AMD Radeon HD 6950 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded database contains a single head-to-head benchmark between the AMD Radeon HD 6950 and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti: the Geekbench OpenCL test. In this measurement, the AMD Radeon HD 6950 scores 6210 points, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti scores 5731 points. The delta between them is 8.4 percent in favor of the AMD card. That is a clear, though not overwhelming, margin for a single compute-focused workload.

Looking at the absolute scores, the AMD Radeon HD 6950 sits 479 points above the GTX 550 Ti. This places the AMD card in a different performance tier in the database percentile rankings. The HD 6950 records a 36th percentile among all GPUs, whereas the GTX 550 Ti sits at the 33rd percentile. The gap is modest in percentile terms, but the raw score difference is consistent with the architectural gulf between the two cards.

The nearest rivals in the database help contextualize both scores. The AMD Radeon HD 6950 is bracketed by the AMD FirePro W600 at 6223 points, which is 0.2 percent faster, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER AD102 at 6270 points, which is 0.9 percent faster. The RTX 5070 Ti SUPER also records 6270 points, matching that same 0.9 percent lead. The NVIDIA Quadro K620 sits slightly ahead at 6282 points, 1.1 percent faster than the HD 6950. These are remarkably close scores, meaning the HD 6950's compute output in OpenCL is statistically adjacent to much newer hardware in the database.

For the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti, the nearest rivals cluster around its 5731 score. The GTX 670MX scores 5721, 0.2 percent behind. The Intel Iris Pro Graphics P6300 scores 5712, 0.3 percent behind. The AMD Radeon HD 8790M scores 5691, 0.7 percent behind. The AMD Radeon R7 M465 scores 5841, which is 1.9 percent ahead of the GTX 550 Ti. This places the GTX 550 Ti in a cluster of mobile and entry-level desktop parts, all within a narrow band around 5700 to 5800 points.

The head-to-head result is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon HD 6950 wins the only recorded test, with one win in the wins column and zero for the GTX 550 Ti. The 8.4 percent delta is not a rounding error; it reflects a genuine performance advantage in OpenCL compute. However, the narrowness of that margin relative to the spec sheet differences is notable. The HD 6950 carries far more shading units, texture units, and memory bandwidth, yet its benchmark lead is less than ten percent. That suggests the OpenCL workload in question may not scale perfectly with raw hardware resources, or that the GTX 550 Ti's Fermi architecture handles the test more efficiently per unit of hardware.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon HD 6950 wins the only benchmark recorded in the database, so it takes the compute crown outright. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, it leads by 8.4 percent. For any workload that resembles that test, the HD 6950 is the stronger choice.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti does not win any recorded benchmark. Its score of 5731 places it below the HD 6950's 6210 in every measurable way within this database. However, the GTX 550 Ti's nearest rival cluster suggests it competes well against a different class of hardware. It sits close to the GTX 670MX (5721, 0.2 percent behind) and the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P6300 (5712, 0.3 percent behind). Against the AMD Radeon HD 8790M, it leads by 0.7 percent. Those are the comparisons where the GTX 550 Ti shows competitive strength, even if it cannot match the HD 6950.

The HD 6950, by contrast, sits in a cluster that includes the FirePro W600, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER AD102, the RTX 5070 Ti SUPER, and the Quadro K620. All of those are within 1.1 percent of the HD 6950's score. That means the HD 6950, despite its age, delivers OpenCL compute results comparable to much more recent GPUs in the database. The GTX 550 Ti cannot make that claim; its nearest rivals are older or lower-tier parts.

For use-case planning, the data suggests the HD 6950 is the pick for any OpenCL compute task in this comparison. The GTX 550 Ti may still be acceptable for lighter workloads, but there is no recorded scenario where it outperforms the HD 6950.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon HD 6950 uses the Cayman chip, built on the TeraScale 3 architecture, and belongs to the Northern Islands generation (HD 6900 series). The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti uses the GF116 chip, built on the Fermi 2.0 architecture, and belongs to the GeForce 500 generation. Both are manufactured on a 40 nm process at TSMC, so the process node is identical. The transistor counts differ substantially: the HD 6950 packs 2,640 million transistors on a 389 mm² die, while the GTX 550 Ti has 1,170 million transistors on a 238 mm² die. The transistor density is 6.8 million per mm² for the AMD card and 4.9 million per mm² for the NVIDIA card.

The compute resources are heavily skewed toward the AMD card. The HD 6950 has 1408 shading units, 88 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The GTX 550 Ti has 192 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. That is roughly 7.3 times more shading units and 2.75 times more TMUs on the AMD side, though the ROP gap is smaller at 1.33 times. Pixel rate on the HD 6950 is 25.60 GPixel/s versus 7.200 GPixel/s on the GTX 550 Ti. Texture rate is 70.40 GTexel/s versus 28.80 GTexel/s. Floating point performance (FP32) is 2.253 TFLOPS for the AMD card versus 691.2 GFLOPS for the NVIDIA card. Neither card has RT cores or tensor cores, and neither lists FP16 performance.

Memory configuration also differs. The HD 6950 has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256 bit bus, delivering 160.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 550 Ti has 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 192 bit bus, delivering 98.50 GB/s. The memory clock is 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective) on the AMD card versus 1026 MHz (4.1 Gbps effective) on the NVIDIA card. The HD 6950's bandwidth advantage is 62 percent, which is significant for memory-heavy workloads.

API support differs in an interesting way. The HD 6950 lists DirectX 11.2 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.4, with no Vulkan support. The GTX 550 Ti lists DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, also with no Vulkan support. The NVIDIA card has a higher DirectX version label and a newer OpenGL version, despite being the slower card in compute tests. Neither card supports Vulkan in the database.

Power and physical specifications differ as well. The HD 6950 has a TDP of 200 W and requires two 6-pin power connectors, with a suggested PSU of 550 W. The GTX 550 Ti has a TDP of 116 W, requires one 6-pin connector, and suggests a 300 W PSU. The HD 6950 is a longer card at 286 mm (11.3 inches) with a height of 126 mm (5 inches) and width of 42 mm (1.7 inches). The GTX 550 Ti is 210 mm (8.3 inches) long, with no height or width recorded. Both are dual-slot cards and both use PCIe 2.0 x16.

Display outputs diverge: the HD 6950 offers 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2. The GTX 550 Ti offers 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a. The AMD card provides more output flexibility, especially with multiple DisplayPort connections.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU scores higher in the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 6950 scores 6210, which is 8.4 percent higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti's 5731.

Q: How does the AMD Radeon HD 6950 compare to its nearest rivals in the database?

A: The HD 6950 is 0.2 percent behind the AMD FirePro W600, 0.9 percent behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER AD102, 0.9 percent behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti SUPER, and 1.1 percent behind the NVIDIA Quadro K620.

Q: How does the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 550 Ti is 0.2 percent ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670MX, 0.3 percent ahead of the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P6300, 0.7 percent ahead of the AMD Radeon HD 8790M, and 1.9 percent behind the AMD Radeon R7 M465.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between the two cards?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 6950 has 160.0 GB/s of bandwidth on a 256 bit bus, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti has 98.50 GB/s on a 192 bit bus.

Q: Do both cards support Vulkan?

A: No, neither card lists Vulkan support in the database. The HD 6950 lists DirectX 11.2 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.4, while the GTX 550 Ti lists DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6.

Q: How much power does each card require?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 6950 has a TDP of 200 W and a suggested PSU of 550 W, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti has a TDP of 116 W and a suggested PSU of 300 W.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every specification field. Process node is the same (40 nm, TSMC), but transistor count differs: 2,640 million for the HD 6950 versus 1,170 million for the GTX 550 Ti. Die size is 389 mm² versus 238 mm². Transistor density is 6.8M per mm² versus 4.9M per mm². Shading units are 1408 versus 192. TMUs are 88 versus 32. ROPs are 32 versus 24. Pixel rate is 25.60 GPixel/s versus 7.200 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 70.40 GTexel/s versus 28.80 GTexel/s. FP32 is 2.253 TFLOPS versus 691.2 GFLOPS.

Memory size is 2 GB versus 1024 MB. Bus width is 256 bit versus 192 bit. Bandwidth is 160.0 GB/s versus 98.50 GB/s. Memory clock is 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective) versus 1026 MHz (4.1 Gbps effective). TDP is 200 W versus 116 W. Power connectors are 2x 6-pin versus 1x 6-pin. Suggested PSU is 550 W versus 300 W. Display outputs are 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 versus 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a. DirectX version is 11.2 (11_0) versus 12 (11_0). OpenGL version is 4.4 versus 4.6. Length is 286 mm versus 210 mm. Release date is 2010-12-13 versus 2011-03-14. Launch MSRP is 299 USD for the HD 6950 and 149 USD for the GTX 550 Ti. The HD 6950 records a height of 126 mm and width of 42 mm; the GTX 550 Ti has no recorded height or width.

The Verdict

The data points to a single conclusion for compute workloads: the AMD Radeon HD 6950 is the stronger card. It wins the only recorded benchmark by 8.4 percent, and its OpenCL score of 6210 places it in a performance cluster that includes the FirePro W600 and even the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER AD102 and RTX 5070 Ti SUPER, all within roughly one percent. The GTX 550 Ti's 5731 score places it among mobile and entry-level parts, none of which approach the HD 6950's output.

The GTX 550 Ti does have advantages, but they are not in raw compute. It has a lower TDP at 116 W versus 200 W, a lower suggested PSU at 300 W versus 550 W, a single 6-pin connector instead of two, and a shorter physical length at 210 mm versus 286 mm. It also lists newer API support with DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, versus the HD 6950's DirectX 11.2 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.4. For a system with limited power delivery or space, the GTX 550 Ti is the more accommodating option.

For anyone prioritizing OpenCL compute performance, the AMD Radeon HD 6950 is the clear pick. For anyone constrained by power, connector count, or physical size, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti offers a lighter footprint. The database records no scenario where the GTX 550 Ti outperforms the HD 6950 in a benchmark, so the verdict follows the numbers: the HD 6950 wins on performance, while the GTX 550 Ti wins on efficiency and installation flexibility.