AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT vs Intel Arc A550M Comparison

The Intel Arc A550M and AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT are both end-of-life mobile graphics solutions, but they target fundamentally different workloads. The benchmark data shows a clear split: the Intel Arc A550M dominates in compute-oriented APIs, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT holds a notable advantage in Apple’s Metal framework. In the two shared cross-platform tests, the Intel part wins both, with its largest margin coming in Vulkan. However, the AMD part’s Metal score is the highest single benchmark result between the two, indicating that the choice depends heavily on the software ecosystem and API in use.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Arc A550M wins in the two benchmarks where both GPUs can be tested head-to-head. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 49894 against the Radeon Pro 5500 XT’s 41772, a 19.4% advantage. In Geekbench Vulkan, the margin grows to 25.2%, with Intel scoring 49580 and AMD scoring 39601. These results suggest that in cross-platform, non-Apple environments, the Arc A550M is the stronger compute performer. Its average benchmark score of 49737 also places it in the 86th percentile among all GPUs, while the Radeon Pro 5500 XT sits at the 84th percentile with an average of 45384.

The AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT wins in a different arena: Apple’s Metal API. Its Geekbench Metal score of 54779 is the highest single benchmark result of either GPU, exceeding even the Arc A550M’s best OpenCL score by 9.8%. The AMD part also has a longer benchmark list, with three results (Metal, OpenCL, Vulkan) compared to Intel’s two (OpenCL, Vulkan). This suggests the Radeon Pro 5500 XT is designed for macOS environments, where Metal is the primary graphics and compute interface, while the Arc A550M’s strengths lie in more general-purpose APIs.

The wins break down as 2 for the Intel Arc A550M and 0 for the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT in the head-to-head tests, but that tally excludes the Metal result, which is unique to the AMD part. For users working within Apple’s ecosystem, the Radeon Pro 5500 XT is the clear choice; for everyone else, the Arc A550M’s higher OpenCL and Vulkan scores make it the better candidate. The data does not show a single GPU winning across all possible workloads.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations and process nodes. The Intel Arc A550M uses the Xe-HPG architecture on a 6 nm TSMC process, with the DG2-512 chip. It packs 21,700 million transistors into a 406 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 53.4M per mm². In contrast, the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT uses RDNA 1.0 on a 7 nm TSMC process, with the Navi 14 chip. It contains 6,400 million transistors on a 158 mm² die, for a density of 40.5M per mm². The Intel chip is larger and denser, which correlates with its higher transistor count and compute throughput.

The Intel part has more execution resources: 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, compared to the AMD’s 1536 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The Arc A550M also features 16 ray tracing cores, while the Radeon Pro 5500 XT has none. This explains why the Intel GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the AMD part is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4, but the Intel GPU’s ray tracing hardware gives it a feature-set advantage for modern gaming and rendering workloads.

Clock speeds tell a different story. The AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT has a higher base clock of 1187 MHz versus 900 MHz, but its boost clock of 1757 MHz is lower than Intel’s 2050 MHz. Memory is identical on paper: both have 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, with the same 1750 MHz memory clock and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. The real differences lie in the compute rates. The Intel Arc A550M delivers 8.397 TFLOPS FP32 and 16.79 TFLOPS FP16, while the AMD part provides 5.398 TFLOPS FP32 and 10.80 TFLOPS FP16. Intel’s pixel rate of 131.2 GPixel/s is more than double AMD’s 56.22 GPixel/s, and its texture rate of 262.4 GTexel/s exceeds AMD’s 168.7 GTexel/s.

Power and interface differ as well. The Intel Arc A550M has a TDP of 60 W, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT draws 125 W, more than double. The AMD part has no power connectors and lists a suggested PSU of 300 W, while the Intel part lists no power connectors or PSU requirement. The bus interface also differs: Intel uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while AMD uses PCIe 4.0 x8. The AMD part has no display outputs, whereas the Intel part’s outputs are portable-device dependent.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench OpenCL test shows the Intel Arc A550M ahead by a substantial margin. With a score of 49894 versus 41772, the delta is 19.4% in Intel’s favor. This is a meaningful gap, placing the Arc A550M closer to much higher-tier GPUs in the nearest rivals list. The Arc A550M’s average benchmark score of 49737 is within 0.4% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (49957) and 0.5% of the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 (50001). In contrast, the Radeon Pro 5500 XT’s average of 45384 is just 0.5% below the Intel Arc A730M (45592) and 0.5% above the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile (45152). The OpenCL result alone suggests the Arc A550M competes with desktop-class GPUs, while the Radeon Pro 5500 XT sits in a lower tier.

The Vulkan test amplifies Intel’s advantage. The Arc A550M scores 49580, while the Radeon Pro 5500 XT scores 39601, a 25.2% delta. This is the largest single benchmark gap between the two. The Arc A550M’s Vulkan score is nearly identical to its OpenCL score, indicating consistent performance across APIs. The Radeon Pro 5500 XT, however, drops from 41772 in OpenCL to 39601 in Vulkan, showing less consistency. This Vulkan result pushes the Arc A550M further up the performance curve, while the Radeon Pro 5500 XT’s relative weakness in Vulkan contributes to its lower average.

The AMD part’s Metal score of 54779 is not part of the head-to-head set, but it deserves attention. That single result is 9.8% higher than Intel’s best OpenCL score and 10.5% higher than its Vulkan score. It also exceeds the Radeon Pro 5500 XT’s own OpenCL score by 31.1%. This suggests that in Apple’s ecosystem, the Radeon Pro 5500 XT is a much stronger performer than its cross-platform scores imply. The data shows a GPU that is optimized for Metal, likely reflecting its intended use in Mac systems, while its OpenCL and Vulkan performance lags behind the Intel competitor.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Arc A550M has an average benchmark score of 49737, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT averages 45384. The Intel part sits in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, and the AMD part is in the 84th percentile.

Q: How large is the performance gap in OpenCL?

A: The Intel Arc A550M scores 49894 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 19.4% higher than the Radeon Pro 5500 XT’s 41772. This is the smaller of Intel’s two head-to-head wins.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT win any benchmark?

A: Yes. The AMD part scores 54779 in Geekbench Metal, which is a benchmark the Intel Arc A550M does not have a result for. This is the highest single score between the two GPUs.

Q: What is the difference in ray tracing support?

A: The Intel Arc A550M has 16 ray tracing cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). The AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT has no ray tracing cores and supports only DirectX 12 (12_1).

Q: How do the power requirements compare?

A: The Intel Arc A550M has a TDP of 60 W, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT has a TDP of 125 W. The AMD part also lists a suggested PSU of 300 W, while the Intel part has no such listing.

Q: Are the memory specs identical?

A: Yes, both GPUs have 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, with a 1750 MHz memory clock (14 Gbps effective) and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every core specification except memory. The Intel Arc A550M uses a 6 nm process, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT uses 7 nm. Intel’s chip has 21,700 million transistors on a 406 mm² die, versus AMD’s 6,400 million transistors on a 158 mm² die. The Intel part has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, while the AMD part has 1536 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The Arc A550M adds 16 ray tracing cores, which the Radeon Pro 5500 XT lacks entirely.

Clock speeds diverge: Intel’s base clock is 900 MHz with a 2050 MHz boost, while AMD’s base is 1187 MHz with a 1757 MHz boost. Compute throughput favors Intel heavily: 8.397 TFLOPS FP32 versus 5.398 TFLOPS, and 16.79 TFLOPS FP16 versus 10.80 TFLOPS. Pixel rate is 131.2 GPixel/s for Intel versus 56.22 GPixel/s for AMD, and texture rate is 262.4 GTexel/s versus 168.7 GTexel/s. TDP differs significantly: 60 W for Intel, 125 W for AMD. The bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x16 on Intel and PCIe 4.0 x8 on AMD. The AMD part has no display outputs, while Intel’s are portable-device dependent. DirectX support is 12 Ultimate (12_2) for Intel versus 12 (12_1) for AMD, though both share OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split based on use case. For cross-platform compute and graphics, the Intel Arc A550M is the stronger GPU. Its 19.4% OpenCL lead and 25.2% Vulkan lead over the Radeon Pro 5500 XT are decisive, and its average score of 49737 places it in the 86th percentile, within 0.4% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti. The Intel part also offers ray tracing and a higher feature set with DirectX 12 Ultimate, making it the better choice for modern gaming and general compute workloads, especially at a lower 60 W TDP.

The AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT is the better choice for Apple-centric workflows. Its Geekbench Metal score of 54779 is the strongest result of either GPU, exceeding the Intel part’s best score by nearly 10%. The AMD GPU also has a higher base clock and a smaller, simpler chip, but its 125 W TDP and lack of ray tracing limit its appeal outside macOS. For users in an Apple ecosystem, the Radeon Pro 5500 XT’s Metal performance is the deciding factor. For everyone else, the Intel Arc A550M’s superior OpenCL and Vulkan scores, higher compute throughput, and additional features make it the clear winner from the available data.