AMD Radeon Pro WX 9100 vs Intel Arc A550M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The AMD Radeon Pro WX 9100 dominates the direct comparison with the Intel Arc A550M, winning both recorded head-to-head benchmark tests. The largest margin comes in the Geekbench OpenCL test, where the AMD card scores 66,605 against Intel's 49,894, a decisive 33.5% advantage. This is a substantial gap that reflects fundamental differences in raw compute throughput and memory subsystem design.

The Vulkan test narrows the gap considerably, but the AMD card still comes out ahead. The Radeon Pro WX 9100 scores 54,711 compared to the Arc A550M's 49,580, giving AMD a 10.3% lead. While both cards handle Vulkan workloads respectably, the AMD part maintains a comfortable edge in this API as well.

Looking at the broader database averages, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 9100 holds an average benchmark score of 64,212 across all recorded tests, while the Intel Arc A550M averages 49,737. That puts the AMD card in the 89th percentile of all GPUs, versus the 86th percentile for Intel. The AMD card's nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA CMP 30HX at 63,842 (0.6% behind), the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT LP at 63,830 (0.6% behind), and the AMD Radeon RX 7600M at 63,775 (0.7% behind). The Intel Arc A550M, by contrast, sits near the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti at 49,957 (only 0.4% ahead), the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 at 50,001 (0.5% ahead), and the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT at 50,951 (2.4% ahead). It also edges out the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT at 48,477 by 2.6%.

The percentile placement tells a nuanced story. Both cards rank in the upper tier of the database, but the 3-percentile gap between them is meaningful. The AMD card's average score is roughly 29% higher than Intel's, which aligns with the OpenCL delta observed in the direct comparison.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from completely different design philosophies and manufacturing ecosystems. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 9100 uses the Vega 10 chip built on GCN 5.0 architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. The Intel Arc A550M uses the DG2-512 chip with Xe-HPG architecture, built on a 6 nm process at TSMC. The process node difference is stark: 14 nm versus 6 nm, with transistor densities of 25.3 million per square millimeter for AMD and 53.4 million per square millimeter for Intel.

Transistor counts and die sizes present an interesting inversion. The Intel chip packs 21,700 million transistors into a 406 mm² die, while the AMD chip contains 12,500 million transistors on a larger 495 mm² die. Intel's smaller die with more transistors delivers roughly double the transistor density, a direct consequence of the more advanced manufacturing process.

The compute configurations differ substantially. The AMD card fields 4,096 shading units, 256 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation units. The Intel Arc A550M has 2,048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. AMD doubles Intel's shader and TMU counts, while ROP counts match at 64. The AMD card also carries 16 ray tracing cores that Intel's mobile part lacks entirely.

Memory architecture could hardly be more different. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 9100 uses 16 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus, delivering 483.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The Intel Arc A550M uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing 224.0 GB/s. AMD offers double the capacity and more than double the bandwidth. Clock speeds tell the opposite story: the AMD card runs at a 1200 MHz base and 1500 MHz boost, while Intel runs at 900 MHz base and 2050 MHz boost. Intel's higher boost clock partially compensates for its narrower memory interface, but not enough to overcome AMD's compute and bandwidth advantages.

Power and physical specifications diverge sharply. The AMD card draws 230 W, uses a dual-slot cooler with 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin power connectors, and requires a 550 W suggested power supply. The Intel Arc A550M is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with a 60 W TDP, no power connectors, and no suggested PSU figure. The AMD card measures 267 mm in length and 111 mm in height; Intel's mobile part has no recorded dimensions.

API support shows generational differences. The AMD card supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The Intel card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Intel's newer API baseline reflects its more recent architecture, though the AMD card remains competitive in actual benchmark performance.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Pro WX 9100 wins in raw compute-heavy workloads. Its OpenCL score of 66,605 versus 49,894 demonstrates a 33.5% advantage that will show up in general-purpose compute, rendering, and professional applications that leverage OpenCL. The card's 12.29 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 24.58 TFLOPS of FP16 (2:1) output, combined with 483.8 GB/s of memory bandwidth, make it well suited for large data sets and compute-intensive tasks. The 16 GB HBM2 memory capacity is a clear asset for workloads that need to hold large working sets.

The Intel Arc A550M wins in efficiency and portability. Its 60 W TDP versus AMD's 230 W represents a massive power disparity, and its IGP form factor means it can be integrated into mobile systems without discrete cooling or power delivery requirements. The higher boost clock of 2050 MHz versus 1500 MHz helps it remain competitive in Vulkan workloads, where it trails by only 10.3%. Intel's ray tracing cores provide hardware acceleration for ray-traced effects, something the AMD card cannot match. The newer API support, including DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, gives it a forward-looking feature set.

The AMD card's pixel rate of 96.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 384.0 GTexel/s exceed Intel's 131.2 GPixel/s and 262.4 GTexel/s respectively in texture throughput, though Intel leads in pixel rate. AMD also holds the edge in average benchmark percentile at 89 versus 86. For users prioritizing maximum compute performance and memory bandwidth, the AMD card is the clear choice. For users prioritizing power efficiency, portability, and modern API features, the Intel card has its own advantages.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 9100 averages 64,212 across all recorded tests, while the Intel Arc A550M averages 49,737. The AMD card sits in the 89th percentile of all GPUs, versus the 86th percentile for Intel.

Q: How large is the OpenCL performance gap?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 9100 scores 66,605 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 33.5% higher than the Intel Arc A550M's 49,894.

Q: Does the Intel Arc A550M win any benchmark tests?

A: No. In the recorded head-to-head benchmarks, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 9100 wins both the Geekbench OpenCL test and the Geekbench Vulkan test.

Q: What are the memory specifications for each card?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 9100 has 16 GB of HBM2 memory on a 2048-bit bus with 483.8 GB/s bandwidth. The Intel Arc A550M has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: How do the power requirements compare?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 9100 has a 230 W TDP with a 550 W suggested power supply. The Intel Arc A550M has a 60 W TDP and is an integrated graphics processor with no power connectors.

Q: What are the transistor densities of each chip?

A: The AMD chip, built on 14 nm at GlobalFoundries, has a transistor density of 25.3 million per mm². The Intel chip, built on 6 nm at TSMC, has a density of 53.4 million per mm².

The Verdict

The data points to a clear performance hierarchy. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 9100 is the faster card in every recorded benchmark, with a 33.5% OpenCL lead and a 10.3% Vulkan lead. Its 16 GB HBM2 memory with 483.8 GB/s bandwidth, 4,096 shading units, and 12.29 TFLOPS FP32 performance make it the superior choice for compute-heavy workloads and large data sets. The 89th percentile placement versus 86th for Intel reinforces this conclusion.

The Intel Arc A550M, however, is not without its own rationale. Its 60 W TDP, IGP form factor, and ray tracing cores make it suitable for mobile systems where power and space are constrained. Its higher boost clock of 2050 MHz and newer API support, including DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, give it a modern feature set. The 2.6% lead over the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT in the database's average score shows it holds its own in its weight class.

Users should choose the AMD Radeon Pro WX 9100 when raw performance, memory bandwidth, and compute throughput are the priority. The card's 33.5% OpenCL advantage directly translates to faster execution in OpenCL-accelerated applications. Users should choose the Intel Arc A550M when power efficiency, portability, and modern API features matter more than peak performance. The 170 W TDP difference is substantial, and the Intel card's integrated nature eliminates the need for discrete power delivery.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon Pro WX 9100 | Intel Arc A550M |

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

| Architecture | GCN 5.0 | Xe-HPG |

| Process Node | 14 nm | 6 nm |

| Foundry | GlobalFoundries | TSMC |

| Transistors | 12,500 million | 21,700 million |

| Die Size | 495 mm² | 406 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 25.3M / mm² | 53.4M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1200 MHz | 900 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1500 MHz | 2050 MHz |

| Memory Size | 16 GB | 8 GB |

| Memory Type | HBM2 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus Width | 2048 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 483.8 GB/s | 224.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 4096 | 2048 |

| TMUs | 256 | 128 |

| ROPs | 64 | 64 |

| RT Cores | None | 16 |

| Pixel Rate | 96.00 GPixel/s | 131.2 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 384.0 GTexel/s | 262.4 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 12.29 TFLOPS | 8.397 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 24.58 TFLOPS (2:1) | 16.79 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 230 W | 60 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | IGP |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 550 W | None |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 (x16) |

| DirectX Support | 12 (12_1) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.3 | 1.4 |

| Length | 267 mm (10.5 inches) | Not recorded |

| Height | 111 mm (4.4 inches) | Not recorded |

| Launch MSRP | 1,599 USD | Not recorded |