AMD Radeon RX 5500M vs AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT Comparison

# AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT vs AMD Radeon RX 5500M

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT and AMD Radeon RX 5500M represent two vastly different generations and market segments within AMD's Radeon lineup. The RX 7900 XT is a flagship desktop part from the Radeon RX 7000 series, built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 31 chip, while the RX 5500M is a mobile GPU from the Radeon RX 5000 series, based on the older RDNA 1.0 architecture with the Navi 14 chip. Despite the RX 5500M securing one surprising benchmark victory, the head-to-head data reveals a lopsided matchup: the RX 7900 XT wins 8 out of 9 benchmark comparisons, with deltas ranging from a modest 99.1% to a staggering 871.4% in its favor. The average benchmark scores tell a different story than the individual tests, however, with the RX 7900 XT averaging 13,745 and the RX 5500M averaging 13,356—a difference of only 2.9% that highlights how benchmark methodology dramatically affects the perceived performance gap.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 7900 XT dominates nearly every traditional graphics workload, establishing clear supremacy in DirectX 10, 11, 12, and 9 tests. In the passmark_directx_11 benchmark, the RX 7900 XT scores 340 versus the RX 5500M's 35, a delta of 871.4%—the largest margin in the entire comparison. The 3D graphics performance is equally one-sided, with the RX 7900 XT achieving a passmark_g3d score of 29,009 compared to 5,848 for the RX 5500M, representing a 396% advantage. Compute workloads also heavily favor the desktop card, as the passmark_gpu_compute test shows the RX 7900 XT at 16,828 versus 2,316 for the RX 5500M, a 626.6% difference. The Vulkan API test further confirms this trend, with the RX 7900 XT scoring 71,068 against 35,693, a 99.1% lead.

The RX 5500M's single victory comes in the geekbench_opencl benchmark, where it scores 38,725 against the RX 7900 XT's 12,756—a 67.1% advantage. This surprising result suggests that in certain OpenCL compute scenarios, the mobile GPU's architecture and driver optimizations can leverage the workload differently. The RX 5500M also posts a notable geekbench_metal score of 50,359, though no comparable Metal score exists for the RX 7900 XT in the data. The RX 5500M's 2D performance is predictably weaker, scoring 414 in passmark_g2d versus 1,232 for the RX 7900 XT, a 197.6% deficit. For users prioritizing modern DirectX gaming, ray tracing (available on the RX 7900 XT with 84 RT cores, absent on the RX 5500M), or high-resolution textures, the RX 7900 XT is the clear choice. The RX 5500M's OpenCL win hints at niche compute tasks where it might hold an unexpected edge, though the broader data strongly favors the desktop part.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT has an average benchmark score of 13,745, while the AMD Radeon RX 5500M averages 13,356. This places the RX 7900 XT only 2.9% higher on average, despite winning 8 of 9 head-to-head tests.

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

A: In the passmark_directx_12 benchmark, the RX 7900 XT scores 110 versus the RX 5500M's 28, giving the desktop card a 292.9% advantage. The RX 7900 XT supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the RX 5500M supports DirectX 12 (12_1).

Q: Is there any benchmark where the RX 5500M outperforms the RX 7900 XT?

A: Yes, in the geekbench_opencl test, the RX 5500M scores 38,725 compared to the RX 7900 XT's 12,756, a 67.1% lead for the mobile GPU. This is the only head-to-head benchmark win for the RX 5500M.

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

A: The RX 7900 XT features 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus with 800.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the RX 5500M has 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: How do their transistor counts and die sizes compare?

A: The RX 7900 XT contains 57,700 million transistors on a 529 mm² die using a 5 nm process, while the RX 5500M has 6,400 million transistors on a 158 mm² die using a 7 nm process. The RX 7900 XT's transistor density is 109.1M per mm² versus 40.5M per mm² for the RX 5500M.

Q: What are the power consumption differences?

A: The RX 7900 XT has a TDP of 300 W and requires a 700 W suggested PSU with 2x 8-pin power connectors, while the RX 5500M has an 85 W TDP and uses no external power connectors.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most decisive victory for the RX 7900 XT occurs in the passmark_directx_11 test, where it scores 340 against 35 for the RX 5500M, a delta of 871.4%. This massive gap underscores the architectural leap between RDNA 3.0 and RDNA 1.0 in legacy DirectX workloads. The passmark_gpu_compute benchmark similarly shows a 626.6% advantage for the RX 7900 XT, with scores of 16,828 versus 2,316, indicating that compute-heavy tasks like rendering or scientific simulations will run dramatically faster on the desktop card. The passmark_g3d test, often considered a general gaming performance indicator, shows the RX 7900 XT at 29,009 versus 5,848—a 396% difference that translates to roughly five times the raw graphics throughput.

The DirectX 10 benchmark reveals a 305.1% lead for the RX 7900 XT, with scores of 158 versus 39, while DirectX 12 shows a 292.9% advantage at 110 versus 28. Even the older DirectX 9 API, where the RX 5500M manages 100 points, sees the RX 7900 XT at 322—a 222% improvement. The Vulkan test shows a 99.1% delta, with the RX 7900 XT at 71,068 and the RX 5500M at 35,693, making it the closest modern-API comparison. The 2D performance gap, though narrower in percentage terms at 197.6%, still gives the RX 7900 XT a 1,232 score versus 414, which matters for desktop productivity and multi-monitor setups.

The single victory for the RX 5500M in geekbench_opencl is striking because it reverses the expected hierarchy. With scores of 38,725 versus 12,756, the mobile GPU leads by 67.1%, suggesting that OpenCL workloads may be optimized differently or that the RX 5500M's smaller memory footprint (4 GB vs 20 GB) somehow benefits certain memory-access patterns in this specific test. This anomaly aside, the pattern is unambiguous: the RX 7900 XT wins every other benchmark by margins that range from roughly double to nearly ninefold, making it the overwhelmingly faster card for almost all real-world graphics tasks.

Specification Differences

The RX 7900 XT is built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, while the RX 5500M uses a 7 nm process, also at TSMC. This process advantage contributes to the RX 7900 XT's massive transistor count of 57,700 million versus just 6,400 million for the RX 5500M, with die sizes of 529 mm² and 158 mm² respectively. Clock speeds differ substantially: the RX 7900 XT has a base clock of 1387 MHz, a boost of 2394 MHz, and a game clock of 2025 MHz, whereas the RX 5500M runs at 1375 MHz base, 1645 MHz boost, and 1448 MHz game clock. Memory clocks also diverge, with the RX 7900 XT at 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective) versus the RX 5500M's 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective).

Memory capacity and bandwidth are starkly different: 20 GB versus 4 GB of GDDR6, with bus widths of 320-bit and 128-bit, yielding bandwidths of 800.0 GB/s and 224.0 GB/s. The compute units scale accordingly—the RX 7900 XT has 5,376 shading units, 336 texture mapping units, and 192 ROPs, while the RX 5500M has 1,408 shading units, 88 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Ray tracing hardware is present only on the RX 7900 XT with 84 RT cores; the RX 5500M has none. Pixel and texture rates reflect this gap: 459.6 GPixel/s and 804.4 GTexel/s for the RX 7900 XT versus 52.64 GPixel/s and 144.8 GTexel/s for the RX 5500M. FP32 compute is 51.48 TFLOPS versus 4.632 TFLOPS, and FP16 is 103.0 TFLOPS versus 9.265 TFLOPS.

Power and physical specifications differ as well: the RX 7900 XT consumes 300 W with a 700 W suggested PSU and dual-slot design, while the RX 5500M draws 85 W with no external power connectors. The RX 7900 XT uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface, while the RX 5500M uses PCIe 4.0 x8. Display outputs also vary: the RX 7900 XT offers 1x HDMI 2.1a, 2x DisplayPort 2.1, and 1x USB Type-C, whereas the RX 5500M's outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent." The RX 7900 XT has physical dimensions of 276 mm length, 110 mm height, and 51 mm width; the RX 5500M has no listed dimensions. DirectX support differs, with the RX 7900 XT at 12 Ultimate (12_2) and the RX 5500M at 12 (12_1).

Architecture Differences

The RX 7900 XT is based on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the codename "Plum Bonito" and the Navi 31 chip, representing the third generation of AMD's RDNA design. The RX 5500M uses the RDNA 1.0 architecture with the Navi 14 chip, marking the first generation. This generational leap explains many performance differences: RDNA 3.0 introduced improvements in compute efficiency, ray tracing capabilities (the RX 7900 XT has 84 dedicated RT cores), and higher clock speeds achievable on the 5 nm node. The RX 7900 XT belongs to the Navi III (RX 7000) generation, while the RX 5500M is from the Navi Mobile (RX 5000M) generation, with its predecessor listed as Polaris Mobile.

The RX 7900 XT's transistor density of 109.1M per mm² versus 40.5M per mm² for the RX 5500M reflects not just the smaller process node but also the architectural complexity of RDNA 3.0. The RX 7900 XT's 20 GB memory configuration and 320-bit bus suggest it is designed for high-resolution gaming and content creation, while the RX 5500M's 4 GB and 128-bit bus target entry-level mobile gaming. The RX 7900 XT has a successor in the Navi IV generation, indicating it's part of a broader product roadmap, whereas the RX 5500M lists no successor. Both cards are end-of-life, with the RX 7900 XT released on 2022-11-02 and the RX 5500M on 2019-10-06. The RX 7900 XT's launch MSRP is 899 USD, which the data notes without further pricing commentary.

The Verdict

The data unequivocally shows that the RX 7900 XT is the superior graphics card for nearly every workload measured. With 8 wins in 9 head-to-head benchmarks, including deltas of 871.4% in DirectX 11, 626.6% in compute, and 396% in 3D graphics, the desktop card delivers between two and nine times the performance of the RX 5500M across most tests. Its 20 GB memory, 800.0 GB/s bandwidth, and 84 RT cores make it suitable for 4K gaming, ray tracing, and demanding creative applications, while the RX 5500M's 4 GB capacity and lack of RT hardware limit it to lighter workloads. The RX 7900 XT's 99.1% Vulkan advantage and 292.9% DirectX 12 lead confirm its modern API readiness, and its 5 nm process with 57,700 million transistors provides a substantial architectural foundation.

However, the RX 5500M's OpenCL victory—scoring 38,725 versus 12,756 for a 67.1% lead—prevents a complete sweep and suggests that certain compute tasks may favor its design. Its 85 W power draw and lack of external power connectors also make it far more suitable for battery-powered laptops, and its 7 nm process, while older, still offers reasonable efficiency for its class. The RX 5500M's average benchmark score of 13,356 versus 13,745 for the RX 7900 XT—a mere 2.9% gap—illustrates how averaging across diverse tests can obscure massive individual differences.

Buyers seeking maximum graphics performance, ray tracing support, and future-proofing for high-end gaming should choose the RX 7900 XT without hesitation. Its 300 W TDP and dual-slot design require a robust power supply and desktop chassis, but the performance payoff is substantial. Conversely, the RX 5500M makes sense only for users who need a low-power mobile GPU for entry-level gaming on the go, accepting its limited memory and lack of RT cores. The data does not support any scenario where the RX 5500M outperforms the RX 7900 XT in mainstream gaming or professional graphics tasks—the OpenCL anomaly appears to be an isolated case rather than a trend. Ultimately, the RX 7900 XT is positioned as a high-end desktop solution, while the RX 5500M serves a completely different, far more modest mobile segment.