AMD Radeon Pro W5700X vs AMD Radeon RX 5600M Comparison

The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X and AMD Radeon RX 5600M are both built on the Navi 10 chip and the RDNA 1.0 architecture, yet they serve fundamentally different purposes within the AMD lineup. The data reveals a clear performance hierarchy in the head-to-head benchmarks, with the mobile RX 5600M winning all three shared tests despite having a lower average score. This paradox is central to understanding the two cards, as the Pro W5700X is a desktop workstation part with a high launch MSRP, while the RX 5600M is a mobile integrated graphics processor (IGP) with no launch MSRP listed. The following analysis walks through the specification differences, benchmark results, and use-case implications based solely on the provided data.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X has an average benchmark score of 54828, while the AMD Radeon RX 5600M has an average score of 46601. This places the Pro W5700X in the 87th percentile of all GPUs, compared to the 85th percentile for the RX 5600M.

Q: In the head-to-head benchmarks, which GPU wins more tests?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 5600M wins all three head-to-head tests. It is 1.6% ahead in Geekbench Metal, 26.5% ahead in Geekbench OpenCL, and 7.4% ahead in Geekbench Vulkan compared to the Pro W5700X.

Q: How does the memory configuration differ between the two cards?

A: The Pro W5700X features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 5600M has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: What are the pixel and texture rates for each GPU?

A: The Pro W5700X has a pixel rate of 130.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 326.4 GTexel/s. The RX 5600M has a pixel rate of 80.96 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 182.2 GTexel/s.

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock speed?

A: The Pro W5700X has a boost clock of 2040 MHz, while the RX 5600M has a boost clock of 1265 MHz. The Pro W5700X also has a higher base clock at 1243 MHz versus 1035 MHz.

Q: What is the physical form factor of each card?

A: The Pro W5700X is a Quad-slot card with a length of 305 mm (12 inches) and uses an Apple MPX bus interface. The RX 5600M is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no dimensions listed and uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs share the same foundational architecture: both are built on the Navi 10 chip using RDNA 1.0, fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC. Both have 10,300 million transistors and a die size of 251 mm², resulting in a transistor density of 41.0M per mm². Despite these identical core attributes, the implementations diverge significantly in their execution units and memory subsystem.

The Pro W5700X is configured with 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 64 raster operation pipelines (ROPs). In contrast, the RX 5600M has fewer shading units (2304) and TMUs (144), though it retains the same 64 ROPs. This reduction in compute units directly impacts the raw throughput numbers: the Pro W5700X delivers 10.44 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 20.89 TFLOPS of FP16 performance (2:1 ratio), while the RX 5600M delivers 5.829 TFLOPS FP32 and 11.66 TFLOPS FP16. The Pro W5700X's advantage is roughly 79% in FP32 throughput.

The memory architecture also differs. The Pro W5700X uses a 256-bit memory bus with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory running at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), producing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 5600M uses a narrower 192-bit bus with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective), yielding 288.0 GB/s. The Pro W5700X's bandwidth advantage is about 55.6%. Neither card features dedicated ray tracing or tensor cores, as these are absent from the specifications for both parts.

Clock speeds show a substantial gap. The Pro W5700X has a base clock of 1243 MHz and a boost clock of 2040 MHz, while the RX 5600M has a base clock of 1035 MHz, a game clock of 1190 MHz, and a boost clock of 1265 MHz. The power envelopes also differ, with the Pro W5700X rated at 205 W TDP and a suggested PSU of 550 W, whereas the RX 5600M is rated at 150 W TDP with no suggested PSU listed. The Pro W5700X is a quad-slot card with Apple MPX interface, while the RX 5600M is an IGP with a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface and no power connectors required.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data presents a surprising result: the RX 5600M wins all three shared benchmark tests, despite having a lower average benchmark score overall. The margin of victory varies significantly by test, suggesting that the mobile GPU's drivers or architecture optimizations favor the specific workloads used in these benchmarks.

In Geekbench Metal, the RX 5600M scores 76653 against the Pro W5700X's 75427, a narrow 1.6% advantage. This is a close result, within the margin of error for synthetic benchmarks. The Pro W5700X's higher clock speeds and wider memory bus do not translate into a victory here, indicating that the Metal API workload may be more sensitive to other factors such as driver efficiency or memory latency rather than raw bandwidth.

The Geekbench OpenCL test shows a much larger gap. The RX 5600M scores 59589, while the Pro W5700X scores 43810, giving the RX 5600M a 26.5% lead. This is a substantial difference that cannot be explained by the specification sheet alone, as the Pro W5700X has 11.1% more shading units, 79% higher FP32 throughput, and 55.6% more memory bandwidth. The result suggests that the Pro W5700X may be severely underperforming in OpenCL workloads, possibly due to driver limitations or thermal constraints in its workstation configuration.

The Geekbench Vulkan test falls in between the other two. The RX 5600M scores 48843 versus 45246 for the Pro W5700X, a 7.4% advantage. This indicates that the Vulkan workload is less favorable to the RX 5600M than OpenCL but still favors it over the Pro W5700X. Overall, the head-to-head results show the RX 5600M winning with deltas of -1.6%, -26.5%, and -7.4% from the perspective of the Pro W5700X, meaning the RX 5600M is ahead in every shared test.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear but counterintuitive verdict. The AMD Radeon RX 5600M is the better performer in all three head-to-head benchmarks, with the largest margin in Geekbench OpenCL (26.5%) and the smallest in Geekbench Metal (1.6%). However, the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X has a higher average benchmark score (54828 vs 46601), a higher percentile ranking (87th vs 85th), and significantly stronger on-paper specifications including more shading units, higher clock speeds, and double the memory bandwidth.

The Pro W5700X is positioned as a workstation card with a launch MSRP of 999 USD, a quad-slot form factor, and Apple MPX interface, targeting professional environments where reliability and certification matter more than raw synthetic scores. Its end-of-life status and 2019 release date suggest it is a legacy product. The RX 5600M, released in 2020, is a mobile IGP with no launch MSRP, designed for laptops where power efficiency and compactness are priorities. Its predecessor is listed as Polaris Mobile, indicating a lineage of mobile graphics solutions.

For users prioritizing the shared benchmark results, the RX 5600M is the superior choice in those specific workloads. For users who need the higher average performance across a broader range of tests, the Pro W5700X is the better pick, despite its losses in the head-to-head tests. The Pro W5700X's 16 GB memory capacity and higher bandwidth make it more suitable for memory-intensive tasks, while the RX 5600M's wins suggest it handles the tested API workloads more efficiently.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in several key specification fields. The Pro W5700X has 2560 shading units versus 2304 for the RX 5600M, and 160 TMUs versus 144. Both have 64 ROPs. The Pro W5700X has a base clock of 1243 MHz and a boost clock of 2040 MHz, while the RX 5600M has a base clock of 1035 MHz, a game clock of 1190 MHz, and a boost clock of 1265 MHz. The memory differs significantly: 16 GB GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth versus 6 GB GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth.

The pixel rates are 130.6 GPixel/s for the Pro W5700X and 80.96 GPixel/s for the RX 5600M. Texture rates are 326.4 GTexel/s versus 182.2 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 10.44 TFLOPS versus 5.829 TFLOPS, and FP16 performance is 20.89 TFLOPS versus 11.66 TFLOPS. The TDP differs at 205 W for the Pro W5700X and 150 W for the RX 5600M. The Pro W5700X is a quad-slot card with a 305 mm length and Apple MPX bus interface, while the RX 5600M is an IGP with PCIe 4.0 x16 and no power connectors. Display outputs are 1x HDMI 2.0b and 4x Thunderbolt for the Pro W5700X, versus portable device dependent outputs for the RX 5600M. The Pro W5700X has a launch MSRP of 999 USD, while the RX 5600M has none listed.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 5600M wins in all three head-to-head benchmark categories. Its largest victory is in Geekbench OpenCL, where it outperforms the Pro W5700X by 26.5%, which is a substantial margin for a GPU with lower raw specifications. It also wins Geekbench Vulkan by 7.4% and Geekbench Metal by 1.6%. The RX 5600M's wins suggest it has better driver optimization or more efficient execution for these specific compute APIs, despite having 11.1% fewer shading units and 55.6% less memory bandwidth. Its 150 W TDP and IGP form factor also make it suitable for mobile applications where the Pro W5700X's quad-slot design is impractical.

The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X wins in overall average benchmark score, achieving 54828 versus 46601 for the RX 5600M, a difference of 17.7%. It also holds a higher percentile ranking at 87th versus 85th. The Pro W5700X's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 (1.1% higher average score) and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (1.6% lower average score), placing it in a high-performance desktop tier. The RX 5600M's nearest rivals include the Intel Arc A530M (0% difference) and the AMD Radeon RX 6550M (0.2% lower average score), indicating it competes in a lower performance bracket. The Pro W5700X's 16 GB memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth make it the better choice for large datasets or high-resolution textures, while its 205 W TDP and 550 W suggested PSU indicate a desktop workstation environment. The RX 5600M's wins in the head-to-head tests are the deciding factor for those specific workloads, but the Pro W5700X's broader performance profile and higher average score make it the stronger overall GPU for users who need maximum compute throughput across a variety of tasks.