AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP vs NVIDIA GeForce MX550 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data reveals a clear performance hierarchy between these two mobile and desktop graphics solutions. Across the two recorded head-to-head tests, the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP wins both comparisons, establishing a consistent advantage in raw compute workloads.

In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP scores 29,668 points, while the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 manages 20,372 points. This represents a 31.3% deficit for the MX550, a substantial gap that reflects the fundamental difference in their compute capabilities. The RX 580 2048SP's double-precision and integer throughput advantages are evident in this workload, as the AMD part delivers nearly half again as much performance.

The Vulkan test narrows the gap somewhat but still favors the AMD card. The RX 580 2048SP scores 38,666 points, while the MX550 records 32,469 points. The delta here is 16%, meaning the MX550 closes roughly half of the OpenCL gap when moving to the Vulkan API. This suggests the NVIDIA architecture handles Vulkan's command buffer and synchronization model more efficiently relative to its raw compute resources, though it still trails the AMD solution meaningfully.

Looking at the broader database averages, the MX550 posts an average benchmark score of 26,421 across all recorded tests, placing it in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs. The RX 580 2048SP averages 23,061, landing in the 68th percentile. This is an interesting inversion: the MX550 actually has a higher average score and percentile ranking despite losing both head-to-head tests. The explanation lies in their respective nearest rival pools. The MX550 sits within 1% of the AMD Radeon 860M (26,401, 0.1% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 (26,331, 0.3% delta), and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary (26,553, -0.5% delta). The RX 580 2048SP's nearest rivals are the Intel Arc B580 (23,021, 0.2% delta), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (23,172, -0.5% delta), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (22,895, 0.7% delta), and NVIDIA P106-100 (23,249, -0.8% delta). The MX550's average is buoyed by its Vulkan result, which is strong enough to lift its composite score above the RX 580 2048SP's average despite the OpenCL deficit.

The wins tally confirms the head-to-head sweep: the RX 580 2048SP records 2 wins, the MX550 records 0. When interpreting these numbers, the OpenCL result is particularly telling because it stresses raw FP32 and memory throughput, areas where the RX 580 2048SP's larger memory bus and higher shading unit count provide a structural advantage. The Vulkan result, while still favoring AMD, demonstrates that the MX550's Turing architecture can partially compensate for its narrower memory interface and fewer execution resources.

The Verdict

From the recorded data, the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP is the stronger performer in both tested workloads. Anyone prioritizing raw compute throughput, especially in OpenCL applications, should select the RX 580 2048SP. Its 31.3% lead in OpenCL is decisive, and its 16% advantage in Vulkan is not trivial either. The RX 580 2048SP also offers 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth, compared to the MX550's 2 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus with 96.00 GB/s. For memory-bound workloads, the AMD card has a clear edge in capacity and bandwidth.

However, the MX550 is not without merit. Its average benchmark score of 26,421 is higher than the RX 580 2048SP's 23,061, and it ranks in the 72nd percentile versus the RX 580 2048SP's 68th. This is driven by the MX550's Vulkan performance, which is proportionally much stronger than its OpenCL showing. For applications that rely heavily on Vulkan, the MX550 is closer to parity, though it still loses by 16%. The MX550 also consumes far less power, with a 25 W TDP versus the RX 580 2048SP's 150 W, and requires no power connectors, while the AMD card needs a single 8-pin connector and a suggested 450 W power supply.

The choice comes down to workload and form factor. For a compact, low-power system where raw compute is secondary, the MX550's IGP form factor and 25 W TDP make it the only realistic option in constrained chassis. For desktop users with adequate power delivery and cooling, the RX 580 2048SP delivers superior performance in both recorded benchmarks. The data does not support recommending the MX550 on performance grounds alone, as it loses both head-to-head tests, but its higher average score and percentile ranking indicate that its overall profile across a wider test suite is competitive. The RX 580 2048SP is the pick for compute-heavy tasks; the MX550 is the pick for efficiency-sensitive, Vulkan-oriented use cases where its lower power envelope matters more than peak throughput.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from fundamentally different architectural lineages. The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 is built on the Turing architecture, using the TU117SB chip fabricated on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It packs 4,700 million transistors into a 200 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 23.5 million per square millimeter. The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP uses the GCN 4.0 architecture, built around the Polaris 20 chip on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It contains 5,700 million transistors across a 232 mm² die, for a density of 24.6 million per square millimeter.

The execution resources differ sharply. The MX550 has 1,024 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 render output units. The RX 580 2048SP doubles the shading units to 2,048, quadruples the TMUs to 128, and doubles the ROPs to 32. This structural disparity drives the observed benchmark differences. The RX 580 2048SP's pixel rate is 41.09 GPixel/s versus the MX550's 21.12 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 164.4 GTexel/s versus 42.24 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput follows the same pattern: 5.259 TFLOPS for the AMD card versus 2.703 TFLOPS for the NVIDIA part. Both GPUs offer FP16 at a 1:1 ratio with FP32.

Neither GPU includes dedicated ray tracing cores or tensor cores, so both rely on traditional rasterization and compute paths. The MX550 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while the RX 580 2048SP supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3. The MX550 has a slight API advantage with the newer feature level for DirectX and a newer Vulkan version. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

The memory subsystems reflect their different market positions. The MX550 uses 2 GB of GDDR6 with a 64-bit bus and 96.00 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 580 2048SP uses 4 GB of GDDR5 with a 256-bit bus and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD card's memory clock is 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective), while the MX550 runs at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective). The GDDR6's higher effective data rate cannot compensate for the much narrower bus.

Specification Differences

The two products diverge across nearly every specification category. The MX550 uses the TU117SB chip on a 12 nm TSMC process, while the RX 580 2048SP uses Polaris 20 on a 14 nm GlobalFoundries process. Transistor counts differ: 4,700 million for the MX550, 5,700 million for the RX 580 2048SP. Die sizes are 200 mm² and 232 mm² respectively, with transistor densities of 23.5M/mm² and 24.6M/mm².

Clock speeds favor the AMD card. The MX550 has a base clock of 1065 MHz and a boost of 1320 MHz. The RX 580 2048SP runs at 1168 MHz base and 1284 MHz boost. While the MX550's boost clock is higher, the AMD card's base clock is higher, and its larger execution resource pool more than compensates for the modest clock differential.

Memory configurations are starkly different. The MX550 offers 2 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth and 1500 MHz memory clock (12 Gbps effective). The RX 580 2048SP offers 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth and 1750 MHz memory clock (7 Gbps effective). The RX 580 2048SP has double the capacity and 2.33 times the bandwidth.

Power and physical specifications favor the MX550. The NVIDIA part has a 25 W TDP, IGP slot width, and no power connectors. The AMD card has a 150 W TDP, dual-slot width, one 8-pin power connector, and requires a suggested 450 W power supply. The RX 580 2048SP measures 241 mm (9.5 inches) in length. The MX550's display outputs are portable device dependent, while the RX 580 2048SP offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.

Bus interfaces also differ. The MX550 uses PCIe 4.0 x8, while the RX 580 2048SP uses PCIe 3.0 x16. The MX550's newer PCIe generation provides higher per-lane bandwidth, but the RX 580 2048SP's full x16 lanes offer greater total interface bandwidth for data transfer. Release dates place the MX550 at 2021-12-16 and the RX 580 2048SP at 2018-10-14. Both are end-of-life products. The RX 580 2048SP lists its predecessor as Arctic Islands and successor as Vega; the MX550 lists neither.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce MX550, with an average benchmark score of 26,421, compared to the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP's 23,061.

Q: How much faster is the RX 580 2048SP in OpenCL?

A: The RX 580 2048SP scores 29,668 in Geekbench OpenCL versus the MX550's 20,372, a 31.3% advantage.

Q: Does the MX550 win any head-to-head benchmark?

A: No. In the recorded head-to-head tests, the RX 580 2048SP wins both the Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan tests, giving it 2 wins to the MX550's 0.

Q: What are the memory capacity and bus width differences?

A: The MX550 has 2 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 580 2048SP has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has a higher percentile ranking?

A: The MX550 ranks in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs, while the RX 580 2048SP ranks in the 68th percentile.

Q: What power connector does each GPU require?

A: The MX550 requires no power connectors and has a 25 W TDP. The RX 580 2048SP requires one 8-pin power connector, has a 150 W TDP, and suggests a 450 W power supply.