AMD Ryzen Z2 Go GPU vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 Comparison

The AMD Ryzen Z2 Go GPU and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 occupy opposite ends of the graphics spectrum, one designed for ultra-low-power handhelds and the other for desktop gaming. The recorded data shows a massive performance gap, but each part serves a distinct purpose. The Ryzen Z2 Go GPU, built on RDNA 2.0, targets low-power, portable devices with a 28 W TDP, while the RTX 4070 GDDR6 is a dual-slot desktop card with a 200 W TDP. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 is the clear choice for any performance-intensive workload, while the Ryzen Z2 Go GPU fits systems where power draw is the primary constraint. The data also reveals a surprising benchmark anomaly for the RTX 4070 GDDR6, which we examine below.

The Verdict

The data indicates that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 is the dominant performer in every measurable category. Its FP32 compute of 29.15 TFLOPS is roughly seven times the Ryzen Z2 Go GPU's 4.147 TFLOPS. Texture rate favors the RTX 4070 GDDR6 at 455.4 GTexel/s versus 129.6 GTexel/s, and pixel rate is 158.4 GPixel/s versus 86.40 GPixel/s. Memory bandwidth also heavily favors NVIDIA: 480.0 GB/s compared to 102.4 GB/s. For any user prioritizing raw frame rates or compute throughput, the RTX 4070 GDDR6 is the only rational selection.

The Ryzen Z2 Go GPU, however, has a role. Its 28 W TDP and lack of power connectors make it suitable for fanless or low-power designs where a 200 W card with a 16-pin connector cannot operate. The 16 GB LPDDR5 memory also exceeds the RTX 4070 GDDR6's 12 GB GDDR6, which could matter for specific memory-capacity-sensitive workloads, though the RTX 4070 GDDR6's 192-bit bus and much higher bandwidth offset that capacity advantage in most scenarios.

The benchmark percentile data is unusual. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 sits at the 25th percentile among all GPUs in the database, which is unexpectedly low for a modern desktop card. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200, AMD FirePro W2100, NVIDIA GeForce 930M, and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M, all with average scores within 1.2% of the RTX 4070 GDDR6's 4335. This suggests the recorded benchmark entry may be anomalous or represent a specific, limited test scenario. The Ryzen Z2 Go GPU has no recorded benchmarks and sits at the 50th percentile, but with a zero average score, its percentile is effectively unsubstantiated.

Architecture Differences

The architecture gap between these two GPUs is generational and fundamental. The Ryzen Z2 Go GPU uses the Rembrandt+ chip with RDNA 2.0 architecture, manufactured on TSMC's 6 nm process. It integrates 13,100 million transistors on a 208 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 63.0M per mm². The RTX 4070 GDDR6 uses the AD104 chip with Ada Lovelace architecture, built on TSMC's 5 nm process. It packs 35,800 million transistors into a 294 mm² die, achieving a density of 121.8M per mm². The newer 5 nm node and higher density give NVIDIA a structural advantage in raw compute per area.

The compute pipelines differ drastically. The Ryzen Z2 Go GPU has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and 12 ray tracing cores. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 has 5,888 shading units, 184 TMUs, 64 ROPs, 46 ray tracing cores, and 184 tensor cores. NVIDIA's tensor cores, absent from the AMD part, enable AI-accelerated features like DLSS, which the data confirms through the specification difference. The FP16 throughput also highlights a philosophical split: the Ryzen Z2 Go GPU delivers 8.294 TFLOPS FP16 via a 2:1 ratio, while the RTX 4070 GDDR6 delivers 29.15 TFLOPS FP16 at a 1:1 ratio, meaning NVIDIA does not sacrifice FP32 throughput for half-precision work.

Memory subsystems are equally divergent. The Ryzen Z2 Go GPU uses 16 GB of LPDDR5 on a 128-bit bus at 800 MHz, yielding 102.4 GB/s. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 uses 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus at 2500 MHz, yielding 480.0 GB/s. The RTX 4070 GDDR6's memory clock is over three times higher, and its bus width is 50% wider. Power delivery reflects the performance gap: the Ryzen Z2 Go GPU draws 28 W with no external power connectors, while the RTX 4070 GDDR6 draws 200 W via a single 16-pin connector and requires a 550 W suggested PSU.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 4070 GDDR6 wins in every performance metric recorded. Its FP32 compute is 7.03 times higher, texture rate is 3.52 times higher, and pixel rate is 1.83 times higher. The bandwidth advantage is 4.69 times. For gaming at high resolutions, ray tracing, or any FP32-heavy workload, the RTX 4070 GDDR6 is unequivocally superior. Its 46 RT cores versus 12 also provide a hardware advantage for ray-traced scenes, and the 184 tensor cores open up features the AMD part cannot match.

The Ryzen Z2 Go GPU wins in power efficiency. At 28 W versus 200 W, it consumes 86% less power. This enables operation without a PSU, using only a USB Type-C display output, which is impossible for the RTX 4070 GDDR6 with its 16-pin connector and 550 W PSU requirement. The Ryzen Z2 Go GPU also offers 16 GB of memory versus 12 GB, a 33% capacity advantage. For workloads that require large memory footprints but modest compute, such as certain model loading or data processing tasks, the AMD part holds an edge. The Ryzen Z2 Go GPU is also smaller in physical footprint, though the RTX 4070 GDDR6's dimensions (240 mm length, 110 mm height, 40 mm width) are specified while the AMD part's are not, making direct comparison impossible.

The release dates favor AMD, with the Ryzen Z2 Go GPU launching on 2024-12-31 and the RTX 4070 GDDR6 launching on 2024-08-19. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 is marked as end-of-life, while the Ryzen Z2 Go GPU is active, suggesting AMD's part has a longer remaining production lifespan.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 compute performance?

A: The RTX 4070 GDDR6 delivers 29.15 TFLOPS FP32, which is 7.03 times the Ryzen Z2 Go GPU's 4.147 TFLOPS.

Q: How does memory bandwidth compare between the two?

A: The RTX 4070 GDDR6 has 480.0 GB/s bandwidth from its 192-bit GDDR6 bus, while the Ryzen Z2 Go GPU has 102.4 GB/s from a 128-bit LPDDR5 bus, a 4.69 times difference.

Q: Which GPU consumes less power?

A: The Ryzen Z2 Go GPU has a 28 W TDP and no power connectors, while the RTX 4070 GDDR6 has a 200 W TDP and requires a 16-pin connector with a 550 W suggested PSU.

Q: Does the RTX 4070 GDDR6 support AI acceleration?

A: Yes, it includes 184 tensor cores, a feature entirely absent from the Ryzen Z2 Go GPU's specification.

Q: Why does the RTX 4070 GDDR6 have a low percentile rank despite high specs?

A: The recorded data places it at the 25th percentile with an average score of 4335, nearly matching the Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200 at 4360 (0.6% higher) and the NVIDIA GeForce 930M at 4388 (1.2% higher). This suggests the benchmark result may not represent its full capability.

Q: Which GPU has more memory?

A: The Ryzen Z2 Go GPU has 16 GB LPDDR5, while the RTX 4070 GDDR6 has 12 GB GDDR6, giving AMD a 4 GB capacity advantage.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The direct benchmark comparison is limited. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 has one recorded test, 3dmark_3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12, with a score of 4334.5 and an average of 4335. The Ryzen Z2 Go GPU has no recorded benchmark scores, leaving no head-to-head data points. The RTX 4070 GDDR6's nearest rivals are all significantly weaker components: the Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200 scores 4360 (0.6% above the RTX 4070 GDDR6), the NVIDIA GeForce 930M scores 4388 (1.2% above), the AMD FirePro W2100 scores 4295 (0.9% below), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M scores 4282 (1.2% below). This clustering around a 4335 average is remarkable for a desktop GPU with 29.15 TFLOPS FP32, suggesting the benchmark may be a single test that does not stress the card's full capabilities.

The absence of any recorded benchmark for the Ryzen Z2 Go GPU means no direct performance comparison can be made from the database. The wins counter shows 0 for each GPU, confirming no head-to-head tests exist. The specification data, however, provides a clear picture: the RTX 4070 GDDR6's texture rate of 455.4 GTexel/s, pixel rate of 158.4 GPixel/s, and FP32 of 29.15 TFLOPS dwarf the Ryzen Z2 Go GPU's 129.6 GTexel/s, 86.40 GPixel/s, and 4.147 TFLOPS. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 also has a base clock of 1920 MHz and boost of 2475 MHz, versus the Ryzen Z2 Go GPU's 800 MHz base and 2700 MHz boost. While the AMD part boosts higher, its lower base clock and far fewer shading units (768 vs 5,888) negate that advantage.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every specification field. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 uses the AD104 chip with Ada Lovelace architecture on a 5 nm TSMC process, while the Ryzen Z2 Go GPU uses Rembrandt+ with RDNA 2.0 on a 6 nm TSMC process. Transistor counts are 35,800 million versus 13,100 million, die sizes are 294 mm² versus 208 mm², and transistor densities are 121.8M per mm² versus 63.0M per mm².

The RTX 4070 GDDR6 has 5,888 shading units, 184 TMUs, 64 ROPs, 46 RT cores, and 184 tensor cores. The Ryzen Z2 Go GPU has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and 12 RT cores, with no tensor cores. Clock speeds differ: the RTX 4070 GDDR6 runs at 1920 MHz base and 2475 MHz boost, while the Ryzen Z2 Go GPU runs at 800 MHz base and 2700 MHz boost. Memory configurations are 12 GB GDDR6 at 2500 MHz on a 192-bit bus for NVIDIA, versus 16 GB LPDDR5 at 800 MHz on a 128-bit bus for AMD.

Power and physical specs diverge completely. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 has a 200 W TDP, dual-slot design, a 16-pin power connector, a 550 W suggested PSU, and PCIe 4.0 x16 interface. The Ryzen Z2 Go GPU has a 28 W TDP, no slot width specified, no power connectors, no suggested PSU, and no bus interface listed. Display outputs are 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a for NVIDIA, versus 1x USB Type-C for AMD. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 measures 240 mm by 110 mm by 40 mm; the Ryzen Z2 Go GPU has no dimensions recorded. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 has a launch MSRP of 599 USD, while the Ryzen Z2 Go GPU has none listed.