AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 vs AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT Comparison

The AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 and the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT occupy opposite ends of the GPU spectrum, separated by six years of architecture evolution. The data shows a decisive overall victory for the newer card, yet the older workstation part retains a narrow aggregate lead in the benchmark database. This analysis breaks down where each GPU wins, how their architectures diverge, and what the head-to-head results mean for specific workloads.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark results paint a clear picture of workload specialization. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 wins zero of the direct head-to-head comparisons, while the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT wins both. However, the aggregate benchmarks tell a more nuanced story. The Pro WX 7100 holds an average benchmark score of 38949, which is 1.5% higher than the RX 7900 XT’s 38358. This places the older card slightly ahead in the overall database ranking, despite losing every direct comparison.

The RX 7900 XT dominates in compute-heavy and modern API workloads. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 169834 versus 36807 for the Pro WX 7100, a delta of -78.3% from the older card’s perspective. The Vulkan test shows a similar pattern: 160119 for the RX 7900 XT versus 39683 for the Pro WX 7100, a -75.2% delta. These are not marginal differences; the newer card delivers roughly four times the raw compute performance in both APIs.

The Pro WX 7100’s advantage is entirely positional. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (39186, -0.6%), the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 (38494, +1.2%), and the RX 7900 XT itself (38358, +1.5%). This means the WX 7100 sits in a performance tier where its 82nd percentile ranking is competitive, but only because its three benchmark scores (Geekbench Metal 40357, OpenCL 36807, Vulkan 39683) are tightly clustered. The RX 7900 XT also sits at the 82nd percentile, but its benchmark profile is far more spread out, ranging from a Passmark DirectX 12 score of 110 to a Geekbench OpenCL score of 169834.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gulf between these two GPUs is immense. The Pro WX 7100 uses the Ellesmere chip built on GCN 4.0 architecture, fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. The RX 7900 XT uses the Navi 31 chip with RDNA 3.0 architecture, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. This process shrink alone explains much of the performance gap.

Transistor counts differ by an order of magnitude. The WX 7100 packs 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die, yielding a density of 24.6M per mm². The RX 7900 XT contains 57,700 million transistors on a 529 mm² die, achieving 109.1M per mm². That is a 4.4x density advantage for the newer chip, enabling far more functional units in a similar physical footprint.

The RX 7900 XT also introduces features the WX 7100 lacks entirely. It has 84 ray tracing cores, while the older card has none. Both lack tensor cores. The RX 7900 XT supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), whereas the WX 7100 only reaches DirectX 12 (12_0). Vulkan support also differs: the RX 7900 XT runs Vulkan 1.4, the WX 7100 runs Vulkan 1.3. Both share OpenGL 4.6.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two direct comparisons in the database are both Geekbench tests, and both show overwhelming victories for the RX 7900 XT. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 7900 XT scores 169834 against the WX 7100’s 36807. The delta of -78.3% means the older card achieves less than a quarter of the newer card’s score. This test exercises general-purpose compute, where the RX 7900 XT’s 5376 shading units and 51.48 TFLOPS FP32 performance simply overwhelm the WX 7100’s 2304 shading units and 5.728 TFLOPS.

The Geekbench Vulkan result is similarly lopsided. The RX 7900 XT posts 160119, while the WX 7100 manages 39683, a -75.2% delta. Vulkan is a low-level API that benefits from modern architecture efficiency. The RX 7900 XT’s RDNA 3.0 design, with its 336 texture mapping units and 192 render output units, delivers 804.4 GTexel/s texture rate and 459.6 GPixel/s pixel rate. The WX 7100’s 144 TMUs and 32 ROPs produce 179.0 GTexel/s and 39.78 GPixel/s, respectively. Every throughput metric favors the newer card by a factor of 4.5x or more.

The RX 7900 XT’s FP16 performance doubles its FP32 output at 103.0 TFLOPS, thanks to a 2:1 ratio. The WX 7100 offers FP16 at the same rate as FP32 (5.728 TFLOPS, 1:1), meaning it cannot accelerate half-precision workloads. For any modern machine learning or media processing task using FP16, the RX 7900 XT holds a 18x advantage.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every measurable specification. Memory capacity goes from 8 GB GDDR5 on the WX 7100 to 20 GB GDDR6 on the RX 7900 XT. Bus width expands from 256 bit to 320 bit, and bandwidth jumps from 224.0 GB/s to 800.0 GB/s. The memory clock rises from 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) to 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective).

Clock speeds show the architectural efficiency gains. The WX 7100 runs at 1188 MHz base and 1243 MHz boost. The RX 7900 XT starts at 1387 MHz base but boosts to 2394 MHz, with a game clock of 2025 MHz. The boost clock difference is nearly 2x, reflecting both process improvements and RDNA 3.0’s higher frequency design.

Power and physical requirements scale accordingly. The WX 7100 draws 130 W TDP with a single 6-pin connector and a 300 W suggested PSU. It fits in a single slot at 241 mm length and 112 mm height. The RX 7900 XT consumes 300 W TDP, requires two 8-pin connectors and a 700 W PSU, and occupies a dual-slot design at 276 mm length, 110 mm height, and 51 mm width.

Display outputs differ as well. The WX 7100 provides four DisplayPort 1.4a connections. The RX 7900 XT offers one HDMI 2.1a, two DisplayPort 2.1, and one USB Type-C port. Bus interface advances from PCIe 3.0 x16 to PCIe 4.0 x16.

Release timing and market positioning are also distinct. The WX 7100 launched on 2016-11-09 with a launch MSRP of 799 USD, succeeding Radeon Pro GCN and preceding Radeon Pro Vega. The RX 7900 XT launched on 2022-11-02 with a launch MSRP of 899 USD, succeeding Navi II and preceding Navi IV. Both are now end-of-life products.

FAQ

Q: Which card has higher raw compute performance?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT delivers 51.48 TFLOPS FP32, compared to the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100’s 5.728 TFLOPS. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 7900 XT scores 169834 versus 36807.

Q: Does the older WX 7100 outperform the RX 7900 XT in any benchmark?

A: No. In the head-to-head comparisons, the RX 7900 XT wins both Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan tests. However, the WX 7100 holds a higher average benchmark score of 38949 versus 38358, due to its consistent performance across its three recorded tests.

Q: How do memory specifications compare?

A: The WX 7100 has 8 GB GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 7900 XT has 20 GB GDDR6 on a 320-bit bus with 800.0 GB/s bandwidth, representing a 3.6x bandwidth increase.

Q: What architectural features does the RX 7900 XT have that the WX 7100 lacks?

A: The RX 7900 XT includes 84 ray tracing cores, supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) versus 12_0, and runs Vulkan 1.4 versus 1.3. It also doubles FP16 throughput at 103.0 TFLOPS, while the WX 7100 offers only 5.728 TFLOPS FP16 at a 1:1 ratio.

Q: Are these cards suitable for the same systems?

A: No. The WX 7100 is a single-slot, 130 W card requiring one 6-pin connector and a 300 W PSU. The RX 7900 XT is dual-slot, draws 300 W, needs two 8-pin connectors and a 700 W PSU, and is physically longer at 276 mm versus 241 mm.

Q: Which card has better API support for modern games?

A: The RX 7900 XT supports DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, while the WX 7100 is limited to DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3. The newer card also offers HDMI 2.1a and DisplayPort 2.1 outputs, versus DisplayPort 1.4a only.

The Verdict

The data leaves no ambiguity for performance-seekers. The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is the superior GPU in every direct comparison, winning both Geekbench tests with deltas of -78.3% and -75.2%. Its 51.48 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, 20 GB GDDR6 memory, and 84 ray tracing cores make it the only choice for compute-heavy workloads, modern API support, or high-resolution gaming with ray tracing.

The AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100’s 1.5% higher average benchmark score is a statistical artifact of its limited test set. It records three Geekbench scores all near 40,000, while the RX 7900 XT’s average spans from 110 in Passmark DirectX 12 to 169834 in Geekbench OpenCL. The older card’s 82nd percentile ranking matches the newer card, but that parity does not survive any head-to-head test.

For users constrained by power or space, the WX 7100 offers a compelling profile: 130 W TDP, single-slot design, and 241 mm length. But those advantages come with 8 GB GDDR5 memory and 2016-era GCN architecture. The RX 7900 XT demands 300 W and dual-slot space, yet delivers 20 GB GDDR6, PCIe 4.0, and a 4.5x texture rate advantage. Given the data, the RX 7900 XT is the rational pick for anyone prioritizing performance, while the WX 7100 suits legacy workstation environments where its low power draw and four DisplayPort outputs are the deciding factors.