AMD Radeon Pro W5700X vs AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition Comparison

AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition and AMD Radeon Pro W5700X are both professional AMD graphics cards, but they target different workloads. The Vega Frontier Edition is built on the older GCN 5.0 architecture with HBM2 memory, while the W5700X uses RDNA 1.0 with GDDR6. Benchmark data from the database shows a split outcome: the Vega Frontier wins two of three tests, but the W5700X takes the Metal test by a notable margin. This page breaks down where each card excels, what the architectural differences mean, and which card fits which use case.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition dominates in compute-oriented benchmarks. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, it scores 76111 versus the W5700X's 43810, a 73.7% advantage. That is a massive lead and points to the Vega card being far stronger in raw parallel compute workloads that rely on OpenCL. Similarly, in the Geekbench Vulkan test, the Vega Frontier scores 71937 against the W5700X's 45246, a 59% lead. These results indicate the Vega Frontier is the better choice for general-purpose GPU compute, scientific simulations, or any task that leverages OpenCL or Vulkan APIs heavily.

The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X wins the Geekbench Metal test. It scores 75427 versus the Vega Frontier's 72061, a 4.5% advantage. This is a narrower win, but it is significant for macOS users since Metal is the primary graphics API on Apple systems. The W5700X is part of the Radeon Pro Mac series, and its performance in Metal reflects that focus. For rendering, video editing, or other Metal-accelerated tasks in macOS, the W5700X holds the edge.

Looking at overall averages, the Vega Frontier has an average benchmark score of 73370, placing it in the 91st percentile of all GPUs. The W5700X averages 54828, which lands in the 87th percentile. The Vega Frontier's average is 33.8% higher, but that average is skewed by its huge OpenCL and Vulkan wins. The W5700X's Metal score shows it is not a slow card, just one with a different API strength.

Architecture Differences

The Vega Frontier Edition uses the Vega 10 chip on the GCN 5.0 architecture, built on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. The die is 495 mm² and packs 12,500 million transistors, giving a transistor density of 25.3M per mm². The W5700X uses the Navi 10 chip on the RDNA 1.0 architecture, built on a 7 nm process at TSMC. Its die is 251 mm² with 10,300 million transistors, resulting in a much higher density of 41.0M per mm². The smaller, denser node gives the W5700X a power efficiency advantage, which shows in the TDP: 205 W for the W5700X versus 300 W for the Vega Frontier.

Memory configs differ completely. The Vega Frontier has 16 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus, yielding 483.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The W5700X also has 16 GB, but it is GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s. The Vega card's wider bus is a key reason for its compute advantage, as HBM2 provides higher bandwidth per watt and per clock in many workloads.

Shader resources differ too. The Vega Frontier has 4096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The W5700X has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. Despite fewer shaders, the W5700X reaches higher clock speeds: boost 2040 MHz versus 1600 MHz. The Vega Frontier's base clock is 1382 MHz, while the W5700X's base is 1243 MHz. The higher boost on the W5700X helps its pixel rate, which is 130.6 GPixel/s versus 102.4 GPixel/s. However, the Vega Frontier's texture rate is 409.6 GTexel/s versus 326.4 GTexel/s, and its FP32 throughput is 13.11 TFLOPS versus 10.44 TFLOPS. The Vega Frontier also leads in FP16 at 26.21 TFLOPS versus 20.89 TFLOPS.

Form factor and connectivity differ substantially. The Vega Frontier is a dual-slot card, 267 mm long, with 2x 8-pin power connectors and a 700 W suggested PSU. The W5700X is a quad-slot card, 305 mm long, with no listed power connectors and a 550 W suggested PSU. The W5700X uses an Apple MPX bus interface, while the Vega Frontier uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs also vary: the Vega Frontier offers 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the W5700X has 1x HDMI 2.0b and 4x Thunderbolt. Both support DirectX 12 (12_1) and OpenGL 4.6, but the W5700X supports Vulkan 1.4 versus the Vega Frontier's Vulkan 1.3.

The Verdict

The data is clear: pick the AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition if your primary workloads are OpenCL or Vulkan compute. It scores 73.7% higher in OpenCL and 59% higher in Vulkan over the W5700X. Its 16 GB HBM2 memory with 483.8 GB/s bandwidth and 4096 shading units make it a compute workhorse. It also has a higher average benchmark score overall at 73370 versus 54828, and it sits in the 91st percentile of all GPUs. The Vega Frontier is the stronger card for raw number crunching, simulations, or any environment that heavily uses these APIs.

Pick the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X if you are working in a macOS environment where Metal is the standard. Its 75427 Metal score beats the Vega Frontier's 72061 by 4.5%. The W5700X is also more power efficient, with a 205 W TDP versus 300 W, and it runs cooler in terms of power draw, with a 550 W suggested PSU versus 700 W. The W5700X's Thunderbolt outputs are a clear advantage for Mac setups with external displays or peripherals. Its RDNA 1.0 architecture, while lower in raw FP32, is better optimized for the API that macOS actually uses.

For general compute on Windows or Linux, the Vega Frontier is the obvious choice based on benchmark results. For macOS content creation, the W5700X is the data-backed pick. The 4.5% Metal gap is small in absolute terms, but the 73.7% and 59% leads for the Vega Frontier in OpenCL and Vulkan are decisive.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition has an average score of 73370, compared to 54828 for the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X. The Vega Frontier also ranks in the 91st percentile of all GPUs, while the W5700X ranks in the 87th.

Q: Why is the Vega Frontier so much faster in OpenCL?

A: In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the Vega Frontier scores 76111 versus the W5700X's 43810, a 73.7% difference. This likely comes from its larger number of shading units (4096 versus 2560) and higher memory bandwidth (483.8 GB/s versus 448.0 GB/s), which benefit compute-heavy OpenCL workloads.

Q: Does the W5700X win any benchmark?

A: Yes, the W5700X wins the Geekbench Metal test. It scores 75427, which is 4.5% higher than the Vega Frontier's 72061. This makes it the better card for Metal-based applications, common on macOS.

Q: What are the memory differences between the two cards?

A: Both have 16 GB of memory, but the Vega Frontier uses HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus with 483.8 GB/s bandwidth. The W5700X uses GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: How do power requirements compare?

A: The Vega Frontier has a 300 W TDP and a suggested PSU of 700 W, using 2x 8-pin power connectors. The W5700X has a 205 W TDP and a suggested PSU of 550 W, with no listed power connectors.

Q: Which card has better API support?

A: Both support DirectX 12 (12_1) and OpenGL 4.6. The W5700X supports Vulkan 1.4, while the Vega Frontier supports Vulkan 1.3. The W5700X also has 4x Thunderbolt outputs, while the Vega Frontier has 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The largest single win in the head-to-head comparison belongs to the Vega Frontier in OpenCL. It scores 76111 against the W5700X's 43810, a delta of 73.7%. This is not a marginal difference; it is a decisive victory that shows the Vega Frontier's compute architecture is far more effective for OpenCL tasks. The Vega Frontier's 4096 shading units and 483.8 GB/s bandwidth appear to give it a significant edge in this API.

The second-largest win is again for the Vega Frontier, in Vulkan. It scores 71937 versus the W5700X's 45246, a 59% lead. Vulkan is a cross-platform graphics and compute API, and the Vega Frontier's advantage here mirrors its OpenCL performance. This suggests the card is generally better suited to low-level, high-throughput compute APIs.

The W5700X's only win is in Metal, where it scores 75427 against the Vega Frontier's 72061, a 4.5% margin. This is a much smaller lead, but it is consistent with the W5700X's design as a Radeon Pro Mac card. Metal is Apple's graphics API, and the W5700X's RDNA 1.0 architecture is evidently tuned for it. In the overall head-to-head tally, the Vega Frontier wins 2 out of 3 tests, with wins in OpenCL and Vulkan, while the W5700X takes Metal.

Looking at the nearest rivals in the database provides context. The Vega Frontier's closest competitor is the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 with an average score of 72379, just 1.4% lower. The NVIDIA TITAN X Pascal is 1.8% behind at 72098. The W5700X, by contrast, sits near the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, which averages 54247, a 1.1% difference, and the RTX 4080 SUPER at 54209, also 1.1% lower. The W5700X is also 1.6% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB at 55698. These rival comparisons show the Vega Frontier is competitive with high-end cards of its era, while the W5700X's average is dragged down by its weak OpenCL and Vulkan scores.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every core specification. The Vega Frontier uses a 14 nm process from GlobalFoundries with a 495 mm² die and 12,500 million transistors. The W5700X uses a 7 nm process from TSMC with a 251 mm² die and 10,300 million transistors. Transistor density is 25.3M per mm² for the Vega Frontier and 41.0M per mm² for the W5700X.

Clock speeds vary: the Vega Frontier has a base clock of 1382 MHz and a boost of 1600 MHz, while the W5700X has a base of 1243 MHz and a much higher boost of 2040 MHz. Memory clocks also differ, with the Vega Frontier at 945 MHz (1890 Mbps effective) and the W5700X at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective).

Memory bandwidth is 483.8 GB/s for the Vega Frontier versus 448.0 GB/s for the W5700X. The bus width is 2048 bit for the Vega Frontier and 256 bit for the W5700X. Shading units are 4096 versus 2560, TMUs are 256 versus 160, and both have 64 ROPs.

Pixel rates are 102.4 GPixel/s for the Vega Frontier and 130.6 GPixel/s for the W5700X. Texture rates are 409.6 GTexel/s versus 326.4 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 13.11 TFLOPS versus 10.44 TFLOPS, and FP16 is 26.21 TFLOPS versus 20.89 TFLOPS.

TDP is 300 W for the Vega Frontier and 205 W for the W5700X. The Vega Frontier is dual-slot with 2x 8-pin connectors and a 700 W suggested PSU; the W5700X is quad-slot with no listed connectors and a 550 W suggested PSU. The bus interface is PCIe 3.0 x16 for the Vega Frontier and Apple MPX for the W5700X. Display outputs are 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a for the Vega Frontier, versus 1x HDMI 2.0b and 4x Thunderbolt for the W5700X. The Vega Frontier measures 267 mm in length; the W5700X measures 305 mm. Both cards have a launch MSRP of 999 USD.