AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti decisively outperforms the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT across every benchmark in the dataset, securing a 10-0 sweep with margins that often exceed 100%. While the RX 5500 XT holds its own in the lower tiers of the market, the RTX 3060 Ti operates in a fundamentally different performance class, delivering anywhere from 8.1% to 191.1% higher scores depending on the workload.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking disparity appears in the DirectX 11 test, where the RTX 3060 Ti scores 163 versus the RX 5500 XT's 56, a delta of 191.1%. This is the largest single margin in the comparison and suggests that the NVIDIA card handles legacy API workloads with exceptional efficiency relative to its competitor. DirectX 10 shows a similar pattern, with the RTX 3060 Ti hitting 132 against the RX 5500 XT's 46, a 187% advantage.

In modern API tests, the gap narrows but remains substantial. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark shows the RTX 3060 Ti at 2626 compared to 1032 for the RX 5500 XT, a 154.5% improvement. This indicates that even in current-generation workloads, the NVIDIA card delivers more than double the performance of the AMD offering. The PassMark DirectX 12 test tells a similar story, with scores of 78 and 40 respectively, a 95% delta.

Compute-heavy tasks amplify the difference. The PassMark GPU Compute benchmark gives the RTX 3060 Ti a score of 10006 versus 4446 for the RX 5500 XT, a 125.1% advantage. OpenCL results follow suit: 78927 for NVIDIA versus 46965 for AMD, a 68.1% delta. These numbers indicate that the RTX 3060 Ti is not just a gaming card but also a substantially more capable compute device.

The Vulkan test is the closest contest in the entire dataset, with the RTX 3060 Ti scoring 47784 and the RX 5500 XT reaching 44191, a modest 8.1% difference. While still a win for NVIDIA, this suggests that the AMD card's RDNA architecture holds up relatively better in Vulkan-specific scenarios than in other APIs.

Shader and rasterization performance heavily favor the RTX 3060 Ti. The PassMark G3D score of 20349 for NVIDIA dwarfs AMD's 9083, a 124% delta. Even the 2D performance, often considered a lower-priority metric, shows a 27.8% gap (989 versus 774). The DirectX 9 test, representing older games, still shows a 75.9% advantage for the RTX 3060 Ti (234 versus 133), proving backward compatibility does not come at a performance cost.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent distinct architectural generations and design philosophies. The RTX 3060 Ti uses the GA104 chip built on Ampere architecture, fabricated by Samsung on an 8 nm process. This chip contains 17,400 million transistors across a 392 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 44.4 million per square millimeter. The RX 5500 XT, by contrast, uses the Navi 14 chip with RDNA 1.0 architecture, manufactured by TSMC on a more advanced 7 nm process. It packs 6,400 million transistors on a much smaller 158 mm² die, with a slightly lower density of 40.5 million per square millimeter.

Memory configuration differs sharply. The RTX 3060 Ti features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 5500 XT offers only 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, halving bandwidth to 224.0 GB/s. Both run at 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective speed, but the wider bus gives NVIDIA a decisive bandwidth advantage.

Compute resources are heavily skewed toward the RTX 3060 Ti. It contains 4864 shading units, 152 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units. The RX 5500 XT has 1408 shading units, 88 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The NVIDIA card also includes 38 RT cores and 152 tensor cores, while the AMD card has none of either. This translates to a pixel rate of 133.2 GPixel/s for NVIDIA versus 59.04 GPixel/s for AMD, and a texture rate of 253.1 GTexel/s versus 162.4 GTexel/s.

Clock speeds tell a different story. The RX 5500 XT boosts to 1845 MHz, higher than the RTX 3060 Ti's 1665 MHz, with a base clock of 1607 MHz versus 1410 MHz. The AMD card also lists a game clock of 1717 MHz. Despite the higher clocks, the AMD card's FP32 throughput of 5.196 TFLOPS is far below NVIDIA's 16.20 TFLOPS, illustrating that architectural efficiency and raw resources outweigh clock speed advantages.

Power requirements align with the performance gap. The RTX 3060 Ti has a 200 W TDP and requires a 550 W power supply with a single 12-pin connector. The RX 5500 XT draws 130 W, needs only a 300 W PSU, and uses a standard 8-pin connector. Both are dual-slot cards, but the RTX 3060 Ti is longer at 242 mm compared to 180 mm for the AMD card.

The Verdict

The data makes one conclusion unavoidable: the RTX 3060 Ti is in a completely different performance class than the RX 5500 XT. With an average benchmark score of 16129 versus 14692, the NVIDIA card leads by roughly 9.8% in aggregate. More importantly, the RTX 3060 Ti wins every single head-to-head test, with most margins exceeding 50%.

The RX 5500 XT's closest competitor based on average score is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770, which trails by only 0.4%. The RTX 3060 Ti, meanwhile, sits near the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT, which is just 1.4% behind, and the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M, also 1.4% behind. This positioning confirms that the RX 5500 XT targets entry-level performance while the RTX 3060 Ti competes in the upper mid-range tier.

For users prioritizing maximum performance in gaming, compute, or API compatibility, the RTX 3060 Ti is the clear choice. Its 154.5% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad and 124% lead in PassMark G3D are not incremental gains; they are generational leaps. The inclusion of RT cores and tensor cores also future-proofs the NVIDIA card for ray-traced and AI-accelerated workloads, features entirely absent from the RX 5500 XT.

The RX 5500 XT is not without merit. Its lower 130 W TDP and 300 W PSU requirement make it far easier to integrate into compact or power-constrained systems. Its shorter 180 mm length also aids compatibility with small form factor cases. However, these advantages come at the cost of 4 GB of memory, which may limit texture-heavy modern games, and half the memory bandwidth of the RTX 3060 Ti.

Specification Differences

• Process Node: RTX 3060 Ti uses 8 nm (Samsung); RX 5500 XT uses 7 nm (TSMC)
• Transistors: 17,400 million versus 6,400 million
• Die Size: 392 mm² versus 158 mm²
• Base Clock: 1410 MHz versus 1607 MHz
• Boost Clock: 1665 MHz versus 1845 MHz
• Memory Size: 8 GB versus 4 GB
• Memory Bus: 256-bit versus 128-bit
• Memory Bandwidth: 448.0 GB/s versus 224.0 GB/s
• Shading Units: 4864 versus 1408
• TMUs: 152 versus 88
• ROPs: 80 versus 32
• RT Cores: 38 versus none
• Tensor Cores: 152 versus none
• Pixel Rate: 133.2 GPixel/s versus 59.04 GPixel/s
• Texture Rate: 253.1 GTexel/s versus 162.4 GTexel/s
• FP32: 16.20 TFLOPS versus 5.196 TFLOPS
• FP16: 16.20 TFLOPS (1:1) versus 10.39 TFLOPS (2:1)
• TDP: 200 W versus 130 W
• Power Connector: 1x 12-pin versus 1x 8-pin
• Suggested PSU: 550 W versus 300 W
• Bus Interface: PCIe 4.0 x16 versus PCIe 4.0 x8
• Length: 242 mm versus 180 mm
• DirectX Support: 12 Ultimate (12_2) versus 12 (12_1)
• HDMI Version: 2.1 versus 2.0b

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has an average benchmark score of 16129, while the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT averages 14692.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 3060 Ti in DirectX 12 workloads?

A: In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the RTX 3060 Ti scores 2626 versus 1032 for the RX 5500 XT, a 154.5% advantage. The PassMark DirectX 12 test shows a 95% delta (78 versus 40).

Q: Does the RX 5500 XT have any ray tracing capabilities?

A: No. The RX 5500 XT has no RT cores listed in its specifications, while the RTX 3060 Ti includes 38 RT cores.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between the two cards?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti offers 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth on a 256-bit bus, exactly double the 224.0 GB/s and 128-bit bus of the RX 5500 XT.

Q: Which card requires a more powerful power supply?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti suggests a 550 W PSU with a 200 W TDP, while the RX 5500 XT only needs a 300 W PSU with a 130 W TDP.

Q: How do the cards compare in Vulkan performance?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti leads with a Geekbench Vulkan score of 47784 versus 44191 for the RX 5500 XT, an 8.1% margin — the smallest gap in the entire comparison.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3060 Ti wins every benchmark category, making its advantages comprehensive rather than situational. Its largest wins come in legacy API tests, suggesting exceptional driver optimization for older DirectX versions. The 191.1% lead in DirectX 11 and 187% lead in DirectX 10 make it the clear choice for users running established game libraries or applications that rely on these APIs. The 154.5% margin in 3DMark Steel Nomad indicates that modern DX12 titles also favor NVIDIA heavily.

Compute workloads strongly favor the RTX 3060 Ti. The 125.1% advantage in PassMark GPU Compute and 68.1% lead in OpenCL position it as a viable option for GPU-accelerated tasks beyond gaming, including rendering and data processing. The RX 5500 XT cannot match this compute throughput despite its higher clock speeds.

The RX 5500 XT wins in efficiency metrics, though not in performance. Its 130 W TDP and 300 W PSU requirement make it suitable for systems with limited power delivery or thermal capacity. Its 180 mm length fits smaller cases, and its 7 nm process node from TSMC suggests a more modern manufacturing approach despite lower transistor count. For users building ultra-compact or power-efficient systems where maximum frame rates are not the primary goal, the RX 5500 XT offers a viable path. However, for anyone seeking performance, the RTX 3060 Ti's 10-0 sweep leaves no ambiguity about which card delivers superior results.