AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT vs AMD Radeon RX 5700 Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 and AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT share the same Navi 10 silicon, the same RDNA 1.0 architecture, and the same 7 nm TSMC process, yet the benchmark data shows a clear, consistent performance hierarchy between them. Across all eleven head-to-head tests, the RX 5700 wins outright, with margins ranging from a razor-thin 0.8% in 2D graphics to a commanding 19.2% in DirectX 10 workloads. The RX 5600 XT is not a slouch—it sits at the 66th percentile of all GPUs—but the RX 5700’s 67th percentile and higher average score of 22170 versus 20713 establish it as the more capable part in nearly every measurable scenario.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 5700 is the clear victor in every single benchmark category recorded, making the use-case split straightforward: it is the better choice for users who prioritize raw graphics throughput, compute performance, and API-specific workloads. Its wins are most pronounced in legacy DirectX 10 (19.2%), Vulkan (14.1%), and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 (11.6%), suggesting that its higher clock speeds and memory bandwidth translate into tangible gains across both older and modern rendering paths. For those running compute-heavy tasks, the RX 5700 also leads in OpenCL by 1.6% and GPU compute by 3.5%, though these margins are modest.

The RX 5600 XT, while losing every head-to-head contest, still holds its own as a capable 1080p-class card. Its closest performance parity with the RX 5700 comes in PassMark G2D (0.8% delta) and OpenCL (1.6% delta), indicating that in 2D desktop workloads and certain compute scenarios, the gap nearly closes. However, there is no workload category where the RX 5600 XT emerges as the recommended pick over its larger sibling. The data suggests that if a user is constrained by power or physical space, the RX 5600 XT’s lower 150 W TDP and single 8-pin connector make it a more accommodating fit, but that is a system-integration advantage, not a performance one.

Architecture Differences

Both cards are built on the same Navi 10 chip, manufactured on TSMC’s 7 nm process, with identical transistor counts of 10,300 million and a die size of 251 mm². The fundamental architecture—RDNA 1.0—is shared, including the same 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. Neither card features dedicated ray tracing or tensor cores, and both support DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The core differences lie in clock speeds, memory configuration, and power delivery.

The RX 5700 operates at a base clock of 1465 MHz, a game clock of 1625 MHz, and a boost clock of 1725 MHz, while the RX 5600 XT runs significantly lower at 1130 MHz base, 1375 MHz game, and 1560 MHz boost. This clock advantage directly drives the RX 5700’s higher pixel rate of 110.4 GPixel/s versus 99.84 GPixel/s, and its texture rate of 248.4 GTexel/s versus 224.6 GTexel/s. The FP32 compute throughput follows suit: 7.949 TFLOPS for the RX 5700 versus 7.188 TFLOPS for the RX 5600 XT, with FP16 rates of 15.90 TFLOPS and 14.38 TFLOPS respectively.

Memory is another major differentiator. The RX 5700 comes with 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, whereas the RX 5600 XT is limited to 6 GB on a 192-bit bus, yielding 288.0 GB/s. The memory clocks also differ, with the RX 5700 running at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) versus 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective) on the RX 5600 XT. This 160 GB/s bandwidth gap is likely a significant factor in the RX 5700’s larger wins in memory-sensitive tests like Vulkan and 3DMark. Power consumption reflects the performance disparity: the RX 5700 draws 180 W and requires both a 6-pin and an 8-pin connector, while the RX 5600 XT uses 150 W with a single 8-pin.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The largest margin of victory for the RX 5700 comes in PassMark DirectX 10, where it scores 87 against the RX 5600 XT’s 73, a 19.2% advantage. This is a notable outlier, suggesting that legacy DX10 titles or workloads that rely on older API paths benefit disproportionately from the RX 5700’s higher clock speeds. In Vulkan, the RX 5700 posts 64166 versus 56218, a 14.1% lead, which is the second-largest gap—a strong indicator that modern cross-platform games using Vulkan will see a substantial frame-rate uplift.

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark shows the RX 5700 at 1862 versus 1669, an 11.6% win, reinforcing its superiority in current-generation DirectX 12 titles. Metal performance follows with a 7.1% lead (86079 versus 80376), which matters for users on macOS or iOS environments leveraging GPU acceleration. In PassMark G3D, the RX 5700 scores 14314 against 13457, a 6.4% advantage, while DirectX 11 shows a 5.2% gap (101 versus 96).

The smallest deltas are found in less demanding or compute-oriented tests. PassMark G2D sees the RX 5700 at 877 versus 870, a mere 0.8% difference—effectively a tie for desktop 2D tasks. OpenCL shows a 1.6% lead (69603 versus 68537), while PassMark GPU compute and DirectX 9 both show 3.5% gaps (6517 versus 6296, and 209 versus 202, respectively). DirectX 12 rounds out the list with a 3.8% margin (54 versus 52). Across all eleven tests, the RX 5700 wins 100% of the time, with an average delta that skews heavily toward the higher-clocked card.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in the majority of benchmarks?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 5700 wins all eleven head-to-head tests, with the largest margin being 19.2% in PassMark DirectX 10 and the smallest being 0.8% in PassMark G2D.

Q: How much memory bandwidth difference is there between the two?

A: The RX 5700 offers 448.0 GB/s over a 256-bit bus, while the RX 5600 XT provides 288.0 GB/s over a 192-bit bus. This 160 GB/s difference is substantial.

Q: Are both cards based on the same physical chip?

A: Yes, both use the Navi 10 chip with 10,300 million transistors on a 251 mm² die, manufactured on TSMC’s 7 nm process with RDNA 1.0 architecture.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The RX 5700 has a TDP of 180 W and requires a 6-pin plus 8-pin connector, whereas the RX 5600 XT has a TDP of 150 W and uses a single 8-pin connector.

Q: In which API does the RX 5700 have its biggest advantage?

A: The biggest advantage is in PassMark DirectX 10, where the RX 5700 scores 87 versus 73, a 19.2% lead. Vulkan is close behind at 14.1%.

Q: Does the RX 5600 XT win any single benchmark?

A: No. The data shows zero wins for the RX 5600 XT; the RX 5700 wins all eleven recorded benchmarks.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 5700 | AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT |

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

| Base Clock | 1465 MHz | 1130 MHz |

| Game Clock | 1625 MHz | 1375 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1725 MHz | 1560 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) | 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 8 GB | 6 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 256 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 448.0 GB/s | 288.0 GB/s |

| Pixel Rate | 110.4 GPixel/s | 99.84 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 248.4 GTexel/s | 224.6 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 7.949 TFLOPS | 7.188 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 15.90 TFLOPS (2:1) | 14.38 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 180 W | 150 W |

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

| Length | 268 mm (10.6 inches) | 267 mm (10.5 inches) |

| Release Date | 2019-07-06 | 2020-01-20 |

| Launch MSRP | 349 USD | 279 USD |

| Avg Benchmark Score | 22170 | 20713 |

| Percentile vs All GPUs | 67 | 66 |

The RX 5700 holds advantages in every clock speed, memory specification, and throughput metric, while the RX 5600 XT counters with a lower power draw and a shorter length by 1 mm. Both cards share identical shading units, TMUs, ROPs, API support, display outputs, and PCIe 4.0 x16 interface. The RX 5700’s launch MSRP is 349 USD compared to 279 USD for the RX 5600 XT, reflecting its higher-tier positioning within the same product generation.