AMD Radeon 760M vs NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M and AMD Radeon 760M represent two distinct eras of mobile graphics, separated by over a decade of architectural evolution. The data places the AMD Radeon 760M firmly ahead in raw compute, yet the GT 555M holds its own in the specific benchmark where both were measured. This analysis breaks down their performance, architectural differences, and use-case scenarios based solely on the provided benchmark data and specifications.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available between these two GPUs is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the results are decisively one-sided. The AMD Radeon 760M scored 20,255 points, while the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M managed 6,493 points. This represents a 67.9% advantage for the AMD part, a massive generational leap in compute performance. The Radeon 760M's score is more than three times higher, reflecting its modern architecture and significantly higher shader throughput.

Looking at the broader context, the GT 555M's score of 6,493 places it in the 37th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in this metric are remarkably close: the NVIDIA Quadro M5000M scores 6,481 (just 0.2% lower), the AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile scores 6,476 (0.3% lower), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M scores 6,513 (0.3% higher). This clustering suggests the GT 555M is essentially at parity with a specific performance tier, neither outperforming nor lagging its immediate competitors by any meaningful margin. The Intel UHD Graphics P750 is slightly ahead at 6,554 (0.9% higher), but all four rivals fall within a narrow band.

The Radeon 760M, by contrast, sits at the 35th percentile overall, despite its much higher raw score. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6400 at 6,001 (0.3% lower), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M at 6,000 (0.3% lower), and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server at 5,996 (0.4% lower). The NVIDIA Quadro P2000 is slightly ahead at 6,049 (0.5% higher). While its average benchmark score across all tests is 6,019, the OpenCL score of 20,255 is clearly an outlier on the high end, suggesting the GPU's compute potential is substantial in specific workloads.

In the head-to-head tally, the AMD Radeon 760M wins the single available comparison, while the NVIDIA part wins zero. The delta of -67.9% (from the perspective of the GT 555M) underscores how far mobile GPU compute performance has come. The GT 555M's result is not weak for its era, but it is simply outclassed by the newer silicon.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon 760M is the clear winner in compute-heavy tasks, as evidenced by its dominant Geekbench OpenCL score. This benchmark typically exercises general-purpose GPU compute, shading, and parallel processing, all of which are strengths of the RDNA 3.0 architecture. For users running OpenCL-accelerated applications, such as certain content creation tools, scientific simulations, or data processing workloads, the Radeon 760M offers a transformative performance advantage. Its 5.323 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is a strong indicator of its capability in these scenarios.

The NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M, while losing the compute comparison, still holds relevance in its specific niche. Its performance in the OpenCL test, while far lower, is not catastrophic in isolation. The data shows that it performs comparably to other mobile GPUs of its generation, such as the GTX 670M and Quadro M5000M, which differ by less than 1% in either direction. This suggests that for legacy software or applications optimized for older NVIDIA architectures, the GT 555M remains functional and competitive within its own peer group. Its 28.80 GB/s of dedicated DDR3 memory bandwidth, while modest, is consistent with its performance tier.

The use-case split is stark. The Radeon 760M is designed for modern, demanding workloads where raw compute and modern API support (DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4) are essential. The GT 555M is better suited for older applications, basic 3D acceleration, or systems where its 35 W TDP and dedicated memory are acceptable trade-offs for compatibility. The Radeon 760M's 15 W TDP is notably lower, making it more efficient per watt, but the GT 555M's dedicated memory pool could be an advantage in scenarios where system RAM is scarce or slow.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is vast, reflecting more than a decade of semiconductor advancement. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M is built on the Fermi architecture, using the GF106 chip, fabricated on a 40 nm process at TSMC. It contains 1,170 million transistors on a 238 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 4.9M / mm². The AMD Radeon 760M, in contrast, uses the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Phoenix chip, built on a 4 nm process, also at TSMC. It packs 25,390 million transistors into a smaller 178 mm² die, achieving a density of 142.6M / mm².

The core configurations differ dramatically. The GT 555M has 144 shading units, 24 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 16 render output units (ROPs). The Radeon 760M features 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, but adds 8 dedicated ray tracing cores. The Radeon 760M also supports FP16 compute at a 1:1 ratio with FP32, delivering 5.323 TFLOPS in both precisions, whereas the GT 555M has no FP16 support listed and offers only 339.8 GFLOPS of FP32.

Clock speeds tell a similar story. The GT 555M has no listed base or boost clock for its core, but its memory runs at 900 MHz (or 1800 Mbps effective). The Radeon 760M has a base clock of 800 MHz and a boost clock of 2,599 MHz, a massive increase in operating frequency. This, combined with its higher shader count, explains the performance disparity.

Memory architecture is another fundamental difference. The GT 555M uses 1024 MB of dedicated DDR3 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 28.80 GB/s of bandwidth. The Radeon 760M uses System Shared memory, meaning it relies on the host system's RAM, with bandwidth listed as System Dependent. This makes the Radeon 760M's performance more variable, depending on the system's memory configuration, while the GT 555M has fixed, predictable bandwidth.

The bus interfaces also differ: the GT 555M uses PCIe 2.0 x16, while the Radeon 760M uses the newer PCIe 4.0 x8. The Radeon 760M is an integrated GPU (IGP) with no power connectors, while the GT 555M is a discrete mobile GPU. API support highlights the generational gap: the GT 555M supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, while the Radeon 760M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon 760M has a higher average benchmark score of 6,019, compared to the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M's 6,493 in its single Geekbench OpenCL test. However, the Radeon 760M's average is pulled down by lower scores in other tests, such as its Passmark DirectX 9 score of 65.

Q: How much faster is the AMD Radeon 760M in OpenCL compute?

A: The Radeon 760M scores 20,255 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 67.9% higher than the GT 555M's 6,493. This indicates a substantial advantage in compute-heavy workloads.

Q: What is the transistor count difference between the two?

A: The AMD Radeon 760M contains 25,390 million transistors, while the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M contains 1,170 million. This is a more than twenty-fold difference in transistor count.

Q: Does the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M support ray tracing?

A: No, the GT 555M has no listed ray tracing cores. The AMD Radeon 760M, in contrast, includes 8 ray tracing cores.

Q: Which GPU has a lower TDP?

A: The AMD Radeon 760M has a TDP of 15 W, which is lower than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M's 35 W. This makes the Radeon 760M more power-efficient per unit of performance.

Q: What is the release date of each GPU?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M was released on 2011-07-01, while the AMD Radeon 760M was released much later, on 2024-01-30. The GT 555M is end-of-life, while the Radeon 760M is active.

Specification Differences

The following table outlines the key specifications where the two GPUs differ, based only on the provided data.

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M | AMD Radeon 760M |

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

| Architecture | Fermi | RDNA 3.0 |

| Chip | GF106 | Phoenix |

| Process Node | 40 nm | 4 nm |

| Transistors | 1,170 million | 25,390 million |

| Die Size | 238 mm² | 178 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 4.9M / mm² | 142.6M / mm² |

| Base Clock | None | 800 MHz |

| Boost Clock | None | 2599 MHz |

| Memory Size | 1024 MB | System Shared |

| Memory Type | DDR3 | System Shared |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | System Shared |

| Memory Bandwidth | 28.80 GB/s | System Dependent |

| Shading Units | 144 | 512 |

| TMUs | 24 | 32 |

| ROPs | 16 | 16 |

| Ray Tracing Cores | None | 8 |

| FP32 Performance | 339.8 GFLOPS | 5.323 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | None | 5.323 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 35 W | 15 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 2.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x8 |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | Motherboard Dependent |

| DirectX Support | 12 (11_0) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| Vulkan Support | None | 1.4 |

| Production Status | End-of-life | Active |

| Release Date | 2011-07-01 | 2024-01-30 |

| Predecessor | GeForce 400M | Navi II IGP |

| Successor | GeForce 600M | None |