AMD Radeon RX 6550S vs NVIDIA N1X 40SM Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows no head-to-head benchmark entries for this pairing, so the direct comparison relies entirely on the specification and theoretical performance metrics from the database. The AMD Radeon RX 6550S and the NVIDIA N1X 40SM occupy opposite ends of the mobile graphics spectrum, with the NVIDIA part delivering dramatically higher raw throughput in nearly every measured category.

The most decisive gap appears in FP32 compute. The NVIDIA N1X 40SM delivers 24.02 TFLOPS, which is 4.9 times the 4.915 TFLOPS of the AMD Radeon RX 6550S. That is not a marginal difference; it represents a fundamentally different performance class. The texture rate tells a similar story: 750.7 GTexel/s for the NVIDIA part versus 153.6 GTexel/s for the AMD part, a 4.9x advantage. Pixel rate also favors NVIDIA, with 93.84 GPixel/s compared to 76.80 GPixel/s, a 1.22x lead.

Memory bandwidth heavily favors the NVIDIA N1X 40SM. The 273.2 GB/s of the NVIDIA part is 2.13 times the 128.0 GB/s of the AMD Radeon RX 6550S. This bandwidth advantage is compounded by a 256-bit bus versus a 64-bit bus, and 128 GB of LPDDR5X versus 4 GB of GDDR6. The AMD part does counter with a significantly higher base clock: 2000 MHz versus 741 MHz, a 2.7x lead. However, the boost clocks are much closer, with the AMD part at 2400 MHz and the NVIDIA part at 2346 MHz, a mere 2.3% difference.

The AMD Radeon RX 6550S also shows a notable advantage in FP16 throughput efficiency. It delivers 9.830 TFLOPS at a 2:1 ratio, meaning it doubles its FP32 rate. The NVIDIA N1X 40SM delivers 24.02 TFLOPS at a 1:1 ratio, meaning no FP16 acceleration. While the NVIDIA absolute FP16 number is still 2.44 times higher, the AMD architecture demonstrates a more efficient path for mixed-precision workloads.

The pixel rate comparison is the only category where the two parts are relatively close. The NVIDIA N1X 40SM leads by 22%, which is far less than the multi-fold differences seen in compute, texture, and memory metrics. This suggests that the AMD part, despite its smaller overall footprint, maintains a competitive fill-rate profile relative to its compute capacity.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from entirely different architectural lineages and process nodes. 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 NVIDIA N1X 40SM uses the GB20B chip built on Blackwell 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 5 nm process, also at TSMC. The process node difference is modest, but the transistor counts are not directly comparable because the NVIDIA die size is far larger at 382 mm² versus 107 mm² for the AMD part. The AMD transistor count is listed at 5,400 million, while the NVIDIA transistor count is listed as unknown.

The AMD part belongs to the Navi Mobile (RX 6000M) generation, while the NVIDIA part belongs to the Blackwell IGP (N1x) generation. The AMD release date is January 3, 2023, while the NVIDIA release date is May 31, 2026, indicating a significant generational gap. The AMD part has a predecessor listed as Polaris Mobile, while the NVIDIA part has no predecessor listed.

Shader resources differ massively. The NVIDIA N1X 40SM has 5120 shading units, 320 texture mapping units, and 40 ROPs. The AMD Radeon RX 6550S has 1024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. This represents a 5x advantage in shading units, a 5x advantage in TMUs, and a 1.25x advantage in ROPs for NVIDIA. Ray tracing resources also favor NVIDIA with 40 RT cores versus 16, a 2.5x lead. The NVIDIA part additionally includes 160 tensor cores, while the AMD part has none listed.

Memory architecture diverges completely. The AMD Radeon RX 6550S uses 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus with 128.0 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA N1X 40SM uses 128 GB of LPDDR5X on a 256-bit bus with 273.2 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA memory capacity is 32 times larger, and the bus width is 4 times wider. The AMD memory clock is listed at 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective, while the NVIDIA memory clock is 1067 MHz with 8.5 Gbps effective.

API support also differs. The AMD part supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The NVIDIA part lists DirectX as N/A, OpenGL as N/A, and Vulkan as N/A. This suggests the NVIDIA N1X 40SM may not expose standard graphics APIs in the same manner, potentially indicating a specialized or non-traditional use case.

The bus interface presents another distinction. The AMD Radeon RX 6550S uses PCIe 4.0 x4, while the NVIDIA N1X 40SM uses PCIe 5.0 x16. The NVIDIA interface offers significantly more bandwidth for host communication. Both are listed as IGP slot width with no power connectors, and both have a production status of Active. The NVIDIA part lists a single HDMI display output, while the AMD part lists portable device dependent outputs.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 compute performance?

A: The NVIDIA N1X 40SM delivers 24.02 TFLOPS, which is 4.9 times the 4.915 TFLOPS of the AMD Radeon RX 6550S.

Q: How do the memory configurations differ?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6550S has 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus with 128.0 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA N1X 40SM has 128 GB of LPDDR5X on a 256-bit bus with 273.2 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has a higher base clock?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6550S has a base clock of 2000 MHz, which is 2.7 times the 741 MHz base clock of the NVIDIA N1X 40SM.

Q: Do the two GPUs support the same graphics APIs?

A: No. The AMD Radeon RX 6550S supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The NVIDIA N1X 40SM lists DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan all as N/A.

Q: What is the difference in ray tracing resources?

A: The NVIDIA N1X 40SM has 40 RT cores, which is 2.5 times the 16 RT cores of the AMD Radeon RX 6550S.

Q: Which GPU has a higher pixel rate?

A: The NVIDIA N1X 40SM has a pixel rate of 93.84 GPixel/s, which is 1.22 times the 76.80 GPixel/s of the AMD Radeon RX 6550S.

The Verdict

The data indicates that the NVIDIA N1X 40SM is the superior performer in almost every measurable specification category. It leads in FP32 compute by a factor of 4.9, in texture rate by a factor of 4.9, in pixel rate by 1.22x, in memory bandwidth by 2.13x, in shading units by 5x, in TMUs by 5x, in ROPs by 1.25x, in RT cores by 2.5x, and it has 160 tensor cores while the AMD part has none. The NVIDIA part also offers 128 GB of memory versus 4 GB, a 256-bit bus versus 64-bit, and a PCIe 5.0 x16 interface versus PCIe 4.0 x4.

The AMD Radeon RX 6550S does hold specific advantages. Its base clock of 2000 MHz is 2.7 times higher than the NVIDIA 741 MHz. Its FP16 throughput doubles its FP32 rate at 9.830 TFLOPS, whereas the NVIDIA FP16 is identical to FP32 at 24.02 TFLOPS. The AMD part is also substantially smaller at 107 mm² versus 382 mm², and it carries a 6 nm process versus 5 nm.

For users prioritizing raw compute, memory capacity, or tensor performance, the NVIDIA N1X 40SM is the clear choice based on the recorded data. For users who need a compact, low-power IGP with efficient FP16 capability and standard graphics API support, the AMD Radeon RX 6550S presents a viable alternative. The NVIDIA part has a listed TDP of unknown, while the AMD part is rated at 50 W, so power efficiency comparisons cannot be fully quantified.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in the following recorded fields:

Chip and Architecture: AMD uses Navi 24 on RDNA 2.0. NVIDIA uses GB20B on Blackwell 2.0.

Process Node: AMD uses 6 nm. NVIDIA uses 5 nm.

Transistors: AMD lists 5,400 million. NVIDIA lists unknown.

Die Size: AMD measures 107 mm². NVIDIA measures 382 mm².

Base Clock: AMD runs at 2000 MHz. NVIDIA runs at 741 MHz.

Boost Clock: AMD runs at 2400 MHz. NVIDIA runs at 2346 MHz.

Game Clock: AMD lists 2170 MHz. NVIDIA lists none.

Memory Clock: AMD lists 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective. NVIDIA lists 1067 MHz with 8.5 Gbps effective.

Memory Size: AMD has 4 GB. NVIDIA has 128 GB.

Memory Type: AMD uses GDDR6. NVIDIA uses LPDDR5X.

Memory Bus Width: AMD uses 64 bit. NVIDIA uses 256 bit.

Memory Bandwidth: AMD delivers 128.0 GB/s. NVIDIA delivers 273.2 GB/s.

Shading Units: AMD has 1024. NVIDIA has 5120.

TMUs: AMD has 64. NVIDIA has 320.

ROPs: AMD has 32. NVIDIA has 40.

RT Cores: AMD has 16. NVIDIA has 40.

Tensor Cores: AMD has none. NVIDIA has 160.

Pixel Rate: AMD delivers 76.80 GPixel/s. NVIDIA delivers 93.84 GPixel/s.

Texture Rate: AMD delivers 153.6 GTexel/s. NVIDIA delivers 750.7 GTexel/s.

FP32: AMD delivers 4.915 TFLOPS. NVIDIA delivers 24.02 TFLOPS.

FP16: AMD delivers 9.830 TFLOPS (2:1). NVIDIA delivers 24.02 TFLOPS (1:1).

TDP: AMD rated at 50 W. NVIDIA listed as unknown.

Bus Interface: AMD uses PCIe 4.0 x4. NVIDIA uses PCIe 5.0 x16.

Display Outputs: AMD lists portable device dependent. NVIDIA lists 1x HDMI.

DirectX: AMD supports 12 Ultimate (12_2). NVIDIA lists N/A.

OpenGL: AMD supports 4.6. NVIDIA lists N/A.

Vulkan: AMD supports 1.4. NVIDIA lists N/A.

Release Date: AMD released January 3, 2023. NVIDIA released May 31, 2026.

Predecessor: AMD lists Polaris Mobile. NVIDIA lists none.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA N1X 40SM wins decisively in compute-intensive workloads. Its 24.02 TFLOPS FP32 and 24.02 TFLOPS FP16 make it suitable for tasks that demand massive parallel processing, such as large-scale simulation or data throughput. The 160 tensor cores provide dedicated hardware for AI acceleration, a capability entirely absent from the AMD part. The 128 GB memory capacity and 273.2 GB/s bandwidth enable handling of very large datasets that would exhaust the AMD 4 GB allocation. The 40 RT cores offer more than double the ray tracing hardware of the AMD part, and the 750.7 GTexel/s texture rate supports heavy texturing workloads.

The AMD Radeon RX 6550S wins in specific efficiency and compatibility scenarios. Its 2000 MHz base clock allows sustained operation at a higher frequency floor, which can benefit latency-sensitive workloads that do not scale with core count. The 2:1 FP16 ratio means it can double its compute throughput for FP16 tasks without additional hardware, a feature that may be relevant for certain mixed-precision applications. The 6 nm process and 50 W TDP indicate a more power-constrained design, and the 107 mm² die size makes it a compact solution. The AMD part also supports standard graphics APIs including DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the NVIDIA part lists no API support. This makes the AMD Radeon RX 6550S the only one of the two with documented compatibility for conventional graphics rendering pipelines.

For mobile devices where power draw is a limiting factor, the AMD part's 50 W rating provides a defined ceiling that the NVIDIA part lacks, as its TDP is listed as unknown. For portable form factors where display output flexibility matters, the AMD part's portable device dependent outputs may adapt to various panels, while the NVIDIA part specifies only a single HDMI output. The AMD part's earlier release date also means it has been available for a longer period.