AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti Comparison

The Verdict

The data in this comparison is decisively one-sided. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 holds a commanding lead over the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti in every measurable category where both cards have recorded scores. The only shared benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, shows the AMD card scoring 17,642 against the NVIDIA card's 5,731, a difference of 207.8%. The AMD card also sits at the 37th percentile among all GPUs, while the NVIDIA card sits at the 33rd percentile.

For any workload that relies on compute performance, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 is the clear choice. Its 2.460 TFLOPS of FP32 performance dwarfs the 691.2 GFLOPS of the GTX 550 Ti. The AMD card also brings a much larger 4 GB memory pool compared to the 1 GB on the NVIDIA card, which matters for holding larger datasets or textures.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti, based on the recorded data, is only suitable for legacy systems where its specific bus interface or power connector layout is a requirement. Its single recorded benchmark score of 5,731 in OpenCL places it below the AMD card in raw compute, and its 116 W TDP is more than double the 50 W of the AMD card. There is no benchmark category in which the GTX 550 Ti wins.

The verdict is simple: for any modern workload, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 is the superior product. The GTX 550 Ti should only be considered if the system absolutely requires a dual-slot card with a 6-pin power connector and cannot accept a single-slot card with no external power.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from entirely different architectural eras. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 is built on GCN 4.0 architecture, using the Baffin chip, and is manufactured on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti uses Fermi 2.0 architecture, based on the GF116 chip, and is built on a 40 nm process at TSMC.

The transistor counts reveal the scale difference. AMD packs 3,000 million transistors into a 123 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 24.4M per mm². NVIDIA's chip contains 1,170 million transistors on a much larger 238 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of just 4.9M per mm². The AMD chip is denser by a factor of five.

The compute resources are also vastly different. The AMD card has 1,024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 16 render output units. The NVIDIA card has 192 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. AMD's shading unit count is more than five times higher, while its TMU count is double. NVIDIA has more ROPs, but that does not compensate for the overall compute deficit.

Memory architecture differs as well. AMD uses a 128-bit bus with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory running at 6 Gbps effective, delivering 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth. NVIDIA uses a 192-bit bus with 1 GB of GDDR5 memory at 4.1 Gbps effective, delivering 98.50 GB/s. The NVIDIA card has a slightly higher bandwidth figure, but the AMD card has four times the memory capacity.

Feature support is another differentiator. The AMD card supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The NVIDIA card supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support listed. AMD also offers 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, while NVIDIA offers 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a.

FAQ

Q: Which card has more raw compute power?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 has 2.460 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti has 691.2 GFLOPS. The AMD card is roughly 3.5 times faster in FP32 compute.

Q: How much memory does each card have?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti has 1 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 192-bit bus.

Q: Which card supports modern APIs?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6 but has no Vulkan support listed.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 has a TDP of 50 W and requires no external power connectors. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti has a TDP of 116 W and requires a single 6-pin power connector.

Q: Which card wins in the only shared benchmark?

A: In Geekbench OpenCL, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 scores 17,642 against the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti's 5,731, a 207.8% advantage for AMD.

Q: How do the cards compare on physical size?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 is 168 mm long and single-slot. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti is 210 mm long and dual-slot.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every specification field. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 uses a 14 nm process, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti uses a 40 nm process. AMD's chip is 123 mm² with 3,000 million transistors; NVIDIA's is 238 mm² with 1,170 million transistors.

Clock speeds differ: AMD runs at 1125 MHz base and 1201 MHz boost, with memory at 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective). NVIDIA has no listed base or boost clock, but memory runs at 1026 MHz (4.1 Gbps effective). AMD's memory bandwidth is 96.00 GB/s, while NVIDIA's is 98.50 GB/s.

Compute unit counts differ substantially: AMD has 1,024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 16 ROPs; NVIDIA has 192 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. AMD's pixel rate is 19.22 GPixel/s and texture rate is 76.86 GTexel/s; NVIDIA's are 7.200 GPixel/s and 28.80 GTexel/s respectively. FP32 output is 2.460 TFLOPS for AMD versus 691.2 GFLOPS for NVIDIA; AMD also lists FP16 at 2.460 TFLOPS (1:1), while NVIDIA has no FP16 figure.

Power and physical requirements diverge: AMD's TDP is 50 W with no power connectors and a suggested PSU of 250 W; NVIDIA's TDP is 116 W with one 6-pin connector and a suggested PSU of 300 W. AMD is single-slot at 168 mm; NVIDIA is dual-slot at 210 mm.

Interface and outputs also differ: AMD uses PCIe 3.0 x8 and 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a; NVIDIA uses PCIe 2.0 x16 and 2x DVI plus 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a. AMD supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3; NVIDIA supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6 with no Vulkan.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available in the database is Geekbench OpenCL. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 scores 17,642, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti scores 5,731. The delta is 207.8% in favor of AMD. This is not a marginal victory; it is a complete rout.

Looking at the broader benchmark suite for the AMD card, it records scores in multiple categories. Its Passmark G3D score is 3,699, its Geekbench Vulkan score is 18,703, and its Geekbench Metal score is 21,018. The NVIDIA card has no scores in these categories, so no direct comparison is possible. The AMD card's average benchmark score is 6,330, while the NVIDIA card's average is 5,731.

The percentile rankings confirm the gap. AMD sits at the 37th percentile among all GPUs, while NVIDIA sits at the 33rd percentile. The AMD card's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon R7 M350 (delta 0.1%), the NVIDIA Quadro K620 (delta 0.8%), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE (delta -0.9%). The NVIDIA card's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670MX (delta 0.2%), the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P6300 (delta 0.3%), and the AMD Radeon HD 8790M (delta 0.7%).

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 wins in every benchmark category where both cards have data. Its 207.8% advantage in OpenCL is the headline figure. Beyond that, the AMD card offers higher FP32 compute (2.460 TFLOPS versus 691.2 GFLOPS), four times the memory capacity, and modern API support including Vulkan 1.3.

For compute-heavy workloads like OpenCL-based rendering, physics simulation, or data processing, the AMD card is the only viable option from this pair. Its 50 W TDP also makes it far easier to integrate into power-constrained systems, and its single-slot design with no external power connectors simplifies installation.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti has no recorded benchmark wins. Its only advantage lies in non-performance areas: it has a slightly higher memory bandwidth (98.50 GB/s versus 96.00 GB/s) and more ROPs (24 versus 16). It also uses a PCIe 2.0 x16 interface, which may be the only option for older motherboards. Its 192-bit memory bus is wider than AMD's 128-bit bus, but the practical impact is negligible given the 1 GB capacity limit.

For legacy compatibility with very old systems that require a dual-slot card with a 6-pin power connector, the GTX 550 Ti might be the only fit. But for any task that involves actual graphics or compute performance, the database shows no scenario where the NVIDIA card is preferable. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 is the definitive winner in this comparison.