AMD Radeon 540 vs NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon 540 has an average benchmark score of 7673, while the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M scores 6493. The Radeon 540 sits at the 41st percentile of all GPUs, compared to the 37th percentile for the GT 555M.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M wins the OpenCL benchmark with a score of 6493 versus 6184 for the AMD Radeon 540, a delta of -4.8% from the Radeon's perspective.

Q: What is the process node difference between these two chips?

A: The AMD Radeon 540 uses a 14 nm process from GlobalFoundries, while the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M uses a 40 nm process from TSMC. The Radeon 540 also has a much higher transistor density at 21.4M per mm² versus 4.9M per mm².

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The AMD Radeon 540 has 384 shading units, more than double the 144 shading units found on the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M.

Q: What memory technologies do the two GPUs employ?

A: The AMD Radeon 540 uses 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory on a 32-bit bus, delivering 24.00 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M also has 1024 MB but uses DDR3 on a 128-bit bus, yielding 28.80 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU supports Vulkan?

A: The AMD Radeon 540 lists Vulkan 1.3 support, while the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M has no Vulkan entry in the database.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon 540 is built on the GCN 4.0 architecture using the Lexa chip, belonging to the Polaris (RX 500) generation. It is manufactured on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries, with 2,200 million transistors packed into a 103 mm² die. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M uses the older Fermi architecture with the GF106 chip, part of the GeForce 500M generation, produced on a 40 nm process at TSMC. That chip contains 1,170 million transistors on a 238 mm² die, resulting in a significantly lower transistor density of 4.9M per mm² compared to 21.4M per mm² for the Radeon.

The Radeon 540 features 384 shading units, 24 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The GT 555M has 144 shading units, also 24 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. Despite having fewer shading units, the GT 555M matches the Radeon in TMU and ROP counts. The Radeon 540 achieves a pixel rate of 18.93 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 28.39 GTexel/s, while the GT 555M delivers 3.540 GPixel/s and 14.16 GTexel/s respectively.

Memory architecture diverges sharply. The Radeon 540 uses 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 32-bit interface, with memory clocked at 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective), yielding 24.00 GB/s bandwidth. The GT 555M uses 1024 MB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus, with memory at 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective), achieving 28.80 GB/s bandwidth. The wider bus on the NVIDIA part provides higher bandwidth despite the slower memory type.

The Radeon 540 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3, while the GT 555M supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6 but has no Vulkan support listed. The Radeon 540 uses PCIe 3.0 x8, whereas the GT 555M uses PCIe 2.0 x16. Power characteristics differ as well: the Radeon 540 has a 50 W TDP with no power connectors and a suggested PSU of 250 W, while the GT 555M has a 35 W TDP with no power connector or PSU guidance recorded.

The Radeon 540 outputs via 2x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the GT 555M's display outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent," reflecting its mobile origins. Both are end-of-life products, with the Radeon 540 released in April 2017 and the GT 555M in July 2011. The Radeon 540's predecessor is Arctic Islands and its successor is Vega; the GT 555M's predecessor is GeForce 400M and its successor is GeForce 600M.

The Verdict

The recorded data shows a clear generational gap. The AMD Radeon 540 delivers an average benchmark score of 7673, which places it 18.2% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M's 6493. The Radeon 540's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti (7723, -0.6% delta), AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 (7580, +1.2%), AMD Radeon R7 250 (7557, +1.5%), and Intel Arc A310 (7550, +1.6%). The GT 555M's nearest rivals are NVIDIA Quadro M5000M (6481, +0.2%), AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile (6476, +0.3%), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M (6513, -0.3%), and Intel UHD Graphics P750 (6554, -0.9%).

For compute workloads, the Radeon 540 is the stronger part. Its FP32 throughput of 908.5 GFLOPS dwarfs the GT 555M's 339.8 GFLOPS. The Radeon 540 also supports FP16 at 908.5 GFLOPS (1:1), while the GT 555M has no FP16 capability recorded. The Radeon 540's pixel rate is over five times higher, and its texture rate is roughly double that of the GT 555M.

However, the GT 555M wins the single recorded head-to-head benchmark: Geekbench OpenCL, where it scores 6493 against 6184 for the Radeon 540. This result is notable because the Radeon 540 has higher theoretical compute numbers, yet the NVIDIA part outperforms it in this specific OpenCL workload. The GT 555M also has higher memory bandwidth (28.80 GB/s vs 24.00 GB/s) due to its 128-bit bus.

The data suggests the Radeon 540 is the better overall GPU for modern workloads, given its architecture, API support, and higher average score. The GT 555M remains competitive only in the OpenCL test, where it holds a 4.8% edge. Users relying on Vulkan or DirectX 12 (12_0) features should favor the Radeon 540, as the GT 555M lacks Vulkan and only reaches DirectX 12 (11_0).

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon 540 | NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M |

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

| Architecture | GCN 4.0 | Fermi |

| Chip | Lexa | GF106 |

| Generation | Polaris (RX 500) | GeForce 500M |

| Process Node | 14 nm | 40 nm |

| Foundry | GlobalFoundries | TSMC |

| Transistors | 2,200 million | 1,170 million |

| Die Size | 103 mm² | 238 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 21.4M / mm² | 4.9M / mm² |

| Memory Clock | 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective) | 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective) |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | DDR3 |

| Memory Bus Width | 32 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 24.00 GB/s | 28.80 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 384 | 144 |

| Pixel Rate | 18.93 GPixel/s | 3.540 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 28.39 GTexel/s | 14.16 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 908.5 GFLOPS | 339.8 GFLOPS |

| FP16 | 908.5 GFLOPS (1:1) | null |

| TDP | 50 W | 35 W |

| Slot Width | Single-slot | null |

| Power Connectors | None | null |

| Suggested PSU | 250 W | null |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x8 | PCIe 2.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 2x DisplayPort 1.4a | Portable Device Dependent |

| DirectX | 12 (12_0) | 12 (11_0) |

| Vulkan | 1.3 | null |

| Release Date | 2017-04-19 | 2011-07-01 |

| Predecessor | Arctic Islands | GeForce 400M |

| Successor | Vega | GeForce 600M |

| Avg Benchmark Score | 7673 | 6493 |

| Percentile | 41 | 37 |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains one direct comparison between these two GPUs: Geekbench OpenCL. In this test, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M scores 6493, while the AMD Radeon 540 scores 6184. The delta is -4.8% from the Radeon's perspective, meaning the GT 555M leads by that margin. This gives the GT 555M one win in head-to-head benchmarks, with zero wins for the Radeon 540.

This result runs counter to the overall average scores. The Radeon 540's average benchmark score of 7673 includes a Geekbench Vulkan score of 9162, which the GT 555M cannot match because it has no Vulkan support. When considering only the shared OpenCL benchmark, the GT 555M is ahead. The Radeon 540's OpenCL score of 6184 is 4.8% lower than the GT 555M's 6493.

The Radeon 540's nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, scores 7723 on average, which is only 0.6% higher than the Radeon's 7673. The GT 555M's nearest rival, the Intel UHD Graphics P750, scores 6554, which is 0.9% higher than the GT 555M's 6493. These close margins indicate that both GPUs sit near the boundary of their respective performance tiers.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon 540 wins on raw compute metrics. Its FP32 output of 908.5 GFLOPS is 2.7 times higher than the GT 555M's 339.8 GFLOPS. The pixel rate of 18.93 GPixel/s versus 3.540 GPixel/s gives the Radeon a 5.3x advantage in fill-rate bound scenarios. Texture rate is 28.39 GTexel/s versus 14.16 GTexel/s, a 2.0x lead. The Radeon 540 also supports FP16 at the same rate as FP32, while the GT 555M has no FP16 data.

The Radeon 540 wins on modern API support. Vulkan 1.3 is present on the Radeon, while the GT 555M has no Vulkan entry. DirectX 12 (12_0) on the Radeon exceeds the GT 555M's DirectX 12 (11_0). The Radeon 540 also uses a newer PCIe 3.0 x8 interface versus PCIe 2.0 x16 on the GT 555M, which may matter for data transfer in bandwidth-sensitive tasks.

The NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M wins in the memory bandwidth comparison. Its 28.80 GB/s exceeds the Radeon 540's 24.00 GB/s by 20%. The GT 555M also has a lower TDP at 35 W versus 50 W, which could be relevant for thermally constrained environments. The GT 555M's OpenCL win is its most significant benchmark advantage, showing it can outperform the Radeon in that specific workload despite lower theoretical specs.

The Radeon 540's Vulkan score of 9162 demonstrates strong performance in modern graphics APIs, while the GT 555M cannot participate in that test. For users running Vulkan-based applications, the Radeon 540 is the only option between the two. For those limited to OpenCL workloads, the GT 555M holds a measurable edge.