AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT vs AMD Radeon RX 560X Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data includes two direct comparison points between the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT and the AMD Radeon RX 560X, and both are decisive wins for the newer card. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 5600 XT scores 68,537 against the RX 560X’s 17,020. That is a 302.7% advantage, meaning the RX 5600 XT delivers more than four times the compute performance in this workload. The gap is slightly narrower but still enormous in Geekbench Vulkan, where the RX 5600 XT posts 56,218 versus 20,231, a 177.9% lead. The RX 560X never takes a single benchmark in this head-to-head set; the win count stands at 2-0 in favor of the RX 5600 XT.

For context, the RX 5600 XT’s average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 20,713, placing it in the 66th percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals by average score are the AMD Radeon R9 M390X (20,662, 0.2% behind), Intel Arc A750 (20,582, 0.6% behind), Intel Arc B570 (20,556, 0.8% behind), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20,534, 0.9% behind). The RX 5600 XT sits just ahead of a cluster of cards that are all within a single percentage point, so its performance tier is tightly packed. The RX 560X, by contrast, averages 18,626 across its two recorded benchmarks, which lands it in the 62nd percentile. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT (18,685, 0.3% ahead), AMD FirePro D500 (18,533, 0.5% behind), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (18,789, 0.9% ahead), and NVIDIA Tesla K80 (18,866, 1.3% ahead). The delta between the two cards in overall average score is roughly 11.2%, but the head-to-head results show a far larger spread in compute-heavy and API-specific tasks.

Architecture Differences

The architectural split between these two GPUs is generational and fundamental. The RX 5600 XT is built on RDNA 1.0, uses the Navi 10 chip, and is fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC. The RX 560X uses GCN 4.0, the Polaris 21 chip, and a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. That process shrink alone explains a large part of the performance-per-watt and density differences. The Navi 10 die contains 10,300 million transistors on a 251 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 41.0 million per mm². The Polaris 21 die packs 3,000 million transistors on 123 mm², for a density of 24.4 million per mm². So the RX 5600 XT has more than three times the transistor count, and it is packed into a die that is only about twice the area.

The memory subsystems are completely different generations. The RX 5600 XT uses 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, with memory clocked at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective) and bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. The RX 560X uses 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective), delivering 112.0 GB/s. The RX 5600 XT has 2.57 times the memory bandwidth, which matters in texture-heavy and high-resolution scenarios. The compute resources also scale dramatically: the RX 5600 XT has 2,304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, versus 1,024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 16 ROPs on the RX 560X. That is 2.25 times the shader count, 2.25 times the TMUs, and 4 times the ROPs.

Pixel and texture rates reflect this. The RX 5600 XT outputs 99.84 GPixel/s and 224.6 GTexel/s, while the RX 560X manages 20.40 GPixel/s and 81.60 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is rated at 7.188 TFLOPS for the RX 5600 XT, against 2.611 TFLOPS for the RX 560X. FP16 is a point of divergence: the RX 5600 XT achieves 14.38 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, while the RX 560X is locked at 2.611 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, meaning it gains nothing from FP16 workloads. The RX 5600 XT supports PCIe 4.0 x16, while the RX 560X is limited to PCIe 3.0 x8, which can affect data transfer in bandwidth-sensitive tasks. API support also differs slightly: the RX 5600 XT supports DirectX 12_1 and Vulkan 1.4, while the RX 560X is at DirectX 12_0 and Vulkan 1.3. Both cards cap at OpenGL 4.6. Neither card has ray tracing or tensor cores, so that is not a differentiator here.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The RX 5600 XT scores 68,537 versus the RX 560X’s 17,020, a 302.7% lead.

Q: Is the RX 560X competitive in any recorded benchmark?

A: No. In the two head-to-head tests available (Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan), the RX 5600 XT wins both. The RX 560X has zero wins.

Q: How do these cards compare in overall average benchmark score?

A: The RX 5600 XT averages 20,713 across all tests and sits in the 66th percentile of all GPUs. The RX 560X averages 18,626 and sits in the 62nd percentile.

Q: What are the memory capacity and bandwidth differences?

A: The RX 5600 XT has 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 560X has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, with 112.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card has a higher boost clock?

A: The RX 5600 XT boosts to 1560 MHz, while the RX 560X boosts to 1275 MHz. The RX 560X has a slightly higher base clock at 1175 MHz versus 1130 MHz, but that is irrelevant given the large gap in boost.

Q: Do either of these cards support ray tracing?

A: No. Both cards list null for RT cores and tensor cores in the database. Neither has dedicated hardware for those workloads.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT | AMD Radeon RX 560X |

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

| Architecture | RDNA 1.0 | GCN 4.0 |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 14 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | GlobalFoundries |

| Transistors | 10,300 million | 3,000 million |

| Die Size | 251 mm² | 123 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 41.0M / mm² | 24.4M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1130 MHz | 1175 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1560 MHz | 1275 MHz |

| Game Clock | 1375 MHz | N/A |

| Memory Clock | 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective) | 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 6 GB | 4 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus Width | 192 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 288.0 GB/s | 112.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2304 | 1024 |

| TMUs | 144 | 64 |

| ROPs | 64 | 16 |

| Pixel Rate | 99.84 GPixel/s | 20.40 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 224.6 GTexel/s | 81.60 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Compute | 7.188 TFLOPS | 2.611 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Compute | 14.38 TFLOPS (2:1) | 2.611 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 150 W | 75 W |

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

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | 250 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x8 |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.0b, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, 1x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| DirectX Support | 12 (12_1) | 12 (12_0) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | 1.3 |

| Release Date | 2020-01-20 | 2018-04-10 |

| Length | 267 mm (10.5 inches) | 170 mm (6.7 inches) |

| Launch MSRP | 279 USD | N/A |

Where Each One Wins

The RX 5600 XT wins every category that matters for modern gaming and compute. Its 302.7% lead in OpenCL and 177.9% lead in Vulkan show a card that is in a different performance class, not just a mild refresh. The 6 GB GDDR6 memory with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth is built for 1080p and 1440p gaming with high texture detail, while the RX 560X’s 4 GB GDDR5 and 112.0 GB/s bandwidth will struggle with larger assets and higher resolutions. The RX 5600 XT’s 2.25 times the shading units and 4 times the ROPs directly translate to higher fill rates and more geometry throughput. The 7 nm process and RDNA 1.0 architecture give it better efficiency per clock, and the PCIe 4.0 x16 interface offers double the bus bandwidth of the RX 560X’s PCIe 3.0 x8 link.

The RX 560X does have some points in its favor, but they are not performance wins. It runs at 75 W TDP with no external power connector, versus 150 W and a single 8-pin on the RX 5600 XT. Its suggested PSU is 250 W versus 450 W. It is also much shorter at 170 mm versus 267 mm, which makes it a fit for smaller cases or low-power prebuilt systems. Its base clock is 45 MHz higher, but that is irrelevant given the boost clock gap of 285 MHz. The RX 560X supports DirectX 12_0, which is sufficient for older titles but not for features like mesh shaders or other 12_1 features. In short, the RX 560X wins only in power draw, physical footprint, and legacy compatibility.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT is the superior GPU in every measurable performance category. It more than quadruples the RX 560X in OpenCL compute and nearly triples it in Vulkan. Its memory bandwidth, shader count, texture units, ROPs, and pixel/texture rates are all substantially higher. The 7 nm RDNA 1.0 architecture is a full generation ahead of the 14 nm GCN 4.0 design, and it shows in both raw throughput and efficiency. The RX 5600 XT also supports newer API features with DirectX 12_1 and Vulkan 1.4, which future-proofs it better for upcoming titles.

The RX 560X is not without a niche. Its 75 W power draw, lack of a power connector, and 250 W suggested PSU make it suitable for office desktops or very small form factor builds where power delivery is constrained. Its 170 mm length also fits into cases that cannot accommodate the 267 mm RX 5600 XT. But for anyone building a system for gaming, GPU-accelerated rendering, or compute workloads, the RX 5600 XT is the only logical choice from this pairing. The RX 560X’s 62nd percentile standing is respectable for a card from 2018, but the RX 5600 XT sits at the 66th percentile with an average score that is nearly 11% higher, and the head-to-head deltas are far larger than that average suggests. Pick the RX 5600 XT unless your primary constraint is power draw or physical space.