AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT vs AMD Radeon RX 7600S Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 7600S and the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT represent two distinct generations of AMD graphics technology, separated by several years of architectural evolution. The RX 7600S, a mobile part from the Radeon RX 7000 series, targets laptops with its integrated form factor, while the RX 5500 XT, from the Radeon RX 5000 series, was a dual-slot desktop card. The benchmark data shows a clear generational gap, with the RX 7600S winning all ten recorded head-to-head comparisons, though the margin varies significantly depending on the workload.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the overall average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7600S has a significantly higher average benchmark score of 16,696 compared to the RX 5500 XT's 14,692. This represents a performance lead of roughly 13.6% for the newer mobile part.

Q: How do the two cards compare in DirectX 12 performance?

A: In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the RX 7600S scores 1,888, which is 82.9% higher than the RX 5500 XT's score of 1,032. In the Passmark DirectX 12 test, the RX 7600S leads with a score of 65 versus 40, a 62.5% advantage.

Q: Is the RX 5500 XT better in any benchmark?

A: No. According to the recorded data, the RX 7600S wins all ten head-to-head benchmark comparisons. The closest result is in the Passmark G2D test, where the RX 7600S scores 776 versus 774 for the RX 5500 XT, a marginal 0.3% difference.

Q: What is the difference in memory capacity?

A: The RX 7600S is equipped with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the RX 5500 XT has 4 GB of GDDR6 memory. Both use a 128-bit memory bus, but the RX 7600S has a higher memory bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s compared to 224.0 GB/s.

Q: Which GPU has a better percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The RX 7600S sits at the 60th percentile, while the RX 5500 XT is at the 57th percentile. This indicates the RX 7600S outperforms a slightly larger proportion of the GPU landscape.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The RX 7600S has a TDP of 75 W and requires no power connectors, fitting as an integrated mobile part. The RX 5500 XT has a TDP of 130 W and requires a single 8-pin power connector, with a suggested PSU of 300 W.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures and process nodes. The RX 7600S utilizes the RDNA 3.0 architecture on a 6 nm TSMC process, while the RX 5500 XT uses the older RDNA 1.0 architecture on a 7 nm TSMC process. This shift represents a full architectural generation, moving from the first RDNA iteration to the third.

The chip designs differ substantially. The RX 7600S uses the Navi 33 chip, while the RX 5500 XT is based on Navi 14. The newer chip packs 13,300 million transistors on a 204 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 65.2 million per mm². In contrast, the RX 5500 XT has 6,400 million transistors on a 158 mm² die, with a density of 40.5 million per mm². The RX 7600S nearly doubles the transistor count while using a more advanced manufacturing process.

The execution resources show a clear scaling up. The RX 7600S has 1,792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 64 raster operation units (ROPs). The RX 5500 XT is configured with 1,408 shading units, 88 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Notably, the RX 7600S introduces 28 ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the RX 5500 XT, which has no ray tracing hardware.

Clock speeds present an interesting contrast. The RX 5500 XT has a higher base clock of 1607 MHz versus 1500 MHz for the RX 7600S. However, the RX 7600S has a significantly higher boost clock at 2200 MHz compared to 1845 MHz, and its game clock of 1865 MHz also exceeds the RX 5500 XT's 1717 MHz. The memory clock on the RX 7600S is 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) versus 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective).

The API support differs slightly. Both support Vulkan 1.4 and OpenGL 4.6, but the RX 7600S supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the RX 5500 XT is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1). This reflects the newer architecture's support for the latest DirectX feature set.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The RX 7600S dominates across all recorded benchmarks, but the magnitude of its victory varies widely. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the RX 7600S scores 1,888 against 1,032 for the RX 5500 XT, a 82.9% advantage. This is the second-largest margin in the dataset and highlights the gap in modern DirectX 12 workloads.

The largest win for the RX 7600S comes in the Passmark DirectX 11 test, where it scores 140 versus 56, a 150% improvement. This suggests the older architecture is particularly weak in this legacy API. The Passmark DirectX 9 test shows a 58.6% lead (211 versus 133), while the DirectX 10 test shows a 60.9% lead (74 versus 46).

Compute performance heavily favors the newer part. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 7600S scores 68,012 versus 46,965, a 44.8% lead. The Geekbench Vulkan test shows an even larger gap: 73,868 versus 44,191, a 67.2% advantage. Passmark GPU Compute results in a 46.6% lead, with scores of 6,520 versus 4,446.

The overall gaming performance metric, Passmark G3D, shows the RX 7600S at 15,408 versus 9,083 for the RX 5500 XT, a 69.6% advantage. This is a substantial generational leap in raw graphics throughput. The closest contest is the Passmark G2D test, which measures 2D graphics performance; here the RX 7600S edges out a win with 776 versus 774, a mere 0.3% difference. This suggests that basic 2D operations are not a differentiator between the two.

The RX 5500 XT also has a Geekbench Metal score of 54,842, but the RX 7600S has no corresponding Metal score in the database, so a direct comparison in that API is not possible. Across all ten shared benchmarks, the RX 7600S records ten wins and zero losses.

Specification Differences

The most fundamental difference is the form factor and power profile. The RX 7600S is an integrated mobile part (IGP) with a TDP of 75 W and no power connectors. The RX 5500 XT is a dual-slot desktop card with a TDP of 130 W, requiring a single 8-pin power connector and a suggested 300 W PSU.

Memory configuration differs significantly. The RX 7600S offers 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, double the RX 5500 XT's 4 GB. Both use a 128-bit bus, but the RX 7600S achieves 256.0 GB/s bandwidth versus 224.0 GB/s for the RX 5500 XT, due to its higher memory clock.

The process node and chip design differ. The RX 7600S uses a 6 nm process with 13,300 million transistors on a 204 mm² die. The RX 5500 XT uses a 7 nm process with 6,400 million transistors on a 158 mm² die. The RX 7600S also has a higher transistor density at 65.2M per mm² versus 40.5M per mm².

Compute resources are scaled up on the RX 7600S: 1,792 shading units versus 1,408, 112 TMUs versus 88, and 64 ROPs versus 32. The RX 7600S adds 28 ray tracing cores, while the RX 5500 XT has none. Calculated rates reflect this: the RX 7600S has a pixel rate of 140.8 GPixel/s and texture rate of 246.4 GTexel/s, while the RX 5500 XT has 59.04 GPixel/s and 162.4 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 15.77 TFLOPS versus 5.196 TFLOPS.

The bus interface differs: the RX 7600S uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the RX 5500 XT uses PCIe 4.0 x8. Display outputs are portable device dependent on the RX 7600S, while the RX 5500 XT offers 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. The RX 5500 XT has a physical length of 180 mm (7.1 inches). Production status differs, with the RX 7600S marked as active and the RX 5500 XT as end-of-life. The release dates are January 3, 2023 for the RX 7600S and December 11, 2019 for the RX 5500 XT. The RX 7600S has no launch MSRP listed, while the RX 5500 XT's launch MSRP was 169 USD.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon RX 7600S is the superior performer in every measured benchmark. With an average benchmark score of 16,696 versus 14,692, it holds a 13.6% lead overall, and its percentile ranking of 60 versus 57 confirms it sits higher in the global GPU distribution. The RX 7600S wins all ten head-to-head comparisons, with margins ranging from a negligible 0.3% in 2D tests to a massive 150% in DirectX 11.

The RX 7600S is the clear choice for users who need the highest performance in a mobile, power-efficient package. Its 75 W TDP and integrated form factor make it suitable for thin-and-light laptops, while still delivering more than double the FP32 throughput of the RX 5500 XT (15.77 TFLOPS versus 5.196 TFLOPS). The addition of 28 ray tracing cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support positions it for modern gaming workloads, whereas the RX 5500 XT lacks ray tracing entirely and is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1).

The RX 5500 XT, despite its higher TDP and desktop format, trails significantly in every category. Its 4 GB memory capacity is half of the RX 7600S, and its older RDNA 1.0 architecture cannot match the efficiency or feature set of RDNA 3.0. While it remains a functional GPU for older titles and lighter workloads, the benchmark results indicate it is outclassed by the newer mobile part. For users building a desktop system, the RX 5500 XT's larger physical footprint and power draw offer no performance advantage over the integrated RX 7600S. The data suggests that the RX 7600S represents a substantial generational leap that the RX 5500 XT cannot counter, making the newer part the only sensible choice for performance-oriented buyers.