AMD Radeon 550X vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 has an average benchmark score of 9058, while the AMD Radeon 550X scores 8918. This puts the GTX 560 ahead by 1.6% in the data.

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

A: In the head-to-head Geekbench OpenCL benchmark, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 scores 9058 versus 8866 for the AMD Radeon 550X, giving NVIDIA a 2.2% advantage in that single test.

Q: What is the difference in memory capacity and bus width between the two?

A: The AMD Radeon 550X has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 has 1024 MB (1 GB) of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus. The GTX 560's wider bus yields 128.0 GB/s bandwidth versus 112.0 GB/s for the 550X.

Q: Which card has the higher transistor count and how does that relate to die size?

A: The AMD Radeon 550X has 2,200 million transistors on a 103 mm² die, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 has 1,950 million on a 332 mm² die. This translates to a transistor density of 21.4M per mm² for AMD versus 5.9M per mm² for NVIDIA.

Q: What are the TDP requirements for each card?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 has a TDP of 150 W with a suggested PSU of 450 W and requires 2x 6-pin power connectors. The AMD Radeon 550X has a TDP of 50 W, a suggested PSU of 250 W, and requires no power connectors.

Q: Which card supports newer API features?

A: The AMD Radeon 550X supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 only reaches DirectX 12 (11_0) and has no listed Vulkan support. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear but nuanced picture. In terms of raw compute performance, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 edges out the AMD Radeon 550X by 1.6% in average benchmark score and 2.2% in the Geekbench OpenCL test. However, the Radeon 550X offers significant architectural advantages that matter for modern workloads.

The GTX 560 is the choice for users prioritizing raw OpenCL throughput and higher memory bandwidth. Its 256-bit bus delivers 128.0 GB/s, which is 14% higher than the 550X's 112.0 GB/s. The NVIDIA card also has more texture mapping units (56 vs 32) and more ROPs (32 vs 16), which can benefit certain rendering tasks.

The AMD Radeon 550X is the pick for users who need modern API support, higher FP32 compute, and dramatically better power efficiency. It delivers 1,247.2 GFLOPS of FP32 performance versus 1,088.6 GFLOPS for the GTX 560 — a 14.6% advantage. It also supports Vulkan 1.3 and full DirectX 12 (12_0), while the GTX 560 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0) with no Vulkan support listed.

For system builders, the power difference is stark: the 550X sips 50 W with no external power connectors, while the GTX 560 demands 150 W and 2x 6-pin connectors. The 550X also uses a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface versus PCIe 2.0 x16 on the NVIDIA card.

The 550X is the modern, efficient choice. The GTX 560 wins the benchmark comparison but is a product of an older era — its 40 nm process and Fermi 2.0 architecture show their age in both power draw and API support. If the workload is purely OpenCL compute on legacy systems, the GTX 560's 2.2% edge is real but marginal. For everything else, the 550X's combination of modern features, higher FP32, and 50 W power draw makes it the more sensible pick.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The single head-to-head benchmark available is Geekbench OpenCL. In this test, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 scores 9058 while the AMD Radeon 550X scores 8866. The delta is 2.2% in favor of NVIDIA.

This result is consistent with the average benchmark scores for each card. The GTX 560 averages 9058 across all its benchmarks, while the 550X averages 8918 (combining its OpenCL score of 8866 and Vulkan score of 8970). The 1.6% gap in average scores mirrors the 2.2% gap in the OpenCL test, with the Vulkan result narrowing the overall difference slightly.

Looking at the nearest rivals provides context. The GTX 560 sits within 0.2% of the NVIDIA TITAN V CEO Edition (9037) and 0.4% of the GeForce GTX 660 (9022). The 550X is 0.6% above the AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 (8863) and 0.8% above the Radeon R9 M265X (8851). Both cards occupy the 45th percentile among all GPUs, indicating they are closely matched in the broader performance hierarchy.

The 550X's Vulkan score of 8970 is worth noting — it exceeds its own OpenCL score by 104 points and comes within 88 points of the GTX 560's OpenCL result. This suggests the 550X is better optimized for modern compute APIs, even if the legacy OpenCL path favors the older NVIDIA architecture.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every major specification category. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 uses a 40 nm process with 1,950 million transistors on a 332 mm² die, while the AMD Radeon 550X uses a 14 nm process with 2,200 million transistors on a 103 mm² die. The density difference is substantial: 21.4M transistors per mm² for AMD versus 5.9M for NVIDIA.

Memory configurations diverge significantly. The GTX 560 has 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 128.0 GB/s bandwidth. The 550X has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 112.0 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA card's memory clock is 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective), while the AMD card runs at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective).

Compute resources differ in structure. The GTX 560 has 336 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The 550X has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. Despite fewer shading units, the GTX 560's pixel rate is 11.34 GPixel/s versus 19.49 GPixel/s for the 550X — a 72% advantage for AMD. Texture rates are closer: 45.36 GTexel/s for NVIDIA versus 38.98 GTexel/s for AMD.

Power and physical specifications could not be more different. The GTX 560 draws 150 W TDP, requires a 450 W PSU, and needs 2x 6-pin connectors. The 550X draws 50 W TDP, needs only a 250 W PSU, and uses no power connectors. Both are dual-slot cards, but the GTX 560 is 210 mm long while the 550X is 145 mm.

Display outputs differ as well. The GTX 560 offers 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a. The 550X provides 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, and 1x DisplayPort 1.4a. Bus interfaces are PCIe 2.0 x16 for NVIDIA and PCIe 3.0 x8 for AMD.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs spans over two generations of design philosophy. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 is built on Fermi 2.0 architecture using the GF114 chip. This is a mature design from the GeForce 500 generation, manufactured on TSMC's 40 nm process. Fermi 2.0 was designed for DirectX 11-era workloads, which explains its limited DirectX 12 (11_0) support and lack of Vulkan.

The AMD Radeon 550X uses GCN 4.0 architecture with the Lexa chip. It belongs to the Polaris (RX 500X) generation and is built on GlobalFoundries' 14 nm process. GCN 4.0 is a more modern architecture designed with compute-heavy workloads in mind, supporting DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3. The 550X also offers FP16 performance at a 1:1 ratio with FP32 (1,247.2 GFLOPS for both), whereas the GTX 560 lists no FP16 capability.

Shader organization reflects the architectural differences. The GTX 560's 336 shading units are arranged in a Fermi-style configuration optimized for the graphics pipelines of its era. The 550X's 512 shading units follow GCN's compute-first design, which allocates resources more flexibly across graphics and general-purpose compute tasks.

Memory architecture also diverges. The GTX 560's 256-bit bus with 128.0 GB/s bandwidth was designed to feed its 32 ROPs efficiently. The 550X's narrower 128-bit bus with 112.0 GB/s bandwidth still manages to support its 16 ROPs and 32 TMUs adequately, thanks to the higher memory clock of 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) versus 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective).

The fabrication process difference is critical. The 40 nm node used by the GTX 560 limits transistor density to 5.9M per mm², while the 14 nm node achieves 21.4M per mm². This explains how the 550X packs more transistors (2,200 million vs 1,950 million) into a die less than one-third the size, while also consuming only one-third the power.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 wins in raw OpenCL benchmark performance. Its score of 9058 beats the 550X's 8866 by 2.2%, and its average score of 9058 edges out the 550X's 8918 by 1.6%. This makes it the better choice for applications that rely heavily on OpenCL compute on legacy systems. The GTX 560 also wins on memory bandwidth (128.0 GB/s vs 112.0 GB/s) and texture fill rate (45.36 GTexel/s vs 38.98 GTexel/s), which could benefit texture-heavy workloads that fit within its 1 GB memory limit.

The AMD Radeon 550X wins in several categories that matter for modern use. Its FP32 compute of 1,247.2 GFLOPS exceeds the GTX 560's 1,088.6 GFLOPS by 14.6%. It also offers FP16 at the same rate, which the GTX 560 lacks entirely. The 550X's pixel rate of 19.49 GPixel/s is 72% higher than the GTX 560's 11.34 GPixel/s, making it better for fill-rate-bound scenarios.

The 550X wins decisively on power efficiency. At 50 W TDP with no power connectors and a 250 W PSU requirement, it can be installed in systems where the GTX 560's 150 W TDP, 2x 6-pin connectors, and 450 W PSU requirement would be impossible. The 550X is also physically smaller at 145 mm versus 210 mm, fitting into more compact cases.

API support favors the 550X. Its DirectX 12 (12_0) support and Vulkan 1.3 capability make it viable for modern games and compute applications, while the GTX 560's DirectX 12 (11_0) and no Vulkan support limit it to older software. The 550X's display outputs (HDMI 2.0b, DisplayPort 1.4a) also support modern displays, whereas the GTX 560's mini-HDMI 1.3a is outdated.

For users with legacy systems running OpenCL workloads, the GTX 560's marginal benchmark advantage may be relevant. For everyone else — particularly those building efficient, modern systems with current APIs and lower power budgets — the Radeon 550X is the clear winner across nearly every metric that matters.