AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT vs AMD Radeon RX 6700S Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a decisive overall win for the AMD Radeon RX 6700S, which takes 8 of the 10 shared benchmarks. The most significant margin is in Passmark DirectX 11, where the RX 6700S scores 134 against the Pro 5700 XT's 85, a 57.6% advantage. This is a substantial lead for a legacy API workload, indicating that the newer architecture handles compute and geometry differently.

In Geekbench Metal, the RX 6700S posts 72,864 points versus 51,272 for the Pro 5700 XT, a 42.1% delta. This is the second-largest gap and highlights a major difference in graphics API performance. The Vulkan test tells a similar story: 76,150 against 56,593, a 34.6% lead. OpenCL shows a smaller but still significant 19.3% edge, with scores of 70,965 and 59,467 respectively.

Moving to the Passmark suite, the RX 6700S leads in DirectX 9 by 27.5% (195 vs. 153) and in DirectX 10 by 14.5% (87 vs. 76). The Passmark G3D test, a general 3D performance metric, favors the RX 6700S with 15,066 points against 12,547, a 20.1% difference. The compute-oriented Passmark GPU Compute test is closer: 5,990 for the RX 6700S versus 5,787 for the Pro 5700 XT, a modest 3.5% lead.

The Pro 5700 XT claims only two wins. In Passmark DirectX 12, it edges ahead by a single point, 59 to 58, a 1.7% margin that is within the noise of the measurement. The other win is in Passmark G2D, a 2D graphics test, where the Pro 5700 XT scores 810 versus 739, an 8.8% advantage. This suggests its memory subsystem or rasterization path for 2D operations is configured differently, despite the overall 3D deficit.

The average benchmark score in the database further underscores the separation: the RX 6700S averages 22,154 points, placing it in the 67th percentile of all GPUs, while the Pro 5700 XT averages 18,685 points, sitting in the 63rd percentile. The RX 6700S tracks closely with the AMD Radeon RX 5700, which averages 22,170, a delta of just -0.1%. It also sits near the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile (22,435, -1.3%) and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (22,549, -1.7%). The Pro 5700 XT, by contrast, aligns with lower-tier parts like the AMD Radeon RX 560X (18,626, +0.3%) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (18,789, -0.6%).

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the Geekbench Metal benchmark?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6700S wins decisively with a score of 72,864, which is 42.1% higher than the 51,272 posted by the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT.

Q: Is there any benchmark where the Pro 5700 XT is faster?

A: Yes, it wins in Passmark DirectX 12 by a narrow 1.7% (59 vs. 58) and in Passmark G2D by 8.8% (810 vs. 739).

Q: How do the average benchmark scores compare?

A: The RX 6700S has an average score of 22,154, while the Pro 5700 XT averages 18,685. The RX 6700S sits in the 67th percentile, the Pro 5700 XT in the 63rd.

Q: What is the largest performance gap between the two?

A: The biggest delta is in Passmark DirectX 11, where the RX 6700S leads by 57.6%, scoring 134 versus 85 for the Pro 5700 XT.

Q: In compute workloads, how close are they?

A: They are close. The RX 6700S leads Passmark GPU Compute by 3.5% (5,990 vs. 5,787) and Geekbench OpenCL by 19.3% (70,965 vs. 59,467).

Q: How does the RX 6700S compare to its nearest rivals?

A: Its average score of 22,154 is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX 5700 (22,170, -0.1%) and slightly below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile (22,435, -1.3%).

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent different generations of AMD's RDNA architecture. The RX 6700S is built on RDNA 2.0 using the Navi 23 chip, while the Pro 5700 XT uses the older RDNA 1.0 with the Navi 10 chip. Both are fabricated on TSMC's 7 nm process, but the transistor counts differ: the RX 6700S packs 11,060 million transistors on a 237 mm² die, giving a density of 46.7 million per mm². The Pro 5700 XT has 10,300 million transistors on a larger 251 mm² die, resulting in a lower density of 41.0 million per mm².

The RX 6700S features 1,792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. It also includes 28 dedicated ray tracing cores, a hallmark of RDNA 2. The Pro 5700 XT has more shading units at 2,560, and more TMUs at 160, but it matches the ROP count at 64. Critically, the Pro 5700 XT has no ray tracing cores, as RDNA 1.0 lacks that hardware. The shading unit count suggests the Pro 5700 XT should have higher theoretical compute, and indeed its FP32 throughput is 7.675 TFLOPS versus 7.168 TFLOPS for the RX 6700S. FP16 performance follows suit: 15.35 TFLOPS for the Pro 5700 XT versus 14.34 TFLOPS for the RX 6700S.

Memory configurations diverge sharply. The RX 6700S uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, yielding 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Pro 5700 XT doubles the capacity to 16 GB and uses a 256-bit bus, achieving 384.0 GB/s. Despite the smaller bus, the RX 6700S has a higher pixel rate at 128.0 GPixel/s versus 95.94 GPixel/s, and a slightly lower texture rate at 224.0 GTexel/s versus 239.8 GTexel/s. Clock speeds also differ: the RX 6700S has a base of 1700 MHz and a boost of 2000 MHz, while the Pro 5700 XT runs at 1243 MHz base and 1499 MHz boost.

The power envelope is a major differentiator. The RX 6700S is rated at 80 W TDP, whereas the Pro 5700 XT draws 130 W. Both are integrated into the system (IGP slot width) with no external power connectors, but the Pro 5700 XT suggests a 300 W system PSU. The RX 6700S connects via PCIe 4.0 x8, while the Pro 5700 XT uses the full x16 interface. Display outputs also differ: the RX 6700S is portable device dependent, meaning output configuration varies by laptop design, while the Pro 5700 XT has no outputs at all, indicating it is designed for compute or rendering tasks in Mac systems.

API support shows another generational gap. The RX 6700S supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the Pro 5700 XT is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1). Both claim OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

The Verdict

The benchmark data is unambiguous in 3D rendering workloads. The RX 6700S outperforms the Pro 5700 XT in all major GPU-centric tests, often by large margins. Its 42.1% lead in Metal and 34.6% in Vulkan are strong indicators of superior graphics throughput. The 20.1% advantage in Passmark G3D reinforces this. For gaming or general 3D acceleration, the RX 6700S is the clear choice based on recorded results.

The Pro 5700 XT's wins are narrow and specific. Its 1.7% edge in DirectX 12 is negligible, and its 8.8% lead in G2D relates to 2D desktop composition rather than 3D performance. Its advantages in raw compute specifications (higher FP32, more shading units, wider memory bus) do not translate into benchmark victories, except for the close Passmark GPU Compute result where it trails by only 3.5%. This suggests its extra memory bandwidth and shader count are not effectively utilized in the tested workloads.

The RX 6700S also achieves these results at a lower TDP (80 W vs. 130 W), making it more efficient per watt. Its higher clock speeds (2000 MHz boost vs. 1499 MHz boost) and newer architecture compensate for having fewer shading units. The inclusion of ray tracing cores in the RX 6700S provides a feature set the Pro 5700 XT lacks entirely.

For users needing 16 GB of memory and a full PCIe x16 interface, the Pro 5700 XT has a structural advantage in capacity and bus width. However, the data shows that capacity alone does not yield higher benchmark scores. The Pro 5700 XT's average score of 18,685 places it near the AMD Radeon RX 560X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070, while the RX 6700S sits alongside the RX 5700 and RTX 5060 Mobile, a tier above.

The verdict is straightforward: the RX 6700S is the superior performer in nearly every recorded metric. The Pro 5700 XT remains relevant only for specific compute roles where its 16 GB frame buffer and wider memory bus might be advantageous, but the benchmark suite does not demonstrate that benefit. The RX 6700S wins on speed, efficiency, and modern API support.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in several core specifications that explain their benchmark behavior. The RX 6700S uses the Navi 23 chip on RDNA 2.0, while the Pro 5700 XT uses Navi 10 on RDNA 1.0. The RX 6700S has 11,060 million transistors on a 237 mm² die, while the Pro 5700 XT has 10,300 million transistors on a 251 mm² die. Transistor density is 46.7M per mm² for the RX 6700S versus 41.0M per mm² for the Pro 5700 XT.

Clock speeds favor the RX 6700S: base 1700 MHz and boost 2000 MHz, compared to 1243 MHz base and 1499 MHz boost for the Pro 5700 XT. The RX 6700S also has a game clock of 1890 MHz, a field the Pro 5700 XT leaves null. Memory clocks show the RX 6700S at 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective, while the Pro 5700 XT runs at 1500 MHz with 12 Gbps effective.

Memory capacity and bus width differ significantly. The RX 6700S has 8 GB GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Pro 5700 XT has 16 GB GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 384.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Compute unit configurations vary: the RX 6700S has 1,792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with 28 ray tracing cores. The Pro 5700 XT has 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, but no ray tracing cores. Pixel rate is 128.0 GPixel/s for the RX 6700S versus 95.94 GPixel/s for the Pro 5700 XT. Texture rate is 224.0 GTexel/s versus 239.8 GTexel/s.

Power requirements diverge: the RX 6700S has an 80 W TDP, while the Pro 5700 XT has a 130 W TDP. The Pro 5700 XT also lists a suggested PSU of 300 W, a field the RX 6700S leaves null. Bus interface differs: PCIe 4.0 x8 for the RX 6700S, PCIe 4.0 x16 for the Pro 5700 XT.

DirectX support marks the architectural gap: the RX 6700S supports 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the Pro 5700 XT supports 12 (12_1). Both list OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. Display outputs are portable device dependent for the RX 6700S, while the Pro 5700 XT has no outputs. Release dates are also distinct, with the RX 6700S launching later than the Pro 5700 XT, though both are now end-of-life.