AMD Radeon 610M vs NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M Comparison

The Verdict

The benchmark data presents a clear split between these two mobile graphics processors. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M wins the only shared benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, with a score of 6493 against the AMD Radeon 610M’s 4535, a 43.2% advantage. However, the Radeon 610M counters with a Geekbench Vulkan score of 6353, a test the older NVIDIA part does not have recorded. The GT 555M sits in the 37th percentile of all GPUs, while the Radeon 610M sits in the 32nd percentile, meaning the NVIDIA part is slightly better positioned overall.

For users prioritizing raw compute in legacy OpenCL workloads, the GT 555M is the stronger choice based on the 43.2% delta. However, that part is end-of-life, uses a dated Fermi architecture, and lacks modern API support. The Radeon 610M, despite losing the compute race, offers DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4, and a vastly lower 15 W TDP. It is the better pick for modern titles that leverage newer APIs, especially in thin-and-light systems. The GT 555M is strictly for older DirectX 11-era software or compute tasks where raw OpenCL throughput matters more than efficiency or feature set.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different design eras. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M uses the GF106 chip, built on the Fermi architecture, on a 40 nm TSMC process. It packs 1,170 million transistors into a 238 mm² die, giving it a transistor density of 4.9M per mm². The AMD Radeon 610M uses the Mendocino chip, based on RDNA 2.0, on a much more efficient 6 nm TSMC node. Its die size is only 100 mm², though the database does not list its transistor count or density.

The GT 555M belongs to the GeForce 500M generation and uses a discrete memory setup: 1024 MB of DDR3 over a 128-bit bus, yielding 28.80 GB/s of bandwidth. The Radeon 610M is an integrated graphics part (IGP) from the Navi II IGP family (Mendocino Mobile). It uses system shared memory, with no dedicated VRAM, and its bandwidth is system dependent. This is a fundamental difference: one is a dGPU, the other an iGPU.

The Radeon 610M has 128 shading units, 8 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 4 raster operation units (ROPs). It also includes 2 ray tracing cores, a feature the Fermi-based GT 555M completely lacks. The GT 555M has 144 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, so it has more raw texture and pixel throughput hardware. The Radeon’s clock speeds are higher: base 1500 MHz, boost 1900 MHz, while the GT’s base and boost clocks are not recorded. Memory clock for the GT is 900 MHz, or 1800 Mbps effective.

Process node differences are stark: 40 nm versus 6 nm. That explains the TDP gap: the GT is rated at 35 W, the Radeon at 15 W. The Radeon also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), Vulkan 1.4, and OpenGL 4.6. The GT only supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and no Vulkan. The Radeon’s FP16 throughput is 972.8 GFLOPS (2:1 ratio), while the GT has no FP16 listing. FP32 for the Radeon is 486.4 GFLOPS versus 339.8 GFLOPS for the GT.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison in the database is Geekbench OpenCL. The GT 555M scores 6493, the Radeon 610M scores 4535, a delta of 43.2% in favor of NVIDIA. That is a substantial margin, more than one third faster. Look at the nearest rivals for context: the GT 555M’s closest competitor is the NVIDIA Quadro M5000M at 6481 (only 0.2% behind), and the AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile at 6476 (0.3% behind). Its winning margin over the Radeon 610M is far larger than any of these rival deltas.

The Radeon 610M, by contrast, has an average benchmark score of 5444 across two tests, while the GT’s average is 6493 (only one test). The Radeon’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro M4000 at 5467 (0.4% behind), and the AMD Radeon R7 M440 at 5483 (0.7% behind). The GT 555M sits at the top of its rival group, with the GTX 670M at 6513 being only 0.3% ahead, and the Intel UHD Graphics P750 at 6554 being 0.9% ahead.

However, the Radeon 610M’s Vulkan score of 6353 is notable. Its OpenCL score is 4535 (43.2% lower than the GT), but the Vulkan score is close to the GT’s OpenCL score. This suggests the Radeon is more competitive in modern API environments, even if it loses in legacy compute.

In terms of ROP and texture throughput, the GT has a pixel rate of 3.54 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 14.16 GTexel/s. The Radeon has a higher pixel rate of 7.6 GPixel/s (more than double) and a higher texture rate of 15.2 GTexel/s (slightly ahead). This is a major architectural advantage for the Radeon, despite its lower shading-unit count. The GT’s FP32 is lower, 339.8 GFLOPS versus 486.4 GFLOPS, so the Radeon is actually more capable in raw ALU compute per clock, but the GT’s higher memory bandwidth (28.8 GB/s dedicated versus system dependent) may help in memory-bound OpenCL.

Specification Differences

Here are the key fields where the two GPUs differ, based on the recorded data:

| Field | NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M | AMD Radeon 610M |

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

| Chip | GF106 | Mendocino |

| Architecture | Fermi | RDNA 2.0 |

| Generation | GeForce 500M | Navi II IGP (Mendocino Mobile) |

| Process Node | 40 nm | 6 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | TSMC |

| Transistors | 1,170 million | Not listed |

| Die Size | 238 mm² | 100 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 4.9M / mm² | Not listed |

| Base Clock | Not listed | 1500 MHz |

| Boost Clock | Not listed | 1900 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 990 MHz (1800 Mbps effective) | System Shared |

| Memory Size | 1024 MB | System Shared |

| Memory Type | DDR3 | System Shared |

| Memory Bus | 128 bit | System Shared |

| Memory Bandwidth | 28.80 GB/s | System Dependent |

| Shading Units | 144 | 128 |

| TMUs | 24 | 8 |

| ROPs | 16 | 4 |

| Ray Cores | Not listed | 2 |

| Pixel Rate | 3.540 GPixel/s | 7.600 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 14.16 GTexel/s | 15.20 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 339.8 GFLOPS | 486.4 GFLOPS |

| FP16 | Not listed | 972.8 GFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 35 W | 15 W |

| Slot Width | Not listed | IGP |

| Power Connectors | Not listed | None |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 2.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x8 |

| DirectX | 12 (11_0) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| Vulkan | Not listed | 1.4 |

| Release Date | 2011-07-01 | 2022-09-19 |

| Predecessor | GeForce 400M | Vega II IGP |

| Successor | GeForce 600M | Navi III IGP |

| Production Status | End-of-life | End-of-life |

Both use the same display outputs (Portable Device Dependent), same OpenGL version (4.6), and both have no dimensions or PSU listed.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the only shared benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 6493, which is 43.2% higher than the AMD Radeon 610M’s 4535.

Q: What is the Radeon 610M’s Vulkan score, and how does it compare?

A: The Radeon 610M scores 6353 in Geekbench Vulkan. That is close to the GT 555M’s OpenCL score of 6493, but the two are not directly comparable because they are different test suites.

Q: Which GPU has a higher FP32 throughput?

A: The AMD Radeon 610M has higher FP32 throughput at 486.4 GFLOPS, compared to the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M’s 339.8 GFLOPS.

Q: How do their TDP ratings differ?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M is rated at 35 W, while the AMD Radeon 610M is rated at 15 W, so the Radeon is more power-efficient.

Q: Are both GPUs from the same era?

A: No. The GT 555M was released in 2011, and the Radeon 610M was released in 2022. The GT is on a 40 nm process, the Radeon on a 6 nm process.

Q: Does the Radeon 610M support modern APIs?

A: Yes, it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the GT 555M only supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and no Vulkan.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The GT 555M has 144 shading units, while the Radeon 610M has 128 shading units. However, the Radeon has 2 ray units, which the GT lacks.

Q: What is the memory configuration of each?

A: The GT 555M has 1024 MB of dedicated DDR3 on a 128-bit bus with 28.8 GB/s bandwidth. The Radeon 610M uses system shared memory, with system dependent bandwidth.

Q: How does the pixel rate compare?

A: The Radeon 610M has a pixel rate of 7.6 GPixel/s, which is more than double the GT 555M’s 3.54 GPixel/s. The Radeon also has a slightly higher texture rate (15.2 GTexel/s versus 14.16 GTexel/s).

Q: Which GPU is in a higher percentile?

A: The GT 555M is in the 37th percentile of all GPUs, while the Radeon 610M is in the 32nd percentile.