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

The AMD Radeon RX 5500M and the AMD Radeon RX 7600M XT represent two distinct generations of AMD mobile graphics, separated by a significant architectural leap. The benchmark data shows a clear overall winner, but a notable exception in one API test complicates the narrative. The RX 7600M XT wins 8 out of 9 head-to-head comparisons, often by wide margins, yet the RX 5500M manages to secure a surprising victory in the Vulkan benchmark. This analysis will explore the scale of the generational gap, the implications of the single reverse result, and which specific workloads favor each GPU based strictly on the provided data.

The Verdict

Based on the data, the AMD Radeon RX 7600M XT is the overwhelmingly dominant performer. It secures victories in 8 of the 9 head-to-head benchmarks, with its most significant triumph being a 67.6% lead over the RX 5500M in the Passmark GPU Compute test. The RX 7600M XT also demonstrates a massive advantage in legacy DirectX workloads, leading by 74.5% in DirectX 11 and 48.7% in DirectX 10. For any user prioritizing raw performance, modern API support, or compute workloads, the RX 7600M XT is the clear choice from this data.

However, the story is not entirely one-sided. The RX 5500M claims a surprising 28.4% victory over the RX 7600M XT in the Geekbench Vulkan test. This single data point suggests that the older RDNA 1.0 architecture may have a specific optimization or driver advantage in this particular API, making it a potentially interesting option for Vulkan-based applications where that specific benchmark is representative. Despite this, the RX 5500M’s overall average benchmark score is 13,356, which is actually slightly higher than the RX 7600M XT’s average of 12,710, a quirk that is likely due to the different sets of tests available for each GPU.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different foundations. The RX 5500M is based on the Navi 14 chip using the RDNA 1.0 architecture, fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC. In contrast, the RX 7600M XT uses the Navi 33 chip (codename "Hotpink Bonefish") with the newer RDNA 3.0 architecture, built on a more advanced 6 nm process. This node shrink allows the RX 7600M XT to pack significantly more hardware: it contains 13,300 million transistors on a 204 mm² die, compared to the RX 5500M's 6,400 million transistors on a 158 mm² die. This results in a transistor density of 65.2M / mm² for the newer chip versus 40.5M / mm² for the older one.

The architectural advancements extend to the core configuration. The RX 7600M XT features 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 64 render output units (ROPs), while the RX 5500M has 1408 shading units, 88 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The RX 7600M XT also introduces 32 dedicated ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the RX 5500M. This hardware advantage translates into dramatically higher theoretical throughput: the RX 7600M XT achieves 20.23 TFLOPS FP32 and 158.0 GPixel/s pixel rate, compared to the RX 5500M's 4.632 TFLOPS and 52.64 GPixel/s. The RX 7600M XT also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the RX 5500M is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1), indicating support for newer rendering features.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most lopsided result in the entire comparison is in the Passmark DirectX 11 test. The RX 7600M XT scores 137 versus the RX 5500M's 35, representing a 74.5% advantage. This indicates a massive generational leap in handling legacy DirectX 11 titles. Similarly, in the Passmark DirectX 10 test, the RX 7600M XT's score of 76 is 48.7% higher than the RX 5500M's 39. Even in DirectX 9, the oldest API tested, the newer card leads with a score of 175 against 100, a 42.9% difference.

The gap persists in more modern and general-purpose tests. In the Passmark G3D test, which is a common measure of overall gaming performance, the RX 7600M XT scores 13,907, which is 57.9% higher than the RX 5500M's 5,848. The Geekbench OpenCL test shows a similar trend, with the RX 7600M XT achieving a score of 74,869 compared to the RX 5500M's 38,725, a 48.3% lead. The compute performance is where the RX 7600M XT truly separates itself, as its Passmark GPU Compute score of 7,140 is 67.6% higher than the RX 5500M's 2,316.

The single exception to this pattern is the Geekbench Vulkan test. Here, the RX 5500M scores 35,693, which is 28.4% higher than the RX 7600M XT's score of 27,793. This is a stark and unexpected reversal. It suggests that while the RX 7600M XT is superior in most metrics, its Vulkan driver or hardware implementation does not translate that raw power into this specific benchmark score as effectively as the older RDNA 1.0 architecture does.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7600M XT is significantly faster, scoring 74,869 compared to the RX 5500M's 38,725, which is a 48.3% advantage.

Q: The RX 5500M wins in one benchmark. Which one is it?

A: The RX 5500M wins the Geekbench Vulkan test, scoring 35,693 against the RX 7600M XT's 27,793, a 28.4% lead.

Q: How much faster is the RX 7600M XT in the Passmark G3D test?

A: The RX 7600M XT scores 13,907 in the Passmark G3D test, which is 57.9% higher than the RX 5500M's score of 5,848.

Q: Does the RX 5500M have any features that the RX 7600M XT lacks?

A: Based on the data, the RX 5500M does not have any unique features. The RX 7600M XT has 32 ray tracing cores, while the RX 5500M has none listed.

Q: What is the difference in memory capacity and bandwidth?

A: The RX 7600M XT has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the RX 5500M has 4 GB of GDDR6 memory with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. Both use a 128-bit bus.

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock speed?

A: The RX 7600M XT has a boost clock of 2469 MHz, which is significantly higher than the RX 5500M's boost clock of 1645 MHz.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 7600M XT is the definitive winner for the vast majority of use cases. Its dominance in Passmark DirectX tests suggests it will provide a much smoother experience in older DirectX-based games. Its massive lead in compute benchmarks indicates it is the superior choice for tasks like GPU-accelerated rendering, video encoding, or any compute-heavy application. The 57.9% lead in the Passmark G3D test points to a substantial advantage in general 3D gaming performance.

The AMD Radeon RX 5500M’s only area of superiority is the Geekbench Vulkan benchmark. This makes it a potentially interesting option for developers or users working specifically with Vulkan applications that resemble that benchmark's workload. Its lower TDP of 85 W compared to the RX 7600M XT's 120 W also suggests it could be a fit for thinner, more power-efficient laptops, although the performance trade-off is severe.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 5500M | AMD Radeon RX 7600M XT |

| :--- | :--- | :--- |

| Architecture | RDNA 1.0 | RDNA 3.0 |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 6 nm |

| Transistors | 6,400 million | 13,300 million |

| Die Size | 158 mm² | 204 mm² |

| Base Clock | 1375 MHz | 1280 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1645 MHz | 2469 MHz |

| Game Clock | 1448 MHz | 2023 MHz |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 8 GB |

| Memory Bandwidth | 224.0 GB/s | 288.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1408 | 2048 |

| TMUs | 88 | 128 |

| ROPs | 32 | 64 |

| Ray Tracing Cores | None | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 52.64 GPixel/s | 158.0 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 144.8 GTexel/s | 316.0 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 4.632 TFLOPS | 20.23 TFLOPS |

| TDP | 85 W | 120 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| DirectX Support | 12 (12_1) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| Memory Clock | 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) | 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) |

| Slot Width | Not specified | IGP |