NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher Geekbench OpenCL score in the database?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M scores 6389, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti scores 5731. The GTX 580M leads by 11.5% in this test.

Q: What are the transistor counts for these two GPUs?

A: The GTX 580M packs 1,950 million transistors on a 332 mm² die, whereas the GTX 550 Ti has 1,170 million transistors on a 238 mm² die. Both are built on TSMC's 40 nm process.

Q: How do their memory configurations compare?

A: The GTX 580M has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 550 Ti has 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus, delivering 98.50 GB/s. Despite the smaller bus, the 550 Ti has slightly higher memory bandwidth.

Q: Which card has more shading units and texture mapping units?

A: The GTX 580M has 384 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The GTX 550 Ti has 192 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. The 580M exactly doubles the shading units and TMUs.

Q: What is the power draw difference between the two?

A: The GTX 580M is rated at 100 W TDP and uses an MXM module slot with no power connectors. The GTX 550 Ti is rated at 116 W TDP, uses a dual-slot design, and requires one 6-pin power connector with a suggested 300 W PSU.

Q: What is the release timeline for these products?

A: The GTX 550 Ti was released on 2011-03-14 as part of the GeForce 500 generation. The GTX 580M followed on 2011-06-27 within the GeForce 500M mobile generation. Both are now end-of-life products.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs share the Fermi 2.0 architecture, but they are distinct implementations of it. The GTX 580M is built on the GF114 chip, while the GTX 550 Ti uses the GF116 chip. Both are fabricated at TSMC on a 40 nm process, yet the die sizes and transistor budgets differ substantially. The 580M's GF114 die measures 332 mm² and holds 1,950 million transistors, achieving a transistor density of 5.9M per mm². The 550 Ti's GF116 die is smaller at 238 mm², holds 1,170 million transistors, and has a density of 4.9M per mm². This means the 580M carries roughly 67% more transistors on a die that is about 39% larger, reflecting a more complex execution engine.

The compute configuration diverges sharply. The GTX 580M features 384 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The GTX 550 Ti features 192 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. In every one of these counts, the 580M is exactly double or better. The result is that the 580M's peak pixel rate is 9.920 GPixel/s versus 7.200 GPixel/s for the 550 Ti, and its texture rate is 39.68 GTexel/s versus 28.80 GTexel/s. The FP32 compute throughput tells a similar story: 952.3 GFLOPS for the 580M versus 691.2 GFLOPS for the 550 Ti.

Memory architecture also separates the two. The 580M uses a 256-bit memory bus with 2 GB of GDDR5 at 750 MHz (3 Gbps effective), yielding 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The 550 Ti uses a 192-bit bus with 1024 MB of GDDR5 at 1026 MHz (4.1 Gbps effective), yielding 98.50 GB/s. The 550 Ti actually has a slightly higher bandwidth figure despite the narrower bus, because its memory clock is significantly higher. The 580M compensates with double the frame buffer capacity, which matters for texture-heavy workloads and higher resolutions.

The form factors reflect their intended platforms. The 580M is an MXM-B (3.0) module with portable-device-dependent display outputs, designed for laptops. The 550 Ti is a dual-slot PCIe 2.0 x16 desktop card with 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a outputs, measuring 210 mm (8.3 inches) in length. Power delivery follows the platform: the 580M draws 100 W and needs no power connectors, while the 550 Ti draws 116 W and requires a single 6-pin connector. Interestingly, the mobile part consumes less power than the desktop part while delivering higher benchmark performance. Both support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, and neither lists Vulkan support.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains one direct benchmark comparison for these two GPUs: Geekbench OpenCL. In that test, the GTX 580M scores 6389 against the GTX 550 Ti's 5731, giving the 580M a win with an 11.5% delta. This is the sole recorded head-to-head result, and it favors the mobile part. The margin is meaningful but not overwhelming; it places the 580M roughly one tier above the 550 Ti in raw compute throughput.

Context from the nearest rivals helps interpret this gap. The GTX 580M's score ties exactly with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE at 6389, a 0% delta. It trails the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 72 GB Blackwell by 0.3% (6407) and beats the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 by 0.9% (6330) and the AMD Radeon R7 M350 by 1% (6327). The 580M sits at the 37th percentile of all GPUs in the database. The 550 Ti, meanwhile, scores 5731 and sits at the 33rd percentile. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670MX at 5721 (0.2% ahead), the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P6300 at 5712 (0.3% ahead), the AMD Radeon HD 8790M at 5691 (0.7% ahead), and the AMD Radeon R7 M465 at 5841 (1.9% behind). The 550 Ti's closest competitor is actually ahead of it, whereas the 580M's closest competitor ties it exactly.

The 11.5% gap between the two cards in this test is consistent with the underlying hardware differences. The 580M has double the shading units and TMUs, and its FP32 throughput is 37.8% higher than the 550 Ti's. The benchmark delta is smaller than the compute delta suggests, which indicates that OpenCL workloads may be limited by other factors such as memory latency, driver overhead, or the specific workload mix. Still, the direction is unambiguous: the 580M wins the only recorded benchmark, and it wins by a double-digit percentage.

The percentile standings reinforce this. A 37th percentile placement for the 580M versus 33rd for the 550 Ti may look close, but the percentile scale compresses near the middle of the distribution. The raw score difference of 658 points is larger than the gap between the 550 Ti and any of its four nearest rivals. In practical terms, the 580M delivers a clear performance advantage in the measured workload, even though neither card is positioned anywhere near the top of the database.

The Verdict

The recorded data points to the GTX 580M as the stronger performer. It wins the only head-to-head benchmark by 11.5%, has a higher average benchmark score (6389 versus 5731), and occupies a higher percentile rank (37th versus 33rd). Its hardware specifications support this result: double the shading units, double the TMUs, more ROPs, more memory, and a wider memory bus. The 580M is the card to choose when compute performance is the primary criterion.

The GTX 550 Ti is not without merit. It has a slightly higher memory bandwidth (98.50 GB/s versus 96.00 GB/s), a higher memory clock, and a lower launch MSRP of 149 USD. It is also a desktop card with standard display outputs, which may be more convenient for a fixed workstation. But the benchmark data shows no test where the 550 Ti beats the 580M. The only recorded metric favors the mobile part, and the architectural counts all favor the 580M as well.

For a user selecting between these two based on the database alone, the GTX 580M is the defensible choice for raw OpenCL performance. The 550 Ti might be selected for its desktop form factor, standard connectivity, or its lower launch price, but none of those factors appear in the benchmark results. The data says the 580M is faster, and the specification table explains why. The 550 Ti's higher memory bandwidth does not translate into a benchmark win, likely because the 580M's superior compute resources dominate the tested workload.

Both cards are end-of-life products, so the comparison is historical rather than a buying guide for current hardware. Within that context, the GTX 580M stands as the higher-performing part in the database's measurements.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every measurable hardware category. The GTX 580M uses the GF114 chip, while the GTX 550 Ti uses the GF116. The 580M has 1,950 million transistors on a 332 mm² die, versus 1,170 million on 238 mm² for the 550 Ti. Transistor density is 5.9M per mm² versus 4.9M per mm². Memory clock is 750 MHz (3 Gbps effective) for the 580M and 1026 MHz (4.1 Gbps effective) for the 550 Ti. Memory capacity is 2 GB versus 1024 MB. Bus width is 256-bit versus 192-bit. Bandwidth is 96.00 GB/s versus 98.50 GB/s. Shading units are 384 versus 192. TMUs are 64 versus 32. ROPs are 32 versus 24. Pixel rate is 9.920 GPixel/s versus 7.200 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 39.68 GTexel/s versus 28.80 GTexel/s. FP32 is 952.3 GFLOPS versus 691.2 GFLOPS. TDP is 100 W versus 116 W. Slot width is MXM Module versus Dual-slot. Power connectors are None versus 1x 6-pin. The 550 Ti lists a suggested PSU of 300 W; the 580M has none. Bus interface is MXM-B (3.0) versus PCIe 2.0 x16. Display outputs are portable-device dependent versus 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a. The 550 Ti has a length of 210 mm (8.3 inches); the 580M has no listed dimensions. Release dates are 2011-06-27 for the 580M and 2011-03-14 for the 550 Ti. The 580M's generation is GeForce 500M, while the 550 Ti's is GeForce 500. The 580M has no launch MSRP in the database; the 550 Ti's launch MSRP is 149 USD.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 580M wins in compute-heavy scenarios. Its 384 shading units and 64 TMUs give it a substantial edge in workloads that scale with shader count, such as OpenCL compute tasks, pixel shading, and texture-heavy rendering. Its FP32 throughput of 952.3 GFLOPS is 37.8% higher than the 550 Ti's 691.2 GFLOPS, so any application that is arithmetic-bound will favor the 580M. The 2 GB frame buffer is double the 550 Ti's 1024 MB, which helps when working with large textures or high-resolution render targets. The 580M also wins on pixel rate (9.920 GPixel/s versus 7.200 GPixel/s) and texture rate (39.68 GTexel/s versus 28.80 GTexel/s), making it the stronger choice for fill-rate-limited scenes.

The GTX 550 Ti has a narrower set of advantages. Its memory bandwidth is slightly higher at 98.50 GB/s versus 96.00 GB/s, which could benefit bandwidth-sensitive workloads that do not fully occupy the shader array. Its memory clock is also higher (1026 MHz versus 750 MHz), and it offers standard desktop connectivity with DVI and mini-HDMI outputs. The 550 Ti's dual-slot PCIe form factor makes it easier to install in a conventional desktop system, and its 210 mm length is compact for a card of its era. The 550 Ti also carries a launch MSRP of 149 USD, which is the only pricing data in the database. However, none of these advantages appear in the benchmark results; the 550 Ti does not win any recorded test.

The use-case split is therefore clear from the data. For any workload measured by the database, the GTX 580M is the winner. For users who prioritize desktop convenience, standard display outputs, or the lower launch price, the 550 Ti has qualitative appeal, but the quantitative evidence favors the mobile part. The 580M's wins column shows 1, the 550 Ti's shows 0, and the only head-to-head benchmark confirms the direction.