AMD Radeon RX 6550S vs NVIDIA N1 16SM Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded data separates these two mobile GPUs by their architectural priorities rather than by a single dominant result. The AMD Radeon RX 6550S and the NVIDIA N1 16SM both sit at the 50th percentile against all GPUs in the database, but their individual specifications point toward distinctly different workloads.

The AMD Radeon RX 6550S is built for efficiency in a tight power envelope. With a 50 W TDP, the RX 6550S is explicitly designed for thin-and-light portable systems. Its numbers reflect a deliberate balance: 1024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The 4 GB GDDR6 memory on a 64-bit bus delivers 128.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This configuration gives the RX 6550S a pixel rate of 76.80 GPixel/s, which exceeds the NVIDIA part's 56.30 GPixel/s despite the NVIDIA chip having a higher FP32 throughput. The RX 6550S wins in pixel throughput, meaning it can fill frames with rasterized pixels at a faster rate than the N1 16SM.

The NVIDIA N1 16SM takes the opposite approach. It is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture part with 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, 24 ROPs, 16 RT cores, and a substantial 64 tensor cores. The memory subsystem is much larger: 128 GB of LPDDR5X on a 256-bit bus provides 273.2 GB/s of bandwidth, more than double the AMD part's memory bandwidth. The N1 16SM also delivers 9.609 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, which is roughly 96% higher than the RX 6550S's 4.915 TFLOPS. Texture rate favors NVIDIA as well: 300.3 GTexel/s versus 153.6 GTexel/s.

The database shows the N1 16SM is the compute-oriented part, winning in raw shading throughput, texture work, and memory bandwidth. The RX 6550S is the rasterization-oriented part, winning in pixel fill rate and operating at a far lower power draw. The N1 16SM supports PCIe 5.0 x16, while the RX 6550S uses PCIe 4.0 x4, suggesting the NVIDIA part is designed for a wider data path in integrated systems.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different process nodes and design philosophies. The AMD Radeon RX 6550S uses the Navi 24 chip, built on RDNA 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 6 nm process at TSMC. The die size is 107 mm² with 5,400 million transistors, giving a transistor density of 50.5 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA N1 16SM uses the GB20B chip, built on Blackwell 2.0 architecture, also fabricated at TSMC but on a 5 nm process. Its die size is 382 mm², which is over 3.5 times larger than the AMD die, though the transistor count is listed as unknown.

The RX 6550S belongs to the Navi Mobile generation, specifically the RX 6000M family. Its predecessor is Polaris Mobile. The N1 16SM belongs to the Blackwell IGP generation, designated as N1x, and has no listed predecessor. The AMD chip carries 16 ray tracing cores, while the NVIDIA part also has 16 RT cores but adds 64 tensor cores, which the RX 6550S lacks entirely.

Memory architecture differs sharply. The RX 6550S uses 4 GB of GDDR6 with a 64-bit bus, while the N1 16SM uses 128 GB of LPDDR5X with a 256-bit bus. The NVIDIA part's memory bandwidth of 273.2 GB/s is more than double the AMD part's 128.0 GB/s. Clock behavior also differs: the RX 6550S has a base clock of 2000 MHz, a game clock of 2170 MHz, and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. The N1 16SM has a much lower base clock of 741 MHz but a boost clock of 2346 MHz, nearly matching the AMD part's boost.

The FP16 compute reflects different data paths. The RX 6550S delivers 9.830 TFLOPS FP16 using a 2:1 ratio relative to FP32, meaning it can double throughput for half-precision workloads. The N1 16SM delivers 9.609 TFLOPS FP16 at a 1:1 ratio, meaning its FP16 throughput matches its FP32 throughput without a dedicated boost path.

API support also separates them. The RX 6550S supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The N1 16SM lists N/A for DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan, which suggests the database records no API compatibility data for this part, not that the hardware lacks support. Display outputs differ: the RX 6550S is portable device dependent, while the N1 16SM lists a single HDMI output.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute throughput?

A: The NVIDIA N1 16SM delivers 9.609 TFLOPS FP32, which is roughly 96% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6550S's 4.915 TFLOPS. The NVIDIA part also has 2048 shading units versus 1024 on the AMD part.

Q: How do the memory subsystems compare?

A: The RX 6550S uses 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus with 128.0 GB/s bandwidth. The N1 16SM uses 128 GB of LPDDR5X on a 256-bit bus with 273.2 GB/s bandwidth, more than double the AMD part's bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has a higher pixel fill rate?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6550S has a pixel rate of 76.80 GPixel/s, while the NVIDIA N1 16SM has a pixel rate of 56.30 GPixel/s. Despite having fewer ROPs (32 versus 24), the AMD part achieves a higher pixel throughput.

Q: What are the process node differences?

A: The RX 6550S is built on a 6 nm process at TSMC, while the N1 16SM is built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. The NVIDIA die measures 382 mm², while the AMD die measures 107 mm².

Q: Do both GPUs have ray tracing support?

A: Yes, both GPUs have 16 ray tracing cores. However, only the NVIDIA N1 16SM includes 64 tensor cores; the AMD RX 6550S has no tensor cores listed.

Q: What is the power consumption of each part?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6550S has a TDP of 50 W. The NVIDIA N1 16SM has a TDP listed as unknown in the database.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 6550S | NVIDIA N1 16SM |

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

| Architecture | RDNA 2.0 | Blackwell 2.0 |

| Process Node | 6 nm | 5 nm |

| Die Size | 107 mm² | 382 mm² |

| Transistors | 5,400 million | unknown |

| Transistor Density | 50.5M / mm² | null |

| Base Clock | 2000 MHz | 741 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2400 MHz | 2346 MHz |

| Game Clock | 2170 MHz | null |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 128 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | LPDDR5X |

| Memory Bus Width | 64 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 128.0 GB/s | 273.2 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1024 | 2048 |

| TMUs | 64 | 128 |

| ROPs | 32 | 24 |

| RT Cores | 16 | 16 |

| Tensor Cores | null | 64 |

| Pixel Rate | 76.80 GPixel/s | 56.30 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 153.6 GTexel/s | 300.3 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 4.915 TFLOPS | 9.609 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 9.830 TFLOPS (2:1) | 9.609 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 50 W | unknown |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x4 | PCIe 5.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | 1x HDMI |

| DirectX | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | N/A |

| OpenGL | 4.6 | N/A |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | N/A |

| Release Date | 2023-01-03 | 2026-05-31 |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records no direct head-to-head benchmark scores between these two GPUs. The wins and losses must be derived from the recorded specification data and the relative strengths each part shows in its own field.

The largest win for the NVIDIA N1 16SM is in FP32 throughput. The NVIDIA part delivers 9.609 TFLOPS, which is 4.694 TFLOPS higher than the RX 6550S's 4.915 TFLOPS. This is a difference of roughly 96%, meaning the NVIDIA part computes nearly twice as many floating-point operations per second. Texture rate follows the same pattern: 300.3 GTexel/s versus 153.6 GTexel/s, a 146.7 GTexel/s advantage for NVIDIA. Memory bandwidth is another substantial margin: 273.2 GB/s versus 128.0 GB/s, a 145.2 GB/s gap.

The AMD Radeon RX 6550S wins in pixel rate. The 76.80 GPixel/s figure exceeds the N1 16SM's 56.30 GPixel/s by 20.5 GPixel/s, a 36% advantage. The RX 6550S also operates at a lower TDP of 50 W, while the N1 16SM's TDP is unknown. The AMD part's FP16 throughput of 9.830 TFLOPS slightly exceeds the NVIDIA part's 9.609 TFLOPS, giving AMD a 0.221 TFLOPS edge in half-precision compute.

Clock behavior shows another distinction. The RX 6550S runs a base clock of 2000 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. The N1 16SM runs a base clock of 741 MHz and a boost clock of 2346 MHz. The AMD part's base clock is 1259 MHz higher, meaning it sustains much higher frequencies at idle or low load. However, the boost clocks are nearly identical, with a 54 MHz difference favoring AMD.

The memory capacity difference is stark: 128 GB on the NVIDIA part versus 4 GB on the AMD part. This is a 124 GB gap. The NVIDIA part's 256-bit bus is four times wider than the AMD part's 64-bit bus, which explains the memory bandwidth advantage.

The N1 16SM also has double the shading units (2048 versus 1024) and double the TMUs (128 versus 64). The RX 6550S has 32 ROPs versus 24 on the N1 16SM, which is why the AMD part achieves a higher pixel rate despite lower overall compute.

The Verdict

The data positions the AMD Radeon RX 6550S as a low-power rasterization part for compact portable systems. Its 50 W TDP, 107 mm² die size, and 4 GB GDDR6 memory indicate a design focused on basic frame rendering at moderate resolutions. The pixel rate advantage of 76.80 GPixel/s confirms that the RX 6550S can push pixels faster than the N1 16SM, and its 2000 MHz base clock means it maintains high frequencies without aggressive boosting. The RX 6550S suits workloads where pixel fill and power efficiency matter more than raw compute or memory capacity.

The NVIDIA N1 16SM is the compute and memory heavyweight. Its 2048 shading units, 64 tensor cores, 128 GB LPDDR5X memory, and 273.2 GB/s bandwidth position it for data-heavy workloads, AI inference, and large in-memory datasets. The FP32 throughput of 9.609 TFLOPS is nearly double the AMD part, and the texture rate of 300.3 GTexel/s is a 96% advantage. The PCIe 5.0 x16 interface provides a wider system bus than the RX 6550S's PCIe 4.0 x4 connection.

The release dates separate them by about three and a half years: the RX 6550S launched on 2023-01-03, while the N1 16SM is listed for 2026-05-31. Both parts remain active in production. The RX 6550S belongs to the Radeon RX 6000 series, a mobile discrete GPU family. The N1 16SM is a Blackwell IGP, a different product class entirely.

For users who need high FP32 throughput, tensor core acceleration, and a massive memory pool, the N1 16SM is the clear choice from the recorded specifications. For users who need a low-power IGP with faster pixel fill and a higher base clock, the RX 6550S delivers those specific advantages. The database shows two GPUs that barely overlap in their intended usage: one prioritizes power efficiency and rasterization, the other prioritizes compute density and memory capacity. Neither part dominates the other across all metrics; each wins where its architecture is designed to excel.