AMD Radeon Pro W5500 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 Comparison

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 vs AMD Radeon Pro W5500: Two end-of-life GPUs from different eras, with the 2012 Kepler flagship facing the 2020 RDNA 1.0 workstation card. Benchmark data shows a decisive generational gap, with the AMD card winning both head-to-head tests by massive margins, yet the GTX 690's average score remains competitive due to its dual-GPU design.

The Verdict

The benchmark results are unambiguous: the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 dominates the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 in every shared test. In Geekbench OpenCL, the W5500 scores 45,615 against the GTX 690's 17,399 — a 61.9% advantage. In Geekbench Vulkan, the W5500's 42,021 dwarfs the GTX 690's 16,675, a 60.3% lead. The data shows a 2.6x performance gap in OpenCL and a 2.5x gap in Vulkan.

For compute workloads and modern API support, the choice is clear: the Radeon Pro W5500 is the only sensible pick. It offers 8 GB of GDDR6 memory versus 2 GB of GDDR5, a 7 nm process versus 28 nm, and nearly double the FP32 throughput (5.224 TFLOPS versus 3.130 TFLOPS). The W5500 also brings DirectX 12_1 support and Vulkan 1.4, while the GTX 690 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175.

The GTX 690 retains one statistical advantage: its average benchmark score of 17,037 sits 8.7% above the W5500's 15,679. This is misleading, however, as the GTX 690's average derives from only two tests (OpenCL and Vulkan), while the W5500's average spans ten tests including older DirectX and Passmark workloads. The GTX 690's percentile rank of 60 versus the W5500's 58 reflects this narrow test set, not real-world superiority.

For professionals needing modern compute, driver support, and memory capacity, the W5500 is the only rational choice. For retro enthusiasts or those constrained to legacy workloads, the GTX 690's dual-GPU complexity offers no advantage in the data. The verdict is straightforward: pick the Radeon Pro W5500 unless a specific legacy workload requires the GTX 690's Kepler architecture.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 averages 17,037 across its two benchmark tests, compared to the AMD Radeon Pro W5500's 15,679 average across ten tests. This places the GTX 690 at the 60th percentile versus the W5500's 58th percentile.

Q: How large is the performance gap in OpenCL?

A: The W5500 scores 45,615 in Geekbench OpenCL versus the GTX 690's 17,399, giving AMD a 61.9% lead. This is the largest margin in any shared benchmark.

Q: What are the memory differences between the two cards?

A: The W5500 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 690 has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 192.3 GB/s bandwidth. The W5500 also runs at 14 Gbps effective versus 6 Gbps effective.

Q: Which card supports newer graphics APIs?

A: The W5500 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while the GTX 690 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175. Both cards support OpenGL 4.6.

Q: How do the nearest rivals compare to each card?

A: The GTX 690's closest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, which scores 17,208 (a 1% delta). The W5500's closest rival is the AMD Radeon R9 M380, scoring 15,521 (a 1% delta). Both cards sit within 1.2% of their nearest competitors.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The GTX 690 has a TDP of 300 W and requires a 700 W suggested PSU with dual 8-pin connectors. The W5500 has a TDP of 125 W, a 300 W suggested PSU, and a single 6-pin connector.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent radically different design philosophies separated by eight years of process evolution. The GTX 690 uses NVIDIA's Kepler architecture on a 28 nm TSMC process, packing 3,540 million transistors into a 294 mm² die. This yields a transistor density of 12.0 million per mm². The W5500 employs AMD's RDNA 1.0 architecture on a 7 nm TSMC process, fitting 6,400 million transistors into just 158 mm² — a density of 40.5 million per mm², which is 3.4 times higher.

The GTX 690's Kepler design is a dual-GPU card, effectively two GK104 chips working in tandem. It features 1,536 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The W5500's Navi 14 chip has 1,408 shading units, 88 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. While the shading unit counts are similar, the architectural efficiency differs enormously: the W5500 achieves 5.224 TFLOPS FP32 from fewer cores, versus the GTX 690's 3.130 TFLOPS.

Memory architecture also diverges sharply. The GTX 690 uses 2 GB GDDR5 across a 256-bit bus, while the W5500 uses 8 GB GDDR6 across a 128-bit bus. Despite the narrower bus, the W5500's faster 14 Gbps memory yields 224.0 GB/s bandwidth versus 192.3 GB/s. The W5500 also supports FP16 compute at 10.45 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), a feature the GTX 690 lacks entirely.

Both cards are end-of-life, but their production contexts differ. The GTX 690 launched in May 2012 as the flagship of the GeForce 600 generation, succeeding the GeForce 500 series and preceding the GeForce 700. The W5500 arrived in February 2020 within the Radeon Pro Navi series, succeeding the Radeon Pro Vega line. The GTX 690 uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the W5500 uses PCIe 4.0 x8.

Physical design reflects their different power envelopes. The GTX 690 is a 300 W dual-slot card measuring 279 mm long, 111 mm high, and 38 mm wide, with dual 8-pin power connectors. The W5500 is a 125 W single-slot card at 241 mm by 111 mm, with a single 6-pin connector. Display outputs also differ: the GTX 690 offers 3x DVI and 1x mini-DisplayPort 1.2, while the W5500 provides 4x DisplayPort 1.4a.

Specification Differences

The table below highlights only the fields where the two cards differ, based strictly on the data provided.

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 | AMD Radeon Pro W5500 |

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

| Architecture | Kepler | RDNA 1.0 |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 7 nm |

| Transistors | 3,540 million | 6,400 million |

| Die Size | 294 mm² | 158 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.0M / mm² | 40.5M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 915 MHz | 1744 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1019 MHz | 1855 MHz |

| Memory Speed | 6 Gbps effective | 14 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 2 GB | 8 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus Width | 256 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 192.3 GB/s | 224.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1536 | 1408 |

| TMUs | 128 | 88 |

| ROPs | 32 | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 32.61 GPixel/s | 59.36 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 130.4 GTexel/s | 163.2 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 3.130 TFLOPS | 5.224 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | null | 10.45 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 300 W | 125 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | Single-slot |

| Power Connectors | 2x 8-pin | 1x 6-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 700 W | 300 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x8 |

| Display Outputs | 3x DVI, 1x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 | 4x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| DirectX | 12 (11_0) | 12 (12_1) |

| Vulkan | 1.2.175 | 1.4 |

| Launch MSRP | 999 USD | 399 USD |

| Release Date | 2012-05-02 | 2020-02-09 |

| Predecessor | GeForce 500 | Radeon Pro Vega |

| Successor | GeForce 700 | null |

| Dimensions (L×H×W) | 279×111×38 mm | 241×111×null mm |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data contains only two shared tests, and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 wins both decisively. The results are not close, and the margins reveal a fundamental generational leap rather than a minor performance edge.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the W5500 scores 45,615 against the GTX 690's 17,399. This represents a 61.9% delta in favor of AMD. To contextualize: the GTX 690's nearest rivals in its own benchmark set include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 at 17,208, which is only 1% faster. The W5500's OpenCL score is roughly 2.6 times higher than the GTX 690's, placing it in a completely different performance tier despite the GTX 690's higher percentile ranking.

The Vulkan test tells a similar story. The W5500 posts 42,021 versus the GTX 690's 16,675, a 60.3% margin. This is notable because Vulkan performance often reflects driver maturity and architectural efficiency. The GTX 690's Vulkan 1.2.175 support is older, and the dual-GPU Kepler design struggles to scale in modern APIs. The W5500's RDNA 1.0 architecture handles Vulkan 1.4 natively, delivering more than 2.5 times the frame throughput.

The GTX 690's only statistical victory is its average benchmark score of 17,037, which exceeds the W5500's 15,679. However, this is an artifact of test coverage. The GTX 690 has just two benchmarks in its record, both compute-oriented. The W5500's average includes ten tests, spanning Passmark DirectX 9 through DirectX 12, G2D, G3D, and GPU compute. The W5500's Passmark G3D score of 8,978 and GPU compute score of 4,804 pull its average down, while the GTX 690's two high-scoring compute results keep its average artificially high.

Examining the W5500's broader benchmark suite reveals consistent performance across legacy and modern workloads. Its Passmark DirectX 9 score of 126 far exceeds its DirectX 11 score of 56 and DirectX 12 score of 39, suggesting strong legacy support. The GTX 690 has no comparable data, making direct cross-referencing impossible.

The deltaPct values from nearest rivals reinforce the generational divide. The GTX 690's closest competitor, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, is only 1% faster — meaning the 2012 card nearly matches a 2020 flagship in compute benchmarks. Yet the W5500, which sits at the 58th percentile, beats the GTX 690 by over 60% in both shared tests. This paradox resolves when considering that the GTX 690's dual-GPU configuration inflates its average through raw parallel compute, while the W5500's single-chip efficiency delivers superior real-world performance per watt and per clock.

The pixel and texture rates confirm the AMD card's advantage. The W5500 achieves 59.36 GPixel/s versus 32.61 GPixel/s, and 163.2 GTexel/s versus 130.4 GTexel/s. These figures align with the benchmark results, showing the W5500 is faster in every measurable throughput metric. The GTX 690's higher shading unit count (1,536 versus 1,408) cannot compensate for its lower clocks and older architecture.

In summary, the head-to-head data leaves no ambiguity: the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 wins both tests with margins exceeding 60%, and its architectural advantages in process node, memory bandwidth, and compute throughput make it the superior GPU for any modern workload. The GTX 690's legacy as a dual-GPU flagship is historically notable, but the benchmark numbers relegate it to a supporting role in any performance comparison.