AMD Radeon 550X vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark between the AMD Radeon 550X and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M is Geekbench OpenCL, and the result is decisive. The AMD Radeon 550X records a score of 8866, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M trails at 5622. This translates to a 57.7% advantage for the AMD part, a substantial margin that places the two GPUs in different performance tiers despite their similar overall positioning.

Looking at the broader database context, the AMD Radeon 550X sits at the 45th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 8918. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 (8863, a 0.6% delta), the AMD Radeon R9 M265X (8851, a 0.8% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 (9022, a -1.2% delta), and the NVIDIA TITAN V CEO Edition (9037, a -1.3% delta). The data shows the Radeon 550X is essentially bracketed by these four cards, with differences of roughly 1% either way. This clustering suggests that in OpenCL workloads, the Radeon 550X performs at a level comparable to a desktop GTX 660, which is a notable achievement for a low-power mobile-oriented part.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M, by contrast, holds the 42nd percentile of all GPUs and an average benchmark score of 8040. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Quadro P5000 (8039, a 0% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti (8053, a -0.2% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost (8067, a -0.3% delta), and the NVIDIA GRID K2 (8080, a -0.5% delta). The GTX 880M's position among these older NVIDIA cards indicates that its OpenCL performance is roughly on par with a GTX 650 Ti Boost, which was a mid-range desktop card from 2012. The delta between the two GPUs in this head-to-head is enormous: 57.7% separates them, meaning the Radeon 550X delivers roughly 1.58 times the OpenCL score of the GTX 880M.

One important caveat is that the GTX 880M also has a Metal benchmark score of 10458, but the Radeon 550X has no corresponding Metal test recorded. This asymmetry means the head-to-head comparison is limited to OpenCL, where the AMD part wins outright. The single win for the Radeon 550X (winsA: 1) versus zero for the GTX 880M (winsB: 0) reflects this limited but clear-cut dataset.

Where Each One Wins

The recorded benchmarks indicate that the AMD Radeon 550X is the clear winner in OpenCL compute workloads. Its score of 8866 versus the GTX 880M's 5622, a 57.7% margin, makes it the preferable choice for any application that leverages OpenCL for general-purpose GPU computing, such as image processing, physics simulations, or certain machine learning inference tasks. The Radeon 550X's architecture, GCN 4.0 on a 14 nm process, appears to be far more efficient at translating its resources into OpenCL performance, despite having significantly fewer shading units (512 versus 1536) and a narrower memory bus (128-bit versus 256-bit).

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M, however, holds an advantage in one specific area that is not captured in the head-to-head comparison: its Metal benchmark score of 10458. This is a test that the AMD Radeon 550X does not have a recorded result for, so a direct comparison is impossible. The GTX 880M's Metal score is higher than its own OpenCL score (10458 versus 5622), which suggests that NVIDIA's Kepler architecture performs substantially better under Apple's Metal API than under OpenCL. This makes the GTX 880M a potentially stronger candidate for macOS environments or Metal-specific applications, but the absence of a Radeon 550X Metal score leaves this as an open question rather than a proven win.

For traditional gaming workloads, the data is less direct. Neither GPU has a dedicated gaming benchmark in the database, but the OpenCL results can serve as a rough proxy for compute-heavy tasks. Here, the Radeon 550X's 57.7% lead in OpenCL suggests it would also hold an edge in games that utilize compute shaders or OpenCL-based effects, though the GTX 880M's higher pixel rate (31.78 GPixel/s versus 19.49 GPixel/s) and texture rate (127.1 GTexel/s versus 38.98 GTexel/s) indicate it could be faster in pure rasterization workloads. The GTX 880M's larger memory pool (8 GB versus 2 GB) and higher bandwidth (160.0 GB/s versus 112.0 GB/s) also favor it for high-resolution textures and multi-monitor setups, but these are qualitative inferences from the spec sheet, not direct measurement wins.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the recorded data, the AMD Radeon 550X is the superior choice for OpenCL compute performance. Its 8866 score versus 5622 represents a 57.7% advantage, which is a decisive margin that places it in a different performance class. The Radeon 550X achieves this with a dramatically lower power draw (50 W TDP versus 122 W), a smaller die (103 mm² versus 294 mm²), and a more modern 14 nm process node. For users whose primary workload is OpenCL-based, the Radeon 550X is the clear pick.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M, however, should not be dismissed entirely. Its Metal score of 10458 is the highest single benchmark result between the two cards, and while the Radeon 550X has no comparable Metal test, this suggests the GTX 880M may be the better option for Metal-specific applications. Additionally, the GTX 880M's hardware specifications, including 8 GB of memory, a 256-bit bus, and 1536 shading units, give it raw resources that the Radeon 550X lacks. The data shows that these resources do not translate into OpenCL wins, but they could be relevant for other workloads not covered by the recorded tests.

For the average user, the Radeon 550X is the safer recommendation. It wins the only head-to-head benchmark, has a higher percentile rank (45th versus 42nd), and a higher average benchmark score (8918 versus 8040). The GTX 880M is an older part from 2014, while the Radeon 550X is from 2019, and the data reflects this generational gap. The GTX 880M's only potential saving grace is Metal performance, but without a Radeon 550X Metal score, that remains speculative.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon 550X scores 8866, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M scores 5622, giving the Radeon a 57.7% advantage.

Q: Does the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M have any benchmark where it scores higher than 8000?

A: Yes, the GTX 880M scores 10458 in Geekbench Metal, which is higher than its OpenCL score of 5622. The Radeon 550X has no recorded Metal benchmark.

Q: How does each GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Radeon 550X is within 1.3% of the GTX 660 and TITAN V CEO Edition, while the GTX 880M is within 0.5% of the Quadro P5000, GTX 650 Ti, GTX 650 Ti Boost, and GRID K2.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each GPU?

A: The Radeon 550X has an average score of 8918, and the GTX 880M has an average score of 8040.

Q: Which GPU has a higher percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The Radeon 550X ranks at the 45th percentile, while the GTX 880M ranks at the 42nd percentile.

Q: Are there any benchmark tests where the GTX 880M wins over the Radeon 550X?

A: No, in the recorded head-to-head benchmark (Geekbench OpenCL), the Radeon 550X wins. The GTX 880M has a Metal score, but the Radeon has no corresponding test for comparison.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations and manufacturing approaches. The AMD Radeon 550X uses the Lexa chip based on GCN 4.0 architecture, fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It belongs to the Polaris (RX 500X) generation. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M uses the GK104 chip based on Kepler architecture, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC, and belongs to the GeForce 800M generation.

The transistor counts and die sizes reveal a stark contrast in design philosophy. The Radeon 550X packs 2,200 million transistors into a 103 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 21.4 million per square millimeter. The GTX 880M, by contrast, has 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, with a density of only 12.0 million per square millimeter. The newer 14 nm process allows AMD to pack more transistors into a much smaller area, while NVIDIA's older 28 nm process requires a larger die for fewer transistors per area.

Memory architecture also differs significantly. The Radeon 550X has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 112.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 880M has 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 160.0 GB/s. The GTX 880M's four times larger memory capacity and 43% higher bandwidth are clear advantages for memory-intensive workloads, though the Radeon's higher clocked memory (7 Gbps effective versus 5 Gbps effective) partially compensates.

Compute resource allocation is another differentiator. The Radeon 550X has 512 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The GTX 880M has 1536 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, giving it three times the shader count and four times the TMU count. Despite this, the Radeon achieves a higher OpenCL score, indicating that GCN 4.0's compute efficiency per shader is far superior to Kepler's.

API support also differs. The Radeon 550X supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The GTX 880M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The Radeon's higher Vulkan version and full DirectX 12 feature level give it a modern API advantage.

Specification Differences

The most striking specification difference is TDP: the Radeon 550X draws only 50 W, while the GTX 880M draws 122 W. This makes the Radeon more than twice as power-efficient per watt, though the GTX 880M's higher power budget enables its larger memory and compute resources.

Memory capacity and bandwidth favor the GTX 880M: 8 GB versus 2 GB, and 160.0 GB/s versus 112.0 GB/s. The memory bus width also differs, with the GTX 880M using a 256-bit interface versus the Radeon's 128-bit. However, the Radeon's memory runs at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) versus the GTX 880M's 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective).

Clock speeds favor the Radeon 550X: base clock of 1082 MHz versus 954 MHz, and boost clock of 1218 MHz versus 993 MHz. The Radeon also has a higher pixel rate (19.49 GPixel/s versus 31.78 GPixel/s) and texture rate (38.98 GTexel/s versus 127.1 GTexel/s), though the GTX 880M wins both of these metrics due to its higher TMU and ROP counts.

Form factor and interface differ substantially. The Radeon 550X is a dual-slot card with PCIe 3.0 x8 interface and measures 145 mm (5.7 inches) in length. The GTX 880M is an MXM module with MXM-B (3.0) interface, designed for laptop upgrades. The Radeon has specific display outputs (1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, 1x DisplayPort 1.4a), while the GTX 880M's outputs are described as "Portable Device Dependent."

Release dates show a five-year gap: the GTX 880M was released on March 11, 2014, while the Radeon 550X was released on March 26, 2019. Both are end-of-life products. The Radeon's predecessor is Polaris and successor is Vega, while the GTX 880M's predecessor is GeForce 700M and successor is GeForce 900M. Neither card has a launch MSRP recorded in the database.