AMD Radeon RX 6600S vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Comparison

# AMD Radeon RX 6600S vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070

The AMD Radeon RX 6600S and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 are both end-of-life graphics cards that occupy dramatically different positions in the benchmark landscape. The RX 6600S wins 3 of 8 head-to-head tests, while the GTX 1070 takes 5, but the nature of those victories reveals a clear split: the AMD card dominates in modern DirectX 12 and compute workloads, while the NVIDIA card leads in legacy DirectX 9, rasterization, and 2D performance. The RX 6600S posts a higher average benchmark score of 10,629 versus 9,780 for the GTX 1070, yet the GTX 1070 holds a 6.3% advantage in the crucial Passmark G3D test (13,498 vs 12,649). This is not a simple generational upgrade story; it is a tale of architectural priorities colliding with benchmark era.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 6600S is the clear winner in forward-looking workloads. Its most dominant victory comes in Geekbench OpenCL, where it scores 66,435 against the GTX 1070's 44,700—a 48.6% margin that reflects the RDNA 2.0 architecture's compute throughput. It also wins the Passmark DirectX 12 test by 16.7% (56 vs 48) and the DirectX 11 test by 5% (105 vs 100). These are the tests that matter for modern gaming and compute applications, and the RX 6600S leads in each.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 wins the legacy and rasterization categories. It takes Passmark DirectX 9 by 10.7% (197 vs 176), Passmark G2D by 23.5% (846 vs 647), Passmark G3D by 6.3% (13,498 vs 12,649), and Passmark GPU Compute by 20% (6,102 vs 4,879). The DirectX 10 test is essentially a tie, with the GTX 1070 ahead by a razor-thin 1.2% (82 vs 81). The G3D and G2D wins indicate that the GTX 1070 still holds an edge in traditional rasterization and 2D desktop workloads, while its GPU Compute lead suggests better raw compute in certain legacy APIs.

The pattern is unambiguous: the RX 6600S is built for the future, the GTX 1070 for the past. If your workload is DirectX 12 or OpenCL-heavy, the AMD card wins decisively. If you are running older DirectX 9 titles or need strong 2D performance, the NVIDIA card remains competitive.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6600S posts an average benchmark score of 10,629, which is 8.7% higher than the GTX 1070's 9,780. However, the GTX 1070 sits at the 47th percentile of all GPUs while the RX 6600S sits at the 49th, indicating they are closely matched overall.

Q: How do the two cards compare in DirectX 12 performance?

A: The RX 6600S wins the Passmark DirectX 12 test by 16.7%, scoring 56 versus the GTX 1070's 48. This is one of the AMD card's three head-to-head victories and reflects its support for DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) compared to the GTX 1070's DirectX 12 (12_1).

Q: Which card is better for legacy DirectX 9 games?

A: The GTX 1070 is better for DirectX 9 workloads, winning the Passmark DirectX 9 test by 10.7% with a score of 197 versus 176 for the RX 6600S. This is a significant margin for older titles.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The RX 6600S has 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the GTX 1070 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 256.3 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 1070 offers double the memory capacity and 14.4% more bandwidth.

Q: How do they compare in compute performance?

A: The RX 6600S wins Geekbench OpenCL by 48.6% (66,435 vs 44,700), but the GTX 1070 wins Passmark GPU Compute by 20% (6,102 vs 4,879). The results are workload-dependent, with the AMD card excelling in OpenCL and the NVIDIA card in the Passmark compute test.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The RX 6600S has a TDP of 80 W and uses no power connectors, while the GTX 1070 has a TDP of 150 W and requires a single 8-pin power connector. The GTX 1070 also lists a suggested PSU of 450 W.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The largest single win in the comparison belongs to the RX 6600S in Geekbench OpenCL, where it scores 66,435 against 44,700 for the GTX 1070—a 48.6% advantage. This is the standout result for the AMD card and indicates a massive compute throughput advantage in OpenCL workloads. The margin is more than three times larger than any other win in the entire head-to-head set.

The GTX 1070's biggest victories are more modest but still meaningful. It wins Passmark G2D by 23.5% (846 vs 647), a significant gap for 2D desktop performance. In Passmark GPU Compute, the GTX 1070 leads by 20% (6,102 vs 4,879), showing that the NVIDIA card retains a compute edge in that specific benchmark despite losing OpenCL so decisively. The GTX 1070 also wins Passmark DirectX 9 by 10.7% (197 vs 176) and Passmark G3D by 6.3% (13,498 vs 12,649).

The RX 6600S wins the remaining tests with smaller margins. Its DirectX 12 victory is 16.7% (56 vs 48), and its DirectX 11 win is 5% (105 vs 100). The DirectX 10 test is essentially a dead heat, with the GTX 1070 ahead by only 1.2% (82 vs 81). The overall win count favors the GTX 1070 at 5 wins to 3, but the magnitude of the RX 6600S's OpenCL victory is so large that it drives the AMD card's higher average score.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every major specification category. The RX 6600S uses a 7 nm process node from TSMC with 11,060 million transistors on a 237 mm² die, while the GTX 1070 uses a 16 nm process with 7,200 million transistors on a 314 mm² die. The transistor density tells the story: 46.7M per mm² for the RX 6600S versus 22.9M per mm² for the GTX 1070.

Clock speeds also differ substantially. The RX 6600S has a base clock of 1700 MHz and a boost clock of 2000 MHz, with a game clock of 1881 MHz. The GTX 1070 has a base clock of 1506 MHz and a boost clock of 1683 MHz. Despite the lower clocks, the GTX 1070 has more shading units (1920 vs 1792), more TMUs (120 vs 112), and the same 64 ROPs. The RX 6600S counters with 28 ray tracing cores, which the GTX 1070 lacks entirely.

Memory is another major differentiator: 4 GB GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus versus 8 GB GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus. The GTX 1070 has higher bandwidth at 256.3 GB/s versus 224.0 GB/s. The RX 6600S has a much higher FP32 throughput at 7.168 TFLOPS versus 6.463 TFLOPS, and its FP16 performance is 14.34 TFLOPS versus just 101.0 GFLOPS for the GTX 1070.

The form factors are entirely different: the RX 6600S is an IGP with no power connectors and an 80 W TDP, while the GTX 1070 is a dual-slot card with a single 8-pin connector, 150 W TDP, and dimensions of 267 mm in length, 112 mm in height, and 40 mm in width. The bus interfaces also differ: PCIe 4.0 x8 for the AMD card versus PCIe 3.0 x16 for the NVIDIA card.

Architecture Differences

The RX 6600S is built on RDNA 2.0 architecture with a Navi 23 chip, while the GTX 1070 uses the Pascal architecture with a GP104 chip. This is a fundamental generational divide: RDNA 2.0 is a modern architecture designed for DirectX 12 Ultimate, while Pascal predates many of those features. The RX 6600S supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), which includes ray tracing via its 28 RT cores, while the GTX 1070 only supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and has no ray tracing hardware.

The manufacturing process difference is stark: 7 nm TSMC for the AMD card versus 16 nm TSMC for the NVIDIA card. This explains the transistor density gap—46.7M per mm² versus 22.9M per mm²—and allows the RX 6600S to pack more transistors (11,060 million vs 7,200 million) into a smaller die (237 mm² vs 314 mm²). The RX 6600S also has a much higher FP16 throughput (14.34 TFLOPS vs 101.0 GFLOPS), indicating a 2:1 FP16 ratio on the AMD card versus a 1:64 ratio on the NVIDIA card.

Both cards support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4, but the memory technologies differ: GDDR6 for the AMD card versus GDDR5 for the NVIDIA card. The RX 6600S is part of the Navi Mobile (RX 6000M) generation, while the GTX 1070 belongs to the GeForce 10 generation. The GTX 1070's predecessor is GeForce 900 and its successor is GeForce 20, while the RX 6600S's predecessor is Polaris Mobile and it has no successor listed.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear choice based on workload priorities. The AMD Radeon RX 6600S is the superior card for modern compute and DirectX 12 workloads. Its 48.6% OpenCL lead and 16.7% DirectX 12 advantage are decisive margins that cannot be ignored. The higher average benchmark score (10,629 vs 9,780) and higher percentile ranking (49th vs 47th) support this conclusion. For users running current-generation games or OpenCL-based applications, the RX 6600S is the better performer.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 remains the better choice for legacy DirectX 9 titles, 2D desktop workloads, and the Passmark G3D rasterization test. Its 23.5% G2D lead and 10.7% DirectX 9 advantage are significant for those specific use cases. The GTX 1070 also offers double the memory capacity (8 GB vs 4 GB) and higher bandwidth (256.3 GB/s vs 224.0 GB/s), which may matter for texture-heavy workloads at higher resolutions.

The GTX 1070 wins more individual benchmarks (5 vs 3), but the RX 6600S wins the tests that point toward the future. The DirectX 12 and OpenCL results are more relevant for new software, while the DirectX 9 and G2D wins are increasingly niche. The RX 6600S also does this at a fraction of the power draw: 80 W versus 150 W TDP, with no external power connectors required. The benchmark data shows a card that is more efficient, more modern, and better suited to contemporary workloads, despite losing the overall head-to-head count. Choose the GTX 1070 if your software is stuck in the DirectX 9 era or you need maximum memory capacity; choose the RX 6600S for anything that uses modern APIs.