AMD Steam Machine GPU vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark database contains no direct head-to-head test results between the AMD Steam Machine GPU and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6. The head-to-head comparison field is empty, and neither product has recorded benchmark scores in the shared test suite. This absence of direct comparison data means the analysis must rely on the architectural specifications and the single recorded benchmark for the NVIDIA card.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 has one recorded benchmark entry in the database: a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test score of 4334.5. This score places the card at the 25th percentile among all GPUs in the database. The AMD Steam Machine GPU, by contrast, has no recorded benchmark scores and sits at the 50th percentile based on its aggregate position, though this percentile is derived from the database's classification rather than measured performance.

Examining the nearest rivals for the NVIDIA card reveals a tightly clustered field. The Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200 scores 4360, which is 0.6% higher than the RTX 4070 GDDR6. The NVIDIA GeForce 930M scores 4388, 1.2% higher. The AMD FirePro W2100 scores 4295, which is 0.9% lower, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M scores 4282, 1.2% lower. This proximity is notable: the RTX 4070 GDDR6's recorded benchmark result sits within a narrow 2.4% band of its nearest competitors, despite the architectural gulf between these products in terms of generation and capability.

The lack of head-to-head wins for either product (both winsA and winsB are zero) confirms that no direct competitive testing has been logged. The database records no scenario where one card outperforms the other in a shared benchmark. Consequently, the comparison below is built from the specification sheets, the single NVIDIA benchmark, and the percentile placements.

Where Each One Wins

Without direct head-to-head results, the wins must be inferred from the architectural resources each card brings to specific workload types.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 holds clear advantages in raw compute throughput. Its FP32 performance of 29.15 TFLOPS is roughly 66% higher than the AMD Steam Machine GPU's 17.56 TFLOPS. Texture throughput follows a similar pattern: the NVIDIA card delivers 455.4 GTexel/s against the AMD part's 274.4 GTexel/s, a 66% advantage. Pixel fill rates are closer, with the NVIDIA card at 158.4 GPixel/s versus 156.8 GPixel/s for the AMD card, a marginal 1% difference that suggests the two are nearly equivalent in pure rasterization output per clock.

Memory bandwidth is another clear NVIDIA win. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 provides 480.0 GB/s over a 192-bit bus, while the AMD Steam Machine GPU offers 288.0 GB/s over a 128-bit bus. This 67% bandwidth advantage matters for high-resolution textures, large scene complexity, and data-intensive effects like ray tracing.

The NVIDIA card also carries specialized hardware that the AMD part lacks in comparable form. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 has 46 ray tracing cores and 184 tensor cores, while the AMD Steam Machine GPU has 28 ray tracing cores and no tensor cores. For workloads that leverage hardware-accelerated ray tracing or AI-assisted features such as DLSS-style upscaling, the NVIDIA card has dedicated silicon that the AMD part cannot match. The AMD card's ray tracing cores are fewer in number, and without tensor cores, any AI-based features must rely on shader-based alternatives.

The AMD Steam Machine GPU wins on power efficiency and physical footprint. Its TDP of 110 W is less than the NVIDIA card's 200 W, and it draws power entirely through the slot with no external power connectors, whereas the NVIDIA card requires a 16-pin connector and a 550 W suggested power supply. The AMD card measures 156 mm by 152 mm by 162 mm, while the NVIDIA card is 240 mm by 110 mm by 40 mm. The AMD part is a compact, self-contained unit that fits in smaller chassis, while the NVIDIA card is a dual-slot, full-length expansion card.

For use cases that prioritize low power draw, compact installation, and slot-only power delivery, the AMD Steam Machine GPU is the clear choice. For performance-bound workloads that can consume 200 W and accommodate a dual-slot card, the NVIDIA RTX 4070 GDDR6 delivers substantially higher compute, bandwidth, and specialized feature support.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The AMD Steam Machine GPU uses the RDNA 3.0 architecture on TSMC's 6 nm process, with the Navi 33 chip and the codename "Hotpink Bonefish." It is classified as a Console GPU for Valve, with a 13,300 million transistor count on a 204 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 65.2 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 uses the Ada Lovelace architecture on TSMC's 5 nm process, with the AD104 chip. It packs 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, achieving a density of 121.8 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA chip has nearly 2.7 times the transistor count and nearly double the density, reflecting a more advanced process node and a larger, more complex design.

Shader resources differ sharply. The AMD card has 1,792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units. The NVIDIA card has 5,888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units. The NVIDIA card has 3.3 times the shading units and 1.6 times the texture mapping units, while the ROP count is identical at 64.

Clock speeds are similar at the top end. The AMD card runs a base clock of 1720 MHz, a game clock of 2250 MHz, and a boost clock of 2450 MHz. The NVIDIA card has a base clock of 1920 MHz and a boost clock of 2475 MHz. The NVIDIA base clock is 11.6% higher, but the boost clocks are within 1% of each other. Memory clocks differ: the AMD memory runs at 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective, while the NVIDIA memory runs at 2500 MHz with 20 Gbps effective.

Memory configuration is a major divergence. The AMD card has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s. The NVIDIA card has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, delivering 480.0 GB/s. The NVIDIA card has 50% more capacity and 67% more bandwidth.

Feature sets show generational differences. The AMD card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, with display outputs of one HDMI 2.1a and one DisplayPort 2.1. The NVIDIA card supports the same API versions, with display outputs of one HDMI 2.1 and three DisplayPort 1.4a. The AMD card uses DisplayPort 2.1, which is a newer standard than the NVIDIA card's DisplayPort 1.4a, though the NVIDIA card offers three DisplayPort outputs versus the AMD card's single.

The NVIDIA card includes 184 tensor cores alongside its 46 ray tracing cores. The AMD card has 28 ray tracing cores and no tensor cores. This structural difference means the NVIDIA card has dedicated hardware for both ray tracing and tensor operations, while the AMD card only has ray tracing hardware and must rely on compute shaders for tensor-like workloads.

Production status and release timing also differ. The AMD Steam Machine GPU is listed as Active with a release date of June 28, 2026. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 is listed as End-of-life with a release date of August 19, 2024, and it has a predecessor in the GeForce 30 series and a successor in the GeForce 50 series. The AMD card has no listed predecessor or successor. The NVIDIA card has a launch MSRP of 599 USD, while the AMD card has no launch MSRP recorded.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw FP32 compute performance?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 delivers 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the AMD Steam Machine GPU delivers 17.56 TFLOPS. The NVIDIA card is approximately 66% faster in this metric.

Q: How do the memory configurations compare?

A: The AMD Steam Machine GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 480.0 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA card has 50% more capacity and 67% more bandwidth.

Q: Does the AMD Steam Machine GPU have tensor cores?

A: No. The AMD Steam Machine GPU has 28 ray tracing cores but no tensor cores. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 has 184 tensor cores and 46 ray tracing cores.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The AMD Steam Machine GPU has a TDP of 110 W and requires no external power connectors. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 has a TDP of 200 W, requires one 16-pin power connector, and has a suggested power supply rating of 550 W.

Q: Which GPU has a higher pixel fill rate?

A: The two are nearly identical. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 has a pixel rate of 158.4 GPixel/s, while the AMD Steam Machine GPU has a pixel rate of 156.8 GPixel/s. The difference is approximately 1%.

Q: What is the production status of each product?

A: The AMD Steam Machine GPU is listed as Active with a release date of June 28, 2026. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 is listed as End-of-life with a release date of August 19, 2024, and a launch MSRP of 599 USD.

The Verdict

The data in the database presents a clear split between these two products. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 is the higher-performance part across nearly every measurable compute metric. It leads in FP32 throughput (29.15 TFLOPS versus 17.56 TFLOPS), texture rate (455.4 GTexel/s versus 274.4 GTexel/s), memory bandwidth (480.0 GB/s versus 288.0 GB/s), memory capacity (12 GB versus 8 GB), shading units (5,888 versus 1,792), and ray tracing cores (46 versus 28). It also carries 184 tensor cores, which the AMD part lacks entirely. The one recorded benchmark, a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4334.5, confirms the NVIDIA card can produce measurable results, though its nearest rivals in the database are low-end parts that score within 1.2% of it, which is an oddity in the dataset.

The AMD Steam Machine GPU wins on power and form factor. Its 110 W TDP is 45% lower than the NVIDIA card's 200 W, it needs no external power connector, and its dimensions (156 mm by 152 mm by 162 mm) are more compact than the NVIDIA card's dual-slot 240 mm by 110 mm by 40 mm profile. For a console-style enclosure with limited cooling and power delivery, the AMD part is the only viable option of the two.

The choice depends entirely on the use case. For a system that can accommodate a dual-slot card, a 550 W power supply, and a 16-pin connector, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 is the stronger performer in compute, memory, and feature support. For a low-power, compact, slot-only installation such as a Steam Machine chassis, the AMD Steam Machine GPU is the appropriate selection, despite its lower compute and bandwidth. The database records no direct head-to-head wins for either product, so the verdict rests on the specification deltas, which consistently favor the NVIDIA card for performance and the AMD card for efficiency and size.