AMD Radeon Pro 5700 vs AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT Comparison

The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT and AMD Radeon Pro 5700 are two RDNA 1.0 graphics solutions aimed at professional Mac workflows, sharing the same Navi 10 chip and 7 nm TSMC process. Benchmark data reveals a clear performance hierarchy, with the XT variant winning nine of ten head-to-head tests, yet the non-XT model claims a decisive victory in one key API. This analysis breaks down the exact scores, architectural differences, and use-case implications from the data.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking result in the data is the AMD Radeon Pro 5700’s win in Geekbench Metal, where it scores 60126 against the 5700 XT’s 51272. That is a 14.7% advantage for the non-XT card, a significant margin in a test that often reflects real-world macOS application performance. This is the only test where the 5700 comes out ahead, and it flips the expected hierarchy, suggesting the lower-clocked card has an optimization edge in this specific API.

Everywhere else, the 5700 XT dominates. In Geekbench OpenCL, the XT scores 59467 versus 52787, a 12.7% lead. The Vulkan test shows a similar story: 56593 for the XT against 51289 for the 5700, a 10.3% gap. These are substantial differences in compute-oriented workloads, indicating the XT’s higher shader count and boost clock translate directly to raw throughput.

The Passmark suite reinforces the XT’s superiority with varying margins. The biggest single delta is in DirectX 12, where the XT scores 59 against the 5700’s 48, a 22.9% advantage. That is the largest percentage gap in any test, highlighting the XT’s strength in modern, low-level graphics APIs. Compute performance also favors the XT heavily: Passmark GPU Compute shows 5787 versus 4961, a 16.6% lead. The DirectX 11 test shows 85 versus 78 (9% ahead), and DirectX 10 shows 76 versus 71 (7% ahead). Even the legacy DirectX 9 test goes to the XT, 153 versus 143, a 7% edge.

The closest call is Passmark G2D, where the XT wins 810 to 805, a mere 0.6% difference — effectively a tie for 2D desktop work. The Passmark G3D score, which aggregates gaming and general 3D performance, lands at 12547 for the XT versus 11583 for the 5700, an 8.3% advantage. Overall, the XT wins nine tests, and the 5700 wins one. The average benchmark scores reflect this split: the XT averages 18685, while the 5700 averages 18189, a 2.7% difference in aggregate.

Architecture Differences

Both cards are built on the same Navi 10 chip, using the RDNA 1.0 architecture, fabricated on TSMC’s 7 nm process. They share identical transistor counts of 10,300 million and a die size of 251 mm², yielding a transistor density of 41.0M / mm². The memory subsystem is also identical in type and bus: both use GDDR6 on a 256-bit interface, delivering 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Memory clock is the same for both, at 1500 MHz or 12 Gbps effective.

The divergence lies in the compute configuration and clocks. The 5700 XT has 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 64 ROPs. The non-XT model scales down to 2304 shading units and 144 TMUs, while retaining the same 64 ROPs. That is a 10% reduction in shader count and a 10% cut in TMUs, which directly impacts texture fill and parallel compute.

Clock speeds also differ. Both have the same base clock of 1243 MHz, but the boost clock is where the XT pulls ahead: 1499 MHz versus 1350 MHz for the 5700. That 149 MHz boost advantage compounds with the extra shaders. Pixel rate reflects this: the XT hits 95.94 GPixel/s, while the 5700 manages 86.40 GPixel/s. Texture rate shows a larger gap, with the XT at 239.8 GTexel/s versus 194.4 GTexel/s for the 5700, due to both higher clocks and more TMUs.

The FP32 compute figures tell the same story. The XT delivers 7.675 TFLOPS, while the 5700 is limited to 6.221 TFLOPS. FP16 performance scales proportionally: 15.35 TFLOPS for the XT versus 12.44 TFLOPS for the 5700, both at a 2:1 ratio. Both cards have a 130 W TDP and a 300 W suggested PSU, with no power connectors and an IGP slot width. They also share the same API support: DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Memory capacity is a major differentiator, though it does not affect clock speeds. The 5700 XT comes with 16 GB of GDDR6, while the 5700 has 8 GB. Both run on a 256-bit bus, so the bandwidth is identical, but the XT’s larger frame buffer allows for larger datasets in memory without spilling to system RAM. The production status for both is end-of-life, with a release date of 2020-08-03.

Where Each One Wins

The 5700 XT is the clear winner for compute-heavy workloads that leverage OpenCL and Vulkan. Its 12.7% OpenCL lead and 10.3% Vulkan lead make it the stronger choice for general-purpose GPU computing, rendering tasks, and any application that uses these cross-platform APIs. The DirectX 12 result, with a 22.9% advantage, suggests the XT is also better suited for modern game engines and applications that use low-level graphics primitives. The Passmark GPU Compute score, 16.6% higher, reinforces its edge in non-graphics parallel processing.

For legacy DirectX titles, the XT holds a consistent 7% to 9% lead across DirectX 9, 10, and 11. That consistency indicates the extra shaders and higher boost clock provide a uniform benefit across older API generations. The G3D score, which is 8.3% higher, confirms that the XT is the better performer for 3D rendering workloads generally, even if the margin is not as large as in compute tests.

The 5700’s sole win in Geekbench Metal is significant for macOS users. Metal is the primary graphics API on Apple platforms, and a 14.7% lead in that test means the non-XT card may actually deliver better performance in Metal-optimized applications, such as certain ProRes workflows or Metal-based renderers. For users who prioritize Metal performance above all else, the 5700 is the data-backed pick.

The 2D performance is effectively a tie, with the XT leading by only 0.6% in Passmark G2D. This means desktop compositing and basic 2D acceleration will feel identical on both cards. The 5700’s smaller 8 GB frame buffer may be a limitation for very large textures or multi-application workflows, but the benchmark data does not show a penalty in the tested workloads, aside from the Metal anomaly.

The Verdict

The data points to the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT as the superior card in the majority of scenarios. It wins nine of ten benchmarks, with aggregate scores 2.7% higher, and shows decisive leads in compute (12.7% OpenCL, 16.6% GPU Compute) and modern graphics (22.9% DirectX 12). Its 16 GB memory capacity, higher boost clock of 1499 MHz, and 2560 shading units provide a solid foundation for demanding professional workloads. Users running OpenCL, Vulkan, or DirectX 12 applications should choose the XT without hesitation.

The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 is not without merit, however. Its 14.7% victory in Geekbench Metal is the single largest margin in any test, and it cannot be dismissed as noise. For macOS professionals whose software stack is heavily Metal-dependent, the 5700 may offer better real-world results despite having fewer shaders and a lower boost clock. The identical 384.0 GB/s bandwidth and 130 W TDP mean power and memory throughput are not deciding factors.

In aggregate, the XT’s average benchmark score of 18685 places it just 0.3% above the AMD Radeon RX 560X and 0.6% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070, according to nearest rival data. The 5700’s average of 18189 is 0.2% above the RTX 3060 Mobile and 0.5% above the RTX 2060 SUPER. That puts both cards in a similar performance class, but the XT’s higher peak scores in compute and DirectX 12 give it the edge for general use. Choose the XT for balanced, high-throughput work; choose the 5700 only if Metal performance is your sole criterion.

FAQ

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT has 2560 shading units, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 has 2304 shading units.

Q: What is the memory size difference between the two cards?

A: The 5700 XT has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the 5700 has 8 GB. Both use a 256-bit bus with 384.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card performs better in Geekbench Metal?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 wins in Geekbench Metal with a score of 60126, which is 14.7% higher than the 5700 XT’s score of 51272.

Q: What is the largest benchmark margin between the two cards?

A: The largest margin is in Passmark DirectX 12, where the 5700 XT scores 59 versus the 5700’s 48, a 22.9% advantage.

Q: Are both cards on the same manufacturing process?

A: Yes, both use the Navi 10 chip on TSMC’s 7 nm process, with identical transistor counts of 10,300 million and a die size of 251 mm².

Q: How do the boost clocks differ?

A: The 5700 XT has a boost clock of 1499 MHz, while the 5700 has a boost clock of 1350 MHz. The base clock is the same at 1243 MHz for both.