AMD Radeon Pro W5700 vs AMD Radeon RX 5700 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data shows a clear, though not always overwhelming, pattern of dominance for the AMD Radeon Pro W5700. Out of ten shared tests, the Pro W5700 takes nine victories, with the AMD Radeon RX 5700 securing only a single, narrow win.

The most significant gap appears in the Geekbench Vulkan test. Here, the Pro W5700 scores 70,706 against the RX 5700's 64,166, a delta of 10.2%. This is the largest percentage difference recorded between the two cards in any test. Similarly, in Geekbench OpenCL, the Pro W5700 leads with 74,613 points versus 69,603, a 7.2% advantage. The Geekbench Metal test also favors the Pro W5700, with a score of 89,557 compared to 86,079, a 4% lead.

Moving to the Passmark suite, the results are closer but still consistently favor the Pro W5700. In Passmark DirectX 9, the Pro W5700 scores 225 against 209, a 7.7% difference, which is the second-largest margin in the entire comparison. The DirectX 11 test shows a 3% lead for the Pro W5700 (104 vs. 101). The DirectX 10 test is nearly a tie, with the Pro W5700 ahead by just 1.1% (88 vs. 87). In the DirectX 12 test, both cards score identically at 54, resulting in a 0% delta.

The 2D and 3D performance metrics also lean towards the Pro W5700. In Passmark G2D, the score is 899 for the Pro W5700 and 877 for the RX 5700, a 2.5% difference. The Passmark G3D test shows a 1.4% lead for the Pro W5700 (14,520 vs. 14,314).

The lone exception is the Passmark GPU Compute test. Here, the AMD Radeon RX 5700 edges out the Pro W5700 with a score of 6,517 versus 6,495. This is a marginal difference of only -0.3%, indicating that for raw compute workloads, the two cards are functionally equivalent.

These results indicate that the Pro W5700's advantage is most pronounced in API-specific workloads like Vulkan and OpenCL, while in traditional DirectX gaming benchmarks and compute tasks, the performance gap narrows considerably. The overall average benchmark score for the Pro W5700 is 25,726, putting it in the 71st percentile of all GPUs. The RX 5700's average is 22,170, placing it in the 67th percentile. This difference in average score is substantial, reflecting the Pro W5700's broader wins across the test suite.

Architecture Differences

Both the AMD Radeon Pro W5700 and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 are built on the same fundamental architecture. They share the Navi 10 chip, the RDNA 1.0 architecture, a 7 nm process node from TSMC, and identical transistor counts of 10,300 million on a 251 mm² die. The transistor density is also the same at 41.0M per mm².

The core configurations are identical. Both cards feature 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units. They also share the same memory subsystem: 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The memory clock is also identical at 1750 MHz, translating to 14 Gbps effective.

The key architectural differences lie in the clock speeds and power characteristics. The Pro W5700 has a base clock of 1400 MHz and a boost clock of 1880 MHz. In contrast, the RX 5700 has a higher base clock of 1465 MHz but a lower boost clock of 1725 MHz. The RX 5700 also has a game clock of 1625 MHz, a specification not listed for the Pro W5700.

These clock differences translate directly into different theoretical performance figures. The Pro W5700 achieves a pixel rate of 120.3 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 270.7 GTexel/s. The RX 5700, with its lower boost clock, delivers a pixel rate of 110.4 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 248.4 GTexel/s. This results in a higher FP32 performance for the Pro W5700 at 8.663 TFLOPS, compared to 7.949 TFLOPS for the RX 5700. The FP16 performance follows the same pattern, with the Pro W5700 at 17.33 TFLOPS (2:1) and the RX 5700 at 15.90 TFLOPS (2:1).

The power draw also differs. The Pro W5700 has a TDP of 205 W, while the RX 5700 is rated at 180 W. This is reflected in the suggested PSU requirements: 550 W for the Pro W5700 and 450 W for the RX 5700. Both cards use the same power connector configuration (1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin) and are dual-slot designs.

The display outputs differ significantly, reflecting their intended use cases. The Pro W5700 offers 5x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a and 1x USB Type-C. The RX 5700, on the other hand, provides 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. Both cards support PCIe 4.0 x16 and have the same API support: DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The physical dimensions are nearly identical, with the Pro W5700 at 267 mm and the RX 5700 at 268 mm in length, both at 111 mm in height. The RX 5700 also lists a width of 36 mm.

The Verdict

The data presents a straightforward picture. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700 is the superior performer in nearly every benchmark category. Its wins in Geekbench Vulkan (10.2%), OpenCL (7.2%), and DirectX 9 (7.7%) are notable, indicating a meaningful performance advantage in those specific workloads.

The RX 5700's only win is in Passmark GPU Compute, and it is by a negligible -0.3% margin, which is statistically insignificant. For all practical purposes, these two cards are tied in compute performance.

The Pro W5700 also has a higher average benchmark score (25,726 vs. 22,170) and sits in a higher overall percentile (71st vs. 67th). Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile, has an average score of 25,740, a delta of only -0.1%, meaning the Pro W5700 is essentially on par with that mobile flagship. The RX 5700's nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 6700S, with a delta of 0.1%, showing it is also closely matched with its direct competitor.

The choice is clear for users prioritizing maximum benchmark performance across a wide range of tests: the Pro W5700 is the stronger card. The RX 5700, while competitive in compute, lags behind in graphics-oriented tests. The Pro W5700 also carries a launch MSRP of 799 USD. The RX 5700's launch MSRP is 349 USD. The performance data justifies the Pro W5700's position as the higher-tier product.

FAQ

Q: Which card performs better in Geekbench Vulkan?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro W5700 wins decisively with a score of 70,706 compared to the RX 5700's 64,166, a 10.2% advantage.

Q: Is there any test where the AMD Radeon RX 5700 wins?

A: Yes, in the Passmark GPU Compute test, the RX 5700 scores 6,517 versus the Pro W5700's 6,495, a marginal 0.3% difference.

Q: How do the two cards compare in terms of memory?

A: They are identical in memory specifications. Both have 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: What is the difference in FP32 performance?

A: The Pro W5700 achieves 8.663 TFLOPS, while the RX 5700 delivers 7.949 TFLOPS, making the Pro W5700 roughly 9% faster in this metric.

Q: Do both cards support the same APIs?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: Which card has a higher boost clock?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro W5700 has a boost clock of 1880 MHz, which is higher than the AMD Radeon RX 5700's boost clock of 1725 MHz.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Pro W5700 is the clear winner in most scenarios. Its strengths lie in API-forward tests like Geekbench Vulkan (10.2% lead), Geekbench OpenCL (7.2% lead), and Geekbench Metal (4% lead). It also dominates in legacy DirectX tests, with a 7.7% lead in DirectX 9 and a 3% lead in DirectX 11. For users running applications that leverage Vulkan or OpenCL, the Pro W5700 offers a substantial performance buffer. Its higher boost clock and resulting higher pixel and texture rates (120.3 GPixel/s and 270.7 GTexel/s) also make it the better choice for resolution-heavy rendering tasks.

The AMD Radeon RX 5700's single win in Passmark GPU Compute is a statistical tie. Therefore, for pure compute workloads, either card will perform essentially the same. However, the RX 5700 does have a lower TDP of 180 W compared to the Pro W5700's 205 W, and it suggests a 450 W PSU versus 550 W for the Pro W5700. This makes the RX 5700 the more power-efficient option in absolute terms, although this is not a performance win. For users building a system with a lower power budget, the RX 5700 is the more suitable choice. Its display outputs (1x HDMI 2.0b, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a) are also more conventional for consumer monitors, whereas the Pro W5700's 5x mini-DisplayPort and USB Type-C configuration is tailored for professional multi-display setups.

Specification Differences

The following specifications differ between the two cards:

• Base Clock: Pro W5700 at 1400 MHz, RX 5700 at 1465 MHz.
• Boost Clock: Pro W5700 at 1880 MHz, RX 5700 at 1725 MHz.
• Game Clock: Not listed for Pro W5700, RX 5700 at 1625 MHz.
• Pixel Rate: Pro W5700 at 120.3 GPixel/s, RX 5700 at 110.4 GPixel/s.
• Texture Rate: Pro W5700 at 270.7 GTexel/s, RX 5700 at 248.4 GTexel/s.
• FP32 Performance: Pro W5700 at 8.663 TFLOPS, RX 5700 at 7.949 TFLOPS.
• FP16 Performance: Pro W5700 at 17.33 TFLOPS (2:1), RX 5700 at 15.90 TFLOPS (2:1).
• TDP: Pro W5700 at 205 W, RX 5700 at 180 W.
• Suggested PSU: Pro W5700 at 550 W, RX 5700 at 450 W.
• Display Outputs: Pro W5700 has 5x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a and 1x USB Type-C; RX 5700 has 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.
• Dimensions: Pro W5700 is 267 mm in length; RX 5700 is 268 mm in length and 36 mm in width (width not listed for Pro W5700).
• Release Date: Pro W5700 released on 2019-11-18, RX 5700 on 2019-07-06.
• Predecessor: Pro W5700's predecessor is Radeon Pro Vega, RX 5700's is Vega.
• Successor: Not listed for Pro W5700, RX 5700's is Navi II.
• Launch MSRP: Pro W5700 at 799 USD, RX 5700 at 349 USD.
• Average Benchmark Score: Pro W5700 at 25,726, RX 5700 at 22,170.
• Percentile vs All GPUs: Pro W5700 in the 71st percentile, RX 5700 in the 67th.