm² die. The RX 7900 XT also supports PCIe 4.0 x16, while the GTX 780M uses the older MXM-B (3.0) bus.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 7900 XT wins in every meaningful category except one. In Geekbench Vulkan, it scores 71068 versus 12696, a 459.8% advantage. Its average benchmark score of 13745 versus 11261 puts it ahead by roughly 22%. Its 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus with 800.0 GB/s bandwidth gives it a massive memory advantage over the GTX 780M's 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 160.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 7900 XT also has 5,376 shading units versus 1,536, 84 RT cores versus none, and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) versus DirectX 12 (11_0). Its 55th percentile ranking versus the GTX 780M's 50th percentile confirms the overall standing. The RX 7900 XT is the card for modern gaming, ray tracing, Vulkan-heavy workloads, and any application that can leverage its 51.48 TFLOPS of FP32 compute.

The GTX 780M wins exactly one head-to-head benchmark: Geekbench OpenCL, where it scores 12769 versus 12756, a 0.1% margin. It also draws a near tie in average score relative to its nearest rivals: the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 is 0.3% lower, the AMD FirePro W4300 is 0.3% lower, and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q is 1.6% higher. The GTX 780M's 122 W TDP is significantly lower than the RX 7900 XT's 300 W, making it the more power-efficient option for a portable MXM-based system. Its 50th percentile ranking, while lower than the RX 7900 XT's 55th, still places it in the middle of the database. The GTX 780M is the pick only for legacy OpenCL workloads in a portable chassis where power draw and MXM compatibility matter more than raw performance.