AMD Radeon R7 M260X vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only shared benchmark between these two GPUs in the database is Geekbench OpenCL, and the result is extremely close. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti scores 5,731 points, while the AMD Radeon R7 M260X scores 5,690 points. That produces a delta of just 0.7%, with the NVIDIA part taking the win. In practical terms, this is a statistical tie, as the margin falls well within normal run-to-run variation for OpenCL workloads.

Looking at the rival landscape around each card reinforces how tight this pairing is. The GTX 550 Ti sits at the 33rd percentile across all GPUs, with its nearest competitors being the GTX 670MX at 5,721 (0.2% slower), the Iris Pro Graphics P6300 at 5,712 (0.3% slower), and the Radeon HD 8790M at 5,691 (0.7% slower). The only rival ahead of it in the recorded set is the Radeon R7 M465 at 5,841, which beats it by 1.9%. Meanwhile, the R7 M260X lands at the 30th percentile, with the Quadro K3100M at 5,154 (0.1% behind), the Radeon R7 240 at 5,063 (1.9% behind), and the Quadro 4000M at 5,211 (1.0% ahead). The GTX 760M leads that group at 5,236, sitting 1.4% above the AMD mobile part.

The average benchmark score tells a different story. The GTX 550 Ti has an average score of 5,731, which equals its single OpenCL result. The R7 M260X, however, has an average of 5,161 because it also has a Vulkan result of 4,631, which drags the average down significantly. When comparing across all recorded tests, the NVIDIA part holds a 570-point advantage in average score, roughly 11% higher. This gap is driven entirely by the AMD card's weaker Vulkan showing, not by any OpenCL deficit.

The single head-to-head win count favors NVIDIA at 1 win versus 0 for AMD, but the data suggests that any real-world difference will be negligible in compute tasks that scale well across architectures. The 0.7% OpenCL delta is far smaller than the architectural differences would suggest, which points to both cards being limited by similar memory bandwidth and shader throughput constraints in that specific workload.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from completely different design philosophies and manufacturing generations. The GTX 550 Ti uses NVIDIA's GF116 chip, built on the Fermi 2.0 architecture, while the R7 M260X uses AMD's Opal chip, based on Graphics Core Next 1.0 (GCN). The process nodes diverge sharply: the NVIDIA chip is fabricated on TSMC's 40 nm process, whereas the AMD chip uses TSMC's 28 nm process. This process gap is reflected in transistor density, with the AMD part packing 12.3 million transistors per square millimeter versus 4.9 million for NVIDIA.

Die size and transistor counts tell an interesting story. The GTX 550 Ti has a large 238 mm² die with 1,170 million transistors, while the R7 M260X crams 950 million transistors into just 77 mm². That means the NVIDIA chip is over three times larger physically, but only about 23% higher in transistor count. The AMD design achieves much higher density, a direct benefit of the smaller process node. The GTX 550 Ti's larger die likely contributes to its higher 116 W TDP, although the AMD part has no TDP listed in the database.

Shader architecture differs fundamentally. The GTX 550 Ti has 192 shading units, 32 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 24 raster output units (ROPs). The R7 M260X has 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and only 8 ROPs. The AMD card has double the shader count but fewer texture units and a third of the ROPs. This explains why the pixel rate favors NVIDIA at 7.200 GPixel/s versus 5.720 GPixel/s, and the texture rate favors NVIDIA at 28.80 GTexel/s versus 17.16 GTexel/s. The FP32 compute rates are closer: NVIDIA manages 691.2 GFLOPS, while AMD delivers 549.1 GFLOPS, a 25.9% advantage for the GTX 550 Ti.

Memory subsystems also differ. Both use 1024 MB of GDDR5, but the GTX 550 Ti has a 192-bit bus delivering 98.50 GB/s of bandwidth, while the R7 M260X has a 128-bit bus delivering 64.00 GB/s. The memory clocks are similar on paper, with NVIDIA at 4.1 Gbps effective and AMD at 4 Gbps effective, but the wider bus gives NVIDIA a 54% bandwidth advantage. This is likely why the OpenCL scores are so close despite the AMD card having more shaders: the NVIDIA part can feed its cores more effectively.

API support favors AMD in several areas. The R7 M260X supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170, while the GTX 550 Ti supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and has no Vulkan listing. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The AMD card's Vulkan capability is significant, as it allows modern API workloads that the NVIDIA card cannot run at all. This explains why the R7 M260X has a separate Vulkan benchmark result in the database.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 550 Ti wins in raw compute and memory bandwidth. Its OpenCL score is 0.7% higher, its FP32 rate is 25.9% higher, its pixel fill rate is 25.9% higher, and its texture fill rate is 67.8% higher. Its memory bandwidth advantage of 54% makes it better suited for bandwidth-sensitive workloads like high-resolution texture sampling, heavy post-processing effects, or any compute task that streams large amounts of data. The 192-bit bus is a clear differentiator.

The R7 M260X wins in architectural modernity and API coverage. Its Vulkan 1.2.170 support means it can run modern graphics workloads that the GTX 550 Ti cannot, and its DirectX 12 (11_1) support is a minor step ahead of the NVIDIA part's 11_0. The smaller 77 mm² die and higher transistor density (12.3M per mm² versus 4.9M) suggest better manufacturing efficiency. The 28 nm process gives it a thermal and power efficiency advantage, though no TDP is recorded for the AMD card. The R7 M260X also has a higher base clock of 620 MHz and boost clock of 715 MHz, but these cannot compensate for the narrower memory bus and lower fill rates.

For gaming at typical settings, the data suggests the GTX 550 Ti would hold an edge in rasterization-heavy scenes, given its higher pixel and texture rates. For compute tasks that leverage Vulkan, the R7 M260X has the clear advantage because the NVIDIA card has no Vulkan support recorded. The OpenCL results indicate that both cards are roughly comparable in general-purpose compute, but the NVIDIA part's higher bandwidth gives it a slight edge in that specific test.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every recorded specification. The GTX 550 Ti uses the GF116 chip on a 40 nm process, while the R7 M260X uses the Opal chip on a 28 nm process. Transistor counts are 1,170 million versus 950 million, and die sizes are 238 mm² versus 77 mm². The GTX 550 Ti has no base or boost clock recorded, while the R7 M260X runs at 620 MHz base and 715 MHz boost. Memory bandwidth is 98.50 GB/s versus 64.00 GB/s, with bus widths of 192-bit versus 128-bit.

Shading units are 192 versus 384, TMUs are 32 versus 24, and ROPs are 24 versus 8. Pixel rate is 7.200 GPixel/s versus 5.720 GPixel/s, texture rate is 28.80 GTexel/s versus 17.16 GTexel/s, and FP32 is 691.2 GFLOPS versus 549.1 GFLOPS. The GTX 550 Ti has a 116 W TDP and a dual-slot cooler with a 1x 6-pin power connector, while the R7 M260X has no TDP listed, no slot width recorded, and requires no power connectors. The NVIDIA card uses PCIe 2.0 x16, while the AMD card uses PCIe 3.0 x8.

Display outputs differ significantly: the GTX 550 Ti has 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a, while the R7 M260X is listed as "Portable Device Dependent," reflecting its mobile orientation. The GTX 550 Ti has a launch MSRP of 149 USD, while the R7 M260X has no launch MSRP recorded. The NVIDIA card measures 210 mm (8.3 inches) in length, while the AMD card has no dimensions recorded. The GTX 550 Ti supports DirectX 12 (11_0) but no Vulkan, while the R7 M260X supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

The release dates are far apart: the GTX 550 Ti launched on March 14, 2011, while the R7 M260X launched on December 5, 2015. Both are end-of-life products. Their generations are also different, with the NVIDIA card belonging to GeForce 500 and the AMD card to the Gem System (R7 M200) family. The GTX 550 Ti's predecessor is GeForce 400 and successor is GeForce 600, while the R7 M260X's predecessor is Solar System and successor is Polaris Mobile.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti scores 5,731, while the AMD Radeon R7 M260X scores 5,690. The NVIDIA card wins by 0.7%.

Q: Does the AMD card support Vulkan?

A: Yes, the R7 M260X supports Vulkan 1.2.170 and has a recorded Geekbench Vulkan score of 4,631. The GTX 550 Ti has no Vulkan support listed in the database.

Q: How do the memory bandwidths compare?

A: The GTX 550 Ti has 98.50 GB/s of bandwidth from a 192-bit bus, while the R7 M260X has 64.00 GB/s from a 128-bit bus. The NVIDIA card offers 54% more bandwidth.

Q: What are the transistor density differences?

A: The GTX 550 Ti has a density of 4.9 million transistors per mm² on a 238 mm² die, while the R7 M260X has 12.3 million transistors per mm² on a 77 mm² die.

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 compute performance?

A: The GTX 550 Ti delivers 691.2 GFLOPS of FP32, while the R7 M260X delivers 549.1 GFLOPS. The NVIDIA card is 25.9% faster in this metric.

Q: What are the average benchmark scores across all recorded tests?

A: The GTX 550 Ti averages 5,731, while the R7 M260X averages 5,161. The NVIDIA card holds an 11% advantage, but this is influenced by the AMD card's Vulkan score being included in its average.