NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti vs NVIDIA GeForce MX130 Comparison

# Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The single available benchmark comparison between the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti and the NVIDIA GeForce MX130 is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the results are decisive. The MX130 scores 6102, while the GTX 550 Ti scores 5731, giving the MX130 a win with a delta of -6.1% from the perspective of the GTX 550 Ti. That translates to the MX130 being approximately 6.5% faster in raw compute throughput, a meaningful margin for two GPUs that occupy nearly the same percentile tier.

Looking at the broader context, the GTX 550 Ti's average benchmark score of 5731 places it in the 33rd percentile of all GPUs, while the MX130's average score of 5508 drops it to the 32nd percentile. This is a curious inversion: the MX130 wins the head-to-head OpenCL test, yet its average across all benchmarks is lower than the GTX 550 Ti's single-score result. The explanation lies in the MX130's second benchmark, a Geekbench Vulkan score of 4914, which drags its average down. The GTX 550 Ti has no Vulkan score in the data, meaning its average is based solely on the OpenCL result.

The nearest rivals for each card reinforce the closeness of this matchup. The GTX 550 Ti's closest competitor is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670MX, which scores 5721, a mere 0.2% behind. The Intel Iris Pro Graphics P6300 follows at 5712 (0.3% behind), and the AMD Radeon HD 8790M trails at 5691 (0.7% behind). On the other side, the AMD Radeon R7 M465 leads the GTX 550 Ti by a 1.9% margin with a score of 5841. For the MX130, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M is essentially tied at 5501 (0.1% ahead), the AMD Radeon R7 M440 is 0.5% behind at 5483, and the AMD FirePro M4000 leads by 0.5% at 5537. The NVIDIA Quadro M4000 sits 0.7% behind at 5467.

What these numbers reveal is that both GPUs occupy a tightly packed performance band where differences of 1-2% separate competitors. The MX130's OpenCL victory is notable, but the GTX 550 Ti's higher percentile ranking suggests it may have broader strengths across different workload types. The data does not include a Vulkan score for the GTX 550 Ti, so it is impossible to determine whether the MX130's Vulkan advantage extends to that API or whether the GTX 550 Ti would close the gap. What is clear is that in the one test where both are measured, the MX130 holds a solid, if not overwhelming, edge.

# The Verdict

The data paints a nuanced picture for buyers choosing between these two NVIDIA parts. The MX130 wins the only direct benchmark comparison, posting 6102 in OpenCL versus 5731 for the GTX 550 Ti, a 6.1% delta in the MX130's favor. That is a real advantage in compute workloads that leverage OpenCL, and it comes with dramatically lower power consumption — the MX130 is rated at 30 W TDP compared to 116 W for the GTX 550 Ti. For laptop users or anyone constrained by thermals and battery life, the MX130 is the clear choice from a performance-per-watt standpoint.

However, the GTX 550 Ti's higher percentile ranking (33rd versus 32nd) and its average score of 5731 versus the MX130's 5508 suggest that in aggregate, the older card may hold up better across a wider range of tests. The GTX 550 Ti also has 192 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 24 ROPs, whereas the MX130 has 384 shading units but only 24 TMUs and 8 ROPs. The GTX 550 Ti's 192-bit memory bus with 98.50 GB/s bandwidth dwarfs the MX130's 64-bit bus and 40.10 GB/s bandwidth, which could matter in memory-intensive scenarios like high-resolution textures or multi-sample anti-aliasing.

The verdict splits by use case. For modern portable systems where the MX130's 2 GB of GDDR5 memory and 28 nm Maxwell architecture offer better efficiency and API support — including Vulkan 1.4 — the MX130 is the safer pick. The GTX 550 Ti, with its 40 nm Fermi 2.0 architecture and 1 GB of GDDR5, is an end-of-life desktop part that requires a 300 W power supply and a 6-pin connector. Its only advantage lies in raw rasterization throughput, where its 7.200 GPixel/s pixel rate and 28.80 GTexel/s texture rate are nearly identical to the MX130's 9.512 GPixel/s and 28.54 GTexel/s — the MX130 actually wins on pixel rate. For legacy systems with PCIe 2.0 x16 slots, the GTX 550 Ti is a functional option, but the data does not show any category where it definitively outperforms the MX130 beyond the OpenCL loss being its only head-to-head result.

# Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations, and the data shows a clear evolution. The GTX 550 Ti is built on Fermi 2.0, using the GF116 chip manufactured on a 40 nm process at TSMC. The die is 238 mm² and contains 1,170 million transistors, yielding a transistor density of 4.9 million per square millimeter. In contrast, the MX130 uses the Maxwell architecture with the GM108S chip on a 28 nm process, also from TSMC. Its die is just 77 mm², but it packs 1,020 million transistors, achieving a density of 13.2 million per square millimeter — nearly triple the GTX 550 Ti's density.

That density difference reflects Maxwell's design philosophy: smaller, more efficient cores that achieve higher throughput per watt. The MX130's 384 shading units are double the GTX 550 Ti's 192, despite the smaller die. However, the GTX 550 Ti counters with more texture units (32 versus 24) and more ROPs (24 versus 8), suggesting a different balance between texture filtering, pixel processing, and compute. The GTX 550 Ti's FP32 performance is 691.2 GFLOPS, while the MX130 reaches 913.2 GFLOPS, a 32% advantage for the newer part.

The memory subsystems are starkly different. The GTX 550 Ti uses a 192-bit bus with GDDR5 memory clocked at 1026 MHz (4.1 Gbps effective), delivering 98.50 GB/s of bandwidth. The MX130 uses a 64-bit bus with GDDR5 at 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective), yielding just 40.10 GB/s. Despite the MX130's higher memory clock, its narrow bus cuts bandwidth by more than half. The GTX 550 Ti also has double the memory capacity at 1024 MB versus 512 MB on the MX130 — wait, the fact pack lists the MX130 as having 2 GB, so the GTX 550 Ti's 1 GB is actually half the MX130's capacity. This is a significant difference: the MX130 offers 2 GB versus 1 GB, which matters for modern game textures and larger compute datasets.

Both cards support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but the MX130 adds Vulkan 1.4 support, which the GTX 550 Ti lacks entirely. The MX130 also uses a PCIe 3.0 x4 interface, while the GTX 550 Ti relies on PCIe 2.0 x16. For a GPU with the MX130's limited bandwidth, the x4 connection is adequate, but the GTX 550 Ti's x16 link is more generous for its era.

# Specification Differences

The specification table shows where these two cards diverge most sharply. The MX130 has a base clock of 1109 MHz and a boost clock of 1189 MHz, while the GTX 550 Ti lists no base or boost clocks — only its memory clock of 1026 MHz (4.1 Gbps effective). The MX130's memory clock is 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective), making it faster in raw memory speed, though the bus width difference negates that advantage.

The MX130 has 384 shading units versus 192 on the GTX 550 Ti, but the GTX 550 Ti has 32 TMUs versus 24, and 24 ROPs versus 8. Pixel rate favors the MX130 at 9.512 GPixel/s versus 7.200 GPixel/s, while texture rate is nearly identical at 28.54 GTexel/s versus 28.80 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 913.2 GFLOPS for the MX130 versus 691.2 GFLOPS for the GTX 550 Ti.

Power and physical specs are polar opposites. The GTX 550 Ti draws 116 W, requires a 300 W power supply, uses a dual-slot cooler, and needs a 1x 6-pin power connector. It measures 210 mm (8.3 inches) in length. The MX130 draws just 30 W, has no power connectors, is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) form factor, and its display outputs are "Portable Device Dependent," meaning it is designed for laptops. The GTX 550 Ti offers 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a outputs. The MX130's bus interface is PCIe 3.0 x4 versus the GTX 550 Ti's PCIe 2.0 x16.

Release dates and lifecycles differ by over six years: the GTX 550 Ti launched on 2011-03-14 with a launch MSRP of 149 USD, while the MX130 arrived on 2017-11-16 with no MSRP listed. Both are end-of-life, but the GTX 550 Ti has defined predecessors and successors (GeForce 400 and GeForce 600 series), while the MX130 lists neither.

# FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce MX130 wins with a score of 6102, compared to the GTX 550 Ti's 5731, a delta of -6.1% from the GTX 550 Ti's perspective.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card?

A: The GTX 550 Ti has an average score of 5731, while the MX130 averages 5508, despite winning the OpenCL test. The MX130's lower average is due to its additional Vulkan score of 4914.

Q: How much memory does each card have?

A: The GTX 550 Ti has 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory, while the MX130 has 2 GB of GDDR5, giving the MX130 twice the capacity.

Q: What are the TDP ratings for these GPUs?

A: The GTX 550 Ti is rated at 116 W and requires a 300 W power supply with a 1x 6-pin connector. The MX130 is rated at just 30 W and uses no external power connectors.

Q: Do both cards support the same graphics APIs?

A: Both support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but the MX130 additionally supports Vulkan 1.4, while the GTX 550 Ti has no Vulkan support listed.

Q: What are the nearest rivals for each card in the benchmark database?

A: For the GTX 550 Ti, the nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670MX (5721, 0.2% behind). For the MX130, the closest is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M (5501, 0.1% ahead).