AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary vs NVIDIA P106-100 Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data paints a clear picture: the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary dominates the NVIDIA P106-100 in every recorded head-to-head comparison. Out of the two shared tests, AMD takes both wins, leaving NVIDIA with zero. This is not a close contest by any measure, and the margins are substantial enough that the P106-100 should only be considered for workloads where the AMD card cannot function at all.

The AMD card wins decisively in compute-oriented workloads. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary scores 77,161 against the P106-100's 35,951, a delta of 114.6% in AMD's favor. That is more than double the raw compute throughput in an API-agnostic compute test. For anyone running OpenCL-based rendering, physics simulation, or machine learning inference tasks that rely on general-purpose GPU compute, the AMD card is the obvious choice.

The Vulkan head-to-head shows an even larger gap. AMD scores 74,281 versus NVIDIA's 32,897, a 125.8% delta. Vulkan is increasingly relevant for modern game engines and cross-platform graphics workloads, so this advantage translates directly to real-world gaming and professional visualization scenarios. The AMD card's lead here is not marginal; it is a fundamental performance tier above the P106-100.

The NVIDIA P106-100's only unique benchmark is 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, where it scores 899. There is no corresponding AMD result in the shared test set, so this cannot be compared directly. However, the overall average benchmark score tells the story: AMD sits at 26,553 while NVIDIA sits at 23,249. The AMD card also holds a higher percentile ranking among all GPUs at 72, versus 68 for the NVIDIA card.

For use-case separation, the AMD card wins in every scenario where both cards are functional. The P106-100 has no display outputs, making it unsuitable as a primary graphics card. Its only practical use is as a secondary compute accelerator in systems where the primary GPU handles display duties. Even in that narrow role, the AMD card's compute performance is vastly superior.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from fundamentally different eras and design philosophies. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary uses the Navi 10 chip built on RDNA 1.0 architecture, manufactured on TSMC's 7 nm process. It packs 10,300 million transistors into a 251 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 41.0 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA P106-100 uses the GP106 chip on the older Pascal architecture, built on TSMC's 16 nm process. It contains 4,400 million transistors on a 200 mm² die, with a density of 22.0 million per square millimeter.

These architectural differences manifest directly in compute capabilities. The AMD card delivers 10.14 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 20.28 TFLOPS of FP16 (at a 2:1 ratio). The NVIDIA card manages only 4.375 TFLOPS FP32 and a paltry 68.36 GFLOPS FP16 (at a 1:64 ratio). The FP16 disparity is particularly stark; AMD's card offers nearly 300 times the half-precision throughput, which matters for AI inference and certain scientific computing workloads.

Memory architecture also differs substantially. The AMD card uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The NVIDIA card uses 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus, delivering only 192.2 GB/s. That is a 2.33x bandwidth advantage for AMD, which directly impacts texture-heavy workloads, high-resolution rendering, and compute kernels that are memory-bound.

The AMD card features 2,560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. The NVIDIA card has 1,280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The AMD card's pixel rate is 126.7 GPixel/s versus 82.03 GPixel/s for NVIDIA, and its texture rate is 316.8 GTexel/s versus 136.7 GTexel/s. Both cards lack dedicated ray tracing cores and tensor cores.

Clock speeds also favor AMD. The RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary runs at a base clock of 1680 MHz, a game clock of 1830 MHz, and a boost clock of 1980 MHz. The P106-100 runs at 1506 MHz base and 1709 MHz boost. AMD's higher clocks, combined with its newer architecture and wider memory bus, explain the massive performance gap.

Power requirements differ significantly. The AMD card has a 225 W TDP and requires a 550 W power supply, using one 6-pin and one 8-pin connector. The NVIDIA card has a 120 W TDP, requires only a 300 W power supply, and uses a single 6-pin connector. The AMD card is also longer at 272 mm versus 250 mm for NVIDIA.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench OpenCL test shows AMD's dominance most clearly. The RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary scores 77,161, while the P106-100 scores 35,951. This represents a 114.6% advantage for AMD, meaning the AMD card is more than twice as fast in this compute workload. For context, this is the kind of margin that separates entirely different performance tiers, not minor generational improvements.

The Geekbench Vulkan test is even more lopsided. AMD scores 74,281 versus NVIDIA's 32,897, a 125.8% delta. Vulkan's low-level nature tends to reward architectural efficiency and raw throughput, and the RDNA 1.0 architecture delivers both in spades compared to the older Pascal design.

Looking at the broader benchmark suite, the AMD card's average score of 26,553 places it in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA RTX A4000 at 26,683 (0.5% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 at 26,421 (0.5% lower), the AMD Radeon 860M at 26,401 (0.6% lower), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 at 26,331 (0.8% lower). This places the AMD card in solid upper-midrange territory, competitive with recent mainstream offerings.

The NVIDIA P106-100's average score of 23,249 puts it in the 68th percentile. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 at 23,250 (exactly matching), the AMD Radeon RX 6600M at 23,273 (0.1% higher), the AMD Radeon R9 M290X at 23,276 (0.1% higher), and the AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 at 23,315 (0.3% higher). The P106-100 sits at the boundary between midrange and entry-level performance, roughly 12% below the AMD card's average score.

In individual AMD benchmarks, the RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary shows strengths across the board: Geekbench Metal at 88,292, Passmark G3D at 16,437, Passmark GPU Compute at 7,923, Passmark G2D at 941, and Passmark DirectX 9 at 219. These scores confirm that the AMD card is well-rounded, not just strong in one specific API.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in OpenCL compute workloads?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary scores 77,161 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 114.6% higher than the NVIDIA P106-100's score of 35,951.

Q: Can the NVIDIA P106-100 be used as a display adapter?

A: No. The P106-100 has no display outputs, making it unsuitable as a primary graphics card. It can only function as a compute accelerator in a system with another GPU handling display duties.

Q: How do the memory subsystems compare?

A: The AMD card has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA card has 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus with 192.2 GB/s bandwidth. AMD's memory bandwidth is more than double.

Q: Which card has better Vulkan performance?

A: The AMD card wins by a large margin. It scores 74,281 in Geekbench Vulkan versus 32,897 for the NVIDIA card, a 125.8% advantage.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The AMD card has a 225 W TDP and requires a 550 W power supply. The NVIDIA card has a 120 W TDP and requires only a 300 W power supply. The AMD card uses one 6-pin plus one 8-pin connector, while the NVIDIA card uses a single 6-pin.

Q: How do these cards rank against all other GPUs?

A: The AMD card sits in the 72nd percentile with an average benchmark score of 26,553. The NVIDIA card sits in the 68th percentile with an average score of 23,249.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary | NVIDIA P106-100 |

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

| Architecture | RDNA 1.0 | Pascal |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 16 nm |

| Transistors | 10,300 million | 4,400 million |

| Die Size | 251 mm² | 200 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 41.0M / mm² | 22.0M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1680 MHz | 1506 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1980 MHz | 1709 MHz |

| Memory Size | 8 GB | 6 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus Width | 256 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 448.0 GB/s | 192.2 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2560 | 1280 |

| TMUs | 160 | 80 |

| ROPs | 64 | 48 |

| Pixel Rate | 126.7 GPixel/s | 82.03 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 316.8 GTexel/s | 136.7 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 10.14 TFLOPS | 4.375 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 20.28 TFLOPS (2:1) | 68.36 GFLOPS (1:64) |

| TDP | 225 W | 120 W |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | 1x 6-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 550 W | 300 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 1.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.0b, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a | No outputs |

| Length | 272 mm (10.7 inches) | 250 mm (9.8 inches) |

| Release Date | 2019-07-06 | 2017-06-18 |

The Verdict

The data supports only one conclusion: the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary is the superior card in every measurable way. It wins both shared benchmarks by margins exceeding 114%, has more than double the FP32 throughput, more than double the memory bandwidth, and a significantly higher average benchmark score. The AMD card's 72nd percentile ranking versus the NVIDIA card's 68th percentile confirms its higher standing in the overall GPU hierarchy.

The NVIDIA P106-100 is a mining-specific card with no display outputs, which immediately disqualifies it from any general-purpose use case. Its only conceivable role is as a secondary compute accelerator, and even in that role, its performance is dramatically lower than the AMD card. The P106-100's lower power draw (120 W versus 225 W) and smaller physical footprint (250 mm versus 272 mm) are its only advantages, and these are irrelevant if the card cannot perform its intended tasks competitively.

Buyers should choose the AMD card if they need a fully functional graphics card with display output, strong compute performance, and modern API support. It handles OpenCL, Vulkan, DirectX 12, and OpenGL 4.6 with ease. The AMD card also offers the flexibility of HDMI 2.0b and three DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, making it suitable for multi-monitor setups.

The NVIDIA P106-100 should only be considered by users who already have a primary GPU and need a low-power compute accelerator for workloads that specifically require NVIDIA hardware. Even then, the performance gap is so large that most users would be better served by the AMD card if their software supports it. The P106-100's 6 GB of GDDR5 memory and 192.2 GB/s bandwidth are simply insufficient for demanding modern workloads.

In short, the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary is the clear winner for anyone needing a general-purpose GPU. The NVIDIA P106-100 is a niche product that cannot compete on performance, features, or versatility. The recorded data leaves no room for ambiguity.