AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 vs AMD Radeon Pro W5700X Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X edges out the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 by a razor-thin margin. The W5700X averages 61,207 points across all tests, while the Vega 48 averages 61,081 points — a delta of just 0.2% in favor of the W5700X.

Q: How do the two cards compare in Geekbench Metal performance?

A: The W5700X is dramatically faster in Metal, scoring 94,564 versus the Vega 48's 71,531. That represents a 32.2% lead for the W5700X, making it the clear winner for Metal-accelerated workloads.

Q: Which GPU wins in OpenCL and Vulkan benchmarks?

A: The Vega 48 takes both. In OpenCL, it scores 53,570 against the W5700X's 43,810, an 18.2% advantage. In Vulkan, the Vega 48 scores 58,142 versus 45,246, a 22.2% lead.

Q: What are the memory configurations of each card?

A: The W5700X comes with 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Vega 48 has 8 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus, providing 402.4 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has the higher transistor count and larger die?

A: The Vega 48 packs 12,500 million transistors on a 495 mm² die, while the W5700X has 10,300 million transistors on a 251 mm² die. Despite fewer transistors, the W5700X achieves a much higher transistor density of 41.0M per mm² versus 25.3M per mm².

Q: What process nodes do the two cards use?

A: The W5700X is built on TSMC's 7 nm process, while the Vega 48 uses GlobalFoundries' 14 nm node. This process advantage contributes significantly to the W5700X's higher clock speeds and efficiency.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits cleanly along API lines. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X dominates in Metal, the Apple-centric API, with a 32.2% advantage over the Vega 48. This makes the W5700X the superior choice for Metal-based creative applications, 3D rendering pipelines, and any workflow that leverages Apple's graphics framework. Its 16 GB GDDR6 frame buffer also provides double the capacity of the Vega 48, which matters for large texture sets and high-resolution compositing.

The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48, conversely, wins decisively in both OpenCL and Vulkan. Its OpenCL score of 53,570 outperforms the W5700X by 18.2%, and its Vulkan score of 58,142 beats the W5700X by 22.2%. For users running cross-platform workloads, Linux-based compute, or Vulkan-native games and applications, the Vega 48 is the stronger performer. The Vega 48 also benefits from a 2048-bit memory bus — eight times wider than the W5700X's 256-bit bus — which can aid in memory-intensive compute patterns despite the lower overall bandwidth.

The overall picture shows a near-total performance parity. The W5700X's average score of 61,207 is only 0.2% above the Vega 48's 61,081. Both cards sit in the 89th-90th percentile of all GPUs, meaning either will deliver top-tier performance in most scenarios. The deciding factor is the API ecosystem: Metal users should choose the W5700X, while OpenCL/Vulkan users will find the Vega 48 more capable.

Architecture Differences

The W5700X is built on Navi 10 silicon using AMD's RDNA 1.0 architecture, while the Vega 48 uses Vega 10 with the older GCN 5.0 architecture. This generational shift brings fundamental changes to how each GPU schedules and executes work. RDNA 1.0 was designed to improve instruction-level parallelism and reduce latency compared to GCN, which translates into higher clock speeds and better per-shader efficiency.

The process technology difference is stark. The W5700X uses TSMC's 7 nm node, allowing 10,300 million transistors on a compact 251 mm² die. The Vega 48, fabricated on GlobalFoundries' 14 nm process, needs 495 mm² to house 12,500 million transistors. The density advantage is clear: 41.0M transistors per mm² for the W5700X versus 25.3M per mm² for the Vega 48. This density gain enables the W5700X to run at a 2040 MHz boost clock — well above the Vega 48's unspecified clock range — while consuming a specified 205 W TDP.

Shader architecture also differs. The Vega 48 has 3,072 shading units and 192 texture mapping units, while the W5700X has 2,560 shading units and 160 TMUs. Despite having fewer execution units, the W5700X achieves higher pixel and texture rates: 130.6 GPixel/s and 326.4 GTexel/s versus 76.80 GPixel/s and 230.4 GTexel/s for the Vega 48. The RDNA design's higher clocks per shader more than compensate for the lower unit count.

Memory technology diverges completely. The W5700X uses 16 GB of GDDR6 with a 256-bit bus, while the Vega 48 uses 8 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus. The HBM2 stack delivers 402.4 GB/s bandwidth, while the GDDR6 configuration achieves 448.0 GB/s. Both support DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan, though the W5700X supports Vulkan 1.4 while the Vega 48 tops out at Vulkan 1.3.

Specification Differences

The two cards diverge on nearly every physical and electrical specification. The W5700X is a quad-slot card measuring 305 mm in length, designed for the Apple MPX bus interface. The Vega 48 is an integrated GPU (IGP) with no power connectors, relying on the host system's power delivery. The W5700X has a suggested PSU rating of 550 W and a TDP of 205 W; the Vega 48 lists neither.

Display outputs differ substantially. The W5700X provides 1x HDMI 2.0b and 4x Thunderbolt ports, while the Vega 48's outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent," reflecting its mobile/integrated nature. Memory clocks also differ: the W5700X runs memory at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), while the Vega 48's memory operates at 786 MHz (1572 Mbps effective).

The Vega 48 has a higher raw compute count — 3,072 shading units and 192 TMUs versus 2,560 and 160 — but the W5700X counters with higher FP32 throughput: 10.44 TFLOPS versus 7.373 TFLOPS. FP16 performance follows the same pattern: 20.89 TFLOPS for the W5700X against 14.75 TFLOPS for the Vega 48. Both cards have 64 ROPs.

Release timing and lifecycle also differ. The Vega 48 launched on 2019-03-18, while the W5700X arrived later on 2019-12-10. Both are now end-of-life products. The W5700X carries a launch MSRP of 999 USD.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench Metal test delivers the largest margin of the entire comparison. The W5700X scores 94,564, while the Vega 48 manages 71,531. That 32.2% delta is substantial — nearly a third more performance in Metal-heavy workloads. This result aligns with the W5700X's newer RDNA architecture and higher effective clocks, which pay dividends in Apple's graphics stack.

The OpenCL results flip the script. Here, the Vega 48 scores 53,570, beating the W5700X's 43,810 by 18.2%. The Vega 48's larger shader count (3,072 versus 2,560) and wider memory bus appear to benefit OpenCL's compute patterns, which often scale with raw execution unit count rather than clock speed. This is a decisive win for the older architecture in general-purpose compute.

Vulkan benchmarks show an even larger gap in the Vega 48's favor. The Vega 48 scores 58,142 against the W5700X's 45,246, a 22.2% advantage. This suggests that GCN 5.0's scheduling model, despite its age, still handles Vulkan's explicit control model effectively. The W5700X's RDNA 1.0 implementation, while newer, does not translate that architectural advantage into Vulkan performance.

The overall benchmark average tells a story of near-parity. The W5700X averages 61,207 points across all tests, while the Vega 48 averages 61,081 — a 0.2% difference. The W5700X's single dominant Metal win is offset by the Vega 48's two wins in OpenCL and Vulkan. The W5700X claims 1 head-to-head victory, the Vega 48 claims 2.

For buyers, the choice hinges entirely on the workload. Metal-centric users gain 32.2% with the W5700X. OpenCL or Vulkan users gain 18-22% with the Vega 48. Both cards sit at the 89th-90th percentile of all GPUs, so neither is a weak option. The data indicates a true split decision, with each card owning its respective API domain.