AMD Radeon Pro 5500M vs AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT and the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M occupy opposite ends of AMD's Radeon spectrum, yet their average benchmark scores are surprisingly close. The data shows the RX 7800 XT averages 11627 points across all tests, while the Pro 5500M averages 11528 points, a difference of only 0.9%. This near-parity in aggregate scores masks a dramatic divergence in workload-specific performance, with the two GPUs winning in entirely different arenas. The following analysis breaks down where each card excels, the architectural chasm between them, and what the benchmark results imply for real-world usage.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark distribution reveals a stark split: the RX 7800 XT dominates modern graphics workloads, while the Pro 5500M wins in compute-oriented OpenCL tasks. Out of nine head-to-head comparisons, the RX 7800 XT takes eight victories, with the Pro 5500M claiming only a single win. That lone triumph is significant — in Geekbench OpenCL, the Pro 5500M scores 31088 against the RX 7800 XT's 18290, a 41.2% advantage for the older mobile chip. This suggests the Pro 5500M's architecture is particularly efficient at raw compute execution in that specific benchmark, despite its much lower theoretical FP32 throughput.

Every other benchmark falls to the RX 7800 XT, often by enormous margins. The most extreme case is Passmark DirectX 11, where the RX 7800 XT scores 249 versus 42 for the Pro 5500M, a 492.9% difference. Passmark G3D shows a 259.1% gap (24176 vs 6732), and Passmark GPU Compute reveals a 315.8% lead for the RX 7800 XT (13473 vs 3240). The RX 7800 XT also wins decisively in Vulkan (54228 vs 35134, +54.3%), every legacy DirectX test, and even 2D performance (1177 vs 648, +81.6%). The pattern is clear: the RX 7800 XT is built for graphics rendering and modern APIs, while the Pro 5500M's single OpenCL win hints at specialized compute behavior that does not translate to other workloads.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent two generations of RDNA architecture on different manufacturing nodes. The RX 7800 XT uses RDNA 3.0 on TSMC's 5 nm process, while the Pro 5500M uses the original RDNA 1.0 on 7 nm. This node shrink is reflected in transistor density: the RX 7800 XT packs 81.2M transistors per mm² across a 346 mm² die (28,100 million total), whereas the Pro 5500M manages 40.5M per mm² on a 158 mm² die (6,400 million total). The newer chip has over four times the transistor count and double the die area.

The RX 7800 XT's Navi 32 chip includes 60 ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the Pro 5500M's Navi 14. Its 3840 shading units, 240 texture mapping units, and 96 render output units dwarf the Pro 5500M's 1536, 96, and 32 respectively. Memory configurations differ fundamentally: the RX 7800 XT offers 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus delivering 624.1 GB/s, while the Pro 5500M has 8 GB on a 128-bit bus at 192.0 GB/s. The RX 7800 XT also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) versus the Pro 5500M's DirectX 12 (12_1), and its PCIe interface is x16 rather than x8. Power consumption scales accordingly — 263 W TDP with 2x 8-pin connectors versus 85 W with no external power connectors.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The RX 7800 XT averages 11627 points across all benchmarks, while the Pro 5500M averages 11528 points. This gives the RX 7800 XT a 0.9% edge in aggregate performance.

Q: Why does the Pro 5500M win the Geekbench OpenCL test despite losing everywhere else?

A: The Pro 5500M scores 31088 in Geekbench OpenCL versus 18290 for the RX 7800 XT, a 41.2% margin. This suggests the RDNA 1.0 architecture in the Pro 5500M has a compute path that is particularly efficient in that specific test, even though its FP32 throughput is only 4.454 TFLOPS versus 37.32 TFLOPS for the RX 7800 XT.

Q: How large is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The RX 7800 XT provides 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth over a 256-bit bus, while the Pro 5500M provides 192.0 GB/s over a 128-bit bus. This is a 3.25x bandwidth advantage for the RX 7800 XT.

Q: Does the Pro 5500M support ray tracing?

A: No. The Pro 5500M has no ray tracing cores listed, while the RX 7800 XT includes 60 RT cores as part of its RDNA 3.0 architecture.

Q: What is the production status of each GPU?

A: The RX 7800 XT is listed as Active production, released on September 5, 2023. The Pro 5500M is End-of-life, having been released on November 12, 2019.

Q: How do the two compare in Passmark G3D?

A: The RX 7800 XT scores 24176, which is 259.1% higher than the Pro 5500M's 6732. This is one of the largest performance gaps in the head-to-head results.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs diverge on nearly every measurable specification. The RX 7800 XT uses a 5 nm process with 28,100 million transistors on a 346 mm² die, while the Pro 5500M uses 7 nm with 6,400 million transistors on 158 mm². Clock speeds differ substantially: the RX 7800 XT runs at 1295 MHz base and 2430 MHz boost, versus 1000 MHz base and 1450 MHz boost for the Pro 5500M. The RX 7800 XT's memory operates at 19.5 Gbps effective, while the Pro 5500M's runs at 12 Gbps.

Compute resources scale similarly: 3840 shading units, 240 TMUs, 96 ROPs, and 60 RT cores for the RX 7800 XT; 1536 shading units, 96 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and no RT cores for the Pro 5500M. Pixel and texture rates reflect this: 233.3 GPixel/s and 583.2 GTexel/s versus 46.40 GPixel/s and 139.2 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 37.32 TFLOPS versus 4.454 TFLOPS, and FP16 is 37.32 TFLOPS (1:1) versus 8.909 TFLOPS (2:1). The RX 7800 XT draws 263 W with 2x 8-pin power connectors and a 600 W suggested PSU, while the Pro 5500M draws 85 W with no external power connectors. The RX 7800 XT measures 267 mm by 111 mm by 50 mm and occupies dual slots; the Pro 5500M has no listed dimensions and is portable-device dependent for display outputs.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking result is the Geekbench OpenCL inversion. The Pro 5500M's 31088 score crushes the RX 7800 XT's 18290, a 41.2% deficit for the newer card. This is the only benchmark where the older GPU wins, and it stands in direct contrast to the FP32 specifications — the RX 7800 XT has 8.4x the raw floating-point throughput. The implication is that the OpenCL test exercises a workload pattern where the Pro 5500M's simpler architecture with fewer, faster-accessible resources outperforms the massively parallel RX 7800 XT.

Every other head-to-head is a landslide for the RX 7800 XT. In Passmark DirectX 11, the RX 7800 XT's 249 points represent a 492.9% advantage over the Pro 5500M's 42. Passmark GPU Compute shows a 315.8% gap (13473 vs 3240), and Passmark G3D shows 259.1% (24176 vs 6732). The Vulkan test is closer but still decisive: 54228 vs 35134, a 54.3% lead. Legacy DirectX tests follow the trend, with DirectX 10 at 236.1% (121 vs 36), DirectX 12 at 220.7% (93 vs 29), and DirectX 9 at 216.7% (304 vs 96). Even the 2D test shows an 81.6% edge (1177 vs 648). The RX 7800 XT wins by margins ranging from 54.3% to 492.9% across eight tests, while the Pro 5500M wins by 41.2% in one.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear conclusion: the RX 7800 XT is the superior graphics processor for virtually all rendering and gaming workloads. Its wins span every DirectX version, Vulkan, 2D, and compute benchmarks, with margins that range from 54.3% to 492.9%. The 60 RT cores, 16 GB of memory, and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth make it a modern, active-production part designed for demanding applications. The Pro 5500M's single OpenCL victory is notable but isolated — it does not extend to Vulkan, DirectX, or any other tested scenario.

For users choosing between these two, the decision hinges on the specific application. The Pro 5500M's 41.2% OpenCL advantage suggests it may have niche compute uses where that particular benchmark is representative, and its 85 W power draw with no external power connectors makes it suitable for portable devices. However, the RX 7800 XT's overwhelming dominance in graphics — particularly the 259.1% G3D lead and 492.9% DirectX 11 margin — positions it as the clear choice for gaming, content creation, and general GPU acceleration. The Pro 5500M is end-of-life, while the RX 7800 XT remains active. With its 0.9% higher average score, the RX 7800 XT is the safer and more capable option across the breadth of benchmark results.