AMD Radeon Pro W5500 vs AMD Radeon Vega 11 Comparison

The AMD Radeon Pro W5500 and the AMD Radeon Vega 11 represent two distinct approaches to graphics processing, but benchmark data shows they are not in the same performance class. The W5500, a discrete workstation card, dominates the integrated Vega 11 GPU across every shared metric, with the largest margin reaching a staggering 242.4% in Vulkan compute tests. The Radeon Vega 11, an IGP built into the Picasso APU, is decisively outclassed, though its low power envelope and integration make it a fundamentally different product for a different use case.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The performance gap between these two GPUs is vast and consistent across all three benchmark tests where they share data. The AMD Radeon Pro W5500 wins every single head-to-head comparison, achieving a perfect 3-0 record against the Radeon Vega 11.

The most extreme difference appears in the Geekbench Vulkan test. Here, the W5500 scores 42,021 points, which is 242.4% higher than the Vega 11's 12,273 points. This means the discrete card delivers more than three times the compute performance in this API, a massive gulf that speaks to the fundamental difference in their hardware resources and memory subsystems.

The Geekbench OpenCL benchmark shows a similar story. The W5500 produces a score of 45,615, beating the Vega 11's 13,392 by a margin of 240.6%. This near-identical percentage to the Vulkan result suggests the W5500's advantage is architectural and consistent, not workload-specific. The Vega 11's integrated nature, with system-shared memory, likely hampers its ability to sustain high throughput in these compute-heavy workloads.

Even in the Geekbench Metal test, which is typically more relevant for Apple platforms, the W5500 maintains its dominance. It scores 54,302 against the Vega 11's 17,392, a delta of 212.2%. While this is the smallest percentage lead of the three, it still represents a performance advantage of more than 3x. The data indicates that no matter which graphics API is used, the Radeon Pro W5500 is in a completely different league.

Context from the nearest rivals reinforces this picture. The W5500's average benchmark score of 15,679 places it within 0.8% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti and 1.1% of the AMD Radeon R9 M380. Meanwhile, the Vega 11's average of 14,352 is virtually tied with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN and the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics, with deltas of -0.1% and 0.3% respectively. This means the W5500 is competing with high-end desktop graphics cards, while the Vega 11 sits in the company of older mid-range and entry-level mobile GPUs.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures and manufacturing processes. The Radeon Pro W5500 uses the Navi 14 chip based on RDNA 1.0 architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 7 nm process node. In contrast, the Vega 11 uses the Picasso chip based on the older GCN 5.0 architecture, built by GlobalFoundries on a 12 nm node. This process advantage is significant; the W5500 packs 6,400 million transistors into a 158 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 40.5M per mm². The Vega 11, with 4,940 million transistors spread across a larger 210 mm² die, achieves a much lower density of just 23.5M per mm².

The compute resources also differ dramatically. The W5500 features 1,408 shading units, 88 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 32 raster operation pipelines (ROPs). The Vega 11, by contrast, has exactly half the shading units at 704, half the TMUs at 44, and only 8 ROPs — a quarter of the W5500's count. These raw numbers translate directly to the fill rate and compute figures: the W5500 achieves 59.36 GPixel/s pixel rate and 163.2 GTexel/s texture rate, while the Vega 11 manages only 11.20 GPixel/s and 61.60 GTexel/s respectively. In FP32 compute, the W5500 delivers 5.224 TFLOPS versus the Vega 11's 1.971 TFLOPS.

Memory is another decisive differentiator. The W5500 has 8 GB of dedicated GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Vega 11 has no dedicated memory at all; it uses "System Shared" memory, with bandwidth described as "System Dependent." This means the IGP's performance can vary based on the host system's RAM configuration, whereas the W5500's performance is consistent and independent of the rest of the system.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in Geekbench Vulkan tests?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro W5500 is significantly faster, scoring 42,021 points compared to the Radeon Vega 11's 12,273 points, a difference of 242.4%.

Q: What is the transistor count of each GPU?

A: The W5500 contains 6,400 million transistors on a 158 mm² die, while the Vega 11 contains 4,940 million transistors on a larger 210 mm² die.

Q: How much memory does each GPU have?

A: The W5500 has 8 GB of dedicated GDDR6 memory with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Vega 11 uses System Shared memory, with bandwidth that is System Dependent.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The W5500 has a TDP of 125 W and requires a 300 W suggested PSU with a single 6-pin power connector. The Vega 11 has a TDP of just 15 W and needs no power connectors, as it is an IGP.

Q: Are these GPUs still in production?

A: No, both are listed as End-of-life products. The W5500 was released on 2020-02-09, and the Vega 11 was released on 2019-09-29.

Q: How does each GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The W5500's average score of 15,679 is just 0.8% from the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti. The Vega 11's average of 14,352 is within 0.1% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every measurable specification, reflecting their distinct roles in the market.

• Architecture: RDNA 1.0 (W5500) vs GCN 5.0 (Vega 11)
• Process Node: 7 nm (W5500) vs 12 nm (Vega 11)
• Foundry: TSMC (W5500) vs GlobalFoundries (Vega 11)
• Transistors: 6,400 million (W5500) vs 4,940 million (Vega 11)
• Die Size: 158 mm² (W5500) vs 210 mm² (Vega 11)
• Base Clock: 1744 MHz (W5500) vs 300 MHz (Vega 11)
• Boost Clock: 1855 MHz (W5500) vs 1400 MHz (Vega 11)
• Memory: 8 GB GDDR6 (W5500) vs System Shared (Vega 11)
• Memory Bus Width: 128 bit (W5500) vs System Shared (Vega 11)
• Bandwidth: 224.0 GB/s (W5500) vs System Dependent (Vega 11)
• Shading Units: 1408 (W5500) vs 704 (Vega 11)
• TMUs: 88 (W5500) vs 44 (Vega 11)
• ROPs: 32 (W5500) vs 8 (Vega 11)
• Pixel Rate: 59.36 GPixel/s (W5500) vs 11.20 GPixel/s (Vega 11)
• Texture Rate: 163.2 GTexel/s (W5500) vs 61.60 GTexel/s (Vega 11)
• FP32: 5.224 TFLOPS (W5500) vs 1.971 TFLOPS (Vega 11)
• TDP: 125 W (W5500) vs 15 W (Vega 11)
• Slot Width: Single-slot (W5500) vs IGP (Vega 11)
• Power Connectors: 1x 6-pin (W5500) vs None (Vega 11)
• Suggested PSU: 300 W (W5500) vs null (Vega 11)
• Bus Interface: PCIe 4.0 x8 (W5500) vs IGP (Vega 11)
• Display Outputs: 4x DisplayPort 1.4a (W5500) vs Motherboard Dependent (Vega 11)
• Vulkan Version: 1.4 (W5500) vs 1.3 (Vega 11)
• Dimensions: 241 mm length (W5500) vs null (Vega 11)

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 is the superior graphics processor in every measurable way. It delivers between 212.2% and 242.4% higher benchmark scores than the Radeon Vega 11, has more than double the shading units, over 2.5x the FP32 compute, and dedicated GDDR6 memory with 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The W5500's average benchmark score of 15,679 places it in the company of the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, a high-end desktop GPU.

The Radeon Vega 11, however, serves a completely different purpose. As an integrated graphics processor with a 15 W TDP, it requires no power connectors and fits into any motherboard with a compatible APU. Its performance, anchored by an average score of 14,352 that rivals the GTX TITAN, is remarkable for an IGP but cannot compete with a discrete card like the W5500.

For professionals seeking maximum compute performance, dedicated memory, and workstation-class features, the Radeon Pro W5500 is the clear choice. For users needing a low-power, integrated graphics solution for basic tasks without the expense or space of a discrete card, the Radeon Vega 11 remains a viable, if limited, option. The benchmark results indicate that these two products should not be cross-shopped; they target different markets with different priorities, and the W5500's 3-0 head-to-head record confirms its decisive performance leadership.