AMD Radeon RX 5500M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a decisive sweep in favor of the AMD Radeon RX 5500M across all three shared benchmark tests. The largest margin appears in Geekbench Metal, where the RX 5500M scores 50,359 against the GTX 770's 9,369, a delta of -81.4% from the NVIDIA card's perspective. This is not a marginal lead; it is a multi-generational gap in raw compute throughput, likely reflecting the architectural shift from Kepler to RDNA 1.0.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 5500M posts 38,725 points, while the GTX 770 manages 15,707, yielding a -59.4% delta. The gap narrows somewhat in Geekbench Vulkan, where the AMD part scores 35,693 versus the GTX 770's 19,166, a -46.3% delta. Even in the closest comparison, the GTX 770 trails by nearly half, which indicates that the older NVIDIA architecture struggles particularly with modern API workloads that favor newer instruction sets and memory subsystems.

Looking at the average benchmark scores across all recorded tests, the GTX 770 sits at 14,747, while the RX 5500M averages 13,356. This is an interesting reversal: the head-to-head tests show the AMD card winning by huge margins, yet the broader average is slightly lower. The reason lies in the benchmark suite composition. The RX 5500M's Passmark scores are notably weak in DirectX 10 (39), DirectX 11 (35), and DirectX 12 (28), while its Passmark G3D score is 5,848 and G2D is 414. The GTX 770's average is buoyed by its three Geekbench results, which are all above 9,000. The RX 5500M's Passmark DirectX 9 score of 100 is its only strong legacy API result, but it cannot offset the extremely low DirectX 10/11/12 numbers. Consequently, the database's aggregate metric favors the GTX 770 despite the AMD card dominating the modern API tests.

The percentile rankings reflect this mixed picture. The GTX 770 lands in the 57th percentile of all GPUs, while the RX 5500M sits at the 54th percentile. These are close positions, but they do not tell the whole story. The nearest rivals for each card reinforce the generational divide. The GTX 770's closest competitor is the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (average score 14,692, delta 0.4%), followed by the NVIDIA Quadro M2000 (14,532, delta 1.5%). On the other side, the RX 5500M's nearest rival is the AMD FirePro M6100 (13,354, delta 0%), with the AMD Radeon HD 8950M (13,376, delta -0.1%) close behind. This suggests that the RX 5500M's average is dragged down by its Passmark legacy results, but its modern API performance is far ahead of its average score would imply.

The GTX 770's best single result is its Geekbench Vulkan score of 19,166, which is still 46.3% behind the RX 5500M's Vulkan score. The RX 5500M's best result is its Geekbench Metal score of 50,359, which is 5.4 times higher than the GTX 770's Metal score. In raw FP32 throughput, the RX 5500M delivers 4.632 TFLOPS versus the GTX 770's 3.333 TFLOPS, a 38.9% advantage. Texture rate favors the AMD card as well: 144.8 GTexel/s versus 138.9 GTexel/s, a modest 4.3% lead. Pixel rate is a clearer win for the RX 5500M at 52.64 GPixel/s versus 34.72 GPixel/s, a 51.6% advantage. These theoretical peak numbers align with the Geekbench results, showing that the AMD architecture has a substantial throughput advantage in modern workloads.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous for modern API workloads: the AMD Radeon RX 5500M is the superior choice for any application that leverages Metal, Vulkan, or OpenCL. It wins all three head-to-head tests with deltas ranging from -46.3% to -81.4%. The RX 5500M's Geekbench Metal score of 50,359 is in a different class entirely compared to the GTX 770's 9,369. The OpenCL and Vulkan results confirm this trend, with the AMD card scoring roughly 2.5 times and 1.9 times higher, respectively.

However, the aggregate average benchmark score tells a more nuanced story. The GTX 770's average of 14,747 exceeds the RX 5500M's 13,356, driven by the AMD card's catastrophic Passmark DirectX 10 and 11 scores (39 and 35, respectively). If the workload involves legacy DirectX 9 or 10 applications, the RX 5500M's Passmark DirectX 9 score of 100 is strong, but its DirectX 10 and 11 scores are anomalously low. The GTX 770 does not have Passmark results in the database, so a direct comparison on that suite is impossible. What is clear is that the RX 5500M should not be judged solely on its average score, as its modern API performance is far stronger than the aggregate suggests.

For users prioritizing current game engines, compute workloads, or any Vulkan/Metal application, the RX 5500M is the clear winner. For users who rely on older DirectX titles or want a higher percentile ranking in the database (57th versus 54th), the GTX 770 holds an edge in aggregate metrics. The GTX 770 also has a higher launch MSRP of 399 USD, but that figure is historical and not indicative of current market value. Given that both cards are end-of-life products, the benchmark data should be the primary guide. The RX 5500M's memory subsystem is also superior: 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus delivering 224.0 GB/s, versus 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus delivering 224.4 GB/s. The bandwidth is nearly identical, but the RX 5500M has twice the capacity, which matters for modern texture-heavy workloads.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 5500M wins decisively in every recorded head-to-head benchmark. Its Geekbench Metal score of 50,359 is 5.4 times higher than the GTX 770's 9,369, making it the obvious choice for Apple ecosystem applications or any Metal-accelerated compute. The OpenCL result (38,725 versus 15,707) reinforces the AMD card's dominance in general-purpose GPU compute. The Vulkan score (35,693 versus 19,166) shows that even in the closest comparison, the RX 5500M leads by over 46%. The RX 5500M also wins on theoretical specs: higher FP32 (4.632 TFLOPS versus 3.333 TFLOPS), higher pixel rate (52.64 GPixel/s versus 34.72 GPixel/s), and higher texture rate (144.8 GTexel/s versus 138.9 GTexel/s). It also has more memory (4 GB versus 2 GB) and uses faster GDDR6 memory at 14 Gbps effective, though the bus width is narrower (128-bit versus 256-bit).

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 wins only in the aggregate average benchmark score, 14,747 versus 13,356. This is driven by the RX 5500M's weak Passmark DirectX 10 and 11 scores, which are 39 and 35 respectively. The GTX 770 also has a higher percentile ranking (57th versus 54th), meaning it outperforms a slightly larger fraction of the GPU population in the database's overall scoring. The GTX 770 has a wider memory bus (256-bit versus 128-bit), which historically helps at high resolutions, but the bandwidth figures are nearly identical (224.4 GB/s versus 224.0 GB/s). The GTX 770 also supports PCIe 3.0 x16, while the RX 5500M uses PCIe 4.0 x8, which offers similar bandwidth in theory but the AMD card's interface is newer.

For users who care about legacy DirectX performance, the RX 5500M's Passmark DirectX 9 score of 100 is excellent, but its DirectX 10 and 11 results are abysmal. The GTX 770 has no Passmark results recorded, so its legacy performance cannot be directly compared. The RX 5500M's Passmark G3D score of 5,848 and G2D score of 414 provide additional context, but these are not part of the head-to-head comparison.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins in Geekbench Metal?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 5500M wins with a score of 50,359, versus the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770's 9,369, a delta of -81.4% for the GTX 770.

Q: What is the average benchmark score difference?

A: The GTX 770 has a higher average benchmark score of 14,747, while the RX 5500M averages 13,356. This makes the GTX 770 the aggregate winner despite losing all head-to-head tests.

Q: How do the memory configurations differ?

A: The GTX 770 uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 224.4 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 5500M uses 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. Capacity is double on the AMD card, but bandwidth is nearly identical.

Q: Which card has a higher FP32 throughput?

A: The RX 5500M delivers 4.632 TFLOPS, which is 38.9% higher than the GTX 770's 3.333 TFLOPS.

Q: What are the percentile rankings?

A: The GTX 770 sits at the 57th percentile of all GPUs, while the RX 5500M sits at the 54th percentile.

Q: Which card has a higher pixel rate?

A: The RX 5500M has a pixel rate of 52.64 GPixel/s, versus the GTX 770's 34.72 GPixel/s, a 51.6% advantage for the AMD card.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural eras. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 is built on the Kepler architecture with the GK104 chip, manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The AMD Radeon RX 5500M uses the RDNA 1.0 architecture with the Navi 14 chip, manufactured on a 7 nm process, also at TSMC. The process node difference is substantial: 28 nm versus 7 nm, which directly impacts transistor density. The GK104 packs 3,540 million transistors into a 294 mm² die, giving a density of 12.0M transistors per mm². The Navi 14 packs 6,400 million transistors into a 158 mm² die, yielding a density of 40.5M per mm². The AMD chip has nearly twice the transistor count in roughly half the die area.

The shading unit counts are similar: the GTX 770 has 1,536 shading units, while the RX 5500M has 1,408. The GTX 770 has more texture mapping units (128 versus 88) but the same number of ROPs (32). Clock speeds differ significantly. The GTX 770 runs at a base of 1046 MHz with a boost of 1085 MHz. The RX 5500M runs at a base of 1375 MHz with a boost of 1645 MHz and a game clock of 1448 MHz. The higher clocks on the AMD card contribute to its superior pixel and texture rates.

Memory technology also differs. The GTX 770 uses GDDR5 at 1753 MHz (7 Gbps effective) on a 256-bit bus, while the RX 5500M uses GDDR6 at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) on a 128-bit bus. The effective data rate is double on the AMD card, but the narrower bus brings bandwidth to parity. The GTX 770 has a 2 GB frame buffer, while the RX 5500M has 4 GB, which is a significant advantage for modern games and large textures.

The power characteristics are notably different. The GTX 770 has a TDP of 230 W and requires a 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin power connector, with a suggested PSU of 550 W. The RX 5500M has a TDP of 85 W and requires no external power connectors, as it is designed for portable devices. The GTX 770 is a dual-slot card measuring 267 mm in length, 111 mm in height, and 38 mm in width, with display outputs of 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2. The RX 5500M has no recorded dimensions and its display outputs are portable device dependent.

API support shows the generational gap. The GTX 770 supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The RX 5500M supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The newer Vulkan version on the AMD card likely contributes to its higher Vulkan benchmark score. The bus interface also differs: the GTX 770 uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the RX 5500M uses PCIe 4.0 x8, which provides similar theoretical bandwidth but with a newer protocol.

Release dates place these products six years apart. The GTX 770 launched on 2013-05-29, with a launch MSRP of 399 USD, and belongs to the GeForce 700 generation with a predecessor in GeForce 600 and a successor in GeForce 900. The RX 5500M launched on 2019-10-06, belongs to the Radeon RX 5000 series (Navi Mobile generation), and has a predecessor in Polaris Mobile. Both are end-of-life products. The RX 5500M supports FP16 at 9.265 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), while the GTX 770 has no FP16 data recorded. This gives the AMD card a significant advantage in workloads that can use mixed-precision computation.