AMD Radeon Pro 5500M vs NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded data splits these two mobile workstation GPUs into very different use cases. The NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile wins 8 of the 9 head-to-head benchmark comparisons, making it the clear performance leader in almost every measurable workload. The AMD Radeon Pro 5500M takes only a single victory, but that win lands in a specific area that matters for certain professional tasks.

The NVIDIA part dominates compute and modern graphics APIs. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX A2000 Mobile posts a score of 56518 against 31088 for the Radeon Pro 5500M, a 81.8% advantage. That gap represents the largest single delta in the comparison. The Vulkan result follows a similar pattern, with NVIDIA leading 53146 to 35134, a 51.3% margin. For users running GPU-accelerated compute workloads that leverage OpenCL or Vulkan, the database shows a decisive NVIDIA advantage.

DirectX performance is another NVIDIA stronghold. The RTX A2000 Mobile wins across every DirectX version tested. The DirectX 12 score of 47 beats the Radeon Pro 5500M's 29, a 62.1% lead. DirectX 11 shows a 61.9% margin (68 vs 42), and DirectX 10 a 58.3% margin (57 vs 36). Even the older DirectX 9 path favors NVIDIA, with 115 versus 96, a 19.8% advantage. The pattern is consistent: the NVIDIA architecture extracts more performance from every DirectX API generation.

The 3D graphics score follows the same trend. Passmark G3D gives the RTX A2000 Mobile 9611 points against 6732 for the AMD part, a 42.8% lead. Compute performance on the Passmark GPU compute test also favors NVIDIA, with 4334 versus 3240, a 33.8% margin.

The AMD Radeon Pro 5500M's only win comes in the Passmark G2D test, which measures 2D graphics and desktop composition workloads. The AMD part scores 648 versus 491 for NVIDIA, a 24.2% advantage. This suggests the Radeon Pro 5500M handles 2D display output and GUI acceleration with greater efficiency, which can matter for applications that are not heavily 3D dependent.

The average benchmark scores confirm the overall gap. The RTX A2000 Mobile averages 13821 across all recorded tests, while the Radeon Pro 5500M averages 11528. The NVIDIA part also sits at the 55th percentile among all GPUs in the database, compared to the 51st percentile for the AMD part. The nearest rival data reinforces the positioning: the RTX A2000 Mobile competes within 1.5% of cards like the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT and the NVIDIA Tesla K10, while the Radeon Pro 5500M trades blows with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 and the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different foundries and process nodes. The NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile uses the GA107 chip built on Samsung's 8 nm process, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M uses the Navi 14 chip fabricated by TSMC on 7 nm. The smaller node gives AMD a density advantage at the process level, but the chip-level numbers tell a more nuanced story.

The NVIDIA chip integrates 8,700 million transistors on a 200 mm² die, producing a transistor density of 43.5M per mm². The AMD chip contains 6,400 million transistors on a 158 mm² die, for a density of 40.5M per mm². Despite the older node, NVIDIA packs more transistors overall and achieves a higher density.

The compute pipelines differ substantially. NVIDIA's Ampere architecture provides 2560 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs. It also includes 20 ray tracing cores and 80 tensor cores, making it a full-featured GPU with hardware acceleration for both ray tracing and AI workloads. The AMD RDNA 1.0 architecture offers 1536 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Notably, the Radeon Pro 5500M has no ray tracing cores and no tensor cores listed in the database. This is a fundamental architectural split: NVIDIA hardware-accelerates ray tracing and tensor operations, while AMD relies on more traditional shader-based compute.

Clock behavior also differs. The RTX A2000 Mobile runs at a base clock of 1215 MHz with a boost of 1687 MHz. The Radeon Pro 5500M has a lower base of 1000 MHz and a lower boost of 1450 MHz. The NVIDIA part compensates with both higher clocks and more shading units, which is why its FP32 throughput reaches 8.637 TFLOPS versus 4.454 TFLOPS for the AMD part. Interestingly, the FP16 picture flips: the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M reaches 8.909 TFLOPS FP16 using a 2:1 rate, while the NVIDIA part also hits 8.637 TFLOPS FP16 but at a 1:1 rate. Both cards effectively deliver similar FP16 compute, but through different rate mechanisms.

Memory configurations show parity in bandwidth. Both GPUs use 4 GB or 8 GB GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, and both achieve 192.0 GB/s. The NVIDIA card comes with 4 GB, while the AMD card ships with 8 GB. The memory clock is identical at 1500 MHz with 12 Gbps effective. The bus interface differs: the RTX A2000 Mobile connects via PCIe 4.0 x16, while the Radeon Pro 5500M uses PCIe 4.0 x8.

API support also diverges. The NVIDIA GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The AMD GPU lists DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The DirectX feature level difference (12_2 vs 12_1) reflects NVIDIA's support for the full DirectX 12 Ultimate feature set, including hardware ray tracing and mesh shaders.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench OpenCL test delivers the largest margin of the entire comparison. The NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile scores 56518 against 31088 for the Radeon Pro 5500M, an 81.8% advantage. This result reflects the combined effect of NVIDIA's higher shading unit count, higher clocks, and more mature compute stack. The Vulkan test shows a 51.3% NVIDIA lead, with scores of 53146 and 35134 respectively.

Passmark's DirectX tests all favor NVIDIA by wide margins. DirectX 10 gives 57 to 36, a 58.3% difference. DirectX 11 moves to 68 against 42, a 61.9% gap. DirectX 12 shows 47 versus 29, a 62.1% lead. The DirectX 9 result is the closest of the API tests, with NVIDIA ahead 115 to 96, a 19.8% margin. The trend suggests that NVIDIA's advantage grows as the API becomes more modern and more demanding of the GPU's full feature set.

The Passmark G3D test, which aggregates 3D rendering performance, gives NVIDIA a 42.8% lead (9611 vs 6732). This aligns with the DirectX results and the raw FP32 throughput difference. The Passmark GPU compute test also favors NVIDIA, with 4334 versus 3240, a 33.8% margin.

The single AMD win comes in Passmark G2D, where the Radeon Pro 5500M scores 648 against 491 for the NVIDIA card, a 24.2% advantage. This 2D-focused test measures desktop rendering, text rendering, and basic graphics operations. The AMD part's higher score here suggests its RDNA 1.0 architecture handles 2D rasterization more efficiently, even though it falls behind in every 3D and compute workload.

The overall benchmark average tells the story cleanly: 13821 for the RTX A2000 Mobile versus 11528 for the Radeon Pro 5500M. In the nearest rival context, the NVIDIA card's average sits just 0.1% above the AMD Radeon 660M and 0.6% above the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT, while the Radeon Pro 5500M's average is 1.3% below the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660. These deltas place both cards in a similar performance tier, but the head-to-head results show the NVIDIA part is consistently faster when directly compared.

Specification Differences

The table below lists only the fields where the two GPUs differ according to the database:

| Specification | NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile | AMD Radeon Pro 5500M |

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

| Architecture | Ampere | RDNA 1.0 |

| Generation | Ampere-MW (Ax000) | Radeon Pro Mac (Navi Mobile) |

| Process Node | 8 nm | 7 nm |

| Foundry | Samsung | TSMC |

| Transistors | 8,700 million | 6,400 million |

| Die Size | 200 mm² | 158 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 43.5M / mm² | 40.5M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1215 MHz | 1000 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1687 MHz | 1450 MHz |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 8 GB |

| Shading Units | 2560 | 1536 |

| TMUs | 80 | 96 |

| ROPs | 48 | 32 |

| RT Cores | 20 | None |

| Tensor Cores | 80 | None |

| Pixel Rate | 80.98 GPixel/s | 46.40 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 135.0 GTexel/s | 139.2 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 8.637 TFLOPS | 4.454 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 8.637 TFLOPS (1:1) | 8.909 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 95 W | 85 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x8 |

| DirectX Support | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (12_1) |

| Release Date | 2021-04-11T17:00:00.000Z | 2019-11-11T17:00:00.000Z |

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

The memory clock, memory type, bus width, bandwidth, and OpenGL version are identical on both cards. Both support GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus at 192.0 GB/s, memory clocks of 1500 MHz with 12 Gbps effective, and both list OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1. Both are mobile GPUs with no external power connectors listed, and both are marked end-of-life in the database.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the most benchmark comparisons in the head-to-head data?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile wins 8 of the 9 head-to-head tests. The AMD Radeon Pro 5500M wins only 1 test, specifically the Passmark G2D test.

Q: How large is the NVIDIA lead in Geekbench OpenCL performance?

A: The RTX A2000 Mobile scores 56518 against 31088 for the Radeon Pro 5500M, a 81.8% advantage.

Q: Does the AMD card have any unique hardware for ray tracing or AI workloads?

A: No. The AMD Radeon Pro 5500M has no RT cores and no tensor cores listed in the database, while the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile includes 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference between the two cards?

A: The RTX A2000 Mobile ships with 4 GB of GDDR6, while the Radeon Pro 5500M ships with 8 GB of GDDR6. Both run at 1500 MHz with 12 Gbps effective on a 128-bit bus at 192.0 GB/s.

Q: How do the DirectX feature levels differ between the two GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M supports DirectX 12 (12_1. This reflects NVIDIA's support for the full 12_2 feature set.

Q: What are the FP16 throughput figures for each GPU?

A: The RTX A2000 Mobile reaches 8.637 TFLOPS FP16 at a 1:1 rate, the Radeon Pro 5500M reaches 8.909 TFLOPS FP16 at a 2:1 rate.

Q: Which part has the higher average benchmark score in the database?

A: The RTX A2000 Mobile averages 13821 across all recorded tests, the Radeon Pro 5500M averages 11528.