AMD Radeon RX 480 vs AMD Radeon RX 560 XT Comparison

# AMD Radeon RX 560 XT vs AMD Radeon RX 480

The data presents a clear generational sibling rivalry: the RX 560 XT, a later Polaris refresh, and the RX 480, the original Arctic Islands flagship, share the same Ellesmere silicon and 14nm GlobalFoundries process, yet the benchmark results show the older card pulling decisively ahead. Across the two available head-to-head tests, the RX 480 wins both, with an average benchmark score of 33,997 against the RX 560 XT's 34,133 — a narrow 0.4% margin in favor of the newer card in aggregate, but a dramatic 17-20% gap in individual compute workloads. This contradiction — near-identical average scores yet lopsided direct comparisons — invites a closer look at what each card actually prioritizes.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 560 XT claims victory only in the aggregate average benchmark score, edging out the RX 480 by 0.4% (34,133 vs 33,997). This is a statistical tie, essentially, and it places the RX 560 XT in the 79th percentile of all GPUs compared to the RX 480's 78th percentile. The newer card's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB (34,154, -0.1% delta) and the RTX A1000 (34,207, -0.2% delta), showing it sits in a tight cluster of professional and workstation-class performance. However, this aggregate edge comes from averaging only two benchmark scores — Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan — where the RX 560 XT posts 31,387 and 36,879 respectively.

The RX 480, by contrast, wins every direct head-to-head test available. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 37,998 versus the RX 560 XT's 31,387 — a 17.4% advantage. In Geekbench Vulkan, it scores 45,968 versus 36,879 — a 19.8% lead. The RX 480 also has a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 966 and a Geekbench Metal score of 51,057, tests the RX 560 XT simply does not have data for. This suggests the RX 480's wins are not just about raw compute but also about API coverage and consistency across diverse workloads. The RX 480's nearest rival list includes the RX 560 XT itself (with a -0.4% delta from the RX 480's perspective), the AMD Radeon HD 7950 (0.1% ahead), and the RX 7700S (0.4% behind), placing it in a similar performance tier but with a different workload profile.

The Verdict

From the data, the RX 480 is the stronger performer in compute-heavy tasks. Its 17.4% OpenCL lead and 19.8% Vulkan lead are substantial margins, not noise. Anyone prioritizing raw compute throughput, whether for OpenCL-based rendering, Vulkan gaming, or general GPU compute, should choose the RX 480 based on these numbers alone. The RX 480 also offers more memory (8 GB vs 4 GB) and higher bandwidth (256.0 GB/s vs 224.0 GB/s), which the benchmarks reinforce as a practical advantage in memory-intensive workloads.

The RX 560 XT, however, is not without a case. Its aggregate average score is technically higher, and it matches the RX 480 in several architectural fundamentals: same 32 ROPs, same 5,700 million transistors, same 232 mm² die size, same 150 W TDP, and same 450 W suggested PSU. If the workload is light enough that the 4 GB frame buffer suffices, and if the user values the slightly higher percentile ranking (79 vs 78), the RX 560 XT is a defensible pick. But the head-to-head results are unambiguous: the RX 480 wins both available tests by nearly 20%. The data does not support choosing the RX 560 XT for performance; it only supports choosing it if the 0.4% aggregate edge and the newer production date (2019-03-12 vs 2016-06-28) matter more than actual benchmark wins.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most telling number in this comparison is the Vulkan delta of -19.8% for the RX 560 XT. Vulkan is a low-overhead API that tends to expose raw hardware capabilities, and the RX 480's 45,968 score against 36,879 indicates a fundamental throughput advantage. This aligns with the RX 480's higher shading unit count (2,304 vs 1,792), higher TMU count (144 vs 112), and higher texture rate (182.3 GTexel/s vs 137.3 GTexel/s). The RX 480 also clocks higher: 1,120 MHz base and 1,266 MHz boost versus 1,074 MHz base and 1,226 MHz boost on the RX 560 XT. Even the memory clock differs, with the RX 480 running at 2,000 MHz (8 Gbps effective) versus 1,750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) on the RX 560 XT.

In OpenCL, the 17.4% gap is slightly narrower but still decisive. The RX 480's 37,998 score reflects its 5.834 TFLOPS FP32 throughput against the RX 560 XT's 4.394 TFLOPS — a 32.8% theoretical advantage that does not fully translate to the benchmark but confirms the hardware direction. The pixel rates are nearly identical (40.51 GPixel/s vs 39.23 GPixel/s), which makes sense given both cards have 32 ROPs, so the difference is not in rasterization but in shader and texture work. The RX 480's FP16 performance is also 1:1 at 5.834 TFLOPS, matching its FP32, which is notable for mixed-precision workloads.

The RX 560 XT's only benchmark wins are the two tests it does not share with the RX 480 — it has no 3DMark or Metal scores, so the aggregate 34,133 average is pulled up by its Vulkan score of 36,879. But even that Vulkan score is 19.8% below the RX 480's. There is no benchmark in the data where the RX 560 XT outperforms the RX 480.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The RX 560 XT has a slightly higher average benchmark score of 34,133 compared to the RX 480's 33,997, a 0.4% difference. However, the RX 480 wins both direct head-to-head tests.

Q: How much faster is the RX 480 in Vulkan?

A: The RX 480 scores 45,968 in Geekbench Vulkan versus the RX 560 XT's 36,879, a 19.8% advantage. This is the largest performance gap between the two cards in any shared test.

Q: Do both cards use the same GPU chip?

A: Yes, both use the Ellesmere chip on the GCN 4.0 architecture, manufactured by GlobalFoundries on a 14 nm process. They share the same 5,700 million transistor count and 232 mm² die size.

Q: What are the memory differences?

A: The RX 480 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory with a 256 GB/s bandwidth, while the RX 560 XT has 4 GB of GDDR5 with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. Both use a 256-bit bus.

Q: Does the RX 560 XT have any advantages in the data?

A: The RX 560 XT has a higher percentile ranking (79th vs 78th) and a higher aggregate average score. It also has a later release date (2019-03-12 vs 2016-06-28). However, it does not win any shared benchmark test.

Q: Are the power requirements the same?

A: Yes, both cards have a 150 W TDP, a dual-slot width, a single 6-pin power connector, and a 450 W suggested PSU. They also share the same PCIe 3.0 x16 bus interface and display outputs.

Architecture Differences

Both cards are built on GCN 4.0 with the Ellesmere chip, but the RX 480 is part of the Arctic Islands generation (RX 400) while the RX 560 XT belongs to the Polaris generation (RX 500). The RX 480's predecessor is Pirate Islands and its successor is Polaris, while the RX 560 XT's predecessor is Arctic Islands and its successor is Vega. Despite this generational naming, the underlying architecture is identical: same transistor count (5,700 million), same die size (232 mm²), same transistor density (24.6M / mm²), and same 14 nm process from GlobalFoundries.

The key architectural divergence is in execution resources. The RX 480 has 2,304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, while the RX 560 XT has 1,792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. This means the RX 480 has 28.6% more shaders and 28.6% more texture units, directly explaining its higher texture rate (182.3 GTexel/s vs 137.3 GTexel/s) and FP32 throughput (5.834 TFLOPS vs 4.394 TFLOPS). Both cards offer FP16 at a 1:1 ratio with FP32, and neither has dedicated RT or tensor cores. The RX 480's memory runs at 2,000 MHz (8 Gbps effective) versus 1,750 MHz (7 Gbps effective), contributing to its 256.0 GB/s bandwidth versus 224.0 GB/s.

The RX 480 also posts higher clock speeds: 1,120 MHz base and 1,266 MHz boost against the RX 560 XT's 1,074 MHz and 1,226 MHz. This is notable because the RX 560 XT is a later product, yet it runs at lower clocks with fewer cores — a configuration that appears to target lower power draw per task rather than peak performance. Both cards support DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3, so API feature parity is complete.

Specification Differences

The most consequential specification difference is memory capacity: the RX 480 ships with 8 GB of GDDR5 while the RX 560 XT is limited to 4 GB. This directly impacts bandwidth (256.0 GB/s vs 224.0 GB/s) and likely explains the RX 480's dominance in memory-sensitive OpenCL and Vulkan workloads. The RX 480 also has a higher memory clock at 2,000 MHz (8 Gbps effective) versus 1,750 MHz (7 Gbps effective).

Compute resources differ substantially: the RX 480 has 2,304 shading units and 144 TMUs versus 1,792 shading units and 112 TMUs on the RX 560 XT. This drives the FP32 and FP16 performance gap (5.834 TFLOPS vs 4.394 TFLOPS), the texture rate difference (182.3 GTexel/s vs 137.3 GTexel/s), and the pixel rate difference (40.51 GPixel/s vs 39.23 GPixel/s). Clock speeds also favor the RX 480 at 1,120 MHz base and 1,266 MHz boost, compared to 1,074 MHz and 1,226 MHz.

Physical dimensions differ slightly: the RX 560 XT is 241 mm long (9.5 inches) while the RX 480 is 240 mm (9.4 inches), with the RX 480 additionally listed at 95 mm height and 35 mm width. Both are dual-slot with a single 6-pin power connector and 150 W TDP. The RX 480 has a launch MSRP of 229 USD, while the RX 560 XT has no listed launch MSRP. Release dates differ significantly: the RX 480 launched on 2016-06-28, the RX 560 XT on 2019-03-12. Both are end-of-life products with identical display outputs (1x HDMI 2.0b, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a) and the same bus interface (PCIe 3.0 x16).