AMD Radeon Pro W5700 vs AMD Radeon RX 6800S Comparison

The AMD Radeon Pro W5700 and AMD Radeon RX 6800S are evenly matched in overall benchmark wins, each taking five tests in the head-to-head comparison. However, the nature of those wins reveals two very different performance profiles: the Pro W5700 dominates in legacy DirectX 9 workloads and compute-oriented tasks, while the RX 6800S takes a clear lead in modern DirectX 11 and 12 scenarios. The average benchmark scores tell a similar story, with the Pro W5700 posting a 25726 average against the RX 6800S’s 24063, a roughly 6.9% overall edge, but the RX 6800S counters with superior performance in the most current graphics APIs.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most decisive victory belongs to the RX 6800S in the PassMark DirectX 11 test, where it scores 139 against the Pro W5700’s 104, a 25.2% advantage. This is the largest delta in either direction across all ten benchmarks, and it highlights the RX 6800S’s strength in the API that remains the workhorse for most PC gaming. The RX 6800S also wins the PassMark DirectX 12 test by 16.9% (65 vs 54) and the PassMark DirectX 10 test by 3.3% (91 vs 88), demonstrating a consistent pattern of superiority across the full DirectX feature set.

The Pro W5700’s biggest win comes in the PassMark G2D test, where it scores 899 against the RX 6800S’s 732, a commanding 22.8% lead. This 2D performance gap suggests the Pro W5700 is better optimized for desktop and professional 2D workloads. The Pro W5700 also wins the PassMark DirectX 9 test by 12.5% (225 vs 200), the PassMark GPU Compute test by 5.7% (6495 vs 6144), and the Geekbench Metal test by 5% (89557 vs 85256).

In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the Pro W5700 edges out the RX 6800S by 1.9% (74613 vs 73202), a narrow margin that reinforces its slight advantage in general compute. The RX 6800S, however, wins the Geekbench Vulkan test by a substantial 13% (81272 vs 70706), and the PassMark G3D test by 8.7% (15908 vs 14520). The Vulkan result is particularly telling, as it shows the RX 6800S’s newer architecture is significantly more efficient in this modern cross-platform API.

The overall average benchmark scores reflect these mixed results: the Pro W5700’s 25726 average places it just 0.1% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6700M, while the RX 6800S’s 24063 average sits 0.4% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER and 0.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 9070.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on different generations of AMD’s RDNA architecture. The Pro W5700 uses RDNA 1.0 with the Navi 10 chip, while the RX 6800S uses RDNA 2.0 with the Navi 23 chip. Both are manufactured on a 7 nm process at TSMC, but the RX 6800S packs more transistors: 11,060 million compared to 10,300 million, despite a slightly smaller die size of 237 mm² versus 251 mm². This gives the RX 6800S a higher transistor density of 46.7M per mm², compared to 41.0M per mm² for the Pro W5700.

The RX 6800S’s RDNA 2.0 architecture brings hardware ray tracing support, with 32 dedicated RT cores, a feature completely absent from the Pro W5700’s RDNA 1.0 design. This is a defining architectural difference, as it enables DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) support on the RX 6800S, while the Pro W5700 is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1). Both cards support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

Memory configurations differ substantially. The Pro W5700 uses a 256-bit memory bus with 8 GB of GDDR6 at 14 Gbps effective, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 6800S also has 8 GB of GDDR6 but on a narrower 128-bit bus at 16 Gbps effective, yielding only 256.0 GB/s. The Pro W5700’s 75% higher memory bandwidth is a significant advantage for bandwidth-sensitive workloads, even though the RX 6800S has faster memory clocks.

The RX 6800S runs at higher clock speeds across the board: a base clock of 1800 MHz and boost of 2100 MHz, with a game clock of 1975 MHz, versus the Pro W5700’s 1400 MHz base and 1880 MHz boost. Despite this, the Pro W5700 has more shading units (2304 vs 2048) and more texture mapping units (144 vs 128), while both have 64 ROPs. The result is near-identical theoretical FP32 performance: 8.663 TFLOPS for the Pro W5700 versus 8.602 TFLOPS for the RX 6800S.

Power consumption is a major differentiator. The Pro W5700 has a 205 W TDP and requires dual-slot cooling with 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin power connectors and a 550 W suggested power supply. The RX 6800S, as a mobile part, has a 100 W TDP, is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) form factor with no power connectors, and operates over a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface. The Pro W5700 uses PCIe 4.0 x16.

Where Each One Wins

The Pro W5700 is the clear choice for legacy API performance. Its 12.5% lead in DirectX 9 and 22.8% lead in G2D tests indicate that it handles older workloads and 2D desktop tasks with significantly more headroom. The compute-oriented results also favor the Pro W5700, with wins in GPU Compute (5.7%) and OpenCL (1.9%), plus a 5% advantage in Metal. For professionals running OpenCL-accelerated applications or Metal-based workflows, the Pro W5700’s data shows a consistent, if modest, edge.

The RX 6800S wins decisively on modern graphics APIs. Its 25.2% lead in DirectX 11 and 16.9% lead in DirectX 12 make it the better performer for current-generation gaming and DirectX 12-based applications. The 13% advantage in Vulkan further cements this, and the 8.7% lead in the general PassMark G3D test suggests it handles a broader range of 3D workloads more effectively. The RX 6800S’s ray tracing capability is a unique feature that neither card’s benchmarks directly measure, but it positions the RX 6800S for future titles that rely on DirectX 12 Ultimate features.

The Pro W5700’s higher memory bandwidth (448.0 GB/s vs 256.0 GB/s) is not directly benchmarked, but it gives the card a theoretical advantage in texture-heavy or large-dataset workloads. The RX 6800S counters with faster clock speeds and a newer architecture, which explains its dominance in API-level tests.

The Verdict

Choose the AMD Radeon Pro W5700 if your priority is legacy DirectX 9 support, 2D performance, or compute workloads in OpenCL and Metal. The data shows a 12.5% win in DirectX 9, a 22.8% win in G2D, and consistent 5-6% leads in GPU Compute and Metal. Its 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is double the RX 6800S’s 256.0 GB/s, which can be decisive for memory-bound professional tasks. The Pro W5700 also has a higher average benchmark score (25726 vs 24063) and a higher percentile ranking (71st vs 69th), though it carries a 205 W TDP and requires dual-slot cooling.

Choose the AMD Radeon RX 6800S for modern gaming and DirectX 12 Ultimate workloads. It wins DirectX 11 by 25.2%, DirectX 12 by 16.9%, and Vulkan by 13%, making it the better performer in current and near-future graphics APIs. Its 32 ray tracing cores and DirectX 12_2 support are features the Pro W5700 lacks entirely. The 100 W TDP makes it far more power-efficient, and the faster base and boost clocks (1800 MHz and 2100 MHz vs 1400 MHz and 1880 MHz) help compensate for its narrower memory bus.

The Pro W5700 is an end-of-life product from November 2019, while the RX 6800S is an end-of-life mobile part from January 2022. The Pro W5700 had a launch MSRP of 799 USD.

FAQ

Q: Which card has higher raw compute performance (FP32)?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro W5700 is marginally ahead with 8.663 TFLOPS compared to the RX 6800S’s 8.602 TFLOPS, a difference of less than 1%.

Q: How much faster is the Pro W5700 in DirectX 9?

A: The Pro W5700 scores 225 in the PassMark DirectX 9 test versus 200 for the RX 6800S, a 12.5% advantage.

Q: Does the RX 6800S support hardware ray tracing?

A: Yes, the RX 6800S includes 32 ray tracing cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the Pro W5700 has no ray tracing cores.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The Pro W5700 has 448.0 GB/s bandwidth over a 256-bit bus, while the RX 6800S has 256.0 GB/s over a 128-bit bus. The Pro W5700’s bandwidth is 75% higher.

Q: Which card wins more benchmarks overall?

A: The head-to-head comparison shows a tie at 5 wins each across ten tests. The Pro W5700 wins Geekbench Metal, Geekbench OpenCL, PassMark DirectX 9, PassMark G2D, and PassMark GPU Compute. The RX 6800S wins Geekbench Vulkan, PassMark DirectX 10, PassMark DirectX 11, PassMark DirectX 12, and PassMark G3D.

Q: What is the average benchmark score difference?

A: The Pro W5700 averages 25726, which is 6.9% higher than the RX 6800S’s 24063 average.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon Pro W5700 | AMD Radeon RX 6800S |

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

| Chip | Navi 10 | Navi 23 |

| Architecture | RDNA 1.0 | RDNA 2.0 |

| Generation | Radeon Pro Navi (Navi Series) | Navi Mobile (RX 6000M) |

| Transistors | 10,300 million | 11,060 million |

| Die Size | 251 mm² | 237 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 41.0M / mm² | 46.7M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1400 MHz | 1800 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1880 MHz | 2100 MHz |

| Game Clock | None | 1975 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1750 MHz / 14 Gbps effective | 2000 MHz / 16 Gbps effective |

| Memory Bus Width | 256 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 448.0 GB/s | 256.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2304 | 2048 |

| TMUs | 144 | 128 |

| ROPs | 64 | 64 |

| Ray Tracing Cores | None | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 120.3 GPixel/s | 134.4 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 270.7 GTexel/s | 268.8 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 8.663 TFLOPS | 8.602 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 17.33 TFLOPS (2:1) | 17.20 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 205 W | 100 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | IGP |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 550 W | None |

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

| Display Outputs | 5x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a, 1x USB Type-C | Portable Device Dependent |

| DirectX Support | 12 (12_1) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| Dimensions | 267 mm (10.5 in) length, 111 mm (4.4 in) height | None listed |

| Release Date | 2019-11-18 | 2022-01-03 |

| Predecessor | Radeon Pro Vega | Polaris Mobile |

| Launch MSRP | 799 USD | None |