AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH vs NVIDIA GeForce MX550 Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH and NVIDIA GeForce MX550 represent two distinct approaches to integrated-class graphics for portable devices, both now end-of-life. The recorded data shows a split decision: the AMD part wins the Geekbench OpenCL test by 33.1%, while the NVIDIA part wins the Vulkan test by 3.7%. With one win each, the choice depends entirely on workload and API preference, not overall superiority.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH records an average benchmark score of 29197, while the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 records 26421. The AMD part sits in the 74th percentile of all GPUs, with the NVIDIA part at the 72nd percentile.

Q: How large is the OpenCL performance gap between these two?

A: In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH scores 27125 versus 20372 for the NVIDIA GeForce MX550, a 33.1% advantage for AMD. This is the largest performance difference recorded between them.

Q: Does the NVIDIA GPU win any benchmark?

A: Yes, in the Geekbench Vulkan test, the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 scores 32469 versus 31268 for the AMD part, a 3.7% margin. This gives NVIDIA one win out of the two recorded tests.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH uses 4 GB of HBM2 on a 1024-bit bus, delivering 204.8 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 uses 2 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus, delivering 96.00 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD part has double the memory capacity and over double the bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has higher boost clock speed?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 boosts to 1320 MHz, while the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH boosts to 1190 MHz. However, the AMD part has higher raw throughput metrics despite the lower clock.

Q: What are the power consumption figures?

A: The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH has a TDP of 100 W, while the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 has a TDP of 25 W. The NVIDIA part consumes one-quarter the power of the AMD part.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different manufacturers and use fundamentally different architectures. The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH is built on GCN 4.0 architecture with the Polaris 22 chip, manufactured by GlobalFoundries on a 14 nm process. The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 uses the Turing architecture with the TU117SB chip, manufactured by TSMC on a 12 nm process. This process difference gives NVIDIA a smaller node, though both dies are similar in size: the AMD die measures 208 mm², and the NVIDIA die measures 200 mm².

Transistor counts are close as well. The AMD part packs 5,000 million transistors, while the NVIDIA part has 4,700 million. This translates to a transistor density of 24.0M per mm² for AMD and 23.5M per mm² for NVIDIA. The architectural differences manifest strongly in the compute unit organization. The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH has 1536 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units. The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 has 1024 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 render output units. This gives AMD a 50% advantage in shading units, a 3x advantage in texture units, and a 4x advantage in render output units.

Neither GPU includes ray tracing cores or tensor cores. Both support DirectX 12, but at different feature levels: AMD supports 12_0, while NVIDIA supports 12_1. Both support OpenGL 4.6. For Vulkan, AMD supports version 1.3, while NVIDIA supports version 1.4. The NVIDIA part uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 bus interface, while the AMD part uses an IGP interface. Both are classified as IGP slot width, meaning they are designed for integration into portable devices.

The memory subsystems differ dramatically. AMD uses 4 GB of HBM2 on a 1024-bit bus with 204.8 GB/s bandwidth. NVIDIA uses 2 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD memory operates at 800 MHz (1600 Mbps effective), while the NVIDIA memory operates at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective). Despite NVIDIA's higher memory clock, the narrow 64-bit bus limits its bandwidth to less than half of AMD's.

Power delivery also separates them. The AMD part has a 100 W TDP with no power connectors listed, while the NVIDIA part has a 25 W TDP with no power connectors. Both are designed for portable devices, and display outputs are listed as portable device dependent for both.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data shows a clear split by API. The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH wins decisively in OpenCL workloads. This test typically exercises general-purpose compute across a wide range of operations. The AMD part's 33.1% advantage here aligns with its larger compute resources: more shading units, more texture units, and substantially higher memory bandwidth. The 204.8 GB/s bandwidth gives AMD a significant edge in memory-bound compute tasks.

The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 wins the Vulkan test by 3.7%. Vulkan is a lower-overhead graphics API that can benefit from efficient driver implementations and architecture-specific optimizations. The Turing architecture in the NVIDIA part supports Vulkan 1.4, a newer version than the Vulkan 1.3 supported by AMD. This protocol advantage may contribute to its win in this test.

The wins split evenly at one each, making neither GPU a universal recommendation. For users prioritizing OpenCL compute performance, the AMD part is the clear choice. For users prioritizing Vulkan graphics performance, the NVIDIA part has a modest edge. The average benchmark scores reflect this split: AMD leads overall at 29197 versus 26421, but this aggregate hides the fact that NVIDIA wins the more modern graphics API test.

Specification Differences

The recorded data shows several specification differences between these two GPUs.

Process Node: AMD uses 14 nm from GlobalFoundries; NVIDIA uses 12 nm from TSMC.

Transistors: AMD has 5,000 million; NVIDIA has 4,700 million.

Die Size: AMD measures 208 mm²; NVIDIA measures 200 mm².

Transistor Density: AMD has 24.0M per mm²; NVIDIA has 23.5M per mm².

Base Clock: AMD runs at 1063 MHz; NVIDIA runs at 1065 MHz. This is nearly identical.

Boost Clock: AMD boosts to 1190 MHz; NVIDIA boosts to 1320 MHz. NVIDIA has a 130 MHz advantage.

Memory Clock: AMD runs at 800 MHz (1600 Mbps effective); NVIDIA runs at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective).

Memory Size: AMD has 4 GB; NVIDIA has 2 GB.

Memory Type: AMD uses HBM2; NVIDIA uses GDDR6.

Memory Bus Width: AMD uses 1024 bit; NVIDIA uses 64 bit.

Memory Bandwidth: AMD delivers 204.8 GB/s; NVIDIA delivers 96.00 GB/s.

Shading Units: AMD has 1536; NVIDIA has 1024.

Texture Mapping Units: AMD has 96; NVIDIA has 32.

Render Output Units: AMD has 64; NVIDIA has 16.

Pixel Rate: AMD achieves 76.16 GPixel/s; NVIDIA achieves 21.12 GPixel/s.

Texture Rate: AMD achieves 114.2 GTexel/s; NVIDIA achieves 42.24 GTexel/s.

FP32 Performance: AMD delivers 3.656 TFLOPS; NVIDIA delivers 2.703 TFLOPS.

FP16 Performance: AMD delivers 3.656 TFLOPS (1:1); NVIDIA delivers 2.703 TFLOPS (1:1). Both run FP16 at the same rate as FP32.

TDP: AMD has 100 W; NVIDIA has 25 W.

Bus Interface: AMD uses IGP; NVIDIA uses PCIe 4.0 x8.

DirectX Support: AMD supports 12 (12_0); NVIDIA supports 12 (12_1).

Vulkan Support: AMD supports 1.3; NVIDIA supports 1.4.

Release Date: AMD released on 2018-01-31; NVIDIA released on 2021-12-16.

The AMD part has advantages in memory capacity, memory bandwidth, compute units, and throughput rates. The NVIDIA part has advantages in process node, boost clock, Vulkan version, and power efficiency.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two recorded benchmarks provide a direct comparison. In Geekbench OpenCL, the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH scores 27125 against the NVIDIA GeForce MX550's 20372. This is a 33.1% advantage for AMD, meaning the AMD part delivers roughly one-third more performance in this test. This is the largest gap recorded between the two GPUs.

The OpenCL result aligns with the raw specification differences. AMD's FP32 throughput of 3.656 TFLOPS is 35.3% higher than NVIDIA's 2.703 TFLOPS, a close match to the 33.1% benchmark advantage. The texture rate difference is even larger: AMD's 114.2 GTexel/s is more than double NVIDIA's 42.24 GTexel/s. The pixel rate difference is the most extreme: AMD's 76.16 GPixel/s is 3.6 times NVIDIA's 21.12 GPixel/s. These hardware advantages translate directly into OpenCL compute performance.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 scores 32469 against the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH's 31268. NVIDIA wins by 3.7%, a much narrower margin than AMD's OpenCL win. This result is notable because the AMD part has higher raw throughput in every measured category. The Vulkan advantage for NVIDIA likely stems from its newer Vulkan 1.4 support and the Turing architecture's efficiency in low-overhead graphics workloads.

The average benchmark scores combine these results. The AMD part averages 29197, placing it in the 74th percentile of all GPUs. The NVIDIA part averages 26421, placing it in the 72nd percentile. The nearest rivals for AMD include the AMD FirePro W8000 at 29211 (0% delta), the Intel Arc A370M at 29175 (0.1% delta), the AMD Radeon RX 470 at 28996 (0.7% delta), and the AMD Radeon RX 6800M at 28874 (1.1% delta). The nearest rivals for NVIDIA include the AMD Radeon 860M at 26401 (0.1% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 at 26331 (0.3% delta), the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary at 26553 (-0.5% delta), and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 at 26683 (-1% delta).

The AMD part sits among desktop-class discrete GPUs from its era, while the NVIDIA part sits among a mix of integrated and discrete solutions. The percentile difference of 74 versus 72 confirms that the AMD part ranks slightly higher overall, despite losing the Vulkan test.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear but conditional recommendation. For users running OpenCL workloads, the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH is the stronger choice by a 33.1% margin. This advantage comes from its larger compute configuration: 1536 shading units, 96 texture units, 64 render output units, and 204.8 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The 4 GB HBM2 memory also provides more capacity for larger datasets.

For users running Vulkan workloads, the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 has a 3.7% advantage. This is a smaller margin, but it comes with a major power benefit. The NVIDIA part consumes 25 W versus 100 W for the AMD part, meaning it delivers competitive Vulkan performance at one-quarter the power draw. This makes the NVIDIA part more suitable for thin-and-light portable devices where thermal and battery constraints are critical.

The average benchmark score favors the AMD part at 29197 versus 26421, a 10.5% overall advantage. The percentile ranking also favors AMD at 74 versus 72. However, the NVIDIA part is not far behind in overall ranking, and its power efficiency is a substantial practical advantage.

Users who prioritize raw compute performance and have the thermal headroom should select the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH. Users who prioritize Vulkan graphics performance and power efficiency should select the NVIDIA GeForce MX550. For mixed workloads, the AMD part offers higher average performance, but the NVIDIA part delivers a more balanced profile with significantly lower power consumption. The recorded data does not show a universal winner, only a workload-dependent one.