AMD Radeon RX 5600 OEM vs Intel Arc A550M Comparison

AMD Radeon RX 5600 OEM vs Intel Arc A550M is a study in contrasts: a desktop-oriented, end-of-life GPU from AMD’s RDNA 1.0 generation against a mobile-focused, end-of-life Intel part built on Xe-HPG. The benchmark data shows a clear winner in raw compute, but the two cards occupy different design philosophies that matter beyond just scores. The RX 5600 OEM leads in both tested workloads, yet the Arc A550M counters with a much lower power draw and a significantly higher boost clock, making this a comparison of brute force versus efficiency.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench results are unambiguous. In the OpenCL test, the AMD Radeon RX 5600 OEM scores 62,427 points, while the Intel Arc A550M trails at 49,894. That is a 25.1% delta in favor of AMD, a substantial margin that puts the RX 5600 OEM in a different performance tier for general-purpose compute. The AMD card’s FP32 throughput of 6.390 TFLOPS versus Intel’s 8.397 TFLOPS might suggest the opposite, but the actual benchmark result shows AMD’s architecture extracting more real-world performance from fewer raw FLOPs — a reminder that theoretical peak rates do not always translate to application-level wins.

The Vulkan test narrows the gap considerably. Here, the RX 5600 OEM scores 53,743, and the Arc A550M posts 49,580. AMD still wins, but the delta shrinks to 8.4%. This smaller margin indicates that Intel’s Xe-HPG architecture handles modern graphics APIs better than its OpenCL performance suggests, likely benefiting from its 2050 MHz boost clock — the highest of either card — and its 16 ray tracing cores. Still, a win is a win, and the RX 5600 OEM takes both head-to-head matchups, giving it a 2-0 record in this comparison.

Looking at the broader benchmark context, the RX 5600 OEM’s average benchmark score of 58,085 places it in the 87th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Arc A570M (58,239, -0.3%), the AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT (58,392, -0.5%), and the Intel Arc A580 (57,756, +0.6%). This clustering shows the RX 5600 OEM sits in a dense, competitive band where a few points separate it from much newer or more expensive hardware. The Arc A550M, by contrast, averages 49,737, landing in the 86th percentile. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (49,957, -0.4%), AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 (50,001, -0.5%), and AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (50,951, -2.4%). The A550M is thus roughly 14% slower on average than the RX 5600 OEM, a gap that aligns with the head-to-head OpenCL result.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins in raw compute performance?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 5600 OEM wins both benchmark tests. It leads by 25.1% in Geekbench OpenCL (62,427 vs 49,894) and by 8.4% in Geekbench Vulkan (53,743 vs 49,580).

Q: Does the Intel Arc A550M have any advantage in clock speed?

A: Yes, the Arc A550M boosts up to 2050 MHz, compared to the RX 5600 OEM’s 1560 MHz boost. Despite this higher clock, Intel’s card still loses both benchmarks, indicating that AMD’s architecture achieves better performance per clock in these tests.

Q: How do their memory configurations differ?

A: The RX 5600 OEM has 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Arc A550M has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing 224.0 GB/s. AMD’s narrower capacity but wider bus results in 22% more memory bandwidth.

Q: What is the power draw difference?

A: The RX 5600 OEM has a 125 W TDP, while the Arc A550M draws only 60 W. This makes the Intel card more than twice as power-efficient per watt in terms of TDP, though the AMD card is faster overall.

Q: Do either of these cards support ray tracing?

A: Only the Intel Arc A550M has dedicated ray tracing hardware, with 16 RT cores. The RX 5600 OEM lists no RT cores, and its DirectX support tops out at 12_1, whereas the Arc supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2).

Q: Are these cards still in production?

A: No, both are end-of-life. The RX 5600 OEM was released on 2020-01-20, while the Arc A550M has no release date listed in the data.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide is stark. AMD’s RX 5600 OEM uses the Navi 10 chip built on RDNA 1.0, fabricated on TSMC’s 7 nm process. It packs 10,300 million transistors into a 251 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 41.0M per mm². Intel’s Arc A550M uses the DG2-512 chip on Xe-HPG architecture, manufactured on a 6 nm TSMC process. This larger chip contains 21,700 million transistors spread across a 406 mm² die, achieving a density of 53.4M per mm². Intel’s process advantage is clear: 61% more transistors on a 62% larger die, but with significantly better density.

Core configurations are identical in count but differ in features. Both have 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The RX 5600 OEM’s pixel rate is 99.84 GPixel/s, while the Arc A550M hits 131.2 GPixel/s — a 31% advantage for Intel, thanks to its higher boost clock. Texture rates follow suit: 199.7 GTexel/s for AMD versus 262.4 GTexel/s for Intel. The Arc A550M also includes 16 RT cores, which the RX 5600 OEM lacks entirely, and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) versus AMD’s DirectX 12 (12_1). Both cards support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

Memory architecture diverges sharply. The RX 5600 OEM uses 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s. The Arc A550M has 8 GB on a 128-bit bus, at 224.0 GB/s. AMD’s wider bus gives it 28.6% more bandwidth, which likely contributes to its OpenCL lead. The physical form factors differ too: the RX 5600 OEM is a dual-slot card with a 1x 8-pin power connector and a 300 W suggested PSU, while the Arc A550M is an IGP (integrated graphics package) with no power connectors and no suggested PSU listed. Display outputs also differ: AMD offers 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while Intel’s outputs are listed as “Portable Device Dependent.”

The Verdict

The data points to the AMD Radeon RX 5600 OEM as the faster GPU for compute-heavy workloads. It wins both benchmark tests, holds a 14% average score advantage, and delivers more memory bandwidth. For anyone prioritizing raw OpenCL or Vulkan performance, the RX 5600 OEM is the clear choice, even if its 125 W TDP is more than double Intel’s 60 W. The 87th percentile ranking versus the A550M’s 86th is a minor difference, but the 25.1% OpenCL gap is decisive.

However, the Intel Arc A550M is not without merit. Its 2050 MHz boost clock, 16 RT cores, and DirectX 12 Ultimate support position it as a more modern architecture, even if its benchmark scores lag. For users in portable or low-power environments, the 60 W TDP and IGP form factor are significant advantages that no desktop card can match. The A550M also offers 8 GB of VRAM versus 6 GB, which could matter in memory-constrained scenarios, though its narrower 128-bit bus limits effective bandwidth.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 5600 OEM | Intel Arc A550M |

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

| Architecture | RDNA 1.0 | Xe-HPG |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 6 nm |

| Transistors | 10,300 million | 21,700 million |

| Die Size | 251 mm² | 406 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 41.0M / mm² | 53.4M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1130 MHz | 900 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1560 MHz | 2050 MHz |

| Memory Size | 6 GB | 8 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 192 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 288.0 GB/s | 224.0 GB/s |

| RT Cores | None | 16 |

| Pixel Rate | 99.84 GPixel/s | 131.2 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 199.7 GTexel/s | 262.4 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 6.390 TFLOPS | 8.397 TFLOPS |

| TDP | 125 W | 60 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | IGP |

| Power Connectors | 1x 8-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 300 W | None |

| DirectX Support | 12 (12_1) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.0b, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a | Portable Device Dependent |

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 5600 OEM wins in every metric that matters for raw compute performance. It dominates OpenCL with a 25.1% lead, takes Vulkan by 8.4%, and offers 28.6% more memory bandwidth. Its 288.0 GB/s bandwidth and 192-bit bus make it better suited for data-heavy workloads that saturate memory, while its 125 W TDP is reasonable for a desktop card with a 300 W PSU recommendation. The 87th percentile ranking places it among solidly competitive GPUs, outpacing the Arc A550M’s 86th percentile by a notch. For builders with a dedicated slot and power budget, the RX 5600 OEM is the performance pick.

The Intel Arc A550M wins on efficiency and modern features. Its 60 W TDP is less than half of AMD’s, making it suitable for compact or power-sensitive systems, and its IGP form factor requires no external power connectors. The 2050 MHz boost clock drives higher pixel and texture rates — 131.2 GPixel/s and 262.4 GTexel/s, respectively — and the 16 RT cores enable ray tracing that the RX 5600 OEM cannot do. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is 33% larger, even if bandwidth is lower. For users prioritizing portability, lower power draw, or hardware ray tracing, the Arc A550M is the better fit, provided they accept the compute performance deficit.