Radeon RX 6500 XT vs Vega Frontier Edition

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Radeon Instinct MI25 Radeon Pro V320 Radeon Pro WX 8200 Radeon PRO WX 9100 Radeon Vega Frontier Edition
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Radeon RX 6300 Radeon RX 6400 Radeon RX 6500 XT Radeon RX 6600 Radeon RX 6600 LE Radeon RX 6600 XT Radeon RX 6650 XT Radeon RX 6700 Radeon RX 6700 XT Radeon RX 6750 GRE Radeon RX 6750 GRE 10 GB Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB Radeon RX 6750 XT Radeon RX 6800 Radeon RX 6800 XT Radeon RX 6850 XT Radeon RX 6900 Radeon RX 6900 XT Radeon RX 6950 XT

Aggregate performance score

We've compared Radeon Vega Frontier Edition with Radeon RX 6500 XT, including specs and performance data.

Vega Frontier Edition
2017
16 GB HBM2, 300 Watt
33.83
+36.2%

Vega Frontier Edition outperforms RX 6500 XT by a substantial 36% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Contents

Vega Frontier Edition Vega Frontier Edition
RX 6500 XT RX 6500 XT

Primary details

GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.

Place in the ranking156220
Place by popularitynot in top-10083
Cost-effectiveness evaluation19.2458.69
Power efficiency7.7315.90
ArchitectureGCN 5.0 (2017−2020)RDNA 2.0 (2020−2024)
GPU code nameVega 10Navi 24
Market segmentWorkstationDesktop
Release date27 June 2017 (7 years ago)19 January 2022 (2 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$999 $199

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

RX 6500 XT has 205% better value for money than Vega Frontier Edition.

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores40961024
Core clock speed1382 MHz2610 MHz
Boost clock speed1600 MHz2815 MHz
Number of transistors12,500 million5,400 million
Manufacturing process technology14 nm6 nm
Power consumption (TDP)300 Watt107 Watt
Texture fill rate409.6180.2
Floating-point processing power13.11 TFLOPS5.765 TFLOPS
ROPs6432
TMUs25664
Ray Tracing Coresno data16

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 4.0 x4
Length267 mmno data
Width2-slot2-slot
Supplementary power connectors2x 8-pin1x 6-pin

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory typeHBM2GDDR6
Maximum RAM amount16 GB8 GB
Memory bus width2048 Bit64 Bit
Memory clock speed945 MHz2248 MHz
Memory bandwidth483.8 GB/s143.9 GB/s
Shared memory--

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display Connectors1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort1x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 1.4a
HDMI++

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX12 (12_1)12 Ultimate (12_2)
Shader Model6.46.6
OpenGL4.64.6
OpenCL2.02.2
Vulkan1.1.1251.3

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.

Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

Vega Frontier Edition 33.83
+36.2%
RX 6500 XT 24.83

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

Vega Frontier Edition 13039
+36.3%
RX 6500 XT 9569

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

Full HD80−85
+29%
62
−29%
1440p35−40
+25%
28
−25%
4K21−24
+31.3%
16
−31.3%

Cost per frame, $

1080p12.493.21
1440p28.547.11
4K47.5712.44

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 72
+0%
72
+0%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 50−55
+0%
50−55
+0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 51
+0%
51
+0%
Battlefield 5 80−85
+0%
80−85
+0%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 50−55
+0%
50−55
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 54
+0%
54
+0%
Far Cry 5 55−60
+0%
55−60
+0%
Far Cry New Dawn 65−70
+0%
65−70
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 140−150
+0%
140−150
+0%
Hitman 3 50−55
+0%
50−55
+0%
Horizon Zero Dawn 110−120
+0%
110−120
+0%
Metro Exodus 85−90
+0%
85−90
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 60−65
+0%
60−65
+0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 80−85
+0%
80−85
+0%
Watch Dogs: Legion 100−110
+0%
100−110
+0%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 50−55
+0%
50−55
+0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 43
+0%
43
+0%
Battlefield 5 80−85
+0%
80−85
+0%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 50−55
+0%
50−55
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 34
+0%
34
+0%
Far Cry 5 55−60
+0%
55−60
+0%
Far Cry New Dawn 65−70
+0%
65−70
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 140−150
+0%
140−150
+0%
Hitman 3 50−55
+0%
50−55
+0%
Horizon Zero Dawn 110−120
+0%
110−120
+0%
Metro Exodus 85−90
+0%
85−90
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 60−65
+0%
60−65
+0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 107
+0%
107
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 50−55
+0%
50−55
+0%
Watch Dogs: Legion 100−110
+0%
100−110
+0%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 50−55
+0%
50−55
+0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 31
+0%
31
+0%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 50−55
+0%
50−55
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 30
+0%
30
+0%
Far Cry 5 55−60
+0%
55−60
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 140−150
+0%
140−150
+0%
Hitman 3 50−55
+0%
50−55
+0%
Horizon Zero Dawn 92
+0%
92
+0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 83
+0%
83
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 54
+0%
54
+0%
Watch Dogs: Legion 25
+0%
25
+0%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 60−65
+0%
60−65
+0%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5 45−50
+0%
45−50
+0%
Far Cry New Dawn 35−40
+0%
35−40
+0%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 23
+0%
23
+0%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 27−30
+0%
27−30
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 17
+0%
17
+0%
Far Cry 5 27−30
+0%
27−30
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 140−150
+0%
140−150
+0%
Hitman 3 27−30
+0%
27−30
+0%
Horizon Zero Dawn 66
+0%
66
+0%
Metro Exodus 57
+0%
57
+0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 56
+0%
56
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 30−33
+0%
30−33
+0%
Watch Dogs: Legion 140−150
+0%
140−150
+0%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 40−45
+0%
40−45
+0%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
Far Cry New Dawn 18−20
+0%
18−20
+0%
Hitman 3 10
+0%
10
+0%
Horizon Zero Dawn 120−130
+0%
120−130
+0%
Metro Exodus 27−30
+0%
27−30
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 28
+0%
28
+0%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 14−16
+0%
14−16
+0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 6
+0%
6
+0%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 14−16
+0%
14−16
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 4
+0%
4
+0%
Far Cry 5 14−16
+0%
14−16
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 25
+0%
25
+0%
Watch Dogs: Legion 10
+0%
10
+0%

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%

This is how Vega Frontier Edition and RX 6500 XT compete in popular games:

  • Vega Frontier Edition is 29% faster in 1080p
  • Vega Frontier Edition is 25% faster in 1440p
  • Vega Frontier Edition is 31% faster in 4K

All in all, in popular games:

  • there's a draw in 72 tests (100%)

Pros & cons summary

Performance score 33.83 24.83
Recency 27 June 2017 19 January 2022
Maximum RAM amount 16 GB 8 GB
Chip lithography 14 nm 6 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 300 Watt 107 Watt

Vega Frontier Edition has a 36.2% higher aggregate performance score, and a 100% higher maximum VRAM amount.

RX 6500 XT, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 4 years, a 133.3% more advanced lithography process, and 180.4% lower power consumption.

The Radeon Vega Frontier Edition is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon RX 6500 XT in performance tests.

Be aware that Radeon Vega Frontier Edition is a workstation graphics card while Radeon RX 6500 XT is a desktop one.

Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite graphics card.

AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition
Radeon Vega Frontier Edition
AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT
Radeon RX 6500 XT
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Comparisons with similar GPUs

We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.

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RX 6500 XT Radeon RX 6500 XT
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Vega Frontier Edition Radeon Vega Frontier Edition
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Pro WX 8200 Radeon Pro WX 8200
GTX 1070 Max-Q GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q
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Steam Deck OLED GPU Steam Deck OLED GPU
Vega Frontier Edition Radeon Vega Frontier Edition
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RX 550 Radeon RX 550
Vega Frontier Edition Radeon Vega Frontier Edition
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Instinct MI60 Radeon Instinct MI60
Vega Frontier Edition Radeon Vega Frontier Edition
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UHD Graphics UHD Graphics
Vega Frontier Edition Radeon Vega Frontier Edition
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A100 PCIe A100 PCIe
Vega Frontier Edition Radeon Vega Frontier Edition
vs
RTX A40 RTX A40
Vega Frontier Edition Radeon Vega Frontier Edition
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RX 6750 XT Radeon RX 6750 XT
Vega Frontier Edition Radeon Vega Frontier Edition
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RTX 4070 GeForce RTX 4070
Vega Frontier Edition Radeon Vega Frontier Edition
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H100 PCIe H100 PCIe
Vega Frontier Edition Radeon Vega Frontier Edition
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RTX 4050 Mobile GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile

Community ratings

Here you can see the user ratings of the compared graphics cards, as well as rate them yourself.

3.7 25 votes

Rate Radeon Vega Frontier Edition on a scale of 1 to 5:

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3.8 3302 votes

Rate Radeon RX 6500 XT on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
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  • 5

Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about this comparison, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.