AMD Radeon Pro 5500M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits this comparison into two distinct computing eras. The AMD Radeon Pro 5500M wins both recorded head-to-head tests, and the margin is substantial in each case. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M has no recorded wins in the shared benchmark suite.

The AMD Radeon Pro 5500M delivers a Geekbench Metal score of 38,235 against 7,288 for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M, a delta of 424.6%. This is the single largest performance gap in the comparison. The Metal API is Apple's graphics and compute interface, and the Radeon Pro 5500M is built for the Mac platform, so this result aligns with the product's positioning. The GeForce GTX 870M's Kepler architecture predates broad Metal optimization, and the data reflects that.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M scores 31,088 while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M scores 12,630, a delta of 146.1%. OpenCL is a cross-platform compute standard, and this result indicates that the advantage is not limited to Apple's proprietary API. The Radeon Pro 5500M is ahead in general-purpose GPU compute workloads as well.

The average benchmark score tells a similar story. The AMD Radeon Pro 5500M averages 11,528 across all recorded tests, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M averages 9,959. The Radeon Pro 5500M sits at the 51st percentile of all GPUs in the database, compared to the 48th percentile for the GeForce GTX 870M.

The performance distribution differs between the two cards. The Radeon Pro 5500M has a wider spread of benchmark results, with a PassMark G3D score of 6,732 and a PassMark GPU Compute score of 3,240. The GeForce GTX 870M has only two recorded benchmarks in the database, both in Geekbench, so its average is drawn from a smaller sample.

For use-case segmentation, the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M is the clear choice for Metal-accelerated workloads and OpenCL compute tasks. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M, with its lower scores in both available tests, does not win any recorded category. The data shows no scenario in this benchmark set where the older NVIDIA part takes the lead.

The Verdict

The recorded data supports a straightforward conclusion: the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M is the stronger GPU in every measured category. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks, holds a higher average score, and sits at a higher percentile rank.

The AMD Radeon Pro 5500M uses the Navi 14 chip with RDNA 1.0 architecture on a 7 nm TSMC process. It delivers 4.454 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M uses the GK104 chip with Kepler architecture on a 28 nm process, delivering 2.599 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. That is a 71.3% advantage in raw floating-point throughput for the AMD part, and the benchmark results are consistent with that hardware gap.

The GeForce GTX 870M does have some structural advantages. It carries 112 texture mapping units against 96 for the Radeon Pro 5500M, and its 192-bit memory bus is wider than the 128-bit bus on the AMD card. However, the Radeon Pro 5500M compensates with GDDR6 memory running at 12 Gbps effective, producing 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth against 120.0 GB/s for the GeForce GTX 870M's GDDR5 at 5 Gbps effective. The AMD part also has 8 GB of memory versus 3 GB, and 1,536 shading units versus 1,344.

The power envelope favors the AMD part as well. The Radeon Pro 5500M is rated at 85 W TDP, while the GeForce GTX 870M is rated at 100 W TDP. The AMD card delivers higher performance while consuming less power according to the recorded specifications.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M was released on 2014-03-11, and the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M followed on 2019-11-12. The five-year gap explains most of the performance difference. The Radeon Pro 5500M also supports PCIe 4.0 x8, while the GeForce GTX 870M uses an MXM-B (3.0) interface. Both are end-of-life products.

For users choosing between these two, the data points to the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M for Metal workloads, OpenCL compute, and overall performance. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M does not win any recorded benchmark category.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench Metal test produces the largest margin in this comparison. The AMD Radeon Pro 5500M scores 38,235, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M scores 7,288. The delta of 424.6% means the AMD card is more than five times faster in this specific workload. Metal is the primary graphics API on macOS, and the Radeon Pro 5500M is explicitly part of the Radeon Pro Mac generation, so its dominance here reflects both architectural efficiency and driver optimization for the platform.

Geekbench OpenCL shows a closer but still decisive gap. The AMD Radeon Pro 5500M scores 31,088, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M scores 12,630. The delta of 146.1% indicates the AMD card is roughly two and a half times faster. OpenCL is not tied to a single operating system, so this result suggests the Radeon Pro 5500M's advantage extends beyond Apple's ecosystem into general compute tasks.

The nearest-rival data provides additional context for the AMD card. The Radeon Pro 5500M sits between the NVIDIA Tesla K20c, which averages 11,479 with a delta of 0.4%, and the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT, which averages 11,627 with a delta of -0.8%. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 averages 11,680 with a delta of -1.3%. The Radeon Pro 5500M also leads the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M by 2.4%. This places the Radeon Pro 5500M in a competitive middle tier, close to desktop-class GPUs from the same era.

For the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M, the nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon Pro 5300M at 10,013 with a delta of -0.5%, the NVIDIA Quadro K5100M at 10,043 with a delta of -0.8%, and the AMD Radeon R9 M375 at 10,070 with a delta of -1.1%. The NVIDIA Quadro 6000 trails by 1.1% at 9,846. The GeForce GTX 870M's average of 9,959 places it just below these mobile and workstation parts.

The PassMark results for the Radeon Pro 5500M show its strengths and weaknesses across different DirectX versions. It scores 96 in PassMark DirectX 9, 42 in DirectX 11, 36 in DirectX 10, and 29 in DirectX 12. The PassMark G2D score is 648, and the G3D score is 6,732. The GPU Compute score is 3,240. The GeForce GTX 870M has no recorded PassMark results in the database, so a direct comparison on those tests is not possible.

The Radeon Pro 5500M's texture rate is 139.2 GTexel/s, and its pixel rate is 46.40 GPixel/s. The GeForce GTX 870M's texture rate is 108.3 GTexel/s, and its pixel rate is 27.08 GPixel/s. The AMD card leads in both fill-rate metrics. The Radeon Pro 5500M also supports FP16 at 8.909 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, while the GeForce GTX 870M has no recorded FP16 capability.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

The AMD Radeon Pro 5500M averages 11,528 across all recorded benchmarks, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M averages 9,959. The AMD part also holds a higher percentile rank at 51 versus 48.

Q: How large is the performance gap in the Geekbench Metal test?

The AMD Radeon Pro 5500M scores 38,235 against 7,288 for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M, a delta of 424.6%. This is the largest margin in the head-to-head comparison.

Q: What are the memory specifications for each card?

The AMD Radeon Pro 5500M has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 192.0 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M has 3 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 192-bit bus with 120.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: How do the two cards compare in compute performance?

The AMD Radeon Pro 5500M delivers 4.454 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 8.909 TFLOPS of FP16 with a 2:1 ratio. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M delivers 2.599 TFLOPS of FP32 and has no recorded FP16 capability. In Geekbench OpenCL, the AMD card scores 31,088 versus 12,630, a delta of 146.1%.

Q: Which card is more power efficient according to the data?

The AMD Radeon Pro 5500M is rated at 85 W TDP, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M is rated at 100 W TDP. The AMD card achieves higher benchmark scores while drawing less power according to the recorded specifications.

Q: What are the production statuses and release dates?

Both cards are end-of-life. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M was released on 2014-03-11, and the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M was released on 2019-11-12.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations and manufacturing processes. The AMD Radeon Pro 5500M uses the Navi 14 chip built on RDNA 1.0 architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 7 nm process. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M uses the GK104 chip built on Kepler architecture, also fabricated by TSMC but on a 28 nm process. The process node difference is substantial: 7 nm versus 28 nm.

Transistor counts reflect the process gap. The Navi 14 chip contains 6,400 million transistors on a die size of 158 mm², yielding a transistor density of 40.5 million per mm². The GK104 chip contains 3,540 million transistors on a die size of 294 mm², yielding a density of 12.0 million per mm². The AMD chip packs nearly twice the transistors into roughly half the die area.

Clock speeds differ as well. The Radeon Pro 5500M runs at a base clock of 1000 MHz and a boost clock of 1450 MHz. The GeForce GTX 870M runs at a base clock of 941 MHz and a boost clock of 967 MHz. The AMD card has a higher boost clock by 483 MHz, and its memory runs at 1500 MHz with 12 Gbps effective transfer. The NVIDIA card's memory runs at 1250 MHz with 5 Gbps effective.

The compute units are organized differently. The Radeon Pro 5500M has 1,536 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The GeForce GTX 870M has 1,344 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 24 ROPs. The AMD card has more shading units and ROPs, while the NVIDIA card has more texture mapping units.

Memory subsystems differ in capacity and type. The Radeon Pro 5500M has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, producing 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GeForce GTX 870M has 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus, producing 120.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The AMD card uses a newer memory type and achieves higher bandwidth despite a narrower bus.

API support shows generational differences. The Radeon Pro 5500M supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The GeForce GTX 870M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The AMD card has a higher DirectX feature level and a newer Vulkan version. Neither card has dedicated ray tracing cores or tensor cores.

Interfaces and form factors differ. The Radeon Pro 5500M uses PCIe 4.0 x8, while the GeForce GTX 870M uses MXM-B (3.0). The NVIDIA card is specified as an MXM module, while the AMD card's display outputs are listed as portable device dependent. Both cards use no external power connectors. The GeForce GTX 870M has a predecessor in the GeForce 700M and a successor in the GeForce 900M, while the Radeon Pro 5500M has no recorded predecessor or successor in the database.

Fill rates follow the compute advantage. The Radeon Pro 5500M achieves 46.40 GPixel/s and 139.2 GTexel/s. The GeForce GTX 870M achieves 27.08 GPixel/s and 108.3 GTexel/s. The AMD card leads in both metrics. The combination of a smaller process, higher clocks, more shading units, faster memory, and newer architecture produces the consistent benchmark lead recorded in the database.