AMD Radeon RX 6600 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 are two end-of-life graphics cards from different architectural generations, yet they land in the same performance tier. The data shows the RTX 2070 wins 7 of 10 head-to-head benchmarks, but the RX 6600 counters with significant victories in specific workloads. This comparison reveals a classic trade-off: the newer, more efficient RDNA 2 part versus the older, larger Turing card with more raw resources.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark results split cleanly along workload types. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 dominates modern API and compute-heavy tests, while the AMD Radeon RX 6600 shows strength in legacy DirectX 11 titles and 2D operations.

The RTX 2070's wins include the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, Geekbench OpenCL, Geekbench Vulkan, Passmark DirectX 10, Passmark DirectX 12, Passmark DirectX 9, and Passmark G3D. This is a broad sweep across both low-level APIs (Vulkan, DX12) and older fixed-function paths (DX9, DX10). Its largest victory is a massive 63.9% lead in Geekbench OpenCL, indicating a substantial advantage in general-purpose GPU compute.

Conversely, the RX 6600 takes only three wins, but they are strategically placed. It wins Passmark DirectX 11 by 17.8%, Passmark G2D by 8.5%, and Passmark GPU Compute by 2.2%. The DirectX 11 win is notable because it is the card's largest margin of victory, suggesting that in older, more common game engines, the AMD card can pull ahead. The G2D win points to better 2D performance, which affects desktop responsiveness and 2D application rendering. The GPU Compute win, while small, shows the RX 6600 is not entirely outclassed in compute tasks.

Architecture Differences

The two cards represent fundamentally different design philosophies. The RX 6600 uses the RDNA 2.0 architecture on a 7 nm process at TSMC, while the RTX 2070 uses the Turing architecture on a 12 nm process, also at TSMC. This process difference is stark: the RX 6600 packs 11,060 million transistors into a 237 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 46.7M / mm². The RTX 2070 has slightly fewer transistors at 10,800 million, but they are spread across a much larger 445 mm² die, resulting in a density of just 24.3M / mm².

This density advantage translates directly into efficiency. The RX 6600 has a TDP of 132 W and suggests a 300 W power supply, while the RTX 2070 has a TDP of 175 W and suggests a 450 W power supply. The RX 6600 achieves this lower power draw despite having a smaller memory bus and less bandwidth.

The RTX 2070 counters with more raw compute resources. It has 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 36 RT cores, compared to the RX 6600's 1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 28 RT cores. The RTX 2070 also includes 288 tensor cores, which the RX 6600 lacks entirely. However, the RX 6600 has higher clock speeds: a base of 1626 MHz and a boost of 2491 MHz versus the RTX 2070's 1410 MHz base and 1620 MHz boost. This clock advantage helps the AMD card close the gap in some tests.

Memory configurations also differ significantly. Both have 8 GB of GDDR6, but the RTX 2070 uses a 256-bit bus for 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the RX 6600 is limited to a 128-bit bus for 224.0 GB/s. The RTX 2070 also supports PCIe 3.0 x16, whereas the RX 6600 uses PCIe 4.0 x8.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test shows the RTX 2070 ahead by 4.9%, scoring 1569 against the RX 6600's 1492. This is a modest lead in a modern, demanding workload. The Geekbench OpenCL test is where the gap becomes enormous: the RTX 2070 scores 79966, a 63.9% advantage over the RX 6600's 28850. This indicates the NVIDIA card is vastly superior in raw compute throughput, likely due to its larger shader count and tensor cores.

Geekbench Vulkan shows a similar but smaller trend, with the RTX 2070 winning 82521 to 67623, an 18.1% delta. This suggests that even in low-level APIs where the RX 6600's RDNA 2 architecture should excel, the RTX 2070's additional hardware resources win out.

The Passmark suite provides a mixed picture. In DirectX 11, the RX 6600 wins decisively, scoring 152 against 129, a 17.8% margin. This is surprising given the RTX 2070's advantages, but it may reflect driver optimizations or architectural efficiency in that specific API. In DirectX 12, the RTX 2070 flips the script, winning 60 to 51, a 15% margin. DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 both go to NVIDIA, with the RTX 2070 winning 211 to 197 (6.6%) and 111 to 95 (14.4%), respectively.

The 2D and compute results are close. Passmark G2D goes to the RX 6600, 889 to 819, an 8.5% win. Passmark GPU Compute is nearly tied, with the RX 6600 taking it 6554 to 6411, a 2.2% margin. Overall, the RTX 2070's wins tend to be larger in computing-heavy tests, while the RX 6600's wins are more concentrated in specific API paths.

FAQ

Q: Which card has better overall average benchmark scores?

A: The RX 6600 has a higher average benchmark score of 19036, while the RTX 2070 sits at 18789. However, the RTX 2070 wins more individual benchmarks.

Q: How do the cards compare in compute performance?

A: The RTX 2070 leads Geekbench OpenCL by 63.9%, but the RX 6600 wins Passmark GPU Compute by 2.2%. The results are contradictory, with the NVIDIA card dominant in one compute test and the AMD card slightly ahead in another.

Q: Are these cards comparable in terms of performance percentile?

A: Yes, both sit at the 63rd percentile against all GPUs, confirming they occupy the same performance tier despite their architectural differences.

Q: Which card is better for DirectX 11 gaming?

A: The RX 6600 wins Passmark DirectX 11 by 17.8%, suggesting it is the stronger choice for titles using that API.

Q: What is the difference in power requirements?

A: The RX 6600 has a TDP of 132 W and suggests a 300 W PSU, while the RTX 2070 has a TDP of 175 W and suggests a 450 W PSU.

Q: Which card has more memory bandwidth?

A: The RTX 2070 has 448.0 GB/s bandwidth on a 256-bit bus, double the RX 6600's 224.0 GB/s on a 128-bit bus.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 6600 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 |

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

| Architecture | RDNA 2.0 | Turing |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 12 nm |

| Transistors | 11,060 million | 10,800 million |

| Die Size | 237 mm² | 445 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 46.7M / mm² | 24.3M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1626 MHz | 1410 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2491 MHz | 1620 MHz |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 224.0 GB/s | 448.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1792 | 2304 |

| TMUs | 112 | 144 |

| RT Cores | 28 | 36 |

| Tensor Cores | None | 288 |

| FP32 Performance | 8.928 TFLOPS | 7.465 TFLOPS |

| Texture Rate | 279.0 GTexel/s | 233.3 GTexel/s |

| Pixel Rate | 159.4 GPixel/s | 103.7 GPixel/s |

| TDP | 132 W | 175 W |

| Suggested PSU | 300 W | 450 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Length | 190 mm | 229 mm |

| Width | 40 mm | 35 mm |

| Release Date | 2021-10-12 | 2018-10-16 |

| Launch MSRP | 329 USD | 499 USD |

The Verdict

The data presents a clear choice based on workload priority. For users focused on modern APIs like DirectX 12 and Vulkan, or heavy compute tasks, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 is the better performer. It wins 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, Geekbench Vulkan, and Geekbench OpenCL by a wide margin, and its larger memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s provides a theoretical advantage in texture-heavy scenarios.

However, the AMD Radeon RX 6600 is the more efficient and modern design. It has a lower TDP of 132 W, a smaller physical footprint at 190 mm, and a later release date. Its win in DirectX 11 is significant, and its higher boost clock of 2491 MHz helps it achieve a higher FP32 throughput of 8.928 TFLOPS versus the RTX 2070's 7.465 TFLOPS. The RX 6600 also offers a superior 2D experience based on the Passmark G2D result.

The RTX 2070 is the choice for raw performance across most benchmarks, especially in compute and modern APIs. It also has the advantage of tensor cores, which are absent from the RX 6600. The RX 6600 is the choice for efficiency, legacy API gaming, and systems with stricter power or space constraints. Both cards sit at the 63rd percentile, but the RTX 2070 delivers more consistent wins, while the RX 6600 offers a more balanced feature set for its lower power draw. The user must decide whether NVIDIA's benchmark dominance or AMD's architectural efficiency matters more.