AMD Radeon RX 6700S vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded benchmark data shows a complete sweep for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile across every test in the comparison set. The NVIDIA part wins all 10 head-to-head benchmarks, with no test favoring the AMD Radeon RX 6700S. This is not a close contest; the deltas range from a modest 3.1% in the legacy DirectX 9 test to a dominant 97.7% in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 workload.

The largest separation appears in modern, demanding workloads. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, which stresses ray tracing and current-generation rendering paths, shows the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile scoring 2869 against the RX 6700S's 1451. That is a 97.7% advantage, meaning the NVIDIA part nearly doubles the AMD part's output in this specific workload. The pattern continues across compute-heavy tests: Geekbench OpenCL shows a 66.1% gap, and Passmark GPU Compute shows a 41.4% gap. These results indicate the NVIDIA part holds a substantial lead in raw compute throughput and modern API efficiency.

The AMD Radeon RX 6700S does come closest in the older DirectX 9 test, scoring 195 against 201, a difference of only 6 points or 3.1%. This suggests that in legacy, low-level rendering paths, the architectural differences narrow considerably. However, even there, the NVIDIA part wins. The 2D performance gap is also relatively small at 10.7%, with the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile scoring 818 versus 739. The data shows no scenario where the RX 6700S takes the lead, making the use-case split straightforward: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile is the stronger choice for every benchmark category recorded, from legacy APIs to modern DirectX 12 and compute workloads.

Architecture Differences

The two mobile GPUs come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile uses the GA103 chip built on Samsung's 8 nm process, while the AMD Radeon RX 6700S uses the Navi 23 chip on TSMC's 7 nm process. The process node advantage belongs to AMD, with the 7 nm node allowing a smaller die and lower power draw, but the NVIDIA chip compensates with a much larger overall design.

The NVIDIA chip packs 22,000 million transistors on a 496 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 44.4 million per mm². The AMD chip contains 11,060 million transistors on a 237 mm² die, with a slightly higher density of 46.7 million per mm². Despite the smaller transistor count, the AMD design achieves better density per area, reflecting the more advanced 7 nm process.

The compute resource disparity is massive. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile ships with 7424 shading units, 232 texture mapping units, and 96 render output units. It also includes 58 ray tracing cores and 232 tensor cores, the latter specifically for AI and DLSS workloads. The RX 6700S, by contrast, has 1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with 28 ray tracing cores and no tensor cores at all. The NVIDIA part has over four times the shading units and more than double the ray tracing cores.

Memory configuration further separates the two. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile uses 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 6700S uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing 224.0 GB/s. The NVIDIA part has double the memory capacity and more than double the bandwidth. Clock speeds tell the opposite story: the AMD part runs at a 1700 MHz base and 2000 MHz boost, with a 1890 MHz game clock, while the NVIDIA part runs at 810 MHz base and 1260 MHz boost. The AMD's higher clocks help close some of the gap, but cannot overcome the massive resource and bandwidth differences.

Both parts share the same API support: DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The NVIDIA part uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface, while the AMD part uses PCIe 4.0 x8. The power draw differs significantly, with the NVIDIA TDP rated at 115 W versus 80 W for the AMD, which explains the performance gap but also indicates the NVIDIA part will demand more from a laptop's cooling and power delivery systems.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test produces the single largest margin in the comparison. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile scores 2869, while the RX 6700S scores 1451, a 97.7% delta. This benchmark stresses modern DirectX 12 rendering with ray tracing, and the NVIDIA part's dedicated ray tracing cores and higher bandwidth deliver a near-doubling of performance.

Geekbench OpenCL results show the NVIDIA part at 117866 versus 70965, a 66.1% advantage. This compute-oriented workload benefits from the NVIDIA part's 7424 shading units and 232 tensor cores. The Vulkan test tells a similar story: 107502 versus 76150, a 41.2% gap. Vulkan's low-level access to the hardware still favors the NVIDIA architecture's higher resource count.

Passmark's suite of tests shows consistent but varying margins. The DirectX 10 test gives a 50.6% delta (131 versus 87), and the DirectX 12 test gives a 51.7% delta (88 versus 58). DirectX 11 shows a 22.4% gap (164 versus 134), while DirectX 9 narrows to just 3.1% (201 versus 195). The older the API, the smaller the gap, suggesting the AMD architecture handles legacy fixed-function paths relatively well, but the NVIDIA part still wins every generation of DirectX.

Passmark G3D, a general 3D graphics score, shows the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile at 19288 against 15066, a 28% delta. The G2D test shows 818 versus 739, a 10.7% gap, indicating the NVIDIA part also handles 2D workloads faster. Passmark GPU Compute gives 8471 versus 5990, a 41.4% advantage. Across all ten benchmarks, the NVIDIA part wins with an average margin that exceeds 40% in most tests, with only the legacy DirectX 9 and 2D tests falling below 15%.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins in DirectX 12 Ultimate workloads?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile wins decisively. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test it scores 2869 versus 1451 for the AMD Radeon RX 6700S, a 97.7% delta. In Passmark DirectX 12, the NVIDIA part scores 88 versus 58, a 51.7% advantage.

Q: How do the memory configurations compare?

A: The NVIDIA part uses 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 512.0 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD part uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA part has double the capacity and more than double the bandwidth.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon RX 6700S win any benchmark?

A: No. The recorded data shows the NVIDIA part winning all 10 head-to-head benchmarks. The closest result is Passmark DirectX 9, where the NVIDIA part scores 201 versus 195, a 3.1% margin.

Q: What is the difference in shading units and ray tracing cores?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile has 7424 shading units and 58 ray tracing cores. The RX 6700S has 1792 shading units and 28 ray tracing cores. The NVIDIA part also includes 232 tensor cores, while the AMD part has none.

Q: How do the clock speeds compare?

A: The AMD part runs at a 1700 MHz base and 2000 MHz boost, with a 1890 MHz game clock. The NVIDIA part runs at 810 MHz base and 1260 MHz boost. The AMD's higher clocks partially compensate for its lower resource count.

Q: What are the power draw figures for each GPU?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile has a TDP of 115 W. The AMD Radeon RX 6700S has a TDP of 80 W.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every specification field. The NVIDIA part uses the GA103 chip on Samsung's 8 nm process with 22,000 million transistors and a 496 mm² die. The AMD part uses the Navi 23 chip on TSMC's 7 nm process with 11,060 million transistors and a 237 mm² die. The transistor density is 44.4M per mm² for NVIDIA versus 46.7M per mm² for AMD.

Clock speeds differ substantially: the NVIDIA part has an 810 MHz base and 1260 MHz boost, while the AMD part has a 1700 MHz base, 2000 MHz boost, and 1890 MHz game clock. Memory configurations are also different: the NVIDIA part has 16 GB GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 2000 MHz memory speed (16 Gbps effective) and 512.0 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD part has 8 GB GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 1750 MHz memory speed (14 Gbps effective) and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Compute resources show the largest gap: the NVIDIA part has 7424 shading units, 232 TMUs, 96 ROPs, 58 ray tracing cores, and 232 tensor cores. The AMD part has 1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and 28 ray tracing cores, with no tensor cores. The pixel rate is 121.0 GPixel/s for NVIDIA versus 128.0 GPixel/s for AMD, while the texture rate is 292.3 GTexel/s versus 224.0 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 18.71 TFLOPS for NVIDIA versus 7.168 TFLOPS for AMD. The FP16 figures are 18.71 TFLOPS (1:1) for NVIDIA and 14.34 TFLOPS (2:1) for AMD.

The TDP is 115 W for NVIDIA and 80 W for AMD. The bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x16 for NVIDIA and PCIe 4.0 x8 for AMD. Both share the same API support: DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The release dates are close, with the AMD part launching on 2022-01-03 and the NVIDIA part on 2022-01-24.

The Verdict

The benchmark data delivers a clear verdict: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile outperforms the AMD Radeon RX 6700S in every recorded test. The average benchmark score for the NVIDIA part is 25740, placing it in the 71st percentile of all GPUs, while the AMD part averages 22154, placing it in the 67th percentile. The NVIDIA part's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6700M at a 0.4% delta, while the AMD part's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile at a -1.3% delta.

For users prioritizing peak performance in modern DirectX 12 and compute-heavy workloads, the NVIDIA part is the clear choice. Its 97.7% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad and 66.1% lead in OpenCL demonstrate a substantial performance ceiling that the AMD part cannot approach. The NVIDIA part also offers double the memory capacity and more than double the bandwidth, which matters for high-resolution textures and large data sets.

The AMD Radeon RX 6700S has its own advantages in the form of lower power draw at 80 W versus 115 W, and a smaller die on a more advanced 7 nm process. Its higher clock speeds and better transistor density indicate a more efficient design per watt, but the recorded benchmarks show no performance scenario where these efficiency gains translate into a win. The AMD part's closest benchmark result, a 3.1% gap in DirectX 9, still favors the NVIDIA part.

The data suggests that users who require maximum frame rates, ray tracing performance, and compute throughput should select the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile. Users who prioritize lower power consumption and a smaller physical footprint might prefer the AMD Radeon RX 6700S, but they must accept a significant performance deficit in every benchmark category. The verdict from the database is unambiguous: the NVIDIA part wins all 10 head-to-head tests, and the performance gap is substantial in most of them.