AMD Radeon PRO W7500 vs AMD Radeon R9 370X Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL compute workloads?

A: The AMD Radeon PRO W7500 is decisively faster in OpenCL, scoring 58,213 versus 25,893 for the AMD Radeon R9 370X. That is a 124.8% advantage, meaning the W7500 more than doubles the R9 370X's raw compute output.

Q: How do the two cards compare in Vulkan performance?

A: The W7500 dominates Vulkan with a score of 68,634 against 9,018 for the R9 370X, a 661.1% difference. This is the single largest performance gap between the two cards across all shared benchmarks.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each GPU?

A: The W7500 has an average benchmark score of 16,415, while the R9 370X averages 15,862. Despite the W7500's massive wins in OpenCL and Vulkan, the overall average difference is just 553 points, or roughly 3.5%.

Q: Which card has a higher percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The W7500 sits at the 59th percentile, while the R9 370X is at the 58th percentile. Both cards are in the same broad performance tier, though the W7500 edges out the R9 370X.

Q: What are the closest rivals to each card based on average score?

A: The W7500's nearest rival is the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell with a delta of 0%, followed by the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT at +0.3%. The R9 370X's closest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 7700 at +0.1%, with the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 at +1.2%.

Q: Which card has ray tracing hardware?

A: Only the AMD Radeon PRO W7500 includes 28 ray tracing cores. The AMD Radeon R9 370X has no ray tracing hardware at all, reflecting its older architecture.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon PRO W7500 is built on the Navi 33 chip using RDNA 3.0 architecture, codenamed Hotpink Bonefish. It belongs to the Radeon Pro Navi generation (Navi III Series) and is fabricated on a 6 nm process at TSMC. The R9 370X uses the Trinidad chip with GCN 1.0 architecture, part of the Pirate Islands generation (R9 300), built on a 28 nm process, also at TSMC. The process node difference is stark: 6 nm versus 28 nm.

Transistor counts tell a dramatic story. The W7500 packs 13,300 million transistors on a 204 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 65.2 million per mm². The R9 370X has only 2,800 million transistors on a 212 mm² die, giving it a density of 13.2 million per mm². The W7500 achieves roughly five times the transistor density despite a slightly smaller die.

The W7500 features 1,792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, 64 ROPs, and 28 ray tracing cores. The R9 370X has 1,280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, with no ray tracing support. The W7500 also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the R9 370X only reaches DirectX 12 (11_1). Vulkan support differs as well: the W7500 supports Vulkan 1.4, whereas the R9 370X supports Vulkan 1.2.170. Both cards support OpenGL 4.6.

The memory subsystems are fundamentally different. The W7500 uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth. The R9 370X uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 179.2 GB/s bandwidth. The W7500 has four times the memory capacity but half the bus width, yet still delivers 43% more bandwidth.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data shows two benchmarks where both cards were tested: Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan. The AMD Radeon PRO W7500 wins both, taking the head-to-head record at 2 wins to 0.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the W7500 scores 58,213 against the R9 370X's 25,893. The delta is 124.8%, meaning the W7500 is more than twice as fast. This is a massive generational leap in compute throughput, driven by the newer architecture and far higher transistor count.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the gap widens enormously. The W7500 scores 68,634 while the R9 370X manages only 9,018. The 661.1% delta is extraordinary, representing a 7.6x performance advantage. This suggests the R9 370X's GCN 1.0 architecture is particularly weak in modern Vulkan workloads, while RDNA 3.0 excels.

The average benchmark scores narrow the picture somewhat. The W7500 averages 16,415 across all its benchmarks, while the R9 370X averages 15,862. The W7500's nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell, scores 16,408 with a 0% delta. The R9 370X's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7700, scores 15,852 with a 0.1% delta. This puts both cards in similar overall performance territory despite the head-to-head blowouts.

The W7500 also has additional benchmark results not shared with the R9 370X. It scores 13,368 in Passmark G3D, 5,910 in Passmark GPU Compute, 1,174 in Passmark G2D, 200 in Passmark DirectX 9, 125 in Passmark DirectX 11, 65 in Passmark DirectX 10, and 46 in Passmark DirectX 12. The R9 370X has one unique benchmark: Geekbench Metal, where it scores 12,676.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every specification category. The W7500 has a base clock of 1500 MHz and boost clock of 1700 MHz, while the R9 370X runs at 980 MHz base and 1030 MHz boost. The W7500's memory clock is 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective, versus 1400 MHz with 5.6 Gbps effective for the R9 370X.

The W7500 computes at 12.19 TFLOPS FP32, while the R9 370X delivers 2.637 TFLOPS FP32. The W7500 also supports FP16 at 24.37 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), while the R9 370X has no FP16 specification listed. Pixel rate is 108.8 GPixel/s for the W7500 versus 32.96 GPixel/s for the R9 370X. Texture rate is 190.4 GTexel/s versus 82.40 GTexel/s.

Power requirements diverge sharply. The W7500 has a TDP of 70 W with no power connectors and a suggested PSU of 250 W. The R9 370X has a TDP of 180 W, requires 2x 6-pin power connectors, and needs a 450 W suggested PSU. The W7500 is single-slot, while the R9 370X is dual-slot. The W7500 uses PCIe 4.0 x8, while the R9 370X uses PCIe 3.0 x16.

Display outputs differ: the W7500 has 4x DisplayPort 2.1, while the R9 370X has 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2. Dimensions are similar in length (216 mm for W7500, 221 mm for R9 370X) and height (115 mm versus 111 mm), but the W7500 is 20 mm wide while the R9 370X width is not specified.

The W7500 was released on 2023-08-02 and remains in Active production. The R9 370X was released on 2015-08-26 and is End-of-life. The W7500's predecessor is Radeon Pro Vega, while the R9 370X's predecessor is Volcanic Islands and its successor is Arctic Islands.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon PRO W7500 wins in every head-to-head benchmark category shared with the R9 370X. Its 124.8% advantage in OpenCL makes it the clear choice for compute-heavy workloads like rendering, simulation, and data processing. The 661.1% Vulkan victory positions it strongly for modern graphics APIs and games that leverage Vulkan. The W7500 also has exclusive benchmark strengths: its Passmark G3D score of 13,368 and GPU Compute score of 5,910 indicate solid general-purpose and compute performance.

The W7500's architecture advantages extend to ray tracing, which the R9 370X lacks entirely. Its 28 ray tracing cores enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing workloads. The 8 GB GDDR6 memory with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth supports larger textures and datasets than the 2 GB GDDR5 on the R9 370X. The W7500's 70 W TDP with no power connectors makes it suitable for systems with modest power delivery, while the single-slot design fits in tighter chassis.

The AMD Radeon R9 370X has its own niche advantages despite losing the head-to-head. Its average benchmark score of 15,862 is within 3.5% of the W7500's 16,415, meaning overall performance parity in mixed workloads. The R9 370X's Geekbench Metal score of 12,676 is a benchmark the W7500 cannot match, indicating potential strength in Metal-based applications. Its 256-bit memory bus, though slower in total bandwidth, may offer different memory access patterns. The R9 370X also has a lower launch MSRP of 199 USD compared to the W7500's 429 USD.

The R9 370X's 58th percentile ranking versus the W7500's 59th percentile shows they occupy nearly identical positions in the overall GPU landscape. The R9 370X's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7700 at +0.1% and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 at +1.2%, suggesting it remains competitive with much newer cards in average score terms.

The Verdict

The data makes the choice straightforward for most use cases: the AMD Radeon PRO W7500 is the superior GPU. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks by margins of 124.8% and 661.1%, offers ray tracing hardware, has four times the memory, and consumes less than half the power. Its 12.19 TFLOPS FP32 compute versus 2.637 TFLOPS is a 4.6x gap. The 6 nm process versus 28 nm represents multiple generations of architectural advancement.

The W7500 is the correct pick for anyone needing modern graphics API support, hardware ray tracing, or high-bandwidth memory. Its DisplayPort 2.1 outputs enable future display connectivity. The 8 GB GDDR6 frame buffer handles contemporary workloads without the capacity constraints of the R9 370X's 2 GB. The 70 W TDP means no external power connectors, simplifying installation in compact systems.

The R9 370X remains relevant only in specific scenarios. Its Metal benchmark score of 12,676 is its sole unique strength. Its 256-bit bus and 179.2 GB/s bandwidth, while lower than the W7500's 256.0 GB/s, still provide reasonable throughput for its era. The R9 370X's 58th percentile ranking shows it holds its own against much newer cards in average benchmark terms, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7700 and AMD Radeon Pro W5500, both modern cards.

Choose the W7500 for compute, modern gaming, ray tracing, or any Vulkan-based workload. Choose the R9 370X only if you specifically need Metal performance, have constraints that favor its older interface, or require the dual-DVI outputs that the W7500 lacks. The head-to-head record of 2 wins to 0 for the W7500 is the final word: this is not a competitive matchup. The R9 370X's 2 GB memory capacity will bottleneck modern workloads, and its lack of ray tracing closes off an entire feature category. The W7500's active production status versus the R9 370X's end-of-life status further tips the balance toward the newer card.