The Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super or AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT may be superior for ray tracing and 1440p gaming. Both cards have excellent performance and features based on their manufacturers’ newest GPU designs. Which should you buy?
This article compares the two cards’ GPU clock speed, floating-point performance, gaming performance, GPU architecture, RAM, bandwidth, TDP, pricing, features, and lifetime. We’ll also list each card’s benefits and downsides and recommend one.
RTX 2070 Super and RX 6700 XT: A Comparative Analysis
GPU Clock Speed
Graphics processor frequency is GPU clock speed. It impacts card performance and efficiency. Graphics data processing speed increases with clock speed.
The RTX 2070 Super features a 1605 MHz base and 1770 MHz peak clock speeds. The RX 6700 XT boosts to 2581 MHz from 2321 MHz. The RX 6700 XT is 45% faster than the RTX 2070 Super.
Floating-Point Performance
The floating-point performance is the measure of how fast the card can perform calculations involving decimal numbers. It is important for rendering realistic graphics, especially with ray tracing and HDR effects.
The RTX 2070 Super has a floating-point performance of 9.06 TFLOPS (teraFLOPS), which means it can perform 9.06 trillion floating-point operations per second. The RX 6700 XT has a floating-point performance of 13.21 TFLOPS, which means it can perform 13.21 trillion floating-point operations per second. This means that the RX 6700 XT has a much higher floating-point performance than the RTX 2070 Super, by about 46%.
Game Performance
The game performance is the measure of how well the card can run various games at different resolutions and settings. It depends on many factors, such as the game engine, optimization, drivers, CPU, RAM, and other components.
According to UserBenchmark, based on 696,122 user samples for the RTX 2070 Super and 32,519 user samples for the RX 6700 XT, the RTX 2070 Super has an effective 3D gaming GPU speed of 115%, while the RX 6700 XT has an effective 3D gaming GPU speed of 122%. This means that the RX 6700 XT is slightly faster than the RTX 2070 Super in gaming, by about 6% on average.
However, this may vary depending on the specific game, resolution, and settings. For example, in Watch Dogs: Legion, with 1080p resolution and the Medium Preset, the RTX 2070 Super is 23.3% faster than the RX 6700 XT. On the other hand, in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, with 1440p resolution and the Ultra High Preset, the RX 6700 XT is 10% faster than the RTX 2070 Super.
GPU Architecture
The GPU architecture is the design and layout of the graphics processor and its components. It determines how efficiently and effectively the card can process graphics data.
The RTX 2070 Super is based on Nvidia’s Turing architecture, which was launched in September 2018. Turing introduced new features such as ray tracing cores (RT cores), tensor cores (for AI and DLSS), adaptive shading, and variable rate shading.
The RX 6700 XT is based on AMD’s RDNA2 architecture, which was launched in October 2020. RDNA2 introduced new features such as ray tracing accelerators (Ray Accelerators), Infinity Cache (a large L3 cache to reduce memory bandwidth), Smart Access Memory (a technology that allows AMD CPUs to access more GPU memory), and FidelityFX (a suite of image quality enhancements).
Both architectures are advanced and capable of delivering stunning graphics with ray tracing and other effects. However, RDNA2 is newer and more efficient than Turing, as it uses a smaller fabrication process (7nm vs 12nm) and has a higher performance per watt ratio.
Memory
Memory is the amount and type of RAM that is dedicated to storing graphics data on the card. It affects the resolution, texture quality, loading times, and performance of the card.
The RTX 2070 Super has 8GB of GDDR6 memory, which is the standard type of memory for high-end graphics cards. It has a memory clock speed of 1750 MHz and an effective memory clock speed of 14000 MHz.
The RX 6700 XT has 12GB of GDDR6 memory, which is 4GB more than the RTX 2070 Super. It has a memory clock speed of 2000 MHz and an effective memory clock speed of 16000 MHz.
This means that the RX 6700 XT has more and faster memory than the RTX 2070 Super, which gives it an advantage in handling higher resolutions, textures, and games that require more VRAM.
Bandwidth
The bandwidth is the measure of how much data the card can transfer to and from its memory per second. It affects the performance and efficiency of the card.
The RTX 2070 Super has a memory bus width of 256-bit and a memory bandwidth of 448 GB/s (gigabytes per second). The RX 6700 XT has a memory bus width of 192-bit and a memory bandwidth of 384 GB/s.
This means that the RTX 2070 Super has a higher bandwidth than the RX 6700 XT, by about 17%. However, this is partly offset by the RX 6700 XT’s Infinity Cache, which reduces the need for accessing external memory by storing frequently used data on the GPU itself.
TDP
TDP measures the card’s power consumption and heat output. It impacts card cooling, noise, and power.
The RTX 2070 Super’s 215W TDP demands a 650W power supply and adequate cooling. The RX 6700 XT demands a 650W power supply and a decent cooling system due to its 230W TDP.
Both cards use power and generate heat, so they need appropriate cooling and electricity to prevent throttling or overheating.
Value for Money Comparison
Price Comparison
The price is the amount of money that you have to pay to buy the card. It affects the affordability and budget of the card.
According to Versus, as of June 2021, the average price for the RTX 2070 Super is $600, while the average price for the RX 6700 XT is $350. This means that the RX 6700 XT is much cheaper than the RTX 2070 Super, by about 42%.
However, this may vary depending on the availability, demand and supply of each card in different regions and markets. Due to the global chip shortage and high demand for graphics cards, both cards may be sold out or overpriced in some places.
Features Comparison
The features are the additional functions and capabilities that the card offers besides its core performance. They affect the user experience and enjoyment of the card.
The RTX 2070 Super supports Nvidia’s DLSS (deep learning super sampling), which is a technology that uses AI to upscale lower-resolution images to higher-resolution ones with minimal loss in quality. This allows the card to run games at higher resolutions and settings with better performance and image quality. The RTX 2070 Super also supports Nvidia’s NVENC (Nvidia encoder), which is a hardware encoder that allows the card to stream or record gameplay with minimal impact on performance or quality.
The RX 6700 XT supports AMD’s Smart Access Memory, which is a technology that allows AMD CPUs to access more GPU memory than usual, resulting in improved performance in some games. The RX 6700 XT also supports AMD’s FidelityFX, which is a suite of image quality enhancements that improve contrast, sharpness, lighting, and other aspects of graphics.
Both cards support ray tracing, which is a technique that simulates realistic lighting effects by tracing rays of light as they interact with objects in a scene. However, ray tracing is very demanding and can reduce performance significantly. Therefore, both cards may struggle to run ray tracing at high resolutions or settings without sacrificing frame rates or quality.
Longevity Comparison
Longevity is the measure of how long the card can remain relevant and competitive in terms of performance and features. It affects the future-proofing and upgradeability of the card.
The RTX 2070 Super was launched in July 2019, which means it is almost two years old as of June 2021. The RX 6700 XT was launched in March 2021, which means it is only three months old as of June 2021. This means that the RX 6700 XT is much newer than the RTX 2070 Super, by about 21 months.
However, this does not necessarily mean that the RX 6700 XT will last longer than the RTX 2070 Super, as there are other factors that may affect the longevity of each card, such as driver updates, game optimization, new technologies and competition from other cards.
Based on the current performance and features of each card, we estimate that both cards can run most games at 1080p or 1440p resolution with high or ultra settings for at least another two or three years. However, this may change depending on how demanding future games will be, and how well each card will support them.
Pros and Cons of RTX 2070 Super and RX 6700 XT
RTX 2070 Super Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Supports DLSS, which improves performance and image quality in some games
- Supports NVENC, which enables smooth streaming and recording of gameplay
- Has higher bandwidth than the RX 6700 XT, which improves data transfer speed
- Has more DVI outputs than the RX 6700 XT, which allows more monitor connections
Cons:
- More expensive than the RX 6700 XT, which makes it less affordable
- Older than the RX 6700 XT, which makes it less future-proof
- Has a lower clock speed and floating-point performance than the RX 6700 XT, which reduces its raw power
- Has less memory than the RX 6700 XT, which limits its VRAM capacity
RX 6700 XT Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Cheaper than the RTX 2070 Super, which makes it more budget-friendly
- Newer than the RTX 2070 Super, which makes it more up-to-date
- Has a higher clock speed and floating-point performance than the RTX 2070 Super, which increases its raw power
- Has more memory than the RTX 2070 Super, which expands its VRAM capacity
Cons:
- Does not support DLSS, which reduces its performance and image quality in some games
- Does not support NVENC, which affects its streaming and recording capabilities
- Has lower bandwidth than the RTX 2070 Super, which slows down its data transfer speed
- Has fewer DVI outputs than the RTX 2070 Super, which restricts its monitor connections
Conclusion
Based on our comparative analysis of the RTX 2070 Super and the RX 6700 XT, we conclude that both cards are excellent choices for high-end gaming at 1080p or 1440p resolution with ray tracing and other effects. However, depending on your preferences and needs, you may find one card more suitable than the other.
If you value performance over price, and you want to enjoy DLSS and NVENC features, then you may prefer the RTX 2070 Super. However, if you value price over performance, and you want to have more memory and newer architecture, then you may prefer the RX 6700 XT.
Ultimately, the decision is up to you. We hope that this article has helped you compare the two cards and make an informed choice. Happy gaming!
