AMD Radeon Pro 555X vs AMD Radeon Vega 11 Comparison

AMD Radeon Vega 11 and AMD Radeon Pro 555X are two very different integrated graphics solutions, one built into a processor and the other soldered onto a Mac motherboard. The benchmark data shows a clear split: the Vega 11 wins in compute-heavy APIs, while the Pro 555X takes the lead in the Vulkan graphics API. Their average benchmark scores are close, but the individual test results reveal distinct performance profiles that matter for different workloads.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most significant margin in this comparison comes from the Geekbench Metal test. The AMD Radeon Vega 11 scores 17,392, while the AMD Radeon Pro 555X trails at 14,479. That is a 20.1% advantage for the Vega 11, making it the single largest win for either card in this matchup. Metal is Apple’s graphics API, so this result is notable given that the Pro 555X is designed specifically for Mac systems. The data suggests that the Vega 11’s architecture handles Metal compute tasks substantially better, despite being an IGP with shared system memory.

In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the Vega 11 again comes out ahead, scoring 13,392 versus 12,628 for the Pro 555X. The delta here is 6.1%, a more modest but still decisive win. OpenCL is a cross-platform compute standard, and the Vega 11’s higher FP32 throughput of 1.971 TFLOPS compared to 1,393.2 GFLOPS for the Pro 555X likely explains this edge. The Vega 11 also has a higher texture rate at 61.60 GTexel/s versus 43.54 GTexel/s, which can benefit certain compute workloads.

The one test where the Pro 555X fights back is Geekbench Vulkan. Here, the Pro 555X scores 12,855, beating the Vega 11’s 12,273 by 4.5%. Vulkan is a low-overhead graphics and compute API, and the Pro 555X’s dedicated 4 GB of GDDR5 memory with 94.08 GB/s of bandwidth may provide an advantage in memory-bound scenarios. The Vega 11’s memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," meaning it relies on shared system RAM, which can be a bottleneck in graphics-heavy tasks.

Looking at the overall averages, the Vega 11 posts an average benchmark score of 14,352, while the Pro 555X averages 13,321. That puts the Vega 11 about 7.7% ahead overall. The Vega 11 also ranks in the 56th percentile of all GPUs, compared to the 54th percentile for the Pro 555X. The nearest rivals for the Vega 11 include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN (average score 14,373, delta -0.1%) and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (14,385, delta -0.2%), showing that this IGP sits in a surprisingly competitive performance tier. The Pro 555X’s closest competitors include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 (13,300, delta 0.2%) and the AMD Radeon RX 5500M (13,356, delta -0.3%).

The Verdict

The data points to a clear winner for most use cases: the AMD Radeon Vega 11. It wins two of the three head-to-head benchmarks, including the Metal test by a wide 20.1% margin and the OpenCL test by 6.1%. Its average benchmark score is higher, its percentile ranking is better, and it delivers more raw compute throughput. If you are choosing based purely on benchmark performance, the Vega 11 is the stronger card.

However, the Pro 555X is not without merit. It wins the Vulkan test by 4.5%, and that is not a trivial result. Vulkan is increasingly important in modern games and professional applications, and the Pro 555X’s dedicated memory may make it more consistent in graphics-heavy workloads. The Pro 555X also has double the ROPs (16 versus 8) and a higher pixel rate at 14.51 GPixel/s versus 11.20 GPixel/s, which can improve fill-rate-bound rendering.

The choice ultimately comes down to the workload. For compute tasks, especially those using Metal or OpenCL, the Vega 11 is the obvious pick. For Vulkan-based rendering, the Pro 555X holds an edge. The Vega 11 also has a much lower TDP at 15 W versus 75 W for the Pro 555X, which is a massive difference for integrated graphics. The Pro 555X is also an older product, released in July 2018, while the Vega 11 came in September 2019.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Vega 11 dominates in compute-oriented benchmarks. Its Metal score of 17,392 is not just higher than the Pro 555X’s 14,479; it is also higher than the average scores of its own nearest rivals, which top out at 14,404 for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M. The Vega 11’s FP32 performance of 1.971 TFLOPS is more than 40% higher than the Pro 555X’s 1,393.2 GFLOPS, and its FP16 rate of 3.942 TFLOPS (2:1) is nearly three times the Pro 555X’s 1,393.2 GFLOPS (1:1). This makes the Vega 11 a better choice for applications that leverage half-precision math, such as certain machine learning inference tasks or image processing filters.

The Pro 555X wins in the Vulkan benchmark, where its 12,855 score beats the Vega 11’s 12,273. This is a 4.5% advantage, and it suggests that the Pro 555X’s dedicated GDDR5 memory configuration helps in scenarios with repeated memory access patterns. The Pro 555X also has a wider memory bus at 128 bit versus the Vega 11’s "System Shared" bus, and its 94.08 GB/s of bandwidth is a fixed number, whereas the Vega 11’s bandwidth is "System Dependent." For users running Vulkan-based games or applications with large textures, the Pro 555X may deliver smoother performance.

Another area where the Pro 555X has a structural advantage is pixel throughput. With 16 ROPs and a pixel rate of 14.51 GPixel/s, it can handle rasterization-heavy workloads more efficiently than the Vega 11, which has 8 ROPs and a 11.20 GPixel/s pixel rate. This could matter in older DirectX 11 games or in desktop compositing tasks that are fill-rate limited.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Vega 11 has an average benchmark score of 14,352, compared to 13,321 for the AMD Radeon Pro 555X. The Vega 11 also ranks in the 56th percentile of all GPUs, while the Pro 555X ranks in the 54th percentile.

Q: How big is the gap in the Geekbench Metal test?

A: The Vega 11 scores 17,392 in Geekbench Metal, which is 20.1% higher than the Pro 555X’s 14,479. This is the largest performance difference between the two cards in any benchmark.

Q: Does the Pro 555X win any benchmarks?

A: Yes, the Pro 555X wins the Geekbench Vulkan test with a score of 12,855, beating the Vega 11’s 12,273 by 4.5%. This is the only head-to-head test where the Pro 555X comes out ahead.

Q: What are the memory specifications for each card?

A: The Pro 555X has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus with 94.08 GB/s of bandwidth. The Vega 11 uses system-shared memory, with the size, type, bus width, and bandwidth all listed as "System Shared" or "System Dependent."

Q: How do their transistor counts compare?

A: The Vega 11 has 4,940 million transistors on a 210 mm² die, while the Pro 555X has 3,000 million transistors on a 123 mm² die. The Pro 555X has a slightly higher transistor density at 24.4M per mm² versus 23.5M per mm² for the Vega 11.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The Pro 555X has 768 shading units, while the Vega 11 has 704. The Pro 555X also has more texture mapping units (48 versus 44) and more ROPs (16 versus 8).

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different generations of AMD’s Graphics Core Next architecture. The Vega 11 is built on GCN 5.0, using the Picasso chip, while the Pro 555X uses GCN 4.0 with the Polaris 21 chip. This architectural gap is significant, as GCN 5.0 includes several compute-focused improvements over GCN 4.0, which helps explain the Vega 11’s strong Metal and OpenCL results.

The manufacturing process also differs. The Vega 11 is fabricated on a 12 nm process at GlobalFoundries, while the Pro 555X uses a 14 nm process, also at GlobalFoundries. Despite the smaller process node, the Vega 11 has a larger die at 210 mm² compared to 123 mm² for the Pro 555X. The Vega 11 packs more transistors overall (4,940 million versus 3,000 million), but the Pro 555X has a slightly higher transistor density at 24.4M per mm² versus 23.5M per mm².

Clock speeds tell a story of different design priorities. The Vega 11 has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 1400 MHz, while the Pro 555X’s core clocks are not specified in the data. The Vega 11’s memory runs at "System Shared" speed, whereas the Pro 555X has a fixed memory clock of 1470 MHz with 5.9 Gbps effective data rate. The Pro 555X’s dedicated memory is a major architectural difference, as it allows for predictable bandwidth without contention with the CPU.

The bus interface also differs: the Vega 11 is an IGP with no dedicated bus, while the Pro 555X uses PCIe 3.0 x8. The Vega 11 has a TDP of just 15 W, making it extremely power-efficient, while the Pro 555X draws 75 W. Neither card requires external power connectors, and both are listed as end-of-life products. The Vega 11’s predecessor is "GCN 3.0 IGP" and its successor is "Vega II IGP," while the Pro 555X has no listed predecessor or successor in the data.