AMD Radeon R9 370X vs AMD Radeon RX 560X Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded benchmark data splits cleanly between the two competing APIs, with each card taking one decisive victory. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD Radeon R9 370X posts a score of 25893, which is 34.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 560X's 17020. That is a substantial margin, indicating that the older card retains a significant edge in compute workloads that leverage OpenCL. The RX 560X trails by more than a third in this specific test, a gap that cannot be overlooked for users whose primary applications rely on OpenCL acceleration.

The situation reverses completely in the Geekbench Vulkan test. Here, the RX 560X scores 20231, while the R9 370X manages only 9018. The delta is a striking 124.3% in favor of the RX 560X, meaning it more than doubles the R9 370X's Vulkan performance. This is a dramatic swing, and it highlights how differently these two architectures handle modern graphics APIs. The RX 560X's Vulkan result is not just a win; it is a dominant one, and it suggests that the newer card is far better optimized for contemporary rendering workloads.

Looking at the average benchmark scores across all recorded tests, the RX 560X lands at 18626, while the R9 370X sits at 15862. This gives the RX 560X a 17.4% advantage in overall average score, despite losing the OpenCL head-to-head. The percentile rankings reflect this as well: the RX 560X falls in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs, while the R9 370X is in the 58th. The data indicates that the RX 560X is the better all-around performer in the database's aggregate metrics, even though the R9 370X has a clear specialty in OpenCL.

The nearest rivals for the RX 560X include the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT at an average score of 18685, which is just 0.3% higher, and the AMD FirePro D500 at 18533, which is 0.5% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 sits 0.9% above at 18789, and the NVIDIA Tesla K80 is 1.3% above at 18866. These are tight margins, placing the RX 560X in a competitive band where small differences separate it from its immediate peers. For the R9 370X, the nearest rivals are similarly close: the AMD Radeon RX 7700 at 15852 is only 0.1% lower, the AMD Radeon RX 9060 at 16014 is 1% higher, the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 at 15679 is 1.2% lower, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti at 16129 is 1.7% higher. Both cards sit in crowded performance tiers, but the RX 560X's overall average is clearly superior to the R9 370X's.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different generations of AMD's Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture. The RX 560X is built on GCN 4.0 with the Polaris 21 chip, fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. The R9 370X uses GCN 1.0 with the Trinidad chip, produced on a 28 nm process at TSMC. This process node difference is significant: the 14 nm node allows the RX 560X to pack 3,000 million transistors into a die size of 123 mm², resulting in a transistor density of 24.4 million per square millimeter. The R9 370X, by contrast, has 2,800 million transistors on a much larger 212 mm² die, giving it a density of only 13.2 million per square millimeter. The RX 560X is therefore a far denser, more modern design.

Clock speeds also differ markedly. The RX 560X runs at a base clock of 1175 MHz and a boost clock of 1275 MHz, while the R9 370X is slower at 980 MHz base and 1030 MHz boost. The memory configurations are reversed in terms of bus width: the RX 560X uses a 128-bit bus with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective), yielding a bandwidth of 112.0 GB/s. The R9 370X has a wider 256-bit bus but only 2 GB of GDDR5 memory at 1400 MHz (5.6 Gbps effective), producing a higher bandwidth of 179.2 GB/s. So the R9 370X has a bandwidth advantage despite having less capacity.

The compute resources are distributed differently as well. The RX 560X has 1024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 16 raster operation units (ROPs). The R9 370X has more of each: 1280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. This translates into a higher pixel rate for the R9 370X at 32.96 GPixel/s versus 20.40 GPixel/s for the RX 560X. The texture rates are nearly identical, with the R9 370X at 82.40 GTexel/s and the RX 560X at 81.60 GTexel/s. Floating point performance is also close: the R9 370X delivers 2.637 TFLOPS of FP32, while the RX 560X delivers 2.611 TFLOPS. The RX 560X supports FP16 at a 1:1 ratio (2.611 TFLOPS), whereas the R9 370X has no recorded FP16 capability.

Power and interface specs separate them further. The RX 560X has a TDP of 75 W, requires no power connectors, and suggests a 250 W power supply, with a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface. The R9 370X has a TDP of 180 W, needs two 6-pin power connectors, suggests a 450 W power supply, and uses a full PCIe 3.0 x16 interface. The RX 560X is clearly a low-power, slot-powered card, while the R9 370X demands a proper power delivery setup. Display outputs also differ: the RX 560X offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, and 1x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the R9 370X provides 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2. The RX 560X supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3; the R9 370X supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The RX 560X is also physically shorter at 170 mm (6.7 inches) versus the R9 370X's 221 mm (8.7 inches) length and 111 mm (4.4 inches) height.

Where Each One Wins

The R9 370X wins decisively in OpenCL workloads. Its score of 25893 versus the RX 560X's 17020, a 34.3% lead, makes it the clear choice for applications that rely heavily on OpenCL compute. This includes many scientific, engineering, and productivity tasks that are not gaming-oriented. The R9 370X also has a wider memory bus (256-bit versus 128-bit) and higher bandwidth (179.2 GB/s versus 112.0 GB/s), which benefits memory-bandwidth-sensitive workloads. Its higher pixel rate (32.96 GPixel/s) and greater number of ROPs (32 versus 16) suggest an advantage in fill-rate-limited scenarios. The R9 370X also has slightly higher FP32 throughput at 2.637 TFLOPS, so raw compute-heavy tasks that do not use Vulkan may favor it.

The RX 560X wins in Vulkan. Its score of 20231 dwarfs the R9 370X's 9018, a 124.3% margin, which makes it the superior choice for modern games and applications built on Vulkan. The RX 560X also has a lower TDP of 75 W, meaning it can be installed in systems with a 250 W power supply and no additional power connectors, making it far easier to integrate into compact or legacy builds. Its support for newer display outputs (HDMI 2.0b, DisplayPort 1.4a) and a more recent Vulkan version (1.3 versus 1.2.170) gives it modern connectivity and API feature advantages. The RX 560X's higher average benchmark score (18626 versus 15862) and better percentile ranking (62nd versus 58th) indicate that it is the stronger overall performer in the database's aggregate metrics.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear split based on workload. For users who prioritize OpenCL performance, the AMD Radeon R9 370X is the standout: it leads by 34.3% in that specific test, offers higher memory bandwidth, and has more raw shading units, TMUs, and ROPs. It is a capable compute card for its era, but it requires a 450 W power supply and dual 6-pin connectors, which limits its suitability for low-power systems.

For virtually everything else, the AMD Radeon RX 560X is the better choice. Its Vulkan score is more than double the R9 370X's, its overall average benchmark score is 17.4% higher, and its percentile ranking is superior. The RX 560X achieves this while drawing only 75 W, needing no power connectors, and fitting into a shorter 170 mm chassis. It is the more modern card with better API support, including Vulkan 1.3 and DirectX 12 (12_0) versus the R9 370X's Vulkan 1.2.170 and DirectX 12 (11_1). The RX 560X also has double the memory capacity at 4 GB versus 2 GB, which is a significant advantage for modern texture-heavy workloads.

The verdict is straightforward: if OpenCL is the sole criterion, the R9 370X wins. If the user needs a balanced, modern, low-power GPU that excels in Vulkan and overall average performance, the RX 560X is the superior pick. The RX 560X's aggregate score of 18626 places it in the 62nd percentile, while the R9 370X's 15862 puts it in the 58th. The newer card is the more versatile and future-proof option based on the recorded measurements.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 560X has an average benchmark score of 18626, which is higher than the AMD Radeon R9 370X's average of 15862.

Q: How much faster is the R9 370X in OpenCL?

A: The R9 370X scores 25893 in the Geekbench OpenCL test, which is 34.3% ahead of the RX 560X's score of 17020.

Q: What is the difference in Vulkan performance?

A: The RX 560X scores 20231 in the Geekbench Vulkan test, while the R9 370X scores 9018, giving the RX 560X a 124.3% lead.

Q: What are the memory capacities of these two cards?

A: The RX 560X has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, while the R9 370X has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus.

Q: What is the power requirement difference?

A: The RX 560X has a TDP of 75 W, requires no power connectors, and suggests a 250 W power supply. The R9 370X has a TDP of 180 W, requires two 6-pin connectors, and suggests a 450 W power supply.

Q: Which card has better API support?

A: The RX 560X supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3, while the R9 370X supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6.