AMD Radeon RX 560X vs AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data includes two direct benchmark comparisons between the AMD Radeon RX 560X and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT. The results are split exactly one win each, making this a genuinely mixed pairing depending on the workload.

In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RX 560X scores 17,020 points, while the RX 5700 XT scores 9,524 points. That gives the RX 560X a 78.7% advantage. This is a decisive margin, not a narrow one. The RX 560X outperforms the RX 5700 XT by nearly eight-tenths of its own score in this compute-oriented API. For OpenCL workloads, the older Polaris part is clearly the stronger performer in this direct comparison.

The Geekbench Vulkan test flips the result completely. The RX 5700 XT scores 68,310 points, compared to 20,231 for the RX 560X. The delta is -70.4%, meaning the RX 5700 XT leads by more than three times the RX 560X's score. Vulkan is a modern low-level graphics API, and the RX 5700 XT's RDNA architecture delivers a massive advantage there. This is not a small gap; it is a generational leap in performance for this specific API.

Looking at the broader database context, the RX 560X sits at the 62nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 18,626. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT at 18,685 (a -0.3% delta), the AMD FirePro D500 at 18,533 (+0.5%), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 at 18,789 (-0.9%), and the NVIDIA Tesla K80 at 18,866 (-1.3%). The RX 560X is essentially in a tight cluster with these cards, trading positions within roughly one percentage point.

The RX 5700 XT, by contrast, holds the 59th percentile overall, with an average benchmark score of 16,361. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M at 16,351 (+0.1%), the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell at 16,408 (-0.3%), the AMD Radeon PRO W7500 at 16,415 (-0.3%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D V2 at 16,504 (-0.9%). The RX 5700 XT also sits in a very close grouping, with all deltas under one percent.

The average benchmark scores are counterintuitive. The RX 560X, despite being older and far less powerful on paper, posts a higher average score (18,626) than the RX 5700 XT (16,361). That is because the average includes the OpenCL result, where the RX 560X wins by a large margin, and the Vulkan result, where the RX 5700 XT wins by an even larger margin. The two scores pull the averages in opposite directions, and the RX 560X's OpenCL advantage happens to be enough to lift its average above the RX 5700 XT's.

What the data does not show is any direct 3DMark or PassMark comparison between these two specific cards. The RX 5700 XT has a broad set of recorded benchmarks, including 3DMark Steel Nomad (2,134), PassMark G3D (16,277), and PassMark GPU Compute (7,650), but the RX 560X only has the two Geekbench entries. The head-to-head section of the database is limited to those two tests.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins in OpenCL performance?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 560X wins decisively, scoring 17,020 versus 9,524 for the RX 5700 XT, a 78.7% advantage.

Q: Which GPU wins in Vulkan performance?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT wins by a wide margin, scoring 68,310 versus 20,231 for the RX 560X, a 70.4% difference in favor of the RX 5700 XT.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The RX 560X has a higher average benchmark score at 18,626, while the RX 5700 XT averages 16,361. The RX 560X also sits at the 62nd percentile of all GPUs, three points above the RX 5700 XT's 59th percentile.

Q: What are the nearest rivals to the RX 560X?

A: The closest competitors are the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT (18,685, -0.3%), the AMD FirePro D500 (18,533, +0.5%), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (18,789, -0.9%), and the NVIDIA Tesla K80 (18,866, -1.3%).

Q: What are the nearest rivals to the RX 5700 XT?

A: The closest competitors are the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M (16,351, +0.1%), the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell (16,408, -0.3%), the AMD Radeon PRO W7500 (16,415, -0.3%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D V2 (16,504, -0.9%).

Q: Does the RX 5700 XT have more recorded benchmark tests?

A: Yes. The database lists eleven benchmark entries for the RX 5700 XT, covering 3DMark, Geekbench Metal, OpenCL, Vulkan, and multiple PassMark tests. The RX 560X has only two recorded benchmarks, both from Geekbench.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different architectural generations with distinct design philosophies. The RX 560X uses the Polaris 21 chip, built on GCN 4.0 architecture, fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. The RX 5700 XT uses the Navi 10 chip, built on RDNA 1.0 architecture, fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC. The process node difference is substantial: 14 nm versus 7 nm, which directly affects transistor density.

The transistor counts tell the story clearly. The RX 560X packs 3,000 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, yielding a density of 24.4 million transistors per square millimeter. The RX 5700 XT contains 10,300 million transistors on a 251 mm² die, which works out to 41.0 million per square millimeter. The newer node allows nearly twice the density, and the RX 5700 XT has over three times the total transistor count.

Memory technology also differs. The RX 560X uses 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 112.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 5700 XT uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s. That is exactly four times the memory bandwidth, a critical factor for high-resolution texturing and compute workloads.

The shading resources are dramatically different. The RX 560X has 1,024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 16 raster operations pipelines. The RX 5700 XT has 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. Every one of those counts is exactly 2.5 times higher on the RX 5700 XT, which explains its much higher pixel and texture rates.

The FP32 compute figures reinforce this. The RX 560X delivers 2.611 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the RX 5700 XT delivers 9.754 TFLOPS, roughly 3.7 times higher. The FP16 rates diverge even more: the RX 560X matches its FP32 at 2.611 TFLOPS (a 1:1 ratio), while the RX 5700 XT doubles to 19.51 TFLOPS (a 2:1 ratio), indicating hardware support for faster half-precision compute.

Both cards use a dual-slot form factor, but the power delivery differs. The RX 560X draws no external power connectors and carries a 75 W TDP, with a suggested 250 W power supply. The RX 5700 XT requires one 6-pin and one 8-pin connector, with a 225 W TDP and a suggested 550 W power supply.

The bus interface also differs. The RX 560X uses PCIe 3.0 x8, while the RX 5700 XT uses PCIe 4.0 x16, offering double the lanes on a newer standard. Display outputs are similar, with both offering HDMI 2.0b and DisplayPort 1.4a, though the RX 560X adds a DVI port and the RX 5700 XT offers three DisplayPort outputs.

API support shows a minor difference: both support DirectX 12, but the RX 560X is rated at 12_0 while the RX 5700 XT is rated at 12_1. OpenGL is identical at 4.6, but Vulkan support differs, with the RX 560X at 1.3 and the RX 5700 XT at 1.4.

Specification Differences

The following specifications differ between the two cards, based on the recorded data:

• Process node: 14 nm (RX 560X) versus 7 nm (RX 5700 XT)
• Foundry: GlobalFoundries versus TSMC
• Transistors: 3,000 million versus 10,300 million
• Die size: 123 mm² versus 251 mm²
• Transistor density: 24.4M / mm² versus 41.0M / mm²
• Base clock: 1175 MHz versus 1605 MHz
• Boost clock: 1275 MHz versus 1905 MHz
• Game clock: not specified versus 1755 MHz
• Memory clock: 7 Gbps effective versus 14 Gbps effective
• Memory size: 4 GB versus 8 GB
• Memory type: GDDR5 versus GDDR6
• Memory bus width: 128 bit versus 256 bit
• Memory bandwidth: 112.0 GB/s versus 448.0 GB/s
• Shading units: 1,024 versus 2,560
• TMUs: 64 versus 160
• ROPs: 16 versus 64
• Pixel rate: 20.40 GPixel/s versus 121.9 GPixel/s
• Texture rate: 81.60 GTexel/s versus 304.8 GTexel/s
• FP32: 2.611 TFLOPS versus 9.754 TFLOPS
• FP16: 2.611 TFLOPS (1:1) versus 19.51 TFLOPS (2:1)
• TDP: 75 W versus 225 W
• Power connectors: None versus 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
• Suggested PSU: 250 W versus 550 W
• Bus interface: PCIe 3.0 x8 versus PCIe 4.0 x16
• Display outputs: 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort versus 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort
• DirectX version: 12 (12_0) versus 12 (12_1)
• Vulkan version: 1.3 versus 1.4
• Dimensions: 170 mm length versus 272 mm length, 111 mm height, 36 mm width
• Release date: 2018-04-10 versus 2019-07-06
• Predecessor: Polaris versus Vega
• Successor: Vega versus Navi II
• Launch MSRP: not recorded versus 399 USD

The Verdict

The data presents a clear split verdict. The AMD Radeon RX 560X is the better choice for OpenCL compute workloads, where it leads by 78.7% in the direct head-to-head test. It also holds a higher average benchmark score (18,626 versus 16,361) and a higher percentile ranking (62nd versus 59th). If the primary use case is OpenCL-based applications, the RX 560X is the stronger card according to the recorded measurements.

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT is the better choice for Vulkan workloads, where it leads by 70.4% in the direct comparison. It also offers substantially higher raw specifications across the board, including a 9.754 TFLOPS FP32 rate versus 2.611 TFLOPS, 448.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth versus 112.0 GB/s, and double the memory capacity at 8 GB versus 4 GB. For any modern graphics workload that uses Vulkan, the RX 5700 XT is clearly superior.

The average scores are not a tiebreaker because they are dominated by the two head-to-head results. The RX 560X's higher average is driven entirely by its OpenCL win. A user choosing between these two should base the decision on the specific API and workload they intend to run. There is no single "better" card in this dataset; there are two cards that win in different domains.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 560X wins in OpenCL compute scenarios. The 78.7% advantage in Geekbench OpenCL suggests it is markedly faster for general-purpose GPU compute tasks that leverage this API. Its lower power draw (75 W TDP) and lack of external power connectors also make it suitable for systems with modest power supplies, as the suggested 250 W PSU indicates. The database also shows it outperforms its nearest rivals in the average score cluster, sitting just 0.3% behind the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT and ahead of the AMD FirePro D500 by 0.5%.

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT wins in Vulkan graphics and modern compute scenarios. The 70.4% advantage in Geekbench Vulkan is the largest recorded margin in either direction. Its architecture supports Vulkan 1.4, one version newer than the RX 560X's 1.3, and its DirectX 12_1 feature level is higher than the RX 560X's 12_0. The RX 5700 XT's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth provide a strong foundation for texture-heavy workloads at higher resolutions. Its broader benchmark portfolio, including PassMark G3D at 16,277 and PassMark GPU Compute at 7,650, gives more data points for evaluating its behavior across different test methodologies.

For pixel throughput and texture fill rates, the RX 5700 XT is the clear winner, with 121.9 GPixel/s versus 20.40 GPixel/s and 304.8 GTexel/s versus 81.60 GTexel/s. The RX 560X's only recorded wins are in the OpenCL benchmark and, by extension, the average score metric. Users who need Vulkan performance, high-bandwidth memory, or the larger frame buffer should select the RX 5700 XT. Users who need OpenCL compute performance or who are constrained by power supply capacity should select the RX 560X. The database does not provide evidence for a winner outside these specific domains.