AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT vs. RX 6700 XT: Is the new GPU worth upgrading to?

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT is a new high-performance 1440p gaming graphics card plush with the latest features like ray tracing, frame generation, and improved efficiency thanks to the new RDNA 3 architecture powering the new GPUs. This makes it a solid step up from the last-gen RX 6700 XT, which also targeted premium 1440p gaming.

However, AMD is targeting RTX 4060 Ti-level performance with its latest launch. This is in sharp contrast to what Nvidia is doing with the premium 60-class graphics card. It targets 1080p gaming performance without hiccups. The $600 RTX 4070, on the other hand, targets high framerates at 1440p.

Despite all this, the 7700 XT is a superb graphics card for playing the latest and most demanding video games. In this article, we will compare it against the last-gen RX 6700 XT and find out how much of a performance jump the new offering brings.

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The AMD RX 7700 XT is an iterative update over the RX 6700 XT

Specs

The RX 7700 XT is based on a newer RDNA 3 architecture. This brings beefier hardware and efficiency to mid-range systems. Besides this, the new graphics card has been beefed up with even more shading and compute units.

The RT core count has been increased from 40 to 54, making it a better performer in ray tracing-heavy workloads. However, the memory size and type remain the same.

Both graphics cards feature 12 GB of GDDR6 video memory based on a 192-bit bus. Moreover, operating clock speeds have been reduced slightly while power draw has gone up.

	AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT	AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT
Graphics processor	Navi 32	Navi 22
Shading units	3456	2560
Compute units	54	40
RT cores	54	40
VRAM size	12 GB	12 GB
VRAM type	192-bit GDDR6	192-bit GDDR6
Base clock	1700 MHz	2321 MHz
Boost clock	2544 MHz	2581 MHz
TDP	245W	230W
Price	$449	$339

The RX 6700 XT was originally introduced for a steep $479. However, it has been massively discounted to just $339 these days in an effort to keep it competitive against Nvidia's offerings. The new RX 7700 XT, on the other hand, is priced at a hefty $449.

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Performance difference

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT is more powerful than the last-gen 6700 XT. However, we are interested in the delta between these two GPUs. Both the graphics cards are powerful enough for all modern games, and we don't expect either to disappoint in any AAA title.

YouTuber Testing Games benchmarked the RX 6700 XT and the new 7700 XT. The framerates observed in various games are as follows:

	AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT	AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT
Cyberpunk 2077	64	43
Hogwarts Legacy	92	72
The Last of Us Part I	76	67
Hitman 3	150	117
Resident Evil 4	96	70

The new 7700 XT is way more powerful than its last-gen counterpart in all recent video games; however, given the massive difference in prices, this delta in performance will come at a hefty $110 extra.

Therefore, if you are cash-strapped, the RX 6700 XT is the better option, given it can play every game at high playable framerates. But if you have the budget, opt for the more powerful RX 7700 XT to get higher framerates, longer driver support, and better longevity.