AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT vs AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 represent two fundamentally different approaches to graphics processing, yet their average benchmark scores place them surprisingly close in the database. The RX 5500 XT, a discrete add-in board from the Radeon RX 5000 series, posts an average benchmark score of 14,692, while the RX Vega 11, an integrated graphics processor (IGP) from the Vega IGP (Picasso) generation, scores 14,385. This 2.1% delta in favor of the discrete card is minimal, but the underlying data reveals that the RX 5500 XT wins decisively in every head-to-head comparison, with performance gaps that range from 221% to 275%. The RX Vega 11, however, achieves its score through a completely different profile, one defined by extreme power efficiency and integration rather than raw throughput.

Where Each One Wins

The performance split between these two AMD parts is stark and one-sided. The RX 5500 XT wins all three head-to-head benchmarks, leaving the RX Vega 11 with zero victories in the direct comparison tests. The most significant win for the discrete card comes in the Geekbench OpenCL test, where the RX 5500 XT scores 46,965 against the RX Vega 11's 12,525, a delta of 275%. This suggests the RX 5500 XT is overwhelmingly better suited for compute-heavy workloads that leverage OpenCL, such as rendering tasks or scientific calculations. In the Geekbench Vulkan test, the RX 5500 XT again dominates with a score of 44,191 versus 13,543, a 226.3% advantage, indicating a massive lead in modern graphics API performance for gaming and real-time applications. The third head-to-head test, Geekbench Metal, shows the RX 5500 XT scoring 54,842 compared to the RX Vega 11's 17,086, a 221% difference, which points to superior performance in Apple's Metal framework on compatible systems.

The RX Vega 11's wins are not in raw performance but in its integration profile. As an IGP with a 15 W TDP, it requires no power connectors and has a slot width of "IGP," meaning it is embedded into the processor package. This makes it the only viable option for systems without a discrete graphics card slot or for ultra-compact builds where power delivery and physical space are at a premium. The data shows the RX Vega 11 sits in the 56th percentile of all GPUs, while the RX 5500 XT sits just one percentile higher at 57, but the Vega 11 achieves this with a fraction of the power envelope. For users prioritizing silent, low-power operation or upgrading an existing APU system without adding hardware, the RX Vega 11 is the functional choice, even though benchmark results indicate it loses every direct performance contest.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is generational and physical. The RX 5500 XT is built on the RDNA 1.0 architecture using the Navi 14 chip, fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC. This chip contains 6,400 million transistors on a 158 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 40.5M per mm². In contrast, the RX Vega 11 uses the GCN 5.0 architecture with the Picasso chip, manufactured on a 12 nm process at GlobalFoundries. This larger chip has 4,940 million transistors spread across a 210 mm² die, resulting in a lower density of 23.5M per mm². The process node advantage is clear: the RX 5500 XT packs more transistors into a smaller area, which contributes to its higher clocks and efficiency.

The core configurations differ significantly. The RX 5500 XT features 1,408 shading units, 88 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 32 render output units (ROPs). The RX Vega 11 is cut down to 704 shading units, 44 TMUs, and just 8 ROPs. This halving of shading units and TMUs, combined with a fourfold reduction in ROPs, explains the RX 5500 XT's massive lead in pixel and texture processing rates. The RX 5500 XT achieves a pixel rate of 59.04 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 162.4 GTexel/s, while the RX Vega 11 manages only 11.20 GPixel/s and 61.60 GTexel/s respectively. This architectural disparity means the discrete card can handle higher resolutions and more complex geometry with greater ease.

Memory architecture is another fundamental split. The RX 5500 XT uses 4 GB of dedicated GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX Vega 11 relies on "System Shared" memory, with its bus width and bandwidth listed as "System Shared" and "System Dependent" respectively. This means the Vega 11's memory performance is entirely contingent on the host system's RAM speed and configuration, which is a major bottleneck in real-world scenarios. The RX 5500 XT's dedicated memory operates at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), while the Vega 11's base clock is just 300 MHz with a boost of 1400 MHz, compared to the RX 5500 XT's 1607 MHz base and 1845 MHz boost clocks.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The three head-to-head benchmark results paint an unambiguous picture of performance superiority. In Geekbench Metal, the RX 5500 XT scores 54,842, which is 221% higher than the RX Vega 11's 17,086. This is the smallest relative margin of the three tests, but it still represents more than a threefold increase in raw score. The Metal API is primarily used in macOS environments, and this result indicates that the RX 5500 XT would provide a dramatically smoother experience in Metal-accelerated applications, from creative suites to games, compared to the integrated Vega 11.

The Geekbench OpenCL test shows the largest gap. The RX 5500 XT posts 46,965 points, while the RX Vega 11 manages just 12,525, a 275% delta in favor of the discrete card. OpenCL is a cross-platform compute standard used in video encoding, physics simulations, and machine learning inference. The data suggests that for any compute-heavy task, the RX 5500 XT is not just faster but in a different performance class entirely. This aligns with the FP32 throughput figures: the RX 5500 XT delivers 5.196 TFLOPS against the RX Vega 11's 1.971 TFLOPS, a 2.6x advantage that mirrors the benchmark delta.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the RX 5500 XT scores 44,191 versus the RX Vega 11's 13,543, a 226.3% margin. Vulkan is the modern low-overhead graphics API used in many AAA games and emulators. This benchmark result indicates that the RX 5500 XT can handle contemporary gaming workloads at playable frame rates, while the RX Vega 11 would struggle with even moderate settings in demanding titles. The RX 5500 XT also has a higher Vulkan API version support (1.4) compared to the RX Vega 11's 1.3, though both support DirectX 12 (12_1) and OpenGL 4.6. When compared to its nearest rivals, the RX 5500 XT sits within 2% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M and is 2.1% ahead of the RX Vega 11 itself, while the RX Vega 11 is within 0.5% of the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT has an average benchmark score of 14,692, which is 2.1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11's 14,385.

Q: What is the largest performance gap between the two in head-to-head tests?

A: The largest gap is in the Geekbench OpenCL test, where the RX 5500 XT scores 46,965 against the RX Vega 11's 12,525, a delta of 275% in favor of the RX 5500 XT.

Q: Does the RX Vega 11 have any dedicated video memory?

A: No, the RX Vega 11 uses "System Shared" memory, meaning its memory size, type, bus width, and bandwidth are all dependent on the host system's RAM.

Q: How do their transistor counts compare?

A: The RX 5500 XT has 6,400 million transistors on a 158 mm² die, while the RX Vega 11 has 4,940 million transistors on a larger 210 mm² die.

Q: What are the TDP ratings for each card?

A: The RX 5500 XT has a TDP of 130 W and requires a 1x 8-pin power connector, while the RX Vega 11 has a TDP of 15 W and requires no power connectors.

Q: Which GPU supports a newer version of Vulkan?

A: The RX 5500 XT supports Vulkan 1.4, while the RX Vega 11 supports Vulkan 1.3.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs diverge on nearly every technical specification. The RX 5500 XT uses a 7 nm process node from TSMC, while the RX Vega 11 uses a 12 nm node from GlobalFoundries. The RX 5500 XT has 6,400 million transistors on a 158 mm² die, whereas the RX Vega 11 has 4,940 million transistors on a 210 mm² die, leading to transistor densities of 40.5M/mm² and 23.5M/mm² respectively. Clock speeds differ substantially: the RX 5500 XT has a base clock of 1607 MHz and a boost clock of 1845 MHz, plus a game clock of 1717 MHz, while the RX Vega 11 has a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 1400 MHz.

The execution units are also different, with the RX 5500 XT featuring 1,408 shading units, 88 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, versus the RX Vega 11's 704 shading units, 44 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. Pixel and texture rates follow this pattern: the RX 5500 XT achieves 59.04 GPixel/s and 162.4 GTexel/s, while the RX Vega 11 manages 11.20 GPixel/s and 61.60 GTexel/s. Floating-point performance shows the RX 5500 XT delivering 5.196 TFLOPS FP32 and 10.39 TFLOPS FP16, compared to the RX Vega 11's 1.971 TFLOPS FP32 and 3.942 TFLOPS FP16. The RX 5500 XT has 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the RX Vega 11 uses system-shared memory with dependent bandwidth.

Power and physical specifications are starkly different: the RX 5500 XT has a 130 W TDP, is dual-slot, requires a 1x 8-pin power connector, and a 300 W suggested PSU, while the RX Vega 11 has a 15 W TDP, is an IGP, requires no power connectors, and has no suggested PSU. The RX 5500 XT uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 bus interface and has display outputs of 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, whereas the RX Vega 11 uses an IGP bus interface with motherboard-dependent outputs. Finally, the RX 5500 XT has a launch MSRP of 169 USD, while the RX Vega 11 has no launch MSRP listed in the data.