AMD Radeon RX 550 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 Comparison

FAQ

Q: How does the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 compare to the AMD Radeon RX 550 in the database's OpenCL benchmark?

A: In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the GTX 590 scores 12830, while the RX 550 scores 11063. The GTX 590 wins this head-to-head matchup by 16%.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card?

A: The GTX 590 has an average benchmark score of 12830, placing it in the 52nd percentile of all GPUs. The RX 550 has an average benchmark score of 11075, placing it in the 50th percentile.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: Both cards have exactly 512 shading units. However, the GTX 590 has 64 texture mapping units and 48 ROPs, while the RX 550 has 32 texture mapping units and 16 ROPs.

Q: What are the memory specifications of each card?

A: The GTX 590 has 1536 MB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 164.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 550 has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 112.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The GTX 590 has a TDP of 365 W and requires two 8-pin power connectors with a suggested 750 W power supply. The RX 550 has a TDP of 50 W, requires no power connectors, and has a suggested 250 W power supply.

Q: Which card offers better API support?

A: The RX 550 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The GTX 590 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support listed in the database.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear split between two very different cards from different eras. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590, a Fermi 2.0 flagship from the GeForce 500 generation, outperforms the AMD Radeon RX 550 in the only shared benchmark, the Geekbench OpenCL test. It scores 12830 versus 11063, a 16% advantage. Its average benchmark score of 12830 also sits at the 52nd percentile, two points higher than the RX 550's 50th percentile.

However, the RX 550 counters with several structural advantages that matter for certain workloads. It has 2 GB of memory versus 1536 MB, a smaller 103 mm² die on a 14 nm process, and a dramatically lower 50 W TDP. The RX 550 also supports Vulkan 1.3 and DirectX 12 (12_0), while the GTX 590 only reaches DirectX 12 (11_0) with no Vulkan listing. For users prioritizing modern API compatibility, lower power draw, or newer feature support, the RX 550 is the sensible pick. For raw compute throughput in the OpenCL test, the GTX 590 is the winner.

The verdict depends entirely on the workload. The GTX 590 wins the compute benchmark and has higher texture and pixel rates. The RX 550 wins on efficiency, API compatibility, and memory capacity. Neither card dominates comprehensively.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records one direct head-to-head benchmark between these two cards: Geekbench OpenCL. The GTX 590 scores 12830, and the RX 550 scores 11063. The delta is 16% in favor of the GTX 590. This is a substantial margin, indicating that the older Fermi architecture still holds a meaningful compute advantage in this specific test.

Context from the nearest rivals helps interpret this result. The GTX 590's closest rival is the AMD Radeon Pro 455, which scores 12831, a delta of 0%. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 scores 12773, 0.4% behind. The GTX 590 sits comfortably in this cluster, trading blows with cards that are effectively its peers in this benchmark. The RX 550's nearest rivals tell a different story: the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000D Blackwell Max-Q scores 11088, 0.1% behind, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER scores 11047, 0.3% ahead. The RX 550 is positioned in a lower performance tier in this metric.

The 16% gap between the GTX 590 and RX 550 is therefore not a near-tie; it is a clear separation between two performance classes. In the OpenCL test, the GTX 590 belongs to a group of cards scoring around 12800, while the RX 550 belongs to a group scoring around 11000. The RX 550's additional benchmark results, such as a Geekbench Metal score of 20838 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 12270, do not change the outcome of the shared OpenCL test.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every physical and technical specification. The GTX 590 uses the GF110 chip on a 40 nm process from TSMC, with 3,000 million transistors on a 520 mm² die. The RX 550 uses the Lexa chip on a 14 nm process from GlobalFoundries, with 2,200 million transistors on a 103 mm² die. The transistor density reflects this: the GTX 590 has 5.8M transistors per mm², while the RX 550 has 21.4M per mm².

Memory configurations differ as well. The GTX 590 has 1536 MB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus with 164.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 550 has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 112.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 590's memory clock is listed at 854 MHz (3.4 Gbps effective), while the RX 550 runs at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective). The RX 550's higher clock speed does not compensate for its narrower bus in raw bandwidth.

The compute resources diverge sharply. Both cards have 512 shading units, but the GTX 590 has 64 TMUs and 48 ROPs, versus 32 TMUs and 16 ROPs on the RX 550. The GTX 590 achieves a pixel rate of 19.46 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 38.91 GTexel/s. The RX 550 achieves 18.93 GPixel/s and 37.86 GTexel/s. Despite having half the TMUs and ROPs, the RX 550 comes close in these rates due to its higher clocks. The FP32 throughput is also similar: 1,244.2 GFLOPS for the GTX 590 versus 1,211.4 GFLOPS for the RX 550. The RX 550 additionally lists FP16 at 1,211.4 GFLOPS (1:1), while the GTX 590 has no FP16 listing.

Power and physical specifications differ dramatically. The GTX 590 has a TDP of 365 W, requires two 8-pin connectors, and suggests a 750 W power supply. It is 279 mm long, 111 mm tall, and 40 mm wide. The RX 550 has a TDP of 50 W, needs no power connectors, and suggests a 250 W power supply. It is 145 mm long. The bus interface also differs: PCIe 2.0 x16 on the GTX 590 versus PCIe 3.0 x8 on the RX 550.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two cards spans two distinct generations of GPU design. The GTX 590 is built on Fermi 2.0, the architecture used in the GeForce 500 series. The RX 550 uses GCN 4.0, the architecture behind the Polaris generation. The process node alone tells much of the story: 40 nm for Fermi versus 14 nm for GCN 4.0. This allowed AMD to pack 2,200 million transistors into a 103 mm² die, while NVIDIA's older design needed 520 mm² for 3,000 million transistors.

The compute feature sets reflect their respective eras. The RX 550 supports Vulkan 1.3, a modern graphics API, and DirectX 12 (12_0). The GTX 590 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, with no Vulkan support listed. This means the RX 550 can run newer API workloads that the GTX 590 cannot access at all. The RX 550 also lists FP16 throughput at 1,211.4 GFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio to FP32, a feature absent from the GTX 590's specifications.

The memory subsystem architecture differs as well. The GTX 590's 384-bit bus with 164.0 GB/s bandwidth is a wide, high-throughput design typical of a flagship card. The RX 550's 128-bit bus with 112.0 GB/s bandwidth is a narrower, more efficient design suited to a low-power card. The RX 550's memory clock of 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) is more than double the GTX 590's 854 MHz (3.4 Gbps effective), but the bandwidth gap remains in the GTX 590's favor.

The power architecture highlights the generational leap. The GTX 590 needs 365 W and two 8-pin connectors; the RX 550 runs on 50 W with no connectors. The suggested power supply drops from 750 W to 250 W. This is the clearest architectural efficiency improvement in the comparison.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 590 wins in raw compute benchmarks and throughput metrics. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, it beats the RX 550 by 16%. Its pixel rate of 19.46 GPixel/s and texture rate of 38.91 GTexel/s edge out the RX 550's 18.93 GPixel/s and 37.86 GTexel/s. Its FP32 output of 1,244.2 GFLOPS is also slightly higher than 1,211.4 GFLOPS. For any workload that relies on the OpenCL compute path, the GTX 590 is the stronger card based on the recorded data.

The RX 550 wins on efficiency and modern feature support. Its 50 W TDP is a fraction of the GTX 590's 365 W, and it requires no external power connectors. It supports Vulkan 1.3 and DirectX 12 (12_0), opening up workloads the GTX 590 cannot run. Its 2 GB memory capacity exceeds the GTX 590's 1536 MB. Its higher memory clock of 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) and smaller 103 mm² die on a 14 nm process also reflect a more modern design. The RX 550's FP16 capability at 1,211.4 GFLOPS adds a compute path the GTX 590 lacks.

Use-case separation is straightforward. Users needing maximum OpenCL compute performance should favor the GTX 590. Users needing low power draw, modern API support, or greater memory capacity should favor the RX 550. The data does not support a single universal winner; it supports two cards optimized for different priorities.