AMD Radeon Pro 555X vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 Comparison

# AMD Radeon Pro 555X vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480

The AMD Radeon Pro 555X and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 are two end-of-life graphics cards separated by nearly a decade of GPU architecture evolution, yet their average benchmark scores land within 0.2% of each other. The Radeon Pro 555X averages 13,321 points across its benchmark suite, while the GTX 480 averages 13,300 points. This places both cards at the 54th and 53rd percentiles of all GPUs respectively, meaning they perform essentially identically in aggregate despite radically different designs. The Radeon Pro 555X is a 14 nm integrated-class mobile part from AMD's GCN 4.0 generation, while the GTX 480 is a 40 nm dual-slot desktop monster from NVIDIA's Fermi era. The data shows a fascinating case where process node and architectural efficiency completely offset raw silicon scale.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark results reveal a clear division of labor between these two cards. The GTX 480 wins the only directly comparable head-to-head test — Geekbench OpenCL — with a score of 13,300 against the Radeon Pro 555X's 12,628, a 5.1% advantage. This is the sole benchmark where both cards were tested under identical conditions, and the NVIDIA card comes out ahead. However, the Radeon Pro 555X has a broader benchmark footprint, with three separate Geekbench scores across different API backends: 14,479 in Metal, 12,628 in OpenCL, and 12,855 in Vulkan. The GTX 480 has only the single OpenCL result, so the AMD card demonstrates versatility across modern compute APIs that the older NVIDIA card cannot match.

The Radeon Pro 555X's average score of 13,321 is actually higher than the GTX 480's 13,300, even though the head-to-head OpenCL test favors NVIDIA. This suggests the AMD card's Metal and Vulkan results pull its average up, indicating that in API-specific workloads outside OpenCL, the Radeon Pro 555X likely performs better. The GTX 480's percentile ranking of 53rd versus the Radeon Pro 555X's 54th percentile reinforces this interpretation — the AMD card edges ahead when considering the full range of benchmark data. For users working in Metal-centric environments (macOS) or Vulkan-based applications, the Radeon Pro 555X is the stronger choice. For pure OpenCL compute, the GTX 480 holds a measurable advantage.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is enormous. The Radeon Pro 555X uses the Polaris 21 chip built on GCN 4.0 architecture, manufactured on GlobalFoundries' 14 nm process. It packs 3,000 million transistors into a 123 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 24.4 million per square millimeter. In contrast, the GTX 480 uses the GF100 chip on NVIDIA's Fermi architecture, built on TSMC's 40 nm process, with 3,100 million transistors spread across a massive 529 mm² die — a density of only 5.9 million per square millimeter. The Radeon Pro 555X achieves nearly the same transistor count in less than a quarter of the silicon area.

Memory configurations diverge sharply. The Radeon Pro 555X has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 94.08 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 480 has 1,536 MB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, providing 177.4 GB/s — nearly double the bandwidth. The GTX 480's memory clock is 924 MHz (3.7 Gbps effective), while the Radeon Pro 555X's memory runs at 1,470 MHz (5.9 Gbps effective), showing how the newer card compensates for a narrower bus with faster memory. Compute resources also differ: the Radeon Pro 555X has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, while the GTX 480 has 480 shading units, 60 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The AMD card has 60% more shading units, but the NVIDIA card has 3x more ROPs and 25% more TMUs.

Power and physical characteristics could not be more different. The Radeon Pro 555X is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with a 75 W TDP and no power connectors, while the GTX 480 is a dual-slot card with a 250 W TDP requiring both a 6-pin and an 8-pin power connector, plus a suggested 600 W power supply. The GTX 480 measures 267 mm (10.5 inches) in length. The Radeon Pro 555X is a portable-device-dependent output, meaning it's designed for laptops, while the GTX 480 has fixed desktop outputs (2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a). The bus interfaces also differ: PCIe 3.0 x8 for AMD versus PCIe 2.0 x16 for NVIDIA.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The single direct comparison in the data is Geekbench OpenCL, where the GTX 480 scores 13,300 against the Radeon Pro 555X's 12,628. That's a delta of -5.1% for the AMD card — a solid, if not overwhelming, victory for the NVIDIA part. The GTX 480's win in OpenCL likely stems from its 177.4 GB/s memory bandwidth, which is 88% higher than the Radeon Pro 555X's 94.08 GB/s. OpenCL compute workloads often emphasize memory throughput, and the Fermi architecture's 384-bit bus gives it a substantial edge in this specific test.

However, the broader benchmark picture complicates this result. The Radeon Pro 555X's average benchmark score of 13,321 exceeds the GTX 480's 13,300 by 0.2%, meaning the AMD card's Metal (14,479) and Vulkan (12,855) scores compensate for its OpenCL deficit. The Metal score is particularly strong — 14,479 is 8.9% higher than the GTX 480's best result. This suggests that in Apple's Metal API, which is the primary graphics and compute interface on macOS, the Radeon Pro 555X outperforms the GTX 480 by a meaningful margin. The Vulkan score of 12,855 is also close to the GTX 480's OpenCL result, despite Vulkan being a lower-level API with different optimization characteristics.

The nearest-rival data reinforces this near-parity. The AMD FirePro M6100 scores 13,354 (0.2% above the Radeon Pro 555X), the AMD Radeon RX 5500M scores 13,356 (0.3% above), and the AMD Radeon HD 8950M scores 13,376 (0.4% above). All of these cards cluster within a 0.6% band around the GTX 480's score, indicating that the 5.1% OpenCL gap is the exception rather than the rule. When averaging across all benchmark types, these two GPUs are functionally equivalent, with the Radeon Pro 555X holding a razor-thin edge.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in OpenCL compute?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 13,300 versus the AMD Radeon Pro 555X's 12,628, a 5.1% advantage for NVIDIA.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon Pro 555X have any benchmark where it wins?

A: Yes — its average benchmark score of 13,321 exceeds the GTX 480's 13,300 by 0.2%. Its Geekbench Metal score of 14,479 is the highest single result between the two cards.

Q: How do their memory configurations compare?

A: The GTX 480 has 1,536 MB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus with 177.4 GB/s bandwidth, while the Radeon Pro 555X has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 94.08 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The Radeon Pro 555X has 768 shading units, while the GTX 480 has 480 — a 60% advantage for the AMD card.

Q: Are these cards still in production?

A: No. Both are end-of-life products. The GTX 480 was released in March 2010, and the Radeon Pro 555X was released in July 2018.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The Radeon Pro 555X has a 75 W TDP, while the GTX 480 has a 250 W TDP. The GTX 480 also requires a 600 W suggested power supply and dual power connectors.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear choice based on workload and platform. For OpenCL compute tasks, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 is the superior card — its 5.1% victory in the head-to-head benchmark is the only direct comparison available, and the margin is meaningful for compute-heavy applications. The GTX 480 also offers nearly double the memory bandwidth (177.4 GB/s versus 94.08 GB/s), which is critical for bandwidth-bound algorithms. However, this comes at a steep cost: 250 W TDP, dual-slot cooling, a 600 W power supply requirement, and a 267 mm card length. The GTX 480 is a desktop-only solution with no portable integration path.

For users prioritizing modern API support and platform flexibility, the AMD Radeon Pro 555X is the better choice. Its Metal score of 14,479 is the highest benchmark result between the two cards, and its Vulkan score of 12,855 demonstrates capability across contemporary graphics APIs. The 75 W TDP and IGP form factor mean it can be integrated into portable devices with no power connectors, making it the only viable option for laptop or compact system designs. Its 4 GB memory capacity is also more than double the GTX 480's 1,536 MB, which matters for modern texture-heavy workloads and larger datasets.

The aggregate benchmark data shows these cards are effectively tied — the 0.2% average score difference is within measurement noise, and their nearest rivals (FirePro M6100, RX 5500M, HD 8950M) all cluster within 0.6% of both. Users should choose based on their specific requirements: the GTX 480 wins on raw OpenCL throughput and memory bandwidth but demands desktop-class power and space; the Radeon Pro 555X wins on API versatility, memory capacity, and power efficiency, with a significant advantage in Metal-based environments. For a modern system running macOS or Vulkan applications, the Radeon Pro 555X is the logical pick. For legacy OpenCL compute on a desktop platform where power is not a constraint, the GTX 480's 5.1% head-to-head lead makes it the data-supported choice.