AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER Comparison

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER wins every single recorded benchmark against the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT. Out of 10 head-to-head tests, the RTX 2080 SUPER takes all 10, with no tests favoring the Radeon. The average benchmark score for the RTX 2080 SUPER is 24,170, while the RX 5600 XT averages 20,713, a gap of roughly 16.7% in aggregate performance. In the database's percentile ranking, the RTX 2080 SUPER sits at the 69th percentile of all GPUs, compared to the RX 5600 XT's 66th percentile.

Who should pick which? The RTX 2080 SUPER is the choice for anyone prioritizing raw compute throughput, DirectX 12 performance, and Vulkan scaling. Its 44.8% lead in Geekbench OpenCL and 98% lead in Geekbench Vulkan make it the clear pick for compute-heavy workloads or applications that leverage those APIs. The RX 5600 XT, by contrast, is the card for a more power-conscious build: it carries a 150 W TDP versus the RTX 2080 SUPER's 250 W, and its suggested power supply is 450 W versus 600 W. If the priority is a smaller, cooler, and less power-hungry card that still delivers modern gaming features, the RX 5600 XT has a role. But on pure performance numbers, the RTX 2080 SUPER is decisively ahead.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different design philosophies. The RTX 2080 SUPER uses NVIDIA's Turing architecture on a 12 nm process from TSMC, with a massive 545 mm² die housing 13,600 million transistors. The RX 5600 XT uses AMD's RDNA 1.0 architecture on a 7 nm process, also from TSMC, but with a much smaller 251 mm² die and 10,300 million transistors. The process difference shows in transistor density: the Radeon packs 41.0M transistors per mm², versus the GeForce's 25.0M per mm².

Compute resources differ sharply. The RTX 2080 SUPER has 3,072 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. The RX 5600 XT has 2,304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and also 64 ROPs. The NVIDIA card also includes 48 RT cores and 384 tensor cores, which the AMD card lacks entirely; the RX 5600 XT has no ray tracing cores and no tensor cores. In raw throughput, the RTX 2080 SUPER delivers 11.15 TFLOPS FP32 and 22.30 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1), while the RX 5600 XT manages 7.188 TFLOPS FP32 and 14.38 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1).

Memory subsystems also diverge. The RTX 2080 SUPER has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, yielding 495.9 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 5600 XT has 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, yielding 288.0 GB/s. The NVIDIA card's memory runs at 15.5 Gbps effective, while the AMD card runs at 12 Gbps effective. Clock speeds favor the GeForce as well: base 1650 MHz and boost 1815 MHz, versus the Radeon's base 1130 MHz and boost 1560 MHz, with a game clock of 1375 MHz.

API support differs, too. The RTX 2080 SUPER supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the RX 5600 XT supports DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. The bus interface also differs: the RTX 2080 SUPER uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the RX 5600 XT uses PCIe 4.0 x16. Display outputs are similar but not identical: the GeForce has 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C; the Radeon has 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, with no USB-C.

FAQ

Q: Which card has better raw compute performance?

A: The RTX 2080 SUPER is substantially ahead. It scores 44.8% higher in Geekbench OpenCL and 31.7% higher in Passmark GPU Compute. Its FP32 throughput is 11.15 TFLOPS versus 7.188 TFLOPS for the RX 5600 XT.

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

A: No. In the recorded head-to-head data, the RTX 2080 SUPER wins all 10 tests, with deltas ranging from 5.7% in Passmark G2D to 98% in Geekbench Vulkan.

Q: How do the memory configurations compare?

A: The RTX 2080 SUPER has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 495.9 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 5600 XT has 6 GB on a 192-bit bus with 288.0 GB/s. The GeForce also has faster effective memory speed at 15.5 Gbps versus 12 Gbps.

Q: Which card is more power-efficient?

A: The RX 5600 XT is the lighter load. Its TDP is 150 W versus 250 W for the RTX 2080 SUPER, and it suggests a 450 W power supply versus 600 W. The AMD card also uses a single 8-pin connector, while the NVIDIA card requires both a 6-pin and an 8-pin.

Q: Does the RTX 2080 SUPER support ray tracing hardware?

A: Yes. It includes 48 RT cores and 384 tensor cores. The RX 5600 XT has no RT cores and no tensor cores, so it lacks dedicated ray tracing hardware.

Q: What are the release dates and launch prices?

A: The RTX 2080 SUPER launched on July 22, 2019, with a launch MSRP of 699 USD. The RX 5600 XT launched on January 20, 2020, with a launch MSRP of 279 USD. Both are now end-of-life products.

Specification Differences

The key specification gaps are as follows. The RTX 2080 SUPER uses the TU104 chip on a 12 nm process, while the RX 5600 XT uses Navi 10 on 7 nm. The die sizes are 545 mm² versus 251 mm², and transistor counts are 13,600 million versus 10,300 million. The RTX 2080 SUPER has higher clocks: base 1650 MHz and boost 1815 MHz, compared to base 1130 MHz and boost 1560 MHz (game clock 1375 MHz) for the Radeon.

Memory differs in size (8 GB versus 6 GB), bus width (256-bit versus 192-bit), bandwidth (495.9 GB/s versus 288.0 GB/s), and effective speed (15.5 Gbps versus 12 Gbps). The shading units are 3072 versus 2304, TMUs are 192 versus 144, and ROPs are equal at 64. The RTX 2080 SUPER adds 48 RT cores and 384 tensor cores; the RX 5600 XT has none.

Pixel rate is 116.2 GPixel/s for NVIDIA versus 99.84 GPixel/s for AMD. Texture rate is 348.5 GTexel/s versus 224.6 GTexel/s. FP32 is 11.15 TFLOPS versus 7.188 TFLOPS, and FP16 is 22.30 TFLOPS versus 14.38 TFLOPS.

Power figures differ: TDP 250 W versus 150 W, power connectors 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin versus 1x 8-pin, and suggested PSU 600 W versus 450 W. The bus interface is PCIe 3.0 x16 versus PCIe 4.0 x16. DirectX support is 12 Ultimate (12_2) versus 12 (12_1). Physical dimensions are identical in length at 267 mm (10.5 inches), but the RTX 2080 SUPER has recorded height (116 mm) and width (35 mm), while the RX 5600 XT has no recorded height or width. Both are dual-slot cards.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The largest single win for the RTX 2080 SUPER comes in Geekbench Vulkan, where it scores 111,284 against the RX 5600 XT's 56,218. That is a 98% delta, nearly doubling the AMD card's result. This suggests a massive advantage in Vulkan-based workloads or games that use that API.

The next biggest gap is in Passmark DirectX 10, where the RTX 2080 SUPER scores 140 versus 73, a 91.8% lead. Passmark DirectX 11 shows a 71.9% lead (165 versus 96). In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 2080 SUPER scores 99,226 versus 68,537, a 44.8% delta, matching the Passmark G3D delta of 44.8% (19,490 versus 13,457). Passmark DirectX 12 shows a 44.2% lead (75 versus 52).

Smaller but still decisive wins include Passmark GPU Compute at 31.7% (8,290 versus 6,296), 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 at 12.8% (1,882 versus 1,669), Passmark DirectX 9 at 12.4% (227 versus 202), and Passmark G2D at 5.7% (920 versus 870). Notably, even the closest test, G2D, favors the RTX 2080 SUPER. The average benchmark score difference reinforces this: 24,170 versus 20,713.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 2080 SUPER wins everywhere in the recorded data, but the magnitude varies by workload. Its biggest wins are in Vulkan and OpenCL compute, where the deltas are 98% and 44.8% respectively. That makes it the clear choice for compute applications, machine learning frameworks using Vulkan or OpenCL, or games that are known to scale well with those APIs. It also has a strong DirectX legacy advantage: 91.8% in DirectX 10 and 71.9% in DirectX 11, plus a 44.2% lead in DirectX 12. For older DirectX titles, the NVIDIA card is significantly faster.

The RX 5600 XT's wins are not performance-based; they are efficiency-based. It has a 150 W TDP versus 250 W, a 450 W suggested PSU versus 600 W, and a single 8-pin connector versus a 6-pin plus 8-pin. It also uses a smaller die (251 mm² versus 545 mm²) and a more advanced 7 nm process, which may translate to lower heat output in a compact chassis. For users building a small-form-factor or power-limited system, the RX 5600 XT is the more practical card, despite losing every benchmark. It also has a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface, which the RTX 2080 SUPER lacks (PCIe 3.0 x16), potentially benefiting systems with newer motherboards that support PCIe 4.0.

In summary, the RTX 2080 SUPER is the performance king in this matchup, with all 10 head-to-head wins and a 16.7% average score advantage. The RX 5600 XT is the efficiency pick, trading significant compute power for lower power draw and a smaller physical footprint. The data does not show any scenario where the AMD card outperforms the NVIDIA card, but the efficiency profile gives it a distinct niche.