AMD Radeon RX 9070 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti Comparison

The GeForce GTX 780 Ti and the Radeon RX 9070 represent two distinct eras of GPU design, separated by more than a decade of architectural evolution. The data shows a generational chasm in raw compute and modern API support, yet the older card still holds its own in specific legacy workloads. This analysis breaks down where each card wins, how their architectures differ, and what the benchmark numbers actually mean for a user choosing between them.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark results paint a clear picture: the AMD Radeon RX 9070 dominates modern, compute-heavy workloads, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti shows surprising resilience in older API scenarios. The RX 9070 wins both head-to-head benchmark tests, taking the Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan contests decisively. Its OpenCL score of 131,539 is roughly 4.8 times higher than the GTX 780 Ti’s 27,326, a delta of -79.2% from the perspective of the older card. This indicates the RX 9070 is the clear choice for any application leveraging OpenCL compute, from scientific simulations to modern rendering pipelines.

However, the GTX 780 Ti is not without its merits. Its average benchmark score of 24,236 puts it in the 70th percentile of all GPUs, slightly higher than the RX 9070’s 69th percentile. In the Geekbench Vulkan test, the GTX 780 Ti scores 27,238, which is only 53.6% behind the RX 9070’s 58,705. While that is still a substantial loss, it shows the Kepler architecture can still execute Vulkan workloads, albeit at a much lower performance level. For a user running legacy DirectX 11 or OpenGL applications, the GTX 780 Ti’s performance profile may be sufficient, though the RX 9070’s raw power suggests it would still pull ahead in most scenarios.

The RX 9070 also wins on memory capacity and bandwidth. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory with 644.6 GB/s bandwidth is a massive upgrade over the GTX 780 Ti’s 3 GB GDDR5 with 336.6 GB/s. This makes the RX 9070 the obvious winner for high-resolution textures and large datasets, while the GTX 780 Ti may struggle with modern game assets that exceed its memory pool. In summary, the RX 9070 is the winner for modern gaming and compute, while the GTX 780 Ti remains a viable option only for older, less demanding software.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on fundamentally different architectures, reflecting over a decade of semiconductor progress. The GTX 780 Ti uses the GK110B chip, based on NVIDIA’s Kepler architecture, manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 7,080 million transistors into a large 561 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 12.6 million per square millimeter. In contrast, the RX 9070 uses the Navi 48 chip, based on AMD’s RDNA 4.0 architecture, built on a much more advanced 4 nm process at the same foundry. It houses 53,900 million transistors in a smaller 357 mm² die, achieving a density of 151.0 million per square millimeter. This density difference explains why the RX 9070 can offer vastly more compute power despite its physically smaller chip.

The memory subsystems are also generations apart. The GTX 780 Ti uses 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, while the RX 9070 uses 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus. Despite the narrower bus, the RX 9070’s faster memory clock (20.1 Gbps effective vs. 7 Gbps effective) gives it nearly double the bandwidth. The compute core counts tell a similar story: the RX 9070 has 3,584 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 128 ROPs, compared to the GTX 780 Ti’s 2,880 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The RX 9070 also introduces 56 ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the Kepler architecture.

The API support further separates them. The GTX 780 Ti is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1), while the RX 9070 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), Vulkan 1.4 (vs. 1.2.175), and offers 1:1 FP16 performance. The RX 9070 also features a PCIe 5.0 x16 interface, compared to the GTX 780 Ti’s PCIe 3.0 x16. Power efficiency is another differentiator: the RX 9070 has a lower TDP of 220 W versus the GTX 780 Ti’s 250 W, despite delivering significantly more performance. The RX 9070 also supports modern display outputs like HDMI 2.1b and DisplayPort 2.1a, whereas the GTX 780 Ti is limited to older DVI, HDMI 1.4a, and DisplayPort 1.2.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data shows two clear victories for the RX 9070, but the magnitude of each win tells a different story. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RX 9070 scores 131,539 against the GTX 780 Ti’s 27,326. This is a delta of -79.2%, meaning the GTX 780 Ti scores about one-fifth of the RX 9070’s result. This massive gap is expected given the architectural differences: the RX 9070’s newer compute units, higher clock speeds (boost up to 2520 MHz vs. 928 MHz), and superior memory bandwidth all contribute to this overwhelming victory. For any OpenCL-based workload, the RX 9070 is in a different league entirely.

The Vulkan test shows a closer, but still decisive, RX 9070 win. Its score of 58,705 is more than double the GTX 780 Ti’s 27,238, resulting in a -53.6% delta. While the GTX 780 Ti can run Vulkan, its Kepler architecture lacks the modern feature set and driver optimizations that RDNA 4.0 brings to the table. This result suggests that even in APIs that the older card supports, the performance gap is too large to bridge. The RX 9070 also has a significantly higher average benchmark score of 23,877, though this is slightly lower than the GTX 780 Ti’s 24,236. This anomaly is explained by the different benchmark suites each card was tested with; the GTX 780 Ti’s scores come from Geekbench Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan, while the RX 9070 includes a broader range of tests like 3DMark and Passmark, which may skew the averages.

The RX 9070’s Passmark G3D score of 25,381 and GPU Compute score of 14,737 further demonstrate its strength in modern workloads. In contrast, the GTX 780 Ti’s nearest rivals include the GeForce GTX 1630 (delta -0.2%), RTX 2080 SUPER (delta 0.3%), and RX 6800S (delta 0.7%), showing it sits in a performance tier roughly equivalent to those mid-range cards. The RX 9070’s rivals, like the GTX TITAN Z (delta 0.6%) and RTX 3080 Mobile (delta 1.1%), show it competes with high-end mobile and older flagship parts, placing it in a much higher performance bracket.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in OpenCL compute workloads?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is significantly faster. It scores 131,539 in Geekbench OpenCL, compared to the GTX 780 Ti’s 27,326, a performance gap of -79.2% for the older card.

Q: Does the GTX 780 Ti support modern ray tracing?

A: No. The GTX 780 Ti is based on the Kepler architecture and has no ray tracing cores. The Radeon RX 9070, with its RDNA 4.0 architecture, includes 56 ray tracing cores.

Q: How much memory does each card have?

A: The GTX 780 Ti has 3 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, while the RX 9070 has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus. The RX 9070 also offers higher bandwidth at 644.6 GB/s versus 336.6 GB/s.

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The GTX 780 Ti has a slightly higher average benchmark score of 24,236, placing it in the 70th percentile of all GPUs. The RX 9070 scores 23,877, placing it in the 69th percentile, though its scores come from a different, more modern test suite.

Q: What is the difference in their process nodes?

A: The GTX 780 Ti is manufactured on a 28 nm process, while the RX 9070 is on a 4 nm process. This allows the RX 9070 to pack 53,900 million transistors into a 357 mm² die, compared to the GTX 780 Ti’s 7,080 million transistors in a 561 mm² die.

Q: Which card has better Vulkan performance?

A: The RX 9070 wins with a Geekbench Vulkan score of 58,705, more than double the GTX 780 Ti’s 27,238. The RX 9070 also supports a newer version of the Vulkan API (1.4 vs. 1.2.175).

Specification Differences

The two cards differ on nearly every specification, reflecting their generational gap. The process node is a major differentiator: the GTX 780 Ti uses a 28 nm process, while the RX 9070 uses 4 nm. Transistor count jumps from 7,080 million to 53,900 million, and die size shrinks from 561 mm² to 357 mm². The transistor density increases from 12.6M / mm² to 151.0M / mm². Clock speeds differ significantly: the GTX 780 Ti has a base clock of 875 MHz and boost of 928 MHz, while the RX 9070 has a base of 1330 MHz, game clock of 2070 MHz, and boost of 2520 MHz. Memory clocks also differ: 7 Gbps effective for the GTX 780 Ti versus 20.1 Gbps for the RX 9070.

Memory size, type, bus width, and bandwidth all favor the RX 9070: 16 GB GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 644.6 GB/s, versus 3 GB GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus with 336.6 GB/s. The compute units differ: the GTX 780 Ti has 2,880 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, while the RX 9070 has 3,584 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 128 ROPs. The RX 9070 also has 56 ray tracing cores, which the GTX 780 Ti lacks. Pixel rate and texture rate are much higher on the RX 9070: 322.6 GPixel/s and 564.5 GTexel/s versus 55.68 GPixel/s and 222.7 GTexel/s. FP32 performance jumps from 5.345 TFLOPS to 36.13 TFLOPS, and the RX 9070 offers FP16 at 36.13 TFLOPS (1:1), which the GTX 780 Ti does not have.

Power requirements differ modestly: the GTX 780 Ti has a TDP of 250 W and requires a 600 W PSU with 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin connectors, while the RX 9070 has a TDP of 220 W and a 550 W PSU suggestion with 2x 8-pin connectors. The bus interface also differs, with the GTX 780 Ti using PCIe 3.0 x16 and the RX 9070 using PCIe 5.0 x16. Display outputs are newer on the RX 9070, which offers 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1a versus the GTX 780 Ti’s 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2. API support differs in DirectX version (12 (11_1) vs. 12 Ultimate (12_2)) and Vulkan version (1.2.175 vs. 1.4). The GTX 780 Ti was released on 2013-11-06 and is end-of-life, while the RX 9070 was released on 2025-03-05 and is still active. The launch MSRP for the GTX 780 Ti was 699 USD, and for the RX 9070 it was 549 USD.