AMD Radeon Pro 555X vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 and AMD Radeon Pro 555X occupy the same percentile ranking among all GPUs (54th), yet they achieve this through fundamentally different design philosophies and benchmark profiles. The data shows a single direct head-to-head comparison in Geekbench OpenCL, where the GTX 570 scores 13,515 against the Pro 555X’s 12,628, a 7% margin for the NVIDIA card. However, the AMD card’s broader benchmark suite reveals a more nuanced picture, as its Metal and Vulkan scores exceed its OpenCL result, suggesting API-specific strengths that the single head-to-head test does not capture. The GTX 570’s nearest rival is the AMD Radeon HD 7770M (13,536, -0.2%), while the Pro 555X’s closest competitor is the AMD FirePro M6100 (13,354, -0.2%), placing both cards in a tightly clustered performance tier where fractional percentage differences separate them from peers.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sole direct benchmark between these two cards is Geekbench OpenCL, where the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 delivers 13,515 points against the AMD Radeon Pro 555X’s 12,628 points. This 7% delta is decisive in the NVIDIA card’s favor, but it is worth questioning whether this single test fully represents the two architectures’ capabilities. The GTX 570’s OpenCL score places it 0.3% ahead of the NVIDIA P106-090 (13,470) and 0.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 555 (13,407), showing it sits near the top of its immediate competitive cluster. Meanwhile, the Pro 555X’s OpenCL result (12,628) trails its own average benchmark score of 13,321, dragged down by this specific test.

What makes the comparison more intriguing is that the Pro 555X has two additional benchmark results that the GTX 570 lacks entirely. In Geekbench Metal, the AMD card scores 14,479, which is 7.0% higher than its OpenCL score and 14.7% higher than its Vulkan score of 12,855. This Metal advantage is particularly notable because the GTX 570 has no Metal benchmark data at all, suggesting the NVIDIA card may not be optimized for Apple’s graphics API. The Pro 555X’s Vulkan score of 12,855 is still higher than its OpenCL score, indicating that the GCN 4.0 architecture responds well to modern API interfaces. The GTX 570’s Vulkan support is listed as null in the specifications, so its performance in that API cannot be measured or compared.

The average benchmark scores tell a slightly different story. The GTX 570’s average is 13,515 (identical to its sole benchmark), while the Pro 555X averages 13,321 across three tests. This puts the AMD card 1.4% behind the NVIDIA card on average, but the Pro 555X’s Metal result (14,479) is 7.1% higher than the GTX 570’s best score. When examining the nearest rivals, the GTX 570’s deltaPct values range from -0.2% (against the AMD Radeon HD 7770M and RX 9070 XT) to +0.8% (against the Radeon Pro 555), while the Pro 555X’s deltas span -0.4% (HD 8950M) to +0.2% (GTX 480). These narrow margins indicate that both cards are effectively interchangeable in raw compute performance, with the 7% OpenCL gap being the largest divergence in the data.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 wins the only direct head-to-head benchmark, taking Geekbench OpenCL by 7% over the Pro 555X. This is its sole recorded victory, and it aligns with the card’s higher pixel rate (21.96 GPixel/s vs 14.51 GPixel/s) and texture rate (43.92 GTexel/s vs 43.54 GTexel/s). The GTX 570 also has a significantly wider memory bus (320-bit vs 128-bit) and higher memory bandwidth (152.0 GB/s vs 94.08 GB/s), which likely contributes to its OpenCL advantage despite its lower memory clock (950 MHz vs 1470 MHz). For workloads that rely heavily on OpenCL compute, the data clearly favors the NVIDIA card.

The AMD Radeon Pro 555X wins in every other measurable category, though not through head-to-head comparisons. Its Metal benchmark of 14,479 is the highest single score between the two cards, and its Vulkan score of 12,855 demonstrates API versatility that the GTX 570 cannot match due to its null Vulkan support. The Pro 555X also offers 4 GB of memory versus 1,280 MB, a 3.2x capacity advantage that matters for texture-heavy applications or larger datasets, even if its bandwidth is 38% lower. The AMD card’s FP16 performance (1,393.2 GFLOPS) matches its FP32 output at a 1:1 ratio, whereas the GTX 570 has no listed FP16 capability, making the Pro 555X more suitable for workloads that leverage half-precision arithmetic.

Use-case splits become clear from these numbers. For OpenCL-centric applications or older software that favors NVIDIA’s Fermi architecture, the GTX 570 is the stronger choice. For modern API environments, particularly Metal on macOS or Vulkan, the Pro 555X is the only viable option given the GTX 570’s lack of support. The Pro 555X’s 75 W TDP versus the GTX 570’s 219 W also makes it dramatically more power-efficient, though the GTX 570’s dual-slot design and 2x 6-pin connectors suggest it was built for desktop performance rather than thermal constraints.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two cards is generational and profound. The GTX 570 uses the GF110 chip on TSMC’s 40 nm process, packing 3,000 million transistors into a 520 mm² die with a transistor density of 5.8M per mm². The Pro 555X employs the Polaris 21 chip on GlobalFoundries’ 14 nm process, fitting the same 3,000 million transistors into just 123 mm², achieving a 24.4M per mm² density — a 4.2x improvement in density. This node advantage explains the Pro 555X’s dramatically lower power consumption (75 W vs 219 W) despite delivering comparable compute performance.

The core configurations diverge significantly. The GTX 570 has 480 shading units, 60 TMUs, and 40 ROPs, while the Pro 555X has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and only 16 ROPs. The NVIDIA card’s higher ROP count (2.5x) and pixel rate (21.96 GPixel/s vs 14.51 GPixel/s) suggest better fill-rate performance for rasterization, while the AMD card’s higher shader count (1.6x) hints at stronger compute throughput per clock. Texture rates are nearly identical (43.92 vs 43.54 GTexel/s), and FP32 performance is also close (1,405.4 vs 1,393.2 GFLOPS), confirming that these cards are compute peers despite their internal differences.

Memory subsystems reflect different priorities. The GTX 570 uses 1,280 MB of GDDR5 on a 320-bit bus with 152.0 GB/s bandwidth and a 950 MHz memory clock (3.8 Gbps effective). The Pro 555X has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 94.08 GB/s bandwidth and a 1470 MHz memory clock (5.9 Gbps effective). The GTX 570’s bandwidth advantage is 61.5%, but the Pro 555X’s capacity advantage is 3.2x. The Pro 555X also supports PCIe 3.0 x8, while the GTX 570 is limited to PCIe 2.0 x16, though the older card’s wider electrical interface may compensate in some scenarios.

API support is where the architectures truly separate. The GTX 570 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support. The Pro 555X supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3, making it the only card of the two that can run Vulkan workloads. The GTX 570’s display outputs are 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a, while the Pro 555X’s outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent," reflecting its integrated (IGP) form factor versus the GTX 570’s dual-slot desktop design.

The Verdict

The data supports a clear split decision. For users who prioritize OpenCL compute performance, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 is the winner, delivering 7% higher scores in the only direct benchmark. Its 320-bit memory bus, higher bandwidth (152.0 GB/s), and greater ROP count (40 vs 16) provide measurable advantages in bandwidth-sensitive and fill-rate-bound workloads. The GTX 570 also has a higher pixel rate (21.96 GPixel/s) and texture rate (43.92 GTexel/s), making it the stronger choice for traditional rasterization tasks.

For users who need modern API support or memory capacity, the AMD Radeon Pro 555X is the clear winner. Its Vulkan 1.3 support and Metal benchmark score of 14,479 (the highest single score between the two) make it the only option for Vulkan workloads and likely the better choice for Metal-based applications on macOS. Its 4 GB memory capacity is 3.2x larger than the GTX 570’s, and its 75 W TDP is 65.8% lower, making it dramatically more power-efficient. The Pro 555X’s FP16 support (1,393.2 GFLOPS at 1:1 ratio) also gives it an edge in half-precision compute, which the GTX 570 cannot match.

The percentile rankings (54 for both) and average scores (13,515 vs 13,321) suggest these cards are fundamentally equivalent in overall performance, with the GTX 570 holding a 1.4% average advantage. However, the GTX 570 is end-of-life from the GeForce 500 generation, released on 2010-12-06, while the Pro 555X is end-of-life from the Radeon Pro Mac (500X Series), released on 2018-07-15. The GTX 570’s launch MSRP was 349 USD; the Pro 555X has no listed launch MSRP. The GTX 570 requires a 550 W suggested PSU and 2x 6-pin power connectors, while the Pro 555X is an IGP with no power connectors, reflecting its integration into portable devices.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 scores 13,515, which is 7% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 555X’s 12,628 in the Geekbench OpenCL test.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon Pro 555X support Vulkan?

A: Yes, the Pro 555X supports Vulkan 1.3, and its Geekbench Vulkan score is 12,855. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 has no Vulkan support listed.

Q: How much memory does each card have?

A: The GTX 570 has 1,280 MB of GDDR5 memory on a 320-bit bus, while the Pro 555X has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, giving the AMD card 3.2x more capacity.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The GTX 570 has a TDP of 219 W and requires a 550 W suggested PSU with 2x 6-pin connectors, while the Pro 555X has a TDP of 75 W, uses no power connectors, and is classified as an IGP.

Q: Which card has a higher pixel rate?

A: The GTX 570 has a pixel rate of 21.96 GPixel/s, which is 51.4% higher than the Pro 555X’s 14.51 GPixel/s, due to its 40 ROPs versus the AMD card’s 16 ROPs.

Q: Are the cards in the same performance percentile?

A: Yes, both the GTX 570 and the Pro 555X have a percentile rating of 54 among all GPUs, and their average benchmark scores (13,515 vs 13,321) are within 1.4% of each other.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 | AMD Radeon Pro 555X |

|---|---|---|

| Chip | GF110 | Polaris 21 |

| Architecture | Fermi 2.0 | GCN 4.0 |

| Process Node | 40 nm | 14 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | GlobalFoundries |

| Transistor Density | 5.8M / mm² | 24.4M / mm² |

| Die Size | 520 mm² | 123 mm² |

| Memory Size | 1280 MB | 4 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 320 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 152.0 GB/s | 94.08 GB/s |

| Memory Clock | 950 MHz (3.8 Gbps effective) | 1470 MHz (5.9 Gbps effective) |

| Shading Units | 480 | 768 |

| TMUs | 60 | 48 |

| ROPs | 40 | 16 |

| Pixel Rate | 21.96 GPixel/s | 14.51 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 43.92 GTexel/s | 43.54 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 1,405.4 GFLOPS | 1,393.2 GFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | N/A | 1,393.2 GFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 219 W | 75 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | IGP |

| Power Connectors | 2x 6-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 550 W | N/A |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 2.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x8 |

| Display Outputs | 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a | Portable Device Dependent |

| DirectX Support | 12 (11_0) | 12 (12_0) |

| Vulkan Support | N/A | 1.3 |

| Release Date | 2010-12-06 | 2018-07-15 |

| Launch MSRP | 349 USD | N/A |

| Dimensions (Length) | 267 mm (10.5 inches) | N/A |

| Geekbench OpenCL Score | 13,515 | 12,628 |

| Average Benchmark Score | 13,515 | 13,321 |