AMD Radeon PRO W7700 vs NVIDIA RTX A5500 Comparison

The Verdict

The data presents an unambiguous picture for these two workstation GPUs. The NVIDIA RTX A5500 is the superior performer in the available benchmark suite, winning both head-to-head tests decisively. Its average benchmark score of 165,217 places it in the 97th percentile of all GPUs, while the AMD Radeon PRO W7700’s average score of 118,976 sits in the 95th percentile. The RTX A5500 leads by 38.8% in average benchmark score. This is a substantial gap, not a marginal one.

For professionals whose primary workloads are captured by Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan, the RTX A5500 is the clear choice. The data shows a 61.3% advantage in OpenCL and a 20.1% advantage in Vulkan. However, the decision is not purely performance-driven. The RTX A5500 is an end-of-life product, released on 2022-03-21, while the Radeon PRO W7700 is a newer offering, released on 2023-11-12. The W7700 also has a launch MSRP of 999 USD. For users prioritizing the newer architecture, lower power draw, and smaller physical footprint, the W7700 remains a viable option despite its lower benchmark scores. The verdict from the data: the RTX A5500 for raw compute throughput; the W7700 for those needing a current-generation, lower-power alternative with newer display outputs.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on fundamentally different architectures, which explains their divergent performance profiles. The NVIDIA RTX A5500 uses the GA102 chip based on the Ampere architecture, fabricated on Samsung’s 8 nm process node. The die is large at 628 mm², housing 28,300 million transistors, which translates to a transistor density of 45.1 million per square millimeter. In contrast, the AMD Radeon PRO W7700 uses the Navi 32 chip based on RDNA 3.0, fabricated on TSMC’s 5 nm process. Its die is significantly smaller at 346 mm², with 28,100 million transistors, yielding a much higher transistor density of 81.2 million per square millimeter.

Core composition differs dramatically. The RTX A5500 features 10,240 shading units, 320 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs. It also includes 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores. The W7700 has only 3,072 shading units and 192 TMUs, but it matches the A5500 with 96 ROPs. The W7700 includes 48 RT cores and no tensor cores. This disparity in shading unit count is a key driver of the performance gap.

Memory subsystems are also distinct. The RTX A5500 offers 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 768.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The W7700 provides 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding 576.0 GB/s. Clock speeds favor the AMD card, with a base clock of 1900 MHz and boost of 2600 MHz, versus the A5500’s 1080 MHz base and 1665 MHz boost. However, the A5500 compensates with its wider memory bus and higher effective memory speed.

The feature sets diverge on display outputs: the A5500 offers 4x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the W7700 provides 4x DisplayPort 2.1. Both support PCIe 4.0 x16, DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Power characteristics favor the W7700, with a 190 W TDP and 450 W suggested PSU, versus the A5500’s 230 W TDP and 550 W suggested PSU. Both are dual-slot cards with a single 8-pin power connector.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A5500, with an average score of 165,217, is 38.8% higher than the AMD Radeon PRO W7700’s average of 118,976. The A5500 also ranks in the 97th percentile of all GPUs, versus the W7700’s 95th percentile.

Q: How much faster is the RTX A5500 in OpenCL and Vulkan tests?

A: In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX A5500 scores 174,637 versus 108,245 for the W7700, a 61.3% advantage. In Geekbench Vulkan, the A5500 scores 155,797 versus 129,706, a 20.1% advantage.

Q: Does the AMD card have any specification advantage?

A: Yes. The Radeon PRO W7700 has a higher base and boost clock (1900 MHz and 2600 MHz) compared to the A5500 (1080 MHz and 1665 MHz). It also uses a smaller 5 nm process node (346 mm² die) versus the 8 nm node (628 mm²), and has a lower TDP of 190 W versus 230 W.

Q: Which card has more memory bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A5500, with 768.0 GB/s of bandwidth from its 24 GB GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus. The AMD Radeon PRO W7700 offers 576.0 GB/s from 16 GB GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus.

Q: What are the display output differences?

A: The RTX A5500 features 4x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the Radeon PRO W7700 features 4x DisplayPort 2.1. The W7700’s display outputs are of a newer standard.

Q: What is the production status of each card?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A5500 is listed as end-of-life, while the AMD Radeon PRO W7700 has no production status listed in the data, implying it is still an active product.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA RTX A5500 | AMD Radeon PRO W7700 |

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

| Chip | GA102 | Navi 32 |

| Architecture | Ampere | RDNA 3.0 |

| Generation | Workstation Ampere (Ax000) | Radeon Pro Navi (Navi III Series) |

| Process Node | 8 nm | 5 nm |

| Foundry | Samsung | TSMC |

| Die Size | 628 mm² | 346 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 45.1M / mm² | 81.2M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1080 MHz | 1900 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1665 MHz | 2600 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) | 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 24 GB | 16 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 384 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 768.0 GB/s | 576.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 10240 | 3072 |

| TMUs | 320 | 192 |

| ROPs | 96 | 96 |

| RT Cores | 80 | 48 |

| Tensor Cores | 320 | null |

| Pixel Rate | 159.8 GPixel/s | 249.6 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 532.8 GTexel/s | 499.2 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 34.10 TFLOPS | 31.95 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 34.10 TFLOPS (1:1) | 63.90 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 230 W | 190 W |

| Suggested PSU | 550 W | 450 W |

| Display Outputs | 4x DisplayPort 1.4a | 4x DisplayPort 2.1 |

| Dimensions (Length) | 267 mm (10.5 inches) | 241 mm (9.5 inches) |

| Release Date | 2022-03-21 | 2023-11-12 |

| Production Status | End-of-life | null |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark results are lopsided in favor of the NVIDIA RTX A5500. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the A5500 scores 174,637 against the W7700’s 108,245. This is a 61.3% difference, a massive margin that reflects the A5500’s higher shading unit count (10,240 versus 3,072) and wider memory bus (384-bit versus 256-bit). The OpenCL workload appears to heavily favor the NVIDIA architecture, leveraging its 34.10 TFLOPS of FP32 performance versus the W7700’s 31.95 TFLOPS.

The Vulkan test shows a closer but still decisive result. The A5500 scores 155,797, while the W7700 scores 129,706, a 20.1% advantage for NVIDIA. This narrower gap suggests the W7700’s higher clock speeds (2600 MHz boost versus 1665 MHz) and superior pixel rate (249.6 GPixel/s versus 159.8 GPixel/s) help it compete in this API, but cannot fully overcome the A5500’s raw compute resources and memory throughput.

The A5500’s wins are anchored in its 24 GB of memory, which provides both higher capacity and 33.3% more bandwidth than the W7700’s 16 GB. The average benchmark score differential of 46,241 points (165,217 versus 118,976) places these cards in different performance tiers. The W7700’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation (1.6% faster) and the NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile (4.4% slower), indicating it competes with lower-tier and mobile workstation parts. The A5500, by contrast, sits near the AMD Radeon PRO W7800 (0.2% slower) and the NVIDIA RTX 4500 Ada Generation (0.5% faster), placing it in a higher performance bracket. The data is clear: the RTX A5500 is the stronger card, but it is also an end-of-life product with a 230 W TDP, while the W7700 offers a smaller, cooler, and newer alternative.