AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT vs AMD Radeon Pro 580X Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data reveals a clear overall winner, but with an interesting twist in one specific API test. Across the three recorded Geekbench tests, the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT takes two victories, while the AMD Radeon Pro 580X secures a narrow win in the remaining test.

The most significant margin appears in the Geekbench Metal test. The Radeon Pro 5500 XT scores 54779, while the Radeon Pro 580X manages 39577. That is a 38.4% advantage for the newer card, a substantial gap that indicates a major performance difference in Apple's Metal API. This is the headline result of the comparison, and it suggests that the RDNA 1.0 architecture has a distinct advantage in this workload.

The Geekbench OpenCL test shows a smaller but still decisive lead for the Radeon Pro 5500 XT. It records 41772 points versus 36426 for the Radeon Pro 580X, a 14.7% difference. While not as dramatic as the Metal result, this still represents a clear win for the Navi 14-based card.

The Geekbench Vulkan test is where the tables turn, though only slightly. The Radeon Pro 580X posts 40115 points, barely edging out the Radeon Pro 5500 XT's 39601. The delta is just -1.3% from the perspective of the 5500 XT, meaning the 580X is only 1.3% faster in this specific test. This is a narrow margin, and it is the only benchmark where the older GCN 4.0 card comes out ahead.

Looking at the average benchmark score, the Radeon Pro 5500 XT sits at 45384, while the Radeon Pro 580X averages 38706. This puts the 5500 XT about 17.2% higher on average across the three tests, which aligns with the head-to-head results showing two wins for the 5500 XT.

The percentile rankings provide additional context. The Radeon Pro 5500 XT is in the 84th percentile of all GPUs, while the Radeon Pro 580X is in the 82nd. Both are high-performing cards in the broader database, but the 5500 XT holds a slightly higher standing.

The nearest rivals for the 5500 XT illustrate its performance tier. The Intel Arc A730M scores an average of 45592, which is only 0.5% higher than the 5500 XT's average. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile scores 45152, 0.5% lower. The NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation is 1.3% higher at 45972, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is 1.3% lower at 44795. These are all extremely close scores, meaning the 5500 XT sits in a tightly packed competitive band.

For the Radeon Pro 580X, the nearest rivals are similarly close. The NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A scores 38691, essentially identical with a 0% delta. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile scores 38349, 0.9% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce MX570 scores 38299, 1.1% lower. The AMD Radeon Pro 575X scores 39116, 1% higher. The 580X's average of 38706 places it in a lower tier than the 5500 XT, roughly 17% behind on average.

FAQ

Q: Which card wins more benchmarks in the head-to-head comparison?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT wins 2 out of 3 tests. It takes Geekbench Metal with 54779 versus 39577 (38.4% ahead) and Geekbench OpenCL with 41772 versus 36426 (14.7% ahead). The Radeon Pro 580X wins only Geekbench Vulkan with 40115 versus 39601, a 1.3% margin.

Q: How large is the Metal performance gap between the two cards?

A: The Metal gap is substantial. The Radeon Pro 5500 XT scores 54779, while the Radeon Pro 580X scores 39577. This represents a 38.4% advantage for the 5500 XT, the largest difference in any benchmark between these two cards.

Q: Is the Radeon Pro 580X ever faster than the 5500 XT?

A: Yes, in one specific test. The Radeon Pro 580X achieves a Geekbench Vulkan score of 40115, which is 1.3% higher than the 5500 XT's 39601. This is the only test where the 580X comes out ahead, and the margin is very small.

Q: What is the average benchmark score difference between the two cards?

A: The Radeon Pro 5500 XT has an average benchmark score of 45384, while the Radeon Pro 580X averages 38706. The 5500 XT's average is approximately 17.2% higher across the three recorded tests.

Q: How do these cards compare to their nearest rivals in the database?

A: The 5500 XT's average score of 45384 places it within 1.3% of four rivals: the Intel Arc A730M (45592), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile (45152), NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation (45972), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti (44795). The 580X's average of 38706 is within 1.1% of the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A (38691), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile (38349), NVIDIA GeForce MX570 (38299), and AMD Radeon Pro 575X (39116).

Q: What do the percentile rankings indicate about these GPUs?

A: The Radeon Pro 5500 XT is in the 84th percentile of all GPUs, while the Radeon Pro 580X is in the 82nd percentile. Both are high performers, but the 5500 XT holds a slightly higher overall position in the database.

Architecture Differences

The two cards represent different architectural generations from AMD, and the data shows several key differences in their designs. The Radeon Pro 5500 XT uses the Navi 14 chip built on the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The Radeon Pro 580X uses the Ellesmere chip based on the older GCN 4.0 architecture. This generational shift drives most of the performance differences observed in the benchmarks.

The manufacturing process is a major point of distinction. The 5500 XT is fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC, while the 580X uses a 14 nm process from GlobalFoundries. The smaller node allows the 5500 XT to pack 6,400 million transistors into a die size of 158 mm². The 580X contains 5,700 million transistors spread across a larger 232 mm² die. This results in a transistor density of 40.5M per mm² for the 5500 XT versus 24.6M per mm² for the 580X. The newer process clearly enables a much denser design.

Clock speeds also differ significantly. The 5500 XT has a base clock of 1187 MHz and a boost clock of 1757 MHz. The 580X runs at a base of 1100 MHz and boosts to 1200 MHz. The 5500 XT's higher boost clock, combined with its architectural efficiency, helps explain its strong performance in Metal and OpenCL tests.

Memory configurations show a trade-off. Both cards have 8 GB of memory, but they use different types and bus widths. The 5500 XT uses GDDR6 memory on a 128 bit bus, achieving a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. The 580X uses GDDR5 memory on a wider 256 bit bus, achieving 218.9 GB/s. Despite the narrower bus, the faster GDDR6 memory on the 5500 XT gives it a slight bandwidth advantage. The memory clock for the 5500 XT is 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), while the 580X runs at 1710 MHz (6.8 Gbps effective).

The compute unit configurations differ in interesting ways. The 5500 XT has 1536 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operation units. The 580X has more shading units at 2304 and more TMUs at 144, but the same 32 ROPs. Despite having fewer shaders and TMUs, the 5500 XT achieves a higher pixel rate of 56.22 GPixel/s versus 38.40 GPixel/s for the 580X. The texture rates are close: 168.7 GTexel/s for the 5500 XT versus 172.8 GTexel/s for the 580X.

Floating point performance is nearly identical in FP32, with the 5500 XT at 5.398 TFLOPS and the 580X at 5.530 TFLOPS. The FP16 performance is where they diverge sharply: the 5500 XT achieves 10.80 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, while the 580X is limited to 5.530 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio. This means the 5500 XT has a significant advantage in workloads that can use FP16.

Power consumption differs notably. The 5500 XT has a TDP of 125 W with a suggested power supply of 300 W. The 580X has a higher TDP of 185 W and no suggested PSU listed. Both cards are integrated GPU form factors with no dedicated slot width. The 5500 XT has no display outputs, while the 580X offers 2x HDMI 2.0b outputs. The bus interface also differs: the 5500 XT uses PCIe 4.0 x8, while the 580X uses Apple MPX.

API support shows a slight generational advantage. The 5500 XT supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The 580X supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The higher DirectX feature level and newer Vulkan version on the 5500 XT align with its newer architecture.

The Verdict

The data points strongly toward the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT as the superior card for most scenarios. It wins 2 out of 3 head-to-head benchmarks, including the critical Metal test by a massive 38.4% margin. Its average benchmark score of 45384 is about 17.2% higher than the 580X's 38706. It achieves this with lower power consumption (125 W versus 185 W), a smaller die, and newer architecture.

The Radeon Pro 580X is not without merit. It wins the Vulkan test by 1.3%, and its FP32 performance is slightly higher at 5.530 TFLOPS versus 5.398 TFLOPS. It also offers display outputs, which the 5500 XT lacks entirely. For users who require HDMI outputs directly from the card, the 580X has a functional advantage.

However, the benchmark results indicate that the 5500 XT is the better choice for raw compute performance, particularly in Metal-based applications. The 38.4% lead in Metal is decisive and likely reflects the architectural efficiency of RDNA 1.0 over GCN 4.0 in Apple's ecosystem. The 14.7% lead in OpenCL reinforces this conclusion.

The niche for the 580X is narrow: users who specifically need Vulkan performance and require display outputs. The 1.3% Vulkan advantage is small enough that it may not be noticeable in real-world workloads, but it is a measurable difference in the database. For users prioritizing Metal or OpenCL, the 5500 XT is the clear pick.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT | AMD Radeon Pro 580X |

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

| Chip | Navi 14 | Ellesmere |

| Architecture | RDNA 1.0 | GCN 4.0 |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 14 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | GlobalFoundries |

| Transistors | 6,400 million | 5,700 million |

| Die Size | 158 mm² | 232 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 40.5M / mm² | 24.6M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1187 MHz | 1100 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1757 MHz | 1200 MHz |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 224.0 GB/s | 218.9 GB/s |

| Memory Clock | 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) | 1710 MHz (6.8 Gbps effective) |

| Shading Units | 1536 | 2304 |

| TMUs | 96 | 144 |

| ROPs | 32 | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 56.22 GPixel/s | 38.40 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 168.7 GTexel/s | 172.8 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 5.398 TFLOPS | 5.530 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 10.80 TFLOPS (2:1) | 5.530 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 125 W | 185 W |

| Suggested PSU | 300 W | None listed |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | Apple MPX |

| Display Outputs | No outputs | 2x HDMI 2.0b |

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

| Vulkan | 1.4 | 1.3 |

| Release Date | 2020-08-03 | 2019-03-17 |

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT wins in the following areas based on recorded data:

• Metal performance: 38.4% ahead of the 580X in Geekbench Metal, the largest margin in any test.
• OpenCL performance: 14.7% ahead in Geekbench OpenCL, a solid advantage.
• Average benchmark score: 45384 versus 38706, about 17.2% higher overall.
• FP16 throughput: 10.80 TFLOPS versus 5.530 TFLOPS, a 2x advantage for half-precision workloads.
• Pixel rate: 56.22 GPixel/s versus 38.40 GPixel/s, indicating better fill-rate efficiency.
• Memory bandwidth: 224.0 GB/s versus 218.9 GB/s, a modest but real edge.
• Power efficiency: 125 W TDP versus 185 W TDP, delivering higher performance with lower power draw.
• Process technology: 7 nm versus 14 nm, enabling higher density and clock speeds.
• PCIe interface: PCIe 4.0 x8 versus Apple MPX, offering a modern bus standard.

The AMD Radeon Pro 580X wins in these areas:

• Vulkan performance: 40115 versus 39601 in Geekbench Vulkan, a 1.3% edge.
• FP32 throughput: 5.530 TFLOPS versus 5.398 TFLOPS, a slight advantage in single-precision compute.
• Texture rate: 172.8 GTexel/s versus 168.7 GTexel/s, a minor lead.
• Display outputs: 2x HDMI 2.0b, while the 5500 XT has no outputs.
• Shading units and TMUs: 2304 versus 1536 shading units, and 144 versus 96 TMUs, though this does not translate to a benchmark win.
• Memory bus width: 256 bit versus 128 bit, though the 5500 XT still achieves higher bandwidth.

The overall distribution of wins favors the 5500 XT in 2 of 3 benchmarks, with the average score and power efficiency strongly supporting it. The 580X's strengths are limited to a narrow Vulkan victory and a functional advantage in display connectivity. For users who need Metal or OpenCL performance, the 5500 XT is the dominant choice. For users who require Vulkan and onboard display outputs, the 580X has a specific, if narrow, role.