AMD Radeon RX 550X vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits cleanly between the two GPUs, with each taking one of the two recorded tests. The AMD Radeon RX 550X wins decisively in the Geekbench Vulkan test, scoring 11,299 against the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M's 8,782. That is a 28.7% margin, the largest single-test gap in this comparison. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M, however, takes the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 9,821 versus the RX 550X's 9,662, a narrower 1.6% advantage.

For workloads that leverage Vulkan, the RX 550X is clearly the stronger choice. Its Vulkan score of 11,299 places it well ahead of its own average benchmark score of 10,481, indicating that this architecture responds particularly well to the Vulkan API. The GTX 850M, by contrast, scores 8,782 in Vulkan, which is below its average of 9,302, suggesting Vulkan is not its preferred environment.

For OpenCL-based compute tasks, the two are nearly tied. The GTX 850M's 9,821 narrowly edges out the RX 550X's 9,662. The delta is so small, 1.6%, that real-world differences would be difficult to perceive. Both GPUs sit near the same performance tier in this API, with the GTX 850M holding a marginal edge.

The average benchmark scores reinforce this split. The RX 550X averages 10,481 across all tests, while the GTX 850M averages 9,302. That puts the RX 550X roughly 12.7% ahead on average, driven almost entirely by its dominant Vulkan result. The percentile rankings also favor the AMD part: the RX 550X sits at the 49th percentile of all GPUs, while the GTX 850M sits at the 46th percentile.

In practical terms, users running Vulkan-based games or applications should prefer the RX 550X. Users whose workloads rely on OpenCL may find the GTX 850M marginally better, though the difference is small enough to be negligible.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 550X has an average benchmark score of 10,481, compared to 9,302 for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M.

Q: How large is the Vulkan performance gap between the two?

A: The RX 550X scores 11,299 in Geekbench Vulkan, which is 28.7% higher than the GTX 850M's 8,782.

Q: Does the GTX 850M win any benchmark test?

A: Yes, the GTX 850M wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 9,821, edging out the RX 550X's 9,662 by 1.6%.

Q: What percentile ranking does each GPU hold?

A: The RX 550X ranks at the 49th percentile of all GPUs, while the GTX 850M ranks at the 46th percentile.

Q: Which GPU has higher pixel and texture fill rates?

A: The RX 550X has a pixel rate of 18.93 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 37.86 GTexel/s. The GTX 850M has a pixel rate of 14.43 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 36.08 GTexel/s.

Q: What are the DirectX support levels for each card?

A: The RX 550X supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the GTX 850M supports DirectX 12 (11_0).

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two recorded benchmark tests tell a clear story of divergent strengths. In Geekbench OpenCL, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M posts 9,821 points against the AMD Radeon RX 550X's 9,662. The 1.6% delta is small, but it is enough to give the GTX 850M a win in this particular test. The scores are close enough that the RX 550X's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon R9 M275X at 10,582 (1% higher) and the AMD Radeon RX 6600S at 10,629 (1.4% higher), putting the RX 550X in a tight cluster around the 10,400 to 10,600 range.

The Geekbench Vulkan test flips the result dramatically. The RX 550X scores 11,299, a 28.7% advantage over the GTX 850M's 8,782. This is the single largest margin in the comparison. To put that in context, the RX 550X's Vulkan score is 818 points higher than its own OpenCL score, while the GTX 850M's Vulkan score is 1,039 points lower than its OpenCL score. The RX 550X's Vulkan result also exceeds its average benchmark score of 10,481 by 818 points, while the GTX 850M's Vulkan result falls 520 points short of its 9,302 average.

The wins are split exactly one apiece, but the magnitudes differ. The GTX 850M's OpenCL victory is marginal, a 159-point difference. The RX 550X's Vulkan victory is substantial, a 2,517-point difference. In aggregate, the RX 550X's average score of 10,481 versus the GTX 850M's 9,302 shows a 1,179-point overall advantage for the AMD card.

Looking at the nearest rivals for each card provides additional context. The RX 550X's closest competitor is the AMD Radeon RX 6500M at 10,362 (1.2% lower), followed by the NVIDIA Tesla C2075 at 10,400 (0.8% lower). The GTX 850M's nearest rival is the AMD Radeon Vega 8 at 9,221 (0.9% lower), with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 at 9,273 (0.3% lower). These clusters suggest both cards perform near their expected tier.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every core specification. The RX 550X uses 512 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 raster operations units. The GTX 850M uses 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. Despite having fewer shading units, the RX 550X achieves higher pixel and texture rates: 18.93 GPixel/s versus 14.43 GPixel/s, and 37.86 GTexel/s versus 36.08 GTexel/s, respectively.

Memory configurations diverge sharply. The RX 550X offers 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth at 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective). The GTX 850M offers 2 GB of DDR3 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 32.03 GB/s of bandwidth at 1001 MHz (2 Gbps effective). The RX 550X has three times the memory bandwidth, a substantial advantage for texture-heavy workloads.

Compute throughput also favors the RX 550X. Its FP32 performance is 1,211.4 GFLOPS, while the GTX 850M manages 1,154.6 GFLOPS. The RX 550X also supports FP16 at 1,211.4 GFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, while the GTX 850M has no recorded FP16 capability.

Power characteristics differ modestly. The RX 550X has a TDP of 50 W with a suggested PSU of 250 W, while the GTX 850M has a TDP of 45 W with no suggested PSU listed. Both use no power connectors. The RX 550X is a dual-slot card, while the GTX 850M is an integrated GPU (IGP), reflecting its laptop-oriented design.

Interface and output differences are notable. The RX 550X uses PCIe 3.0 x8 and provides 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, and 1x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The GTX 850M uses PCIe 3.0 x16 with display outputs listed as "Portable Device Dependent," indicating it relies on the host laptop's display connections.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs spans process node, die size, transistor count, and API support. The RX 550X is built on GlobalFoundries' 14 nm process with a 103 mm² die containing 2,200 million transistors, yielding a transistor density of 21.4 million per mm². The GTX 850M uses TSMC's 28 nm process with a 148 mm² die containing 1,870 million transistors, yielding 12.6 million per mm². The RX 550X packs more transistors into a smaller die, a direct benefit of the newer manufacturing process.

The RX 550X uses the Lexa chip based on GCN 4.0 architecture, part of the Polaris (RX 500X) generation. The GTX 850M uses the GM107 chip based on Maxwell architecture, part of the GeForce 800M generation. These are fundamentally different design philosophies: GCN 4.0 emphasizes compute throughput and modern API features, while Maxwell focuses on power efficiency and established workloads.

API support reflects the RX 550X's newer architecture. It supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3, while the GTX 850M supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.4. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The RX 550X's DirectX 12_0 feature level is one tier higher than the GTX 850M's 11_0.

Release timing also differs. The RX 550X launched on December 15, 2018, while the GTX 850M launched on March 11, 2014. The RX 550X's predecessor is Polaris and its successor is Vega. The GTX 850M's predecessor is GeForce 700M and its successor is GeForce 900M. Both are end-of-life products.

Clock behavior is another differentiator. The RX 550X has a base clock of 1100 MHz and a boost clock of 1183 MHz. The GTX 850M has no base or boost clocks recorded in the database, likely due to its variable mobile operation. Both cards are end-of-life, but the RX 550X's fixed clock specifications make its performance more predictable.

The Verdict

The data supports a straightforward recommendation based on workload priorities. For Vulkan-centric applications, the AMD Radeon RX 550X is the clear pick. Its 11,299 Vulkan score represents a 28.7% advantage over the GTX 850M, and its average benchmark score of 10,481 is 12.7% higher overall. The RX 550X also offers superior memory bandwidth at 96.00 GB/s versus 32.03 GB/s, double the memory capacity at 4 GB versus 2 GB, and a higher pixel rate at 18.93 GPixel/s versus 14.43 GPixel/s.

For OpenCL-focused workloads, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M holds a narrow 1.6% edge with its 9,821 score. That advantage, however, is the GTX 850M's only win, and it is small enough to be overshadowed by the RX 550X's advantages in every other measured category. The GTX 850M's lower TDP of 45 W versus 50 W is a minor point, but its DDR3 memory and lower bandwidth put it at a structural disadvantage.

Users who prioritize modern API support should choose the RX 550X. It offers DirectX 12_0, Vulkan 1.3, and FP16 compute at full rate. The GTX 850M's DirectX 12 (11_0) support is one tier lower, and it lacks FP16 capability entirely. The RX 550X also ranks higher in the overall GPU percentile, 49th versus 46th.

Users constrained by power budgets may find the GTX 850M's 45 W TDP appealing, but the 5 W difference is marginal. The RX 550X's suggested 250 W PSU is modest, and its dual-slot design is standard for discrete cards.

In summary, the AMD Radeon RX 550X wins on average performance, memory bandwidth, memory capacity, pixel rate, FP32 compute, architecture modernity, and Vulkan performance. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M wins only on OpenCL performance and carries a slightly lower TDP. For most use cases, the RX 550X is the stronger choice, with the GTX 850M serving only those who specifically need its OpenCL edge.