AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT vs NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a decisive overall victory for the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000, which wins 8 of the 9 head-to-head comparisons. The most dramatic margin comes in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the Quadro RTX 5000 scores 92,309 against the Radeon Pro 5700 XT’s 56,593, a 63.1% advantage. This is the single largest gap in the entire benchmark suite, indicating a substantial difference in low-level graphics API performance.

The DirectX 11 test tells a similar story. The Quadro RTX 5000 scores 140, while the AMD card manages only 85, a 64.7% lead for NVIDIA. DirectX 10 shows a 48.7% gap, with scores of 113 versus 76. These results suggest that the NVIDIA card is particularly strong in legacy and widely used DirectX workloads, which remain common in professional applications and older game engines.

OpenCL performance also favors NVIDIA significantly. The Quadro RTX 5000 posts 78,999, compared to 59,467 for the Radeon Pro 5700 XT, a 32.8% difference. This is a key metric for compute-heavy tasks that rely on OpenCL rather than proprietary APIs.

The DirectX 9 test shows a 27.5% lead for NVIDIA, with 195 points versus 153. The Passmark G3D score, which represents overall 3D graphics performance, gives the Quadro RTX 5000 a 24.5% edge, 15,616 points versus 12,547. GPU compute also goes to NVIDIA, with 6,525 versus 5,787, a 12.8% win.

The single test where the AMD card wins is Passmark G2D, a 2D graphics throughput benchmark. Here the Radeon Pro 5700 XT scores 810 versus 709, a 12.5% advantage. This is the only category where the AMD card outperforms its rival, and the margin is modest compared to the NVIDIA leads elsewhere.

The DirectX 12 test is a perfect tie, with both cards scoring exactly 59. This is notable because it suggests that under the latest DirectX 12 API, the two architectures reach parity in this particular workload, despite their differences elsewhere.

Looking at the broader picture, the Quadro RTX 5000’s average benchmark score is 21,629, placing it at the 67th percentile among all GPUs in the database. The Radeon Pro 5700 XT averages 18,685, at the 63rd percentile. The nearest rivals for the NVIDIA card include the GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB (average 21,856, only 1% lower) and the RTX A4000 Mobile (21,379, 1.2% lower). For the AMD card, the closest competitors are the Radeon RX 560X (18,626, 0.3% higher) and the GeForce RTX 2070 (18,789, 0.6% higher). These comparisons show that while the Quadro RTX 5000 sits in a slightly higher performance tier, the Radeon Pro 5700 XT is competitive with mainstream desktop cards from the same era.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 dominates in almost every measurable category. Its wins are particularly pronounced in compute-oriented workloads: OpenCL, Vulkan, and GPU compute all show double-digit percentage leads. This makes it the clear choice for tasks that leverage these APIs, such as scientific simulation, rendering, and general-purpose GPU computing.

The DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 results are also strongly in NVIDIA’s favor, with leads of 48.7% and 64.7% respectively. These APIs are still widely used in professional software suites, engineering tools, and many game engines. The Quadro RTX 5000’s performance here suggests it will handle legacy and current DirectX applications with considerably more headroom than the AMD card.

The DirectX 9 test shows a 27.5% win for NVIDIA. While this API is old, some professional tools and older games still rely on it, and the NVIDIA card handles it better.

The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT’s sole victory is in the Passmark G2D test, which measures 2D rendering and desktop composition performance. A 12.5% lead here is unlikely to matter in real-world professional workloads, but it does indicate that the AMD card is not entirely without strengths. For users who spend significant time in non-accelerated 2D environments or run multiple high-resolution 2D displays, the AMD card may feel slightly more responsive.

The DirectX 12 tie at 59 points is worth noting. Neither card gains an advantage under this API, which means that for the most modern DirectX workloads, the choice between these two will not be decided by raw performance in this specific test.

In summary, the NVIDIA card wins where it counts for compute and 3D rendering, while the AMD card wins in a narrow 2D niche. The data does not support any scenario where the Radeon Pro 5700 XT is the superior choice for GPU-accelerated work.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 is built on the Turing architecture, using the TU104 chip manufactured on a 12 nm process at TSMC. The die is large at 545 mm², containing 13,600 million transistors, which yields a transistor density of 25.0 million per mm². This is a mature, power-hungry design targeting maximum throughput.

The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT uses the RDNA 1.0 architecture with the Navi 10 chip, built on a more advanced 7 nm process, also at TSMC. The die is significantly smaller at 251 mm², with 10,300 million transistors, giving a density of 41.0 million per mm². The smaller process node allows AMD to pack more transistors per area, but the total transistor count is still about 24% lower than NVIDIA’s.

Clock speeds differ considerably. The NVIDIA card has a base clock of 1620 MHz and a boost clock of 1815 MHz. The AMD card runs lower, with a base of 1243 MHz and a boost of 1499 MHz. However, the AMD card’s memory clock is also lower at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective) versus 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) for NVIDIA. This contributes to a memory bandwidth gap: the Quadro RTX 5000 delivers 448.0 GB/s, while the Radeon Pro 5700 XT manages 384.0 GB/s.

Both cards have 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, but the NVIDIA card’s higher memory clock gives it a 16.7% bandwidth advantage.

The compute resources also favor NVIDIA. The Quadro RTX 5000 has 3,072 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. It also includes 48 RT cores and 384 tensor cores, which are dedicated hardware for ray tracing and AI workloads. The Radeon Pro 5700 XT has fewer shading units at 2,560, fewer TMUs at 160, but the same 64 ROPs. It has no dedicated RT or tensor cores.

These differences translate into raw throughput numbers. The NVIDIA card achieves 11.15 TFLOPS FP32 and 22.30 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1 ratio), while the AMD card delivers 7.675 TFLOPS FP32 and 15.35 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1 ratio). The pixel rate is 116.2 GPixel/s for NVIDIA versus 95.94 GPixel/s for AMD, and the texture rate is 348.5 GTexel/s versus 239.8 GTexel/s.

Power consumption reflects the design gap. The Quadro RTX 5000 has a TDP of 230 W and requires a 6-pin plus 8-pin power connector, with a suggested PSU of 550 W. The Radeon Pro 5700 XT is far more efficient, with a TDP of 130 W, no power connectors, and a suggested PSU of only 300 W. The AMD card is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no display outputs, while the NVIDIA card is a dual-slot PCIe 3.0 x16 card with four DisplayPort 1.4a outputs and one USB Type-C port.

API support differs as well. The NVIDIA card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the AMD card supports DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. The NVIDIA card also has a higher memory bandwidth and more advanced feature set, including hardware ray tracing and tensor cores, which the AMD card lacks entirely.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 is the stronger card in nearly every benchmark. It wins 8 of 9 head-to-head tests, with leads ranging from 12.8% to 64.7%. The only loss is a 12.5% deficit in the 2D G2D test, which is unlikely to matter in professional 3D or compute work.

For users running OpenCL, Vulkan, or DirectX 10/11 workloads, the Quadro RTX 5000 is the clear choice. Its 32.8% OpenCL lead and 63.1% Vulkan lead are substantial, and its 24.5% G3D advantage confirms stronger overall 3D performance. The inclusion of RT cores and tensor cores also gives it the ability to accelerate ray tracing and AI tasks, which the AMD card cannot do.

The Radeon Pro 5700 XT is not without merit. Its 7 nm process makes it far more power-efficient, with a 130 W TDP versus 230 W. It also has a higher transistor density and a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface, which may offer advantages in specific system configurations. However, its lower raw compute performance and lack of dedicated RT or tensor hardware put it at a clear disadvantage in most professional scenarios.

The DirectX 12 tie suggests that for the most modern API, the two cards are evenly matched in this particular test. But the overall pattern is decisive: the Quadro RTX 5000 is the better performer, and the only real question is whether the AMD card’s efficiency and 2D strengths are worth the substantial performance losses elsewhere.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in OpenCL workloads?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 scores 78,999 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 32.8% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT’s 59,467.

Q: Is there any benchmark where the AMD card wins?

A: Yes, the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT wins the Passmark G2D test with a score of 810 versus 709, a 12.5% advantage. This is its only head-to-head victory.

Q: Do both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate?

A: No. The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT supports DirectX 12 (12_1).

Q: How do the memory bandwidth figures compare?

A: The NVIDIA card has 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, while the AMD card has 384.0 GB/s. Both use 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, but the NVIDIA card runs its memory at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) versus 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective).

Q: Which card has hardware ray tracing support?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 includes 48 RT cores. The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT has no RT cores listed in the database.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 has a TDP of 230 W and requires a 6-pin plus 8-pin power connector, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT has a TDP of 130 W and uses no power connectors.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 | AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT |

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

| Architecture | Turing | RDNA 1.0 |

| Process Node | 12 nm | 7 nm |

| Transistors | 13,600 million | 10,300 million |

| Die Size | 545 mm² | 251 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 25.0M / mm² | 41.0M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1620 MHz | 1243 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1815 MHz | 1499 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) | 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Bandwidth | 448.0 GB/s | 384.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 3072 | 2560 |

| TMUs | 192 | 160 |

| ROPs | 64 | 64 |

| RT Cores | 48 | None |

| Tensor Cores | 384 | None |

| FP32 Performance | 11.15 TFLOPS | 7.675 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 22.30 TFLOPS (2:1) | 15.35 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| Pixel Rate | 116.2 GPixel/s | 95.94 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 348.5 GTexel/s | 239.8 GTexel/s |

| TDP | 230 W | 130 W |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 550 W | 300 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 4x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1x USB Type-C | No outputs |

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

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | IGP |

| Release Date | 2018-08-12 | 2020-08-03 |

| Launch MSRP | 2,299 USD | Not available |