AMD Radeon RX 6700M vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded benchmark data presents a strikingly lopsided contest. Across ten head-to-head tests, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 secures nine wins, while the AMD Radeon RX 6700M claims a single, though spectacular, victory. The margin of overall victory is not close: the RTX 3080 wins by an average delta of roughly 47% across its nine winning tests, while its lone defeat is a reversal of that trend by a wide margin.

The most dramatic separation occurs in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. Here, the RTX 3080 posts a score of 4407 against the RX 6700M's 1845, a delta of -58.1% for the AMD part. This is not a marginal lead; it is a near-total dominance in a modern DirectX 12 workload. The data suggests that in this specific scenario, the NVIDIA GPU is operating in a different performance class entirely.

Compute-oriented benchmarks reinforce this narrative. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 3080 scores 152,423, which is nearly double the RX 6700M's 77,666, a delta of -49%. PassMark GPU Compute shows an even wider gap: 14,397 for NVIDIA versus 5,191 for AMD, a delta of -63.9%. This is the largest percentage deficit for the AMD card in the entire data set, indicating that raw compute throughput is a clear area of NVIDIA superiority.

The legacy DirectX suite tells a similar story, though with varying margins. In PassMark DirectX 10, the scores are 170 versus 92, a delta of -45.9%. DirectX 11 shows 207 versus 129, a delta of -37.7%. DirectX 9 results are 258 versus 155, a delta of -39.9%. DirectX 12 yields 100 versus 65, a delta of -35%. These results, while all favoring NVIDIA, show a slight compression of the gap in older APIs, suggesting the AMD architecture handles legacy workloads relatively better than it handles modern ones, though it still loses all four.

The Geekbench Vulkan test is where the script flips. The RX 6700M scores 90,816, while the RTX 3080 manages only 33,620. This is a delta of +170.1% for AMD. This is not a small win; it is a reversal of the typical trend seen in the other tests. The magnitude of this victory is so large that it raises questions about driver optimization, workload characteristics, or a potential measurement anomaly, but as recorded, it stands as a decisive AMD victory. The PassMark G2D test, measuring 2D graphics performance, also goes to NVIDIA (1054 vs 555, a -47.3% delta), while PassMark G3D (25,086 vs 13,536) shows a -46% delta for NVIDIA.

Where Each One Wins

Based on the benchmark distribution, the use-case split is unusually clear. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is the dominant choice for nearly every scenario that involves 3D rendering, compute acceleration, or legacy graphics APIs. The data shows wins in DirectX 9, 10, 11, and 12, which covers the vast majority of PC gaming titles, both old and new. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 result further confirms that the RTX 3080 is better suited for contemporary AAA gaming workloads that leverage DirectX 12. If the workload is a standard game, the RTX 3080 is the pick.

The compute results are equally one-sided. The Geekbench OpenCL and PassMark GPU Compute scores indicate that the RTX 3080 is the superior accelerator for general-purpose GPU tasks such as rendering, simulation, or data processing. The 29.77 TFLOPS FP32 rating and the 272 Tensor Cores present in the specification sheet align with this observed compute advantage, though the benchmark data alone is sufficient to draw the conclusion.

The single area where the AMD Radeon RX 6700M wins is the Vulkan API, as measured by Geekbench Vulkan. This is a significant caveat. Vulkan is a cross-platform, low-overhead API used increasingly in modern game engines and emulators. The 170.1% delta suggests that the RDNA 2.0 architecture in the RX 6700M has a particular strength in this API, possibly due to driver scheduling or hardware design. For users whose primary software stack is Vulkan-based, the RX 6700M presents a compelling, data-backed argument.

The PassMark G2D result also points to a specific, though niche, win for NVIDIA in 2D graphics operations, which may matter for desktop productivity tasks. However, the sheer number of NVIDIA wins (9 out of 10) makes the overall picture unambiguous.

The Verdict

The verdict from the data is straightforward: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is the superior performer in the vast majority of tested scenarios. The 9-1 win record, combined with the large deltas in most tests, establishes it as the clear choice for users prioritizing raw gaming performance across DirectX titles and general compute workloads. The RTX 3080's wins in DirectX 12, OpenCL, and PassMark G3D are decisive, with deltas ranging from -35% to -63.9%. Its average benchmark score of 23,172 is notable, though it is actually lower than the RX 6700M's average of 25,633, a quirk explained by the massive Vulkan win skewing the AMD average upward.

The AMD Radeon RX 6700M, despite losing nine tests, is not without a compelling case. Its victory in Geekbench Vulkan with a +170.1% delta is the single largest margin in the entire comparison. This is not a trivial result. For a user whose application list is dominated by Vulkan titles, the RX 6700M offers a performance advantage that the RTX 3080 cannot match. The data suggests that the RX 6700M is a specialized tool, excellent in one specific API, while the RTX 3080 is the generalist that excels at everything else.

The percentile rankings reinforce this split. The RX 6700M sits at the 71st percentile against all GPUs, while the RTX 3080 is at the 68th percentile. This is counterintuitive given the head-to-head results, but it reflects the averaging effect of the Vulkan score for AMD. The nearest rivals for the RX 6700M (RTX 3080 Ti Mobile, among others) are all within 0.9% of its average, indicating a tight cluster around its performance level. The RTX 3080's nearest rivals (RX 6600M, among others) are similarly close, within 0.4%. The data indicates that in a broader context, the two cards are closer than the head-to-head tests suggest, but in direct competition, the RTX 3080 wins the majority of tasks.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins more head-to-head benchmarks?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 wins 9 out of 10 head-to-head tests against the AMD Radeon RX 6700M.

Q: What is the largest win for the AMD Radeon RX 6700M?

A: The AMD card wins the Geekbench Vulkan test with a score of 90,816 versus 33,620 for NVIDIA, a delta of +170.1%.

Q: How large is the NVIDIA advantage in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test?

A: The RTX 3080 scores 4,407 versus 1,845 for the RX 6700M, a delta of -58.1% for AMD.

Q: Is there any test where the RTX 3080 does not win?

A: Yes, the Geekbench Vulkan test is the only benchmark in the data set where the AMD Radeon RX 6700M outperforms the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each GPU?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6700M has an average benchmark score of 25,633, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 has an average of 23,172.

Q: How do the GPUs compare in compute performance?

A: The RTX 3080 wins the PassMark GPU Compute test (14,397 vs 5,191, a -63.9% delta) and the Geekbench OpenCL test (152,423 vs 77,666, a -49% delta).

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectural philosophies. The AMD Radeon RX 6700M uses the Navi 22 chip based on RDNA 2.0 architecture, manufactured on a 7 nm process at TSMC. This process node allows for a transistor density of 51.3M per mm², which is higher than the NVIDIA part. The chip contains 17,200 million transistors on a 335 mm² die. In contrast, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 uses the GA102 chip based on the Ampere architecture, manufactured on an 8 nm process at Samsung. This results in a lower transistor density of 45.1M per mm², but the die is significantly larger at 628 mm² and contains 28,300 million transistors.

The compute resources differ substantially. The RX 6700M has 2,304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation units. It also features 36 ray tracing cores. The RTX 3080, on the other hand, has 8,704 shading units, 272 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, along with 68 ray tracing cores and 272 tensor cores. The tensor cores are a defining feature of the Ampere architecture, dedicated to AI and deep learning tasks, a capability the RDNA 2.0 chip lacks entirely.

The memory subsystems are also distinct. The AMD card uses 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, delivering 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The NVIDIA card uses 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus, delivering 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth, more than double the AMD bandwidth. The pixel rate for NVIDIA is 164.2 GPixel/s versus 153.6 GPixel/s for AMD, and the texture rate is 465.1 GTexel/s versus 345.6 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 29.77 TFLOPS for NVIDIA and 11.06 TFLOPS for AMD, with the NVIDIA card offering 1:1 FP16 performance while the AMD card uses a 2:1 ratio.

The power and physical characteristics also differ. The RX 6700M has a TDP of 135 W and is listed as an IGP with no power connectors, while the RTX 3080 has a TDP of 320 W, is dual-slot, uses a 1x 12-pin power connector, and suggests a 700 W PSU. The RTX 3080 has physical dimensions of 285 mm in length, 112 mm in height, and 40 mm in width.

Specification Differences

The table below highlights the key specification differences between the two GPUs, based solely on the recorded data.

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 6700M | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 |

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

| Architecture | RDNA 2.0 | Ampere |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 8 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | Samsung |

| Transistors | 17,200 million | 28,300 million |

| Die Size | 335 mm² | 628 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 51.3M / mm² | 45.1M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1489 MHz | 1440 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2400 MHz | 1710 MHz |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR6X |

| Memory Bus Width | 160 bit | 320 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 320.0 GB/s | 760.3 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2304 | 8704 |

| TMUs | 144 | 272 |

| ROPs | 64 | 96 |

| RT Cores | 36 | 68 |

| Tensor Cores | None | 272 |

| FP32 Performance | 11.06 TFLOPS | 29.77 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 22.12 TFLOPS (2:1) | 29.77 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| Pixel Rate | 153.6 GPixel/s | 164.2 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 345.6 GTexel/s | 465.1 GTexel/s |

| TDP | 135 W | 320 W |

| Slot Width | IGP | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | None | 1x 12-pin |

| Suggested PSU | None | 700 W |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| Release Date | 2021-05-30 | 2020-08-31 |

| Predecessor | Polaris Mobile | GeForce 20 |

| Successor | None | GeForce 40 |

| Launch MSRP | None | 699 USD |