NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only recorded benchmark in the database for this comparison is Geekbench OpenCL, and it produces a clear winner. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010 scores 6698 points, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti scores 5731 points. That is a 16.9% advantage for the newer card, a substantial margin that places the two firmly in different performance tiers despite the GTX 550 Ti's older flagship positioning.

The GT 1010's score of 6698 places it at the 38th percentile among all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals are all mobile-oriented parts: the AMD Radeon R7 M370 at 6764 (1% faster), the AMD FirePro M5100 at 6830 (1.9% faster), the AMD Radeon R7 M460 at 6612 (1.3% slower), and the AMD Radeon HD 7730M at 6581 (1.8% slower). This clustering means the GT 1010 sits in a narrow band where small deltas separate it from competitors, and its 16.9% lead over the GTX 550 Ti is far larger than any gap to its nearest rivals.

The GTX 550 Ti's score of 5731 places it at the 33rd percentile, five points lower than the GT 1010. Its nearest rivals are also tightly grouped: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670MX at 5721 (0.2% slower), the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P6300 at 5712 (0.3% slower), the AMD Radeon HD 8790M at 5691 (0.7% slower), and the AMD Radeon R7 M465 at 5841 (1.9% faster). The GTX 550 Ti essentially trades blows with these parts, but it cannot close the gap to the GT 1010.

In raw throughput terms, the GT 1010 also holds the edge in compute density. Its FP32 output is 751.6 GFLOPS versus 691.2 GFLOPS for the GTX 550 Ti, a 8.7% difference that aligns with the benchmark delta. The GT 1010 achieves this with far fewer resources: 256 shading units against 192, though the GTX 550 Ti counters with more texture mapping units (32 versus 16) and more render output units (24 versus 8). The pixel rate tells a similar story, the GT 1010 pushes 11.74 GPixel/s against 7.200 GPixel/s, a 63% advantage in fill rate for the newer card. Texture rate, however, favors the GTX 550 Ti at 28.80 GTexel/s versus 23.49 GTexel/s, a 22.6% margin, but this does not translate into a benchmark win.

The recorded data shows a single decisive victory for the GT 1010, with no benchmark in the database where the GTX 550 Ti comes out ahead. The 16.9% delta in Geekbench OpenCL is consistent across the architectural differences, and the percentile gap (38th versus 33rd) reinforces that the GT 1010 occupies a higher overall position in the database's performance distribution.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from entirely different eras of NVIDIA's GPU design. The GeForce GT 1010 uses the GP108 chip built on the Pascal architecture, fabricated on a 14 nm process at Samsung. The die size is 74 mm² and it packs 1,800 million transistors, giving a transistor density of 24.3 million per square millimeter. The GeForce GTX 550 Ti, by contrast, uses the GF116 chip on the Fermi 2.0 architecture, built on a 40 nm process at TSMC. Its die is 238 mm², holds 1,170 million transistors, and has a density of only 4.9 million per square millimeter. The process node difference is the single largest architectural gap: 14 nm versus 40 nm, which explains how the GT 1010 fits more transistors into less than a third of the silicon area.

Memory configurations differ substantially. The GT 1010 has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 64-bit bus, yielding 48.06 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 550 Ti has 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus, yielding 98.50 GB/s of bandwidth. The older card has more than double the memory bandwidth, a direct result of its wider bus, but also carries only half the capacity. The memory clocks reflect the generational gap: the GT 1010 runs at 1502 MHz with 6 Gbps effective, while the GTX 550 Ti runs at 1026 MHz with 4.1 Gbps effective.

Compute resource allocation diverges sharply. The GT 1010 has 256 shading units, 16 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. The GTX 550 Ti has 192 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. This means the GT 1010 leans heavily on shader throughput, while the GTX 550 Ti dedicates more silicon to texture and pixel processing. The FP32 output reflects this: 751.6 GFLOPS for the GT 1010 versus 691.2 GFLOPS for the GTX 550 Ti. Neither card has ray tracing cores or tensor cores, and neither reports FP16 performance.

Power and physical characteristics show the biggest practical divergence. The GT 1010 draws 30 W TDP, fits in a single slot, requires no power connectors, and recommends a 200 W power supply. The GTX 550 Ti draws 116 W TDP, takes a dual-slot design, needs a 6-pin power connector, and recommends a 300 W power supply. The GT 1010 is 147 mm long, while the GTX 550 Ti is 210 mm long. The bus interface also differs: PCIe 3.0 x4 for the GT 1010 versus PCIe 2.0 x16 for the GTX 550 Ti.

API support shows a clear generational split. The GT 1010 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The GTX 550 Ti supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support in the database. Display outputs differ as well: the GT 1010 offers 1x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 2.0, while the GTX 550 Ti offers 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in the recorded benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010 scores 6698 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 16.9% higher than the GTX 550 Ti's 5731. The GT 1010 wins the only head-to-head benchmark in the database.

Q: How do the two cards compare in memory bandwidth?

A: The GTX 550 Ti has significantly higher memory bandwidth at 98.50 GB/s, thanks to its 192-bit bus, while the GT 1010 has 48.06 GB/s on a 64-bit bus. However, the GT 1010 has 2 GB of memory versus the GTX 550 Ti's 1024 MB.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The GT 1010 has a 30 W TDP, requires no power connectors, and recommends a 200 W power supply. The GTX 550 Ti has a 116 W TDP, requires a 6-pin power connector, and recommends a 300 W power supply.

Q: Do both cards support the same DirectX version?

A: Both support DirectX 12, but with different feature levels. The GT 1010 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the GTX 550 Ti supports DirectX 12 (11_0). Only the GT 1010 has Vulkan support (version 1.4).

Q: Which card has a smaller physical footprint?

A: The GT 1010 is a single-slot card at 147 mm length, while the GTX 550 Ti is a dual-slot card at 210 mm length. The GT 1010 is also lighter in power delivery, needing no external connectors.

Q: How does the GT 1010 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GT 1010 sits within 1.9% of its nearest rivals, with the AMD Radeon R7 M370 at 6764 (1% faster) being the closest competitor. The gap to the GTX 550 Ti is much larger at 16.9%.

Specification Differences

| Specification | GeForce GT 1010 | GeForce GTX 550 Ti |

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

| Chip | GP108 | GF116 |

| Architecture | Pascal | Fermi 2.0 |

| Generation | GeForce 10 | GeForce 500 |

| Process Node | 14 nm | 40 nm |

| Foundry | Samsung | TSMC |

| Transistors | 1,800 million | 1,170 million |

| Die Size | 74 mm² | 238 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 24.3M / mm² | 4.9M / mm² |

| Memory Size | 2 GB | 1024 MB |

| Memory Bus Width | 64 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 48.06 GB/s | 98.50 GB/s |

| Memory Clock | 1502 MHz, 6 Gbps effective | 1026 MHz, 4.1 Gbps effective |

| Shading Units | 256 | 192 |

| TMUs | 16 | 32 |

| ROPs | 8 | 24 |

| Pixel Rate | 11.74 GPixel/s | 7.200 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 23.49 GTexel/s | 28.80 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 751.6 GFLOPS | 691.2 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 30 W | 116 W |

| Slot Width | Single-slot | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | None | 1x 6-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 200 W | 300 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x4 | PCIe 2.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 1x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 2.0 | 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a |

| DirectX | 12 (12_1) | 12 (11_0) |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | None |

| Length | 147 mm, 5.8 inches | 210 mm, 8.3 inches |

| Release Date | 2021-01-12 | 2011-03-14 |

| Predecessor | GeForce 900 | GeForce 400 |

| Successor | GeForce 20 | GeForce 600 |

| Launch MSRP | Not available | 149 USD |

The Verdict

The data points to one clear conclusion: the GeForce GT 1010 is the faster card in every recorded metric that matters for raw compute. Its 16.9% lead in Geekbench OpenCL, its higher FP32 output (751.6 GFLOPS versus 691.2 GFLOPS), and its superior pixel rate (11.74 GPixel/s versus 7.200 GPixel/s) all favor the newer Pascal part. The GTX 550 Ti retains advantages in memory bandwidth (98.50 GB/s versus 48.06 GB/s), texture rate (28.80 GTexel/s versus 23.49 GTexel/s), and has more TMUs and ROPs, but none of these translate into a benchmark victory.

For users prioritizing compute performance, power efficiency, and modern API support, the GT 1010 is the clear choice. Its 30 W TDP, lack of power connectors, single-slot footprint, and 200 W PSU recommendation make it dramatically easier to integrate into a system. The GTX 550 Ti requires a 6-pin connector, a dual-slot bracket, and a 300 W PSU, and it still loses the benchmark by a wide margin.

The GTX 550 Ti's only practical advantages are its wider memory bus and higher bandwidth, which could matter for memory-bound workloads, but the database shows no benchmark where this translates into a win. Its DirectX 12 support is limited to the 11_0 feature level, and it lacks Vulkan entirely, making it less compatible with modern graphics APIs.

The GT 1010 also holds a higher percentile rank (38th versus 33rd), reinforcing its position above the GTX 550 Ti in the overall GPU hierarchy. The production status for both is end-of-life, so neither is a forward-looking purchase, but for anyone choosing between the two based on the recorded data, the GT 1010 is the superior option across compute, efficiency, and API support. The GTX 550 Ti's only remaining appeal is its historical role as a higher-bandwidth part, but the benchmark verdict is unambiguous: the newer card wins decisively.