NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 and NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M represent two distinct generations of NVIDIA mobile and desktop graphics, separated by architecture, process node, and performance tier. The GTX 750, built on Maxwell, is a desktop part from the GeForce 700 series, while the GT 555M is a Fermi-based mobile chip from the GeForce 500M series. Benchmark data shows the GTX 750 leads in every measurable category, but the GT 555M retains a niche in low-power portability. This analysis walks through the data systematically, comparing benchmark scores, specifications, and architectural traits to determine where each card stands.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 750 wins decisively in raw compute performance. In the only head-to-head benchmark available, Geekbench OpenCL, the GTX 750 scores 9315 against the GT 555M’s 6493, a 43.5% advantage. This single win covers the entire comparison, as the GT 555M records zero wins across all head-to-head tests. The GTX 750 also holds a higher average benchmark score of 7222 across all GPU tests, compared to the GT 555M’s 6493, and sits at the 40th percentile versus the 37th percentile of all GPUs. For any workload that stresses parallel compute—such as OpenCL-accelerated tasks—the GTX 750 is the clear choice.

The GT 555M, however, wins on power efficiency in absolute terms. Its TDP is 35 W, which is 20 W lower than the GTX 750’s 55 W. This makes the GT 555M better suited for thin-and-light laptops where thermal and battery constraints dominate. The GT 555M’s display outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent," confirming its mobile-targeted design, whereas the GTX 750 uses a single-slot desktop form factor with DVI and mini-HDMI outputs. In scenarios where performance is secondary to power draw and physical size—such as legacy ultraportable notebooks—the GT 555M holds an edge.

The GTX 750 also wins on memory bandwidth, which is critical for texture-heavy and high-resolution workloads. It offers 80.19 GB/s of bandwidth from GDDR5 memory, versus the GT 555M’s 28.80 GB/s from DDR3. This 51.39 GB/s difference directly impacts how quickly data moves between the GPU and memory, favoring the GTX 750 in games and compute tasks that are bandwidth-limited. The GT 555M’s only advantage beyond power is its older release date, which may appeal to users seeking compatibility with legacy systems, but that is not a performance win.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The GTX 750 scores 9315 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the GT 555M scores 6493. The GTX 750 leads by 43.5% in this head-to-head test.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The GTX 750 averages 7222 across all GPU benchmarks, placing it at the 40th percentile. The GT 555M averages 6493, placing it at the 37th percentile.

Q: Which card has lower power consumption?

A: The GT 555M has a TDP of 35 W, which is 20 W lower than the GTX 750’s 55 W. This makes the GT 555M more power-efficient in absolute terms.

Q: What memory types and bandwidths do they use?

A: The GTX 750 uses 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 80.19 GB/s. The GT 555M uses 1024 MB of DDR3 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 28.80 GB/s.

Q: Which card supports Vulkan?

A: The GTX 750 supports Vulkan 1.4, while the GT 555M does not list Vulkan support in the data. Both support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6.

Q: Are both cards end-of-life?

A: Yes, both the GTX 750 and GT 555M have a production status of "End-of-life." The GTX 750 was released on 2014-02-17, and the GT 555M was released on 2011-07-01.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sole head-to-head benchmark is Geekbench OpenCL, where the GTX 750 posts 9315 points against the GT 555M’s 6493 points. The delta is 43.5%, meaning the GTX 750 delivers nearly half again as much performance in this compute-oriented test. This is not a marginal difference; it represents a generational leap in raw throughput. The GTX 750’s FP32 performance is 1,111.0 GFLOPS, while the GT 555M manages 339.8 GFLOPS—a gap of 771.2 GFLOPS. Similarly, the pixel rate on the GTX 750 is 17.36 GPixel/s versus 3.540 GPixel/s on the GT 555M, and the texture rate is 34.72 GTexel/s versus 14.16 GTexel/s. Each of these metrics reinforces the OpenCL result, showing that the GTX 750 is faster in every parallel processing dimension measured.

The GTX 750’s nearest rivals offer context for its score. It sits within 0.3% of the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile (7203), 0.7% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE (7171), and 0.7% of the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 (7170). Interestingly, it is only 0.9% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 (7157), which is a much higher-tier card in the same family. This suggests the GTX 750’s OpenCL score is competitive with a broad range of integrated and discrete GPUs, though its 40th percentile ranking indicates most GPUs still outperform it.

The GT 555M’s nearest rivals show it is closely matched with other mobile and workstation parts. It is 0.2% behind the NVIDIA Quadro M5000M (6481), 0.3% behind the AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile (6476), and 0.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M (6513) when considering delta percentages (note the GTX 670M has a higher absolute score of 6513). It trails the Intel UHD Graphics P750 (6554) by 0.9%. This places the GT 555M in a narrow performance band, but one that is clearly below the GTX 750’s tier.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every core specification. The GTX 750 uses the GM107 chip with 1,870 million transistors on a 148 mm² die, while the GT 555M uses the GF106 chip with 1,170 million transistors on a 238 mm² die. The GTX 750 has a higher transistor density of 12.6M / mm² versus 4.9M / mm² for the GT 555M. Clock speeds differ as well: the GTX 750 has a base clock of 1020 MHz and a boost clock of 1085 MHz, while the GT 555M’s base and boost clocks are not listed in the data. Memory clocks are 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective) for the GTX 750 and 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective) for the GT 555M.

Memory configuration is another major split. Both have 1024 MB of memory and a 128-bit bus, but the GTX 750 uses GDDR5, while the GT 555M uses DDR3. This yields 80.19 GB/s versus 28.80 GB/s in bandwidth. The GTX 750 has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs; the GT 555M has 144 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The GTX 750’s pixel rate is 17.36 GPixel/s and texture rate is 34.72 GTexel/s, against 3.540 GPixel/s and 14.16 GTexel/s for the GT 555M. FP32 performance is 1,111.0 GFLOPS versus 339.8 GFLOPS.

Power and physical specs also diverge. The GTX 750 has a TDP of 55 W, is single-slot, uses no power connectors, and requires a 250 W suggested PSU. The GT 555M has a TDP of 35 W, with no slot width, power connector, or suggested PSU listed. The GTX 750 uses a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface, while the GT 555M uses PCIe 2.0 x16. Display outputs are 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.4a for the GTX 750, versus "Portable Device Dependent" for the GT 555M. The GTX 750’s length is 145 mm (5.7 inches), while the GT 555M has no listed dimensions.

Architecture Differences

Architecturally, these cards come from different NVIDIA design eras. The GTX 750 is built on Maxwell, using the GM107 chip, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The GT 555M uses the Fermi architecture with the GF106 chip, fabricated on a 40 nm process, also at TSMC. The process node difference—28 nm versus 40 nm—explains the transistor density disparity: 12.6M / mm² on the GTX 750 versus 4.9M / mm² on the GT 555M, despite the GT 555M having a larger die (238 mm² versus 148 mm²).

The GTX 750’s Maxwell architecture is designed for higher efficiency per clock, which shows in its shading unit count (512 versus 144) and FP32 output (1,111.0 GFLOPS versus 339.8 GFLOPS). The GT 555M’s Fermi architecture, while older, still supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, matching the GTX 750’s API support. However, the GTX 750 adds Vulkan 1.4 support, which the GT 555M lacks. Neither card has RT cores or tensor cores, as both predate ray tracing and AI acceleration.

The GTX 750’s memory clock of 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective) with GDDR5 is a hallmark of Maxwell’s improved memory controller, while the GT 555M’s 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective) DDR3 reflects Fermi’s older design. The GTX 750 also supports PCIe 3.0, doubling the bandwidth of the GT 555M’s PCIe 2.0 interface, though this matters less for gaming and more for data transfer. The release dates—2014-02-17 for the GTX 750 and 2011-07-01 for the GT 555M—place them three years apart, with the GTX 750 succeeding the GeForce 600 series and the GT 555M succeeding the GeForce 400M series.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 outperforms the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M in every benchmark metric recorded. Its OpenCL score is 43.5% higher, its average benchmark score is 7222 versus 6493, and it ranks at the 40th percentile versus the 37th. For users prioritizing compute performance, gaming, or any GPU-accelerated workload, the GTX 750 is the only rational choice—its 512 shading units, 1,111.0 GFLOPS FP32 output, and 80.19 GB/s bandwidth provide a generational advantage that the GT 555M cannot match.

The GT 555M’s sole advantage is its 35 W TDP, which is 20 W lower than the GTX 750’s 55 W. This makes it suitable for legacy mobile platforms where power draw and thermal output are critical constraints—for example, upgrading an older laptop that cannot support a desktop GPU. Its DDR3 memory and 144 shading units are adequate for basic 2D tasks or light compute, but the 3.540 GPixel/s pixel rate and 14.16 GTexel/s texture rate will bottleneck any modern 3D workload. The GT 555M also lacks Vulkan support, limiting its compatibility with newer graphics APIs.

For desktop users, the GTX 750’s single-slot design, no power connector requirement, and 250 W suggested PSU make it an easy drop-in for older systems. Its launch MSRP was 119 USD, and while it is end-of-life, its performance profile remains competitive with integrated solutions like the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 (within 0.7%) and discrete parts like the GTX 560 SE (within 0.7%). The GT 555M, by contrast, has no launch MSRP and is tied to portable device implementations, making it a poor choice for any new build.

In summary, choose the GTX 750 for any scenario requiring performance—it wins the only head-to-head benchmark, holds a higher average score, and offers superior memory bandwidth and compute rates. Choose the GT 555M only if you are constrained by a 35 W power budget in a mobile form factor and can tolerate significantly lower performance. The benchmark results leave no room for ambiguity: the GTX 750 is the superior GPU in nearly every measurable way.