AMD Radeon Pro W5700 vs NVIDIA GeForce MX550 Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 and AMD Radeon Pro W5700 are two very different graphics solutions, one aimed at ultraportable laptops and the other at professional workstations. The benchmark data shows a clear performance hierarchy, but the details of where and how each card wins matter more than the raw scores. The MX550 is an end-of-life mobile chip, while the W5700 is an end-of-life professional desktop card. This comparison focuses strictly on the data provided, which includes two shared benchmark tests.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two cards share only two benchmark results in the data: Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan. In both, the AMD Radeon Pro W5700 delivers a decisive victory. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the W5700 scores 74,613 points, while the MX550 manages 20,372 points. This represents a delta of -72.7% from the perspective of the MX550, meaning the AMD card is roughly 3.6 times faster in this compute-oriented workload. The gap is substantial and reflects the fundamental difference in their hardware resources.

The Vulkan test shows a similar story, though the margin narrows slightly. The Radeon Pro W5700 achieves 70,706 points, while the GeForce MX550 scores 32,469 points. This is a -54.1% delta for the MX550, meaning the W5700 is still more than twice as fast. While the MX550's Vulkan score is closer to the W5700's than in OpenCL, the AMD card remains firmly ahead in both shared tests. The data shows 0 wins for the NVIDIA card and 2 wins for the AMD card in these head-to-head comparisons.

It is worth remembering the MX550's average benchmark score of 26,421 is actually higher than the W5700's average of 25,726, despite losing both shared tests. This is because the MX550's average is based on its two Geekbench scores, while the W5700's average includes many more tests, including several Passmark results with low scores like 54 for DirectX 12 and 88 for DirectX 10. These additional tests pull the W5700's average down, even though its performance in the shared tests is far superior.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Pro W5700 wins in every benchmark category that directly compares the two cards. Its OpenCL score of 74,613 is nearly 3.7 times the MX550's 20,372, indicating a massive advantage in general-purpose GPU compute tasks. The Vulkan result of 70,706 versus 32,469 shows the W5700 also leads in modern graphics APIs, likely due to its higher shading unit count of 2,304 versus 1,024 for the MX550. The W5700 also has a texture rate of 270.7 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 120.3 GPixel/s, dwarfing the MX550's 42.24 GTexel/s and 21.12 GPixel/s.

The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 has no benchmark wins in the shared data. However, its profile suggests a different purpose. It is a 25 W IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no power connectors, making it suitable for thin and light laptops. Its scores are lower, but it operates in a completely different power envelope. The MX550's advantage is not in raw performance but in its form factor and power requirements, which are not captured in the headline benchmark numbers. It also has a higher percentile ranking at 72 compared to the W5700's 71, though this is a marginal difference.

The W5700's additional test results, while not comparable to the MX550, show its professional leanings. Its Passmark G3D score is 14,520, and its GPU compute score is 6,495. The MX550 lacks these test results, so no direct comparison is possible. The W5700 also supports 5x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a and 1x USB Type-C outputs, which are typical for professional multi-monitor setups. The MX550's display outputs are described as "Portable Device Dependent," reflecting its mobile nature.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the data, the AMD Radeon Pro W5700 is the superior performer. It wins both shared benchmarks by wide margins, and its hardware specifications are overwhelmingly more powerful. The W5700 has 2,304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, compared to the MX550's 1,024 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. Its FP32 throughput of 8.663 TFLOPS is more than three times the MX550's 2.703 TFLOPS. For any workload that relies on GPU compute or modern graphics rendering, the W5700 is the clear choice.

However, the MX550 is not without its place. Its 25 W TDP and IGP form factor mean it can be integrated into portable devices where the W5700's 205 W TDP and dual-slot design would be impossible. The MX550 also has a more recent release date of December 2021, compared to the W5700's November 2019. If the requirement is for a low-power mobile GPU, the MX550 is the only option here. For a desktop workstation, the W5700 is the only option.

The data shows that the W5700's average benchmark score of 25,726 is actually lower than the MX550's 26,421, but this is a misleading statistic due to the different test suites. In the tests they share, the W5700 is decisively ahead. The W5700's percentile ranking of 71 versus the MX550's 72 is similarly a reflection of the broader test pool. The verdict is clear: the W5700 for performance, the MX550 for portability and power efficiency.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro W5700 is significantly faster, scoring 74,613 points compared to the NVIDIA GeForce MX550's 20,372 points, a -72.7% delta for the MX550.

Q: How do the two cards compare in Vulkan performance?

A: The W5700 leads again with a score of 70,706, while the MX550 scores 32,469. This is a -54.1% delta, showing the AMD card is more than twice as fast.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card?

A: The MX550 has an average benchmark score of 26,421, while the W5700 has an average of 25,726. This is based on different test suites, so it does not reflect their head-to-head performance.

Q: Does the MX550 have any advantages over the W5700?

A: The MX550 has a much lower TDP of 25 W and an IGP form factor, making it suitable for portable devices. The W5700 has a 205 W TDP and is a dual-slot card, requiring a desktop system.

Q: What are the memory specifications for each card?

A: The MX550 has 2 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 64-bit bus with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth. The W5700 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card has a higher percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The MX550 ranks at the 72nd percentile, while the W5700 ranks at the 71st percentile. This is a marginal difference and does not indicate the W5700 is slower in direct comparisons.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on entirely different architectures and process nodes. The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 uses the TU117SB chip based on the Turing architecture, manufactured on a 12 nm process by TSMC. It contains 4,700 million transistors on a 200 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 23.5M per mm². The AMD Radeon Pro W5700 uses the Navi 10 chip based on RDNA 1.0, manufactured on a 7 nm process, also by TSMC. This chip packs 10,300 million transistors on a 251 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 41.0M per mm².

The architectural differences are stark. The W5700 has more than double the shading units (2,304 vs 1,024) and significantly more TMUs (144 vs 32) and ROPs (64 vs 16). The W5700 also supports FP16 at a 2:1 ratio, delivering 17.33 TFLOPS, while the MX550 offers FP16 at a 1:1 ratio, matching its FP32 rate of 2.703 TFLOPS. Neither card has RT cores or Tensor cores, so ray tracing and AI acceleration features are absent from both.

The W5700 uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface, while the MX550 uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface. This gives the W5700 double the bandwidth for data transfer. The W5700 also features 5x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a and 1x USB Type-C outputs, whereas the MX550's display outputs are dependent on the portable device it is installed in. The MX550 is an IGP, meaning it is integrated into a system, while the W5700 is a dual-slot add-in card.

Specification Differences

The most obvious specification difference is memory. The MX550 has 2 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus, providing 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The W5700 has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is a 4x difference in memory size and nearly a 4.7x difference in bandwidth.

Clock speeds also differ notably. The MX550 has a base clock of 1065 MHz and a boost clock of 1320 MHz. The W5700 has a base clock of 1400 MHz and a boost clock of 1880 MHz. The W5700's memory runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), while the MX550's memory runs at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective).

Power and physical specifications are drastically different. The MX550 has a TDP of 25 W, an IGP slot width, and no power connectors. The W5700 has a TDP of 205 W, a dual-slot width, and requires 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin power connectors. The W5700 also suggests a 550 W PSU. The W5700 is 267 mm long and 111 mm tall, while the MX550 has no listed dimensions due to its integrated nature. The W5700's launch MSRP was 799 USD. The MX550 has no launch MSRP listed. The W5700 was released in November 2019 and has the Radeon Pro Vega as its predecessor, while the MX550 was released in December 2021. Both are end-of-life products.