AMD Radeon PRO W6600 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile and the AMD Radeon PRO W6600 occupy the same 94th percentile among all GPUs, yet they are built on fundamentally different philosophies. The data shows a single direct head-to-head comparison in Geekbench OpenCL, where NVIDIA wins, but the AMD card counters with superior results in Metal and Vulkan workloads. This analysis breaks down the benchmark results, architectural divergence, and the specific strengths that define each card.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data presents a clear split based on the API and workload type. In the only directly comparable test, Geekbench OpenCL, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile takes a decisive victory with a score of 84171 against the AMD Radeon PRO W6600’s 73151. That is a 15.1% advantage for NVIDIA in this compute-oriented benchmark, indicating stronger raw throughput in OpenCL environments.

However, the AMD Radeon PRO W6600’s benchmark suite tells a different story across other APIs. Its Geekbench Metal score of 97483 is its strongest result, surpassing its own OpenCL score by approximately 33% and its Vulkan score of 78993 by roughly 23%. This suggests the AMD card is heavily optimized for Apple’s Metal framework, likely making it the better choice for macOS-centric workflows or applications that leverage Metal for GPU acceleration. In Vulkan, the W6600 scores 78993, which is lower than its Metal result but still a substantial figure, indicating solid cross-platform performance.

The NVIDIA card, by contrast, has only one recorded benchmark (Geekbench OpenCL), so its performance profile in Metal and Vulkan is not documented in the provided data. The win count reflects this: NVIDIA holds 1 win in the head-to-head tests, while AMD holds 0, but the absence of Metal and Vulkan tests for NVIDIA means its potential in those areas remains unmeasured. The data indicates that NVIDIA wins the OpenCL contest outright, while AMD demonstrates a broader benchmark portfolio with standout Metal performance.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are separated by a generation and a fundamental design shift. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile is built on the GB207 chip using the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It packs 16,900 million transistors into a 149 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 113.4M per mm². This is a modern, power-efficient design with a TDP of just 50 W and an integrated form factor (IGP) that requires no power connectors.

The AMD Radeon PRO W6600 uses the Navi 23 chip with the older RDNA 2.0 architecture, also produced by TSMC but on a larger 7 nm node. It contains 11,060 million transistors spread across a 237 mm² die, resulting in a lower transistor density of 46.7M per mm². This card is a traditional discrete solution: it is single-slot, draws 100 W, requires a 1x 6-pin power connector, and has a suggested PSU of 300 W. The physical length is 241 mm or 9.5 inches.

Core configurations differ significantly. The NVIDIA GPU has 2560 shading units, 80 TMUs, 32 ROPs, 20 RT cores, and 80 tensor cores. The AMD GPU features fewer shading units (1792) but more TMUs (112) and ROPs (64), along with 28 RT cores and no tensor cores. Clock speeds also diverge: the AMD card runs at a base of 2331 MHz and boosts to 2580 MHz, while the NVIDIA card sits much lower at 1020 MHz base and 1500 MHz boost, reflecting its power-constrained mobile design.

Memory subsystems are another point of contrast. Both cards use 8 GB of VRAM on a 128-bit bus, but the NVIDIA RTX 5050 Mobile uses GDDR7 at 1500 MHz (24 Gbps effective) for a bandwidth of 384.0 GB/s. The AMD W6600 uses GDDR6 at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), yielding only 224.0 GB/s. This gives NVIDIA a 71.4% bandwidth advantage, a critical factor for high-resolution textures and compute workloads.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sole direct comparison in the data is the Geekbench OpenCL test. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile scores 84171, while the AMD Radeon PRO W6600 scores 73151, giving NVIDIA a 15.1% lead. This is a substantial margin, especially considering the NVIDIA card’s much lower TDP. The result suggests that NVIDIA’s newer architecture and higher memory bandwidth more than compensate for its lower clock speeds and fewer TMUs/ROPs in this specific workload.

Looking at the nearest rivals for context, the RTX 5050 Mobile’s OpenCL score places it just 0.1% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D (84241) and 0.2% behind the RTX 5090 (84306). It also sits 1.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon PRO W6600’s average score of 83209, which is notably higher than the W6600’s own OpenCL result. This discrepancy highlights that the W6600’s average is lifted by its superior Metal and Vulkan scores.

For the AMD card, its average score of 83209 is 0.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon 8060S (82555) and 1.1% behind the RTX 5050 Mobile’s average. The W6600 trails the RTX 5090 D by 1.2% and the RTX 5090 by 1.3%. These deltas show that while the W6600 is competitive in aggregate, it loses ground to NVIDIA in the OpenCL-specific test.

The largest win for AMD comes from its Metal benchmark: 97483 is 33.3% higher than its OpenCL score and 23.4% higher than its Vulkan score. This indicates that in Metal-optimized applications, the W6600 would likely outperform the RTX 5050 Mobile by a wide margin, though no direct Metal comparison exists for the NVIDIA card.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the data, the choice hinges on the target application and platform. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile is the clear winner for OpenCL-based compute tasks, delivering a 15.1% performance advantage over the AMD Radeon PRO W6600 in the head-to-head benchmark. Its higher memory bandwidth (384.0 GB/s vs 224.0 GB/s) and newer architecture make it a formidable option for general-purpose GPU computing, despite its lower power envelope.

The AMD Radeon PRO W6600 is the superior option for Metal-centric workflows, as evidenced by its 97483 Metal score, which is its best result and far exceeds its OpenCL and Vulkan numbers. This makes it a strong candidate for macOS environments or applications that leverage Metal exclusively. Its Vulkan score of 78993 also suggests respectable performance in cross-platform titles, though it is 6.2% lower than its OpenCL score.

Users who prioritize raw compute in OpenCL and value power efficiency should lean toward the NVIDIA RTX 5050 Mobile. Those who work in Metal-heavy ecosystems or need a discrete, single-slot card with multiple DisplayPort outputs (4x DisplayPort 1.4a) should consider the AMD W6600. The AMD card is end-of-life, while the NVIDIA card is active, which could affect long-term driver support and availability.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile scores 84171 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the AMD Radeon PRO W6600 scores 73151, giving NVIDIA a 15.1% advantage.

Q: How does the AMD Radeon PRO W6600 perform in Metal benchmarks?

A: The W6600 achieves a Geekbench Metal score of 97483, which is its highest recorded benchmark and significantly outperforms its own OpenCL (73151) and Vulkan (78993) scores.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between the two cards?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 5050 Mobile has 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth using GDDR7 memory, while the AMD W6600 has 224.0 GB/s with GDDR6, making the NVIDIA card 71.4% faster in this metric.

Q: Are there any benchmark results where the AMD card wins?

A: The head-to-head data shows only one test (Geekbench OpenCL), which NVIDIA wins. However, the AMD card’s Metal score of 97483 and Vulkan score of 78993 are not directly compared to the NVIDIA card, as no such results exist for the RTX 5050 Mobile.

Q: What are the power requirements for each GPU?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 5050 Mobile has a TDP of 50 W and uses no power connectors, while the AMD W6600 has a TDP of 100 W and requires a 1x 6-pin connector with a suggested 300 W PSU.

Q: How do these GPUs compare to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090?

A: The RTX 5050 Mobile is 0.2% behind the RTX 5090 in average score, while the AMD W6600 is 1.3% behind the RTX 5090. Both cards sit in the same 94th percentile of all GPUs.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile | AMD Radeon PRO W6600 |

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

| Architecture | Blackwell 2.0 | RDNA 2.0 |

| Process Node | 5 nm | 7 nm |

| Transistors | 16,900 million | 11,060 million |

| Die Size | 149 mm² | 237 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 113.4M / mm² | 46.7M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1020 MHz | 2331 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1500 MHz | 2580 MHz |

| Memory Type | GDDR7 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Speed | 1500 MHz (24 Gbps effective) | 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Bandwidth | 384.0 GB/s | 224.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2560 | 1792 |

| TMUs | 80 | 112 |

| ROPs | 32 | 64 |

| RT Cores | 20 | 28 |

| Tensor Cores | 80 | None |

| FP32 Performance | 7.680 TFLOPS | 9.247 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 7.680 TFLOPS (1:1) | 18.49 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| Pixel Rate | 48.00 GPixel/s | 165.1 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 120.0 GTexel/s | 289.0 GTexel/s |

| TDP | 50 W | 100 W |

| Slot Width | IGP | Single-slot |

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

| Suggested PSU | None | 300 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 5.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x8 |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | 4x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| Length | N/A | 241 mm (9.5 inches) |

| Production Status | Active | End-of-life |

| Release Date | 2025-06-23 | 2021-06-07 |

| Launch MSRP | N/A | 649 USD |