AMD Radeon RX 560X vs NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation Comparison

NVIDIA’s RTX 2000 Ada Generation and AMD’s Radeon RX 560X occupy vastly different corners of the GPU landscape, separated by six years of architectural evolution and a 5 nm versus 14 nm process gap. The data shows a decisive performance chasm, but the RX 560X’s surprisingly high percentile ranking relative to all GPUs suggests its legacy status has not entirely relegated it to irrelevance. This analysis examines the head-to-head results, the architectural gulf between them, and what each card’s benchmark profile implies for different workloads.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two available head-to-head tests paint a stark picture of generational dominance. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 2000 Ada Generation scores 78,074, while the RX 560X manages only 17,020. That is a delta of 358.7% — the NVIDIA card delivers nearly four and a half times the raw compute throughput in this API. The gap in Geekbench Vulkan is similarly lopsided: 83,360 for the RTX 2000 Ada versus 20,231 for the RX 560X, a 312% advantage. These are not marginal wins; they represent a fundamental difference in execution capability.

When placed against their respective nearest rivals, both cards show interesting positioning. The RTX 2000 Ada’s average benchmark score of 18,954 puts it 0.4% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6600 (19,036) and 0.5% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (19,049), while sitting 0.5% ahead of the Tesla K80 (18,866). The RX 560X, despite its age, averages 18,626 — just 0.3% below the Radeon Pro 5700 XT (18,685) and 0.9% below the RTX 2070 (18,789). This suggests that while the head-to-head numbers are crushing, the RX 560X still holds its own against far more modern mid-range parts in aggregate scoring.

The RTX 2000 Ada’s individual benchmark suite reveals its workstation orientation. Its Passmark G3D score of 16,927 is strong, but its Passmark GPU Compute score of 7,834 indicates substantial compute throughput. The DirectX 9 score of 216 and DirectX 10 score of 82 show legacy API performance, while the DirectX 11 score of 138 and DirectX 12 score of 71 reflect newer workloads. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,767 provides a modern gaming reference point. For the RX 560X, only the two Geekbench scores exist in the data, meaning its broader benchmark footprint is unknown — a limitation that makes direct comparison beyond these two tests impossible.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide is immense. The RTX 2000 Ada uses the AD107 chip on TSMC’s 5 nm process, packing 18,900 million transistors into a 159 mm² die — a transistor density of 118.9 million per square millimeter. The RX 560X employs the Polaris 21 chip on GlobalFoundries’ 14 nm process, with only 3,000 million transistors across a 123 mm² die, yielding 24.4 million per square millimeter. That is a 5.9x difference in transistor count and nearly a 5x difference in density, explaining the RTX 2000 Ada’s massive compute advantage.

Core configurations differ fundamentally. The RTX 2000 Ada has 2,816 shading units, 88 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs, augmented by 22 RT cores and 88 tensor cores. The RX 560X offers 1,024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and just 16 ROPs, with no RT or tensor cores. The RTX 2000 Ada’s FP32 throughput of 12.00 TFLOPS is 4.6x higher than the RX 560X’s 2.611 TFLOPS, and its texture rate of 187.4 GTexel/s dwarfs the RX 560X’s 81.60 GTexel/s. Pixel rate also favors NVIDIA heavily: 102.2 GPixel/s versus 20.40 GPixel/s.

Memory subsystems reinforce the gap. The RTX 2000 Ada carries 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 256.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 560X has 4 GB of GDDR5 on the same 128-bit bus, but only 112.0 GB/s. Clock speeds tell a similar story: the RTX 2000 Ada boosts to 2130 MHz from a 1620 MHz base, while the RX 560X runs at 1175 MHz base and 1275 MHz boost. The RTX 2000 Ada also supports PCIe 4.0 x8 versus the RX 560X’s PCIe 3.0 x8, and its API support includes DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, whereas the RX 560X tops out at DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3.

Power efficiency is another differentiator. The RTX 2000 Ada draws 70 W TDP, slightly less than the RX 560X’s 75 W, yet delivers over four times the FP32 performance. Both cards are dual-slot with no power connectors and a 250 W suggested PSU, but the RTX 2000 Ada’s output configuration (4x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a) contrasts with the RX 560X’s mixed DVI, HDMI 2.0b, and DisplayPort 1.4a setup.

FAQ

Q: Which card wins in raw compute performance?

A: The RTX 2000 Ada Generation wins decisively. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 78,074 versus 17,020 for the RX 560X, a 358.7% advantage. In Geekbench Vulkan, the margin is 312% (83,360 versus 20,231). Its FP32 throughput of 12.00 TFLOPS is 4.6x the RX 560X’s 2.611 TFLOPS.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare to rivals?

A: The RTX 2000 Ada averages 18,954, placing it 0.4% behind the RX 6600 and 0.5% behind the RTX 4050 Mobile, but 0.5% ahead of the Tesla K80. The RX 560X averages 18,626, which is 0.3% below the Radeon Pro 5700 XT and 0.9% below the RTX 2070, yet 0.5% above the FirePro D500.

Q: What memory configurations do they offer?

A: The RTX 2000 Ada has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 560X has 4 GB of GDDR5 on the same bus width but only 112.0 GB/s bandwidth — less than half the NVIDIA card’s throughput.

Q: Which card supports ray tracing and tensor operations?

A: Only the RTX 2000 Ada Generation. It includes 22 RT cores and 88 tensor cores. The RX 560X has neither, as its GCN 4.0 architecture predates these features.

Q: What are the power requirements for each?

A: Both cards are dual-slot with no power connectors and a 250 W suggested PSU. The RTX 2000 Ada has a 70 W TDP, while the RX 560X is slightly higher at 75 W.

Q: Are there any benchmark categories where the RX 560X wins?

A: No. In the two head-to-head tests available (Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan), the RTX 2000 Ada wins both. The wins tally is 2 for NVIDIA and 0 for AMD.

The Verdict

The data leaves no ambiguity: the RTX 2000 Ada Generation is the superior GPU by every measurable metric. Its 358.7% OpenCL and 312% Vulkan leads over the RX 560X are overwhelming, and its architectural advantages — 5 nm versus 14 nm process, 18,900 million versus 3,000 million transistors, 16 GB versus 4 GB memory — make the comparison almost unfair. The RTX 2000 Ada also offers modern features like RT cores, tensor cores, DirectX 12 Ultimate, and Vulkan 1.4 support that the RX 560X entirely lacks.

However, the RX 560X’s percentile ranking (62nd versus the RTX 2000 Ada’s 63rd) and its average score of 18,626, which sits within 1.3% of the RTX 2070, suggest it remains a functional entry-level option for legacy applications. Its 75 W TDP and no power connector requirement make it a drop-in card for basic systems. But for any workload involving compute, modern APIs, or high-resolution textures, the RTX 2000 Ada is the only rational choice — provided the 649 USD launch MSRP fits the budget. The RX 560X’s end-of-life production status and lack of successor in the data further cement its position as a relic rather than a competitor.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation | AMD Radeon RX 560X |

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

| Process Node | 5 nm | 14 nm |

| Transistors | 18,900 million | 3,000 million |

| Die Size | 159 mm² | 123 mm² |

| Base Clock | 1620 MHz | 1175 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2130 MHz | 1275 MHz |

| Memory Size | 16 GB | 4 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bandwidth | 256.0 GB/s | 112.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2816 | 1024 |

| TMUs | 88 | 64 |

| ROPs | 48 | 16 |

| RT Cores | 22 | None |

| Tensor Cores | 88 | None |

| FP32 Performance | 12.00 TFLOPS | 2.611 TFLOPS |

| Pixel Rate | 102.2 GPixel/s | 20.40 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 187.4 GTexel/s | 81.60 GTexel/s |

| TDP | 70 W | 75 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 3.0 x8 |

| Display Outputs | 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, 1x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| DirectX Support | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (12_0) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | 1.3 |

| Production Status | Active | End-of-life |

| Release Date | 2024-02-11 | 2018-04-10 |

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 2000 Ada Generation wins in every head-to-head benchmark category available, and its specification sheet suggests dominance across compute-intensive tasks. Its 12.00 TFLOPS FP32 and 88 tensor cores make it suitable for AI inference, scientific computing, and content creation workloads. The 16 GB memory capacity and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth support large datasets and high-resolution textures. The presence of RT cores enables ray-traced rendering. The 5 nm process and 70 W TDP make it highly power-efficient for its performance class.

The RX 560X’s wins are more situational. Its 75 W TDP and lack of power connectors mean it can run in older systems with minimal PSU headroom. Its legacy DisplayPort 1.4a and DVI outputs may be preferable for older monitors. For users locked into a PCIe 3.0 platform, its x8 interface is a match. The 4 GB GDDR5 memory might suffice for basic 1080p gaming at low settings, though its DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3 support limit modern API utilization. Its 62nd percentile ranking, nearly identical to the RTX 2000 Ada’s 63rd, suggests that in aggregate multi-card comparisons, the RX 560X still performs at a level comparable to much newer parts — but that is a reflection of the benchmark pool, not evidence of parity with the ADA card.