AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT vs Intel Arc A550M Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded data splits these two mobile GPUs into clearly different performance tiers. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT wins every head-to-head benchmark in the database, taking 2 wins to 0 for the Intel Arc A550M. In compute-oriented workloads, the AMD part leads decisively. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 85040 sits 70.4% above the Intel Arc A550M's 49894. The gap widens further in graphics-focused APIs, where the AMD card scores 99483 in Geekbench Vulkan, a 100.7% advantage over Intel's 49580. These are not marginal differences; they are near-doublings of performance in the Vulkan test.

The Intel Arc A550M does not win a single benchmark category in the comparison set. However, its profile is not without merit. The database shows the Arc A550M achieves an average benchmark score of 49737, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. That is a respectable position, above the majority of recorded graphics hardware. Its nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, which scores 49957 (a 0.4% delta), and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 at 50001 (a 0.5% delta). The Arc A550M sits within 2.6% of the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, which scores 48477, meaning it actually outperforms that desktop-class card in the aggregate benchmark metric. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, by contrast, holds a 92nd percentile ranking with an average score of 78940, placing it in a much higher tier. Its nearest rivals are NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants and the GeForce RTX 5090, all within a narrow 1.6% band, underscoring that the AMD part competes against far more powerful hardware.

The use-case split is therefore stark. The RX 6850M XT is the choice for users who prioritize raw compute throughput and high-resolution graphics workloads. The Arc A550M, while slower, still delivers competitive performance against older high-end desktop cards and does so at a dramatically lower power draw, a fact covered in the Architecture Differences section.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural families and manufacturing processes, which explains much of the performance gap. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT uses the Navi 22 chip built on RDNA 2.0 architecture, produced on a 7 nm process at TSMC. The Intel Arc A550M uses the DG2-512 chip with Xe-HPG architecture, fabricated on a 6 nm node, also by TSMC. Despite the smaller process node, Intel packs more transistors: 21,700 million versus AMD's 17,200 million. Intel's die is also larger at 406 mm² compared to AMD's 335 mm². Transistor density is similar, with Intel at 53.4M per mm² and AMD at 51.3M per mm².

Clock speeds differ substantially. The AMD card runs a base clock of 2321 MHz, a game clock of 2463 MHz, and a boost clock of 2581 MHz. The Intel part has a base clock of just 900 MHz and a boost clock of 2050 MHz, with no recorded game clock. This clock advantage contributes directly to AMD's higher throughput rates. AMD achieves a pixel rate of 165.2 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 413.0 GTexel/s. Intel manages 131.2 GPixel/s and 262.4 GTexel/s respectively. Floating-point performance follows the same pattern: AMD delivers 13.21 TFLOPS FP32 and 26.43 TFLOPS FP16, while Intel delivers 8.397 TFLOPS FP32 and 16.79 TFLOPS FP16.

Memory configurations also differ. AMD uses 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, yielding 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth at 18 Gbps effective memory speed. Intel uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing 224.0 GB/s at 14 Gbps effective. The AMD card has more shading units (2560 versus 2048), more TMUs (160 versus 128), and more ray tracing cores (40 versus 16). Both have 64 ROPs. The power envelope is a major divider: AMD is rated at 165 W TDP, while Intel is rated at 60 W TDP. Both are integrated into the system as IGP with portable-device-dependent display outputs, and both use a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface. API support is identical, with DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 on both sides. AMD's generation is listed as Navi Mobile (RX 6000M), while Intel's is Alchemist (Arc 5 Mobile). The AMD card was released on 2022-01-03 and is now end-of-life; Intel's release date is not recorded, but it is also marked end-of-life.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT has an average benchmark score of 78940, placing it in the 92nd percentile. The Intel Arc A550M averages 49737, which puts it in the 86th percentile.

Q: How large is the performance gap in the Vulkan benchmark?

A: In Geekbench Vulkan, the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 99483, which is 100.7% higher than the Intel Arc A550M's 49580.

Q: What are the power consumption figures for each GPU?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT is rated at 165 W TDP. The Intel Arc A550M is rated at 60 W TDP.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same API feature levels?

A: Yes. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: Which GPU has more memory and bandwidth?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 432.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Intel Arc A550M has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: How does the Intel Arc A550M compare to desktop GPUs in the database?

A: The Arc A550M's average score of 49737 is within 2.6% of the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT (48477) and within 0.5% of the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 (50001).

Specification Differences

The table below lists only the fields where the two GPUs differ, per the database.

| Field | AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT | Intel Arc A550M |

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

| Chip | Navi 22 | DG2-512 |

| Architecture | RDNA 2.0 | Xe-HPG |

| Generation | Navi Mobile (RX 6000M) | Alchemist (Arc 5 Mobile) |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 6 nm |

| Transistors | 17,200 million | 21,700 million |

| Die Size | 335 mm² | 406 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 51.3M / mm² | 53.4M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 2321 MHz | 900 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2581 MHz | 2050 MHz |

| Game Clock | 2463 MHz | Not recorded |

| Memory Clock | 2250 MHz, 18 Gbps effective | 1750 MHz, 14 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 12 GB | 8 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 192 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 432.0 GB/s | 224.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2560 | 2048 |

| TMUs | 160 | 128 |

| RT Cores | 40 | 16 |

| Pixel Rate | 165.2 GPixel/s | 131.2 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 413.0 GTexel/s | 262.4 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 13.21 TFLOPS | 8.397 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 26.43 TFLOPS (2:1) | 16.79 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 165 W | 60 W |

| Release Date | 2022-01-03 | Not recorded |

Both cards share identical ROP counts (64), bus interface (PCIe 4.0 x16), API support, slot width (IGP), and display output type (portable device dependent).

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains two direct comparisons between these GPUs, and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT dominates both.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the AMD card scores 85040 against Intel's 49894. This represents a 70.4% advantage for AMD. The margin is substantial enough that the Intel part would need a major driver-level improvement to close the gap. The OpenCL test measures general-purpose compute, so the result reflects the AMD card's higher shader count, faster clocks, and wider memory bus working together.

The Geekbench Vulkan result is even more lopsided. AMD scores 99483, while Intel scores 49580. The delta here is 100.7%, meaning the AMD GPU delivers more than double the performance in this graphics API. Vulkan is a low-overhead API that scales closely with raw hardware throughput, so this result aligns with the specification differences: AMD has 2560 shading units versus 2048, a 2581 MHz boost clock versus 2050 MHz, and 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth versus 224.0 GB/s.

These benchmark results confirm the aggregate data. The AMD card's average score of 78940 is roughly 58.7% higher than Intel's 49737. The closest Intel gets in any recorded comparison is in its OpenCL result, where it still trails by over 70%. There is no recorded test in which the Intel Arc A550M beats the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT.

The Verdict

The data tells a clear story. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT is the faster GPU by a wide margin, winning both head-to-head benchmarks with deltas of 70.4% and 100.7%. It holds a higher percentile ranking (92nd versus 86th), a higher average benchmark score (78940 versus 49737), and it outperforms the Intel part in every measured category. Users who need maximum compute performance in a mobile GPU should choose the AMD card. Its 165 W TDP is high for a laptop component, but the performance payoff is evident in the recorded scores.

The Intel Arc A550M is not without a place. Its 60 W TDP makes it a far more power-efficient option, and its average score still lands in the 86th percentile, beating the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT in the database's aggregate metric. Users who prioritize battery life and thermal headroom over raw throughput, and who still want respectable performance relative to older desktop flagships, can consider the Intel part. However, for anyone comparing these two directly on performance alone, the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT is the definitive winner in every recorded benchmark.