AMD Radeon Pro W5500X vs AMD Radeon RX 590 GME Comparison

The Verdict

The AMD Radeon RX 590 GME and AMD Radeon Pro W5500X serve fundamentally different roles despite sharing the same 8 GB memory capacity. The RX 590 GME is a consumer-oriented Polaris part aimed at general desktop gaming, while the Pro W5500X is a workstation-class Radeon Pro product designed for Apple MPX systems. Based on the recorded data, the RX 590 GME holds a higher percentile ranking at 77 compared to the Pro W5500X's 73, and its average benchmark score of 32,601 exceeds the Pro's 27,973 by roughly 16.5%. For users seeking raw compute performance in OpenCL or Vulkan workloads, the RX 590 GME is the stronger choice. However, the Pro W5500X offers a distinct advantage in Metal-based applications, which are common in macOS environments, and it does so with a lower thermal design power of 125 W versus 175 W. The data suggests the RX 590 GME is better suited for cross-platform compute tasks, while the Pro W5500X is the pick for Apple-centric workflows where Metal performance and power efficiency matter more than raw FP32 throughput.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different architectural generations and foundries. The RX 590 GME uses the Polaris 20 chip built on GCN 4.0 architecture, fabricated by GlobalFoundries on a 14 nm process. It contains 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 24.6 million per square millimeter. In contrast, the Pro W5500X employs the Navi 14 chip with RDNA 1.0 architecture, manufactured by TSMC on a 7 nm process. This newer node packs 6,400 million transistors into a smaller 158 mm² die, achieving a much higher density of 40.5 million per square millimeter. The architectural split is significant: GCN 4.0 is an older, wider design, while RDNA 1.0 is a newer, more efficient architecture with a different execution model.

The RX 590 GME fields 2,304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 32 render output units. The Pro W5500X has fewer shading units at 1,536 and fewer texture units at 96, but it matches the RX 590 GME with 32 ROPs. Clock behavior also differs. The RX 590 GME has a base clock of 1,257 MHz and a boost clock of 1,420 MHz. The Pro W5500X starts lower at 1,187 MHz base but boosts higher to 1,757 MHz, giving it a higher peak frequency. This higher boost clock, combined with the RDNA architecture, allows the Pro W5500X to achieve a pixel rate of 56.22 GPixel/s, which is 23.7% higher than the RX 590 GME's 45.44 GPixel/s. However, the RX 590 GME counters with a much higher texture rate of 204.5 GTexel/s versus the Pro's 168.7 GTexel/s, a 21.2% advantage, thanks to its larger TMU count.

Memory subsystems differ as well. The RX 590 GME uses 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Pro W5500X uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a narrower 128-bit bus, resulting in 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 590 GME thus offers 14.3% more memory bandwidth despite using older memory technology. FP32 compute favors the RX 590 GME at 6.543 TFLOPS versus 5.398 TFLOPS for the Pro W5500X, a 21.2% difference. But in FP16, the Pro W5500X shines with 10.80 TFLOPS using a 2:1 ratio, while the RX 590 GME manages only 6.543 TFLOPS at a 1:1 ratio. API support also differs: the Pro W5500X supports DirectX 12_1 and Vulkan 1.4, while the RX 590 GME is limited to DirectX 12_0 and Vulkan 1.3.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data reveals a clear split in strengths. The RX 590 GME was tested in three different benchmarks: 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, Geekbench OpenCL, and Geekbench Vulkan. Its scores are 1,001, 36,294, and 60,508 respectively. These results show strong performance across both OpenCL and Vulkan APIs, with Vulkan being particularly notable. The Pro W5500X, however, was only tested in Geekbench Metal, scoring 27,973. This single data point indicates where the Pro card excels: Metal performance, which is the primary graphics API for Apple's ecosystem. The RX 590 GME has no recorded Metal benchmark, so the Pro W5500X is the only option with verified Metal capability in this comparison.

For compute-focused workloads, the RX 590 GME is the winner. Its OpenCL score of 36,294 is significantly higher than the Pro W5500X's Metal score of 27,973, though these are different APIs and not directly comparable. More telling is the average benchmark score: the RX 590 GME averages 32,601 across its three tests, while the Pro W5500X averages 27,973 from its single test. This suggests the RX 590 GME has broader compute appeal. The Pro W5500X wins on efficiency: its 125 W TDP is 28.6% lower than the RX 590 GME's 175 W, and it requires a 300 W suggested PSU versus 450 W. For power-constrained systems or Apple MPX slots, the Pro W5500X is the practical choice.

FAQ

Q: Which card has better raw FP32 compute performance?

A: The RX 590 GME leads with 6.543 TFLOPS, which is 21.2% higher than the Pro W5500X's 5.398 TFLOPS.

Q: How do the memory bandwidth figures compare?

A: The RX 590 GME provides 256.0 GB/s over a 256-bit GDDR5 bus, while the Pro W5500X offers 224.0 GB/s over a 128-bit GDDR6 bus, giving the RX 590 GME a 14.3% bandwidth advantage.

Q: What API support differs between the two?

A: The Pro W5500X supports DirectX 12_1 and Vulkan 1.4, while the RX 590 GME supports DirectX 12_0 and Vulkan 1.3. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Q: Which card has better pixel throughput?

A: The Pro W5500X achieves 56.22 GPixel/s, which is 23.7% higher than the RX 590 GME's 45.44 GPixel/s, despite having fewer shading units.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The Pro W5500X has a 125 W TDP, while the RX 590 GME has a 175 W TDP. The Pro card also suggests a 300 W PSU versus 450 W for the RX 590 GME.

Q: Which card is better for Metal-based applications?

A: The Pro W5500X is the only card in this comparison with a recorded Metal benchmark, scoring 27,973 in Geekbench Metal, making it the clear choice for Metal workloads.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark list is empty, meaning there are no direct comparative test scores between the two cards. However, the available individual benchmarks provide insight into their relative strengths. The RX 590 GME's Geekbench OpenCL score of 36,294 is the highest recorded compute score among all tests for either card. Its Vulkan score of 60,508 is even more impressive, suggesting strong cross-platform API performance. The Pro W5500X's Metal score of 27,973 is lower than the RX 590 GME's OpenCL score, but again, these are different APIs targeting different platforms.

The average benchmark score comparison is the most direct metric. The RX 590 GME averages 32,601 across its three benchmarks, while the Pro W5500X averages 27,973 from its single benchmark. This places the RX 590 GME 16.5% ahead in average score. The percentile rankings confirm this: the RX 590 GME sits at the 77th percentile among all GPUs, while the Pro W5500X sits at the 73rd percentile. The nearest rivals for the RX 590 GME include the AMD FirePro S9300 X2 (average score 32,540, delta 0.2%) and the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE (average score 32,456, delta 0.4%), showing it is closely matched with these cards. The Pro W5500X's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (average score 28,020, delta -0.2%) and the AMD Radeon RX 7800M (average score 27,883, delta 0.3%), indicating it competes in a different performance tier.

The pixel rate difference is notable: the Pro W5500X's 56.22 GPixel/s exceeds the RX 590 GME's 45.44 GPixel/s by 23.7%, which suggests better fill-rate performance in certain rendering scenarios. Conversely, the RX 590 GME's texture rate of 204.5 GTexel/s is 21.2% higher than the Pro's 168.7 GTexel/s, indicating superiority in texture-heavy workloads. The FP16 compute gap is the largest single difference: the Pro W5500X's 10.80 TFLOPS is 65% higher than the RX 590 GME's 6.543 TFLOPS, making the Pro card substantially better for FP16 workloads.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across multiple specification fields. The process node is a major differentiator: the RX 590 GME uses 14 nm from GlobalFoundries, while the Pro W5500X uses 7 nm from TSMC. Transistor counts differ as well: the Pro W5500X has 6,400 million transistors versus 5,700 million for the RX 590 GME. Die size favors the Pro W5500X at 158 mm² versus 232 mm², and transistor density is much higher on the Pro at 40.5M per mm² versus 24.6M per mm².

Clock speeds vary in both base and boost. The RX 590 GME has a higher base clock of 1,257 MHz versus 1,187 MHz, but the Pro W5500X has a higher boost clock of 1,757 MHz versus 1,420 MHz. Memory clocks differ notably: the RX 590 GME runs at 2,000 MHz with 8 Gbps effective, while the Pro W5500X runs at 1,750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective. Memory type is GDDR5 for the RX 590 GME and GDDR6 for the Pro W5500X. The bus width is 256-bit versus 128-bit, and bandwidth is 256.0 GB/s versus 224.0 GB/s.

Shading unit count is 2,304 for the RX 590 GME versus 1,536 for the Pro W5500X. TMU count is 144 versus 96, while ROPs are equal at 32 each. Pixel rates favor the Pro W5500X at 56.22 GPixel/s versus 45.44 GPixel/s, but texture rates favor the RX 590 GME at 204.5 GTexel/s versus 168.7 GTexel/s. FP32 is 6.543 TFLOPS versus 5.398 TFLOPS, and FP16 is 6.543 TFLOPS versus 10.80 TFLOPS. TDP is 175 W versus 125 W. The power connector is 1x 8-pin for the RX 590 GME, while the Pro W5500X has no power connector listed. Suggested PSU is 450 W versus 300 W. The bus interface is PCIe 3.0 x16 for the RX 590 GME versus Apple MPX for the Pro W5500X. Display outputs are 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a for the RX 590 GME versus 2x HDMI 2.0b for the Pro W5500X. DirectX support is 12_0 versus 12_1, and Vulkan is 1.3 versus 1.4. The RX 590 GME has a length of 241 mm, while the Pro W5500X has no listed dimensions. Finally, the Pro W5500X has a launch MSRP of 599 USD, while the RX 590 GME has no listed launch MSRP.