Radeon Pro W5500 vs Radeon RX 480

AMD

Radeon Pro W5500

2020Core: 1187 MHzBoost: 1400 MHz
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VS
AMD

Radeon RX 480

2016Core: 1120 MHzBoost: 1266 MHz
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Radeon Pro W5500 vs Radeon RX 480 Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

Radeon Pro W5500 vs Radeon RX 480 FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

Radeon Pro W5500 vs Radeon RX 480: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

Radeon Pro W5500

2020

Why buy it

  • Better long-term bet: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
  • Draws 125W instead of 150W, a 25W reduction.
  • More future proof: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 480 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 74.2% HIGHER MSRP
    $399 MSRPvs$229 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 22.3 vs 37.3 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).

Radeon RX 480

2016

Why buy it

  • 24.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $170 less on MSRP ($229 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
  • Delivers 67.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 37.3 vs 22.3 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
  • Measures 240mm instead of 241mm, a 1mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • 2016 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • 20% higher power demand at 150W vs 125W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon RX 480 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 24.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon Pro W5500 instead at 8,913 vs 8,546, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon Pro W5500 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 7nm process instead of 14nm and a newer 2020 generation instead of 2016. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon RX 480 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $170 cheaper on MSRP at $229 vs $399, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 67.1% (37.3 vs 22.3), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon RX 480 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon Pro W5500 has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon Pro W5500 vs Radeon RX 480 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

AMD

Radeon Pro W5500

The Radeon Pro W5500 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in February 10 2020. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1187 MHz to 1400 MHz. It has 1408 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 125W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,913 points. Launch price was $399.

AMD

Radeon RX 480

The Radeon RX 480 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 29 2016. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1120 MHz to 1266 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,546 points. Launch price was $229.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon Pro W5500 scores 8,913 and the Radeon RX 480 reaches 8,546 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon Pro W5500 is built on RDNA 1.0 while the Radeon RX 480 uses GCN 4.0, both on 7 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 1,408 (Radeon Pro W5500) vs 2,304 (Radeon RX 480). Raw compute: 3.942 TFLOPS (Radeon Pro W5500) vs 5.834 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 480). Boost clocks: 1400 MHz vs 1266 MHz.

FeatureRadeon Pro W5500Radeon RX 480
G3D Mark Score
8,913+4%
8,546
Architecture
RDNA 1.0
GCN 4.0
Process Node
7 nm
14 nm
Shading Units
1408
2304+64%
Compute (TFLOPS)
3.942 TFLOPS
5.834 TFLOPS+48%
Boost Clock
1400 MHz+11%
1266 MHz
ROPs
32
32
TMUs
88
144+64%
L2 Cache
2 MB
2 MB
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling + RSR
FSR upscaling

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon Pro W5500Radeon RX 480
Upscaling Tech
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
AMD Anti-Lag
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 8 GB of video memory. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the Radeon Pro W5500 and 256-bit on the Radeon RX 480.

FeatureRadeon Pro W5500Radeon RX 480
VRAM Capacity
8 GB
8 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR5
Bus Width
128-bit
256-bit+100%
L2 Cache
2 MB
2 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (Radeon Pro W5500) vs 12.0 (Radeon RX 480). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureRadeon Pro W5500Radeon RX 480
DirectX
12.1
12.0
Vulkan
1.2
1.3+8%
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCN 2.0 (Radeon Pro W5500) vs VCE 3.4 (Radeon RX 480). Decoder: VCN 2.0 vs UVD 6.3. Supported codecs: HEVC,H.264,VP9 (Radeon Pro W5500) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (Radeon RX 480).

FeatureRadeon Pro W5500Radeon RX 480
Encoder
VCN 2.0
VCE 3.4
Decoder
VCN 2.0
UVD 6.3
Codecs
HEVC,H.264,VP9
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon Pro W5500 draws 125W versus the Radeon RX 480's 150W — a 18.2% difference. The Radeon Pro W5500 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon Pro W5500) vs 500W (Radeon RX 480). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 8-pin. Card length: 241mm vs 240mm, occupying 1 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 85°C.

FeatureRadeon Pro W5500Radeon RX 480
TDP
125W-17%
150W
Recommended PSU
500W
500W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
8-pin
Length
241mm
240mm
Height
111mm
95mm
Slots
1-50%
2
Temp (Load)
75°C-12%
85°C
Perf/Watt
71.3+25%
57.0
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon Pro W5500 came in at $399, while the Radeon RX 480 launched at $229. On MSRP, Radeon RX 480 was 42.6% cheaper ($170 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 22.3 (Radeon Pro W5500) vs 37.3 (Radeon RX 480) — the Radeon RX 480 offers 67.3% better value. The newer card here is Radeon Pro W5500 (2020 vs 2016).

FeatureRadeon Pro W5500Radeon RX 480
MSRP
$399
$229-43%
Performance per Dollar
22.3
37.3+67%
Codename
Navi 14
Ellesmere
Release
February 10 2020
June 29 2016
Ranking
#294
#305

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