AMD Radeon R7 M440 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti and the AMD Radeon R7 M440 represent two very different approaches to mobile and desktop graphics, separated by five years of architectural evolution. The GTX 550 Ti is a dedicated desktop card from 2011, while the R7 M440 is a mobile integrated-class part from 2016. The benchmark data shows a clear overall winner, but the specifics of each GPU’s design tell a more nuanced story. The GeForce GTX 550 Ti wins the only direct head-to-head benchmark, but the Radeon R7 M440 counters with a much larger memory pool and modern API support.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sole direct comparison available is the geekbench_opencl test. Here, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti scores 5731 points, while the AMD Radeon R7 M440 scores 5214 points. This gives the GTX 550 Ti a 9.9% lead in this particular workload. This is a substantial margin for a single test, indicating that the older Fermi architecture still holds a significant computational advantage in OpenCL compute tasks over the newer GCN 3.0 part.

However, the R7 M440 has a second benchmark result that the GTX 550 Ti lacks entirely: a geekbench_vulkan score of 5751. While there is no direct head-to-head comparison for this test, this score is higher than the GTX 550 Ti’s OpenCL score. This suggests that in Vulkan workloads, the R7 M440 is capable of performance that would be competitive with, or even exceed, the GTX 550 Ti’s OpenCL showing. The data shows a split: the GTX 550 Ti wins the only shared test, but the R7 M440 demonstrates strength in a modern API that the older card cannot access.

Looking at the broader context, the GTX 550 Ti’s average benchmark score is 5731, placing it at the 33rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670MX, scores 5721, which is a 0.2% difference, putting them effectively on par. The R7 M440’s average score is 5483, placing it at the 32nd percentile. Its closest competitor is the NVIDIA Quadro M4000 with a score of 5467, a 0.3% difference. The data shows that while the GTX 550 Ti has a higher raw average score, its victory margin over its closest rival is similar to the R7 M440’s margin over its own. The GTX 550 Ti’s lead in the head-to-head is the most significant delta between the two, at 9.9%.

The Verdict

The benchmark data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti is the faster GPU in compute performance. Its 9.9% lead in the geekbench_opencl test is a decisive win, and its average score of 5731 is 4.5% higher than the R7 M440’s average of 5483. For any user prioritizing raw processing power in OpenCL-based applications, the GTX 550 Ti is the clear choice.

However, the verdict is not that simple. The R7 M440 offers features that the GTX 550 Ti cannot match. It has a 4 GB memory buffer versus the GTX 550 Ti’s 1024 MB. It also supports Vulkan 1.2.170 and DirectX 12 (12_0), while the GTX 550 Ti is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0) and has no Vulkan support listed. For a user who values modern API compatibility and a larger framebuffer for texture-heavy workloads, the R7 M440 is the more forward-looking option. The data suggests the GTX 550 Ti wins on speed, but the R7 M440 wins on capability and longevity.

Where Each One Wins

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti wins on:

• Compute Performance: The 9.9% lead in OpenCL is its primary victory.
• Texture and Pixel Fill Rates: With a texture rate of 28.80 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 7.200 GPixel/s, it outpaces the R7 M440’s 17.82 GTexel/s and 7.128 GPixel/s.
• Memory Bandwidth: The 98.50 GB/s bandwidth is vastly superior to the R7 M440’s 14.40 GB/s, due to the 192-bit bus versus the 64-bit bus.
• Raw FP32 Throughput: The GTX 550 Ti delivers 691.2 GFLOPS versus the R7 M440’s 570.2 GFLOPS.

AMD Radeon R7 M440 wins on:

• Modern API Support: It supports Vulkan 1.2.170 and DirectX 12 (12_0), while the GTX 550 Ti lacks Vulkan and is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0).
• Memory Capacity: The 4 GB frame buffer is four times larger than the GTX 550 Ti’s 1024 MB. This allows for larger textures and higher resolutions in games that support them.
• Efficiency Metrics: The R7 M440 is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no power connector requirement, whereas the GTX 550 Ti is a Dual-slot card needing a 1x 6-pin connector and a 300 W suggested PSU.
• Vulkan Performance: Its geekbench_vulkan score of 5751 is higher than the GTX 550 Ti’s OpenCL score, indicating a strength in this API.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti has an average benchmark score of 5731, which is higher than the AMD Radeon R7 M440’s average of 5483.

Q: How large is the performance gap in the shared OpenCL test?

A: In the geekbench_opencl test, the GTX 550 Ti scores 5731 versus the R7 M440’s 5214, a 9.9% advantage for the NVIDIA card.

Q: Does the Radeon R7 M440 support any API that the GTX 550 Ti does not?

A: Yes. The R7 M440 supports Vulkan 1.2.170 and DirectX 12 (12_0). The GTX 550 Ti supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and has no Vulkan support listed.

Q: Which GPU has more memory bandwidth?

A: The GTX 550 Ti has significantly more bandwidth at 98.50 GB/s, compared to the R7 M440’s 14.40 GB/s.

Q: What is the difference in memory capacity?

A: The R7 M440 has 4 GB of memory, while the GTX 550 Ti has 1024 MB (1 GB).

Q: Which GPU has a higher pixel fill rate?

A: The GTX 550 Ti has a pixel rate of 7.200 GPixel/s, slightly higher than the R7 M440’s 7.128 GPixel/s.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti uses the Fermi 2.0 architecture with the GF116 chip, manufactured on a 40 nm process at TSMC. The AMD Radeon R7 M440 uses the GCN 3.0 architecture with the Meso chip, built on a 28 nm process, also at TSMC. This node difference is significant: the smaller 28 nm process allows the R7 M440 to pack 1,550 million transistors into a 125 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 12.4M / mm². In contrast, the GTX 550 Ti’s 40 nm process fits 1,170 million transistors into a much larger 238 mm² die, with a density of only 4.9M / mm².

The compute configurations also differ substantially. The GTX 550 Ti has 192 shading units, 32 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 24 raster output units (ROPs). The R7 M440 has 320 shading units, but only 20 TMUs and 8 ROPs. This explains the performance split: the R7 M440 has more shaders for parallel compute, but the GTX 550 Ti’s higher TMU and ROP counts give it better texture and pixel throughput. The GTX 550 Ti also has a higher FP32 throughput at 691.2 GFLOPS, while the R7 M440 offers 570.2 GFLOPS in FP32 and FP16 (1:1).

Memory architecture is another key divider. The GTX 550 Ti uses GDDR5 memory with a 192-bit bus, achieving 98.50 GB/s bandwidth. The R7 M440 uses DDR3 memory with a 64-bit bus, resulting in just 14.40 GB/s bandwidth. This is a massive 6.8x difference in bandwidth, which heavily favors the NVIDIA card in memory-intensive tasks. However, the R7 M440’s 4 GB capacity dwarfs the GTX 550 Ti’s 1024 MB, allowing it to hold far more data on-chip.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets show several direct contrasts. The process node differs: 40 nm for the GTX 550 Ti versus 28 nm for the R7 M440. The memory type is GDDR5 for the NVIDIA card and DDR3 for the AMD card. The bus width is 192 bit versus 64 bit. The memory clock is listed as 1026 MHz (4.1 Gbps effective) for the GTX 550 Ti, while the R7 M440 runs at 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective).

The shading units count is 192 for the GTX 550 Ti and 320 for the R7 M440. The TMUs are 32 versus 20, and the ROPs are 24 versus 8. The texture rate is 28.80 GTexel/s for the NVIDIA card and 17.82 GTexel/s for the AMD card. The pixel rate is 7.200 GPixel/s versus 7.128 GPixel/s. The FP32 performance is 691.2 GFLOPS versus 570.2 GFLOPS. The R7 M440 also lists an FP16 performance of 570.2 GFLOPS (1:1), which the GTX 550 Ti does not specify.

The bus interface differs: PCIe 2.0 x16 for the GTX 550 Ti versus PCIe 3.0 x8 for the R7 M440. The GTX 550 Ti has a TDP of 116 W, while the R7 M440 lists no TDP. The GTX 550 Ti is a Dual-slot card with a 1x 6-pin power connector and a suggested PSU of 300 W, while the R7 M440 is an IGP with no power connectors or PSU suggestion. The GTX 550 Ti has display outputs of 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a, while the R7 M440’s outputs are listed as Portable Device Dependent. The GTX 550 Ti has a launch MSRP of 149 USD, while the R7 M440 has no launch MSRP. The release dates are 2011-03-14 for the GTX 550 Ti and 2016-05-14 for the R7 M440. Finally, the GTX 550 Ti is a desktop card with a length of 210 mm (8.3 inches), while the R7 M440 has no listed dimensions.