AMD Radeon Pro 555X vs AMD Radeon RX 5500M Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 5500M and AMD Radeon Pro 555X are both end-of-life mobile GPUs, but they sit on opposite sides of a generational and architectural divide. The benchmark data shows a decisive victory for the RX 5500M, which is built on a newer process node and architecture. While the Pro 555X holds its own in overall average scores due to a quirk in the dataset, the head-to-head results are lopsided, with the RX 5500M delivering anywhere from roughly 1.8x to 3.5x the performance of the Pro 555X depending on the API.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench results paint a clear picture of the performance gap between these two mobile GPUs. In the Geekbench Metal test, the RX 5500M scores 50,359, which is a staggering 247.8% higher than the Pro 555X’s 14,479. This is the largest delta of the three head-to-head tests, and it highlights the RX 5500M’s advantage in Apple’s Metal API. The RX 5500M also wins decisively in Geekbench OpenCL, posting 38,725 against 12,628 for the Pro 555X, a 206.7% improvement. The smallest, though still massive, win for the RX 5500M comes in Geekbench Vulkan, where it scores 35,693 versus 12,855, a 177.7% lead.

These deltas are not marginal; they represent a generational leap. The RX 5500M’s FP32 compute throughput is listed at 4.632 TFLOPS, while the Pro 555X is rated at 1,393.2 GFLOPS. That translates to more than three times the raw shader throughput, which aligns with the benchmark results. The texture and pixel rates tell a similar story: the RX 5500M achieves 144.8 GTexel/s and 52.64 GPixel/s, respectively, whereas the Pro 555X manages 43.54 GTexel/s and 14.51 GPixel/s. Every measurable compute metric favors the RX 5500M by a wide margin.

Interestingly, the overall average benchmark score tells a different story. The RX 5500M has an average score of 13,356, and the Pro 555X sits at 13,321. This puts the two cards within 0.3% of each other, with the RX 5500M technically ahead. The reason is that the average includes PassMark tests, where the RX 5500M scores are relatively low (e.g., 5,848 in G3D), and the Pro 555X lacks these entries entirely. The head-to-head Geekbench tests are the more reliable indicator of comparative performance, and they are unambiguous. In all three head-to-head tests, the RX 5500M wins, giving it a 3-0 record over the Pro 555X.

The Verdict

The data is straightforward: the AMD Radeon RX 5500M is the faster GPU in every direct comparison. If you are choosing between these two for a workload that leverages Metal, OpenCL, or Vulkan, the RX 5500M is the only rational choice. It delivers more than double the performance in OpenCL and Metal, and nearly triple in Vulkan. The Pro 555X’s only saving grace is that its average benchmark score is nearly identical, but that is a statistical artifact of missing PassMark data, not a sign of real-world parity.

The Pro 555X does have one advantage: it is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with a 75 W TDP, while the RX 5500M is a discrete solution with an 85 W TDP. For a system where power draw and thermal footprint are the absolute priority, the Pro 555X is the more frugal option. However, the 10 W difference is trivial compared to the performance gulf. The RX 5500M also supports PCIe 4.0 x8, whereas the Pro 555X is limited to PCIe 3.0 x8, which matters for data transfer in bandwidth-sensitive tasks.

For anyone building or upgrading a laptop with these GPUs, the RX 5500M is the pick for gaming, 3D rendering, or GPU compute. The Pro 555X should only be considered if the host system is strictly limited to its 75 W power envelope and the workload is light enough that the performance deficit is acceptable. The benchmark results indicate that the RX 5500M is not just faster; it is in a different performance class.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 5500M wins outright in all compute and graphics workloads represented by the benchmark suite. Its Geekbench Metal score of 50,359 makes it the clear choice for macOS-centric Metal applications, and its OpenCL score of 38,725 is similarly dominant. For Vulkan-based games or workloads, the 35,693 score is more than double what the Pro 555X can offer. The RX 5500M’s higher pixel rate (52.64 GPixel/s) and texture rate (144.8 GTexel/s) mean it will handle higher resolutions and more detailed textures without bottlenecking.

The Pro 555X has no benchmark wins to speak of. Its only area of relative advantage is power consumption, where its 75 W TDP is lower than the RX 5500M’s 85 W. In a thermally constrained chassis, that might translate to quieter operation or better battery life, but the data does not quantify those effects. The Pro 555X also supports a slightly older Vulkan version (1.3 versus 1.4 on the RX 5500M), which could affect compatibility with high-end titles, though this is speculative.

In practical terms, the RX 5500M is for users who need performance. The Pro 555X is for users who need a low-power GPU that can handle basic tasks like video playback or light photo editing. The benchmark deltas—247.8% in Metal, 206.7% in OpenCL, and 177.7% in Vulkan—leave no room for interpretation.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in Geekbench Metal?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 5500M is significantly faster, scoring 50,359 compared to the Pro 555X’s 14,479. This is a 247.8% difference in favor of the RX 5500M.

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

A: The RX 5500M scores 38,725 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the Pro 555X scores 12,628. The RX 5500M is 206.7% faster in this test.

Q: Is the Radeon Pro 555X competitive in any benchmark?

A: In the three head-to-head tests (Metal, OpenCL, Vulkan), the Pro 555X does not win a single one. Its best result is a 12,855 in Vulkan, which is still 177.7% behind the RX 5500M’s 35,693.

Q: Do the average benchmark scores reflect this performance gap?

A: No, the average scores are misleadingly close: the RX 5500M averages 13,356 and the Pro 555X averages 13,321. This is because the Pro 555X lacks PassMark test scores, while the RX 5500M’s PassMark G3D score is only 5,848.

Q: Which GPU has a higher transistor count?

A: The RX 5500M has 6,400 million transistors on a 158 mm² die, while the Pro 555X has 3,000 million transistors on a 123 mm² die. The RX 5500M also uses a smaller 7 nm process node versus the Pro 555X’s 14 nm node.

Q: What are the TDP differences between the two?

A: The RX 5500M has a TDP of 85 W, while the Pro 555X is rated at 75 W. The Pro 555X is also an IGP, whereas the RX 5500M is a discrete GPU.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is the primary reason for the performance disparity. The RX 5500M is built on AMD’s RDNA 1.0 architecture, specifically the Navi 14 chip, fabricated on TSMC’s 7 nm process. The Pro 555X uses the older GCN 4.0 architecture with the Polaris 21 chip, manufactured on GlobalFoundries’ 14 nm node. This process node difference alone—7 nm versus 14 nm—explains why the RX 5500M packs 6,400 million transistors into a 158 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 40.5 million per mm². The Pro 555X, by contrast, has 3,000 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, with a density of 24.4 million per mm².

The shader configuration is equally divergent. The RX 5500M has 1,408 shading units, 88 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The Pro 555X has only 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. This means the RX 5500M has nearly double the shader count and TMUs, and double the ROPs. The FP32 performance reflects this: the RX 5500M is rated at 4.632 TFLOPS, while the Pro 555X is at 1,393.2 GFLOPS. Interestingly, the RX 5500M supports FP16 at a 2:1 ratio (9.265 TFLOPS), while the Pro 555X runs FP16 at a 1:1 ratio (1,393.2 GFLOPS), giving the RX 5500M an even larger lead in mixed-precision workloads.

Memory architecture also differs significantly. The RX 5500M uses 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Pro 555X uses 4 GB of GDDR5 on the same 128-bit bus, but only achieves 94.08 GB/s. The RX 5500M’s memory clock is 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), while the Pro 555X runs at 1470 MHz (5.9 Gbps effective). This bandwidth advantage is critical for modern games and compute tasks that are memory-bound.

API support is another differentiator. The RX 5500M supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while the Pro 555X is limited to DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The newer feature level on the RX 5500M may enable additional rendering techniques, though the benchmark data does not isolate this factor.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets for these two GPUs diverge on nearly every field. The RX 5500M is part of the Radeon RX 5000 series, while the Pro 555X is listed without a series designation. The RX 5500M uses the Navi 14 chip with RDNA 1.0 architecture, and the Pro 555X uses the Polaris 21 chip with GCN 4.0. The process nodes are 7 nm (TSMC) versus 14 nm (GlobalFoundries), and the transistor counts are 6,400 million versus 3,000 million. Die sizes are 158 mm² versus 123 mm², and transistor densities are 40.5M/mm² versus 24.4M/mm².

Clock speeds are only fully specified for the RX 5500M, with a base of 1375 MHz, boost of 1645 MHz, and game clock of 1448 MHz. The Pro 555X has no listed base, boost, or game clocks. Memory clocks differ, with the RX 5500M at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) and the Pro 555X at 1470 MHz (5.9 Gbps effective). Both have 4 GB of memory, but the types are GDDR6 and GDDR5, respectively. The bus widths are both 128-bit, but bandwidths are 224.0 GB/s for the RX 5500M and 94.08 GB/s for the Pro 555X.

Compute resources are starkly different: 1,408 shading units versus 768, 88 TMUs versus 48, and 32 ROPs versus 16. Pixel rates are 52.64 GPixel/s versus 14.51 GPixel/s, and texture rates are 144.8 GTexel/s versus 43.54 GTexel/s. FP32 is 4.632 TFLOPS versus 1,393.2 GFLOPS, and FP16 is 9.265 TFLOPS (2:1) versus 1,393.2 GFLOPS (1:1). TDP is 85 W versus 75 W, and the RX 5500M uses PCIe 4.0 x8 while the Pro 555X uses PCIe 3.0 x8. The Pro 555X is an IGP, while the RX 5500M is not. Both are end-of-life, but the RX 5500M was released later (2019-10-06 versus 2018-07-15).