AMD Radeon RX 5500M vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Comparison

The Verdict

The benchmark database clearly separates these two GPUs. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 wins all nine recorded head-to-head tests, with no wins for the AMD Radeon RX 5500M. The RTX 2060's average benchmark score is 15290, while the RX 5500M sits at 13356, a gap of roughly 14.5%. The RTX 2060 also holds a higher percentile rank among all GPUs: 58th percentile versus 54th for the RX 5500M.

For desktop users seeking a ray-tracing-capable card, the RTX 2060 is the clear choice. For laptop buyers constrained by power and thermals, the RX 5500M's 85 W TDP makes it a far more portable option, though it sacrifices significant performance. The data does not support choosing the RX 5500M on raw speed alone.

Architecture Differences

The RTX 2060 uses the TU106 chip built on Turing architecture at 12 nm, manufactured by TSMC. It packs 10,800 million transistors on a 445 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 24.3M per mm². The RX 5500M uses Navi 14 on RDNA 1.0 architecture, also TSMC-made, but at 7 nm. It contains 6,400 million transistors on a 158 mm² die, with a higher density of 40.5M per mm².

The RTX 2060 features 1920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 render output units. It includes 30 ray-tracing cores and 240 tensor cores, which the RX 5500M completely lacks; those fields are null. The RX 5500M has 1408 shading units, 88 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The RTX 2060's pixel rate is 80.64 GPixel/s, versus 52.64 GPixel/s for the RX 5500M. Texture rates are 201.6 GTexel/s and 144.8 GTexel/s, respectively.

The RTX 2060 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the RX 5500M only reaches DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. The RTX 2060 has a 192-bit memory bus with 6 GB GDDR6 and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 5500M has a 128-bit bus, 4 GB GDDR6, and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. Both run memory at 1750 MHz, or 14 Gbps effective.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 2060 dominates every measured category. Its largest advantage appears in legacy DirectX 11 workloads, where it scores 214.3% higher. DirectX 10 shows a 151.3% lead. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, only available for the RTX 2060, records a score of 1242, while the RX 5500M has no entry for that test.

The RX 5500M's only notable data point is a Geekbench Metal score of 50359, a test the RTX 2060 does not have. That single result does not translate into any head-to-head wins. For gaming, the RTX 2060's PassMark G3D score of 14111 versus 5848 means a 141.3% advantage. For compute tasks, the RTX 2060 leads by 137% in PassMark GPU Compute.

The RX 5500M is a mobile part, as indicated by its "Portable Device Dependent" display outputs and lack of power connectors. Its 85 W TDP is roughly half the RTX 2060's 160 W. The RTX 2060 requires a 450 W suggested PSU and a dual-slot cooler with an 8-pin connector. The RX 5500M's lower power draw makes it suitable for thin laptops, but the performance gap is substantial.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has better raw performance across the database tests?

A: The RTX 2060 wins all nine recorded head-to-head benchmarks. Its average score is 15290 versus 13356 for the RX 5500M, and it holds a higher percentile rank (58 vs 54).

Q: Does the RX 5500M have any ray-tracing capability?

A: No. The RX 5500M's ray-tracing core count is listed as null. The RTX 2060 has 30 ray-tracing cores.

Q: How do their memory configurations differ?

A: The RTX 2060 has 6 GB GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 5500M has 4 GB GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. Both have 1750 MHz memory clocks.

Q: Which card is more power-efficient?

A: The RX 5500M has a TDP of 85 W, while the RTX 2060 is rated at 160 W. The RX 5500M uses no power connectors, while the RTX 2060 requires one 8-pin connector.

Q: What is the largest performance gap between the two?

A: The biggest delta is in PassMark DirectX 11, where the RTX 2060 scores 110 versus 35 for the RX 5500M, a 214.3% difference.

Q: Are there any tests where the RX 5500M outperforms the RTX 2060?

A: No. Across all nine shared tests, the RTX 2060 wins every time. The RX 5500M's only unique result is a Geekbench Metal score of 50359, which has no corresponding RTX 2060 measurement.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench OpenCL test shows the RTX 2060 scoring 65014 against 38725, a 67.9% lead. The Vulkan test is even more lopsided: 65846 versus 35693, an 84.5% advantage. These compute-oriented tests highlight the RTX 2060's higher FP32 throughput of 6.451 TFLOPS versus 4.632 TFLOPS.

PassMark results amplify the gap. DirectX 9 sees scores of 190 and 100, a 90% difference. DirectX 10 shows 98 versus 39, a 151.3% gap. DirectX 11 is the largest: 110 versus 35, representing a 214.3% lead. DirectX 12 narrows slightly to 89.3%, with scores of 53 and 28.

The 2D test, PassMark G2D, shows 745 for the RTX 2060 and 414 for the RX 5500M, an 80% delta. The 3D test, PassMark G3D, is where gaming performance shows: 14111 versus 5848, a 141.3% lead. GPU compute follows with 5488 versus 2316, a 137% gap. The RTX 2060's FP16 performance of 12.90 TFLOPS (2:1) versus 9.265 TFLOPS (2:1) for the RX 5500M aligns with these compute results.

The RTX 2060 also has the only 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score in the pair, at 1242. The RX 5500M has no entry for that test, so no direct comparison exists. Across all nine shared benchmarks, the RTX 2060's smallest winning margin is 67.9% in Geekbench OpenCL.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every measurable specification. The RTX 2060 uses a 12 nm process, while the RX 5500M uses 7 nm. Transistor counts are 10,800 million versus 6,400 million. Die sizes are 445 mm² versus 158 mm². Density is 24.3M per mm² versus 40.5M per mm².

Clock speeds differ: the RTX 2060 has a base of 1365 MHz and boost of 1680 MHz. The RX 5500M has a base of 1375 MHz, boost of 1645 MHz, and a game clock of 1448 MHz. The RX 5500M's base clock is slightly higher, but the RTX 2060 boosts higher.

Memory configurations are distinct: 6 GB versus 4 GB, 192-bit versus 128-bit bus, 336.0 GB/s versus 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. Shading units are 1920 versus 1408. TMUs are 120 versus 88. ROPs are 48 versus 32. The RTX 2060 has 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores; the RX 5500M has none.

Pixel rates are 80.64 GPixel/s versus 52.64 GPixel/s. Texture rates are 201.6 GTexel/s versus 144.8 GTexel/s. FP32 is 6.451 TFLOPS versus 4.632 TFLOPS. FP16 is 12.90 TFLOPS versus 9.265 TFLOPS, both at 2:1 ratio.

TDP is 160 W versus 85 W. The RTX 2060 is dual-slot with a 1x 8-pin connector and 450 W suggested PSU. The RX 5500M has no slot width listed, no power connectors, and no suggested PSU. The RTX 2060 uses PCIe 3.0 x16; the RX 5500M uses PCIe 4.0 x8.

Display outputs differ: the RTX 2060 has 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C. The RX 5500M is "Portable Device Dependent". The RTX 2060 measures 229 mm long, 113 mm high, and 35 mm wide; the RX 5500M has no listed dimensions.

The RTX 2060 was released on 2019-01-06, with a launch MSRP of 349 USD. The RX 5500M followed on 2019-10-06, with no launch MSRP recorded. Both are end-of-life. The RTX 2060's predecessor is GeForce 10, and its successor is GeForce 30. The RX 5500M's predecessor is Polaris Mobile, with no recorded successor.