AMD Radeon HD 7950 vs NVIDIA T550 Mobile Comparison

The Verdict

The data presents a fascinating contrast between two very different GPU philosophies. The AMD Radeon HD 7950 and NVIDIA T550 Mobile occupy nearly identical performance percentiles—78th and 77th percentile respectively—yet achieve this through wildly divergent designs. For desktop users with legacy PCIe 3.0 platforms seeking raw compute throughput, the HD 7950 offers a compelling, if power-hungry, option. For mobile workstation users prioritizing efficiency and modern API support, the T550 Mobile is the clear choice. The benchmark averages tell the story: the HD 7950 scores 33,951 in Geekbench Metal, while the T550 Mobile averages 33,161 across OpenCL and Vulkan tests. The HD 7950 edges ahead in the nearest-rival comparison, sitting 0.1% behind the RX 480 and 0.3% ahead of the RX 7700S, while the T550 Mobile sits exactly level with the RTX 3050 Mobile and 1% ahead of the T600 Mobile. Choose the HD 7950 if you need maximum FP32 throughput and have the power budget; choose the T550 Mobile if you need a compact, efficient solution with superior API support.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is generational and fundamental. The AMD Radeon HD 7950 is built on GCN 1.0 architecture, codenamed Tahiti, manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The NVIDIA T550 Mobile uses Turing architecture, chip TU117, on a 12 nm process, also from TSMC. This process difference is stark: the HD 7950 packs 4,313 million transistors on a 352 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.3 million per square millimeter. The T550 Mobile crams 4,700 million transistors into just 200 mm², achieving 23.5 million per square millimeter—nearly double the density.

The compute configurations diverge significantly. The HD 7950 fields 1,792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The T550 Mobile counters with 1,024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Despite having fewer shaders, the T550 Mobile achieves higher raw throughput: 3.410 TFLOPS FP32 versus 2.867 TFLOPS for the HD 7950. The T550 Mobile also supports FP16 at 6.820 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, a capability the HD 7950 lacks entirely. Clock speeds explain part of this—the T550 Mobile runs at a 1065 MHz base and 1665 MHz boost, while the HD 7950 has no listed base or boost clocks, only a 1250 MHz memory clock.

Memory subsystems could not be more different. The HD 7950 uses 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 240.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The T550 Mobile uses 4 GB of GDDR6 on a mere 64-bit bus, capping at 96.00 GB/s. The HD 7950's memory advantage is massive—2.5x the bandwidth—but the T550 Mobile's newer GDDR6 runs at 12 Gbps effective versus 5 Gbps for the HD 7950. Pixel and texture rates flip the script: the T550 Mobile achieves 53.28 GPixel/s and 106.6 GTexel/s, while the HD 7950 manages 25.60 GPixel/s and 89.60 GTexel/s. The T550 Mobile wins pixel throughput by 2x despite identical ROP counts, thanks to its higher clocks.

Power consumption reveals the core design philosophy difference. The HD 7950 is a 200 W desktop card with dual-slot cooling, 2x 6-pin power connectors, and a 550 W recommended PSU. The T550 Mobile sips just 23 W, uses no power connectors, and is an IGP form factor. API support also favors the newer card: the T550 Mobile supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while the HD 7950 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon HD 7950 wins decisively in memory bandwidth-bound workloads. With 240.0 GB/s of bandwidth on a 384-bit bus, it provides 2.5x the memory throughput of the T550 Mobile. This makes it superior for large texture datasets, high-resolution rendering, and compute tasks that frequently access VRAM. The HD 7950's 3 GB frame buffer, while smaller than the T550 Mobile's 4 GB, is paired with far faster access. Its higher shading unit count (1,792 vs 1,024) also benefits workloads with high parallelism but lower clock requirements.

The NVIDIA T550 Mobile wins in raw compute throughput and efficiency. Its 3.410 TFLOPS FP32 exceeds the HD 7950's 2.867 TFLOPS by approximately 19%. The T550 Mobile's pixel rate of 53.28 GPixel/s more than doubles the HD 7950's 25.60 GPixel/s, making it superior for fill-rate-bound scenarios like complex pixel shaders or post-processing effects. The texture rate also favors the T550 Mobile at 106.6 GTexel/s versus 89.60 GTexel/s. Its 23 W TDP versus 200 W means it can operate in thermal environments where the HD 7950 simply cannot function.

In benchmark terms, the HD 7950 scores 33,951 on Geekbench Metal, while the T550 Mobile scores 35,521 on Geekbench OpenCL and 30,801 on Geekbench Vulkan. The T550 Mobile's OpenCL score beats the HD 7950's Metal score by 4.6%, but the HD 7950's single benchmark average of 33,951 exceeds the T550 Mobile's multi-test average of 33,161 by 2.4%. The T550 Mobile shows a wider performance envelope across different API workloads, while the HD 7950 has a single, consistent result.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw FP32 compute performance?

A: The NVIDIA T550 Mobile, at 3.410 TFLOPS, outperforms the AMD Radeon HD 7950's 2.867 TFLOPS by approximately 19%.

Q: How do their memory bandwidths compare?

A: The HD 7950 offers 240.0 GB/s on a 384-bit GDDR5 bus, while the T550 Mobile provides 96.00 GB/s on a 64-bit GDDR6 bus. The HD 7950 has 2.5x the bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU supports newer graphics APIs?

A: The T550 Mobile supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while the HD 7950 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The HD 7950 has a 200 W TDP requiring 2x 6-pin power connectors and a 550 W PSU, while the T550 Mobile has a 23 W TDP with no power connectors and no recommended PSU listed.

Q: Which GPU has better pixel fill rate?

A: The T550 Mobile achieves 53.28 GPixel/s, more than double the HD 7950's 25.60 GPixel/s, despite both having 32 ROPs.

Q: How do their benchmark scores compare?

A: The HD 7950 scores 33,951 on Geekbench Metal. The T550 Mobile scores 35,521 on Geekbench OpenCL and 30,801 on Geekbench Vulkan, averaging 33,161 overall.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark data between these two GPUs is sparse—the FACT PACK lists no direct head-to-head comparisons. However, the individual benchmark results and nearest-rival data provide ample material for analysis.

Starting with the HD 7950's sole benchmark: Geekbench Metal at 33,951. This places it in the 78th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals bracket it tightly: the RX 480 scores 33,997 (0.1% higher), the RX 7700S scores 33,849 (0.3% lower), the RX 560 XT scores 34,133 (0.5% higher), and the RTX A2000 12 GB scores 34,154 (0.6% higher). The HD 7950 sits in a remarkably dense performance cluster where a 0.6% spread separates all four rivals. This indicates that in Metal benchmark workloads, the HD 7950 delivers performance essentially indistinguishable from much newer GPUs.

The T550 Mobile presents a more complex picture with two benchmarks. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 35,521 is its strongest result, exceeding the HD 7950's Metal score by 1,570 points, or approximately 4.6%. This is a significant margin in GPU benchmarks. However, its Geekbench Vulkan score of 30,801 falls 3,150 points, or roughly 9.3%, short of the HD 7950's Metal result. The T550 Mobile's average of 33,161 across both tests sits 790 points, or 2.3%, below the HD 7950.

The T550 Mobile's nearest rivals show a similar tight cluster. The RTX 3050 Mobile scores 33,170 (exactly 0% delta), the Radeon Pro 570 scores 33,207 (0.1% higher), the P104-100 scores 32,982 (0.5% lower), and the T600 Mobile scores 32,849 (1% lower). The T550 Mobile's delta of 0% against the RTX 3050 Mobile indicates near-identical average performance. Its 1% advantage over the T600 Mobile shows performance differentiation within the same product family.

The data reveals that the HD 7950's single Metal score benefits from a consistent benchmark environment, while the T550 Mobile demonstrates API-dependent variability. The OpenCL result suggests the T550 Mobile can outperform the HD 7950 in compute-heavy workloads, while the Vulkan result indicates it may lag in graphics-oriented tasks. The HD 7950's 78th percentile versus the T550 Mobile's 77th percentile shows they are effectively performance peers overall, with the HD 7950 holding a marginal average advantage of 790 points. In practical terms, the choice between these two comes down to platform and workload rather than absolute performance—the HD 7950's memory bandwidth advantage and the T550 Mobile's compute and efficiency advantages define their respective niches.