AMD Radeon Pro W6900X vs NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile Comparison

The AMD Radeon Pro W6900X and NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile represent two fundamentally different approaches to professional graphics: one is a massive, power-hungry desktop compute card designed for maximum throughput, while the other is a high-end mobile solution built for efficiency within a laptop chassis. The data shows a clear overall winner in raw performance, but the story is more nuanced when considering the specific workloads and the platforms they serve.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Pro W6900X wins decisively in every benchmark category where both are tested. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD card scores 130,035, which is 4.6% higher than the NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile’s 124,287. The gap widens dramatically in the Vulkan test, where the AMD card’s 148,865 is a massive 43.7% ahead of the NVIDIA card’s 103,601. This suggests the W6900X has a particular strength in Vulkan-based applications or workloads that leverage this API’s low-level overhead. The NVIDIA card’s performance is not without merit, but its wins are not in raw compute scores. Its advantage lies in its form factor and power envelope, making it the only viable option for users who require professional-grade performance in a portable chassis. The data does not show any benchmark where the RTX A5500 Mobile outperforms the W6900X, meaning all its "wins" are contextual, relating to its mobile nature rather than its performance.

The W6900X’s wins are also reflected in its overall standing. It sits in the 97th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX A5500 Mobile sits in the 94th. Its average benchmark score of 168,574 is significantly higher than the NVIDIA card’s 113,944, a difference of over 48%. This indicates that in a purely performance-per-card sense, the AMD part is in a different league. However, the RTX A5500 Mobile’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla V100 SXM2 16 GB, which it trails by only 0.4%, and the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation, which it trails by 2.7%. This shows that while it is not the fastest, it is competitive with other high-end workstation and data center parts, making it a potent option in its own right.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on fundamentally different architectures and process nodes, which explains much of their performance disparity. The AMD Radeon Pro W6900X is based on the RDNA 2.0 architecture and uses the Navi 21 chip, fabricated on TSMC’s 7 nm process. This process node allows for a transistor density of 51.5 million per square millimeter, packing 26,800 million transistors into a 520 mm² die. In contrast, the NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile is based on the Ampere architecture and uses the GA103 chip, fabricated on Samsung’s 8 nm process. This larger process node results in a lower transistor density of 44.4 million per square millimeter, with 22,000 million transistors on a 496 mm² die. The W6900X’s more advanced process node is a key factor in its ability to achieve higher clock speeds and efficiency.

The memory configurations are another major differentiator. The W6900X comes with 32 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the RTX A5500 Mobile has 16 GB of GDDR6. Both use a 256-bit memory bus, resulting in identical memory bandwidth of 512.0 GB/s. However, the doubled capacity on the AMD card is a significant advantage for large datasets and high-resolution textures. The compute configurations also differ substantially. The AMD card features 5,120 shading units, 320 TMUs, 128 ROPs, and 80 RT cores. The NVIDIA card, despite having more shading units at 7,424, has fewer TMUs (232) and ROPs (96). It also has 58 RT cores and 232 tensor cores, which are absent on the AMD card. The presence of tensor cores gives the NVIDIA card a potential advantage in AI and machine learning workloads, though the benchmark data provided does not test this capability.

Clock speeds are a major factor in their performance difference. The W6900X has a base clock of 1825 MHz and a boost clock of 2171 MHz. The RTX A5500 Mobile has a much lower base clock of 975 MHz and a boost clock of 1500 MHz, a consequence of its 165 W TDP compared to the W6900X’s 300 W TDP. This lower clock speed is a primary reason for the NVIDIA card’s lower performance in the head-to-head benchmarks. The power draw also dictates their physical requirements: the W6900X requires a 700 W power supply and uses an Apple MPX bus interface, while the mobile card has no power connectors and uses PCIe 4.0 x16, as its power is delivered through the laptop's motherboard.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data is stark and reveals the performance gulf between these two parts. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD Radeon Pro W6900X scores 130,035, which is 4.6% higher than the NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile’s 124,287. This is a relatively modest margin, suggesting that in pure compute tasks, the NVIDIA card is not far behind. The 4.6% difference is within the range of what could be expected from generation-to-generation improvements, but the W6900X still comes out on top.

The Vulkan test tells a completely different story. Here, the AMD card scores 148,865, while the NVIDIA card manages 103,601. This is a delta of 43.7% in favor of the AMD Radeon Pro W6900X. This massive difference indicates that the AMD architecture has a significant advantage in this specific API. Vulkan is known for its low overhead and direct hardware access, and the RDNA 2.0 architecture appears to be better optimized for this type of workload. This result suggests that for applications that leverage Vulkan, the W6900X would provide a substantially smoother and faster experience. The fact that the NVIDIA card’s Vulkan score is lower than its OpenCL score, while the AMD card’s Vulkan score is higher, points to a fundamental architectural difference in how each handles these APIs.

Looking at the average benchmark scores provides further context. The AMD card’s average score of 168,574 places it 1.5% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX 4500 Ada Generation and 2% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A5500. The NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile’s average score of 113,944 puts it in a different performance tier, closely matching the Tesla V100 SXM2 16 GB. This shows that while the mobile card is competitive with other high-end parts from a generation or two ago, it is not in the same class as the current generation desktop workstation cards. The W6900X’s closest rivals are all modern, high-performance desktop or data center parts, reinforcing its position at the top of the performance stack.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: for pure, raw performance, the AMD Radeon Pro W6900X is the superior card. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks and has a significantly higher average score. Its 32 GB of memory doubles the capacity of the NVIDIA card, and its higher clock speeds and more advanced process node contribute to its substantial lead in Vulkan performance. The W6900X is the clear choice for professionals who demand the absolute maximum compute throughput and are working on a desktop platform with the power budget to support a 300 W card.

The NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile serves a completely different purpose. Its performance, while lower, is still respectable, placing it in the 94th percentile of all GPUs. Its key advantage is its existence as a mobile solution. For professionals who need to work on location, in the field, or in environments where a desktop workstation is impractical, the RTX A5500 Mobile is the only option between these two. Its 165 W TDP and lack of external power connectors make it suitable for high-end laptops, and its tensor cores provide capabilities for AI-accelerated tasks that the AMD card lacks. The choice is not about which is faster, but about which form factor is required. The data shows that if you can use a desktop card, the W6900X is the only choice.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the Geekbench Vulkan benchmark?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro W6900X is significantly faster, scoring 148,865 compared to the NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile’s 103,601, a 43.7% difference.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference between the two?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro W6900X has 32 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory.

Q: Do both GPUs have the same memory bandwidth?

A: Yes, both have a 256-bit memory bus and a bandwidth of 512.0 GB/s.

Q: What is the NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile’s average benchmark score compared to its nearest rival?

A: Its average score is 113,944, which is 0.4% lower than the NVIDIA Tesla V100 SXM2 16 GB.

Q: Which GPU has a higher transistor density?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro W6900X has a density of 51.5M transistors per square millimeter, while the NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile has a density of 44.4M.

Q: What is the difference in TDP between the two cards?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro W6900X has a TDP of 300 W, while the NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile has a TDP of 165 W.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon Pro W6900X | NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile |

| :--- | :--- | :--- |

| Architecture | RDNA 2.0 | Ampere |

| Chip | Navi 21 | GA103 |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 8 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | Samsung |

| Transistors | 26,800 million | 22,000 million |

| Die Size | 520 mm² | 496 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 51.5M / mm² | 44.4M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1825 MHz | 975 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2171 MHz | 1500 MHz |

| Memory Size | 32 GB | 16 GB |

| Shading Units | 5120 | 7424 |

| TMUs | 320 | 232 |

| ROPs | 128 | 96 |

| RT Cores | 80 | 58 |

| Tensor Cores | None | 232 |

| Pixel Rate | 277.9 GPixel/s | 144.0 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 694.7 GTexel/s | 348.0 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 22.23 TFLOPS | 22.27 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 44.46 TFLOPS (2:1) | 22.27 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 300 W | 165 W |

| Bus Interface | Apple MPX | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| Power Connectors | Not specified | None |

| Suggested PSU | 700 W | Not specified |