NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti vs NVIDIA Quadro M5000M Comparison

The Verdict

The database comparison between the NVIDIA Quadro M5000M and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti is decisively one-sided in favor of the Quadro M5000M. The benchmark records show a single head-to-head test, Geekbench OpenCL, where the Quadro M5000M scored 22920 versus 5731 for the GTX 550 Ti, a delta of 299.9% in favor of the newer mobile workstation part. The Quadro M5000M wins the only recorded comparison, while the GTX 550 Ti records zero wins.

For any workload relying on OpenCL compute, the data indicates the Quadro M5000M is the only rational choice. The GTX 550 Ti, despite being a desktop card from the GeForce 500 generation, falls far behind in raw compute throughput. The Quadro M5000M also holds a higher overall benchmark average of 6481, placing it in the 37th percentile of all GPUs, while the GTX 550 Ti averages 5731 and sits in the 33rd percentile. The Quadro M5000M's nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile (delta 0.1%), NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M (delta -0.2%), and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M (delta -0.5%), showing it competes closely with mid-range mobile parts. The GTX 550 Ti's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670MX (delta 0.2%) and Intel Iris Pro Graphics P6300 (delta 0.3%), indicating it sits in a lower performance tier.

The GTX 550 Ti does have one advantage: it is a dual-slot desktop card with a 210 mm length, making it physically compatible with standard desktop chassis. The Quadro M5000M is an MXM module, designed for laptops and mobile workstations. Therefore, the choice depends on the form factor. If the system requires a desktop PCIe card, the GTX 550 Ti is the only option that fits. If the system accepts an MXM module, the Quadro M5000M is overwhelmingly superior in compute performance.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations and process nodes. The Quadro M5000M uses the GM204 chip built on Maxwell 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It integrates 5,200 million transistors on a 398 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 13.1 million per mm². The GTX 550 Ti uses the GF116 chip based on Fermi 2.0 architecture, also from TSMC but on a 40 nm process. It contains 1,170 million transistors on a 238 mm² die, with a density of 4.9 million per mm². The Quadro M5000M thus packs over four times the transistors into a die that is about 1.7 times larger.

The compute resources differ massively. The Quadro M5000M has 1536 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units. The GTX 550 Ti has 192 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. This means the Quadro M5000M has 8 times the shader count, 3 times the TMU count, and roughly 2.7 times the ROP count. The clock speeds also favor the Quadro M5000M, with a base clock of 962 MHz and boost of 1051 MHz, while the GTX 550 Ti has no recorded base or boost clocks in the database. The memory clock for the Quadro M5000M is 1253 MHz with 5 Gbps effective, versus 1026 MHz with 4.1 Gbps effective for the GTX 550 Ti.

The memory subsystem is another major differentiator. The Quadro M5000M has 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 160.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 550 Ti has 1024 MB (1 GB) of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus, providing 98.50 GB/s. The Quadro M5000M has 8 times the capacity and over 1.6 times the bandwidth. The power envelope also differs, with the Quadro M5000M rated at 100 W TDP, while the GTX 550 Ti draws 116 W. The GTX 550 Ti requires a 6-pin power connector and a 300 W suggested PSU, while the Quadro M5000M uses no power connectors and is an MXM module.

API support shows the Quadro M5000M supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The GTX 550 Ti supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support recorded. Both are end-of-life products. The Quadro M5000M was released in August 2015, while the GTX 550 Ti was released in March 2011, a gap of over four years.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only head-to-head benchmark in the database is Geekbench OpenCL. In this test, the Quadro M5000M scores 22920, while the GTX 550 Ti scores 5731. The delta is 299.9% in favor of the Quadro M5000M. This is a massive margin, indicating the Quadro M5000M delivers roughly 4 times the OpenCL compute performance of the GTX 550 Ti. The GTX 550 Ti's score of 5731 places it near its nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670MX (5721) and Intel Iris Pro Graphics P6300 (5712), suggesting it is a low-end performer in the database. The Quadro M5000M's score of 22920 is far above its nearest rivals, which include the AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile (6476) and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M (6513), indicating it is a high-end mobile part.

The Quadro M5000M also has additional benchmark scores recorded, including PassMark DirectX 10 (35), DirectX 11 (54), DirectX 12 (29), DirectX 9 (119), G2D (476), G3D (7062), and GPU Compute (2756). The GTX 550 Ti has no such scores in the database, only the Geekbench OpenCL result. This means the Quadro M5000M's average benchmark score of 6481 is based on a broader set of tests, while the GTX 550 Ti's average of 5731 is based on a single test. The percentile ranks confirm the Quadro M5000M is ahead, at 37 versus 33.

The wins tally is 1 for the Quadro M5000M and 0 for the GTX 550 Ti. There are no other head-to-head comparisons recorded, so the data is limited but unambiguous. The Quadro M5000M wins the only available test, and the margin is so large that no other benchmark would likely close the gap given the architectural differences.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher OpenCL performance?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro M5000M scores 22920 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti scores 5731. The Quadro M5000M leads by 299.9%.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference?

A: The Quadro M5000M has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the GTX 550 Ti has 1024 MB (1 GB). The Quadro M5000M has 8 times the capacity.

Q: Which GPU has a higher memory bandwidth?

A: The Quadro M5000M delivers 160.4 GB/s over a 256-bit bus, while the GTX 550 Ti provides 98.50 GB/s over a 192-bit bus.

Q: Are both GPUs the same form factor?

A: No. The Quadro M5000M is an MXM module with a bus interface of MXM-B (3.0), while the GTX 550 Ti is a dual-slot desktop card with a PCIe 2.0 x16 interface and a length of 210 mm.

Q: Which GPU supports Vulkan?

A: The Quadro M5000M supports Vulkan 1.4. The GTX 550 Ti has no Vulkan support recorded in the database.

Q: What is the TDP difference?

A: The Quadro M5000M is rated at 100 W TDP, while the GTX 550 Ti is rated at 116 W. The GTX 550 Ti also requires a 6-pin power connector and a 300 W suggested PSU.

Where Each One Wins

The Quadro M5000M wins in every recorded performance category. It has 1536 shading units versus 192, 96 TMUs versus 32, and 64 ROPs versus 24. Its FP32 compute is 3.229 TFLOPS versus 691.2 GFLOPS for the GTX 550 Ti. The pixel rate is 67.26 GPixel/s versus 7.200 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 100.9 GTexel/s versus 28.80 GTexel/s. In the OpenCL benchmark, the Quadro M5000M is 299.9% ahead. For any compute-heavy workload, such as OpenCL-based simulations or rendering, the Quadro M5000M is the clear winner.

The GTX 550 Ti wins only in form factor compatibility for desktop systems. It is a dual-slot PCIe 2.0 x16 card with a 210 mm length, meaning it can be installed in standard desktop cases. The Quadro M5000M is an MXM module, which requires a laptop or workstation with an MXM slot. The GTX 550 Ti also has a lower transistor count (1,170 million versus 5,200 million) and a smaller die (238 mm² versus 398 mm²), which might be relevant for systems with strict thermal or space constraints, but this is not a performance advantage.

The GTX 550 Ti also has a lower power draw per the database? No, actually the GTX 550 Ti has a higher TDP at 116 W versus 100 W for the Quadro M5000M. The GTX 550 Ti requires an external power connector, while the Quadro M5000M does not. Therefore, the Quadro M5000M is more power-efficient in terms of TDP, though the MXM form factor limits its use to mobile platforms.

For users with an MXM-compatible system, the Quadro M5000M is the only sensible choice. For users with a desktop PCIe slot, the GTX 550 Ti is the only option that physically fits, but its performance is far below the Quadro M5000M. The data shows no scenario where the GTX 550 Ti wins on performance.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every specification field. The chip is GM204 for the Quadro M5000M versus GF116 for the GTX 550 Ti. The architecture is Maxwell 2.0 versus Fermi 2.0. The process node is 28 nm versus 40 nm, both from TSMC. The transistor count is 5,200 million versus 1,170 million, and the die size is 398 mm² versus 238 mm². The transistor density is 13.1M per mm² versus 4.9M per mm².

The clock speeds: the Quadro M5000M has a base clock of 962 MHz and boost of 1051 MHz, while the GTX 550 Ti has no base or boost clocks recorded. The memory clock is 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective) for the Quadro M5000M versus 1026 MHz (4.1 Gbps effective) for the GTX 550 Ti. The memory size is 8 GB versus 1024 MB, the type is GDDR5 for both, the bus width is 256 bit versus 192 bit, and the bandwidth is 160.4 GB/s versus 98.50 GB/s.

The shading units are 1536 versus 192, TMUs are 96 versus 32, and ROPs are 64 versus 24. The pixel rate is 67.26 GPixel/s versus 7.200 GPixel/s, the texture rate is 100.9 GTexel/s versus 28.80 GTexel/s, and the FP32 compute is 3.229 TFLOPS versus 691.2 GFLOPS. The TDP is 100 W versus 116 W. The slot width is MXM Module versus Dual-slot. The power connectors are None versus 1x 6-pin. The suggested PSU is not recorded for the Quadro M5000M, while the GTX 550 Ti lists 300 W. The bus interface is MXM-B (3.0) versus PCIe 2.0 x16. The display outputs are Portable Device Dependent versus 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a.

The APIs: DirectX is 12 (12_1) versus 12 (11_0), OpenGL is 4.6 for both, and Vulkan is 1.4 for the Quadro M5000M versus null for the GTX 550 Ti. The GTX 550 Ti has a recorded length of 210 mm, while the Quadro M5000M has no dimensions recorded. The GTX 550 Ti has a launch MSRP of 149 USD, while the Quadro M5000M has no launch MSRP recorded. The release dates are August 2015 for the Quadro M5000M and March 2011 for the GTX 550 Ti. The Quadro M5000M's predecessor is Quadro Kepler-M and successor is Quadro Pascal-M, while the GTX 550 Ti's predecessor is GeForce 400 and successor is GeForce 600.