AMD Radeon Pro W5500 vs AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 Comparison

The AMD Radeon Pro W5500 and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 occupy opposite ends of the graphics spectrum, despite sharing the same manufacturer. The data shows a decisive performance gulf between the discrete workstation card and the integrated graphics processor, with the W5500 winning all three head-to-head benchmark comparisons by margins exceeding 210%. The W5500’s average benchmark score of 15,679 places it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, while the Vega 11’s 14,385 average places it in the 56th percentile—a modest overall gap that belies the extreme differences in individual compute tests.

The Verdict

The benchmark results indicate that the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 is the clear choice for any workload requiring substantial graphics compute power. In Geekbench Metal, the W5500 scores 54,302 against the Vega 11’s 17,086, a 217.8% advantage. The OpenCL test shows an even larger gap: 45,615 versus 12,525, a 264.2% lead. Vulkan performance follows suit with 42,021 versus 13,543, a 210.3% margin. These are not incremental improvements; the W5500 delivers more than three times the raw compute throughput in some metrics.

For users constrained to integrated graphics, the RX Vega 11 remains a functional fallback. Its average score of 14,385 places it within 0.1% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN (14,373) and 0.5% of the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (14,315), showing it is competitive within its IGP class. However, the Vega 11’s 15 W TDP and system-shared memory architecture fundamentally limit its ceiling. The data does not support any scenario where the Vega 11 outperforms the W5500, so the choice hinges entirely on whether a discrete GPU is available. If it is, the W5500 is the only rational selection.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from entirely different architectural lineages. The Radeon Pro W5500 uses the Navi 14 chip built on RDNA 1.0 architecture, fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It contains 6,400 million transistors on a 158 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 40.5 million per square millimeter. In contrast, the RX Vega 11 uses the Picasso chip with GCN 5.0 architecture, manufactured on a 12 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It packs 4,940 million transistors onto a larger 210 mm² die, resulting in a lower density of 23.5 million per square millimeter.

The W5500’s newer architecture delivers substantially higher clock speeds: a base of 1744 MHz and a boost of 1855 MHz, compared to the Vega 11’s 300 MHz base and 1400 MHz boost. The Vega 11’s extremely low base clock reflects its integrated nature, designed for power efficiency rather than sustained performance. The W5500 also features dedicated GDDR6 memory—8 GB on a 128-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth—while the Vega 11 relies entirely on system-shared memory, making its bandwidth “System Dependent.” This architectural divergence explains the massive compute gap, as the W5500’s dedicated memory bandwidth is roughly 224 GB/s compared to the Vega 11’s variable, CPU-dependent figures.

Feature support differs in Vulkan versions: the W5500 supports Vulkan 1.4, while the Vega 11 is limited to Vulkan 1.3. Both support DirectX 12 (12_1) and OpenGL 4.6, so API compatibility is otherwise aligned. The W5500’s RDNA architecture also brings a 2:1 FP16 ratio (10.45 TFLOPS) versus the Vega 11’s 3.942 TFLOPS, though both share this 2:1 efficiency characteristic.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench Metal test provides the first clear signal of the W5500’s dominance. Scoring 54,302 against the Vega 11’s 17,086, the W5500 leads by 217.8%. This translates to roughly 3.2 times the Metal performance, a margin that reflects both the W5500’s higher shader count and dedicated memory subsystem. The Vega 11’s 704 shading units and 8 ROPs simply cannot compete with the W5500’s 1,408 shading units and 32 ROPs.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the margin widens further. The W5500 scores 45,615 versus 12,525, a 264.2% advantage—nearly 3.6 times the compute throughput. This test emphasizes raw FP32 performance, where the W5500’s 5.224 TFLOPS dwarfs the Vega 11’s 1.971 TFLOPS. The texture rate difference is equally stark: 163.2 GTexel/s versus 61.60 GTexel/s. These numbers indicate that the W5500 is not merely faster; it is in a different performance tier entirely.

The Vulkan test shows the smallest relative gap, but it remains overwhelming. The W5500’s 42,021 score versus the Vega 11’s 13,543 represents a 210.3% lead. This test is often more sensitive to driver overhead and API efficiency, yet the W5500 still manages to triple the Vega 11’s results. The pixel rate difference—59.36 GPixel/s versus 11.20 GPixel/s—underscores the W5500’s advantage in fill-rate-bound workloads. Across all three head-to-head tests, the W5500 wins 3-0, with no benchmark where the Vega 11 narrows the gap to under double-digit percentages.

Specification Differences

The most consequential specification differences between the two GPUs are as follows:

• Process Node: 7 nm (TSMC) versus 12 nm (GlobalFoundries)
• Transistors: 6,400 million versus 4,940 million
• Die Size: 158 mm² versus 210 mm²
• Transistor Density: 40.5M / mm² versus 23.5M / mm²
• Base Clock: 1744 MHz versus 300 MHz
• Boost Clock: 1855 MHz versus 1400 MHz
• Memory: 8 GB GDDR6 versus System Shared
• Memory Bus Width: 128 bit versus System Shared
• Memory Bandwidth: 224.0 GB/s versus System Dependent
• Shading Units: 1408 versus 704
• TMUs: 88 versus 44
• ROPs: 32 versus 8
• Pixel Rate: 59.36 GPixel/s versus 11.20 GPixel/s
• Texture Rate: 163.2 GTexel/s versus 61.60 GTexel/s
• FP32: 5.224 TFLOPS versus 1.971 TFLOPS
• FP16: 10.45 TFLOPS (2:1) versus 3.942 TFLOPS (2:1)
• TDP: 125 W versus 15 W
• Slot Width: Single-slot versus IGP
• Power Connectors: 1x 6-pin versus None
• Bus Interface: PCIe 4.0 x8 versus IGP
• Display Outputs: 4x DisplayPort 1.4a versus Motherboard Dependent
• Vulkan Version: 1.4 versus 1.3
• Dimensions: 241 mm length, 111 mm height versus null (no discrete card)
• Release Date: 2020-02-09 versus 2019-07-06

The W5500’s launch MSRP is 399 USD. The Vega 11 has no launch MSRP, as it is integrated into a processor. The W5500 also has a suggested PSU of 300 W, while the Vega 11 requires none.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the Radeon Pro W5500 in OpenCL compared to the RX Vega 11?

A: The W5500 scores 45,615 in Geekbench OpenCL against the Vega 11’s 12,525, representing a 264.2% advantage—roughly 3.6 times the compute performance.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same DirectX version?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12 (12_1) and OpenGL 4.6. They differ in Vulkan support, with the W5500 supporting version 1.4 and the Vega 11 supporting 1.3.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference between the two?

A: The W5500 has 8 GB of dedicated GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Vega 11 uses system-shared memory with no dedicated VRAM, making its bandwidth system-dependent.

Q: Which GPU has a higher transistor density?

A: The W5500 has a density of 40.5 million transistors per square millimeter, versus the Vega 11’s 23.5 million, due to the W5500’s more advanced 7 nm process compared to the Vega 11’s 12 nm process.

Q: How does the Vega 11 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Vega 11’s average score of 14,385 is within 0.1% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN (14,373) and 0.5% of the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (14,315), showing it is competitive among integrated and low-power discrete GPUs.

Q: What is the power requirement difference?

A: The W5500 has a 125 W TDP, requires a 1x 6-pin power connector, and has a suggested PSU of 300 W. The Vega 11 has a 15 W TDP, requires no power connectors, and has no suggested PSU rating.