AMD Radeon Pro W5700X vs AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 Comparison

The Verdict

The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is the definitive winner in this comparison, taking all three head-to-head benchmark victories. Its average benchmark score of 54,828 places it 36.8% above the WX 7100's 40,063 average. The W5700X sits in the 87th percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the WX 7100 sits at the 82nd percentile.

The W5700X is the choice for professionals running Metal-accelerated workloads, where its lead is overwhelming. The WX 7100, despite being older and slower, remains relevant for OpenCL tasks where the gap narrows considerably. However, the benchmark data offers no scenario where the WX 7100 wins outright. The W5700X is for users who need maximum compute throughput in a Mac Pro environment, while the WX 7100 serves legacy PCIe systems that require a single-slot, lower-power professional card. The WX 7100's only practical advantages are its smaller physical footprint and lower power draw, both of which are qualitative observations from the recorded specifications.

Where Each One Wins

The W5700X wins every recorded benchmark, but the margins differ substantially by API. In Geekbench Metal, the W5700X scores 75,427 against 40,357, a delta of 86.9%. This is the strongest win for the newer card and reflects its architectural advantage in Apple's compute framework. Users running Metal-based rendering, video processing, or machine learning tasks will see the largest performance gap.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the W5700X scores 43,810 versus 40,148, a delta of only 9.1%. This is the closest contest in the entire comparison. The WX 7100's GCN architecture, which was designed with compute-heavy OpenCL workloads in mind, narrows the gap significantly. For OpenCL-specific pipelines, the WX 7100 delivers a respectable fraction of the W5700X's performance despite being three years older in release timing.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the W5700X scores 45,246 against 39,683, a delta of 14%. This sits between the other two results. Vulkan workloads show a moderate advantage for the newer architecture, but not the dramatic separation seen in Metal. The WX 7100's Vulkan support is version 1.3, while the W5700X supports Vulkan 1.4, which may contribute to the performance difference.

The WX 7100 wins no benchmark categories. Its only qualitative advantages are a single-slot form factor versus the W5700X's quad-slot design, a 130 W TDP versus 205 W, and a 300 W suggested PSU versus 550 W. For compact workstation builds or systems with limited power delivery, the WX 7100 remains a viable option despite its lower scores.

Architecture Differences

The W5700X uses the Navi 10 chip built on RDNA 1.0 architecture, manufactured by TSMC on a 7 nm process. It packs 10,300 million transistors into a 251 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 41.0M per mm². The WX 7100 uses the Ellesmere chip built on GCN 4.0 architecture, manufactured by GlobalFoundries on a 14 nm process. It contains 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die, with a density of 24.6M per mm². The process node advantage alone explains much of the performance differential.

The W5700X features 2,560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units. The WX 7100 has 2,304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The ROP count difference is particularly significant: the W5700X delivers a pixel rate of 130.6 GPixel/s, while the WX 7100 manages only 39.78 GPixel/s. This is a 3.3x advantage for the newer card in fill-rate-bound scenarios.

Texture throughput follows a similar pattern. The W5700X achieves 326.4 GTexel/s, while the WX 7100 reaches 179.0 GTexel/s. Floating-point performance shows the W5700X at 10.44 TFLOPS FP32 and 20.89 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1 ratio). The WX 7100 delivers 5.728 TFLOPS FP32 and 5.728 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1 ratio). The FP16 capability is architecturally different: RDNA 1.0 uses a packed 2:1 scheme, while GCN 4.0 processes FP16 at the same rate as FP32.

Memory configurations diverge sharply. The W5700X carries 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The WX 7100 has 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 224.0 GB/s at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective). Clock speeds also favor the newer card: the W5700X runs at 1243 MHz base and 2040 MHz boost, while the WX 7100 runs at 1188 MHz base and 1243 MHz boost.

The interface and form factor differences are notable. The W5700X uses an Apple MPX bus interface and is a quad-slot card, 305 mm long. The WX 7100 uses PCIe 3.0 x16 and is a single-slot card, 241 mm long and 112 mm tall. Display outputs differ as well: the W5700X offers 1x HDMI 2.0b and 4x Thunderbolt, while the WX 7100 provides 4x DisplayPort 1.4a. Both cards support DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.6, but the W5700X supports DirectX 12_1 while the WX 7100 is limited to 12_0.

FAQ

Q: Which card has better Metal performance?

A: The W5700X scores 75,427 in Geekbench Metal, which is 86.9% higher than the WX 7100's 40,357. This is the largest performance gap in any benchmark between the two cards.

Q: Is the WX 7100 competitive in any workload?

A: The closest result is Geekbench OpenCL, where the WX 7100 scores 40,148 against the W5700X's 43,810, a delta of only 9.1%. This is the smallest winning margin for the W5700X.

Q: How do the memory configurations compare?

A: The W5700X has 16 GB of GDDR6 with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the WX 7100 has 8 GB of GDDR5 with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. Both use a 256-bit bus.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The W5700X has a TDP of 205 W and suggests a 550 W PSU. The WX 7100 has a TDP of 130 W and suggests a 300 W PSU. The WX 7100 uses a single 6-pin power connector.

Q: Which card supports a newer Vulkan version?

A: The W5700X supports Vulkan 1.4, while the WX 7100 supports Vulkan 1.3. In Geekbench Vulkan, the W5700X scores 45,246 versus 39,683, a 14% advantage.

Q: How do the physical dimensions differ?

A: The W5700X is a quad-slot card at 305 mm length, while the WX 7100 is a single-slot card at 241 mm length and 112 mm height. The W5700X uses an Apple MPX interface, while the WX 7100 uses PCIe 3.0 x16.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench Metal result is the headline number. The W5700X posts 75,427, which towers over the WX 7100's 40,357. The 86.9% delta means the newer card nearly doubles the older one in this test. This aligns with the architectural shift: RDNA 1.0 was designed with modern compute APIs in mind, and the 7 nm process allows far higher clock speeds (2040 MHz boost versus 1243 MHz). The W5700X also carries double the memory capacity and double the bandwidth, which feeds Metal's memory-intensive workloads.

Geekbench OpenCL tells a different story. The W5700X scores 43,810, only 9.1% ahead of the WX 7100's 40,148. This is a remarkably close result given the hardware disparity. The WX 7100's GCN 4.0 architecture was renowned for OpenCL compute efficiency, and the data confirms that reputation. The W5700X still wins, but the margin is narrow enough that the WX 7100 could be considered adequate for OpenCL-centric pipelines, especially in systems where its lower power draw and single-slot form factor matter.

Geekbench Vulkan lands in between. The W5700X scores 45,246 against 39,683, a 14% delta. The W5700X's Vulkan 1.4 support versus the WX 7100's Vulkan 1.3 may explain part of the gap, but the raw compute advantage is the primary factor. The W5700X has 2,560 shading units versus 2,304, and its FP32 throughput of 10.44 TFLOPS nearly doubles the WX 7100's 5.728 TFLOPS. Yet Vulkan's lower-level nature may reduce the impact of architectural differences, resulting in the moderate 14% delta.

The average benchmark scores reflect the overall picture. The W5700X averages 54,828 across all tests, placing it near the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 (54,247, delta 1.1%) and RTX 4080 SUPER (54,209, delta 1.1%). It also edges out the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55,698, delta -1.6%) and AMD Radeon 8060S (55,757, delta -1.7%). The WX 7100, with its 40,063 average, sits alongside the AMD Radeon Pro 580 (40,318, delta -0.6%) and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 (40,377, delta -0.8%), while slightly ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile (39,568, delta 1.3%) and AMD Radeon Pro 575 (39,555, delta 1.3%).

In every measured test, the W5700X wins. The magnitude of the win varies from 9.1% to 86.9%, but the direction is consistent. The data leaves no ambiguity: the W5700X is the superior performer in this pairing, with the only caveat being its larger physical footprint and higher power draw. For users constrained by slot space or power budgets, the WX 7100 remains a functional alternative, but the benchmark results make clear that the W5700X delivers substantially more performance in Metal, meaningfully more in Vulkan, and a modest edge in OpenCL.