AMD Radeon Pro W5500X vs NVIDIA Quadro M5000 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents an unusual comparison: the NVIDIA Quadro M5000 and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500X have no overlapping test results in the database. The Quadro M5000 was assessed with Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan workloads, yielding scores of 29,481 and 32,931 respectively. The Radeon Pro W5500X was assessed with Geekbench Metal, producing a score of 27,973. Because the two cards were tested under different API frameworks, the database does not record a single direct head-to-head matchup where both cards ran the identical test. This makes a strict apples-to-apples comparison impossible from the recorded data.

However, the aggregate benchmark scores tell a clear story. The Quadro M5000 achieves an average benchmark score of 31,206, which places it in the 76th percentile of all GPUs tracked. The Radeon Pro W5500X averages 27,973, sitting in the 73rd percentile. That is a gap of 3,233 points, or roughly 11.6% in favor of the Quadro M5000. The Quadro M5000 also outperforms its own nearest rival, the NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q, by a negligible 0%, effectively tying it. The Radeon Pro W5500X sits 0.2% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti, its nearest rival, and 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7800M.

The Radeon Pro W5500X does hold a raw compute advantage in one metric. Its FP32 throughput is listed at 5.398 TFLOPS, which is 26.9% higher than the Quadro M5000's 4.252 TFLOPS. This indicates the AMD card can process more single-precision floating-point operations per second. The Radeon Pro W5500X also produces a higher texture fill rate: 168.7 GTexel/s versus 132.9 GTexel/s, a 27% difference. These figures suggest the AMD card is not simply slower across the board; it has specific strengths in throughput-oriented workloads.

Where Each One Wins

The Quadro M5000 wins in overall average benchmark scoring. Its 31,206 average versus the 27,973 average for the Radeon Pro W5500X gives it a decisive 11.5% lead in the database's aggregate metric. The Quadro also demonstrates a stronger Vulkan result, scoring 32,931, which is 11.7% above its own OpenCL score of 29,481. This indicates the NVIDIA architecture handles Vulkan compute efficiently. The Radeon Pro W5500X has only one recorded benchmark, a Metal score of 27,973, which is 10.3% below the Quadro's OpenCL score and 15.1% below the Quadro's Vulkan score.

The Radeon Pro W5500X wins on raw compute density and efficiency metrics. Its FP32 throughput (5.398 TFLOPS) outstrips the Quadro M5000's FP32 (4.252 TFLOPS) by 26.9%. Its FP16 throughput is listed as 10.80 TFLOPS, while the Quadro M5000 has no FP16 figure recorded in the database, suggesting the AMD card has a significant advantage in half-precision workloads. The Radeon Pro W5500X also achieves higher memory bandwidth at 224.0 GB/s versus the Quadro's 211.6 GB/s, a 5.9% advantage despite using a narrower 128-bit bus. In terms of power draw, the Radeon Pro W5500X requires 125 W, which is 16.7% lower than the Quadro M5000's 150 W TDP.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different architectural eras and design philosophies. The NVIDIA Quadro M5000 is built on the Maxwell 2.0 architecture, using the GM204 chip fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It contains 5,200 million transistors on a die size of 398 mm², giving a transistor density of 13.1M per mm². The AMD Radeon Pro W5500X uses the RDNA 1.0 architecture with the Navi 14 chip on a 7 nm process, also at TSMC. It packs 6,400 million transistors into a much smaller 158 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 40.5M per mm². The 7 nm node allows more than three times the transistor density per square millimeter.

Core configuration differs significantly. The Quadro M5000 has 2,048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. The Radeon Pro W5500X has 1,536 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The Quadro therefore has 33% more shading units, 33% more TMUs, and 100% more ROPs than the AMD card. Despite having fewer execution units, the Radeon runs at much higher clocks: a base of 1,187 MHz and a boost of 1,757 MHz, compared to the Quadro's base of 861 MHz and boost of 1,038 MHz. The Radeon's boost clock is 69% higher than the Quadro's.

Memory subsystems also differ. Both cards have 8 GB of memory, but the Quadro uses GDDR5 at a bus width of 256 bit, delivering 211.6 GB/s bandwidth. The Radeon uses GDDR6 with a 128-bit bus, delivering 224.0 GB/s. The Radeon's memory runs at 14 Gbps effective, over twice the Quadro's 6.6 Gbps effective. The Radeon also has a 2:1 FP16 rate of 10.80 TFLOPS, while the Quadro has no recorded FP16 capability.

The Quadro M5000 uses a PCIe 3.0 x16 bus interface, while the Radeon Pro W5500X uses an Apple MPX interface. Display outputs differ: the Quadro has 1x DVI and 4x DisplayPort 1.2, while the Radeon has 2x HDMI 2.0b. Power connectors also differ, with the Quadro requiring 1x 6-pin, while the Radeon lists no power connector. The suggested PSU is 450 W for the Quadro and 300 W for the Radeon. Both share the same API support for DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The Verdict

Based on the recorded data, the NVIDIA Quadro M5000 is the stronger overall performer. Its average benchmark score of 31,206 versus the Radeon Pro W5500X's 27,973 represents a decisive 11.5% aggregate advantage. The Quadro ranks in the 76th percentile of all GPUs, while the Radeon ranks in the 73rd. In the database's aggregate scoring, the Quadro M5000 is close to the NVIDIA TITAN RTX (which has an average score of 31,676, only 1.5% higher), while the Radeon Pro W5500X sits near the level of the GeForce GTX 980 Ti (28,020, just 0.2% higher). The Quadro also has a higher pixel rate (66.43 GPixel/s versus 56.22 GPixel/s), a 19.3% advantage.

However, the Radeon Pro W5500X is not without its own strengths. It offers 26.9% higher FP32 throughput, 27% higher texture rate, 5.9% higher memory bandwidth, and a 2:1 FP16 rate that the Quadro lacks entirely. Its lower TDP of 125 W versus 150 W makes it more power-efficient. The Radeon also has a higher boost clock of 1,757 MHz versus 1,038 MHz. For workloads that are heavily dependent on raw FLOPs or texture throughput, the Radeon Pro W5500X can be the better option.

Architecturally, the Radeon is the more modern design. Its 7 nm process, 158 mm² die, and 40.5M / mm² density represent a leap in manufacturing efficiency over the 28 nm, 398 mm² Maxwell design. The Radeon also has a 14 Gbps effective memory speed versus the Quadro's 6.6 Gbps effective. The Quadro compensates with a 256-bit bus and 64 ROPs, double the Radeon's 32 ROPs.

The biggest differentiator is the available software environment. The Quadro M5000 was tested with OpenCL and Vulkan, while the Radeon Pro W5500X was tested with Metal. This reflects their intended usage environments: the Quadro is a general-purpose professional workstation card with a PCIe interface, while the Radeon is designed for Apple Mac systems with an MPX form factor and HDMI outputs. The choice between the two should be heavily influenced by the platform and API support required.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro M5000 has an average score of 31,206, which is 11.5% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro W5500X's 27,973.

Q: Does the Radeon Pro W5500X have any compute advantage?

A: Yes, it has an FP32 rate of 5.398 TFLOPS, which is 26.9% higher than the Quadro M5000's 4.252 TFLOPS. It also has a texture rate of 168.7 GTexel/s, 38% higher than the Quadro's 132.9 GTexel/s.

Q: What are the power requirements?

A: The Quadro M5000 has a TDP of 150 W and a suggested PSU of 450 W. The Radeon Pro W5500X has a TDP of 125 W and a suggested PSU of 300 W.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The Quadro M5000 has 2,048 shading units, while the Radeon Pro W5500X has 1,536. The Quadro also has 128 TMUs versus 96, and 64 ROPs versus 32.

Q: What process node do they use?

A: The Quadro M5000 uses a 28 nm process, while the Radeon Pro W5500X uses a 7 nm process. The Radeon also has a higher transistor density (40.5M / mm² vs. 13.1M / mm²).

Q: How do their memory bandwidths compare?

A: The Radeon Pro W5500X has a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s, which is 5.9% higher than the Quadro M5000's 211.6 GB/s, despite using a 128-bit bus compared to the Quadro's 256-bit bus.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA Quadro M5000 | AMD Radeon Pro W5500X |

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

| Architecture | Maxwell 2.0 | RDNA 1.0 |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 7 nm |

| Transistors | 5,200 million | 6,381 million |

| Die Size | 398 mm² | 158 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 13.1M / mm² | 40.4M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 861 MHz | 1,187 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1,038 MHz | 1,757 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 6.6 Gbps effective | 14 Gbps effective |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |

| Bus Width | 256 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 211.6 GB/s | 224.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2,048 | 1,536 |

| TMUs | 128 | 96 |

| ROPs | 64 | 32 |

| FP32 Compute | 4.252 TFLOPS | 5.398 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Compute | N/A | 10.80 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| Pixel Rate | 66.43 GPixel/s | 56.22 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 132.9 GTexel/s | 168.7 GTexel/s |

| TDP | 150 W | 125 W |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin | N/A |

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | 300 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | Apple MPX |

| Display Outputs | 1x DVI, 4x DisplayPort 1.2 | 2x HDMI 2.0b |

| Length | 267 mm | N/A |

| Height | 111 mm | N/A |

| Release Date | 2015-06-28 | 2019-12-10 |

| Production Status | End-of-life | End-of-life |