AMD Radeon Pro 560X vs AMD Radeon R9 370X Comparison

The AMD Radeon R9 370X and AMD Radeon Pro 560X are two very different products that happen to share a manufacturer and architecture lineage. The data from head-to-head benchmarks shows a clear split: the R9 370X dominates in the OpenCL compute workload with a massive 168% lead, while the Pro 560X takes decisive victories in Metal and Vulkan. The average benchmark score slightly favors the R9 370X at 15,862 versus 15,082, a 5.2% gap, but the individual test results reveal that the "better" card depends entirely on the API and workload in question. This comparison is less about a single winner and more about identifying which card's strengths align with the intended use case.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking result in the head-to-head comparison is the OpenCL test, where the AMD Radeon R9 370X scores 25,893 against the Pro 560X's 9,663. This represents a 168% advantage for the R9 370X, a margin so large that it completely overshadows the other results. This score suggests that for general-purpose compute tasks leveraging OpenCL, the R9 370X is in a different performance class entirely, likely due to its wider memory bus and higher raw shader throughput.

However, the story reverses dramatically in the other two benchmarks. In the Metal test, the Pro 560X scores 18,763, which is 32.4% higher than the R9 370X's 12,676. This is a substantial lead, indicating that the Pro 560X is significantly better optimized for Apple's graphics API. The Vulkan test shows an even larger relative gap for the Pro 560X, which scores 16,819 against the R9 370X's 9,018, a 46.4% advantage. These wins are not marginal; they are clear, decisive victories that point to a fundamental difference in how each card handles modern, low-level graphics APIs.

The aggregate picture from the nearestRivals data confirms that both cards sit in a similar performance tier overall. The R9 370X's average score of 15,862 puts it within 0.1% of the AMD Radeon RX 7700 (15,852) and 1% behind the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (16,014). It also outperforms the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 by 1.2%. The Pro 560X, with an average of 15,082, is effectively tied with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti (15,063) and trails the AMD Radeon RX 7600 by 0.6%. This data places the two cards in the same performance bracket, but the head-to-head scores show they achieve that parity through very different strengths.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is generational. The R9 370X is built on the older GCN 1.0 architecture using the Trinidad chip, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. In contrast, the Pro 560X uses the newer GCN 4.0 architecture with the Polaris 21 chip, built on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. This process shrink allows the Pro 560X to pack 3,000 million transistors into a much smaller 123 mm² die, compared to the R9 370X's 2,800 million transistors on a 212 mm² die. Consequently, the transistor density is nearly double for the Pro 560X at 24.4M / mm² versus 13.2M / mm².

The compute configurations also differ significantly. The R9 370X features 1,280 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The Pro 560X has fewer of each: 1,024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and only 16 ROPs. This reduction in the Pro 560X's core count is offset by architectural efficiency improvements in GCN 4.0. The memory subsystems are also built differently. The R9 370X uses a 256-bit bus with 2 GB of GDDR5, delivering a bandwidth of 179.2 GB/s. The Pro 560X has a narrower 128-bit bus but compensates with a larger 4 GB frame buffer, resulting in a lower bandwidth of 94.08 GB/s. This difference in memory bandwidth is likely a key factor in the R9 370X's OpenCL dominance.

Clock speeds are only specified for the R9 370X, which runs at 980 MHz base and 1030 MHz boost. The Pro 560X's clock speeds are not listed in the data, but its memory clock is slightly higher at 1470 MHz (5.9 Gbps effective) compared to the R9 370X's 1400 MHz (5.6 Gbps effective). The Pro 560X also supports FP16 compute at a 1:1 ratio with FP32, a feature that is not listed for the R9 370X. Both cards support DirectX 12, but the R9 370X is limited to feature level 11_1, while the Pro 560X supports feature level 12_0. Vulkan support also differs, with the Pro 560X supporting version 1.3 compared to the R9 370X's 1.2.170.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data creates a clear use-case split. The AMD Radeon R9 370X is the undisputed winner for OpenCL compute workloads. Its 168% lead in that specific test is the single largest performance difference in the entire comparison. This makes it the better choice for tasks that rely heavily on general-purpose GPU computing through OpenCL, such as certain scientific simulations, financial modeling, or older compute-heavy applications that have not been optimized for newer APIs. The card's higher memory bandwidth (179.2 GB/s) and wider 256-bit bus likely contribute significantly to this advantage.

The AMD Radeon Pro 560X wins in graphics-centric benchmarks. Its 32.4% lead in Metal and 46.4% lead in Vulkan are substantial, making it the superior option for gaming and graphics applications that use these APIs. The Vulkan result is particularly telling, as it suggests the newer GCN 4.0 architecture handles modern, low-overhead rendering more efficiently. The Metal score is also critical for any macOS user, as Metal is the primary graphics API on Apple platforms. The Pro 560X's larger 4 GB memory capacity also gives it an edge in scenarios where texture-heavy workloads exceed the 2 GB limit of the R9 370X.

The R9 370X also holds a slight edge in the average benchmark score, 15,862 versus 15,082, and sits at the 58th percentile versus the Pro 560X's 57th percentile. This indicates that in a mixed workload environment, the R9 370X might be marginally more consistent. However, the Pro 560X's wins are in more modern and widely adopted APIs, which could make it more future-proof despite the lower average score.

The Verdict

The data does not point to a single, universal winner; it points to two distinct winners for two distinct audiences. The AMD Radeon R9 370X is the pick for anyone whose primary workload is OpenCL compute. The 168% performance advantage in that benchmark is an overwhelming signal that cannot be ignored. If the software in question uses OpenCL, the R9 370X will deliver more than two and a half times the performance of the Pro 560X. This card is also slightly ahead in the overall average benchmark score, making it the more balanced performer across all tested APIs.

The AMD Radeon Pro 560X is the clear choice for graphics and gaming workloads that leverage Metal or Vulkan. Its 32.4% and 46.4% wins in those respective tests demonstrate a significant architectural advantage in modern graphics rendering. For users on macOS, the Metal score is decisive, as the Pro 560X is the only card with a competitive Metal result. The larger 4 GB memory capacity also provides more headroom for modern game textures and complex scenes. The Pro 560X's lower TDP of 75 W and IGP form factor also make it suitable for portable devices, whereas the R9 370X is a dual-slot card requiring 2x 6-pin power connectors.

For a desktop user building a system for compute tasks, the R9 370X's OpenCL dominance makes it the rational choice. For a laptop or Mac user seeking graphics performance, the Pro 560X is the only logical option based on this data. The verdict is not about which card is "better" in absolute terms, but which card's strengths match the user's specific needs.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 370X has a higher average benchmark score of 15,862, compared to 15,082 for the AMD Radeon Pro 560X.

Q: How much faster is the R9 370X in the OpenCL benchmark?

A: The R9 370X scores 25,893 in the OpenCL test, which is 168% higher than the Pro 560X's score of 9,663.

Q: What is the performance difference in the Vulkan benchmark?

A: The Pro 560X wins the Vulkan test with a score of 16,819, which is 46.4% higher than the R9 370X's score of 9,018.

Q: Which card has more memory and what is the bus width?

A: The Pro 560X has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, while the R9 370X has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus.

Q: What are the architectural generations of these two GPUs?

A: The R9 370X uses the GCN 1.0 architecture with the Trinidad chip, while the Pro 560X uses the GCN 4.0 architecture with the Polaris 21 chip.

Q: Which card supports a newer version of Vulkan?

A: The Pro 560X supports Vulkan 1.3, while the R9 370X supports Vulkan 1.2.170.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon R9 370X | AMD Radeon Pro 560X |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | GCN 4.0 |

| Chip | Trinidad | Polaris 21 |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 14 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | GlobalFoundries |

| Transistors | 2,800 million | 3,000 million |

| Die Size | 212 mm² | 123 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 13.2M / mm² | 24.4M / mm² |

| Shading Units | 1280 | 1024 |

| TMUs | 80 | 64 |

| ROPs | 32 | 16 |

| Memory Size | 2 GB | 4 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 256 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 179.2 GB/s | 94.08 GB/s |

| Base Clock | 980 MHz | Not specified |

| Boost Clock | 1030 MHz | Not specified |

| FP32 Performance | 2.637 TFLOPS | 2.056 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | Not specified | 2.056 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| Pixel Rate | 32.96 GPixel/s | 16.06 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 82.40 GTexel/s | 64.26 GTexel/s |

| TDP | 180 W | 75 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | IGP |

| Power Connectors | 2x 6-pin | None |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x8 |

| DirectX Support | 12 (11_1) | 12 (12_0) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.2.170 | 1.3 |

| Display Outputs | 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 1x DisplayPort 1.2 | Portable Device Dependent |

| Release Date | 2015-08-26 | 2018-07-15 |

| Launch MSRP | 199 USD | Not specified |