AMD Radeon R5 M255 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data includes two direct benchmark comparisons between the AMD Radeon R5 M255 and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti. The results are unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti wins both tests, with no benchmark victories recorded for the AMD Radeon R5 M255.

In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD Radeon R5 M255 scores 4650 points. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti scores 18129 points in the same test. This represents a delta of -74.4%, meaning the AMD part trails by nearly three quarters. The margin is massive, and the data shows the GTX 1050 Ti delivering roughly 3.9 times the OpenCL performance of the R5 M255.

The Geekbench Vulkan result follows the same pattern, though the gap is smaller. The Radeon R5 M255 scores 4925 points, while the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti reaches 10001 points. The delta here is -50.8%, so the NVIDIA card is just over twice as fast in Vulkan compute. This narrower margin still leaves no doubt about the winner, but it does suggest the AMD architecture handles Vulkan workloads relatively better than OpenCL when compared with its own performance level.

Looking at the broader database averages, the two cards sit at different points in the overall distribution. The AMD Radeon R5 M255 has an average benchmark score of 4788, placing it at the 28th percentile among all GPUs. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti has an average benchmark score of 4193, placing it at the 25th percentile. This seems counterintuitive given the head-to-head results, but it reflects the different benchmark suites recorded for each card. The GTX 1050 Ti has a much wider set of recorded tests including DirectX 9, 10, 11, and 12 Passmark tests, Metal, and compute workloads, while the R5 M255 only has two recorded Geekbench entries. The average score for the NVIDIA card is pulled down by the low Passmark DirectX scores, which are not part of the AMD card's recorded data.

The nearest rival data for each card provides additional context. The Radeon R5 M255 sits within 1.3% of the AMD Radeon R8 M445DX, within 0.8% of the AMD Radeon R5 M335, and within 1.2% of the NVIDIA GeForce 940MX. It is also within 0.1% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB in the database, though this is an artifact of the limited benchmark set rather than a meaningful performance comparison. The GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, meanwhile, sits within 0.6% of the AMD Radeon R5 M330, within 1% of the NVIDIA Quadro K2100M, within 1.1% of the NVIDIA Quadro K3000M, and within 1.8% of the AMD Radeon Vega 3. These figures highlight that both cards occupy the lower end of the performance spectrum in the database, but the head-to-head data shows a clear hierarchical gap between them.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon R5 M255 does not win any recorded benchmark in the head-to-head comparison. Its only recorded benchmark entries are Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan, and it loses both. Therefore, the data does not support any use case where the R5 M255 outperforms the GTX 1050 Ti in the tests available.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti wins both shared benchmarks. Beyond those two tests, the database includes additional recorded results for the GTX 1050 Ti that have no counterpart for the R5 M255. These include Passmark DirectX 9 at 104 points, Passmark DirectX 10 at 31 points, Passmark DirectX 11 at 45 points, Passmark DirectX 12 at 26 points, Passmark G2D at 651 points, Passmark G3D at 6340 points, Passmark GPU Compute at 2652 points, and Geekbench Metal at 7834 points. The DirectX 11 score of 45 is notably higher than the DirectX 10 score of 31, and the DirectX 9 score of 104 is the highest among the DirectX variants. These results indicate the GTX 1050 Ti has recorded strengths in legacy DirectX 9 workloads and in general 3D performance as measured by Passmark G3D.

For the Radeon R5 M255, the absence of recorded DirectX or Passmark results means the database cannot confirm any specific workload where it excels. Its Vulkan score of 4925 is actually higher than its OpenCL score of 4650, suggesting a relative strength in Vulkan compute compared to its own OpenCL showing. However, this does not translate to a win against the GTX 1050 Ti, which scores 10001 in Vulkan.

The use-case split is therefore simple: the GTX 1050 Ti is the pick for every recorded workload. The R5 M255 has no recorded wins, no recorded DirectX performance data, and no compute test where it surpasses the NVIDIA card.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different manufacturers, different foundries, and different generations. The AMD Radeon R5 M255 is built on GCN 3.0 architecture using the Topaz chip, produced on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti uses Pascal architecture with the GP107 chip, produced on a 14 nm process at Samsung. The process node difference is significant: 28 nm versus 14 nm. The smaller node allows the GTX 1050 Ti to pack more transistors into a similar die area.

Transistor counts tell the story clearly. The AMD chip contains 1,550 million transistors on a die size of 125 mm², giving a transistor density of 12.4 million per mm². The NVIDIA chip contains 3,300 million transistors on a 132 mm² die, giving a density of 25.0 million per mm². The GTX 1050 Ti holds more than twice the transistor count in a slightly larger die, and its density is roughly double.

The compute resources differ by a factor of two. The R5 M255 has 384 shading units, 24 texture mapping units, and 8 ROPs. The GTX 1050 Ti has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Every major execution resource is doubled on the NVIDIA card. Pixel rate for the R5 M255 is 7.520 GPixel/s, while the GTX 1050 Ti reaches 44.54 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 22.56 GTexel/s versus 66.82 GTexel/s. Floating point performance is 721.9 GFLOPS for the AMD card versus 2.138 TFLOPS for the NVIDIA card. The FP16 situation is notably different: the R5 M255 runs FP16 at a 1:1 ratio with FP32, while the GTX 1050 Ti runs FP16 at a 1:64 ratio, meaning its FP16 throughput is only 33.41 GFLOPS. This is a deliberate design choice, as Pascal focused on FP32 throughput.

Memory architecture also diverges. The R5 M255 uses 2 GB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus, with memory clocked at 1000 MHz (2 Gbps effective) and bandwidth of 32.00 GB/s. The GTX 1050 Ti uses 4 GB of GDDR5 on the same 128-bit bus width, with memory at 1752 MHz (7 Gbps effective) and bandwidth of 112.1 GB/s. The NVIDIA card has double the capacity and roughly 3.5 times the bandwidth.

Clock speeds favor the GTX 1050 Ti as well. The R5 M255 runs at 925 MHz base and 940 MHz boost. The GTX 1050 Ti runs at 1291 MHz base and 1392 MHz boost. The NVIDIA card has a higher base clock by 366 MHz and a higher boost clock by 452 MHz.

API support differs modestly. Both support DirectX 12, but the R5 M255 is listed as DirectX 12 (12_0) while the GTX 1050 Ti is listed as DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6. Vulkan support differs: the R5 M255 lists Vulkan 1.2.170, while the GTX 1050 Ti lists Vulkan 1.4.

The bus interface differs as well. The R5 M255 uses PCIe 3.0 x8, while the GTX 1050 Ti uses PCIe 3.0 x16. The GTX 1050 Ti also has defined power characteristics: a TDP of 75 W, a suggested power supply of 250 W, no power connectors required, and a dual-slot form factor. The R5 M255 has no recorded TDP, slot width, or power connector data in the database.

The GTX 1050 Ti has specific dimensions and display outputs: 145 mm length (5.7 inches), 111 mm height (4.4 inches), and outputs of 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 1x DisplayPort 1.4a. The R5 M255 has no recorded dimensions or display outputs.

Release timing also separates them. The R5 M255 was released in October 2014, while the GTX 1050 Ti came in October 2016. Both are now marked as end-of-life in the database. The AMD card belongs to the Gem System (R5 M200) generation, with predecessor Solar System and successor Polaris Mobile. The NVIDIA card belongs to the GeForce 10-series, with predecessor GeForce 900 and successor GeForce 20.

The Verdict

The benchmark data is one-sided. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti outperforms the AMD Radeon R5 M255 in every recorded head-to-head test. In Geekbench OpenCL, the GTX 1050 Ti leads by 74.4%. In Geekbench Vulkan, it leads by 50.8%. The R5 M255 records zero wins across the shared benchmarks.

The architecture comparison reinforces the benchmark results. The GTX 1050 Ti has double the shading units, double the TMUs, four times the ROPs, a more advanced 14 nm process, nearly triple the memory bandwidth, and higher clock speeds. The transistor density is roughly double. Every measurable hardware resource favors the NVIDIA card.

The database percentile rankings show both cards in the lower quarter of all GPUs, but the GTX 1050 Ti's wider benchmark suite includes results in DirectX 9 through 12, Metal, and compute workloads that are absent for the R5 M255. The GTX 1050 Ti also carries a launch MSRP of 139 USD, which can be noted as a reference point.

For users choosing between these two, the data supports one conclusion: the GTX 1050 Ti is the stronger GPU in every recorded metric. The R5 M255 may have been adequate for its era, but the recorded numbers show it trailing by margins of 50% to 74% in the tests where both are measured. The GTX 1050 Ti is the recommended pick for anyone seeking higher OpenCL and Vulkan performance, broader DirectX coverage, more memory, and faster memory bandwidth.

The R5 M255's only relative advantage in the data is its FP16 throughput at a 1:1 ratio, which is an architectural trait of GCN 3.0 rather than a practical win. Its Vulkan score is closer to the GTX 1050 Ti's Vulkan score than its OpenCL score is, but it still loses by half.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti scores 18129 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the AMD Radeon R5 M255 scores 4650, a difference of -74.4% for the AMD card.

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

A: The GTX 1050 Ti scores 10001, and the R5 M255 scores 4925. The NVIDIA card leads by -50.8% delta.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference?

A: The R5 M255 has 2 GB of DDR3 memory with 32.00 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 1050 Ti has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory with 112.1 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Do both cards support DirectX 12?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12, but the R5 M255 is listed as 12_0 while the GTX 1050 Ti is listed as 12_1.

Q: What are the pixel rates of each GPU?

A: The R5 M255 has a pixel rate of 7.520 GPixel/s. The GTX 1050 Ti has a pixel rate of 44.54 GPixel/s.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The GTX 1050 Ti has 768 shading units, exactly double the 384 shading units of the R5 M255.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon R5 M255 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti |

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

| Architecture | GCN 3.0 | Pascal |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 14 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | Samsung |

| Transistors | 1,550 million | 3,300 million |

| Die Size | 125 mm² | 132 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.4M / mm² | 25.0M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 925 MHz | 1291 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 940 MHz | 1392 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1000 MHz (2 Gbps effective) | 1752 MHz (7 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 2 GB | 4 GB |

| Memory Type | DDR3 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 32.00 GB/s | 112.1 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 384 | 768 |

| TMUs | 24 | 48 |

| ROPs | 8 | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 7.520 GPixel/s | 44.54 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 22.56 GTexel/s | 66.82 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 721.9 GFLOPS | 2.138 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 721.9 GFLOPS (1:1) | 33.41 GFLOPS (1:64) |

| TDP | Not recorded | 75 W |

| Slot Width | Not recorded | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | Not recorded | None |

| Suggested PSU | Not recorded | 250 W |

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

| Display Outputs | Not recorded | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| DirectX Support | 12 (12_0) | 12 (12_1) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.2.170 | 1.4 |

| Dimensions | Not recorded | 145 mm (5.7 inches) length, 111 mm (4.4 inches) height |

| Release Date | 2014-10-11 | 2016-10-24 |

| Production Status | End-of-life | End-of-life |

| Launch MSRP | Not recorded | 139 USD |