AMD Radeon HD 7970 vs NVIDIA T550 Mobile Comparison

The AMD Radeon HD 7970 and the NVIDIA T550 Mobile represent two very different eras of GPU design, separated by architecture, process technology, and intended use case. The data shows a single head-to-head benchmark result, but the underlying specifications reveal a clear split between a high-power desktop card and an efficient mobile part. The HD 7970 is a 28 nm Tahiti-based card from the Southern Islands generation, while the T550 Mobile is a 12 nm Turing-based mobile GPU from the Quadro Turing-M (Tx000) generation. These are not direct competitors in the traditional sense, but comparing them highlights how far mobile GPUs have come in efficiency and feature support.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark results show a narrow victory for the NVIDIA T550 Mobile in the only shared test. In Geekbench OpenCL, the T550 Mobile scores 35521, while the AMD Radeon HD 7970 scores 34541. This translates to a deltaPct of -2.8% for the 7970, meaning the T550 Mobile is 2.8% ahead in this specific compute workload. This is a slim margin, but it is significant because the T550 Mobile achieves this with a dramatically lower power envelope.

The AMD Radeon HD 7970’s design priorities lie elsewhere. Its strength is in raw memory bandwidth and texture throughput. The 7970 features a 384-bit memory bus delivering 264.0 GB/s of bandwidth, compared to the T550 Mobile’s 64-bit bus and 96.00 GB/s. This gives the 7970 a 2.75x advantage in raw memory bandwidth, which historically benefits high-resolution rendering and large texture datasets. The 7970 also has 2048 shading units and 128 TMUs, compared to 1024 shading units and 64 TMUs on the T550 Mobile. In terms of texture rate, the 7970 hits 118.4 GTexel/s versus 106.6 GTexel/s for the T550 Mobile.

The NVIDIA T550 Mobile wins on architecture modernity and feature set. It supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while the 7970 supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. The T550 Mobile also has a much higher pixel rate at 53.28 GPixel/s versus 29.60 GPixel/s for the 7970. This suggests the T550 Mobile is better optimized for pixel-heavy workloads despite having the same 32 ROPs. The T550 Mobile also supports FP16 with a 2:1 ratio, delivering 6.820 TFLOPS, while the 7970 has no listed FP16 capability.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is substantial. The AMD Radeon HD 7970 uses the GCN 1.0 architecture on a 28 nm process at TSMC, with a die size of 352 mm² and 4,313 million transistors. This results in a transistor density of 12.3M per mm². The NVIDIA T550 Mobile uses the Turing architecture on a 12 nm process, also at TSMC, with a die size of 200 mm² and 4,700 million transistors. This yields a much higher transistor density of 23.5M per mm². The T550 Mobile packs more transistors into a smaller die, which is a direct reflection of the newer 12 nm node versus 28 nm.

The memory subsystems are fundamentally different. The 7970 uses 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, while the T550 Mobile uses 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus. The effective memory speed differs significantly: the 7970 runs at 1375 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective), while the T550 Mobile runs at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective). The T550 Mobile’s GDDR6 operates at more than double the effective data rate, which partially compensates for its narrower bus. Still, the 7970’s 264.0 GB/s bandwidth dwarfs the T550 Mobile’s 96.00 GB/s.

The power and physical design could not be more different. The 7970 has a TDP of 250 W, requires a 600 W suggested PSU, and uses 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin power connectors. It is a dual-slot card measuring 275 mm in length. The T550 Mobile has a TDP of just 23 W, uses no power connectors, and is an IGP (integrated GPU) form factor. This is a 10.9x difference in power consumption. The 7970 is designed for desktop towers with ample cooling and power, while the T550 Mobile is built for laptops where every watt counts.

Both GPUs lack ray tracing and tensor cores, as neither lists any RT or tensor core counts. The 7970 has a larger transistor count in terms of die size, but the T550 Mobile has more transistors overall. The 7970 uses a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface, and the T550 Mobile also uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs differ: the 7970 offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2, while the T550 Mobile’s outputs are listed as “Portable Device Dependent.”

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available is Geekbench OpenCL. The NVIDIA T550 Mobile wins this test with a score of 35521, against the AMD Radeon HD 7970’s 34541. The deltaPct is -2.8% for the 7970, meaning the T550 Mobile outperforms it by 2.8%. This is a close result, but it is notable given the T550 Mobile’s 23 W TDP versus the 7970’s 250 W TDP. In raw compute terms, the 7970 has a higher FP32 throughput at 3.789 TFLOPS versus 3.410 TFLOPS for the T550 Mobile. Yet the T550 Mobile still wins the OpenCL test, suggesting that its Turing architecture is more efficient at executing OpenCL workloads.

The surrounding benchmark context shows how each card ranks among its peers. The 7970’s nearest rival is the NVIDIA T1000 8 GB, which scores 34561 and is 0.1% ahead. The NVIDIA A2 scores 34690 and is 0.4% ahead. The NVIDIA TITAN V scores 34355 and is 0.5% behind, and the NVIDIA RTX A1000 scores 34207 and is 1% behind. This places the 7970 in a tight cluster around the 34,000-34,700 score range. The 7970’s percentile vs all GPUs is 79.

The T550 Mobile’s nearest rivals show a similarly tight grouping. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile scores 33170 and is 0% different. The AMD Radeon Pro 570 scores 33207 and is 0.1% ahead. The NVIDIA P104-100 scores 32982 and is 0.5% behind. The NVIDIA T600 Mobile scores 32849 and is 1% behind. The T550 Mobile’s average benchmark score is 33161, which is lower than its OpenCL score because it also includes a Geekbench Vulkan score of 30801. The T550 Mobile’s percentile vs all GPUs is 77, two points lower than the 7970.

The deltaPct values indicate that the 7970 sits slightly below the T550 Mobile in the OpenCL test, but the 7970’s percentile ranking is higher overall. This is because the 7970 has only one benchmark score (34541), while the T550 Mobile’s average is pulled down by its Vulkan result. When comparing the two directly in OpenCL, the T550 Mobile’s margin is small but real.

The Verdict

The data clearly indicates that the NVIDIA T550 Mobile is the better choice for compute workloads measured by Geekbench OpenCL, as it wins the only head-to-head test by 2.8%. This win is particularly impressive given the T550 Mobile’s 23 W TDP, which is less than one-tenth of the 7970’s 250 W TDP. For any application where power efficiency is a priority, the T550 Mobile is the superior part. Its Turing architecture also provides more modern API support, including DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, which may matter for software compatibility.

The AMD Radeon HD 7970, however, has compensating strengths in memory bandwidth and texture throughput. Its 264.0 GB/s bandwidth is 2.75x higher than the T550 Mobile’s 96.00 GB/s, and its 128 TMUs provide a higher texture rate of 118.4 GTexel/s versus 106.6 GTexel/s. For workloads that are bandwidth-bound or texture-heavy, the 7970 could be expected to perform better, although no direct benchmark confirms this. The 7970 also has a higher FP32 throughput at 3.789 TFLOPS, which is 11% higher than the T550 Mobile’s 3.410 TFLOPS.

The T550 Mobile counters with a higher pixel rate of 53.28 GPixel/s versus 29.60 GPixel/s, and it offers FP16 support at 6.820 TFLOPS. The 7970 has no FP16 capability listed. For users who need a mobile GPU with modern features and low power draw, the T550 Mobile is the clear choice. For those with a desktop system and access to high-wattage power supplies, the 7970 offers superior memory bandwidth and raw texture performance, but it is an end-of-life product from 2012 with a launch MSRP of 549 USD.

The T550 Mobile also has the advantage of GDDR6 memory, which operates at 12 Gbps effective versus 5.5 Gbps effective for the 7970’s GDDR5. This higher clock speed helps the T550 Mobile compensate for its narrow 64-bit bus. The 7970’s 384-bit bus remains its standout feature. In the end, the T550 Mobile wins the compute benchmark, but the 7970 remains relevant for bandwidth-sensitive tasks. The choice depends on whether the user prioritizes the 2.8% OpenCL lead and 10.9x lower power consumption of the T550 Mobile, or the 2.75x memory bandwidth advantage of the 7970.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The NVIDIA T550 Mobile scores 35521, while the AMD Radeon HD 7970 scores 34541, giving the T550 Mobile a 2.8% lead.

Q: How does the memory bandwidth compare between the two?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 7970 has a 384-bit bus with 264.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the NVIDIA T550 Mobile has a 64-bit bus with 96.00 GB/s, making the 7970’s bandwidth 2.75x higher.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 7970 has a TDP of 250 W and requires a 600 W suggested PSU, while the NVIDIA T550 Mobile has a TDP of just 23 W and uses no power connectors.

Q: Which GPU supports newer API versions?

A: The NVIDIA T550 Mobile supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while the AMD Radeon HD 7970 supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170.

Q: Do either of these GPUs support ray tracing or tensor cores?

A: No, neither GPU lists any ray tracing cores or tensor cores in the data.

Q: What is the transistor density of each chip?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 7970 has a transistor density of 12.3M per mm² on a 352 mm² die, while the NVIDIA T550 Mobile has a density of 23.5M per mm² on a 200 mm² die.