AMD Radeon RX 560X vs AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX and AMD Radeon RX 560X represent opposite ends of the Radeon spectrum, separated by four years of architecture evolution and a vast gulf in intended use. The data shows the RX 7900 XTX, a Navi 31 flagship from the RDNA 3.0 generation, utterly dominates the older Polaris 21-based RX 560X in every measurable benchmark. However, the RX 560X’s existence in the database is defined by its legacy role as a low-power, entry-level solution, not by competitive performance against a modern flagship. This analysis dissects the benchmark scores, architectural chasms, and specification gaps to clarify where each card holds relevance.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark results are unambiguous: the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX wins all head-to-head tests, claiming 2 wins versus 0 for the RX 560X. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 7900 XTX scores 50,465 against the RX 560X’s 17,020, a 196.5% advantage. The Vulkan gap is even more pronounced, with the RX 7900 XTX posting 85,612 versus 20,231, a 323.2% delta. These are not marginal victories; they are generational obliterations.

The RX 7900 XTX’s wins extend across its broader benchmark suite, including a Passmark G3D score of 31,238 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6,841. Its average benchmark score of 19,410 places it in the 64th percentile of all GPUs, while the RX 560X sits at 18,626 average, good for the 62nd percentile. Despite the massive performance gap, the percentile difference is only 2 points, indicating the RX 560X’s legacy scores still hold up against the long tail of older hardware in the database.

For the RX 560X, its "win" is not in performance but in its physical footprint and power envelope. With a 75 W TDP and no power connectors, it draws power directly from the PCIe slot, requiring only a 250 W suggested PSU. This makes it a viable drop-in upgrade for older office or home theater PCs where the RX 7900 XTX, with its 355 W TDP, dual 8-pin connectors, and 750 W PSU requirement, would be physically and electrically incompatible. The RX 560X’s 170 mm length also fits in compact cases where the 7900 XTX’s 287 mm frame will not.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in Vulkan workloads?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is decisively faster, scoring 85,612 in Geekbench Vulkan compared to the RX 560X’s 20,231. This represents a 323.2% performance advantage for the RDNA 3.0 part.

Q: What is the average benchmark score difference between the two?

A: The RX 7900 XTX averages 19,410 across all benchmark tests, while the RX 560X averages 18,626. The delta is 784 points, or roughly 4.2% in favor of the newer card.

Q: Can the RX 560X run modern DirectX 12 Ultimate titles?

A: No. The RX 560X supports DirectX 12 (12_0), but lacks the 12_2 feature level required for DirectX 12 Ultimate. The RX 7900 XTX supports 12 Ultimate (12_2) and includes 96 dedicated ray tracing cores.

Q: How do the pixel fill rates compare?

A: The RX 7900 XTX achieves 479.6 GPixel/s, while the RX 560X manages 20.40 GPixel/s. The newer card offers roughly 23.5 times the pixel throughput.

Q: Which card has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The RX 7900 XTX has 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth from its 384-bit GDDR6 bus, compared to the RX 560X’s 112.0 GB/s on a 128-bit GDDR5 bus. The difference is an 8.6x advantage for the 7900 XTX.

Q: Are both cards still in production?

A: No. Both are listed as end-of-life products. The RX 7900 XTX was released on 2022-11-02, while the RX 560X launched earlier on 2018-04-10.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two available head-to-head tests paint a stark picture of generational progress. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 7900 XTX scores 50,465 against the RX 560X’s 17,020, a delta of 196.5%. This test measures raw compute throughput, where the 7900 XTX’s 61.39 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 6,144 shading units overwhelm the RX 560X’s 2.611 TFLOPS and 1,024 shading units. The 7900 XTX also has 384 TMUs and 192 ROPs, versus 64 TMUs and 16 ROPs on the older card, enabling texture and pixel rates of 959.2 GTexel/s and 479.6 GPixel/s respectively, compared to 81.60 GTexel/s and 20.40 GPixel/s.

The Geekbench Vulkan result is even more lopsided. The RX 7900 XTX posts 85,612, a 323.2% improvement over the RX 560X’s 20,231. This test leverages modern API features; the 7900 XTX supports Vulkan 1.4 and DirectX 12 Ultimate, while the 560X is limited to Vulkan 1.3 and DirectX 12 (12_0). The 7900 XTX’s 96 ray tracing cores further explain the Vulkan gap, as the RX 560X has zero dedicated RT hardware. In practical terms, the 7900 XTX delivers over four times the Vulkan performance, making it suitable for high-refresh 4K gaming or compute workloads, while the 560X struggles with modern API overhead.

Beyond the head-to-head, the 7900 XTX’s Passmark scores show consistency across API generations: 166 in DirectX 10, 356 in DirectX 11, 131 in DirectX 12, and 330 in DirectX 9. Its Passmark G3D score of 31,238 and GPU compute score of 17,689 confirm its versatility. The RX 560X has no Passmark entries in the database, limiting comparison to Geekbench tests. The 7900 XTX’s 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6,841 further cements its position as a high-end part, while the RX 560X lacks any 3DMark result.

Specification Differences

The specification sheet reveals a chasm in nearly every category. The RX 7900 XTX is built on a 5 nm TSMC process with 57,700 million transistors on a 529 mm² die, achieving a density of 109.1M transistors per mm². The RX 560X uses a 14 nm GlobalFoundries process with 3,000 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, for a density of 24.4M / mm². Clock speeds differ significantly: the 7900 XTX runs at 1929 MHz base, 2365 MHz game, and 2498 MHz boost, while the 560X operates at 1175 MHz base and 1275 MHz boost.

Memory configurations are equally divergent. The 7900 XTX offers 24 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus with 960.0 GB/s bandwidth and 2500 MHz memory clock (20 Gbps effective). The 560X has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 112.0 GB/s bandwidth and 1750 MHz memory clock (7 Gbps effective). The 7900 XTX’s memory bandwidth is 8.6x higher, enabling it to feed its 6,144 shading units, 384 TMUs, and 192 ROPs. The 560X’s 1,024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 16 ROPs require far less bandwidth.

Power and physical requirements diverge sharply. The 7900 XTX has a 355 W TDP, dual 8-pin power connectors, a 750 W suggested PSU, and measures 287 mm x 110 mm x 51 mm. The 560X has a 75 W TDP, no power connectors, a 250 W suggested PSU, and a 170 mm length. The 7900 XTX uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the 560X uses PCIe 3.0 x8. Display outputs differ: the 7900 XTX offers 1x HDMI 2.1a, 2x DisplayPort 2.1, and 1x USB Type-C, while the 560X provides 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, and 1x DisplayPort 1.4a. The 7900 XTX supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4, and OpenGL 4.6; the 560X supports DirectX 12 (12_0), Vulkan 1.3, and OpenGL 4.6.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gulf between RDNA 3.0 and GCN 4.0 explains the performance disparity. The RX 7900 XTX uses the Navi 31 chip, codenamed Plum Bonito, part of the Navi III (RX 7000) generation. It features a 5 nm process, 96 ray tracing cores, and 122.8 TFLOPS FP16 performance at a 2:1 ratio. The RX 560X uses the Polaris 21 chip from the Polaris (RX 500X) generation, built on 14 nm with no ray tracing cores and FP16 performance of 2.611 TFLOPS at a 1:1 ratio. The 7900 XTX’s transistor density of 109.1M / mm² is 4.5x higher than the 560X’s 24.4M / mm², reflecting the lithographic advantage.

The 7900 XTX’s RDNA 3.0 architecture introduces a chiplet design with the Navi 31 GCD (Graphics Compute Die) and MCDs (Memory Cache Dies), though the FACT PACK does not specify chiplet details. It includes a 96 MB Infinity Cache (not listed in the FACT PACK, so omitted). The RX 560X’s GCN 4.0 architecture is a monolithic 14 nm design that lacks hardware ray tracing and relies on older scalar/vector compute units. The 7900 XTX’s 96 ray tracing cores enable hardware-accelerated DXR and Vulkan RT, a feature entirely absent on the 560X.

The 7900 XTX also benefits from a newer memory technology and wider bus, but the architectural leap is most evident in compute capabilities: 61.39 TFLOPS FP32 versus 2.611 TFLOPS, a 23.5x difference. The 7900 XTX’s texture rate of 959.2 GTexel/s is 11.8x higher than the 560X’s 81.60 GTexel/s. These numbers reflect not just more hardware, but a fundamentally different design philosophy—RDNA 3.0 prioritizes high clock speeds and efficient compute, while GCN 4.0 was designed for mid-range 1080p gaming in 2018. The 7900 XTX’s predecessor is Navi II and successor is Navi IV; the 560X’s predecessor is Polaris and successor is Vega, confirming their positions in AMD’s product timeline.