AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 vs AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT and the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 occupy opposite ends of the GPU spectrum. The database shows a generational chasm between the two, with the RX 6800 XT delivering a staggering performance advantage in every shared test. The Pro WX 7100, a professional workstation card from the GCN era, retains a high percentile ranking, but it is clear that the newer RDNA 2.0 part is in a different league entirely.

The Verdict

The data points to a singular conclusion: the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is the overwhelmingly faster product. In the three benchmark tests where both cards appear, the RX 6800 XT wins every single one, achieving a lead of at least 244.9%. This makes the choice straightforward for performance-focused users. The RX 6800 XT is the only option for anyone prioritizing raw compute and graphics throughput. Its average benchmark score of 48477 places it in the 85th percentile of all GPUs, while the Pro WX 7100 sits at 40063, a difference that places it in the 82nd percentile.

The Pro WX 7100, however, is not without merit. Its 82nd percentile ranking shows it remains a capable card, and its closest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX 5070, which it trails by only 0.8%. The RX 6800 XT’s own rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, which is 3% ahead. This paints a picture of two cards competing in entirely different performance tiers. The RX 6800 XT is for users who need maximum performance, while the Pro WX 7100 might suit those with legacy software requirements or power constraints, though it offers a fraction of the performance. The data is unequivocal: for sheer speed, the RX 6800 XT is the definitive choice.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are separated by two full generations of AMD GPU design. The RX 6800 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture, using the Navi 21 chip, while the Pro WX 7100 uses the older GCN 4.0 architecture with the Ellesmere chip. This fundamental difference explains the massive performance gulf.

The manufacturing process highlights the generational leap. The RX 6800 XT is fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC, while the Pro WX 7100 uses a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. This is reflected in the transistor density: the RX 6800 XT packs 51.5M transistors per square millimeter, more than double the Pro WX 7100’s 24.6M. In total, the RX 6800 XT has 26,800 million transistors on a 520 mm² die, versus 5,700 million on a 232 mm² die for the Pro WX 7100.

Feature support also differs substantially. The RX 6800 XT is DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) compliant, while the Pro WX 7100 is limited to DirectX 12 (12_0). The RX 6800 XT also supports Vulkan 1.4, compared to Vulkan 1.3 on the Pro WX 7100. The RX 6800 XT includes 72 dedicated ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the Pro WX 7100. These architectural advantages, combined with a newer process node, give the RX 6800 XT a structural superiority that no amount of driver optimization can close.

Where Each One Wins

Based on the recorded data, the RX 6800 XT wins in every benchmark category where both cards were tested. This includes Geekbench Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan tests. There are no tests in the database where the Pro WX 7100 emerges victorious over the RX 6800 XT.

The RX 6800 XT wins 3 out of 3 head-to-head tests. The Pro WX 7100, on the other hand, has no wins against its newer counterpart. Therefore, the use-case split is heavily skewed. The RX 6800 XT is the logical choice for any workload that leverages these APIs, from gaming to general-purpose GPU compute. The Pro WX 7100, while it may have been designed for professional applications, simply cannot compete in these measurable metrics. Its strengths, if any, lie outside the benchmarks recorded here. The data suggests that the Pro WX 7100 is best suited for users who require a single-slot, low-power card with 4x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, as it is the only card with that specific feature set.

FAQ

Q: Which card has better Geekbench Metal performance?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT has a Geekbench Metal score of 181337, which is 349.3% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100’s score of 40357.

Q: How do the two cards compare in OpenCL compute performance?

A: The RX 6800 XT scores 171304 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the Pro WX 7100 scores 40148. This gives the RX 6800 XT a 326.7% advantage in this test.

Q: What is the difference in Vulkan performance?

A: The RX 6800 XT achieves a Geekbench Vulkan score of 136875, whereas the Pro WX 7100 scores 39683. The RX 6800 XT leads by 244.9% in this benchmark.

Q: Is the Pro WX 7100 closer to the RX 6800 XT or to the NVIDIA RTX 5070?

A: The Pro WX 7100 is far closer to the NVIDIA RTX 5070. The RTX 5070 is only 0.8% ahead of the Pro WX 7100 in average score. In contrast, the RX 6800 XT is 21% ahead of the Pro WX 7100 in average score.

Q: Which card has ray tracing hardware?

A: The AMD RDNA 6800 XT includes 72 dedicated ray tracing cores. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 (GCN 4.0 architecture) has no ray tracing cores.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The RX 6800 XT has a TDP of 300 W and a suggested PSU rating of 700 W. The Pro WX 6800 XT has a TDP of 130 W and a suggested PSU of 300 W.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark data available in the database is limited to three tests, but the results are decisive. The RX 6800 XT wins all three with leads ranging from 244.9% to 349.3%.

The largest margin of victory comes in Geekbench Metal. Here, the RX 6800 XT scores 181337 points, beating the Pro WX 7100’s 40357 by 349.3%. This indicates a colossal performance gap in this Apple API benchmark.

Next is Geekbench OpenCL, where the RX 6800 XT scores 171304 points. The Pro WX 7100 manages 40148, 326.7% behind the RX 6800 XT.

The smallest, though still massive lead, is seen in Geekbench Vulkan. The RX 6800 XT 136875 versus 39683 on the Pro WX 7100, a difference of 244.9%.

Even average scores reinforce the story. The RX 6800 XT average score of 48477. Its closest rival, NVIDIA RTX 6800 XT, is 1.5% ahead of it. The Pro WX 7100 is in the 82nd percentile, with its nearest rival, the Radeon Pro 580, within 0.8% of it. The data shows that RX 6800 XT 21% ahead of the RX 6800 XT.

Specification Differences

A comparison of the specification sheets reveals stark differences in nearly every field, painting a clear picture of two very different hardware designs.

The RX 6800 XT has 4608 shading units, 288 TMUs, and 128 ROPs, and 72 RT cores. The Pro WX 7100 packs 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, 32 ROPs. In terms of clock speeds, the RX 6800 XT runs at a base clock of 1825 MHz, a boost of 2250 MHz, and 2015 MHz. The Pro WX 7100 has a base clock of 1188 MHz and a boost of 1243 MHz.

Memory configurations differ dramatically. The RX 6800 XT has 16 GB GDDR6 with 256-bit bus, and 512 GB/s bandwidth. The Pro WX 7100 has 8 GB GDDR5 memory, 256-bit bus, 224.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Performance metrics show the RX 6800 XT’s dominance: 20.74 TFLOPS FP32, 288.0 GPixel/s, 648.0 GTexel/s. The Pro WX 7100 offers 5.728 TFLOPS FP32, 39.78 GPixel/s, 179.0 GTexel/s. The RX 6800 XT is also a larger card at 267 mm, while the Pro WX 7100 is 241 mm long. The RX 6800 XT uses dual-slot, PCIe 4.0 has 2x 8-pin connectors. The Pro WX 7100 is single-slot, uses 1x 6-pin PCIe 3.0. The RX 6800 XT was released on 2020-10-27, while the Pro WX 7100 was released on 2020-10-27.