AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT vs AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a decisive performance gap between these two AMD parts. In the two head-to-head benchmark tests available, the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT wins both outright. The most striking result comes from the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the RX 6500 XT scores 54,724 against the RX Vega 11's 13,543. That translates to a 75.3% delta, meaning the Vega 11 is trailing by roughly three-quarters in this particular workload. The OpenCL result tells a similar story: the RX 6500 XT posts 48,289 while the RX Vega 11 manages 12,525, a 74.1% deficit for the older integrated part.

Looking at the broader benchmark averages reinforces this hierarchy. The RX Vega 11 holds an average benchmark score of 14,385 across all recorded tests, while the RX 6500 XT averages 11,842. It is importantly the averages are not directly comparable because they are drawn from different test suites, but they place each GPU in a different competitive neighborhood. The RX Vega 11's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN at 14,373 (a 0.1% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M at 14,404 (a -0.1% delta). The RX 6500 XT, by contrast, sits near the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 at 11,960 (a -1% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 at 11,680 (a 1.4% delta). The percentile rankings are close, with the Vega 11 at the 56th percentile of all GPUs and the RX 6500 XT at the 51st percentile, but the actual scores in the shared OpenCL and Vulkan tests show the discrete card is in another class.

The delta percentages in the head-to-head table are stark. For OpenCL, the -74.1% figure indicates the RX Vega 11 scores less than a quarter of the RX 6500 XT's output. For Vulkan, the -75.3% figure is similarly lopsided. No benchmark in the database shows the RX Vega 11 winning, and the win count stands at 0 for the Vega 11 and 2 for the RX 6500 XT. The data does not support any scenario where the integrated GPU closes the gap, even in compute-oriented workloads where older GCN architectures sometimes hold their own.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide here is generational and physical. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 is built on the Picasso chip using the GCN 5.0 architecture, fabricated on a 12 nm process at GlobalFoundries. The AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT uses the Navi 24 chip with the RDNA 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 6 nm process at TSMC. That process shrink is significant: the Vega 11 packs 4,940 million transistors into a 210 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 23.5 million per square millimeter. The RX 6500 XT crams 5,400 million transistors into just 107 mm², achieving a density of 50.5 million per square millimeter. In other words, the newer chip fits more transistors into roughly half the silicon area.

The compute resources differ substantially. The RX Vega 11 has 704 shading units, 44 texture mapping units, and 8 raster operation units. The RX 6500 XT nearly doubles the shading units to 1,024, increases TMUs to 64, and quadruples ROPs to 32. The RX 6500 XT also introduces 16 ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the Vega 11. Clock speeds reflect the architectural leap: the Vega 11 runs at a base of 300 MHz with a boost of 1,400 MHz, while the RX 6500 XT starts at 2,310 MHz and boosts to 2,815 MHz, with a game clock of 2,610 MHz. The pixel rate tells the story of the ROP advantage: 11.20 GPixel/s for the Vega 11 versus 90.08 GPixel/s for the RX 6500 XT. Texture rate follows suit at 61.60 GTexel/s versus 180.2 GTexel/s. Floating point performance is 1.971 TFLOPS for the Vega 11 and 5.765 TFLOPS for the RX 6500 XT, with FP16 figures of 3.942 and 11.53 TFLOPS respectively.

Memory architecture is another point of divergence. The RX Vega 11 uses system shared memory, with its size, type, bus width, and bandwidth all dependent on the host system. The RX 6500 XT has dedicated 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 64-bit bus, delivering 143.9 GB/s of bandwidth. The Vega 11 has no dedicated memory controller for graphics, which is typical of an integrated part. The RX 6500 XT also differs in its API support: it offers DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the Vega 11 tops out at DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT wins every recorded comparison. There are no tests in the database where the RX Vega 11 comes out ahead. That said, the two GPUs serve fundamentally different roles, and the use cases follow from their physical and architectural characteristics.

The RX Vega 11 is an integrated graphics processor, a 15 W part with no power connectors and a motherboard-dependent display output. It is designed for systems where discrete graphics are not an option, such as thin laptops or compact desktops. Its performance level, with an average score of 14,385 and a 56th percentile ranking, places it in the range of older discrete GPUs like the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN and GTX 965M. For basic desktop acceleration, light gaming at modest settings, and compute tasks that can tolerate lower throughput, the Vega 11 is sufficient. Its System Shared memory means it can use whatever RAM the host provides, which is flexible but not fast.

The RX 6500 XT is a dual-slot discrete card with a 107 W TDP, a single 6-pin power connector, and a suggested PSU of 300 W. It uses PCIe 4.0 x4, has dedicated GDDR6 memory, and offers display outputs of 1x HDMI 2.1 and 1x DisplayPort 1.4a. Its average score of 11,842 in its test suite, despite the 51st percentile ranking, reflects a different set of benchmarks that include PassMark tests across DirectX 9 through 12. The RX 6500 XT wins in scenarios that require sustained rendering, ray tracing, or high-bandwidth memory access. The 16 ray tracing cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support make it the only one of the two that can handle modern ray-traced effects at all.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 has an average benchmark score of 14,385, while the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT has an average of 11,842. However, these averages come from different test suites, so they are not directly comparable.

Q: What are the head-to-head benchmark results?

A: The RX 6500 XT wins both shared tests. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 6500 XT scores 48,289 versus 12,525 for the RX Vega 11, a 74.1% difference. In Geekbench Vulkan, the RX 6500 XT scores 54,724 versus 13,543, a 75.3% difference.

Q: How do the memory configurations differ?

A: The RX Vega 11 uses system shared memory with bandwidth dependent on the host system. The RX 6500 XT has 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 64-bit bus with 143.9 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU supports ray tracing?

A: Only the RX 6500 XT supports ray tracing, with 16 dedicated ray tracing cores. The RX Vega 11 has no ray tracing cores.

Q: What are the TDPs of the two GPUs?

A: The RX Vega 11 has a TDP of 15 W, while the RX 6500 XT has a TDP of 107 W.

Q: Which GPU is in a higher percentile of all GPUs?

A: The RX Vega 11 is at the 56th percentile, while the RX 6500 XT is at the 51st percentile, based on their respective benchmark suites.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every measurable specification. The RX Vega 11 uses a 12 nm process from GlobalFoundries, while the RX 6500 XT uses a 6 nm process from TSMC. Transistor counts are 4,940 million versus 5,400 million, and die sizes are 210 mm² versus 107 mm². Transistor density is 23.5M per mm² for the Vega 11 and 50.5M per mm² for the RX 6500 XT.

Clock speeds favor the RX 6500 XT across the board: base clocks are 300 MHz versus 2,310 MHz, boost clocks are 1,400 MHz versus 2,815 MHz, and the RX 6500 XT adds a game clock of 2,610 MHz. The Vega 11 has no game clock. Memory is system shared for the Vega 11, while the RX 6500 XT has 4 GB of GDDR6 at 18 Gbps effective on a 64-bit bus with 143.9 GB/s bandwidth.

Shading units are 704 versus 1,024, TMUs are 44 versus 64, and ROPs are 8 versus 32. The RX 6500 XT has 16 ray tracing cores; the Vega 11 has none. Pixel rates are 11.20 GPixel/s versus 90.08 GPixel/s, texture rates are 61.60 GTexel/s versus 180.2 GTexel/s, and FP32 performance is 1.971 TFLOPS versus 5.765 TFLOPS. FP16 figures are 3.942 TFLOPS versus 11.53 TFLOPS.

TDP is 15 W versus 107 W. The Vega 11 is an IGP with no power connectors, while the RX 6500 XT is dual-slot with a single 6-pin connector and a suggested PSU of 300 W. Bus interfaces are IGP versus PCIe 4.0 x4. Display outputs are motherboard dependent for the Vega 11, while the RX 6500 XT offers 1x HDMI 2.1 and 1x DisplayPort 1.4a. DirectX support is 12 (12_1) versus 12 Ultimate (12_2), and Vulkan support is 1.3 versus 1.4. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The RX 6500 XT has a launch MSRP of 199 USD.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear choice for anyone deciding between these two. The AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT is the superior performer in every benchmark where both were tested. It wins the OpenCL test by 74.1% and the Vulkan test by 75.3%. Its dedicated memory, ray tracing cores, and higher clock speeds make it the only viable option for modern gaming or compute workloads that stress the GPU. The RX Vega 11, with its 15 W TDP and integrated design, is not in the same performance class.

However, the verdict depends on the use case. The RX Vega 11 is an integrated part with no power connectors and a motherboard-dependent display output. It is meant for systems that cannot accommodate a discrete card. Its 56th percentile ranking and average score of 14,385 place it near the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN and GTX 965M, which is respectable for an IGP but far below what the RX 6500 XT delivers. The RX 6500 XT, with its 107 W TDP and 6-pin connector, requires a power supply of at least 300 W and a PCIe slot. It is a real expansion card for a desktop system.

For a user building a new system with room for a discrete GPU, the RX 6500 XT is the only sensible pick based on the recorded data. Its 1,024 shading units, 32 ROPs, and 143.9 GB/s of memory bandwidth give it a massive edge. For a user stuck with integrated graphics, the RX Vega 11 is what it is: a capable-enough IGP that sits at the 56th percentile of all GPUs, but it cannot compete with the RX 6500 XT in any shared test. The win count of 0 versus 2 says everything. The RX 6500 XT wins where it matters, and the RX Vega 11 wins nowhere in the database.