AMD Radeon RX 6700 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded head-to-head data contains ten benchmark comparisons between the AMD Radeon RX 6700 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090. The NVIDIA card wins nine of these tests, while the AMD card wins only one. The single AMD victory is decisive: in Geekbench Vulkan, the RX 6700 scores 83,974 against the RTX 3090's 53,927, a 55.7% advantage. This is the largest percentage gap in either direction across all ten tests, and it indicates that AMD's RDNA 2.0 architecture has a substantial lead in this particular API workload.

Every other test favors the RTX 3090. The largest margin comes in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, where the NVIDIA card posts 5,118 versus 2,014 for the RX 6700, a 60.6% deficit for AMD. This is a synthetic DirectX 12 test, and the gap suggests that the RTX 3090's raw compute throughput translates into a massive advantage in modern DX12 rendering scenarios. The Geekbench OpenCL test shows a similarly lopsided result: 172,758 for the RTX 3090 against 97,841 for the RX 6700, a 43.4% difference. OpenCL is often used for general-purpose GPU compute, and the NVIDIA card's higher FP32 throughput (35.58 TFLOPS versus 11.29 TFLOPS) aligns with this outcome.

The PassMark suite reveals consistent but narrower NVIDIA wins. In PassMark DirectX 10, the score is 182 versus 115, a 36.8% gap. PassMark DirectX 11 shows 220 versus 166, a 24.5% difference. PassMark DirectX 12 records 110 versus 71, a 35.5% gap. Even the legacy DirectX 9 test shows a small NVIDIA edge: 268 versus 250, only 6.7% apart. The 2D graphics test (PassMark G2D) is close as well, with 1,063 versus 936, an 11.9% margin. The 3D graphics test (PassMark G3D) gives the RTX 3090 a 29% lead, scoring 26,645 against 18,931. Finally, PassMark GPU Compute shows 15,356 versus 8,240, a 46.3% advantage for NVIDIA.

The pattern across these tests is clear. The RTX 3090 dominates in every compute-heavy and DirectX-based workload, while the RX 6700's only win comes in Vulkan. That Vulkan result is notable because it reverses the otherwise consistent trend, but it does not change the overall picture: the RTX 3090 is the stronger performer in the vast majority of recorded benchmarks.

FAQ

Q: Which card wins more head-to-head benchmark tests?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 wins 9 of the 10 recorded tests. The AMD Radeon RX 6700 wins exactly 1 test.

Q: What is the largest performance gap between the two cards in any single test?

A: The largest gap is in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, where the RTX 3090 leads by 60.6% (5,118 versus 2,014). The second-largest gap is a 55.7% lead for the RX 6700 in Geekbench Vulkan (83,974 versus 53,927).

Q: How do the two cards compare in compute-oriented benchmarks?

A: The RTX 3090 is substantially ahead in compute tests. It scores 172,758 in Geekbench OpenCL versus 97,841 for the RX 6700, a 43.4% lead. In PassMark GPU Compute, the RTX 3090 scores 15,356 versus 8,240, a 46.3% advantage.

Q: Is the RX 6700 competitive in any DirectX test?

A: The RX 6700 trails in every DirectX test. Its closest DirectX result is PassMark DirectX 9, where it scores 250 versus 268 for the RTX 3090, a 6.7% deficit. In DirectX 10, 11, and 12, the gaps are 36.8%, 24.5%, and 35.5% respectively.

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

A: The RX 6700 has an average benchmark score of 30,433 across all recorded tests, while the RTX 3090 averages 27,565. The RX 6700's average is higher because the Geekbench Vulkan score (83,974) heavily inflates its mean, despite losing most individual tests.

Q: How do these cards rank against all GPUs in the database?

A: The RX 6700 sits at the 75th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 3090 sits at the 73rd percentile. The RX 6700's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA CMP 70HX (0.1% behind), the NVIDIA Tesla M60 (0.2% behind), and the AMD Radeon RX 6800 (1.1% ahead). The RTX 3090's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile (0.5% ahead), the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT (0.5% ahead), and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 (1% behind).

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3090 wins in nearly every scenario covered by the benchmark data. It is the clear choice for DirectX 10, 11, and 12 workloads, where its leads range from 24.5% to 35.5% in PassMark tests. It also dominates compute tasks: OpenCL performance is 43.4% higher, and GPU compute is 46.3% higher. For 3D rendering in DX12 (as measured by 3DMark Steel Nomad), the RTX 3090 is 60.6% ahead, making it the stronger option for modern AAA games that rely on DX12. The 2D graphics test also favors NVIDIA, with an 11.9% lead.

The RX 6700's only clear win is in Vulkan. Its 55.7% advantage in Geekbench Vulkan suggests that for applications or games using the Vulkan API, the RX 6700 can outperform the much larger RTX 3090. This is a meaningful niche, as Vulkan is used in many cross-platform engines and emulators. However, this single result does not offset the NVIDIA card's advantages elsewhere. The RX 6700 also comes closer in legacy DirectX 9 (6.7% behind) and 2D graphics (11.9% behind), but it still loses those tests.

For users focused on compute, DX12 gaming, or general 3D acceleration, the RTX 3090 is the dominant option. For users who specifically require strong Vulkan performance, the RX 6700 offers a surprising edge.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every major specification. The RX 6700 has 2,304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, while the RTX 3090 has 10,496 shading units, 328 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. The RTX 3090 also has 82 ray tracing cores and 328 tensor cores; the RX 6700 has 36 ray tracing cores and no tensor cores. The pixel rate is 156.8 GPixel/s for the RX 6700 versus 189.8 GPixel/s for the RTX 3090. Texture rate is 352.8 GTexel/s versus 556.0 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 11.29 TFLOPS versus 35.58 TFLOPS, and FP16 is 22.58 TFLOPS (2:1) versus 35.58 TFLOPS (1:1).

Memory configurations are also very different. The RX 6700 has 10 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus, with 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 3090 has 24 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus, with 936.2 GB/s of bandwidth. Memory clocks are 16 Gbps effective for the AMD card and 19.5 Gbps effective for the NVIDIA card. Power consumption is 175 W for the RX 6700 versus 350 W for the RTX 3090. The RX 6700 uses a single 8-pin power connector and a suggested 450 W PSU, while the RTX 3090 uses a single 12-pin connector and a suggested 750 W PSU. The RX 6700 is a dual-slot card measuring 267 mm in length, 110 mm in height, and 40 mm in width. The RTX 3090 is a triple-slot card measuring 336 mm in length, 140 mm in height, and 61 mm in width. Both use PCIe 4.0 x16 and have identical display outputs (1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a).

Architecture Differences

The RX 6700 is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture, using the Navi 22 chip. It is manufactured on a 7 nm process at TSMC, with 17,200 million transistors on a 335 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 51.3 million per mm². The RTX 3090 uses the Ampere architecture with the GA102 chip. It is built on an 8 nm process at Samsung, with 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die, giving a density of 45.1 million per mm². The RX 6700 belongs to the Navi II (RX 6000) generation, while the RTX 3090 belongs to the GeForce 30 generation.

The core clock behavior differs significantly. The RX 6700 has a base clock of 1941 MHz, a boost clock of 2450 MHz, and a game clock of 2174 MHz. The RTX 3090 has a base clock of 1395 MHz and a boost clock of 1695 MHz, with no game clock listed. The AMD card's higher clock speeds partially compensate for its smaller chip, but the NVIDIA card's much larger number of shading units and tensor cores give it a decisive throughput advantage.

Both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The RX 6700 has a release date of June 2021, while the RTX 3090 was released in August 2020. Both are marked as end-of-life products. The RX 6700's predecessor is Navi, and its successor is Navi III. The RTX 3090's predecessor is GeForce 20, and its successor is GeForce 40.

The Verdict

The data points to the RTX 3090 as the stronger overall performer. It wins 9 of 10 head-to-head tests, with decisive leads in DX12 (60.6%), OpenCL (43.4%), and GPU compute (46.3%). Its 24 GB GDDR6X memory and 936.2 GB/s bandwidth provide a massive resource pool for heavy workloads. For users who prioritize compute, modern DirectX gaming, or content creation, the RTX 3090 is the clear choice.

The RX 6700 is not without merit. Its 55.7% Vulkan win is the single largest margin in the entire comparison, and its average benchmark score of 30,433 is actually higher than the RTX 3090's 27,565, thanks to that Vulkan outlier. It also consumes half the power (175 W versus 350 W), uses a smaller physical footprint (dual-slot versus triple-slot), and has a lower suggested PSU requirement (450 W versus 750 W). For users running Vulkan-based applications who want lower power draw and a more compact card, the RX 6700 offers a compelling alternative.

However, the overall benchmark record is unambiguous. The RTX 3090 is ahead in every DirectX test, every compute test, and the 3DMark DX12 test, often by wide margins. Its 73rd percentile ranking among all GPUs, despite an average score dragged down by the low Vulkan result, reflects consistent strength across most workloads. The RX 6700's 75th percentile ranking is buoyed by that single Vulkan score, but its nine losses show where its true performance lies. The verdict from the data: choose the RTX 3090 for broad, heavy-duty performance, and choose the RX 6700 only if Vulkan performance and lower power consumption are the primary criteria.