NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M vs NVIDIA GeForce MX130 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records a single direct comparison between these two mobile graphics processors, and it goes to the older card. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M scores 6,493 points, while the NVIDIA GeForce MX130 manages 6,102 points. That is a 6.4% advantage for the GT 555M, a meaningful margin in raw compute throughput.

Looking at the broader database context, the GT 555M sits at the 37th percentile among all GPUs, while the MX130 lands at the 32nd percentile. The GT 555M's average benchmark score of 6,493 places it in a tight cluster of rivals: it is 0.2% ahead of the Quadro M5000M (6,481), 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile (6,476), 0.3% behind the GeForce GTX 670M (6,513), and 0.9% behind the Intel UHD Graphics P750 (6,554). The MX130's average score of 5,508 comes from two tests: 6,102 in OpenCL and 4,914 in Vulkan. Its nearest rivals bracket it closely: 0.1% ahead of the GTX 765M (5,501), 0.5% ahead of the Radeon R7 M440 (5,483), 0.5% behind the FirePro M4000 (5,537), and 0.7% ahead of the Quadro M4000 (5,467).

The interesting part is that the MX130 has a Vulkan result and the GT 555M does not, meaning the newer chip can be assessed in a second API while the older one has no recorded Vulkan score. However, in the only test where both appear, the GT 555M wins decisively. The MX130's Vulkan score of 4,914 is far below its own OpenCL result, which suggests that its compute performance varies significantly depending on the API used. The GT 555M, by contrast, shows a single solid OpenCL number that beats the MX130's best effort.

Neither card is a performance monster by modern standards. The GT 555M's 6,493 OpenCL score puts it in the lower-middle range of the database, and the MX130's 6,102 OpenCL result is slightly further down. The delta between them is small in absolute terms but consistent: the older Fermi chip delivers more compute throughput than the newer Maxwell chip in this particular workload.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is substantial, and it explains much of their behavior. The GT 555M uses the GF106 chip, built on the Fermi architecture, fabricated on a 40 nm process at TSMC. It packs 1,170 million transistors into a 238 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 4.9 million per mm². The MX130 uses the GM108S chip, built on the Maxwell architecture, also from TSMC, but on a 28 nm process. It contains 1,020 million transistors on a much smaller 77 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 13.2 million per mm². That is nearly three times the density, a direct result of the more advanced manufacturing node.

The compute resources differ sharply. The GT 555M has 144 shading units, 24 texture mapping units, and 16 raster output units. The MX130 has 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, but only 8 ROPs. So the MX130 has more than double the shader count, yet half the ROP count. This shows up in the pixel and texture rates: the GT 555M delivers 3.540 GPixel/s and 14.16 GTexel/s, while the MX130 delivers 9.512 GPixel/s and 28.54 GTexel/s. The MX130 is roughly 2.7 times faster at pixel fill and just over 2 times faster at texture fill, despite its lower raw compute score in OpenCL. The FP32 throughput tells a similar story: the GT 555M produces 339.8 GFLOPS, while the MX130 produces 913.2 GFLOPS, a 2.7x advantage for the newer chip.

Memory configurations also diverge. The GT 555M uses 1,024 MB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus, with a memory clock of 900 MHz (1,800 Mbps effective) and bandwidth of 28.80 GB/s. The MX130 uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 64-bit bus, with a memory clock of 1,253 MHz (5 Gbps effective) and bandwidth of 40.10 GB/s. Despite half the bus width, the MX130 achieves 39% more bandwidth thanks to faster memory technology. The MX130 also has a base clock of 1,109 MHz and a boost clock of 1,189 MHz, while the GT 555M has no recorded base or boost clock in the database.

Power and interface details differ as well. The GT 555M has a TDP of 35 W and uses a PCIe 2.0 x16 interface. The MX130 has a 30 W TDP, uses a PCIe 3.0 x4 interface, is listed as an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no power connectors required. Both are end-of-life products, but their release dates are far apart: the GT 555M launched in July 2011, the MX130 in November 2017. The GT 555M belongs to the GeForce 500M generation and its predecessor was GeForce 400M, with GeForce 600M as successor. The MX130 belongs to the GeForce MX (1xx) generation and has no recorded predecessor or successor.

API support shows one clear difference: both support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but the MX130 also supports Vulkan 1.4, while the GT 555M has no Vulkan support recorded. This means the MX130 can run modern Vulkan workloads, while the GT 555M is limited to older API paths.

The Verdict

The data points to a split decision, depending on what matters more. If raw compute in OpenCL is the priority, the GT 555M wins: its 6,493 score beats the MX130's 6,102 by 6.4%, and its 37th percentile ranking is five points higher than the MX130's 32nd. The GT 555M is also tied to a wider 128-bit memory bus, which can help in bandwidth-sensitive tasks, though its DDR3 memory and lower clock speeds cap its throughput at 28.80 GB/s.

However, the MX130 is the better choice for anyone needing modern features or higher fill rates. Its 913.2 GFLOPS of FP32 performance is 2.7 times the GT 555M's 339.8 GFLOPS, its pixel rate of 9.512 GPixel/s is 2.7 times higher, and its texture rate of 28.54 GTexel/s is just over double. It also has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory versus 1 GB of DDR3, with 40.10 GB/s of bandwidth, and it supports Vulkan 1.4. The MX130's 30 W TDP is also lower than the GT 555M's 35 W, and it needs no power connectors.

For a modern laptop user, the MX130 is the sensible pick: it has newer architecture, more memory, faster memory, higher clocks, and API support that the GT 555M lacks. For a legacy system or a workload that specifically favors OpenCL compute, the GT 555M holds its own and even beats the newer card. But the MX130's advantages in fill rate, shader count, and memory bandwidth make it the more capable all-rounder, despite losing the single head-to-head benchmark.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the only direct benchmark comparison in the database?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 6,493, beating the MX130's 6,102 by 6.4%.

Q: Does the MX130 have any advantage in raw compute specifications?

A: Yes. The MX130 has 384 shading units versus 144, and its FP32 throughput is 913.2 GFLOPS versus 339.8 GFLOPS for the GT 555M.

Q: How do the memory subsystems compare?

A: The GT 555M has 1,024 MB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus with 28.80 GB/s bandwidth. The MX130 has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 64-bit bus with 40.10 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card supports Vulkan?

A: Only the MX130 supports Vulkan, with version 1.4 recorded. The GT 555M has no Vulkan support in the database.

Q: What are the TDP ratings for these chips?

A: The GT 555M has a TDP of 35 W, while the MX130 has a TDP of 30 W.

Q: Which card has a higher pixel fill rate?

A: The MX130 has a pixel rate of 9.512 GPixel/s, more than 2.5 times the GT 555M's 3.540 GPixel/s.

Where Each One Wins

The GT 555M wins in the OpenCL benchmark, and that is its only recorded victory. It also carries a wider 128-bit memory bus, which is unusual for a mobile part of its era, and its 16 ROPs are double the MX130's 8. For compute tasks that rely on OpenCL and benefit from a wider memory interface, the GT 555M is the stronger option. Its 6,493 average score places it slightly ahead of the Quadro M5000M and AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile, showing it can trade blows with much newer parts in that specific test.

The MX130 wins in nearly every other measurable way. Its 384 shading units give it massive shader throughput, its 913.2 GFLOPS of FP32 is nearly triple the GT 555M's output, and its pixel and texture rates are roughly 2.7x and 2x higher, respectively. The 2 GB GDDR5 memory with 40.10 GB/s bandwidth provides more capacity and more bandwidth than the GT 555M's 1 GB DDR3 at 28.80 GB/s. It also has a boost clock of 1,189 MHz, while the GT 555M has no recorded boost clock. The MX130 supports Vulkan 1.4, has a lower TDP of 30 W, and requires no power connectors, making it far easier to integrate into a thin laptop.

For gaming, the MX130's higher fill rates and shader count should translate to better frame rates in most titles, especially those that use modern APIs. For compute workloads that are OpenCL-bound and memory-latency-sensitive, the GT 555M's 128-bit bus and 16 ROPs might give it an edge, as the benchmark result suggests. But the MX130's overall specification sheet is superior in almost every category that matters for real-world use in 2024 and beyond.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M | NVIDIA GeForce MX130 |

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

| Chip | GF106 | GM108S |

| Architecture | Fermi | Maxwell |

| Generation | GeForce 500M | GeForce MX (1xx) |

| Process Node | 40 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 1,170 million | 1,020 million |

| Die Size | 238 mm² | 77 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 4.9M / mm² | 13.2M / mm² |

| Base Clock | None recorded | 1109 MHz |

| Boost Clock | None recorded | 1189 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective) | 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 1024 MB | 2 GB |

| Memory Type | DDR3 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus | 128 bit | 64 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 28.80 GB/s | 40.10 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 144 | 384 |

| TMUs | 24 | 24 |

| ROPs | 16 | 8 |

| Pixel Rate | 3.540 GPixel/s | 9.512 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 14.16 GTexel/s | 28.54 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 339.8 GFLOPS | 913.2 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 35 W | 30 W |

| Slot Width | None recorded | IGP |

| Power Connectors | None recorded | None |

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

| Vulkan Support | None recorded | 1.4 |

| Release Date | 2011-07-01 | 2017-11-16 |

| Predecessor | GeForce 400M | None recorded |

| Successor | GeForce 600M | None recorded |