AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M represent two distant generations of mobile and desktop graphics, yet their aggregate benchmark scores place them within striking distance of one another. The RX 6500 XT averages 11,842 points against the GTX 780M's 11,261, a modest 5.2% gap, but the data reveals that this closeness is deceptive. The RX 6500 XT's victories in modern API workloads are overwhelming, while the GTX 780M's sole statistical edge lies in its broader memory bus and higher transistor count, neither of which translates into a single benchmark win in the provided head-to-head results. The following analysis breaks down where each card actually competes, based strictly on the numbers.

Where Each One Wins

The data splits the two cards along clear generational lines. The AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT wins both head-to-head benchmark comparisons outright, with a 278.2% lead in Geekbench OpenCL and a 331% lead in Geekbench Vulkan. These are not marginal victories; the RX 6500 XT scores 48,289 in OpenCL versus 12,769 for the GTX 780M, and 54,724 in Vulkan versus 12,696. The RX 6500 XT also holds a 51st percentile ranking across all GPUs, compared to the GTX 780M's 50th percentile, a near-tie in overall standing but with the AMD card landing just ahead.

For the GTX 780M, there is no benchmark category in the head-to-head data where it wins. Its only available individual scores are Geekbench Metal (8,319), OpenCL (12,769), and Vulkan (12,696), none of which approach the RX 6500 XT's figures. The GTX 780M's case rests entirely on its aggregate average score of 11,261, which is within 5.2% of the RX 6500 XT's 11,842. That aggregate includes the RX 6500 XT's much larger benchmark suite (ten tests versus three), so the comparison is skewed by test selection. In practical terms, the RX 6500 XT wins every modern compute and graphics workload measured, while the GTX 780M's only "win" is being a closer match in overall average when older DirectX tests are factored in.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gulf between these two is vast. The RX 6500 XT uses the Navi 24 chip on TSMC's 6 nm process, packing 5,400 million transistors into a 107 mm² die. The GTX 780M uses the GK104 chip on TSMC's 28 nm process, with 3,540 million transistors spread across a much larger 294 mm² die. The transistor density tells the story: the RX 6500 XT achieves 50.5 million transistors per mm², versus just 12.0 million per mm² for the GTX 780M.

Clock speeds reinforce the generational gap. The RX 6500 XT runs at a 2310 MHz base and 2815 MHz boost, with a 2610 MHz game clock. The GTX 780M is stuck at 771 MHz base and 797 MHz boost. Memory technology also diverges: the RX 6500 XT uses 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus, delivering 143.9 GB/s bandwidth, while the GTX 780M uses 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 160.0 GB/s. The GTX 780M actually has higher memory bandwidth due to its wider bus, but the RX 6500 XT compensates with much faster effective memory speed (18 Gbps versus 5 Gbps).

Feature support is where the RX 6500 XT runs away. It offers DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), Vulkan 1.4, and 16 ray tracing cores. The GTX 780M maxes out at DirectX 12 (11_0), Vulkan 1.2.175, and has no ray tracing cores. The RX 6500 XT also has a much higher pixel rate (90.08 GPixel/s versus 25.50 GPixel/s) and texture rate (180.2 GTexel/s versus 102.0 GTexel/s). The GTX 780M does have more shading units (1,536 versus 1,024) and more texture mapping units (128 versus 64), but those advantages are nullified by its low clocks.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two Geekbench comparisons are the only direct head-to-head data available, and they are lopsided. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 6500 XT scores 48,289 against the GTX 780M's 12,769, a 278.2% difference. This test measures general-purpose compute performance, and the RX 6500 XT's FP32 throughput of 5.765 TFLOPS dwarfs the GTX 780M's 2.448 TFLOPS. The RX 6500 XT also supports FP16 at 11.53 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), while the GTX 780M has no listed FP16 capability.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the gap widens further. The RX 6500 XT scores 54,724 versus 12,696 for the GTX 780M, a 331% lead. Vulkan is a modern low-level API, and the RX 6500 XT's RDNA 2.0 architecture is designed for it, while the GTX 780M's Kepler architecture predates Vulkan's mainstream adoption. The GTX 780M's only other benchmark score is Geekbench Metal at 8,319, which has no RX 6500 XT equivalent in the data, so it cannot be compared directly.

Looking at the RX 6500 XT's broader benchmark suite, its PassMark scores range from 38 in DirectX 12 to 108 in DirectX 9, with a G3D score of 9,608 and a GPU compute score of 4,456. These numbers contextualize its OpenCL and Vulkan results as consistently strong across APIs. The GTX 780M, by contrast, has no PassMark scores listed, so its performance in legacy DirectX workloads remains unmeasured in this dataset.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear choice for any modern workload: the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks by margins of 278% and 331%, offers ray tracing support, a much smaller and more efficient 6 nm die, and a higher overall average benchmark score (11,842 versus 11,261). Its percentile ranking of 51 versus 50 is a tie in practical terms, but the RX 6500 XT achieves that standing across ten benchmarks while the GTX 780M only has three.

The GTX 780M's only statistical advantages are its 256-bit memory bus (160.0 GB/s versus 143.9 GB/s), higher shading unit count (1,536 versus 1,024), and higher TMU count (128 versus 64). None of these translate into a single benchmark victory in the provided data. The GTX 780M also has a higher TDP at 122 W versus 107 W, meaning it consumes more power for less performance.

For a user choosing between these two, the RX 6500 XT is the only sensible pick from a pure performance standpoint. It is faster in every measured test, supports newer APIs, and is more power-efficient. The GTX 780M's only potential appeal is its MXM form factor for specific laptop upgrades, but even then, the data shows it is vastly outperformed by the RX 6500 XT in compute and graphics workloads.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the RX 6500 XT in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The RX 6500 XT scores 48,289 versus 12,769 for the GTX 780M, a 278.2% advantage.

Q: Does the GTX 780M win any benchmark in the head-to-head data?

A: No. The GTX 780M wins zero head-to-head benchmarks; the RX 6500 XT wins both the OpenCL and Vulkan tests.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between the two cards?

A: The GTX 780M has higher memory bandwidth at 160.0 GB/s from its 256-bit bus, while the RX 6500 XT has 143.9 GB/s from a 64-bit bus.

Q: Which card supports ray tracing?

A: Only the RX 6500 XT, which has 16 ray tracing cores. The GTX 780M has no ray tracing cores listed.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The RX 6500 XT averages 11,842 points, while the GTX 780M averages 11,261 points, a 5.2% gap in favor of AMD.

Q: What is the process node difference?

A: The RX 6500 XT uses a 6 nm TSMC process, while the GTX 780M uses a 28 nm TSMC process, leading to a transistor density of 50.5M / mm² versus 12.0M / mm².

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M |

|---|---|---|

| Chip | Navi 24 | GK104 |

| Architecture | RDNA 2.0 | Kepler |

| Process Node | 6 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 5,400 million | 3,540 million |

| Die Size | 107 mm² | 294 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 50.5M / mm² | 12.0M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 2310 MHz | 771 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2815 MHz | 797 MHz |

| Game Clock | 2610 MHz | None |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus Width | 64 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 143.9 GB/s | 160.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1,024 | 1,536 |

| TMUs | 64 | 128 |

| ROPs | 32 | 32 |

| Ray Tracing Cores | 16 | None |

| Pixel Rate | 90.08 GPixel/s | 25.50 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 180.2 GTexel/s | 102.0 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 5.765 TFLOPS | 2.448 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 11.53 TFLOPS (2:1) | None |

| TDP | 107 W | 122 W |

| DirectX Support | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (11_0) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | 1.2.175 |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x4 | MXM-B (3.0) |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | MXM Module |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 300 W | None |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 1.4a | Portable Device Dependent |

| Release Date | 2022-01-18 | 2013-05-10 |

| Production Status | End-of-life | End-of-life |

| Launch MSRP | 199 USD | None |