AMD Radeon Pro W5500

AMD Radeon Pro W5500: Full Specifications

The AMD Radeon Pro W5500 is a mid-range professional workstation GPU designed for mainstream CAD, design, and entry-level content creation workloads. It is built on the 7nm RDNA architecture, offering a significant generational leap in performance-per-watt over previous GCN-based Pro cards.

Quick Overview

• GPU Architecture: RDNA (1st Gen)

• Stream Processors: 1408

• Video Memory: 8 GB GDDR6

• Memory Bandwidth: 224 GB/s

• FP32 Performance: 5.35 TFLOPs

• Form Factor: Single-slot, low-profile ready

• Power Consumption: 125W

• Launch Date: February 10, 2020

• Launch Price: ~$399 USD

Detailed Technical Specifications

Key Professional Features & Technologies

• RDNA Architecture: Provides a significant performance-per-watt improvement over the previous GCN architecture, leading to cooler and quieter operation.

• 8GB of GDDR6 Memory: Ample memory for handling large models and datasets in professional applications like SOLIDWORKS, Creo, and Revit.

• PCIe 4.0 Support: Offers high bandwidth for data transfer between the CPU and GPU. (Note: The card only uses an x8 electrical interface, which is still ample bandwidth for its class).

• DisplayPort 1.4 with DSC:

  • Supports up to four simultaneous 4K (3840x2160) displays or two 5K (5120x2880) displays.

  • Display Stream Compression (DSC) is visually lossless and allows for high resolutions, high refresh rates, and HDR on a single cable without needing two connectors per monitor (like Dual-Link DVI or DP 1.2 required).

• AMD Error Correcting Code (ECC) Memory: Optional Support. ECC can be enabled to detect and correct single-bit memory errors, which is critical for scientific computing and mission-critical data integrity. This is typically managed through the professional driver and may impact performance slightly.

• Enterprise-Grade Drivers: The key differentiator from consumer Radeon cards. Pro drivers are rigorously tested and certified for stability and performance in ISV-certified applications (e.g., AutoCAD, SOLIDWORKS, Siemens NX, Revit). They prioritize absolute freedom from artifacts and crashes over raw gaming performance.

• AMD Secure Pro: Security features designed to help protect IP and prevent display output from being recorded or captured without permission.

Target Workloads & Use Cases

The Radeon Pro W5500 is positioned for mainstream professional users. It is not designed for gaming.

• CAD (Computer-Aided Design): Excellent performance in applications like:

  • SOLIDWORKS

  • AutoCAD

  • Creo Parametric

  • Siemens NX

  • CATIA

• BIM (Building Information Modeling):

  • Autodesk Revit

• Entry-Level Content Creation & Media Playback:

  • Light video editing and rendering (e.g., DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro)

  • Photo editing (e.g., Photoshop, Lightroom)

• General Business & Multi-Display Setups: Its four DisplayPort outputs make it ideal for financial trading desks or control rooms requiring multiple high-resolution monitors.

Comparison & Context

• vs. Gaming Cards (e.g., Radeon RX 5500 XT): The W5500 shares the same core silicon as the consumer RX 5500 XT (8GB). The differences lie in the drivers (certified vs. adrenalin), ECC memory support, and a single-slot, low-profile design suited for workstations. Gaming cards are not certified for professional software and may exhibit glitches or instability.

• vs. Higher-End Pro Cards (e.g., W5700, W6600): The W5700 is based on a larger RDNA chip with more cores (2304 SP) and a wider 256-bit memory bus, offering significantly higher performance. The newer Radeon Pro W6600 (RDNA 2) is its direct successor, offering better performance, a full PCIe 4.0 x16 interface, and features like hardware Ray Accelerators.

Conclusion

The AMD Radeon Pro W5500 is a capable and efficient single-slot workstation GPU for mainstream professional workflows. Its value proposition is built on:

1. ISV Certification and Stability for critical professional applications.

2. A modern 7nm RDNA architecture offering good performance per watt.

3. A versatile single-slot, low-profile form factor that fits into a wide range of workstation cases.

4. Support for multiple high-resolution displays.