RX 6700 vs Arc A770: Which Graphics Card Should You Buy?

The RX 6700 is the better pick for 1080p gamers who want the highest rasterized frame rates, lower power draw and broad compatibility with older PCs and games, while the Arc A770 16GB suits players who care about ray tracing, 1440p scaling and maximum VRAM. Neither card dominates: the AMD card wins standard 1080p benchmarks, and the Intel card wins once ray tracing, higher resolutions or memory-heavy games enter the picture.

AMD released the RX 6700 in June 2021 as a lower-profile RDNA 2 model with 10 GB of memory, slotted beneath the RX 6700 XT and sold mainly through board partners. Intel launched the Arc A770 16GB in October 2022 at $329 as the flagship of its first-generation Alchemist lineup. Today both are older cards sold discounted or used, sitting below the current Radeon RX 9060 XT and Intel Arc B580.

Specifications

The A770 has far more shaders, 60% more bandwidth and 6 GB more memory. The RX 6700 counters with a highly efficient architecture and an 80 MB Infinity Cache that hides its narrower 160-bit bus at lower resolutions. That design explains why the AMD card leads at 1080p and why the gap closes as resolution rises.

Benchmarks: Resolution Decides the Winner

Tom’s Hardware’s review of the Sapphire RX 6700 10GB found it around 11% faster than the Arc A770 16GB in its standard rasterized test suite, and about 24% faster than the Arc A750. A breakdown of the same data showed the RX 6700 winning at 1080p medium, tying at 1080p ultra and falling behind the A770 at 1440p and 4K. This pattern reflects the A770’s wider memory interface taking over as pixel counts rise.

• 1080p: the RX 6700 is generally faster, often landing around 75-110 fps at high settings in mainstream titles, while the A770 typically runs a step lower. Frame rates vary with settings, CPU and patch.
• 1440p: the two are close, with the A770 often slightly ahead in demanding games; both commonly sit around 50-75 fps at high settings.
• Older DX11 games: the RX 6700 is more consistent. Intel’s drivers have improved considerably, but Arc still shows larger game-to-game variance in older APIs.

Ray Tracing Flips the Result

With ray tracing enabled, the picture reverses sharply. In Tom’s Hardware’s DXR testing at 1080p medium, the Arc A770 was about 34% faster than the RX 6700, and even the cheaper A750 beat it by around 19%. RDNA 2’s ray accelerators simply cannot keep pace with Intel’s Alchemist RT units. For games with ray-traced lighting or reflections, and for titles that make ray tracing mandatory, the A770 is the stronger card.

Upscaling and Frame Generation Tools

• Arc A770: XeSS with XMX acceleration, which generally looks sharper than FSR 3.1 at the same internal resolution, plus XeSS 3 multi-frame generation that Intel’s February 2026 driver brought to Arc A-series cards through a driver override in XeSS 2 games.
• RX 6700: FSR 2 and FSR 3.1 upscaling, FSR 3 frame generation, and AMD Fluid Motion Frames 2, which applies frame generation at the driver level in most DX11 and DX12 games. FSR 4 targets RDNA 4 and is not officially available on RDNA 2.

Both cards can run FSR 3.1 in supported games. The A770 offers better upscaling quality when XeSS is available; the RX 6700 offers wider frame generation coverage through AFMF 2.

Driver maturity also plays a role. AMD’s RDNA 2 drivers are long established and behave consistently across new and old games, although AMD now focuses its newest features on RDNA 3 and RDNA 4. Intel’s Alchemist drivers have improved greatly since 2022, especially in DirectX 11, but individual games can still show unusual results until a driver update arrives.

Memory: 10 GB vs 16 GB

The RX 6700’s 10 GB is already a step above common 8 GB cards and handles 1080p and most 1440p games at high textures. The A770’s 16 GB matters in the heaviest titles and for players who use texture packs, mods or creative and AI software. A rough guide:

• 1080p high: 6-8 GB typical, so both cards are comfortable.
• 1440p high/ultra: 8-11 GB in demanding releases; the RX 6700 is near its limit in the heaviest games, while the A770 has ample room.
• 1440p with ray tracing and frame generation: memory needs rise further, favoring the A770.

Power, Connectors and Fit

The RX 6700 is the more efficient card at 175 W versus 225 W. Using TDP plus CPU plus around 150 W headroom:

• RX 6700 + 105 W CPU: 175 + 105 + 150 = 430 W, so a quality 500-550 W PSU.
• Arc A770 + 105 W CPU: 225 + 105 + 150 = 480 W, so a quality 550-650 W PSU.

The RX 6700 needs only a single 8-pin connector, while the A770 requires a 6-pin plus an 8-pin. Both are 2-slot cards; the RX 6700 is listed at 267 mm, and A770 lengths vary by partner model, so check case clearance. The A770 also benefits from ASPM settings to reduce idle power draw.

Resizable BAR and Older Platforms

The A770 depends on Resizable BAR for proper performance. Without it, frame rates and frame pacing degrade badly. The RX 6700 benefits from Smart Access Memory where available but does not depend on it, and its full x16 link works well on PCIe 3.0 boards. For an older PC without ReBAR support, the RX 6700 is the clear choice.

Value and Used Pricing

The RX 6700 lacked a widely publicized MSRP but sold around $299 in the Sapphire version Tom’s Hardware reviewed in late 2022, while the A770 16GB launched at $329. Using 1080p raster with the A770 at 100 and the RX 6700 at about 111:

• RX 6700 at $299: about $2.69 per performance point.
• Arc A770 16GB at $329: about $3.29 per performance point.

On raster value at 1080p, the RX 6700 was the better deal. The A770’s extra memory and ray tracing strength are what justify its price. On the used market both usually sell in a broadly similar range, roughly $170-$240 depending on model and condition, so the decision comes down to priorities rather than budget.

Which One Fits Your Build

For buyers with flexible budgets, the Arc B580 and Radeon RX 9060 XT outperform both of these cards with newer features, so they are worth pricing before committing to an older model.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the RX 6700 faster than the Arc A770?

At 1080p in rasterized games, yes. Tom’s Hardware found the RX 6700 about 11% faster than the A770 16GB in its standard suite. At 1440p and 4K the A770 catches up and often pulls ahead, and with ray tracing it is clearly faster.

How much better is the Arc A770 at ray tracing?

Substantially. In Tom’s Hardware’s DXR tests at 1080p medium, the A770 was roughly 34% faster than the RX 6700. RDNA 2 cards have relatively weak ray tracing hardware compared with Intel’s Alchemist design.

Is 10 GB of VRAM enough for the RX 6700?

For 1080p and most 1440p games at high settings, yes. A few demanding releases at 1440p ultra can approach or exceed 10 GB. The A770’s 16 GB offers more headroom for those titles and for texture mods.

Does the Arc A770 need Resizable BAR?

Yes. Intel’s Arc cards rely on Resizable BAR for proper performance and smooth frame pacing. Most Intel 10th-gen and AMD Ryzen 3000 or newer platforms support it after a BIOS update.

Which card is easier to power?

The RX 6700, with a 175 W TDP and a single 8-pin connector. A quality 500-550 W power supply is enough. The A770 draws up to 225 W and needs both a 6-pin and an 8-pin connector, so a 550-650 W unit is the safer choice.