AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER represent two distinct generations of graphics hardware, separated by over three years of architectural evolution. The data shows a decisive performance gulf in most tests, with the RX 7900 XTX securing 9 of 10 head-to-head victories. However, the RTX 2060 SUPER claims a surprising win in one compute workload, and its lower power draw and physical footprint offer a contrasting profile. This analysis quantifies those differences, placing each card's scores in context against its nearest rivals.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX has an average benchmark score of 19410, compared to 18093 for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER. This places the RX 7900 XTX in the 64th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 2060 SUPER sits in the 62nd percentile.

Q: How large is the performance lead in the flagship 3DMark test?

A: In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the RX 7900 XTX scores 6841 against 2011 for the RTX 2060 SUPER, a delta of 240.2%. This is the largest single-test margin in the comparison.

Q: Does the older card win any benchmarks?

A: Yes. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 76957, which is 34.4% higher than the RX 7900 XTX's score of 50465. This is the only head-to-head test the RTX 2060 SUPER wins.

Q: What is the closest result between the two cards?

A: The closest result is in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the RX 7900 XTX scores 85612 against 77402 for the RTX 2060 SUPER, a lead of 10.6%. This is the smallest delta in the entire comparison.

Q: How do the cards compare in DirectX 11 legacy performance?

A: The RX 7900 XTX scores 356 in Passmark DirectX 11, which is 173.8% higher than the RTX 2060 SUPER's score of 130. The RX 7900 XTX also leads in DirectX 9 (330 vs 218, a 51.4% delta) and DirectX 10 (166 vs 111, a 49.5% delta).

Q: What are the launch MSRP values for these cards?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX had a launch MSRP of 999 USD, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER had a launch MSRP of 399 USD.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is substantial. The RX 7900 XTX is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, using the Navi 31 chip with a 5 nm process node at TSMC. This contrasts with the RTX 2060 SUPER's Turing architecture, which uses the TU106 chip on a 12 nm process node, also from TSMC. The manufacturing difference is stark: the RX 7900 XTX contains 57,700 million transistors on a 529 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 109.1M per mm². The RTX 2060 SUPER has 10,800 million transistors on a 445 mm² die, for a density of 24.3M per mm².

The core configurations diverge sharply. The RX 7900 XTX features 6144 shading units, 384 texture mapping units, and 192 ROPs, alongside 96 ray tracing cores. The RTX 2060 SUPER has 2176 shading units, 136 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with 34 ray tracing cores. Notably, the RTX 2060 SUPER includes 272 tensor cores, a feature entirely absent from the RX 7900 XTX specification. This reflects NVIDIA's focus on AI-accelerated workloads during the Turing generation.

Memory subsystems differ in capacity and bandwidth. The RX 7900 XTX carries 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 2060 SUPER has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s. The clock behavior also separates them: the RX 7900 XTX has a base clock of 1929 MHz, a game clock of 2365 MHz, and a boost clock of 2498 MHz, while the RTX 2060 SUPER operates at 1470 MHz base and 1650 MHz boost.

Power and physical design reflect the performance disparity. The RX 7900 XTX has a TDP of 355 W and requires two 8-pin power connectors with a suggested 750 W PSU. The RTX 2060 SUPER draws 175 W, uses a single 8-pin connector, and needs a 450 W PSU. Both are dual-slot cards, but the RX 7900 XTX is longer at 287 mm versus 229 mm, and thicker at 51 mm versus 35 mm. The RX 7900 XTX also uses a newer PCIe 4.0 x16 interface, while the RTX 2060 SUPER is PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs differ: the RX 7900 XTX offers 1x HDMI 2.1a, 2x DisplayPort 2.1, and 1x USB Type-C, while the RTX 2060 SUPER provides 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C.

The Verdict

Based strictly on benchmark data, the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the superior performer in the vast majority of workloads. It wins 9 of 10 head-to-head tests, with margins ranging from 10.6% in Geekbench Vulkan to 240.2% in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its Passmark G3D score of 31238 is 89.8% above the RTX 2060 SUPER's 16462, and its Passmark GPU Compute score of 17689 is 163.2% higher than 6721. For users prioritizing raw gaming and general 3D rendering performance, the data unambiguously favors the RX 7900 XTX.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER, however, is not without merit. It wins the Geekbench OpenCL test decisively, scoring 76957 versus 50465, a 34.4% advantage. This indicates a specific strength in OpenCL compute workloads that the RX 7900 XTX cannot match. Additionally, the RTX 2060 SUPER's lower TDP of 175 W versus 355 W, smaller physical dimensions (229 mm length versus 287 mm), and single 8-pin power requirement make it a more practical choice for compact or power-constrained systems.

The choice depends on the workload. For gamers and users of DirectX-based applications, the RX 7900 XTX is the clear winner, offering massive margins in DirectX 9, 10, 11, and 12 tests. For those running OpenCL compute tasks or requiring a lower-power, smaller-footprint card, the RTX 2060 SUPER is the better fit. The data does not support a single universal recommendation; it supports a workload-specific one.

Specification Differences

The following table highlights the key specification differences between the two cards, based on the provided data.

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | RDNA 3.0 | Turing |

| Process Node | 5 nm | 12 nm |

| Transistors | 57,700 million | 10,800 million |

| Die Size | 529 mm² | 445 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 109.1M / mm² | 24.3M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1929 MHz | 1470 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2498 MHz | 1650 MHz |

| Game Clock | 2365 MHz | None |

| Memory Size | 24 GB | 8 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 384 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 960.0 GB/s | 448.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 6144 | 2176 |

| TMUs | 384 | 136 |

| ROPs | 192 | 64 |

| RT Cores | 96 | 34 |

| Tensor Cores | None | 272 |

| FP32 Performance | 61.39 TFLOPS | 7.181 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 122.8 TFLOPS (2:1) | 14.36 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| Pixel Rate | 479.6 GPixel/s | 105.6 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 959.2 GTexel/s | 224.4 GTexel/s |

| TDP | 355 W | 175 W |

| Power Connectors | 2x 8-pin | 1x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 750 W | 450 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Length | 287 mm | 229 mm |

| Width | 51 mm | 35 mm |

| Launch MSRP | 999 USD | 399 USD |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark results reveal a pattern of dominance for the RX 7900 XTX, with one notable exception. The largest margin is in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, where the RX 7900 XTX scores 6841 against 2011 for the RTX 2060 SUPER, a 240.2% lead. This test underscores the generational leap in DX12 performance.

In Passmark tests, the RX 7900 XTX shows consistent superiority. The DirectX 11 result is particularly lopsided: 356 versus 130, a 173.8% margin. DirectX 12 follows with 131 versus 61, a 114.8% lead. DirectX 9 and 10 show smaller but still decisive margins of 51.4% (330 vs 218) and 49.5% (166 vs 111), respectively. The Passmark G3D score of 31238 versus 16462 represents an 89.8% advantage, while the G2D score of 1267 versus 854 is a 48.4% lead. The Passmark GPU Compute result shows a 163.2% margin, with 17689 versus 6721.

The Geekbench Vulkan test is the closest contest. The RX 7900 XTX scores 85612, just 10.6% above the RTX 2060 SUPER's 77402. This indicates that in Vulkan-based workloads, the performance gap narrows considerably, though the RX 7900 XTX still leads.

The single victory for the RTX 2060 SUPER comes in Geekbench OpenCL. Here, the NVIDIA card scores 76957, which is 34.4% higher than the RX 7900 XTX's 50465. This is a substantial reversal of the overall trend, suggesting that the RTX 2060 SUPER's architecture, possibly due to its tensor cores, handles this particular OpenCL workload significantly better.

In context, the RX 7900 XTX's average score of 19410 places it just 0.4% above the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB (19334) and 1.2% above the NVIDIA TITAN Xp (19177) among its nearest rivals. The RTX 2060 SUPER's average of 18093 is 0.4% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile (18159) and 1.6% below the Intel Arc A770M (18383). These rival comparisons show that while the RX 7900 XTX leads this matchup, its average score is not far from older high-end cards, and the RTX 2060 SUPER sits near modern mid-range mobile parts.