GPU Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 550X has an average benchmark score of 10481, while the AMD FirePro W5000 scores 9803. The RX 550X sits at the 49th percentile of all GPUs, whereas the FirePro W5000 is at the 47th percentile.

Q: How do these cards compare in their closest rival matchups?

A: The RX 550X's nearest rival is the AMD Radeon R9 M275X, which scores 10582, placing the RX 550X 1% behind. The FirePro W5000's closest competitor is the NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, which scores 9832, putting the FirePro W5000 0.3% behind.

Q: What are the memory specifications of each card?

A: The RX 550X has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The FirePro W5000 has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a wider 256-bit bus, providing 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: Which card has better API support?

A: The RX 550X supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The FirePro W5000 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170, meaning the RX 550X has a newer DirectX feature level and a newer Vulkan version.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the FirePro W5000?

A: The FirePro W5000 had a launch MSRP of 599 USD.

Q: Which card has a higher pixel fill rate?

A: The FirePro W5000 has a pixel rate of 26.40 GPixel/s, while the RX 550X achieves 18.93 GPixel/s. The FirePro W5000 is 39% higher in this metric.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different eras of AMD's GPU design. The RX 550X uses the Lexa chip built on GCN 4.0 architecture, produced on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. This is a Polaris-generation part from the RX 500X series. The FirePro W5000 uses the Pitcairn chip based on GCN 1.0, manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC, belonging to the FirePro GCN (Wx000) generation.

Transistor counts and die sizes reveal the generational gap. The RX 550X packs 2,200 million transistors into a 103 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 21.4M per mm². The FirePro W5000 has more transistors, 2,800 million, but on a much larger 212 mm² die, resulting in a lower density of 13.2M per mm². The RX 550X's smaller process node allows it to fit nearly twice the transistor density.

Compute resources differ significantly. The FirePro W5000 has 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The RX 550X has fewer of each: 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. Despite fewer execution units, the RX 550X achieves similar FP32 throughput, 1,211.4 GFLOPS versus 1,267.2 GFLOPS for the FirePro W5000, thanks to its higher clock speeds.

Memory architecture is another divergence. The RX 550X uses a 128-bit bus with 4 GB of GDDR5 at 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective). The FirePro W5000 employs a 256-bit bus with 2 GB of GDDR5 at 800 MHz (3.2 Gbps effective). The wider bus gives the FirePro W5000 slightly more bandwidth at 102.4 GB/s versus 96.00 GB/s, even though its memory runs much slower.

Power and physical characteristics differ as well. The RX 550X has a 50 W TDP and is dual-slot, while the FirePro W5000 has a 75 W TDP and is single-slot. Both cards require no additional power connectors and share a 250 W suggested PSU. The RX 550X uses a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface, whereas the FirePro W5000 uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Physically, the RX 550X is 145 mm (5.7 inches) long, and the FirePro W5000 is 183 mm (7.2 inches) long with a height of 111 mm (4.4 inches).

Feature support diverges on APIs. The RX 550X supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3; the FirePro W5000 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6. Display outputs also differ: the RX 550X has 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, and 1x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the FirePro W5000 has 1x DVI and 2x DisplayPort 1.2.

Where Each One Wins

The FirePro W5000 takes the only head-to-head benchmark win in this comparison. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, it scores 9803 against the RX 550X's 9662, a 1.4% advantage. This narrow margin, however, is the sum of the FirePro's strengths: a wider memory bus, higher pixel rate, and more shading units.

The RX 550X wins in overall average performance. Its average benchmark score of 10481 exceeds the FirePro W5000's 9803 by roughly 6.9%. This is driven by the RX 550X's additional benchmark result in Geekbench Vulkan, where it scores 11299, a substantial performance tier above its own OpenCL result.

For modern workloads, the RX 550X holds the edge. It supports newer DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3, which matters for current games and compute applications. The FirePro W5000's older DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170 support limits its compatibility with newer software stacks.

For raw rasterization throughput, the FirePro W5000 is stronger. Its 26.40 GPixel/s pixel rate and 39.60 GTexel/s texture rate exceed the RX 550X's 18.93 GPixel/s and 37.86 GTexel/s. This means the FirePro W5000 can be faster in fill-rate-bound scenarios despite its lower overall benchmark score.

For memory capacity, the RX 550X wins with 4 GB versus 2 GB. The FirePro W5000 counters with higher bandwidth at 102.4 GB/s versus 96.00 GB/s, but the RX 550X's larger frame buffer is more useful for modern textures and datasets.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 550X | AMD FirePro W5000 |

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

| Chip | Lexa | Pitcairn |

| Architecture | GCN 4.0 | GCN 1.0 |

| Process Node | 14 nm | 28 nm |

| Foundry | GlobalFoundries | TSMC |

| Transistors | 2,200 million | 2,800 million |

| Die Size | 103 mm² | 212 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 21.4M / mm² | 13.2M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1100 MHz | N/A |

| Boost Clock | 1183 MHz | N/A |

| Memory Clock | 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective) | 800 MHz (3.2 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 2 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 96.00 GB/s | 102.4 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 512 | 768 |

| TMUs | 32 | 48 |

| ROPs | 16 | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 18.93 GPixel/s | 26.40 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 37.86 GTexel/s | 39.60 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 1,211.4 GFLOPS | 1,267.2 GFLOPS |

| FP16 | 1,211.4 GFLOPS (1:1) | N/A |

| TDP | 50 W | 75 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | Single-slot |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x8 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, 1x DisplayPort 1.4a | 1x DVI, 2x DisplayPort 1.2 |

| DirectX | 12 (12_0) | 12 (11_1) |

| Vulkan | 1.3 | 1.2.170 |

| Length | 145 mm (5.7 inches) | 183 mm (7.2 inches) |

| Height | N/A | 111 mm (4.4 inches) |

| Release Date | 2018-12-15 | 2012-08-06 |

| Predecessor | Polaris | FirePro Terascale |

| Successor | Vega | Radeon Pro Polaris |

| Launch MSRP | N/A | 599 USD |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available is Geekbench OpenCL. Here, the FirePro W5000 scores 9803, edging out the RX 550X's 9662 by a 1.4% margin. This is a tight result, the two cards are nearly identical in raw OpenCL compute performance despite their architectural differences. The FirePro W5000's 768 shading units and 256-bit memory bus give it a slight edge in this synthetic workload.

The RX 550X, however, has a second benchmark result that the FirePro W5000 lacks: Geekbench Vulkan. In this test, the RX 550X scores 11299. This is 17% higher than its own OpenCL score and 15.3% higher than the FirePro W5000's best result. This indicates the RX 550X is substantially faster in Vulkan-based workloads, which are increasingly common in modern games and compute applications.

Looking at average scores, the RX 550X's combined average of 10481 puts it ahead of the FirePro W5000's 9803 by 6.9%. The RX 550X also ranks higher in the overall GPU percentile distribution, 49th versus 47th. This confirms that while the FirePro W5000 wins the single OpenCL test, the RX 550X is the stronger overall performer.

The nearest rival data reinforces the separation. The RX 550X's rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6600S at 10629 (1.4% ahead) and the AMD Radeon R9 M275X at 10582 (1% ahead). The FirePro W5000's rivals are clustered closer: the NVIDIA Quadro 6000 at 9846 (0.4% ahead) and the NVIDIA Quadro M2000M at 9832 (0.3% ahead). The FirePro W5000 competes in a tighter performance band, while the RX 550X sits among slightly faster mobile and desktop parts.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear but nuanced conclusion. The AMD Radeon RX 550X is the better overall GPU for most users. Its average benchmark score of 10481 versus 9803 represents a 6.9% advantage. It ranks at the 49th percentile versus 47th, has double the memory capacity at 4 GB versus 2 GB, runs on a newer 14 nm process, and supports modern DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3. Its Vulkan score of 11299 shows significant headroom for current-generation workloads.

The AMD FirePro W5000 should be chosen only for specific scenarios. It wins the single Geekbench OpenCL head-to-head by 1.4% (9803 versus 9662), has higher pixel and texture rates (26.40 GPixel/s and 39.60 GTexel/s), and offers more bandwidth via its 256-bit bus (102.4 GB/s). Its single-slot design makes it more space-efficient, and its 2,800 million transistors provide more raw compute resources. However, its 2 GB memory capacity, older GCN 1.0 architecture, 28 nm process, and limited API support make it a poor choice for modern applications.

For a builder assembling a system today, the RX 550X is the data-backed recommendation. It is newer (released 2018-12-15 versus 2012-08-06), more efficient (50 W TDP versus 75 W), and better positioned for Vulkan and DirectX 12 workloads. The FirePro W5000 remains relevant only for legacy OpenCL tasks where its fill-rate advantages matter, or for systems where a single-slot, low-profile card is mandatory. The 1.4% OpenCL win is real, but it does not offset the RX 550X's broader capabilities and higher average performance.