AMD Radeon VII vs Intel Arc A770 Comparison

Intel Arc A770 and AMD Radeon VII are both end-of-life graphics cards that sit near the same overall performance tier, yet they achieve that status through very different designs and eras. The Arc A770 is Intel’s flagship Alchemist-generation part, built on a 6 nm TSMC process with the Xe-HPG architecture, while the Radeon VII is AMD’s Vega II flagship, fabricated on a 7 nm TSMC process with GCN 5.1. Benchmark data shows the Arc A770 wins all three head-to-head tests, but the margin varies drastically by workload, and the Radeon VII retains a notable advantage in memory bandwidth that does not translate into overall victory.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Arc A770 wins every direct comparison in the benchmark set, but the size of those wins tells the real story. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the Arc A770 scores 2969 against the Radeon VII’s 2304, a 28.9% lead. This is the largest gap between the two cards and indicates a clear advantage in modern DirectX 12 gaming workloads, likely driven by the Arc A770’s dedicated ray tracing hardware and newer architecture. The Radeon VII has no ray tracing cores at all, so its performance in this test falls behind substantially.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the Arc A770 scores 109175 versus 91947 for the Radeon VII, an 18.7% margin. This compute-oriented benchmark also favors the Intel card, reflecting its higher shading unit count and faster clock speeds. The smallest win comes in Geekbench Vulkan, where the Arc A770 scores 94284 and the Radeon VII scores 91788, a marginal 2.7% difference. This near-parity suggests that in Vulkan workloads, the Radeon VII’s massive memory bandwidth helps close the gap, but it still cannot overtake the Intel card.

The Radeon VII has zero wins in the head-to-head data. However, its strengths appear in areas not captured by these three benchmarks. Its 1.02 TB/s memory bandwidth—double the Arc A770’s 512.0 GB/s—would likely benefit bandwidth-sensitive tasks such as large dataset processing or high-resolution textures, but the provided benchmark results do not include a test where that advantage materializes into a victory.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from fundamentally different architectural generations. The Arc A770 uses the DG2-512 chip with Intel’s Xe-HPG architecture, built on a 6 nm process at TSMC. It packs 21,700 million transistors into a 406 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 53.4M per mm². The Radeon VII uses the Vega 20 chip with GCN 5.1 architecture, also from TSMC but on a 7 nm process. It has 13,230 million transistors on a 331 mm² die, with a density of 40.0M per mm². The Intel chip is both larger and denser, which helps explain its higher compute throughput.

Core configuration differs significantly. The Arc A770 has 4096 shading units, 256 texture mapping units, 128 render output units, and 32 ray tracing cores. The Radeon VII has 3840 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with no ray tracing cores. The Arc A770’s higher ROP count (128 versus 64) directly contributes to its 307.2 GPixel/s pixel rate versus the Radeon VII’s 112.0 GPixel/s. Similarly, the texture rate is 614.4 GTexel/s for Intel versus 420.0 GTexel/s for AMD. Floating-point performance follows the same pattern: the Arc A770 delivers 19.66 TFLOPS FP32 and 39.32 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1), while the Radeon VII delivers 13.44 TFLOPS FP32 and 26.88 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1).

Memory architecture is the starkest difference. The Arc A770 uses 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, achieving 512.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Radeon VII uses 16 GB of HBM2 on a 4096-bit bus, achieving 1.02 TB/s—exactly double. This is the Radeon VII’s standout specification, and it explains why it remains competitive in Vulkan despite lower compute rates. Clock speeds also favor Intel: the Arc A770 runs at 2100 MHz base and 2400 MHz boost, while the Radeon VII runs at 1400 MHz base and 1750 MHz boost. Memory clock is 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) for Intel versus 1000 MHz (2 Gbps effective) for AMD.

Process and power tell another story. The Arc A770 has a 225 W TDP and requires a 550 W suggested PSU, with 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin power connectors. The Radeon VII has a 295 W TDP and a 600 W suggested PSU, with 2x 8-pin connectors. The Intel card is more power-efficient despite its higher performance, a result of its newer 6 nm node. Interface support also differs: the Arc A770 uses PCIe 4.0 x16 and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The Radeon VII uses PCIe 3.0 x16 and supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3.

FAQ

Q: Which card has higher raw compute performance?

A: The Intel Arc A770 leads in both FP32 (19.66 TFLOPS versus 13.44 TFLOPS) and FP16 (39.32 TFLOPS versus 26.88 TFLOPS) based on the specification data.

Q: How do the memory bandwidths compare?

A: The AMD Radeon VII has 1.02 TB/s bandwidth from its HBM2 memory on a 4096-bit bus, while the Intel Arc A770 has 512.0 GB/s from GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus. The Radeon VII’s bandwidth is exactly double.

Q: Does the Radeon VII support ray tracing?

A: No. The Radeon VII has no ray tracing cores listed, whereas the Intel Arc A770 has 32 dedicated ray tracing cores.

Q: What is the largest benchmark margin between the two?

A: In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the Arc A770 scores 2969 versus 2304 for the Radeon VII, a 28.9% difference in favor of Intel.

Q: Are both cards the same physical size?

A: The Radeon VII has listed dimensions of 280 mm length, 125 mm height, and 40 mm width. The Arc A770’s dimensions are not provided in the data, but both are dual-slot cards.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The Intel Arc A770 has 53.4M transistors per mm² on its 406 mm² die, while the Radeon VII has 40.0M per mm² on its 331 mm² die.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every core specification category. Process node: the Arc A770 uses 6 nm versus 7 nm for the Radeon VII. Transistor count: 21,700 million versus 13,230 million. Die size: 406 mm² versus 331 mm². Transistor density: 53.4M per mm² versus 40.0M per mm².

Clock speeds: base clock is 2100 MHz for Intel versus 1400 MHz for AMD; boost clock is 2400 MHz versus 1750 MHz; memory clock is 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) versus 1000 MHz (2 Gbps effective). Shading units: 4096 versus 3840. TMUs: 256 versus 240. ROPs: 128 versus 64. Ray tracing cores: 32 versus none. Pixel rate: 307.2 GPixel/s versus 112.0 GPixel/s. Texture rate: 614.4 GTexel/s versus 420.0 GTexel/s. FP32: 19.66 TFLOPS versus 13.44 TFLOPS. FP16: 39.32 TFLOPS versus 26.88 TFLOPS.

Memory: both have 16 GB, but the Arc A770 uses GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 512.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the Radeon VII uses HBM2 on a 4096-bit bus with 1.02 TB/s. TDP: 225 W versus 295 W. Suggested PSU: 550 W versus 600 W. Power connectors: 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin versus 2x 8-pin. Bus interface: PCIe 4.0 x16 versus PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs: the Arc A770 has 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 2.0; the Radeon VII has 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. API support: DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) versus DirectX 12 (12_1); Vulkan 1.4 versus 1.3; OpenGL 4.6 for both. Release dates: 2022-10-11 versus 2019-02-06. Launch MSRP: 329 USD versus 699 USD.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test shows the most decisive result. The Arc A770 scores 2969, the Radeon VII scores 2304, giving Intel a 28.9% advantage. This is a modern DirectX 12 benchmark, and the gap likely stems from the Arc A770’s dedicated ray tracing cores and higher pixel rate (307.2 GPixel/s versus 112.0 GPixel/s). The Radeon VII’s lack of any ray tracing hardware puts it at a structural disadvantage in this workload.

Geekbench OpenCL results also favor Intel, though by a smaller margin. The Arc A770 scores 109175 against 91947 for the Radeon VII, an 18.7% lead. This compute benchmark aligns with the raw specification differences: the Arc A770 has more shading units (4096 versus 3840), higher boost clock (2400 MHz versus 1750 MHz), and higher FP32 throughput (19.66 TFLOPS versus 13.44 TFLOPS). The Radeon VII’s double memory bandwidth (1.02 TB/s versus 512.0 GB/s) does not overcome these deficiencies in this particular test.

The closest result is Geekbench Vulkan. The Arc A770 scores 94284, and the Radeon VII scores 91788, a mere 2.7% difference. This narrow margin suggests that the Radeon VII’s 1.02 TB/s bandwidth becomes more relevant in Vulkan workloads, allowing it to nearly match the Intel card despite lower compute rates. However, the Arc A770 still wins, extending its head-to-head record to 3 wins and 0 losses. The average benchmark score for the Arc A770 is 68809, while the Radeon VII averages 66004, confirming the overall performance ranking.

The Verdict

The data points to the Intel Arc A770 as the stronger card in every measured benchmark. It wins all three head-to-head tests, with margins ranging from 2.7% in Vulkan to 28.9% in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its higher shading unit count, faster clocks, and dedicated ray tracing cores give it a clear advantage in modern gaming and compute workloads. The Radeon VII’s 1.02 TB/s memory bandwidth is a remarkable specification—double the Arc A770’s—but it only narrows the gap in Vulkan, never closes it.

For users prioritizing DirectX 12 gaming or compute tasks, the Arc A770 is the evident choice based on benchmark results. Its 225 W TDP also makes it more power-efficient than the Radeon VII’s 295 W, and its newer PCIe 4.0 interface and DisplayPort 2.0 outputs offer more modern connectivity. The Radeon VII, with its launch MSRP of 699 USD versus the Arc A770’s 329 USD, was significantly more expensive at launch, yet it delivers lower benchmark scores across the board.

However, the Radeon VII is not without merit. Its massive memory bandwidth could benefit specific memory-bound workloads that are not represented in the provided benchmarks, and its 16 GB of HBM2 remains a substantial capacity. But strictly from the data, the Arc A770 wins every comparison, making it the higher-performing option in all tested scenarios. The Radeon VII’s niche appeal rests on bandwidth, not on any measured victory.