AMD Radeon RX 6800 vs NVIDIA T550 Mobile Comparison

The NVIDIA T550 Mobile and the AMD Radeon RX 6800 occupy entirely different tiers of the graphics hardware spectrum, and the recorded benchmark data reflects that separation clearly. Despite the T550 Mobile winning one of the two shared head-to-head tests, the RX 6800 delivers a substantially higher level of raw performance in the other, and the surrounding database records show a stark contrast in their respective capabilities. The T550 Mobile is a low-power, integrated-class mobile part, while the RX 6800 is a high-end, dual-slot desktop card aimed at demanding workloads. The data shows that each GPU is suited to a different use case, and the choice between them depends on whether the priority is extreme efficiency or maximum computational output.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two GPUs were directly compared in two database tests, and each claimed one victory. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the NVIDIA T550 Mobile scored 35,521, while the AMD Radeon RX 6800 scored 24,508. This gives the T550 Mobile a 44.9% advantage in this specific workload, a significant margin that highlights the efficiency of its Turing architecture in compute tasks that scale well with its driver optimizations and memory configuration. However, the Geekbench Vulkan test tells a very different story. The RX 6800 scored 115,107, while the T550 Mobile managed only 30,801, resulting in a 73.2% deficit for the NVIDIA part. This is a massive performance gap, and it demonstrates the RX 6800’s dominance in modern graphics API workloads, where its higher shading unit count, wider memory bus, and newer architecture provide a clear advantage.

The average benchmark scores in the database reinforce this overall picture, though they also show how each GPU sits within its own competitive tier. The T550 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 33,161, placing it just above the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile (33,170, a 0% difference) and the AMD Radeon Pro 570 (33,207, a 0.1% difference). It also edges out the NVIDIA P104-100 (32,982, a 0.5% difference) and the NVIDIA T600 Mobile (32,849, a 1% difference). These are very close margins, indicating that the T550 Mobile is tightly grouped with other mid-range mobile and workstation parts. The RX 6800, on the other hand, has an average benchmark score of 30,095, which seems lower at first glance but is heavily weighted by its diverse set of test results. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti (29,945, a 0.5% difference), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile (29,928, a 0.6% difference), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (29,783, a 1% difference). The RX 6800 also leads the AMD Radeon RX 6700 (30,433, a 1.1% difference). This places the RX 6800 in the company of high-end desktop and top-tier mobile GPUs, even though its average score is dragged down by low scores in some legacy DirectX tests.

The discrepancy between the head-to-head OpenCL result and the average scores is notable. The RX 6800’s OpenCL score of 24,508 is well below its own average, and it is also lower than the T550 Mobile’s OpenCL score. This suggests that the RX 6800 is not optimized for OpenCL compute tasks, or that the test does not leverage its hardware effectively. In contrast, the T550 Mobile’s OpenCL performance is its strongest recorded metric, and it outperforms the RX 6800 by a wide margin in that single test. However, the Vulkan result is far more representative of real-world gaming and modern rendering workloads, and the RX 6800’s 115,107 score is nearly four times the T550 Mobile’s 30,801. This single result is a decisive indicator of overall performance capability.

Where Each One Wins

The T550 Mobile wins in OpenCL compute, which is a general-purpose GPU compute API used in many productivity and scientific applications. Its 44.9% lead over the RX 6800 in this test is a clear signal that it can handle compute-heavy tasks more efficiently than the AMD card, at least in this specific benchmark environment. This is likely due to the T550 Mobile’s architecture and driver stack, which are tailored for workstation and mobile professional use. The T550 Mobile is also a strong performer within its own peer group, as it sits at the top of its nearest rivals list with an average score of 33,161, which is higher than the RTX 3050 Mobile, Radeon Pro 570, P104-100, and T600 Mobile. For users running OpenCL-based applications, the T550 Mobile is the better choice.

The RX 6800 wins decisively in Vulkan, which is a modern low-overhead graphics and compute API used by many contemporary games and high-performance applications. Its 73.2% lead over the T550 Mobile is overwhelming, and its score of 115,107 is in a completely different performance class. The RX 6800 also has a much broader set of recorded benchmarks, including strong scores in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 (3,188), Geekbench Metal (153,635), and Passmark G3D (22,067). It also scores well in Passmark GPU Compute (10,864) and Passmark G2D (990). These results show that the RX 6800 is a versatile high-end GPU that excels in modern graphics APIs and compute workloads that use DirectX 12, Metal, or Vulkan. Its only weak points are the legacy DirectX tests, where it scores 128 in DirectX 10, 214 in DirectX 11, 89 in DirectX 12, and 257 in DirectX 9. These low scores are unusual but do not detract from its overall dominance.

The RX 6800 also wins in terms of pure hardware specifications, which translate directly to performance in most scenarios. It has 3,840 shading units compared to the T550 Mobile’s 1,024, 240 texture mapping units versus 64, and 96 render output units versus 32. Its pixel rate is 202.1 GPixel/s versus 53.28 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 505.2 GTexel/s versus 106.6 GTexel/s. Its FP32 performance is 16.17 TFLOPS versus 3.410 TFLOPS, and its FP16 performance is 32.33 TFLOPS versus 6.820 TFLOPS. These are massive differences that explain the RX 6800’s superiority in most workloads. The RX 6800 also has 60 ray tracing cores, while the T550 Mobile has none, giving it a clear advantage in ray-traced content. Its memory subsystem is also far superior, with 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth, versus the T550 Mobile’s 4 GB on a 64-bit bus, delivering 96.00 GB/s.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split: the NVIDIA T550 Mobile is the better choice for specific compute workloads, particularly OpenCL, and for users who require a low-power, integrated-class GPU. Its 23 W TDP is remarkably low compared to the RX 6800’s 250 W, and it requires no power connectors, while the RX 6800 requires two 8-pin connectors and a 600 W power supply. The T550 Mobile is also an IGP (integrated GPU) with a slot width classified as IGP, making it suitable for compact or portable systems. Its end-of-life production status and position in the Quadro Turing-M generation indicate that it is a professional mobile part aimed at workstation laptops. For those users, the T550 Mobile’s 44.9% OpenCL advantage over the RX 6800 is a tangible benefit, and its average benchmark score of 33,161 places it above several comparable mid-range GPUs.

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 is the overwhelming choice for gaming, modern graphics APIs, and high-performance compute. Its 73.2% Vulkan lead over the T550 Mobile is decisive, and its overall hardware specifications are in a different league. The RX 6800’s 16 GB of memory, 512.0 GB/s bandwidth, 60 ray tracing cores, and 16.17 TFLOPS of FP32 performance make it a high-end desktop card that can handle demanding games and professional workloads. Its average benchmark score of 30,095 is misleadingly low due to its poor legacy DirectX scores, but its nearest rivals include the RTX 3070 Ti and RTX 2080 Ti, which confirms its high-end status. The RX 6800 also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, while the T550 Mobile supports DirectX 12 (12_1), giving it access to more advanced rendering features. Its release date of October 27, 2020, and launch MSRP of 579 USD place it as a premium product, while the T550 Mobile has no recorded launch MSRP.

In summary, the T550 Mobile is a specialized mobile workstation GPU that wins in OpenCL compute and efficiency, while the RX 6800 is a high-performance desktop GPU that dominates in Vulkan and overall raw power. The choice is straightforward: pick the T550 Mobile for low-power OpenCL workloads and portability, and pick the RX 6800 for gaming, modern APIs, and maximum performance. The recorded data does not support any other conclusion.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA T550 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 33,161, while the AMD Radeon RX 6800 has an average benchmark score of 30,095.

Q: How much faster is the NVIDIA T550 Mobile in OpenCL?

A: The T550 Mobile scores 35,521 in Geekbench OpenCL, compared to the RX 6800’s 24,508, giving it a 44.9% lead.

Q: How much faster is the AMD Radeon RX 6800 in Vulkan?

A: The RX 6800 scores 115,107 in Geekbench Vulkan, compared to the T550 Mobile’s 30,801, giving it a 73.2% lead.

Q: What are the memory capacities of these two GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA T550 Mobile has 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 64-bit bus, while the AMD Radeon RX 6800 has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus.

Q: Which GPU has ray tracing cores?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6800 has 60 ray tracing cores, while the NVIDIA T550 Mobile has none.

Q: What are the power consumption figures for these GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA T550 Mobile has a TDP of 23 W and requires no power connectors, while the AMD Radeon RX 6800 has a TDP of 250 W and requires two 8-pin power connectors.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures and processes. The NVIDIA T550 Mobile uses the TU117 chip, based on the Turing architecture, and is manufactured on a 12 nm process at TSMC. The AMD Radeon RX 6800 uses the Navi 21 chip, based on the RDNA 2.0 architecture, and is manufactured on a 7 nm process at TSMC. The process node difference is significant: 12 nm for the T550 Mobile versus 7 nm for the RX 6800, which contributes to the RX 6800’s higher transistor density and efficiency. The T550 Mobile has 4,700 million transistors on a die size of 200 mm², resulting in a transistor density of 23.5 million per mm². The RX 6800 has 26,800 million transistors on a die size of 520 mm², resulting in a transistor density of 51.5 million per mm². This means the RX 6800 packs nearly six times as many transistors into a die that is about 2.6 times larger.

The memory architecture also differs. The T550 Mobile uses 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus, with a memory clock of 1500 MHz and an effective data rate of 12 Gbps, yielding a bandwidth of 96.00 GB/s. The RX 6800 uses 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, with a memory clock of 2000 MHz and an effective data rate of 16 Gbps, yielding a bandwidth of 512.0 GB/s. The RX 6800’s memory bandwidth is over five times higher, which is critical for high-resolution gaming and large data sets. The RX 6800 also has a game clock of 1815 MHz, while the T550 Mobile has no recorded game clock. The T550 Mobile’s base clock is 1065 MHz and boost clock is 1665 MHz, while the RX 6800’s base clock is 1700 MHz and boost clock is 2105 MHz.

The RX 6800 includes 60 ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the T550 Mobile. This makes the RX 6800 compatible with ray-traced rendering in supported games and applications. The RX 6800 also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the T550 Mobile supports DirectX 12 (12_1), indicating a newer feature set for the AMD card. Both GPUs support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. The RX 6800 is part of the Radeon RX 6000 series, while the T550 Mobile is part of the Quadro Turing-M generation. The T550 Mobile’s predecessor is the Quadro Pascal-M and its successor is Ampere-MW, while the RX 6800’s predecessor is Navi and its successor is Navi III.

Specification Differences

The specification differences between the two GPUs are extensive and highlight their distinct market positions. The shading unit counts differ drastically: the T550 Mobile has 1,024 shading units, while the RX 6800 has 3,840. The texture mapping units are 64 for the T550 Mobile and 240 for the RX 6800, and the render output units are 32 for the T550 Mobile and 96 for the RX 6800. The pixel rate is 53.28 GPixel/s for the T550 Mobile and 202.1 GPixel/s for the RX 6800. The texture rate is 106.6 GTexel/s for the T550 Mobile and 505.2 GTexel/s for the RX 6800. The FP32 performance is 3.410 TFLOPS for the T550 Mobile and 16.17 TFLOPS for the RX 6800, and the FP16 performance is 6.820 TFLOPS for the T550 Mobile and 32.33 TFLOPS for the RX 6800.

The TDP is 23 W for the T550 Mobile and 250 W for the RX 6800. The slot width is IGP for the T550 Mobile and dual-slot for the RX 6800. The power connectors are none for the T550 Mobile and two 8-pin connectors for the RX 6800. The suggested PSU is not recorded for the T550 Mobile, but the RX 6800 has a suggested PSU of 600 W. The bus interface is PCIe 3.0 x16 for the T550 Mobile and PCIe 4.0 x16 for the RX 6800. The display outputs are portable device dependent for the T550 Mobile, while the RX 6800 has one HDMI 2.1, two DisplayPort 1.4a, and one USB Type-C output. The dimensions are not recorded for the T550 Mobile, while the RX 6800 measures 267 mm in length, 120 mm in height, and 40 mm in width. The release date is not recorded for the T550 Mobile, while the RX 6800 was released on October 27, 2020. The launch MSRP is not recorded for the T550 Mobile, while the RX 6800 has a launch MSRP of 579 USD.