AMD Radeon RX 6700M vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 6700M and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile are two end-of-life laptop GPUs from the same era, but they target different corners of the performance spectrum. The data shows a decisive victory for NVIDIA across every single benchmark recorded, with the RTX 3080 Mobile leading by margins ranging from roughly 9% to over 30%. However, the AMD part holds its own in specific architectural areas, offering a different set of trade-offs that may appeal to certain users.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile wins decisively, scoring 2644 compared to the AMD Radeon RX 6700M's 1845. This represents a 30.2% performance lead for NVIDIA in this modern DX12 workload.

Q: How do the two compare in raw compute performance?

A: NVIDIA is significantly ahead in compute-heavy tasks. In the Passmark GPU Compute test, the RTX 3080 Mobile scores 7276 versus the RX 6700M's 5191, a 28.7% advantage. Similarly, in Geekbench OpenCL, NVIDIA leads with 104831 points against AMD's 77666, a 25.9% gap.

Q: Are there any tests where the AMD Radeon RX 6700M wins?

A: No. According to the head-to-head benchmark data, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile wins all 10 recorded tests. The AMD Radeon RX 6700M has zero benchmark wins in this comparison.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference between the two?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6700M has 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, yielding 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a wider 256-bit bus, providing significantly more bandwidth at 448.0 GB/s.

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6700M has a higher average benchmark score of 25633, compared to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile's 23628. This is despite losing every head-to-head test, indicating the averages are computed from different benchmark suites.

Q: How do their overall performance percentiles compare?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6700M sits at the 71st percentile among all GPUs, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile is at the 69th percentile. Despite the NVIDIA chip winning every direct comparison, the AMD part ranks slightly higher in the overall database.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent fundamentally different architectural approaches from their respective manufacturers. The AMD Radeon RX 6700M is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture using the Navi 22 chip, fabricated on TSMC's 7 nm process node. This chip contains 17,200 million transistors on a 335 mm² die, giving it a transistor density of 51.3 million per mm². In contrast, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile uses the Ampere architecture with the GA104 chip, built on Samsung's 8 nm process. It packs 17,400 million transistors into a larger 392 mm² die, resulting in a lower density of 44.4 million per mm².

The compute layouts diverge sharply. The AMD GPU features 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, alongside 36 dedicated ray tracing cores. The NVIDIA GPU, however, fields a much larger array with 6144 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. It also includes 48 RT cores and, crucially, 192 tensor cores, which AMD's chip lacks entirely. This difference in raw shader count is a primary driver of the performance gap.

Clock speeds tell a different story. The AMD Radeon RX 6700M runs at a base clock of 1489 MHz and boosts up to 2400 MHz, with a game clock rated at 2300 MHz. The NVIDIA chip operates at a much lower 1110 MHz base and 1545 MHz boost. The AMD part compensates for its fewer cores with significantly higher frequencies, but the sheer core count advantage of the NVIDIA chip proves overwhelming in practice.

Memory architecture also differs fundamentally. The AMD card uses 10 GB of GDDR6 at 16 Gbps effective on a 160-bit bus, delivering 320.0 GB/s. NVIDIA opts for 8 GB of GDDR6 at 14 Gbps effective on a 256-bit bus, achieving 448.0 GB/s. This 40% bandwidth advantage for NVIDIA is substantial and helps in high-resolution and texture-heavy scenarios.

Power characteristics are notable. The AMD Radeon RX 6700M has a TDP of 135 W, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile is rated at 115 W. This means the AMD part consumes more power yet delivers less performance, suggesting lower architectural efficiency in this comparison. Both are listed as IGP slot width with no power connectors, indicating they are designed for soldered laptop integration.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark results paint a consistent picture of NVIDIA dominance, but the margins vary significantly by workload type. The largest gap appears in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, a modern and demanding workload, where the RTX 3080 Mobile scores 2644 against the RX 6700M's 1845. That 30.2% deficit is the single biggest loss for AMD in this comparison.

Compute workloads show similar trends. In Geekbench OpenCL, NVIDIA leads with 104831 versus 77666, a 25.9% advantage. The Passmark GPU Compute test shows a 28.7% gap, with NVIDIA at 7276 and AMD at 5191. These results indicate that the extra shading units and tensor cores in the NVIDIA chip translate directly into substantial compute throughput advantages.

The gap narrows considerably in legacy DirectX tests. In Passmark DirectX 9, NVIDIA wins with 170 against AMD's 155, a margin of just 8.8%. DirectX 11 shows NVIDIA ahead at 146 versus 129, an 11.6% lead. DirectX 10 results are closer to the wider trend at 23.3% (120 versus 92). The DirectX 12 Passmark test shows the smallest absolute difference at 72 versus 65, a 9.7% gap, though this is a low-score test where small numeric differences translate to larger percentages.

The 2D performance test shows NVIDIA ahead by 12.9%, scoring 637 versus 555. The Passmark G3D test, which aggregates overall 3D performance, has NVIDIA winning 16321 to 13536, a 17.1% margin. Geekbench Vulkan shows NVIDIA leading 104066 to 90816, a 12.7% advantage. Across all ten tests, NVIDIA wins every single one, with no test showing AMD competitive within 5%.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets reveal contrasting design priorities. The AMD Radeon RX 6700M uses a 7 nm process from TSMC, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile uses an 8 nm process from Samsung. Transistor counts are nearly identical at 17,200 million for AMD and 17,400 million for NVIDIA, but the die sizes differ: 335 mm² for AMD versus 392 mm² for NVIDIA. This results in AMD having higher transistor density at 51.3M per mm² versus NVIDIA's 44.4M per mm².

Clock speeds favor AMD substantially. The RX 6700M has a base clock of 1489 MHz and boost of 2400 MHz, while the RTX 3080 Mobile runs at 1110 MHz base and 1545 MHz boost. The AMD card's game clock is rated at 2300 MHz. Memory clocks also differ, with AMD at 16 Gbps effective and NVIDIA at 14 Gbps effective.

Memory capacity and bus width trade off against each other. AMD offers 10 GB on a 160-bit bus with 320.0 GB/s bandwidth. NVIDIA offers 8 GB on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA card has more than double the shading units (6144 versus 2304), 48 more TMUs (192 versus 144), and 32 more ROPs (96 versus 64). It also has 48 RT cores versus AMD's 36, and adds 192 tensor cores where AMD has none.

Theoretical throughput figures reflect the core count disparity. NVIDIA's FP32 performance is 18.98 TFLOPS versus AMD's 11.06 TFLOPS. NVIDIA's FP16 is also 18.98 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, while AMD reaches 22.12 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio. Pixel rates are close at 153.6 GPixel/s for AMD versus 148.3 GPixel/s for NVIDIA, but texture rates favor AMD at 345.6 GTexel/s against NVIDIA's 296.6 GTexel/s. The TDP differs, with AMD at 135 W and NVIDIA at 115 W. Both use PCIe 4.0 x16 and support DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile is the faster GPU in every measurable test. It wins all 10 head-to-head benchmarks, with margins from 8.8% in legacy DirectX 9 to 30.2% in modern DX12 workloads. The NVIDIA card achieves this while consuming less power, rated at 115 W TDP versus the AMD card's 135 W. For pure performance, the choice is clear.

However, the AMD Radeon RX 6700M is not without merit. It offers 10 GB of memory versus 8 GB, which could matter in memory-constrained scenarios. Its higher transistor density and smaller die suggest a more compact implementation. The higher average benchmark score of 25633 versus 23628 and the better percentile ranking (71st versus 69th) indicate that in the broader context of all GPUs, the AMD part is not far behind. The decision ultimately hinges on whether raw performance or specific feature sets matter more.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile wins in every performance category measured. It leads in modern DX12 workloads, as shown by the 30.2% advantage in 3DMark Steel Nomad. It dominates compute tasks, with 28.7% and 25.9% leads in Passmark GPU Compute and Geekbench OpenCL respectively. It is also ahead in all legacy DirectX tests, Vulkan, and 2D performance. The NVIDIA card is the choice for anyone prioritizing maximum frame rates and compute throughput.

The AMD Radeon RX 6700M wins in fewer measurable areas, but its advantages are real. It offers 2 GB more memory capacity, which provides more headroom for large textures and datasets. Its higher clock speeds and texture rate (345.6 GTexel/s versus 296.6 GTexel/s) suggest it may handle texture-bound workloads efficiently. The lower transistor density and smaller die size indicate a more space-efficient design. For users who need more VRAM or prefer AMD's architectural approach, the RX 6700M remains a viable option, even if the benchmark scores do not favor it.