AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT vs AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX and AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT represent two very different eras of AMD graphics, and the benchmark data reflects that gap clearly. The RX 7900 XTX wins 8 of 9 head-to-head tests, often by triple-digit percentage margins, while the Pro 5700 XT takes a single, surprising victory in one compute workload. This is a matchup defined by generational leaps in architecture, memory bandwidth, and raw shader throughput, but the professional card’s niche strength in OpenCL shows it is not entirely obsolete.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most lopsided results come from DirectX testing, where the RX 7900 XTX utterly dominates. In Passmark DirectX 11, the RX 7900 XTX scores 356 against the Pro 5700 XT’s 85, a 318.8% advantage. DirectX 12 shows a 122% delta (131 vs 59), and DirectX 10 is nearly as one-sided at 118.4% (166 vs 76). Even legacy DirectX 9 performance favors the newer card by 115.7% (330 vs 153). These are not close calls; the RX 7900 XTX is anywhere from roughly 2.2x to over 4x faster in legacy and modern DirectX workloads.

The gap narrows somewhat in synthetic graphics and compute, but the RX 7900 XTX still wins decisively. Passmark G3D scores put the RX 7900 XTX at 31,238 versus 12,547 for the Pro 5700 XT, a 149% lead. GPU compute is even more dramatic: 17,689 vs 5,787, a 205.7% margin. Even the 2D test, Passmark G2D, shows a 56.4% advantage (1,267 vs 810). Vulkan performance is also strongly in favor of the RX 7900 XTX, with a score of 85,612 versus 56,593, a 51.3% lead.

The only test the Pro 5700 XT wins is Geekbench OpenCL, where it scores 59,467 against the RX 7900 XTX’s 50,465. That is a 15.1% deficit for the newer card, and it is the sole blemish on an otherwise flawless record. Notably, the RX 7900 XTX has no Geekbench Metal result, while the Pro 5700 XT scores 51,272 in that Apple-centric API, but since Metal is not a head-to-head test, it does not factor into the win count.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 7900 XTX is the clear winner for gaming and general-purpose graphics. Its DirectX 11 and DirectX 12 scores are multiples of the Pro 5700 XT’s, which means modern game engines that rely on those APIs will see massive performance gains. The 205.7% lead in Passmark GPU compute also suggests it handles general compute tasks far better, making it suitable for content creation, rendering, and other GPU-accelerated workloads. The 149% G3D advantage reinforces that it is simply a faster graphics card across the board.

The Pro 5700 XT’s single win in Geekbench OpenCL is noteworthy because OpenCL is often used in professional applications like video editing and scientific computing. A 15.1% lead in that specific test indicates that for certain OpenCL-optimized workloads, the older card can actually outperform the newer flagship. This is likely due to driver optimizations or the specific nature of the OpenCL test favoring the Pro card’s architecture. However, this is a narrow victory; the RX 7900 XTX still wins Passmark GPU compute by a wide margin, suggesting the OpenCL result is an outlier rather than a trend.

For users on macOS, the Pro 5700 XT has a distinct advantage: it has a Geekbench Metal score of 51,272, while the RX 7900 XTX has no Metal result at all. This implies the Pro card is designed for and tested in Apple environments, making it the safer choice for Mac Pro or eGPU setups that rely on Metal. The RX 7900 XTX, with its DisplayPort 2.1 and USB-C outputs, is clearly aimed at PC gamers and Windows/Linux users.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide is stark. The RX 7900 XTX uses the Navi 31 chip built on RDNA 3.0, a 5 nm process from TSMC, while the Pro 5700 XT uses Navi 10 on the older RDNA 1.0 architecture with a 7 nm process. This process shrink allows the RX 7900 XTX to pack 57,700 million transistors into a 529 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 109.1M / mm². The Pro 5700 XT, by comparison, has only 10,300 million transistors on a 251 mm² die, with a density of 41.0M / mm². The RX 7900 XTX has over 5.6x the transistors and over twice the die area.

The compute resources are equally lopsided. The RX 7900 XTX has 6,144 shading units, 384 TMUs, and 192 ROPs, plus 96 dedicated ray tracing cores. The Pro 5700 XT has just 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with no ray tracing cores at all. This translates to a massive throughput difference: the RX 7900 XTX delivers 61.39 TFLOPS FP32 and 122.8 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1), while the Pro 5700 XT manages only 7.675 TFLOPS FP32 and 15.35 TFLOPS FP16. Pixel and texture rates follow suit, with the RX 7900 XTX hitting 479.6 GPixel/s and 959.2 GTexel/s versus 95.94 GPixel/s and 239.8 GTexel/s for the Pro.

Memory is another major differentiator. The RX 7900 XTX has 24 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Pro 5700 XT has 16 GB on a 256-bit bus, with 384.0 GB/s. The RX 7900 XTX’s memory clock is 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective), while the Pro card runs at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective). The RX 7900 XTX also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), whereas the Pro 5700 XT is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4, but the RX 7900 XTX’s higher API level matters for future games.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the RX 7900 XTX is the superior card for nearly every task. It wins 8 of 9 head-to-head benchmarks, with margins ranging from 51.3% in Vulkan to 318.8% in DirectX 11. Its average benchmark score of 19,410 is higher than the Pro 5700 XT’s 18,685, and it sits at the 64th percentile versus the Pro’s 63rd. The RX 7900 XTX also has more VRAM, higher bandwidth, and a more modern architecture with ray tracing support. Anyone building a high-end gaming PC or a workstation for GPU compute should choose the RX 7900 XTX without hesitation.

The Pro 5700 XT is only the right choice in two scenarios. First, if you are on macOS and need Metal performance, it has a score of 51,272 while the RX 7900 XTX has none. Second, if your workload is specifically optimized for OpenCL and you saw the 15.1% advantage in that test, the older card might be preferable. But these are narrow use cases. The Pro 5700 XT’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (avg score 18,789, -0.6% delta), which shows it is competitive with mid-range cards from its era, but it is not in the same class as the RX 7900 XTX. The RX 7900 XTX’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA TITAN Xp (avg score 19,177, 1.2% delta), placing it in high-end territory. For almost all buyers, the RX 7900 XTX is the only logical pick.

FAQ

Q: Which card wins more benchmarks?

A: The RX 7900 XTX wins 8 out of 9 head-to-head tests. The Pro 5700 XT wins only Geekbench OpenCL.

Q: How much faster is the RX 7900 XTX in DirectX 11?

A: The RX 7900 XTX scores 356 versus 85 for the Pro 5700 XT, a 318.8% advantage.

Q: Does the Pro 5700 XT have any advantage?

A: Yes, it beats the RX 7900 XTX in Geekbench OpenCL by 15.1% (59,467 vs 50,465). It also has a Geekbench Metal score of 51,272, which the RX 7900 XTX lacks.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The RX 7900 XTX has 24 GB GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus with 960.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Pro 5700 XT has 16 GB GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 384.0 GB/s.

Q: Do both cards support ray tracing?

A: No. The RX 7900 XTX has 96 ray tracing cores, while the Pro 5700 XT has zero.

Q: What are the average benchmark scores?

A: The RX 7900 XTX has an average benchmark score of 19,410, while the Pro 5700 XT averages 18,685.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX | AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT |

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

| Chip | Navi 31 | Navi 10 |

| Architecture | RDNA 3.0 | RDNA 1.0 |

| Process Node | 5 nm | 7 nm |

| Transistors | 57,700 million | 10,300 million |

| Die Size | 529 mm² | 251 mm² |

| Base Clock | 1929 MHz | 1243 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2498 MHz | 1499 MHz |

| Memory Size | 24 GB | 16 GB |

| Memory Bus | 384 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 960.0 GB/s | 384.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 6144 | 2560 |

| TMUs | 384 | 160 |

| ROPs | 192 | 64 |

| RT Cores | 96 | None |

| FP32 Performance | 61.39 TFLOPS | 7.675 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 122.8 TFLOPS (2:1) | 15.35 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| Pixel Rate | 479.6 GPixel/s | 95.94 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 959.2 GTexel/s | 239.8 GTexel/s |

| TDP | 355 W | 130 W |

| Power Connectors | 2x 8-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 750 W | 300 W |

| DirectX Support | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (12_1) |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1a, 2x DisplayPort 2.1, 1x USB-C | No outputs |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | IGP |

| Dimensions | 287 mm x 110 mm x 51 mm | Not specified |

| Release Date | 2022-11-02 | 2020-08-03 |

| Launch MSRP | 999 USD | Not specified |