AMD Radeon Pro 555X vs AMD Radeon Pro W5500 Comparison

The Verdict

The benchmark data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 is the stronger GPU across every recorded test. In the three head-to-head comparisons available, the W5500 wins all three, with no wins recorded for the Radeon Pro 555X. The overall average benchmark score for the W5500 is 15,679, compared to 13,321 for the 555X. This places the W5500 in the 58th percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the 555X sits in the 54th percentile. The W5500 is an end-of-life desktop workstation card from 2020, while the 555X is an end-of-life integrated graphics processor from 2018 for portable Mac systems. Anyone needing compute throughput, memory bandwidth, or modern API support should select the W5500. The 555X is only relevant for legacy portable systems where its integrated form factor and 75 W power envelope are mandatory constraints.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations and manufacturing processes. The W5500 uses the Navi 14 chip on the RDNA 1.0 architecture, built on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It packs 6,400 million transistors into a 158 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 40.5 million per mm². The 555X uses the Polaris 21 chip on the GCN 4.0 architecture, built on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It contains 3,000 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, with a transistor density of 24.4 million per mm².

The compute resources differ substantially. The W5500 has 1,408 shading units, 88 texture mapping units, and 32 render output units. The 555X has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The W5500 delivers a pixel rate of 59.36 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 163.2 GTexel/s. The 555X delivers 14.51 GPixel/s and 43.54 GTexel/s. In floating-point performance, the W5500 reaches 5.224 TFLOPS for FP32 and 10.45 TFLOPS for FP16 with a 2:1 ratio. The 555X reaches 1,393.2 GFLOPS for both FP32 and FP16 at a 1:1 ratio.

Memory configuration is another major divider. The W5500 carries 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, with memory clocked at 1750 MHz and an effective data rate of 14 Gbps, producing 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The 555X carries 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, with memory at 1470 MHz and 5.9 Gbps effective, producing 94.08 GB/s. The W5500 uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface; the 555X uses PCIe 3.0 x8. The W5500 is a single-slot card requiring one 6-pin power connector and a 300 W suggested PSU, with a 125 W TDP. The 555X is an integrated graphics processor with no power connectors and a 75 W TDP. Display outputs differ as well: the W5500 offers four DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, while the 555X is portable-device dependent.

API support also favors the W5500. It supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The 555X supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The W5500 was released in February 2020; the 555X in July 2018.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench Metal test shows the largest gap. The W5500 scores 54,302, while the 555X scores 14,479. That is a 275% advantage for the W5500. This is the most extreme delta of the three recorded tests and reflects the combination of newer architecture, more shading units, and faster memory.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the W5500 scores 45,615 against the 555X's 12,628, a 261.2% lead. OpenCL performance is often memory-bound for compute workloads, and the W5500's 224.0 GB/s bandwidth versus 94.08 GB/s explains a large portion of this gap. The 5.224 TFLOPS FP32 rate also contributes directly to OpenCL compute throughput.

Geekbench Vulkan shows the W5500 at 42,021 versus 12,855 for the 555X, a 226.9% advantage. Vulkan performance relies on driver efficiency and hardware feature set. The W5500's RDNA 1.0 architecture and Vulkan 1.4 support give it a clear edge over the 555X's GCN 4.0 and Vulkan 1.3.

The database also places the W5500 near several rivals in average score. It is 0.8% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, 1% ahead of the AMD Radeon R9 M380, 1.1% behind the AMD Radeon RX 7700, and 1.2% behind the AMD Radeon R9 370X. The 555X, by comparison, is 0.2% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480, 0.2% behind the AMD FirePro M6100, 0.3% behind the AMD Radeon RX 5500M, and 0.4% behind the AMD Radeon HD 8950M. These rival deltas confirm that the W5500 competes in a higher performance class than the 555X, whose nearest rivals are older or lower-tier parts.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has more memory?

A: The W5500 has 8 GB of GDDR6, while the 555X has 4 GB of GDDR5. The W5500 also delivers 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth versus 94.08 GB/s for the 555X.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The W5500 has a 125 W TDP, requires a single 6-pin power connector, and suggests a 300 W PSU. The 555X has a 75 W TDP, uses no power connectors, and is an integrated graphics processor.

Q: Which GPU supports newer PCIe and display standards?

A: The W5500 uses PCIe 4.0 x8 and offers four DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The 555X uses PCIe 3.0 x8 and has portable-device-dependent display outputs.

Q: How do the compute capabilities compare?

A: The W5500 has 1,408 shading units, 88 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, with 5.224 TFLOPS FP32. The 555X has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, with 1,393.2 GFLOPS FP32.

Q: What is the difference in API support?

A: The W5500 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The 555X supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3.

Q: Which GPU has a higher percentile ranking?

A: The W5500 is in the 58th percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the 555X is in the 54th percentile. The W5500's average benchmark score is 15,679 versus 13,321 for the 555X.

Where Each One Wins

The W5500 wins in every scenario where the recorded benchmarks apply. For Metal workloads, its 275% lead over the 555X makes it the clear choice for macOS-based rendering and graphics tasks that use Apple's Metal API. The W5500's 54,302 Metal score is more than three and a half times the 555X's 14,479. For OpenCL compute, the W5500's 45,615 score versus 12,628 indicates strong performance for general-purpose GPU compute, scientific simulation, and data-parallel workloads. The 261.2% delta aligns with the W5500's larger memory bandwidth and higher FP32 throughput.

For Vulkan workloads, the W5500's 42,021 score versus 12,855 gives it a 226.9% advantage. This matters for cross-platform graphics development, game engine workloads, and any application that leverages Vulkan's low-level hardware access. The W5500 also wins on memory capacity and bandwidth, with 8 GB GDDR6 at 224.0 GB/s versus 4 GB GDDR5 at 94.08 GB/s. Larger textures, higher resolutions, and multi-app workflows will favor the W5500.

The 555X wins only on power efficiency in a strict sense: its 75 W TDP is lower than the W5500's 125 W, and its integrated form factor requires no additional power connectors. For portable systems where the GPU is soldered onto the logic board, the 555X is the only option in this comparison. Its 14 nm process and GCN 4.0 architecture are older, but they remain compatible with OpenGL 4.6 and DirectX 12 (12_0). The 555X also has a 1:1 FP16 ratio, meaning its half-precision throughput matches its FP32 rate at 1,393.2 GFLOPS. This is different from the W5500's 2:1 FP16 ratio, but in absolute terms the W5500 still delivers 10.45 TFLOPS FP16, which is roughly seven times the 555X's FP16 output.

For legacy software compatibility, the 555X supports Vulkan 1.3, which is adequate for most existing Vulkan applications. However, the W5500's Vulkan 1.4 support is newer and covers a broader feature set. In the database's percentile ranking, the W5500 sits at 58th versus 54th for the 555X, confirming that the W5500 belongs to a higher performance tier overall. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, the AMD Radeon RX 7700, and the AMD Radeon R9 370X, all of which are within a 1.2% delta of its average score. The 555X's nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480, AMD FirePro M6100, AMD Radeon RX 5500M, and AMD Radeon HD 8950M, all within 0.4%. This places the 555X in the company of much older or lower-tier hardware.

Use the W5500 for desktop workstations, professional rendering, and compute-heavy tasks that demand memory bandwidth and modern API support. Use the 555X only when the system form factor requires an integrated GPU and the power budget is capped at 75 W. The data does not show any benchmark where the 555X outperforms the W5500. The choice is driven entirely by system constraints, not by performance.