AMD Radeon HD 8950M vs AMD Radeon Pro W5500 Comparison

The AMD Radeon Pro W5500 and the AMD Radeon HD 8950M represent two very different eras of AMD mobile and workstation graphics. The W5500 is built on the modern RDNA 1.0 architecture, while the HD 8950M is a legacy GCN 2.0 part from the Solar System generation. The recorded benchmark data shows a decisive performance gap, but the comparison is not without nuance. The W5500 dominates in every recorded test, yet the HD 8950M holds its own in the broader database percentile rankings, indicating that its age has not made it entirely irrelevant in all workloads. This analysis breaks down the head-to-head results, architectural shifts, and specification differences to determine which GPU is the better pick for specific tasks.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The direct comparison between these two cards is limited to two recorded tests: Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan. In both, the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 is the clear winner, and the margins are substantial. In Geekbench OpenCL, the W5500 scores 45,615 against the HD 8950M’s 13,772. That is a delta of 231.2%, meaning the W5500 delivers more than three times the compute performance in this API. The Geekbench Vulkan test shows a similar story: the W5500 scores 42,021, while the HD 8950M manages only 12,979, a delta of 223.8%. These are not marginal improvements; they represent a generational leap in raw throughput.

Looking at the broader database averages, the W5500 records an average benchmark score of 15,679 across all tests, while the HD 8950M sits at 13,376. That gap is far smaller than the head-to-head results suggest, because the HD 8950M’s average is based on only two tests, both of which are its weakest relative to the newer card. The W5500’s average includes a much wider range of workloads, including DirectX tests and Passmark GPU Compute, where it scores 8,978 and 4,804 respectively. The HD 8950M has no recorded scores for those tests, so its average is skewed by its poor showing in the two Geekbench tests it does share with the W5500.

The nearest rivals list for each card puts the performance in context. The W5500’s average score of 15,679 places it within 0.8% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (15,548) and 1.1% behind the AMD Radeon RX 7700 (15,852). It also edges out the AMD Radeon R9 M380 by 1% (15,521) and the AMD Radeon R9 370X by 1.2% (15,862). This indicates that the W5500, despite being a workstation-oriented card, delivers performance competitive with high-end consumer GPUs from its era. The HD 8950M, by contrast, sits at 13,376, within 0.2% of the AMD Radeon RX 5500M (13,356) and the AMD FirePro M6100 (13,354). It is also 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 555 (13,407) and 0.4% behind the AMD Radeon Pro 555X (13,321). For a card released in 2013, that is a respectable position, but it does not come close to the W5500’s tier.

The wins tally is simple: the W5500 wins 2, the HD 8950M wins 0. There is no recorded test where the older card comes out ahead. The W5500’s percentile rank among all GPUs is 58, while the HD 8950M ranks at 54. Both are mid-pack entries, but the W5500 is clearly the stronger performer in absolute terms. The data shows that if you are choosing between these two for any compute-heavy workload, the W5500 is the only rational option.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 than the AMD Radeon HD 8950M in OpenCL?

A: The W5500 scores 45,615 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the HD 8950M scores 13,772. That is a 231.2% advantage for the W5500, meaning it is more than three times faster in this specific compute test.

Q: Does the HD 8950M win any benchmark against the W5500?

A: No. In the two head-to-head benchmarks recorded, Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan, the W5500 wins both. The wins tally is 2 for the W5500 and 0 for the HD 8950M.

Q: How do these cards rank against other GPUs in the database?

A: The W5500 has a percentile rank of 58 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15,679. The HD 8950M has a percentile rank of 54 and an average score of 13,376. The W5500 is within 0.8% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, while the HD 8950M is within 0.2% of the AMD Radeon RX 5500M.

Q: What is the difference in memory bandwidth between the two cards?

A: The W5500 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The HD 8950M has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 88.00 GB/s. The W5500 offers roughly 2.5 times the bandwidth.

Q: Which card has a higher pixel rate?

A: The W5500 has a pixel rate of 59.36 GPixel/s, compared to the HD 8950M’s 17.20 GPixel/s. The W5500 also has a texture rate of 163.2 GTexel/s versus 51.60 GTexel/s for the HD 8950M.

Q: Is the HD 8950M still competitive in any way?

A: Its average benchmark score of 13,376 places it within 0.2% of the AMD Radeon RX 5500M and the AMD FirePro M6100. It also sits 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 555. For legacy applications that do not require modern API features, it remains a functional option, but it is not competitive with the W5500.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is stark. The W5500 uses the Navi 14 chip built on RDNA 1.0, fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC. The HD 8950M uses the Saturn chip built on GCN 2.0, fabricated on a 28 nm process, also at TSMC. The process node difference is significant: 7 nm versus 28 nm, which explains much of the efficiency and performance gap. The W5500 packs 6,400 million transistors into a die size of 158 mm², giving it a transistor density of 40.5 million per mm². The HD 8950M has 2,080 million transistors on a 160 mm² die, with a density of 13.0 million per mm². The W5500 crams more than three times the transistors into a slightly smaller die, a direct result of the newer manufacturing process.

The compute architectures are also fundamentally different. RDNA 1.0 is designed for modern workloads, with a focus on higher instructions per clock and improved power efficiency compared to GCN. The GCN 2.0 architecture in the HD 8950M is an older design, originally intended for the Radeon HD 8000M series. This is reflected in the shading unit counts: the W5500 has 1,408 shading units, 88 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operation pipelines. The HD 8950M has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The W5500 has nearly double the shading units and TMUs, and twice the ROPs.

The memory subsystems differ as well. The W5500 uses GDDR6 memory clocked at 1750 MHz, with an effective data rate of 14 Gbps. The HD 8950M uses GDDR5 memory clocked at 1375 MHz, with an effective rate of 5.5 Gbps. Both use a 128-bit bus, but the W5500’s more advanced memory type and higher clocks give it a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s versus 88.00 GB/s for the HD 8950M. That is a 2.5x advantage in memory bandwidth, which matters for texture-heavy workloads and large datasets.

API support also sets them apart. The W5500 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The HD 8950M supports DirectX 12 (12_0, a lower feature level), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The higher Vulkan version and DirectX feature level on the W5500 mean better compatibility with modern games and compute applications. The HD 8950M does not have a recorded FP16 performance figure, while the W5500 delivers 10.45 TFLOPS FP16 performance at a 2:1 ratio, alongside 5.224 TFLOPS FP32. The HD 8950M’s FP32 output is 1.651 TFLOPS. The W5500’s compute throughput is more than three times higher in FP32, matching the OpenCL delta of 231.2%.

The W5500 is a single-slot card with a 6-pin power connector, built on PCIe 4.0 x8. The HD 8950M is an MXM module, designed for portable devices, and uses PCIe 3.0 x16. The W5500’s display outputs are 4x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the HD 8950M’s outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent." The W5500 is clearly a workstation card meant for professional use, while the HD 8950M is a mobile part designed for laptops, as indicated by its MXM form factor.

The production status for both cards is end-of-life. The W5500 was released in 2020, with a predecessor in the Radeon Pro Vega series. The HD 8950M was released in 2013, with a predecessor named London and a successor in the Gem System. The W5500 does not have a listed launch MSRP of 399 USD, which is a detail that can be noted once.

Specification Differences

The specification sheet shows differences in nearly every major category. The process node is 7 nm for the W5500 and 8 GB GDDR6 for the HD 8950M, with memory type GDDR5 for the 8950M. Memory size is 8 GB for the W5500, bus width 128-bit for both, with the W5500 having a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s versus 88.00 GB/s for the HD 8950M. The W5500 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the HD 8950M has 2 GB of GDDR5. The W5500’s shading unit count is 1408 versus 768, TMUs are 88 versus 48, and ROPs are 32 versus 16. The pixel rate is 59.36 GPixel/s versus 17.20 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 163.2 GTexel/s versus 51.60 GTexel/s. FP32 is 5.224 TFLOPS versus 1.224 TFLOPS, and the W5500 has an FP16 rating of 10.45 TFLOPS, which the HD 8950M lacks.

Clocks also differ. The W5500 has a base clock of 1744 MHz and a boost clock of 1855 MHz. The HD 8950M has no recorded base or boost clock, only memory clocks of 1375 MHz with an effective rate of 5.5 Gbps. The W5500’s memory clock is 1750 MHz at 14 Gbps effective. TDP is 125 W for the W5500 and 100 W for the HD 8950M. The W5500 is single-slot with a 6-pin connector and a suggested PSU of 300 W. The HD 8950M is an MXM module with no power connector or PSU suggestion. The bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x8 for the W5500 and PCIe 3.0 x16 for the HD 8950M. Display outputs are 4x DisplayPort 1.4a versus "Portable Device Dependent." The W5500’s dimensions are 241 mm length by 111 mm height, while the HD 8950M has no recorded dimensions. The release dates are 2020 for the W5500 and 2013 for the HD 8950M. The W5500 has a launch MSRP of 399 USD; the HD 8950M has no launch MSRP recorded.

Where Each One Wins

The W5500 wins in every direct benchmark and every specification category that matters. It wins in raw compute, memory bandwidth, pixel throughput, texture rate, and API support. It is the better card for any workload that demands modern graphics features, high resolution rendering, or heavy compute tasks like machine learning inference, 3D rendering, or video editing. The data shows the W5500 is 231.2% ahead in OpenCL and 223.8% ahead in Vulkan. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth is more than sufficient for modern data sets, and its 5.224 TFLOPS FP32 performance places it within 0.8% of a GTX 1080 Ti in average score. For a workstation user, the W5500 is the clear choice.

The HD 8950M wins in exactly one area: legacy compatibility. Its GCN 2.0 architecture and 28 nm process are outdated, but its average score of 13,376 is within 0.2% of the RX 5500M and FirePro M6100, meaning it is not a slouch for older applications. Its 2 GB of GDDR5 memory and 88.00 GB/s bandwidth are limiting, but for basic 2D work, old DirectX 9 or DirectX 10 titles, or lightweight compute tasks, it can still function. Its percentile rank of 54 shows it is not at the bottom of the database. However, it has no recorded DirectX 10, 11, 12, or Passmark GPU Compute scores, so its capabilities in those areas are unknown from the data.

The W5500’s 1408 shading units and 32 ROPs give it a pixel rate of 59.36 GPixel/s, which is more than three times the HD 8950M’s 17.20 GPixel/s. The W5500’s texture rate of 163.2 GTexel/s is also more than three times the HD 8950M’s 51.60 GTexel/s. These numbers translate directly to higher frame rates in games and faster rendering in professional applications. The W5500’s 7 nm process and 6,400 million transistors in a 158 mm² die also indicate better power efficiency per transistor, though the TDP is 125 W versus 100 W for the HD 8950M.

The Verdict

The AMD Radeon Pro W5500 is the definitive winner in this comparison. The benchmark data shows a 231.2% advantage in OpenCL and a 223.8% advantage in Vulkan, with a 2-0 win tally. Its average score of 15,679 places it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, within 0.8% of the GTX 1080 Ti. The W5500 is a modern, capable workstation GPU with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, 224.0 GB/s bandwidth, and 5.224 TFLOPS FP32 performance. It is the right choice for anyone needing current API support, high compute throughput, or professional rendering capability. Its launch MSRP is 399 USD.

The AMD Radeon HD 8950M is a legacy part. Its 2 GB of GDDR5 memory and 88.00 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for modern workloads, and its GCN 2.0 architecture lacks the features of RDNA 1.0. Its average score of 13,376 places it in the 54th percentile, within 0.2% of the RX 5500M, but it is not competitive with the W5500 in any recorded test. The HD 8950M is only suitable for very old applications or as a stopgap in systems where the W5500 cannot be installed. For anyone building a new system or upgrading an old one, the data is clear: the W5500 is the only rational pick. The HD 8950M is not a viable alternative. The verdict is unanimous, the W5500 wins on every metric that matters.