AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT vs AMD Ryzen Z2 A GPU Comparison

FAQ

Q: What is the average benchmark score for the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT?

A: The RX 9070 XT has an average benchmark score of 13543, placing it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs in the database.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for the AMD Ryzen Z2 A GPU?

A: The Ryzen Z2 A GPU has an average benchmark score of 0, with no individual benchmark results recorded in the database.

Q: Which GPU has a higher transistor count?

A: The RX 9070 XT contains 53,900 million transistors on a 357 mm² die, while the Ryzen Z2 A GPU contains 2,400 million transistors on a 163 mm² die.

Q: What are the boost clock speeds of these two GPUs?

A: The RX 9070 XT boosts to 2970 MHz, while the Ryzen Z2 A GPU boosts to 1600 MHz.

Q: Which GPU uses a newer architecture?

A: The RX 9070 XT uses RDNA 4.0, while the Ryzen Z2 A GPU uses RDNA 2.0.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between the two?

A: The RX 9070 XT provides 644.6 GB/s over a 256-bit GDDR6 bus, whereas the Ryzen Z2 A GPU provides 102.4 GB/s over a 128-bit LPDDR5 bus.

Architecture Differences

The RX 9070 XT and the Ryzen Z2 A GPU represent two distinct points in AMD's GPU design lineage. The RX 9070 XT is built on the Navi 48 chip using RDNA 4.0 architecture, fabricated on a 4 nm TSMC process. The Ryzen Z2 A GPU uses the Van Gogh chip with RDNA 2.0 architecture, manufactured on a 7 nm TSMC process. This generational gap is substantial: RDNA 4.0 introduces architectural refinements over RDNA 2.0, including updated ray tracing hardware and compute unit organization.

The transistor counts reflect the scale difference. The RX 9070 XT packs 53,900 million transistors into a 357 mm² die, giving a density of 151.0 million transistors per square millimeter. The Ryzen Z2 A GPU contains 2,400 million transistors on a 163 mm² die, with a density of 14.7 million per square millimeter. The node advantage alone explains much of this disparity, as the 4 nm process allows for significantly tighter packing than 7 nm.

Ray tracing hardware exists on both chips, but with different allocations. The RX 9070 XT features 64 ray tracing cores, while the Ryzen Z2 A GPU has 8. Shader resources follow the same pattern: the RX 9070 XT has 4096 shading units, 256 texture mapping units, and 128 ROPs. The Ryzen Z2 A GPU has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. These are not directly comparable counts due to architectural differences between RDNA 4.0 and RDNA 2.0, but the magnitude of the gap is clear.

Both GPUs support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so API-level feature parity exists. The RX 9070 XT delivers FP32 performance of 48.66 TFLOPS and FP16 at 48.66 TFLOPS in a 1:1 ratio. The Ryzen Z2 A GPU delivers 1.638 TFLOPS FP32 and 3.277 TFLOPS FP16 in a 2:1 ratio. The FP16 behavior indicates a fundamental difference in compute design between the two architectures.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark table between the RX 9070 XT and the Ryzen Z2 A GPU is empty. No shared benchmark results exist in the database for direct comparison. The RX 9070 XT has recorded scores across ten tests, including 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 at 7260, Geekbench OpenCL at 17428, Geekbench Vulkan at 65879, and Passmark GPU Compute at 15864. The Ryzen Z2 A GPU has no benchmark entries at all.

Without paired measurements, the nearest rivals of the RX 9070 XT provide context. The RX 9070 XT scores 0.1% above the AMD Radeon HD 7770M, 0.2% above the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570, 0.5% above the NVIDIA P106-090, and 1% above the AMD Radeon Pro 555. These deltas place the RX 9070 XT at the top of a tight cluster of similar-scoring GPUs, though the margins are small.

The Ryzen Z2 A GPU lacks both benchmark scores and nearest rival data. Its percentile rank of 50 places it at the median of all GPUs in the database, but with no measured scores, this rank cannot be validated against actual performance data. The RX 9070 XT sits at the 55th percentile, five points higher.

The database shows the RX 9070 XT wins 0 head-to-head comparisons and the Ryzen Z2 A GPU wins 0, because no head-to-head entries were recorded. The absence of data means every performance conclusion must rely on the architectural and specification differences rather than direct measurements.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every recorded specification field.

Process and chip: The RX 9070 XT uses a 4 nm TSMC process with the Navi 48 chip. The Ryzen Z2 A GPU uses a 7 nm TSMC process with the Van Gogh chip.

Transistors and die: 53,900 million transistors on 357 mm² versus 2,400 million on 163 mm².

Clock speeds: The RX 9070 XT has a base clock of 1660 MHz, a boost of 2970 MHz, and a game clock of 2400 MHz. The Ryzen Z2 A GPU has a base of 1000 MHz and a boost of 1600 MHz, with no game clock listed.

Memory: The RX 9070 XT uses 16 GB GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus at 2518 MHz (20.1 Gbps effective), yielding 644.6 GB/s bandwidth. The Ryzen Z2 A GPU uses 16 GB LPDDR5 on a 128-bit bus at 800 MHz (6.4 Gbps effective), yielding 102.4 GB/s.

Compute units: The RX 9070 XT has 4096 shading units, 256 TMUs, 128 ROPs, and 64 RT cores. The Ryzen Z2 A GPU has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, 16 ROPs, and 8 RT cores.

Rates: The RX 9070 XT achieves 380.2 GPixel/s pixel rate and 760.3 GTexel/s texture rate. The Ryzen Z2 A GPU achieves 25.60 GPixel/s and 51.20 GTexel/s.

FP32 and FP16: 48.66 TFLOPS FP32 and 48.66 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1) for the RX 9070 XT. 1.638 TFLOPS FP32 and 3.277 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1) for the Ryzen Z2 A GPU.

Power: The RX 9070 XT has a TDP of 304 W, requires dual-slot cooling, uses 2x 8-pin power connectors, and needs a 700 W suggested PSU. The Ryzen Z2 A GPU has a TDP of 15 W, with no slot width, power connector, or PSU requirements listed.

Interface and outputs: The RX 9070 XT uses PCIe 5.0 x16 and outputs 1x HDMI 2.1b plus 3x DisplayPort 2.1a. The Ryzen Z2 A GPU has no bus interface listed and outputs 1x USB Type-C.

Release timing: The RX 9070 XT released on 2025-03-05 with a launch MSRP of 599 USD. The Ryzen Z2 A GPU released on 2024-12-31 with no launch MSRP recorded.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 9070 XT wins in every measurable performance category. Its FP32 throughput of 48.66 TFLOPS is roughly 30 times the Ryzen Z2 A GPU's 1.638 TFLOPS. The pixel rate of 380.2 GPixel/s versus 25.60 GPixel/s gives the RX 9070 XT a dominant rasterization advantage. Texture rate follows the same pattern: 760.3 GTexel/s versus 51.20 GTexel/s.

Memory bandwidth heavily favors the RX 9070 XT at 644.6 GB/s, which is more than six times the 102.4 GB/s of the Ryzen Z2 A GPU. The 256-bit GDDR6 interface provides a wider path for data than the 128-bit LPDDR5 interface.

The Ryzen Z2 A GPU wins in power efficiency. At 15 W TDP, it consumes 20 times less power than the RX 9070 XT's 304 W TDP. For constrained thermal envelopes, this is the decisive factor. The 7 nm process and RDNA 2.0 architecture prioritize low power over peak throughput.

The RX 9070 XT holds the edge in connectivity and expansion. PCIe 5.0 x16 provides a modern host interface, while the Ryzen Z2 A GPU lists no bus interface. Display outputs also differ: the RX 9070 XT offers multiple HDMI and DisplayPort connections, while the Ryzen Z2 A GPU provides a single USB Type-C output.

The Verdict

The data separates these two GPUs cleanly by use case. The RX 9070 XT is a high-throughput desktop graphics card designed for maximum compute and rendering performance. Its 48.66 TFLOPS FP32, 644.6 GB/s memory bandwidth, and 64 RT cores position it for demanding workloads. The 55th percentile ranking and average score of 13543, supported by ten benchmark entries, confirm it as a functional, active product.

The Ryzen Z2 A GPU is a low-power integrated-class part. Its 15 W TDP, 1.638 TFLOPS FP32, and 102.4 GB/s bandwidth indicate a design goal of minimal power draw rather than maximum performance. The absence of benchmark scores and rival data means its 50th percentile ranking is unverified by measurements.

For applications requiring sustained high frame rates, large texture throughput, or compute-heavy tasks, the RX 9070 XT is the only choice between the two. For power-constrained systems where 15 W is the maximum allowable draw, the Ryzen Z2 A GPU fits, but its performance ceiling is far lower. The architectural gap between RDNA 4.0 and RDNA 2.0, combined with the 4 nm versus 7 nm process difference, ensures the RX 9070 XT remains ahead in every recorded performance metric.