AMD Radeon 550X vs AMD Radeon RX 6500M Comparison

# Where Each One Wins

The data splits these two AMD mobile graphics parts cleanly along generational lines. The AMD Radeon RX 6500M wins every benchmark recorded in the database, and it does so by margins that are not close. Across the two shared tests, the RX 6500M takes both wins: Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan. The AMD Radeon 550X records zero wins in the head-to-head comparison.

That lopsided result reflects more than just a performance gap. The RX 6500M sits in the 48th percentile of all GPUs, while the 550X sits in the 45th percentile. Those percentile figures, despite the massive score differences, show that both parts are positioned in the lower-middle range of the overall GPU landscape. The RX 6500M is a modern entry-level mobile part; the 550X is an older, smaller mobile part that was modest even at release.

For practical use cases, the RX 6500M is the choice for any workload that stresses compute or modern graphics APIs. The 550X remains usable for legacy DirectX titles and basic 2D work, but its recorded data shows it cannot keep pace in anything that leverages Vulkan or OpenCL. If you are building a system around Vulkan-based games or OpenCL compute tasks, the RX 6500M is the only rational pick from these two.

# Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two is substantial. The RX 6500M uses the Navi 24 chip built on RDNA 2.0, fabricated on a 6 nm process at TSMC. The 550X uses the Lexa chip built on GCN 4.0, fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. That process gap alone explains much of the efficiency and clock behavior difference.

The RX 6500M packs 5,400 million transistors into a 107 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 50.5 million per mm². The 550X has 2,200 million transistors on a 103 mm² die, for a density of 21.4 million per mm². The RX 6500M crams more than twice the transistors into nearly the same silicon area, which directly translates into its higher compute throughput.

Core counts tell the same story. The RX 6500M has 1,024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output units. It also includes 16 dedicated ray tracing cores. The 550X has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, with no ray tracing hardware at all. The RX 6500M doubles the 550X in every core category.

Memory architecture differs significantly. The RX 6500M uses 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus, delivering 144.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The 550X uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 112.0 GB/s. The RX 6500M has double the capacity and higher bandwidth despite a narrower bus, thanks to faster memory clocks: 18 Gbps effective versus 7 Gbps effective.

The RX 6500M also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the 550X tops out at DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3. The RX 6500M is PCIe 4.0 x4; the 550X is PCIe 3.0 x8. Both have a 50 W TDP, but the RX 6500M is an integrated-class (IGP) slot width with no power connectors, while the 550X is a dual-slot card with no power connectors and a suggested 250 W PSU.

# Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two shared benchmarks tell an unambiguous story. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 6500M scores 38,586 against the 550X's 8,866. That is a delta of 335.2% in favor of the RX 6500M. In plain terms, the RX 6500M delivers roughly four and a half times the OpenCL compute performance of the 550X.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the gap widens further. The RX 6500M scores 43,837, while the 550X manages 8,970. The delta here is 388.7%. The RX 6500M is nearly five times faster in Vulkan workloads. This is the single biggest win in the entire comparison, and it reflects the architectural advantage of RDNA 2.0 over GCN 4.0 in modern API contexts.

Looking at the broader benchmark suite, the RX 6500M also has recorded scores in Passmark tests that the 550X lacks entirely. The RX 6500M scores 7,531 in Passmark G3D, 2,669 in GPU compute, 385 in G2D, 92 in DirectX 9, 70 in DirectX 11, 52 in DirectX 10, and 34 in DirectX 12. The 550X has no Passmark scores in the database at all. This missing data means the 550X cannot be compared on legacy DirectX performance, but the existing Vulkan and OpenCL numbers are decisive enough.

The average benchmark score for the RX 6500M is 10,362 across all recorded tests. The 550X averages 8,918. That 1,444-point difference places them in adjacent percentile bands (48th versus 45th), but the head-to-head deltas show the RX 6500M's advantage is heavily concentrated in modern API workloads.

# The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon RX 6500M is the superior part in every measured dimension. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks by margins of 335% and 389%. It has more memory, faster memory, a newer architecture, a smaller process node, more cores, and ray tracing support. The 550X offers nothing in the recorded data that competes.

Pick the RX 6500M if you need any modern graphics capability: Vulkan gaming, OpenCL compute, or ray tracing. Its 4 GB of GDDR6 memory and 144.0 GB/s bandwidth make it viable for current titles at entry-level settings. Its 50 W TDP and IGP slot width mean it fits in thin-and-light laptops without discrete power connectors.

Pick the 550X only if you are constrained to a system that requires a dual-slot card with a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface and cannot accommodate the RX 6500M's PCIe 4.0 x4 connection. Its 2 GB GDDR5 memory and 112.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for very old games and basic 2D acceleration, but the benchmark data shows it will struggle with anything modern.

There is no scenario in the recorded measurements where the 550X wins. The RX 6500M is the pick for anyone who wants actual graphics performance. The 550X is a legacy part that should only be considered for compatibility, not capability.

# FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in Vulkan workloads?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6500M, by a massive margin. It scores 43,837 in Geekbench Vulkan versus 8,970 for the 550X, a delta of 388.7%.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon RX 6500M support ray tracing?

A: Yes. The RX 6500M includes 16 dedicated ray tracing cores. The AMD Radeon 550X has no ray tracing hardware at all.

Q: How much memory does each GPU have?

A: The RX 6500M has 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus with 144.0 GB/s bandwidth. The 550X has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 112.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What is the process node difference?

A: The RX 6500M is built on a 6 nm process at TSMC. The 550X is built on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. The RX 6500M also has a much higher transistor density: 50.5 million per mm² versus 21.4 million per mm².

Q: Which GPU has better OpenCL compute performance?

A: The RX 6500M, scoring 38,586 in Geekbench OpenCL versus 8,866 for the 550X. That is a 335.2% advantage for the RX 6500M.

Q: Are both GPUs still in production?

A: No. Both are marked as end-of-life in the database. The RX 6500M was released in early 2022, while the 550X was released in early 2019.

# Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 6500M | AMD Radeon 550X |

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

| Architecture | RDNA 2.0 | GCN 4.0 |

| Process Node | 6 nm | 14 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | GlobalFoundries |

| Transistors | 5,400 million | 2,200 million |

| Die Size | 107 mm² | 103 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 50.5M / mm² | 21.4M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 2000 MHz | 1082 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2400 MHz | 1218 MHz |

| Game Clock | 2191 MHz | N/A |

| Memory Clock | 2250 MHz, 18 Gbps effective | 1750 MHz, 7 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 2 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus Width | 64 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 144.0 GB/s | 112.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1024 | 512 |

| TMUs | 64 | 32 |

| ROPs | 32 | 16 |

| Ray Tracing Cores | 16 | 0 |

| Pixel Rate | 76.80 GPixel/s | 19.49 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 153.6 GTexel/s | 38.98 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 4.915 TFLOPS | 1,247.2 GFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 9.830 TFLOPS (2:1) | 1,247.2 GFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 50 W | 50 W |

| Slot Width | IGP | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | None | None |

| Suggested PSU | N/A | 250 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x4 | PCIe 3.0 x8 |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, 1x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| DirectX Support | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (12_0) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | 1.3 |

| Release Date | 2022-01-03 | 2019-03-26 |