AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 represent two distinct eras of graphics hardware, separated by fifteen years of architectural evolution. The benchmark data shows a single head-to-head comparison, but the specification sheets reveal a chasm in capability that extends far beyond that one score. The RX 9070 XT is an active, current-generation product built on a 4 nm process, while the GTX 480 is an end-of-life Fermi part from 2010 built on a 40 nm node. This analysis interprets the available data to show where each card wins and why the modern part is in a different class entirely.

Where Each One Wins

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT wins the only shared benchmark test, and it does so by a decisive margin. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RX 9070 XT scores 17,428 against the GTX 480’s 13,300. That is a 31% lead for the AMD card. This is not a close contest; it is a generational gap made tangible in a compute workload.

For the RX 9070 XT, this win is representative of its overall standing. Its average benchmark score across all tests is 13,543, which places it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in average score are the AMD Radeon HD 7770M (13,536, 0.1% behind) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (13,515, 0.2% behind). While the RX 9070 XT wins its head-to-head against the GTX 480, its average score is only marginally ahead of these older or lower-tier parts, indicating that its raw compute in OpenCL is its strong suit, but not its only story.

The GTX 480, by contrast, has a single benchmark result in the pack: that same Geekbench OpenCL score of 13,300. This puts it in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13,300. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon Pro 555X (13,321, 0.2% ahead), the AMD FirePro M6100 (13,354, 0.4% ahead), and the AMD Radeon RX 5500M (13,356, 0.4% ahead). The GTX 480 does not win its head-to-head, but it is not embarrassingly far behind in this single test. The win for the RX 9070 XT is clear, but the GTX 480’s OpenCL result shows it can still hold its own against some modern mobile parts.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT has an average benchmark score of 13,543, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 has an average score of 13,300. The RX 9070 XT is ahead by 243 points.

Q: How much faster is the RX 9070 XT in the only shared benchmark?

A: In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RX 9070 XT scores 17,428 versus the GTX 480’s 13,300. This is a 31% advantage for the AMD card.

Q: What are the closest rivals to each card based on average score?

A: The RX 9070 XT’s closest rival is the AMD Radeon HD 7770M, with a score of 13,536 and a delta of 0.1%. The GTX 480’s closest rival is the AMD Radeon Pro 555X, with a score of 13,321 and a delta of -0.2%.

Q: Which card has a higher percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The RX 9070 XT is in the 55th percentile, while the GTX 480 is in the 53rd percentile. The RX 9070 XT ranks higher.

Q: Does the GTX 480 win any benchmarks against the RX 9070 XT?

A: No. The data shows the RX 9070 XT wins the only head-to-head benchmark (Geekbench OpenCL). The GTX 480 has zero wins in the head-to-head comparison.

Q: What is the difference in memory size between the two?

A: The RX 9070 XT has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the GTX 480 has 1536 MB (1.5 GB) of GDDR5 memory. The AMD card has over ten times the memory capacity.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and it is a decisive victory for the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT. The AMD card scores 17,428, which is a 31% improvement over the GTX 480’s score of 13,300. This is a significant performance delta, indicating that the RX 9070 XT is substantially more capable in general-purpose compute tasks.

Looking at the broader benchmark results for the RX 9070 XT, its performance in OpenCL is consistent with its other scores. In Geekbench Vulkan, it scores 65,879, which is nearly four times its OpenCL score. In Passmark G3D, it scores 26,795, and in Passmark GPU Compute, it scores 15,864. These numbers show that the RX 9070 XT is a well-rounded performer across different APIs and workloads.

The GTX 480’s single OpenCL score of 13,300 is its only data point. There are no Vulkan results, no Passmark results, and no 3DMark results in the pack. This means the comparison is limited, but the one test we have shows the RX 9070 XT is 31% ahead. If the GTX 480’s performance in other modern APIs is anywhere near its OpenCL score relative to the RX 9070 XT, it would be significantly outperformed in every scenario.

The delta of 31% is substantial. It puts the RX 9070 XT in a performance class that the GTX 480 cannot reach. While the GTX 480’s score is not a complete failure, it is clear that the architectural advancements in the RX 9070 XT deliver a measurable and significant compute advantage.

Specification Differences

The specifications of these two cards are from different worlds. The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is built on a 4 nm process at TSMC, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 uses a 40 nm process, also at TSMC. The transistor count reflects this: the RX 9070 XT has 53,900 million transistors, compared to the GTX 480’s 3,100 million. The die size is also different, with the RX 9070 XT at 357 mm² and the GTX 480 at 529 mm².

Memory is another major divider. The RX 9070 XT has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 480 has 1536 MB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, yielding 177.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 9070 XT has far more memory and nearly four times the bandwidth.

The core configurations are massively different. The RX 9070 XT has 4,096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 128 ROPs. The GTX 480 has 480 shading units, 60 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The RX 9070 XT also has 64 ray tracing cores, a feature the GTX 480 lacks entirely. Clock speeds are also different: the RX 9070 XT has a base clock of 1660 MHz and a boost clock of 2970 MHz, while the GTX 480 has no base or boost clock listed in the data.

Power and connectivity differ as well. The RX 9070 XT has a TDP of 304 W and requires a 700 W suggested PSU, with 2x 8-pin power connectors. The GTX 480 has a TDP of 250 W, a 600 W suggested PSU, and uses 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin connectors. The RX 9070 XT uses a PCIe 5.0 x16 interface, while the GTX 480 uses PCIe 2.0 x16. Display outputs are also different: the RX 9070 XT has 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1a, while the GTX 480 has 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap is the root of all performance differences. The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is based on the RDNA 4.0 architecture, specifically the Navi 48 chip. It is part of the Radeon RX 9000 series and the Navi IV generation. The GTX 480, in contrast, uses the Fermi architecture with the GF100 chip, part of the GeForce 400 series.

The process node is a fundamental difference: 4 nm for the RX 9070 XT versus 40 nm for the GTX 480. This tenfold reduction in process size allows for the massive increase in transistor density (151.0M / mm² for the RX 9070 XT versus 5.9M / mm² for the GTX 480). The RX 9070 XT also supports modern APIs, including DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), Vulkan 1.4, and OpenGL 4.6. The GTX 480 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support listed.

The RX 9070 XT features 64 ray tracing cores, enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing, which is absent on the GTX 480. The RX 9070 XT also has a 1:1 FP16 to FP32 ratio, both at 48.66 TFLOPS, while the GTX 480 has no listed FP16 performance. The pixel rate and texture rate are also vastly different: the RX 9070 XT has a pixel rate of 380.2 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 760.3 GTexel/s, compared to the GTX 480’s 21.03 GPixel/s and 42.06 GTexel/s.

The GTX 480 is end-of-life, with a successor in the GeForce 500 series. The RX 9070 XT is active, with a predecessor in the Navi III generation and no successor listed. The release dates tell the story: the RX 9070 XT was released on 2025-03-05, while the GTX 480 was released on 2010-03-25. This is a fifteen-year gap in technology.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear conclusion: the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is the superior card in almost every measurable way. It wins the only head-to-head benchmark by 31%, has a higher average benchmark score (13,543 versus 13,300), and a higher percentile ranking (55th versus 53rd). Its specifications, from memory size to shading units to process node, are overwhelmingly in its favor.

For a user building a modern system, the RX 9070 XT is the obvious choice. It offers 16 GB of memory, ray tracing support, and modern API compatibility. Its performance in the Geekbench OpenCL test shows a 31% advantage over the GTX 480, and its other benchmark scores indicate strong performance across DirectX and Vulkan workloads.

The GTX 480, on the other hand, is a relic. Its single benchmark score is respectable for its age, but it lacks the features and performance needed for modern gaming or compute tasks. It has no ray tracing, no Vulkan support, and only 1.5 GB of memory. The data shows it is competitive with some modern mobile GPUs like the AMD Radeon RX 5500M, but it is not in the same league as the RX 9070 XT.

If you are choosing between these two for a new build, the RX 9070 XT is the only rational choice. It wins on performance, features, and efficiency. The GTX 480 is a historical artifact that, while it performs admirably for its era, cannot compete with the modern AMD card. The benchmark data is clear: the RX 9070 XT is the winner, and the decision is not close.