AMD Radeon RX 560 XT vs AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE is in a completely different performance class than the AMD Radeon RX 560 XT, delivering over five times the OpenCL score and nearly triple the Vulkan score in direct comparisons. The RX 560 XT, an end-of-life Polaris part from 2019, retains a higher percentile ranking among all GPUs (79th vs 77th) despite its massive performance deficit, a quirk driven by the benchmark database's averaging methodology. The data shows no contest in raw compute, but the older card's legacy status and the newer card's feature set create distinct use cases.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the RX 7900 GRE in OpenCL compute?

A: The RX 7900 GRE scores 175,758 in Geekbench OpenCL versus 31,387 for the RX 560 XT, a delta of -82.1% from the newer card's perspective. This represents a 5.6x advantage for the RX 7900 GRE.

Q: Does the RX 560 XT win any head-to-head benchmark?

A: No. In the two direct comparisons available (Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan), the RX 7900 GRE wins both. The RX 560 XT records zero wins in the head-to-head data.

Q: Which card has a better percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The RX 560 XT ranks in the 79th percentile, while the RX 7900 GRE ranks in the 77th percentile. Despite being far slower in absolute benchmarks, the older card sits higher in this relative metric.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The RX 560 XT has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 7900 GRE has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 576.0 GB/s bandwidth — four times the capacity and 2.6 times the bandwidth.

Q: Are there API feature differences that matter?

A: Yes. The RX 560 XT supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3, while the RX 7900 GRE supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4. The newer card also adds 80 ray tracing cores, which the RX 560 XT lacks entirely.

Q: What are the closest rivals for each card according to the data?

A: The RX 560 XT's nearest rival is the NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB, with an average score of 34,154 versus 34,133 (a -0.1% delta). The RX 7900 GRE's nearest rival is the AMD FirePro S10000, scoring 32,388 versus 32,456 (a +0.2% delta).

Architecture Differences

The two cards are separated by four full generations of AMD GPU design. The RX 560 XT uses the Ellesmere chip built on GCN 4.0 architecture, fabricated on a 14 nm process by GlobalFoundries. It packs 5,700 million transistors onto a 232 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 24.6M per mm². The RX 7900 GRE uses the Navi 31 chip with RDNA 3.0 architecture, built on a 5 nm process by TSMC, with 57,700 million transistors on a 529 mm² die — a density of 109.1M per mm².

The compute pipeline differs dramatically. The RX 560 XT has 1,792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The RX 7900 GRE has 5,120 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 160 ROPs — roughly 2.9x, 2.9x, and 5x respectively. The RX 7900 GRE adds 80 dedicated ray tracing cores, a feature class entirely absent from the RX 560 XT. Clock speeds also diverge: the RX 560 XT boosts to 1226 MHz, while the RX 7900 GRE boosts to 2245 MHz with a game clock of 1880 MHz.

The memory subsystem reflects the generational leap. Both use 256-bit buses, but the RX 560 XT relies on 4 GB GDDR5 at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) for 224.0 GB/s, whereas the RX 7900 GRE uses 16 GB GDDR6 at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) for 576.0 GB/s. The RX 7900 GRE also features a 2:1 FP16 ratio (91.96 TFLOPS) versus the RX 560 XT's 1:1 ratio (4.394 TFLOPS), enabling faster half-precision workloads.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The direct comparison data is lopsided. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 7900 GRE scores 175,758 against the RX 560 XT's 31,387, a delta of -82.1% when measured from the winner's side. This is not an incremental improvement; it is a 5.6x multiplication of raw compute throughput. The RX 7900 GRE's FP32 rating of 45.98 TFLOPS versus 4.394 TFLOPS for the RX 560 XT corroborates this scale of difference.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the RX 7900 GRE scores 99,850 versus 36,879 for the RX 560 XT, a delta of -63.1%. While still a decisive 2.7x win, the Vulkan gap is narrower than OpenCL. The RX 560 XT's Vulkan score of 36,879 is actually higher than its OpenCL score of 31,387, suggesting the older GCN architecture handles Vulkan's lower-level API relatively better. The RX 7900 GRE shows the opposite pattern — its OpenCL score (175,758) far exceeds its Vulkan score (99,850) — indicating RDNA 3.0's compute optimizations favor OpenCL workloads.

The broader benchmark suite for the RX 7900 GRE includes 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 (4,814), PassMark G3D (27,089), and PassMark GPU Compute (15,016). These scores, combined with the Vulkan and OpenCL results, place its average benchmark score at 32,456. The RX 560 XT's average is 34,133, derived solely from its two Geekbench results — a statistical artifact that inflates its standing relative to the far more powerful RX 7900 GRE.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the RX 7900 GRE is the superior card by every measurable performance metric. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks, offers 16 GB of memory versus 4 GB, supports ray tracing, and delivers 45.98 TFLOPS FP32 versus 4.394 TFLOPS. Any workload that stresses compute, memory bandwidth, or modern graphics features will favor the RX 7900 GRE overwhelmingly.

The RX 560 XT's sole advantage is its percentile ranking (79th vs 77th) and its proximity to rivals like the NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB (within 0.1%) and AMD Radeon RX 480 (within 0.4%). This suggests that within its own performance tier, the RX 560 XT is a competitive legacy part — but that tier is fundamentally lower. For users constrained to the RX 560 XT's performance class, the data shows it remains viable for OpenCL and Vulkan workloads, but it cannot be recommended for any task where the RX 7900 GRE is an option.

The RX 7900 GRE's launch MSRP of 549 USD positions it as a premium product, though pricing analysis is outside the scope of this data. Its nearest rivals — the AMD FirePro S10000 (+0.2%) and AMD Radeon RX 590 GME (-0.4%) — highlight that its average benchmark score of 32,456 does not fully reflect its peak capabilities in modern APIs.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 560 XT | AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | GCN 4.0 | RDNA 3.0 |

| Process Node | 14 nm | 5 nm |

| Transistors | 5,700 million | 57,700 million |

| Die Size | 232 mm² | 529 mm² |

| Base Clock | 1074 MHz | 1287 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1226 MHz | 2245 MHz |

| Game Clock | — | 1880 MHz |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 16 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Clock | 1750 MHz (7 Gbps) | 2250 MHz (18 Gbps) |

| Memory Bandwidth | 224.0 GB/s | 576.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1792 | 5120 |

| TMUs | 112 | 320 |

| ROPs | 32 | 160 |

| RT Cores | — | 80 |

| Pixel Rate | 39.23 GPixel/s | 359.2 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 137.3 GTexel/s | 718.4 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 4.394 TFLOPS | 45.98 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 4.394 TFLOPS (1:1) | 91.96 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 150 W | 260 W |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin | 2x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | 600 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.0b, 3x DP 1.4a | 1x HDMI 2.1a, 2x DP 2.1, 1x USB-C |

| DirectX Support | 12 (12_0) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.3 | 1.4 |

| Production Status | End-of-life | Active |

| Release Date | 2019-03-12 | 2023-07-26 |

Where Each One Wins

AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE wins every category that matters for modern gaming and compute. Its 16 GB GDDR6 memory with 576.0 GB/s bandwidth handles large textures and datasets that would exhaust the RX 560 XT's 4 GB frame buffer. The 5x pixel rate (359.2 vs 39.23 GPixel/s) and 5x texture rate (718.4 vs 137.3 GTexel/s) translate directly to higher resolution and detail settings. Ray tracing cores enable effects the RX 560 XT cannot run at all. The 2:1 FP16 ratio (91.96 TFLOPS) accelerates half-precision AI and compute workloads. PCIe 4.0 x16 doubles the bus bandwidth versus PCIe 3.0 x16. DisplayPort 2.1 and HDMI 2.1a support modern high-refresh displays.

AMD Radeon RX 560 XT wins only in niche legacy scenarios. Its 150 W TDP and single 6-pin connector make it easier to fit into older systems with 450 W power supplies, versus the RX 7900 GRE's 260 W TDP and 600 W PSU requirement. Its 241 mm length (9.5 inches) is shorter than the RX 7900 GRE's 276 mm (10.9 inches), aiding compact case compatibility. The 79th percentile ranking suggests it outperforms 79% of all GPUs in the database, a respectable showing for a card from 2019. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB, sits within 0.1% — meaning the RX 560 XT remains competitive within its own vintage class. For users running older DirectX 11 or Vulkan applications that don't need beyond 4 GB VRAM, the RX 560 XT's 36,879 Vulkan score demonstrates it can still handle those workloads. But the data shows no scenario where the RX 560 XT outperforms the RX 7900 GRE in a direct benchmark.