AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 vs AMD Radeon Vega 8 Comparison

The Verdict

The benchmark data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 wins every head-to-head comparison against the AMD Radeon Vega 8, taking all three available tests with margins ranging from 63.1% to 69.8%. The Pro WX 5100 posts an average benchmark score of 8863, while the Vega 8 averages 9221—yet this aggregate figure is misleading because the Vega 8's average is drawn from only three Geekbench tests, whereas the Pro WX 5100's average includes ten benchmarks spanning DirectX 9 through 12, G2D, G3D, and compute workloads. In the shared test suite, the Pro WX 5100 dominates: Geekbench Metal shows 29003 versus 10706, OpenCL shows 24217 versus 8822, and Vulkan shows 26909 versus 8134.

The percentile rankings are nearly identical—Vega 8 sits at the 45th percentile of all GPUs, and the Pro WX 5100 at the 44th—but this similarity masks the Pro WX 5100's broader capability set. For anyone choosing between these two, the decision hinges on platform constraints more than performance. The Vega 8 is an integrated GPU (IGP) with no power connectors, a 25 W TDP, and system-shared memory; the Pro WX 5100 is a single-slot discrete card with 8 GB of dedicated GDDR5, a 75 W TDP, and a 250 W suggested PSU. If the system lacks a PCIe 3.0 x16 slot or the ability to power a discrete card, the Vega 8 is the only option. If a discrete slot exists, the Pro WX 5100 is the clear performance pick across every measured workload.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 wins in every single benchmark category where both are tested. In Geekbench Metal, it scores 29003 versus 10706—a 63.1% advantage. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 24217 versus 8822—a 63.6% lead. In Geekbench Vulkan, it scores 26909 versus 8134—a 69.8% margin. The Pro WX 5100 also has exclusive benchmark results in DirectX 9 (88), DirectX 10 (29), DirectX 11 (36), DirectX 12 (26), G2D (777), G3D (5496), and GPU compute (2053), giving it a verified footprint across legacy and modern API workloads that the Vega 8 cannot match because no such tests exist for it in the data.

The Vega 8's only statistical advantage is its higher average benchmark score (9221 versus 8863), which stems from the fact that its three Geekbench scores are relatively high compared to the Pro WX 5100's PassMark results dragging down its average. This is a data artifact, not a real-world win: in the only direct comparisons available, the Pro WX 5100 wins all three. The Vega 8's real-world advantage is qualitative: it is an IGP with a 25 W TDP and no power connectors, making it suitable for systems where a discrete card cannot be installed. The Pro WX 5100, with its 75 W TDP and 250 W suggested PSU, requires a more robust platform.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different GCN generations and different chip designs. The Vega 8 uses the Raven chip on GCN 5.0 architecture, fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries, with 4,940 million transistors on a 210 mm² die (23.5M transistors per mm²). The Pro WX 5100 uses the Ellesmere chip on GCN 4.0, also 14 nm at GlobalFoundries, but with 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die (24.6M per mm²). The Pro WX 5100 has more raw silicon: 15.4% more transistors and a 10.5% larger die.

Compute resources differ dramatically. The Vega 8 has 512 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 8 ROPs. The Pro WX 5100 has 1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 32 ROPs—3.5x, 3.5x, and 4x more, respectively. This hardware gap translates directly into throughput: the Pro WX 5100 delivers 3.892 TFLOPS FP32 versus 1,126.4 GFLOPS for the Vega 8, and 121.6 GTexel/s versus 35.20 GTexel/s. Pixel rate is 34.75 GPixel/s versus 8.800 GPixel/s.

Memory architecture is another major divergence. The Vega 8 uses system-shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth—no dedicated VRAM, no fixed bus width. The Pro WX 5100 has 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 160.0 GB/s bandwidth and a 1250 MHz memory clock (5 Gbps effective). Clock speeds also differ: the Vega 8 runs at a 300 MHz base and 1100 MHz boost, while the Pro WX 5100 runs at 713 MHz base and 1086 MHz boost. Notably, the Pro WX 5100's FP16 throughput is 3.892 TFLOPS (1:1 with FP32), whereas the Vega 8's FP16 is 2.253 TFLOPS at a 2:1 ratio—indicating the Pro WX 5100 has full-rate FP16, while the Vega 8 halves its FP16 rate.

API support is similar: both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.3. DirectX support differs slightly—the Vega 8 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), the Pro WX 5100 supports DirectX 12 (12_0). The Pro WX 5100 also has four DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, while the Vega 8's display outputs are motherboard-dependent. Both are end-of-life products, with the Vega 8 released on 2018-02-11 and the Pro WX 5100 on 2016-11-17.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has better raw compute performance?

A: The Pro WX 5100. It delivers 3.892 TFLOPS FP32 versus 1,126.4 GFLOPS for the Vega 8, and its FP16 rate is 3.892 TFLOPS (1:1) compared to the Vega 8's 2.253 TFLOPS (2:1).

Q: Can the Vega 8 match the Pro WX 5100 in any benchmark?

A: No. In the three head-to-head tests available, the Pro WX 5100 wins all of them. The Vega 8's average benchmark score (9221) is higher than the Pro WX 5100's (8863), but this is because the Vega 8 only has three Geekbench scores, while the Pro WX 5100's average includes lower PassMark scores.

Q: What are the memory differences?

A: The Vega 8 uses system-shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth and no dedicated VRAM. The Pro WX 5100 has 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 160.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU requires more power?

A: The Pro WX 5100 has a 75 W TDP and a 250 W suggested PSU, while the Vega 8 has a 25 W TDP and no power connectors. The Vega 8 is an IGP, so it draws power through the motherboard.

Q: Do these GPUs support the same APIs?

A: Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.3. The Vega 8 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the Pro WX 5100 supports DirectX 12 (12_0). The Pro WX 5100 also has four DisplayPort 1.4a outputs; the Vega 8's outputs are motherboard-dependent.

Q: How do these compare to their nearest rivals?

A: The Vega 8 is essentially tied with the AMD Radeon 890M (0.1% difference in average score) and slightly behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 (−0.6%), GTX 465 (−0.8%), and GTX 850M (−0.9%). The Pro WX 5100 is essentially tied with the AMD Radeon R9 M265X (0.1%) and slightly ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile (1.3%) and GTX 460 v2 (1.4%).

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The data shows a complete sweep for the Pro WX 5100. Starting with Geekbench Metal, the Pro WX 5100 scores 29003 against the Vega 8's 10706, a delta of −63.1% from the Vega 8's perspective. This is the smallest margin of the three tests, but it still represents a nearly 2.7x performance gap. The Metal test typically exercises GPU compute and graphics in Apple's API, and the Pro WX 5100's 3.5x shading unit count and 4x ROP count provide a structural advantage that the Vega 8's higher boost clock (1100 MHz versus 1086 MHz) cannot overcome.

Geekbench OpenCL shows a similar story: 24217 for the Pro WX 5100 versus 8822 for the Vega 8, a −63.6% delta. OpenCL is a cross-platform compute workload, and here the Pro WX 5100's dedicated 8 GB GDDR5 with 160.0 GB/s bandwidth becomes critical—the Vega 8's system-shared memory has no fixed bandwidth and is dependent on the host platform's memory subsystem. The Pro WX 5100's 3.892 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is 3.46x that of the Vega 8, and the benchmark result (2.74x) tracks closely with that compute advantage.

The largest margin comes in Geekbench Vulkan, where the Pro WX 5100 scores 26909 against 8134, a −69.8% delta. Vulkan is a low-overhead graphics and compute API, and the Pro WX 5100's 121.6 GTexel/s texture rate versus 35.20 GTexel/s gives it a 3.45x texturing advantage. The Vega 8's 32 TMUs are outmatched by the Pro WX 5100's 112 TMUs, and the 256-bit memory bus of the Pro WX 5100 provides the bandwidth necessary to feed those units efficiently.

Beyond the shared tests, the Pro WX 5100 has additional benchmark data that the Vega 8 lacks entirely. Its PassMark G3D score of 5496 and GPU compute score of 2053 indicate solid directX and compute performance, while its DirectX 9 score of 88, DirectX 10 score of 29, DirectX 11 score of 36, and DirectX 12 score of 26 show a legacy API capability that cannot be assessed for the Vega 8 because no such tests exist. The G2D score of 777 suggests the Pro WX 5100 handles 2D workloads reasonably well, though this is not a head-to-head comparison.

The nearest rival data contextualizes both GPUs. The Vega 8's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon 890M, has an average score of 9210—a 0.1% delta—meaning the Vega 8 sits in a cluster of mid-range GPUs. The Pro WX 5100's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon R9 M265X, has an average of 8851 (0.1% delta), and it edges out the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile by 1.3% and the GTX 460 v2 by 1.4%. In relative terms, the Pro WX 5100 is slightly above its nearest neighbors, while the Vega 8 is essentially at parity with its own. Neither GPU is a standout in its class, but the Pro WX 5100's decisive head-to-head sweep makes it the definitive choice when both are available in comparable systems.