AMD Radeon Pro 555 vs AMD Radeon RX 550 Comparison

The Verdict

The data presents a clear but nuanced picture. The AMD Radeon Pro 555 and AMD Radeon RX 550 are both GCN 4.0 parts from 2017, yet they target entirely different physical environments. The RX 550 wins the headline benchmark, the Geekbench Metal test, by a substantial 22.1% margin, posting 20,838 points against the Pro 555's 16,236. However, the Pro 555 reclaims ground in the other two recorded tests, taking Geekbench OpenCL by 5.6% (11,682 vs. 11,063) and Geekbench Vulkan by a razor-thin 0.3% (12,303 vs. 12,270).

Looking at the aggregate data, the Pro 555 holds a higher average benchmark score of 13,407 compared to the RX 550's 11,075, and it sits at the 54th percentile of all GPUs versus the RX 550's 50th. The Pro 555's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon HD 8950M (average 13,376, a 0.2% difference) and the AMD Radeon RX 5500M (average 13,356, a 0.4% difference), while the RX 550's closest competitor in the database is the AMD FirePro W4300 (average 11,225, with the RX 550 trailing by 1.3%). For a user deciding between these two end-of-life parts, the choice depends on the workload: the RX 550 is the clear pick for Metal-accelerated applications, while the Pro 555 is marginally better for OpenCL and Vulkan tasks and has a higher overall average score.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs share the GCN 4.0 architecture and are fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries, but their underlying chips tell different stories. The Pro 555 uses the Polaris 21 die, which packs 3,000 million transistors onto a 123 mm² slice of silicon, yielding a transistor density of 24.4 million per square millimeter. The RX 550, by contrast, uses the Lexa chip, a smaller 103 mm² die with 2,200 million transistors and a density of 21.4 million per square millimeter. This means the Pro 555 has both more transistors and a denser layout.

The execution resources differ sharply. The Pro 555 fields 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 16 raster operation units. The RX 550 is cut down to 512 shading units and 32 TMUs, while keeping the same 16 ROPs. The Pro 555's larger shader array gives it a theoretical FP32 throughput of 1,305.6 GFLOPS and a texture rate of 40.80 GTexel/s. The RX 550 counters with 1,211.4 GFLOPS and 37.86 GTexel/s, despite its lower shader count, because its clocks run higher.

Memory subsystems are similar in size and type but differ in speed. Both cards carry 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus. The Pro 555's memory runs at 1275 MHz (5.1 Gbps effective), producing 81.60 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 550's memory is clocked at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective), yielding 112.0 GB/s, which is 37% more bandwidth. The Pro 555's fillrates are telling: its pixel rate of 13.60 GPixel/s is actually lower than the RX 550's 18.93 GPixel/s, a consequence of the Pro 555's lower clocks and identical ROP count.

The physical designs diverge completely. The Pro 555 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with no power connectors, no discrete slot width, and a TDP of 75 W. The RX 550 is a dual-slot, 145 mm (5.7 inches) long card that also needs no power connectors but has a lower 50 W TDP and carries a suggested PSU rating of 250 W. The RX 550 offers concrete display outputs (1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, 1x DisplayPort 1.4a), while the Pro 555's outputs are listed simply as "Portable Device Dependent", reflecting its mobile, integrated nature.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The three recorded head-to-head tests split decisively by API. The largest margin belongs to the RX 550 in Geekbench Metal: it scores 20,838 against the Pro 555's 16,236, a 22.1% advantage. This is a significant gap, and it suggests that any Metal-centric workload will strongly favor the RX 550. The database average score for the RX 550 is dragged down by its other results, but this single test shows what the Lexa chip can do when the API aligns with its higher clock speeds and memory bandwidth.

The Pro 555 answers in Geekbench OpenCL with 11,682 points versus 11,063, a 5.6% win. This is a modest but real margin, and it aligns with the Pro 555's larger shader count and higher FP32 ceiling. In Geekbench Vulkan, the Pro 555 wins again but by an almost negligible 0.3%, scoring 12,303 against 12,270. That 33-point gap is within noise, but the database records it as a win for the Pro 555.

The overall win tally is 2-1 in favor of the Pro 555, but the magnitude of the RX 550's Metal victory outweighs the Pro 555's two narrower wins. The average benchmark score, however, favors the Pro 555 at 13,407 versus 11,075, a difference of 2,332 points (about 21%). This discrepancy between the head-to-head results and the aggregate score comes from the RX 550's inclusion of a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test (score of 127) in its benchmark set, which is not present in the Pro 555's recorded tests.

Specification Differences

• Chip: Polaris 21 (Pro 555) vs. Lexa (RX 550)
• Transistors: 3,000 million vs. 2,200 million
• Die Size: 123 mm² vs. 103 mm²
• Transistor Density: 24.4M / mm² vs. 21.4M / mm²
• Base Clock: Not listed vs. 1100 MHz
• Boost Clock: Not listed vs. 1183 MHz
• Memory Clock: 1275 MHz (5.1 Gbps effective) vs. 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective)
• Memory Bandwidth: 81.60 GB/s vs. 112.0 GB/s
• Shading Units: 768 vs. 512
• TMUs: 48 vs. 32
• Pixel Rate: 13.60 GPixel/s vs. 18.93 GPixel/s
• Texture Rate: 40.80 GTexel/s vs. 37.86 GTexel/s
• FP32: 1,305.6 GFLOPS vs. 1,211.4 GFLOPS
• FP16: 1,305.6 GFLOPS (1:1) vs. 1,211.4 GFLOPS (1:1)
• TDP: 75 W vs. 50 W
• Slot Width: IGP vs. Dual-slot
• Suggested PSU: Not listed vs. 250 W
• Display Outputs: Portable Device Dependent vs. 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, 1x DisplayPort 1.4a
• Length: Not listed vs. 145 mm (5.7 inches)
• Release Date: 2017-06-04 vs. 2017-04-19
• Predecessor: Not listed vs. Arctic Islands
• Successor: Not listed vs. Vega
• Launch MSRP: Not listed vs. 79 USD

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 555, with an average of 13,407 points, which places it in the 54th percentile of all GPUs. The RX 550 averages 11,075 points and sits in the 50th percentile.

Q: How large is the RX 550's Metal benchmark advantage?

A: In Geekbench Metal, the RX 550 scores 20,838 versus the Pro 555's 16,236, a 22.1% difference. This is the largest margin of victory in any recorded head-to-head test.

Q: Does the Pro 555 have more shading units?

A: Yes, the Pro 555 has 768 shading units, while the RX 550 has 512. The Pro 555 also has 48 TMUs compared to 32 on the RX 550, though both have 16 ROPs.

Q: Which card has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The RX 550, at 112.0 GB/s, compared to the Pro 555's 81.80 GB/s. Both use 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, but the RX 550's memory runs at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) versus 1275 MHz (5.1 Gbps effective).

Q: What are the TDPs of these two cards?

A: The Pro 555 is rated at 75 W and the RX 550 at 50 W. The RX 550 also lists a suggested PSU requirement of 250 W.

Q: When were these GPUs released?

A: The RX 550 launched on 2017-04-19 and the Pro 555 followed on 2017-06-04. Both are marked as end-of-life in the database.

Q: What API versions do both cards support?

A: Both the Pro 555 and RX 550 support DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.4, and Vulkan 1.3.

Q: Does the RX 550 have any physical display outputs?

A: Yes, the RX 550 is a dual-slot card measuring 145 mm (5.7 inches) with 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, and 1x DisplayPort 1.4a. The Pro 555's outputs are listed as portable device dependent.

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

A: The Pro 555's Polaris 21 chip has 3,000 million transistors, while the RX 550's Lexa chip has 2,200 million transistors on a smaller 103 mm² die. The Pro 555's die is 123 mm² with 24.4M transistors per mm² versus 21.4M per mm² for the RX 550.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 550 is the victor in Metal-based applications. Its 22.1% lead in Geekbench Metal is the defining statistic of this comparison, and it is supported by the card's higher memory bandwidth (112.0 GB/s) and faster pixel rate (18.93 GPixel/s). For users on Apple platforms or any environment where Metal is the primary API, the RX 550's benchmark data makes it the stronger choice despite its lower shader count. The RX 550 also has a clear physical advantage for desktop builders: it is a dual-slot card with standard display outputs, a 50 W TDP, and a 145 mm length, making it a drop-in discrete solution.

The AMD Radeon Pro 555 wins in OpenCL and Vulkan, with margins of 5.6% and 0.3% respectively. Its higher FP32 throughput (1,305.6 GFLOPS) and larger shader array (768 units) appear to compensate for the bandwidth deficit in compute-oriented tasks. The Pro 555's average benchmark score of 13,407 is 21% higher than the RX 550's 11,075, and its 54th percentile ranking beats the RX 550's 50th. For workloads that lean on OpenCL compute or Vulkan rendering, the data suggests the Pro 555 is the safer bet, even if the margin in Vulkan is nearly imperceptible.

The broader database context reinforces this split. The Pro 555's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon HD 8950M and RX 5500M, both within 0.4% of its average score, while the RX 550's closest competitor is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER (0.3% ahead) and the AMD FirePro W4300 (1.3% ahead). The Pro 555's position among higher-scoring mobile and workstation parts suggests it belongs to a more capable compute class, whereas the RX 550's placement among entry-level discrete cards aligns with its lower overall scores. In short, the RX 550 wins on Metal and bandwidth, the Pro 555 wins on compute APIs and aggregate performance.