AMD Radeon RX 550 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains one directly comparable benchmark between these two cards: Geekbench OpenCL. In that test, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 scores 13,300 points, while the AMD Radeon RX 550 scores 11,063 points. That is a 20.2% advantage for the GTX 480, making it the clear winner in this specific compute workload. The delta is substantial, not a marginal edge; the older card outperforms the newer one by roughly one-fifth in raw OpenCL throughput.

Looking at the broader context, the GTX 480's average benchmark score is 13,300, placing it at the 53rd percentile among all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 555X at 13,321 (0.2% faster), the AMD FirePro M6100 at 13,354 (0.4% faster), and the AMD Radeon RX 5500M at 13,356 (0.4% faster). The GTX 480 sits essentially neck-and-neck with these mobile and workstation parts, with deltas under 1%. This indicates that despite its age, its compute performance remains competitive with mid-range parts from several years later.

The Radeon RX 550, by contrast, has an average benchmark score of 11,075, placing it at the 50th percentile. Its nearest rivals show a different picture: the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000D Blackwell Max-Q and RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q both score 11,088 (0.1% faster), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER scores 11,047 (0.3% slower), and the AMD FirePro W4300 scores 11,225 (1.3% faster). The RX 550 is clustered with a mix of professional and consumer cards, but its 50th percentile ranking means it sits just below the halfway point of all GPUs, while the GTX 480 sits slightly above it.

The head-to-head result is decisive: the GTX 480 wins the only shared benchmark, and it does so by a wide margin. The RX 550 does not win any of the recorded head-to-head tests, as the wins tally shows one win for the GTX 480 and zero for the RX 550. However, the RX 550 has additional benchmarks in the database that the GTX 480 lacks, including 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 (scoring 127), Geekbench Metal (20,838), and Geekbench Vulkan (12,270). These results cannot be compared directly because the GTX 480 has no corresponding entries, but they show that the RX 550 is a more versatile card in terms of API coverage, particularly in Vulkan and Metal, where it posts respectable numbers.

FAQ

Q: Which card scores higher in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 scores 13,300, which is 20.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 550's 11,063 in the same test.

Q: How do the two cards compare in overall percentile ranking?

A: The GTX 480 sits at the 53rd percentile of all GPUs, while the RX 550 sits at the 50th percentile. This means the GTX 480 outperforms a slightly larger share of the database.

Q: What is the closest rival to the GTX 480 in the database?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 555X is the closest, with an average score of 13,321, which is 0.2% faster than the GTX 480's 13,300.

Q: Does the RX 550 have any benchmark where it outperforms the GTX 480?

A: In the recorded head-to-head data, no. The GTX 480 wins the only shared test. The RX 550 has exclusive benchmarks (Metal, Vulkan, and Steel Nomad DX12) that the GTX 480 lacks, but no direct comparison is possible.

Q: What is the RX 550's best exclusive benchmark score?

A: Its Geekbench Metal score is 20,838, which is its highest recorded result. Its Vulkan score is 12,270, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 127.

Q: How does the RX 550 compare to the GTX 1650 SUPER?

A: The RX 550 has an average score of 11,075, which is 0.3% higher than the GTX 1650 SUPER's 11,047, making it marginally faster in this database.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from fundamentally different eras and design philosophies. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 uses the GF100 chip, built on the Fermi architecture, manufactured on a 40 nm process at TSMC. It packs 3,100 million transistors onto a die size of 529 mm², giving a transistor density of 5.9 million per mm². This is a large, power-hungry design typical of high-end GPUs from 2010.

The AMD Radeon RX 550 uses the Lexa chip, based on the GCN 4.0 architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It contains 2,200 million transistors on a die size of just 103 mm², yielding a transistor density of 21.4 million per mm². The smaller, denser chip reflects seven years of process improvements and a more modest performance target.

Memory configurations differ significantly. The GTX 480 has 1536 MB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 177.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 550 has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 112.0 GB/s. The GTX 480's wider bus gives it a 58% bandwidth advantage, which matters for memory-heavy workloads. The RX 550 compensates with a higher effective memory clock: 7 Gbps versus 3.7 Gbps on the GTX 480, but the narrower bus limits overall throughput.

Compute resources also diverge. The GTX 480 has 480 shading units, 60 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs. The RX 550 has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. While the RX 550 has more shaders, the GTX 480 has nearly double the TMUs and triple the ROPs, which explains its higher pixel rate (21.03 GPixel/s versus 18.93 GPixel/s) and texture rate (42.06 GTexel/s versus 37.86 GTexel/s). In raw FP32 throughput, the GTX 480 achieves 1,345.0 GFLOPS, while the RX 550 achieves 1,211.4 GFLOPS, a 11% advantage for the older card. The RX 550 also supports FP16 at 1:1 ratio (1,211.4 GFLOPS), a feature the GTX 480 lacks entirely.

API support differs notably. The GTX 480 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support listed. The RX 550 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3, making it more future-proof for modern titles. The GTX 480 uses PCIe 2.0 x16, while the RX 550 uses PCIe 3.0 x8, which affects bandwidth to the host system. Power requirements are starkly different: the GTX 480 has a 250 W TDP and requires both a 6-pin and 8-pin power connector, plus a 600 W suggested PSU. The RX 550 has a 50 W TDP, no power connectors, and only needs a 250 W PSU.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split: if raw compute performance in OpenCL is the priority, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 wins outright with a 20.2% margin over the RX 550. Its higher FP32 throughput, wider memory bus, and greater texture and pixel rates give it a decisive edge in the one benchmark where both cards appear. The GTX 480 also ranks higher in the overall percentile (53rd versus 50th), indicating it outperforms a larger fraction of the GPU landscape.

However, the RX 550 is not without its strengths. It offers modern API support, including Vulkan 1.3 and DirectX 12 (12_0), which the GTX 480 cannot match. Its exclusive benchmarks show strong Metal performance (20,838) and respectable Vulkan results (12,270). It is also a far more efficient card on paper: a 50 W TDP versus 250 W, with no external power connectors and a much smaller physical footprint (145 mm versus 267 mm). For systems with limited power delivery or space, the RX 550 is the only viable option.

The GTX 480 is a relic of the high-end Fermi era, built for maximum throughput at the cost of power and size. The RX 550 is a low-profile entry-level card designed for compatibility and efficiency. The database does not record any test where the RX 550 beats the GTX 480, so from a pure performance standpoint, the GTX 480 wins the head-to-head. But the RX 550's modern feature set and drastically lower system requirements make it the better choice for users who prioritize power efficiency, API coverage, or compact builds. Choose the GTX 480 for compute-heavy workloads that rely on OpenCL; choose the RX 550 for a modern, low-power card that handles Vulkan and Metal tasks.

Specification Differences

| Field | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 | AMD Radeon RX 550 |

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

| Chip | GF100 | Lexa |

| Architecture | Fermi | GCN 4.0 |

| Process Node | 40 nm | 14 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | GlobalFoundries |

| Transistors | 3,100 million | 2,200 million |

| Die Size | 529 mm² | 103 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 5.9M / mm² | 21.4M / mm² |

| Memory Clock | 924 MHz, 3.7 Gbps effective | 1750 MHz, 7 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 1536 MB | 2 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 384 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 177.4 GB/s | 112.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 480 | 512 |

| TMUs | 60 | 32 |

| ROPs | 48 | 16 |

| Pixel Rate | 21.03 GPixel/s | 18.93 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 42.06 GTexel/s | 37.86 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 1,345.0 GFLOPS | 1,211.4 GFLOPS |

| FP16 | Not listed | 1,211.4 GFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 250 W | 50 W |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 600 W | 250 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 2.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x8 |

| DirectX | 12 (11_0) | 12 (12_0) |

| Vulkan | Not listed | 1.3 |

| Length | 267 mm (10.5 inches) | 145 mm (5.7 inches) |

| Release Date | 2010-03-25 | 2017-04-19 |

| Launch MSRP | 499 USD | 79 USD |

Where Each One Wins

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 wins on compute throughput. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 13,300 beats the RX 550 by 20.2%. It also has higher FP32 (1,345.0 GFLOPS versus 1,211.4), higher pixel rate (21.03 GPixel/s versus 18.93), higher texture rate (42.06 GTexel/s versus 37.86), and nearly 60% more memory bandwidth (177.4 GB/s versus 112.0 GB/s). Any workload that stresses raw arithmetic or memory access will favor the GTX 480.

AMD Radeon RX 550 wins on efficiency and modern features. Its 50 W TDP is one-fifth of the GTX 480's 250 W, and it requires no external power connectors versus the GTX 480's 6-pin and 8-pin setup. The suggested PSU drops from 600 W to 250 W. The RX 550 also supports Vulkan 1.3 and DirectX 12 (12_0), while the GTX 480 lacks Vulkan and only reaches DirectX 11_0. Its exclusive benchmarks show a Metal score of 20,838, indicating strong performance in Apple's API, which the GTX 480 cannot access.

The RX 550 wins on physical footprint. At 145 mm, it is 122 mm shorter than the 267 mm GTX 480, making it suitable for small form factor cases. The GTX 480 is dual-slot in both cards, but the length difference is substantial.

The GTX 480 wins on memory bandwidth. A 384-bit bus versus 128-bit means the older card can feed its compute units far more effectively, which is reflected in its higher bandwidth figure. This advantage is critical for high-resolution textures or large data sets.

The RX 550 wins on transistor efficiency. Its density of 21.4M / mm² is over 3.6 times that of the GTX 480 (5.9M / mm²), showing how process improvements allowed AMD to pack more compute into a fraction of the die area. This efficiency translates directly into lower power draw and heat output.

The GTX 480 wins on raw throughput per benchmark. It holds the only recorded head-to-head victory, and its 53rd percentile ranking edges out the RX 550's 50th. For users who care solely about benchmark scores, the GTX 480 is the stronger card.