AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data includes one direct benchmark comparison between these two cards: 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. In this test, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti scores 5024, while the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 scores 1501. That is a delta of 234.7% in favor of the RTX 4070 Ti is 234.7% ahead of the RX Vega 56 in Steel Nomad DX12. This is a massive generational leap in raw DX12 performance, and it is the kind of result that defines the entire matchup.

Looking at the broader database averages, the RTX 4070 Ti holds an average benchmark score of 44795. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 at 37648, which sits 0.4% behind the RX Vega 56. The RTX 4070 Ti, in contrast, sits 1.6% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX 84th percentile, placing it in the top 84th percentile of all GPUs. That is a strong position for a card that is end-of-life. The RX Vega 56 itself scores 37507 on average, with its closest rival being the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile at 38135, trailing by 1.6%. Both cards may have similar standing in the percentile rankings, but the actual scores tell a different story. The RTX 4070 Ti is 16% ahead of the RX Vega 56 in the average benchmark score 44795 versus the RX Vega 56's 37507.

In single-test comparisons within the database, the RTX 4070 Ti is 234.7% faster than the RX Vega 56 in Steel Nomad DX12. The RX Vega 56, on the other hand, has its own set of wins in compute-oriented workloads: the Geekbench Metal score of 73512 is recorded for the RX Vega 56 and is a relevant data point for AMD's architecture. The RTX 4070 Ti counters with a Geekbench Vulkan score of 213808, which dwarfs the RX Vega 56's Metal result if you look at cross-platform Vulkan versus Metal. The RTX 4070 Ti's OpenCL score of 176953 is a strong compute number, and it also records Passmark GPU Compute at 18396, plus Passmark G3D at 31624. The RX Vega 56 has no direct Passmark DX10, DX11, DX12, DX9, or G2D results in the pack, so the comparison there is incomplete, but the RTX 4070 Ti records 187, 288, 116, 352, and 1200 respectively.

The data is clear on one thing: the RTX 4070 Ti is the faster card in every measurable comparison that exists in the database. The RX Vega 56's single benchmark entry, apart from Metal, is 1501 in Steel Nomad DX12, which is a fraction of the RTX 4070 Ti's 5024. No amount of architectural context changes that raw result.

The Verdict

From the recorded data, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is the superior choice for anyone prioritizing DX12 gaming performance, specifically in the 3DMark Steel Nomad workload. It delivers 234.7% higher performance than the RX Vega 56 in that test. The RTX 4070 Ti also carries a higher average benchmark score of 44795 versus 37507, a 19.4% advantage (44795 versus 37507, a delta of 7288 points). The RX Vega 56 holds its own in the 81st percentile of all GPUs, which is respectable, but the RTX 4070 Ti sits at the 84th percentile.

Which card you should pick depends entirely on whether you need the absolute performance of the RTX 4070 Ti or whether you are comfortable with the older, slower RX Vega 56. The data shows that the RTX 4070 Ti is the better performer by a wide margin in the one head-to-head benchmark available. The RX Vega 56 is not a bad card in its own right, it sits near the RTX 4070 in the database's nearest rivals list, but it is not in the same class as the RTX 4070 Ti.

Strictly from the numbers, the RTX 4070 Ti wins. It has more memory bandwidth potential, a newer architecture, and a 234.7% lead in the only shared benchmark. The RX Vega 56's 81st percentile ranking places it close to the RTX 4070, but the RTX 4070 Ti's 84th percentile ranking puts it above that entire cluster. If you want the highest DX12 performance in this comparison, the RTX 4070 Ti is the only logical choice.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti wins in every benchmark category where both cards have recorded data. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5024 versus 1501 is the defining victory, a 234.7% margin. It also wins the average benchmark score comparison, 44795 versus 37507. The RTX 4070 Ti has a higher percentile rank at 84 versus the RX Vega 56's 81.

The AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 wins in exactly one recorded category: the Geekbench Metal benchmark, where it scores 73512. This is the only test where the RX Vega 56 has a score that the RTX 4070 Ti does not have an equivalent for. In the database, the RTX 4070 Ti has no Metal result, so the RX Vega 56 is the only card in this comparison with a Metal score. That is a narrow victory, but it is a real one: if you need Metal performance, the RX Vega 56 is the only option with data.

For compute workloads, the RTX 4070 Ti records an OpenCL score of 176953 and a Vulkan score of 213808. The RX Vega 56 has no Vulkan or OpenCL scores in the database, so the RTX 4070 Ti is the only card with recorded data in those APIs. The RX Vega 56's fp16 throughput is 21.09 TFLOPS (2:1), which is higher than its fp32 of 10.54 TFLOPS, but the RTX 4070 Ti's fp32 of 40.09 TFLOPS is nearly four times the RX Vega 56's fp32. The RTX 4070 Ti also has a higher pixel rate (208.8 GPixel/s versus 94.14 GPixel/s) and texture rate (626.4 GTexel/s versus 329.5 GTexel/s).

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti scores 5024 versus the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56's 1501, a 234.7% advantage for the RTX 4070 Ti.

Q: What is the average benchmark score difference between the two cards?

A: The RTX 4070 Ti has an average benchmark score of 44795, while the RX Vega 56 has an average of 37507, a difference of 7288 points in favor of the RTX 4070 Ti.

Q: Which card has a higher percentile ranking?

A: The RTX 4070 Ti sits in the 84th percentile of all GPUs, while the RX Vega 56 sits in the 81st percentile.

Q: Does the RX Vega 56 win anything?

A: The RX Vega 56 records a Geekbench Metal score of 73512, the only test where it has a score that the RTX 4070 Ti does not have an equivalent for. The RTX 00 is the only card in this comparison with a Metal result.

Q: What is the memory configuration of each card?

A: The RTX 4070 Ti has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus with 504.2 GB/s bandwidth. The RX Vega 56 has 8 GB of HBM2 memory on a 2048-bit bus with 409.6 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card is newer?

A: The RTX 4070 Ti was released on 2023-01-02, while the RX Vega 56 was released on 2017-08-13. Both are end-of-life products.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different technological eras. The RTX 4070 Ti uses the AD104 chip with the Ada Lovelace architecture. It is built on a 5 nm process at TSMC with 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 121.8 million transistors per square millimeter. The RX Vega 56 uses the Vega 10 chip with the GCN 5.0 architecture. It is built on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries with 12,500 million transistors on a 495 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 25.3 million per square millimeter. The RTX 4070 Ti packs more transistors into a smaller die, a clear sign of the process advantage.

The RTX 4070 Ti has 7680 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. It also includes 60 ray tracing cores and 240 tensor cores, which are features the RX Vega 56 simply does not have: the RX Vega 56 has no ray tracing cores and no tensor cores. The RX Vega 56 has 3584 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The RTX 4070 Ti's fp32 compute is 40.09 TFLOPS, while the RX Vega 56's fp32 is 10.54 TFLOPS. The RTX 4070 Ti's fp16 is 40.09 TFLOPS (1:1), while the RX Vega 56's fp16 is 21.09 TFLOPS (2:1).

The memory subsystems are also fundamentally different. The RTX 4070 Ti uses 12 GB of GDDR6X on a 192-bit bus, delivering 504.2 GB/s. The RX Vega 56 uses 8 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus, delivering 409.6 GB/s. The RTX 4070 Ti has higher bandwidth despite a narrower bus, thanks to the newer memory type. The RTX 4070 Ti supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The RX Vega 56 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3, so the RTX 4070 Ti has a higher DirectX feature level and a newer Vulkan version.

Specification Differences

The RTX 4070 Ti has a base clock of 2310 MHz and a boost clock of 2610 MHz, while the RX Vega 56 has a base clock of 1156 MHz and a boost clock of 1471 MHz. The RTX 4070 Ti's memory clock is 1313 MHz or 21 Gbps effective, while the RX Vega 56's memory clock is 800 MHz or 1600 Mbps effective. The RTX 4070 Ti has a TDP of 285 W and requires a 600 W power supply, while the RX Vega 56 has a TDP of 210 W and requires a 550 W power supply. The RTX 4070 Ti uses a single 16-pin power connector, while the RX Vega 56 uses two 8-pin connectors.

The RTX 4070 Ti is a dual-slot card with dimensions of 285 mm (11.2 inches) in length, 112 mm (4.4 inches) in height, and 42 mm (1.7 inches) in width. The RX Vega 56 is also dual-slot, with dimensions of 280 mm (11 inches) in length, 111 mm (4.4 inches) in height, and 40 mm (1.6 inches) in width. The RTX 4070 Ti is slightly longer, taller, and wider than the RX Vega 56.

The bus interface differs as well: the RTX 4070 Ti uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the RX Vega 56 uses PCIe 3.0 x16. The display outputs are similar in quantity but different in version: the RTX 4070 Ti has 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the RX Vega 56 has 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. The RTX 4070 Ti has a higher HDMI version. The RTX 4070 Ti's predecessor is GeForce 30 and its successor is GeForce 50, while the RX Vega 56's predecessor is Polaris and its successor is Navi. Both cards are end-of-life. The RTX 4070 Ti launched with an MSRP of 799 USD, and the RX Vega 56 launched with an MSRP of 399 USD.