AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT vs AMD Radeon Pro 575 Comparison

The AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT and AMD Radeon Pro 575 are both end-of-life mobile graphics solutions from AMD, but they represent two distinct architectural eras. The data shows a clear overall winner in the newer Radeon Pro 5500 XT, which claims victory in all three head-to-head benchmark comparisons. However, the older Radeon Pro 575 retains specific advantages in memory bandwidth and raw shading unit count that merit consideration for certain workloads. This analysis breaks down the benchmark results, architectural differences, and specification gaps to determine which GPU is better suited for different professional tasks.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark results are unambiguous: the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT outperforms the AMD Radeon Pro 575 in every single tested workload. The most significant margin appears in the Geekbench OpenCL test, where the 5500 XT scores 41,772 against the 575's 34,596, representing a substantial 20.7% advantage. This large delta suggests that the newer RDNA 1.0 architecture handles compute-heavy OpenCL workloads far more efficiently than the older GCN 4.0 design, despite the 575 having more shading units.

In Geekbench Metal, the gap narrows slightly but remains decisive. The 5500 XT posts a score of 54,779 compared to the 575's 46,192, a difference of 18.6%. This is particularly relevant for macOS users, as Metal is the primary graphics API on Apple platforms. The 5500 XT's superior Metal performance indicates better optimization for Apple's ecosystem, which aligns with its placement in the Radeon Pro Mac lineup.

The closest contest comes in Geekbench Vulkan, where the 5500 XT scores 39,601 versus the 575's 37,878. The delta here is just 4.5%, suggesting that Vulkan workloads are less dependent on the architectural improvements found in RDNA 1.0. This smaller margin could be due to the 575's higher memory bandwidth (217.0 GB/s over a 256-bit bus) partially compensating for its older compute units.

When placed in the broader context of all GPUs, the 5500 XT sits at the 84th percentile with an average benchmark score of 45,384, while the 575 ranks at the 82nd percentile with an average of 39,555. The 5500 XT's nearest rivals include the Intel Arc A730M (45,592, -0.5%), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile (45,152, +0.5%), and NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation (45,972, -1.3%). This places it in a competitive tier with modern enthusiast mobile GPUs. The 575, by contrast, matches the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile (39,568, 0%) and slightly trails the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 (40,063, -1.3%).

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT achieves an average benchmark score of 45,384, which is 14.7% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 575's 39,555. This places the 5500 XT at the 84th percentile of all GPUs, while the 575 sits at the 82nd percentile.

Q: How much faster is the 5500 XT in Geekbench Metal?

A: The 5500 XT scores 54,779 in Geekbench Metal, which is 18.6% higher than the 575's 46,192. This is the second-largest performance gap between the two cards, trailing only the OpenCL difference.

Q: Is there any benchmark where the Radeon Pro 575 wins?

A: No. The head-to-head data shows the 5500 XT winning all three tests: Geekbench Metal (18.6% delta), Geekbench OpenCL (20.7% delta), and Geekbench Vulkan (4.5% delta). The 575 does not win a single comparison.

Q: How does the 5500 XT compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Arc A730M?

A: The 5500 XT's average score of 45,384 is 0.5% lower than the Intel Arc A730M's 45,592. This places the two GPUs in essentially the same performance tier, with the margin being within normal benchmark variance.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference between the two cards?

A: The 5500 XT uses 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. The 575 uses half the capacity at 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 217.0 GB/s. Despite the narrower bus, the 5500 XT has slightly higher bandwidth due to faster memory clocks.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The 5500 XT has a transistor density of 40.5 million transistors per square millimeter, compared to the 575's 24.6 million. This reflects the 5500 XT's 7 nm process node versus the 575's 14 nm node.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is generational. The AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT is built on the RDNA 1.0 architecture using the Navi 14 chip, manufactured on TSMC's 7 nm process. The AMD Radeon Pro 575, in contrast, uses the older GCN 4.0 architecture with the Ellesmere chip, fabricated on GlobalFoundries' 14 nm process. This process shrink from 14 nm to 7 nm is a primary driver of the performance differences.

Transistor counts tell a subtle story. The 5500 XT packs 6,400 million transistors into a 158 mm² die, yielding a density of 40.5 million transistors per square millimeter. The 575 has fewer total transistors at 5,700 million, but they occupy a much larger 232 mm² die, resulting in a density of just 24.6 million per square millimeter. The smaller die size and higher density of the 5500 XT indicate a more efficient design.

Core configuration reveals a trade-off. The 575 offers more shading units (2,048 versus 1,536) and more texture mapping units (128 versus 96), but both have 32 raster operation units. Despite having fewer cores, the 5500 XT achieves higher raw throughput: 5.398 TFLOPS FP32 versus 4.489 TFLOPS, and a texture rate of 168.7 GTexel/s versus 140.3 GTexel/s. The pixel rate also favors the 5500 XT at 56.22 GPixel/s versus 35.07 GPixel/s, a 60% advantage.

Clock speeds are not directly comparable because the 575 lacks listed base and boost clocks. However, the 5500 XT's boost clock of 1757 MHz and base of 1187 MHz, combined with its memory clock of 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), illustrate the efficiency gains of RDNA. The 575's memory runs at 1695 MHz (6.8 Gbps effective), which is slower per-pin but uses a wider 256-bit bus.

The 5500 XT supports newer API versions, including DirectX 12 (12_1) versus the 575's DirectX 12 (12_0), and Vulkan 1.4 versus Vulkan 1.3. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The 5500 XT also uses PCIe 4.0 x8, while the 575 uses PCIe 3.0 x16, meaning the newer card offers double the per-lane bandwidth.

The Verdict

The data is clear: the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT is the superior performer in every benchmark test. With a 20.7% lead in OpenCL, an 18.6% lead in Metal, and a 4.5% lead in Vulkan, it offers decisive advantages for compute-heavy and graphics-intensive workloads. Its higher average benchmark score (45,384 versus 39,555), better percentile ranking (84th versus 82nd), and lower power draw (125 W versus 150 W) make it the logical choice for most professional applications.

The Radeon Pro 575's only theoretical advantages are its higher shading unit count (2,048 versus 1,536), wider memory bus (256-bit versus 128-bit), and larger physical die (232 mm² versus 158 mm²). However, these specifications do not translate into real-world performance wins, as the 575 loses every benchmark despite having more compute units. The 575's 4 GB memory capacity is also half that of the 5500 XT's 8 GB, which could limit its usefulness in memory-intensive tasks like large 3D scenes or high-resolution texture workloads.

For users working in Metal-optimized environments, particularly macOS ecosystems, the 5500 XT is the clear winner with an 18.6% performance advantage. Its 8 GB GDDR6 memory and higher bandwidth (224.0 GB/s versus 217.0 GB/s) provide additional headroom for modern professional workloads. The 5500 XT also benefits from PCIe 4.0 support, which can improve data transfer speeds in compatible systems.

The 575, while older and slower, still occupies a respectable position in the market at the 82nd percentile. It matches the performance of the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile and comes within 1.9% of the AMD Radeon Pro 580. For users with existing 575-based systems who do not require maximum performance, the card remains viable for basic professional tasks. However, the data does not support choosing the 575 over the 5500 XT for any new deployment.

The verdict is straightforward: the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT wins on every measurable performance metric, offers double the memory capacity, and does so with lower power consumption. It is the superior choice for any professional workload.

Specification Differences

The following specifications differ between the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT and the AMD Radeon Pro 575:

• Chip: Navi 14 (5500 XT) versus Ellesmere (575)
• Architecture: RDNA 1.0 versus GCN 4.0
• Generation: Radeon Pro Mac (Navi Series) versus Radeon Pro Mac (500 Series)
• Process Node: 7 nm (TSMC) versus 14 nm (GlobalFoundries)
• Transistors: 6,400 million versus 5,700 million
• Die Size: 158 mm² versus 232 mm²
• Transistor Density: 40.5M / mm² versus 24.6M / mm²
• Memory Clock: 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) versus 1695 MHz (6.8 Gbps effective)
• Memory Size: 8 GB versus 4 GB
• Memory Type: GDDR6 versus GDDR5
• Memory Bus Width: 128 bit versus 256 bit
• Memory Bandwidth: 224.0 GB/s versus 217.0 GB/s
• Shading Units: 1,536 versus 2,048
• TMUs: 96 versus 128
• Pixel Rate: 56.22 GPixel/s versus 35.07 GPixel/s
• Texture Rate: 168.7 GTexel/s versus 140.3 GTexel/s
• FP32 Performance: 5.398 TFLOPS versus 4.489 TFLOPS
• FP16 Performance: 10.80 TFLOPS (2:1) versus 4.489 TFLOPS (1:1)
• TDP: 125 W versus 150 W
• Slot Width: IGP versus MXM Module
• Suggested PSU: 300 W versus not specified
• Bus Interface: PCIe 4.0 x8 versus PCIe 3.0 x16
• Display Outputs: No outputs versus Portable Device Dependent
• DirectX Support: 12 (12_1) versus 12 (12_0)
• Vulkan Support: 1.4 versus 1.3
• Release Date: 2020-08-03 versus 2017-06-04