AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT vs AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 and the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT are two very different GPUs separated by architecture, node, and intended use case, yet the benchmark data shows a clear pattern of dominance. Across the three shared head-to-head benchmark tests, the RX Vega 64 wins all three, with margins ranging from a solid 25.5% to a massive 69.3%. The average benchmark score reinforces this hierarchy, with the RX Vega 64 scoring 50,001 against the Pro 5500 XT's 45,384, a difference of roughly 10.2%. However, the Pro 5500 XT is not without merit; its lower power draw and newer process node make it a compelling option in specific scenarios, even if raw compute performance is not its strong suit.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most decisive victory for the RX Vega 64 comes in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where it scores 67,032 against the Pro 5500 XT's 39,601. That is a 69.3% advantage, the largest delta in the entire comparison. This result indicates a fundamental gap in graphics throughput that is unlikely to be bridged by driver optimizations or software tweaks. The Vulkan API is a low-level interface that exposes raw hardware capabilities, and the Vega 64's 4096 shading units simply overwhelm the Pro 5500 XT's 1536.

The Geekbench OpenCL test tells a similar story, albeit with a slightly smaller gap. The RX Vega 64 scores 62,552, while the Pro 5500 XT manages 41,772, giving the Vega card a 49.7% lead. OpenCL is heavily used for compute workloads like rendering and physics simulation, and the data here suggests the Vega 64 is the superior choice for such tasks. The 12.66 TFLOPS of FP32 performance on the Vega 64 versus the 5.398 TFLOPS on the Pro 5500 XT directly explains this result; the Vega 64 is processing more than twice the floating-point operations per second.

The closest contest is in Geekbench Metal, where the RX Vega 64 scores 68,750 and the Pro 5500 XT scores 54,779. The 25.5% delta is still decisive, but it is notably this is the Pro 5500 XT's best relative showing. Metal is Apple's graphics API, and the Pro 5500 XT is part of the "Radeon Pro Mac" generation, suggesting it is optimized for that ecosystem. Even so, the Vega 64's raw power wins out. It is also notable that while the Pro 5500 XT lacks a 3DMark Steel Nomad result in this data, the Vega 64 scores 1669 in that test, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs.

Where Each One Wins

The data is unambiguous: the RX Vega 64 wins every single benchmark where both GPUs have a recorded score. This makes the use-case split starkly defined by performance metrics rather than feature sets. For any workload that relies on raw compute, graphics rendering, or API-agnostic throughput, the RX Vega 64 is the superior product. Its 3 wins out of 3 head-to-head tests, combined with its 86th percentile ranking versus the Pro 5500 XT's 84th, confirms this.

The Pro 5500 XT, however, has its own domain where it excels, even if it is not reflected in the benchmark scores. Its thermal and power profile is dramatically different: it has a 125 W TDP versus the Vega 64's 295 W, and it requires no external power connectors, while the Vega 64 needs two 8-pin connectors. The Pro 5500 XT also uses a 7 nm process from TSMC, compared to the Vega 64's 14 nm node from GlobalFoundries. This means the Pro 5500 XT generates significantly less heat and can fit into systems with a 300 W suggested PSU, whereas the Vega 64 demands a 600 W unit. For a compact workstation or a Mac Pro upgrade where power delivery and cooling are constrained, the Pro 5500 XT is the only viable choice of the two.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 has an average benchmark score of 50,001, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT scores 45,384.

Q: What is the largest performance gap between the two cards in a single test?

A: The largest delta is in Geekbench Vulkan, where the RX Vega 64 leads by 69.3%, scoring 67,032 against the Pro 5500 XT's 39,601.

Q: Is the Pro 5500 XT ever faster than the RX Vega 64?

A: No. In the head-to-head benchmarks, the RX Vega 64 wins all three tests: Geekbench Metal (25.5% lead), Geekbench OpenCL (49.7% lead), and Geekbench Vulkan (69.3% lead). The data shows zero wins for the Pro 5500 XT.

Q: How do the two cards compare in terms of power requirements?

A: The RX Vega 64 has a 295 W TDP and requires a 600 W suggested PSU with two 8-pin power connectors. The Pro 5500 XT has a 125 W TDP, requires no external power connectors, and has a 300 W suggested PSU.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The Pro 5500 XT has a transistor density of 40.5M per mm², which is higher than the RX Vega 64's 25.3M per mm², due to its newer 7 nm process.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The RX Vega 64 has a memory bandwidth of 483.8 GB/s using HBM2 across a 2048-bit bus. The Pro 5500 XT has 224.0 GB/s using GDDR6 across a 128-bit bus.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every major specification. The RX Vega 64 uses a Vega 10 chip on a 14 nm process, while the Pro 5500 XT uses a Navi 14 chip on a 7 nm process. This leads to a massive difference in die size: the Vega 10 is 495 mm² with 12,500 million transistors, whereas the Navi 14 is 158 mm² with 6,400 million transistors. The transistor density reflects this, with the Pro 5500 XT packing 40.5M transistors per mm² versus the Vega 64's 25.3M.

The clock speeds also differ, with the Vega 64 boosting to 1546 MHz and the Pro 5500 XT boosting higher to 1757 MHz, though the Vega 64 has a higher base clock at 1247 MHz versus 1187 MHz. Memory configurations are starkly different: the Vega 64 uses 8 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus with 483.8 GB/s bandwidth, while the Pro 5500 XT uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. The core counts heavily favor the Vega 64: 4096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, versus 1536 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 32 ROPs on the Pro 5500 XT.

Power and physical specs diverge completely. The Vega 64 has a 295 W TDP, is dual-slot, requires two 8-pin connectors, and measures 280 mm in length. The Pro 5500 XT is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with a 125 W TDP, no power connectors, and no listed dimensions. The Vega 64 uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the Pro 5500 XT uses PCIe 4.0 x8. Display outputs also differ, with the Vega 64 offering 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the Pro 5500 XT has no outputs. Finally, the Vega 64 has a launch MSRP of 499 USD, while the Pro 5500 XT has no recorded launch MSRP.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap is generational. The RX Vega 64 is built on GCN 5.0, AMD's Graphics Core Next architecture, while the Pro 5500 XT uses RDNA 1.0. This is not a minor revision; RDNA was designed to replace GCN with a focus on higher clock speeds and improved instructions-per-clock. The Vega 64's FP32 throughput is 12.66 TFLOPS, and its FP16 is 25.33 TFLOPS (2:1). The Pro 5500 XT delivers 5.398 TFLOPS FP32 and 10.80 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1). Despite the Pro 5500 XT's higher boost clock, the Vega 64's sheer number of execution units gives it a 2.3x advantage in FP32 compute.

The memory subsystem is another major architectural difference. The Vega 64 uses HBM2 with a 2048-bit bus, achieving 483.8 GB/s, which is a hallmark of high-bandwidth compute cards. The Pro 5500 XT uses GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, which is more power-efficient but caps bandwidth at 224.0 GB/s. The Vega 64 also has a higher pixel rate (98.94 GPixel/s) and texture rate (395.8 GTexel/s) compared to the Pro 5500 XT's 56.22 GPixel/s and 168.7 GTexel/s. Both cards support DirectX 12 (12_1) and OpenGL 4.6, but the Pro 5500 XT supports Vulkan 1.4, while the Vega 64 supports Vulkan 1.3.

The process node difference is significant for architectural efficiency. The Pro 5500 XT's 7 nm TSMC process allows it to pack 40.5M transistors per mm², nearly double the Vega 64's density. This is why the Pro 5500 XT can deliver a 125 W TDP despite running at a higher boost clock. However, the Vega 64's larger chip and older process give it a transistor count of 12,500 million, which is nearly double the Pro 5500 XT's 6,400 million, explaining its dominance in raw throughput.

The Verdict

The data points to a single conclusion for performance: the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 is the faster GPU in every measurable way. It wins all three head-to-head benchmarks, has a higher average score, and sits in a higher percentile rank (86th vs 84th). If the primary requirement is compute power, rendering speed, or graphics fidelity, the RX Vega 64 is the clear choice. Its 49.7% lead in OpenCL and 69.3% lead in Vulkan make it indispensable for workloads that leverage these APIs.

The AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT, however, is not a failure; it is a different tool. Its 125 W TDP, lack of external power connectors, and PCIe 4.0 x8 interface make it suitable for systems where the Vega 64's 295 W TDP and 600 W PSU requirement are non-negotiable constraints. The Pro 5500 XT also uses a more modern 7 nm process and has a higher transistor density, which speaks to better manufacturing efficiency. For a user with a 300 W PSU and no ability to add power cables, the Pro 5500 XT is the only option. The benchmark results should be read as a measure of absolute performance, not suitability for a given environment. The verdict is that the RX Vega 64 is the performance king, but the Pro 5500 XT is the efficiency choice for constrained builds.