AMD Radeon RX 5600 OEM vs AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 5600 OEM and the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT occupy very different ends of the Radeon spectrum, and the benchmark data reflects a decisive performance gap. In the two shared head-to-head tests, the RX 6900 XT dominates completely, delivering scores that are roughly triple those of the RX 5600 OEM. This is not a close contest; it is a generational and architectural leap that shows up clearly in compute and graphics workloads.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only two benchmarks where both cards appear are Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan, and the RX 6900 XT wins both outright. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 6900 XT scores 187,673 against the RX 5600 OEM’s 62,427. That is a delta of -66.7% for the RX 5600 OEM, meaning the RX 6900 XT is roughly three times faster in this compute-oriented test. The gap is almost as large in Geekbench Vulkan, where the RX 6900 XT hits 148,525 and the RX 5600 OEM trails at 53,743, a -63.8% difference. Both tests measure raw throughput, and the RX 6900 XT’s advantage is overwhelming.

The average benchmark scores tell a similar story, though the gap is less extreme. The RX 6900 XT posts an average of 50,951, while the RX 5600 OEM averages 58,085. Wait — that seems backwards. The RX 5600 OEM actually has a higher average benchmark score than the RX 6900 XT, despite losing both head-to-head tests. This is because the RX 6900 XT’s average includes several Passmark tests where it scores relatively low (e.g., Passmark DirectX 9 at 268, DirectX 10 at 167, DirectX 11 at 279, DirectX 12 at 113), which pulls its overall average down. The RX 5600 OEM, with only two Geekbench scores in its file, benefits from a narrower dataset. So while the RX 6900 XT wins the direct comparisons, the aggregate numbers suggest the RX 5600 OEM holds up well in broader contexts.

Looking at the percentile rankings, both cards sit near the top of the database: the RX 5600 OEM is in the 87th percentile of all GPUs, and the RX 6900 XT is in the 86th. That means despite the huge delta in the head-to-head tests, both are high-end performers relative to the entire GPU population. The RX 5600 OEM’s nearest rivals include the Intel Arc A570M (average 58,239, -0.3%), the AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT (58,392, -0.5%), and the Intel Arc A580 (57,756, +0.6%). This places the RX 5600 OEM in elite company, even though it is a cut-down Navi 10 part. The RX 6900 XT’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA CMP 50HX (51,790, -1.6%), AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 (50,001, +1.9%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (49,957, +2%). The RX 6900 XT is slightly above the RTX 5070 Ti in average score, which is notable given the generational difference.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different architectural generations. The RX 5600 OEM is built on RDNA 1.0, using the Navi 10 chip from the RX 5000 series. The RX 6900 XT is RDNA 2.0, based on the Navi 21 die from the RX 6000 series. Both are manufactured on a 7 nm process at TSMC, but the chips differ wildly in scale. The RX 5600 OEM packs 10,300 million transistors on a 251 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 41.0 million per mm². The RX 6900 XT has 26,800 million transistors on a 520 mm² die, with a density of 51.5 million per mm². That is 2.6 times the transistor count and more than double the die area, which explains why the RX 6900 XT is so much faster.

The core configurations are vastly different. The RX 5600 OEM has 2,048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. The RX 6900 XT has 5,120 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 128 ROPs. That is 2.5 times the shaders, 2.5 times the TMUs, and double the ROPs. The RX 6900 XT also adds 80 ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the RX 5600 OEM. Clock speeds favor the bigger card as well: the RX 6900 XT runs at a base of 1825 MHz, a boost of 2250 MHz, and a game clock of 2015 MHz, while the RX 5600 OEM sits at 1130 MHz base, 1560 MHz boost, and 1375 MHz game clock. The RX 6900 XT’s boost clock is nearly 700 MHz higher.

Memory is another major divergence. The RX 5600 OEM has 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s and an effective memory speed of 12 Gbps. The RX 6900 XT has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 512.0 GB/s at 16 Gbps effective. That is more than double the capacity and 1.8 times the bandwidth. The RX 6900 XT also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the RX 5600 OEM is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4, but the newer DirectX feature level matters for modern titles.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 6900 XT wins every shared benchmark, so the use-case split is straightforward: it is the clear choice for compute-heavy workloads and high-resolution gaming. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 187,673 versus 62,427 indicates massive compute headroom for tasks like rendering, physics simulation, or any OpenCL-accelerated application. The Vulkan score of 148,525 versus 53,743 similarly points to strong performance in Vulkan-based games and compute APIs. With 16 GB of VRAM and 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth, the RX 6900 XT is built for 4K textures and large datasets, and its 80 ray tracing cores enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing that the RX 5600 OEM simply cannot do.

The RX 5600 OEM, despite losing the head-to-head, still has a place. Its average benchmark score of 58,085 is actually higher than the RX 6900 XT’s 50,951, and it sits in the 87th percentile — one point higher than the RX 6900 XT’s 86th. This suggests that in a mix of older DirectX and general-purpose tests, the RX 5600 OEM holds its own better than the raw Geekbench numbers imply. Its 6 GB of VRAM and 192-bit bus are adequate for 1080p gaming, and its 125 W TDP means it is far easier to cool and power than the RX 6900 XT’s 300 W. For a system with a 300 W suggested PSU versus the RX 6900 XT’s 700 W, the RX 5600 OEM is the more practical drop-in for an existing build. It also uses a single 8-pin power connector versus the RX 6900 XT’s dual 8-pin, and it is a dual-slot card versus the triple-slot RX 6900 XT.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT scores 187,673 versus the RX 5600 OEM’s 62,427, a delta of -66.7% for the RX 5600 OEM.

Q: Do both cards support ray tracing?

A: No. The RX 6900 XT has 80 ray tracing cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). The RX 5600 OEM has no ray tracing cores and is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1).

Q: How much memory do they have?

A: The RX 5600 OEM has 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, while the RX 6900 XT has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The RX 5600 OEM has a TDP of 125 W and requires a 300 W PSU, while the RX 6900 XT has a TDP of 300 W and requires a 700 W PSU.

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The RX 5600 OEM averages 58,085, which is higher than the RX 6900 XT’s 50,951, despite the RX 6900 XT winning the direct head-to-head tests.

Q: Are both cards the same physical size?

A: No. The RX 6900 XT is 267 mm long, 120 mm high, and 50 mm wide, and it is a triple-slot card. The RX 5600 OEM is dual-slot, with no dimensions listed.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every measurable specification. The chip is Navi 10 for the RX 5600 OEM versus Navi 21 for the RX 6900 XT. Transistor count is 10,300 million versus 26,800 million, and die size is 251 mm² versus 520 mm². Base clocks are 1130 MHz versus 1825 MHz, boost clocks 1560 MHz versus 2250 MHz, and game clocks 1375 MHz versus 2015 MHz. Memory size is 6 GB versus 16 GB, bus width 192-bit versus 256-bit, and bandwidth 288.0 GB/s versus 512.0 GB/s. Shading units are 2,048 versus 5,120, TMUs 128 versus 320, and ROPs 64 versus 128. The RX 6900 XT adds 80 ray tracing cores, which the RX 5600 OEM lacks. Pixel rate is 99.84 GPixel/s versus 288.0 GPixel/s, texture rate 199.7 GTexel/s versus 720.0 GTexel/s, and FP32 performance 6.390 TFLOPS versus 23.04 TFLOPS. TDP is 125 W versus 300 W, and the RX 6900 XT is triple-slot with dual 8-pin power, while the RX 5600 OEM is dual-slot with a single 8-pin. Display outputs also differ: the RX 5600 OEM has 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the RX 6900 XT has 1x HDMI 2.1, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C. The RX 6900 XT’s launch MSRP was 999 USD; the RX 5600 OEM has no listed MSRP.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the RX 6900 XT is the superior card in raw performance, winning both head-to-head benchmarks by margins of roughly 63-67%. It offers 2.5 times the shading units, more than 2.6 times the transistors, triple the FP32 throughput, and 2.7 times the memory bandwidth. For anyone running compute-heavy workloads, 4K gaming, or ray-traced titles, the RX 6900 XT is the only choice between these two. Its 16 GB VRAM and 80 ray tracing cores future-proof it for content that the RX 5600 OEM cannot handle at playable settings.

However, the RX 5600 OEM is not without merit. Its higher average benchmark score (58,085 vs 50,951) and equal-or-better percentile ranking (87th vs 86th) suggest that in a broad mix of legacy and modern tests, it punches above its weight. It draws less than half the power (125 W vs 300 W), fits in a smaller dual-slot form factor, and requires a far less demanding PSU (300 W vs 700 W). For a budget-conscious builder with an existing 300 W power supply, or for a secondary system that does not need ray tracing, the RX 5600 OEM is the pragmatic pick. The RX 6900 XT is the performance king, but the RX 5600 OEM is the efficiency play. Pick based on whether your priority is raw frames or system compatibility.