AMD FirePro D700 vs NVIDIA GeForce MX550 Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 and AMD FirePro D700 represent two very different approaches to graphics hardware, separated by nearly eight years of release dates and serving distinct market segments. The MX550 is a low-power, integrated-class mobile solution built for thin laptops, while the FirePro D700 is a dual-slot workstation card designed for data center and professional visualization workloads. Benchmark results show a split decision: the FirePro D700 wins the OpenCL compute test, while the MX550 takes the Vulkan test. This analysis breaks down the numbers from the fact pack to help you decide which GPU fits your specific use case.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two GPUs split their benchmark wins evenly, with each taking one of the two available tests. In Geekbench OpenCL, the AMD FirePro D700 scores 23,716 against the MX550’s 20,372, giving AMD a 14.1% advantage. This is a substantial lead in raw compute throughput, which aligns with the FirePro’s workstation heritage. The MX550’s OpenCL score of 20,372 places it just 0.1% behind the AMD Radeon 860M (26,401 average) and 0.3% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 (26,331 average), according to its nearestRivals data. In contrast, the FirePro D700’s 23,716 OpenCL score sits 0.1% ahead of the AMD FirePro W7100 (25,856 average) and 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon R9 M395X (25,891 average).

The Vulkan results flip the script. Here, the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 scores 32,469, which is 16.1% higher than the FirePro D700’s 27,968. This is a decisive victory for the younger NVIDIA part, showing a clear advantage in modern graphics API performance. The MX550’s Vulkan score of 32,469 is notably higher than its OpenCL score, suggesting that its Turing architecture handles Vulkan’s low-level overhead more efficiently. The FirePro D700’s Vulkan score of 27,968 is only modestly above its OpenCL result, indicating less scaling between the two APIs.

Looking at average benchmark scores, the MX550 averages 26,421 across both tests, which is 2.2% higher than the FirePro D700’s average of 25,842. This overall average places the MX550 at the 72nd percentile of all GPUs, while the FirePro D700 sits at the 71st percentile. The MX550’s nearestRivals list includes the AMD Radeon 860M (26,401 average, 0.1% difference) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 (26,331 average, 0.3% difference), showing it competes with much newer and more powerful parts in aggregate. The FirePro D700’s nearestRivals include the AMD FirePro W7100 (25,856 average, -0.1% difference) and the AMD Radeon Pro W5700 (25,726 average, 0.5% difference), positioning it in the same performance tier as mid-range workstation GPUs from a later generation.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is massive. The MX550 uses NVIDIA’s Turing architecture on a TU117SB chip, built on a 12 nm process at TSMC. The FirePro D700 uses AMD’s GCN 1.0 architecture on the Tahiti chip, manufactured on a 28 nm process, also at TSMC. The process node difference alone explains much of the efficiency gap: the MX550 packs 4,700 million transistors into a 200 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 23.5 million per square millimeter. The FirePro D700 has 4,313 million transistors spread across a much larger 352 mm² die, giving it just 12.3 million transistors per square millimeter. This means the MX550 achieves nearly double the transistor density of the FirePro D700, a direct result of the newer manufacturing process.

The memory subsystems are equally divergent. The MX550 comes with 2 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 64-bit bus, delivering 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The FirePro D700 features 6 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, providing 263.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The FirePro’s memory bandwidth is 2.7 times higher than the MX550’s, which matters for large data sets and multi-sample anti-aliasing. However, the MX550’s GDDR6 memory runs at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective), while the FirePro’s GDDR5 runs at 1370 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective). The MX550’s memory is clocked much higher, but the FirePro’s wider bus compensates with superior total bandwidth.

Compute resources tell a similar story of divergence. The MX550 has 1,024 shading units, 32 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 16 raster operation units (ROPs). The FirePro D700 doubles the shading units to 2,048, quadruples the TMUs to 128, and doubles the ROPs to 32. This gives the FirePro a theoretical pixel rate of 27.20 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 108.8 GTexel/s, compared to the MX550’s 21.12 GPixel/s and 42.24 GTexel/s. However, the MX550’s FP32 compute is listed at 2.703 TFLOPS, while the FirePro D700 reaches 3.482 TFLOPS — a 28.8% advantage for AMD. The MX550 supports FP16 at 2.703 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), while the FirePro D700 has no listed FP16 capability. Neither GPU has ray tracing cores or tensor cores.

The API support also differs. The MX550 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The FirePro D700 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The MX550’s newer DirectX feature level and Vulkan version reflect its later release date of December 16, 2021, versus the FirePro D700’s January 17, 2014 release. The MX550 is marked as end-of-life, as is the FirePro D700, but the FirePro has a predecessor (FirePro Terascale) and successor (Radeon Instinct) listed, while the MX550 has neither.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD FirePro D700 wins in scenarios that demand raw compute throughput and high memory bandwidth. Its OpenCL score of 23,716, which is 14.1% higher than the MX550’s, makes it the better choice for GPU-accelerated compute tasks like scientific simulations, financial modeling, or rendering workloads that rely on OpenCL. The 6 GB of VRAM on a 384-bit bus provides 263.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is essential for handling large textures or data sets that exceed the MX550’s 2 GB capacity. The FirePro’s 2,048 shading units and 128 TMUs give it a theoretical texture rate of 108.8 GTexel/s, which is 2.6 times the MX550’s 42.24 GTexel/s. For professional applications that are fill-rate bound, the FirePro D700 is clearly superior.

The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 wins in modern graphics API workloads and efficiency. Its Vulkan score of 32,469 is 16.1% higher than the FirePro D700’s 27,968, indicating better optimization for Vulkan-based games and applications. The MX550’s support for Vulkan 1.4 versus the FirePro’s 1.2.170 means it can handle newer API features. The MX550’s 25 W TDP is a fraction of the FirePro D700’s 274 W TDP, making it suitable for thin-and-light laptops where power draw is critical. The MX550 is listed as an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no power connectors, while the FirePro D700 requires a dual-slot design, a 600 W suggested PSU, and a 279 mm (11 inch) length. The MX550’s PCIe 4.0 x8 interface is newer than the FirePro’s PCIe 3.0 x16, though the FirePro’s wider bus provides more potential bandwidth.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split based on use case. If your workload is primarily OpenCL-based compute with large memory requirements, the AMD FirePro D700 is the stronger choice. Its 14.1% OpenCL lead over the MX550, combined with 3x the VRAM (6 GB vs 2 GB) and 2.7x the memory bandwidth (263.0 GB/s vs 96.00 GB/s), makes it better suited for professional data center tasks. The FirePro’s 3.482 TFLOPS FP32 performance exceeds the MX550’s 2.703 TFLOPS, and its higher pixel rate (27.20 GPixel/s vs 21.12 GPixel/s) benefits workstation visualization.

However, for Vulkan-based applications or any workload that prioritizes modern API support and energy efficiency, the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 is the better pick. Its 16.1% Vulkan advantage over the FirePro D700 is significant, and its 25 W TDP makes it usable in portable devices where the FirePro’s 274 W TDP and dual-slot design are impractical. The MX550’s higher average benchmark score (26,421 vs 25,842) and superior 72nd percentile ranking versus 71st percentile also suggest it edges out the FirePro in overall performance when both APIs are considered equally.

The verdict: choose the FirePro D700 for legacy OpenCL compute and high-bandwidth professional workloads; choose the MX550 for modern API gaming, Vulkan development, or any power-constrained environment. The FirePro D700 is a data center relic with raw muscle, while the MX550 is a modern mobile part with better software compatibility.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 has an average benchmark score of 26,421, which is 2.2% higher than the AMD FirePro D700’s average of 25,842.

Q: How much faster is the FirePro D700 in OpenCL?

A: The FirePro D700 scores 23,716 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 14.1% higher than the MX550’s score of 20,372.

Q: Which GPU has more memory bandwidth?

A: The AMD FirePro D700 has 263.0 GB/s of bandwidth from its 384-bit GDDR5 bus, compared to the MX550’s 96.00 GB/s from a 64-bit GDDR6 bus.

Q: What is the TDP difference between these two GPUs?

A: The MX550 has a TDP of 25 W, while the FirePro D700 has a TDP of 274 W, making the NVIDIA part 11 times more power-efficient on paper.

Q: Which GPU supports a newer Vulkan version?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 supports Vulkan 1.4, while the AMD FirePro D700 supports Vulkan 1.2.170.

Q: Do either of these GPUs have ray tracing or tensor cores?

A: No, neither the MX550 nor the FirePro D700 lists any RT cores or tensor cores in the fact pack data.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce MX550 | AMD FirePro D700 |

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

| Architecture | Turing | GCN 1.0 |

| Process Node | 12 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 4,700 million | 4,313 million |

| Die Size | 200 mm² | 352 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 23.5M / mm² | 12.3M / mm² |

| Memory Size | 2 GB | 6 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus Width | 64 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 96.00 GB/s | 263.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1024 | 2048 |

| TMUs | 32 | 128 |

| ROPs | 16 | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 21.12 GPixel/s | 27.20 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 42.24 GTexel/s | 108.8 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 2.703 TFLOPS | 3.482 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 2.703 TFLOPS (1:1) | null |

| TDP | 25 W | 274 W |

| Slot Width | IGP | Dual-slot |

| Suggested PSU | null | 600 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.21x SDI |

| DirectX | 12 (12_1) | 12 (11_1) |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | 1.2.170 |

| Dimensions (Length) | null | 279 mm (11 inches) |

| Release Date | 2021-12-16 | 2014-01-17 |

| Predecessor | null | FirePro Terascale |

| Successor | null | Radeon Instinct |