AMD Radeon RX 7900M vs NVIDIA RTX A5500 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a split decision between these two GPUs, with each taking one of the two shared benchmark tests. The most decisive result comes from Geekbench OpenCL, where the NVIDIA RTX A5500 posts a score of 174,637 against the AMD Radeon RX 7900M's 129,499. That works out to a 34.9% advantage for the NVIDIA card, a massive gap in raw compute throughput that reflects the fundamentally different design priorities of the two chips.

The Vulkan results tell a much closer story. The AMD Radeon RX 7900M edges out the RTX A5500 by just 1.9%, scoring 158,760 versus 155,797. This near-tie in Vulkan is notable because the two GPUs are built for completely different markets: the RTX A5500 is a workstation card aimed at professional rendering and compute, while the RX 7900M is a high-end mobile part for gaming laptops. A 1.9% margin is well within run-to-run variance for most synthetic workloads, so the practical takeaway is that these two cards are effectively matched in Vulkan performance.

Looking at the broader database picture, the RTX A5500 sits at the 97th percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 165,217. Its nearest rivals in the database are the NVIDIA RTX 4500 Ada Generation at 166,094 (0.5% ahead), the AMD Radeon Pro W6900X at 168,574 (2% ahead), and the AMD Radeon PRO W7800 at 164,894 (0.2% behind). The RTX A5500 also leads the NVIDIA A100 PCIe 40 GB by 1.7%, a notable result for a card that is not NVIDIA's flagship workstation part.

The RX 7900M, meanwhile, sits at the 94th percentile with an average benchmark score of 97,487. Its nearest rivals are a different tier of hardware: the AMD Radeon Pro VII trails by 0.4%, the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 leads by 4.3%, and the AMD Radeon Instinct MI60 trails by 5.4%. The NVIDIA RTX A4500 is 6.3% behind. The large delta between the two cards' average scores (165,217 versus 97,487) is driven by the RTX A5500's dominance in Geekbench OpenCL, while the Vulkan result shows the two cards are much closer in that specific API.

The database records exactly one win for each card. The RTX A5500 takes OpenCL decisively, while the RX 7900M takes Vulkan by a narrow margin. Anyone choosing between these two should weigh which API matters more for their workload, since the performance relationship changes dramatically depending on the test.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from completely different generations and design philosophies. The NVIDIA RTX A5500 uses the GA102 chip on the Ampere architecture, fabricated on Samsung's 8 nm process. It packs 28,300 million transistors into a 628 mm² die, for a transistor density of 45.1 million per square millimeter. The AMD Radeon RX 7900M uses the Navi 31 chip on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, built on TSMC's 5 nm node. It crams 57,700 million transistors into a smaller 529 mm² die, yielding a density of 109.1 million per square millimeter, more than double the NVIDIA part.

The core configurations are radically different. The RTX A5500 has 10,240 shading units, 320 texture mapping units, 96 ROPs, 80 RT cores, and 320 tensor cores. The RX 7900M has only 4,608 shading units but 288 TMUs and 192 ROPs, along with 72 RT cores and no tensor cores at all. The AMD card's lower shader count is compensated by higher clock speeds: it runs at 1825 MHz base and 2090 MHz boost, while the RTX A5500 sits at 1080 MHz base and 1665 MHz boost. That clock advantage helps the RX 7900M reach 38.52 TFLOPS FP32 against the RTX A5500's 34.10 TFLOPS, despite having fewer than half the shading units.

Memory configurations also diverge sharply. The RTX A5500 uses 24 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 768.0 GB/s of bandwidth at 16 Gbps effective. The RX 7900M has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, with 576.0 GB/s of bandwidth at 18 Gbps effective. The NVIDIA card has a 33.3% bandwidth advantage, which matters for large datasets and high-resolution textures. The AMD card counters with faster memory clocks but a narrower interface.

Pixel and texture throughput tell an interesting story. The RX 7900M hits 401.3 GPixel/s and 601.9 GTexel/s, while the RTX A5500 manages 159.8 GPixel/s and 532.8 GTexel/s. The AMD card's enormous pixel rate advantage comes from its 192 ROPs, double the NVIDIA card's 96. The RTX A5500's higher TMU count per shader helps it stay competitive in texture rate, but the pixel rate gap is substantial.

FP16 compute is another differentiator. The RTX A5500 delivers 34.10 TFLOPS FP16 at a 1:1 ratio with FP32, meaning no dedicated half-precision boost. The RX 7900M delivers 77.05 TFLOPS FP16 at a 2:1 ratio, more than double its FP32 throughput. This makes the AMD card much stronger in workloads that can leverage packed FP16 math.

Power and physical design are worlds apart. The RTX A5500 is a dual-slot card with a 230 W TDP, a single 8-pin power connector, and a suggested 550 W power supply. It measures 267 mm in length and 112 mm in height. The RX 7900M is an integrated graphics processor with a 180 W TDP, no power connectors, and no listed dimensions, since it is designed to be soldered into laptops. The RTX A5500 outputs to 4x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the RX 7900M's display outputs are portable-device dependent.

Both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The RTX A5500 uses PCIe 4.0 x16, and so does the RX 7900M. The production status differs: the RTX A5500 is end-of-life, released on 2022-03-21, while the RX 7900M is active, released on 2023-10-18. The NVIDIA card's predecessor is Quadro Turing and its successor is Workstation Ada. The AMD card's predecessor is Polaris Mobile with no successor listed.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX A5500 wins decisively in OpenCL compute. Its 34.9% lead in Geekbench OpenCL suggests it is the stronger choice for general-purpose GPU compute, particularly in professional applications that rely on OpenCL for rendering, simulation, or data processing. The 24 GB memory capacity and 768.0 GB/s bandwidth also give it a practical edge for datasets that exceed the RX 7900M's 16 GB frame buffer. The tensor cores, 320 of them, provide dedicated hardware for AI and deep learning workloads that the RX 7900M lacks entirely.

The RX 7900M wins in Vulkan by 1.9%, but the margin is small enough that the practical difference is minimal. Its real advantages lie elsewhere. The 401.3 GPixel/s pixel rate, more than double the RTX A5500's 159.8 GPixel/s, makes it the better choice for rasterization-heavy workloads where fill rate dominates. The 77.05 TFLOPS FP16 throughput, again more than double the NVIDIA card's 34.10 TFLOPS, gives it a significant edge in applications that use packed half-precision math. The 180 W TDP also means it can deliver this performance in a mobile form factor without the power and cooling requirements of a dual-slot desktop card.

Clock speeds favor the AMD card substantially. Its 1825 MHz base and 2090 MHz boost clocks are roughly 69% and 26% higher than the RTX A5500's respective 1080 MHz and 1665 MHz. This clock advantage, combined with the 5 nm process, explains how the RX 7900M achieves higher FP32 throughput with far fewer shading units.

For professional workstation use, the RTX A5500 is the safer choice based on the data. It has more memory, higher bandwidth, tensor cores, and a massive OpenCL lead. For gaming on a laptop or workloads that favor high pixel throughput and FP16 compute, the RX 7900M is the stronger option. The 1.9% Vulkan win is too small to be a deciding factor on its own, but it does show the AMD card is not at a disadvantage in that API.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A5500 scores 174,637 in Geekbench OpenCL versus 129,499 for the AMD Radeon RX 7900M, a 34.9% advantage.

Q: Which GPU wins in Vulkan?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7900M scores 158,760 in Geekbench Vulkan versus 155,797 for the RTX A5500, a narrow 1.9% margin.

Q: How do their memory configurations compare?

A: The RTX A5500 has 24 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus with 768.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 7900M has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 576.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card has higher FP32 compute?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7900M delivers 38.52 TFLOPS FP32, while the NVIDIA RTX A5500 delivers 34.10 TFLOPS.

Q: Does the RX 7900M have tensor cores?

A: No, tensor cores are listed as null for the RX 7900M. The RTX A5500 has 320 tensor cores.

Q: What are their power requirements?

A: The RTX A5500 has a 230 W TDP, uses a single 8-pin power connector, and suggests a 550 W power supply. The RX 7900M has a 180 W TDP and no power connectors, as it is an integrated mobile GPU.

The Verdict

The data points to two very different buyers. The NVIDIA RTX A5500 is the clear choice for professional compute workloads that depend on OpenCL, large memory capacity, and CUDA-adjacent features like tensor cores. Its 34.9% OpenCL lead over the RX 7900M is the single largest performance gap in the head-to-head results, and its 24 GB frame buffer is 50% larger than the AMD card's 16 GB. The 97th percentile ranking and an average benchmark score of 165,217 put it in the same league as the RTX 4500 Ada Generation and the Radeon PRO W7800, both of which are within 0.5% of its average score.

The AMD Radeon RX 7900M is the mobile specialist. Its 1.9% Vulkan win shows it can hold its own in that API, and its 38.52 TFLOPS FP32 and 77.05 TFLOPS FP16 throughput exceed the RTX A5500 in raw compute density. The 401.3 GPixel/s pixel rate is more than double the NVIDIA card's, and the 180 W TDP in an integrated package means it fits in laptops where the dual-slot RTX A5500 physically cannot exist. The 94th percentile ranking reflects a different performance tier in the database, but within its mobile context, the RX 7900M is a high-end part.

The choice comes down to form factor and workload. If the system is a desktop workstation and the workload is OpenCL-heavy professional compute, the RTX A5500 is the data-backed pick. If the system is a laptop and the workload is gaming or FP16-heavy rasterization, the RX 7900M is the only option that fits. The 1.9% Vulkan difference is negligible; the 34.9% OpenCL difference is not. Neither card is a universal winner, but each dominates in its intended environment.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA RTX A5500 | AMD Radeon RX 7900M |

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

| Architecture | Ampere | RDNA 3.0 |

| Process node | 8 nm | 5 nm |

| Foundry | Samsung | TSMC |

| Transistors | 28,300 million | 57,700 million |

| Die size | 628 mm² | 529 mm² |

| Transistor density | 45.1M / mm² | 109.1M / mm² |

| Base clock | 1080 MHz | 1825 MHz |

| Boost clock | 1665 MHz | 2090 MHz |

| Memory clock | 2000 MHz, 16 Gbps effective | 2250 MHz, 18 Gbps effective |

| Memory size | 24 GB | 16 GB |

| Memory type | GDDR6 | GDDR6 |

| Memory bus | 384 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory bandwidth | 768.0 GB/s | 576.0 GB/s |

| Shading units | 10240 | 4608 |

| TMUs | 320 | 288 |

| ROPs | 96 | 192 |

| RT cores | 80 | 72 |

| Tensor cores | 320 | null |

| Pixel rate | 159.8 GPixel/s | 401.3 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 532.8 GTexel/s | 601.9 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 34.10 TFLOPS | 38.52 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 34.10 TFLOPS (1:1) | 77.05 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 230 W | 180 W |

| Slot width | Dual-slot | IGP |

| Power connectors | 1x 8-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 550 W | null |

| Display outputs | 4x DisplayPort 1.4a | Portable Device Dependent |

| Dimensions | 267 mm length, 112 mm height | null |

| Production status | End-of-life | Active |

| Release date | 2022-03-21 | 2023-10-18 |

| Predecessor | Quadro Turing | Polaris Mobile |

| Successor | Workstation Ada | null |