AMD Radeon RX 560X vs AMD Radeon RX 5700 Comparison

AMD Radeon RX 5700 and AMD Radeon RX 560X sit at opposite ends of AMD’s recent graphics stack, and the benchmark data reflects a clear generational and performance gulf. The RX 5700, built on the RDNA 1.0 architecture with the Navi 10 chip, is a desktop-class part aimed at 1440p gaming and compute tasks. The RX 560X, using the older GCN 4.0 architecture with the Polaris 21 chip, is a low-power, entry-level card designed for basic 1080p gaming and office workloads. The recorded measurements show the RX 5700 dominates in every head-to-head test, but the RX 560X still has a role in systems where power draw and physical size matter more than raw throughput. This analysis breaks down where each card wins, how their architectures differ, and what the numbers mean for a builder choosing between them.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 wins every benchmark category where both cards have recorded scores. In the two head-to-head tests available, the RX 5700 takes both: Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan. The OpenCL score of 69603 for the RX 5700 versus 17020 for the RX 560X represents a 308.9% advantage, meaning the RX 5700 delivers roughly four times the compute performance in that workload. The Vulkan test shows a 217.2% lead, with the RX 5700 scoring 64166 against the RX 560X’s 20231. These are not marginal wins; they are category-level differences that place the RX 5700 in a completely different performance class.

Where the RX 560X still holds value is in its physical and power profile. The card has a 75 W TDP, needs no external power connectors, and requires only a 250 W suggested PSU. It is 170 mm long, which makes it suitable for small form factor cases. The RX 5700, by contrast, has a 180 W TDP, requires a 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin power connection, and needs a 450 W suggested PSU. Its length of 268 mm is 98 mm longer than the RX 560X. For a builder with a compact chassis and a modest power supply, the RX 560X is the only viable option between the two, despite its much lower performance. The benchmark data does not include a power efficiency metric, but the TDP figures alone indicate that the RX 560X is designed for systems where the RX 5700 would simply not fit or would require a PSU upgrade.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are separated by more than just performance; they represent two distinct architectural eras for AMD. The RX 5700 uses the Navi 10 chip built on RDNA 1.0, fabricated at TSMC’s 7 nm process. It packs 10,300 million transistors into a 251 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 41.0M per mm². The RX 560X uses the Polaris 21 chip on GCN 4.0, fabricated at GlobalFoundries’ 14 nm process. That chip contains 3,000 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, with a transistor density of 24.4M per mm². The RX 5700 has more than three times the transistor count, which explains its much higher compute throughput.

The memory subsystem also differs fundamentally. The RX 5700 uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, yielding 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 560X uses 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, with 112.0 GB/s of bandwidth. That is a fourfold difference in memory bandwidth, which directly impacts texture-heavy workloads and high-resolution gaming. The RX 5700’s memory clock is 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective speed, while the RX 560X runs at 1750 MHz with 7 Gbps effective speed. The RX 5700 also has 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, versus the RX 560X’s 1024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. These raw counts explain the pixel rate difference: 110.4 GPixel/s for the RX 5700 versus 20.40 GPixel/s for the RX 560X.

The RX 5700 supports PCIe 4.0 x16, while the RX 560X is limited to PCIe 3.0 x8. This matters for bandwidth-sensitive applications, though the practical impact depends on the motherboard and workload. The RX 5700 also supports DirectX 12_1, while the RX 560X is limited to DirectX 12_0. Vulkan support is 1.4 on the RX 5700 versus 1.3 on the RX 560X. Both cards support OpenGL 4.6.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two recorded head-to-head benchmarks show the RX 5700 as the clear winner, but the magnitude of the wins is worth examining closely. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 5700 scores 69603 against the RX 560X’s 17020. That is a delta of 308.9%, meaning the RX 5700 is approximately 4.1 times faster in this compute workload. For users running OpenCL-based applications such as video encoding or physics simulations, the RX 5700 is in a different league entirely.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the RX 5700 scores 64166 against the RX 560X’s 20231, a delta of 217.2%. This is a smaller gap than OpenCL, but still represents a 3.2x performance advantage. Vulkan is commonly used in modern games and emulators, so this result translates directly to gaming performance in titles that leverage the API. The RX 5700’s advantage in Vulkan is proportionally less than its OpenCL lead, which suggests the RX 560X’s GCN architecture is relatively more efficient in Vulkan than in OpenCL, though still far behind.

The average benchmark scores across all recorded tests reinforce this gap. The RX 5700 has an average benchmark score of 22170, while the RX 560X sits at 18626. That is a 19% difference in average score, though the head-to-head tests show much larger deltas because the RX 560X only has two recorded benchmarks, both of which are compute-heavy. The RX 5700’s percentile ranking among all GPUs is 67, versus 62 for the RX 560X. In terms of nearest rivals, the RX 5700 sits within 1.7% of the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT and within 1.2% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile, while the RX 560X is within 0.9% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 and within 1.3% of the NVIDIA Tesla K80. These rival comparisons show that the RX 5700 competes with modern mid-range to upper-mid-range cards, while the RX 560X sits near older high-end cards from several generations ago.

FAQ

Q: Is the RX 5700 worth the extra power draw compared to the RX 560X?

A: The RX 5700 has a 180 W TDP versus 75 W for the RX 560X, and it requires a 450 W suggested PSU versus 250 W. The performance difference is also large: 308.9% in OpenCL and 217.2% in Vulkan. If the system can handle the power and cooling, the RX 5700 is overwhelmingly faster.

Q: Can the RX 560X handle modern games?

A: The RX 560X has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and 1024 shading units, with a 112.0 GB/s memory bandwidth. It supports DirectX 12_0 and Vulkan 1.3. It can run games, but its average benchmark score of 18626 places it well below the RX 5700’s 22170, and its pixel rate of 20.40 GPixel/s limits it to lower resolutions and settings.

Q: Which card has better compute performance for non-gaming tasks?

A: The RX 5700 dominates compute workloads. Its OpenCL score of 69603 is 308.9% higher than the RX 560X’s 17020, and its FP32 throughput is 7.949 TFLOPS versus 2.611 TFLOPS. The RX 5700 also supports FP16 at 15.90 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, while the RX 560X is limited to 2.611 TFLOPS at 1:1.

Q: Do the cards fit in the same cases?

A: No. The RX 5700 is 268 mm long, 111 mm tall, and 36 mm wide. The RX 560X is 170 mm long with no recorded height or width. The RX 560X is also dual-slot with no power connectors, while the RX 5700 is dual-slot with a 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin requirement.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The RX 5700 has 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth from 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus. The RX 560X has 112.0 GB/s from 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus. That is a fourfold difference, which significantly affects high-resolution textures and memory-intensive applications.

Q: Which card has better driver and API support?

A: The RX 5700 supports DirectX 12_1 and Vulkan 1.4, while the RX 560X supports DirectX 12_0 and Vulkan 1.3. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The RX 5700 also uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the RX 560X is limited to PCIe 3.0 x8.

The Verdict

The data points to a simple conclusion: the RX 5700 is the superior card in every measurable way. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks by margins of 308.9% and 217.2%, has a higher average benchmark score (22170 versus 18626), more memory, higher bandwidth, and a more modern architecture. The RX 5700’s percentile ranking of 67 places it near cards like the RX 7700 XT and RTX 5060 Mobile, while the RX 560X’s 62nd percentile puts it closer to the RTX 2070 and Tesla K80. For any user who needs compute performance, modern gaming at high settings, or future-proof API support, the RX 5700 is the obvious choice.

The RX 560X, however, is not without a niche. Its 75 W TDP, lack of power connectors, 250 W suggested PSU, and 170 mm length make it the only option for ultra-compact builds or systems with very limited power delivery. Its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory is enough for light gaming and desktop use, and its Polaris architecture still supports Vulkan 1.3 and DirectX 12_0. A builder with an old office PC or a small form factor case who does not need high frame rates will find the RX 560X workable. But the benchmark data is unambiguous: the RX 5700 is roughly three to four times faster in compute workloads, and that gap is insurmountable for the RX 560X.

Specification Differences

The following table lists only the fields where the two cards differ, based on the recorded data.

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 5700 | 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 | 1465 MHz | 1175 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1725 MHz | 1275 MHz |

| Game Clock | 1625 MHz | None |

| Memory Clock | 1750 MHz, 14 Gbps effective | 1750 MHz, 7 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 8 GB | 4 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus Width | 256 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 448.0 GB/s | 112.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2304 | 1024 |

| TMUs | 144 | 64 |

| ROPs | 64 | 16 |

| Pixel Rate | 110.4 GPixel/s | 20.40 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 248.4 GTexel/s | 81.60 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 7.949 TFLOPS | 2.611 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 15.90 TFLOPS (2:1) | 2.611 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 180 W | 75 W |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin + 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 |

| Length | 268 mm (10.6 inches) | 170 mm (6.7 inches) |

| Height | 111 mm (4.4 inches) | None |

| Width | 36 mm (1.4 inches) | None |

| Release Date | 2019-07-06 | 2018-04-10 |

| Launch MSRP | 349 USD | None |