AMD Radeon 740M vs AMD Radeon Pro 5500M Comparison

The AMD Radeon Pro 5500M and AMD Radeon 740M are both AMD GPUs, but they target entirely different segments of the market: one is a discrete mobile part from 2019, the other a modern integrated graphics processor. The benchmark data shows a clear performance hierarchy, with the older discrete GPU holding a commanding lead in raw compute, while the newer IGP counters with a more modern feature set and higher overall percentile ranking. This comparison hinges on what matters more: raw throughput or architectural modernity.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data is limited to two cross-platform tests, and the results are decisively in favor of the Radeon Pro 5500M. In Geekbench OpenCL, the Pro 5500M scores 31,088, which is 205.6% higher than the Radeon 740M's score of 10,172. This is a massive margin, indicating that in compute-heavy workloads that scale well with shading units and memory bandwidth, the discrete card is in a different league. The Pro 5500M's advantage is not marginal; it is a threefold performance gap.

The Vulkan test tells a similar story, though with a slightly narrower gap. The Pro 5500M scores 35,134, while the Radeon 740M scores 15,568. The delta here is 125.7%, meaning the Pro 5500M is more than twice as fast. This result is significant because Vulkan is a low-level API that often favors newer architectures; the fact that the older RDNA 1.0 part still wins by such a wide margin underscores the sheer hardware advantage of the discrete solution—more shading units, TMUs, ROPs, and dedicated memory—over the integrated part.

It is importantly the Radeon 740M does not have a Passmark score or a Geekbench Metal score in the data, while the Pro 5500M does. The Pro 5500M's average benchmark score across all tests is 11,528, while the 740M's average is 12,870. This suggests that while the 740M loses the two head-to-head compute tests, its overall profile across a broader set of workloads is slightly higher, likely due to architectural efficiency in specific tasks. The wins tally is 2-0 in favor of the Pro 5500M, but the average scores hint that the IGP is not a complete pushover in every scenario.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is generational. The Radeon Pro 5500M is built on RDNA 1.0, manufactured on TSMC's 7 nm process. It has 6,400 million transistors on a 158 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 40.5M / mm². In contrast, the Radeon 740M uses the RDNA 3.0 architecture, built on a more advanced 4 nm process. It packs 20,900 million transistors into a smaller 137 mm² die, achieving a much higher density of 152.6M / mm². This density advantage is a key differentiator; the 740M crams over three times the transistors into a smaller area.

The compute resource allocation is starkly different. The Pro 5500M has 1,536 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The 740M has only 256 shading units, 16 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. This explains the Pro 5500M's massive lead in pixel rate (46.40 GPixel/s vs 22.40 GPixel/s) and texture rate (139.2 GTexel/s vs 44.80 GTexel/s). However, the 740M includes 4 ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the Pro 5500M, which has no RT cores listed. This is a major feature gap, as the RDNA 3.0 part supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the Pro 5500M only supports DirectX 12 (12_1).

Clock speeds also tell a story of efficiency versus brute force. The Pro 5500M has a base clock of 1000 MHz and a boost of 1450 MHz. The 740M has a lower base of 800 MHz but a much higher boost of 2800 MHz. This high boost clock, combined with the newer architecture, allows the 740M to achieve 2.867 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The Pro 5500M, despite its higher base clock and many more cores, reaches 4.454 TFLOPS. FP16 performance is also divergent: the Pro 5500M hits 8.909 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, while the 740M is capped at 2.867 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, meaning it does not offer the same accelerated half-precision throughput.

Where Each One Wins

The Radeon Pro 5500M wins in scenarios that demand raw throughput. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is critical for high-resolution textures and compute tasks that are memory-bound. In contrast, the 740M relies on "System Shared" memory, with bandwidth that is "System Dependent." This means the IGP's performance is tied to the speed of the host system's RAM, which is typically much slower than dedicated GDDR6. For content creation, GPU-accelerated rendering, or any workload that saturates memory bandwidth, the Pro 5500M is clearly superior, as evidenced by its 205.6% lead in OpenCL.

The Radeon 740M wins in efficiency and modern feature support. Its 45 W TDP is significantly lower than the Pro 5500M's 85 W TDP, making it suitable for thin-and-light laptops where power and thermal headroom are scarce. It is an IGP, meaning it is integrated into the processor and requires no separate power connectors, whereas the Pro 5500M, while also having no power connectors listed, is a discrete chip that requires dedicated cooling and board space. The 740M's support for ray tracing and DirectX 12 Ultimate makes it a better choice for modern gaming titles that leverage these features, even if the absolute frame rates are lower. Its higher percentile ranking (53rd vs 51st) and higher average benchmark score (12,870 vs 11,528) suggest it performs more consistently relative to the entire GPU landscape.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every core specification. The process node is 7 nm for the Pro 5500M versus 4 nm for the 740M. Transistor count is 6,400 million versus 20,900 million, and die size is 158 mm² versus 137 mm². The Pro 5500M has a base clock of 1000 MHz and boost of 1450 MHz; the 740M has 800 MHz base and 2800 MHz boost. Memory is a fundamental split: 8 GB GDDR6 with a 128-bit bus and 192.0 GB/s bandwidth versus System Shared memory with System Dependent bandwidth.

The compute unit counts are dramatically different: 1,536 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 32 ROPs for the Pro 5500M versus 256 shading units, 16 TMUs, and 8 ROPs for the 740M. The 740M has 4 RT cores; the Pro 5500M has none. Pixel rate is 46.40 GPixel/s versus 22.40 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 139.2 GTexel/s versus 44.80 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 4.454 TFLOPS versus 2.867 TFLOPS, and FP16 is 8.909 TFLOPS (2:1) versus 2.867 TFLOPS (1:1). TDP is 85 W versus 45 W. The Pro 5500M is End-of-life, released in 2019, while the 740M is Active, released in 2024. The 740M has a predecessor (Navi II IGP) and a successor (Navi III IGP), while the Pro 5500M has neither listed. The Pro 5500M is from the "Radeon Pro Mac (Navi Mobile)" generation, while the 740M is from "Navi III IGP (Phoenix)."

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in raw compute performance?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 5500M is significantly faster. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 31,088 versus 10,172 for the Radeon 740M, a 205.6% advantage. In Geekbench Vulkan, it scores 35,134 versus 15,568, a 125.7% lead.

Q: Does the Radeon 740M support ray tracing?

A: Yes. The Radeon 740M has 4 ray tracing cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). The Radeon Pro 5500M has no ray tracing cores and only supports DirectX 12 (12_1).

Q: How do their memory configurations compare?

A: The Radeon Pro 5500M has 8 GB of dedicated GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Radeon 740M uses System Shared memory, with its bandwidth being System Dependent on the host system's RAM.

Q: What are the TDP differences?

A: The Radeon Pro 5500M has a TDP of 85 W, while the Radeon 740M has a TDP of 45 W. This makes the 740M more power-efficient and suitable for compact systems.

Q: Which GPU has a higher overall benchmark score?

A: The Radeon 740M has a higher average benchmark score of 12,870, compared to the Pro 5500M's 11,528. It also has a higher percentile ranking among all GPUs, at 53rd versus 51st.

Q: Are both GPUs currently in production?

A: No. The Radeon Pro 5500M is listed as End-of-life, having been released in 2019. The Radeon 740M is listed as Active, with a release date in 2024.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear choice based on use case. If the priority is maximum compute throughput for tasks like GPU rendering, scientific computation, or any workload that benefits from high memory bandwidth and a large number of shading units, the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M is the superior option. Its 205.6% lead in OpenCL and 125.7% lead in Vulkan are decisive, and its 192.0 GB/s of dedicated memory bandwidth is a significant advantage over a shared-memory setup.

However, if the priority is a modern feature set and efficiency, the AMD Radeon 740M is the more sensible pick for a current system. It is an active, current-generation part with ray tracing support and DirectX 12 Ultimate, making it compatible with modern gaming APIs. Its lower 45 W TDP makes it viable for systems where the Pro 5500M's 85 W TDP would be prohibitive. The 740M's higher average benchmark score (12,870 vs 11,528) and higher percentile rank (53rd vs 51st) indicate that, across a wider range of tasks, it holds its own relative to the entire GPU market better than the older discrete part. The Pro 5500M is a brute-force performer; the 740M is a modern, efficient all-rounder. Choose based on whether raw compute power or architectural currency matters more for the intended workload.