NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z vs NVIDIA GeForce MX550 Comparison

# NVIDIA GeForce MX550 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z

The database pits two very different NVIDIA designs against each other: the MX550, a low-profile Turing-based mobile GPU built for everyday laptops, and the GTX TITAN Z, a dual-GPU Kepler flagship aimed at compute workloads. The recorded measurements show a clear split in their respective strengths. The MX550 dominates in the Vulkan workload, while the TITAN Z holds a decisive lead in the OpenCL test. Both cards sit near the middle of the overall performance distribution, with the MX550 at the 72nd percentile and the TITAN Z at the 69th percentile of all GPUs in the database.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The direct comparison reveals one win for each card. In the geekbench_opencl test, the GTX TITAN Z posted a score of 25,465 against 20,372 for the MX550. That is a 20% margin in favor of the TITAN Z, a substantial gap that reflects the dual-GPU card's raw compute throughput advantage in this API. The OpenCL workload stresses raw shader and compute throughput, which is exactly where the larger die and higher power envelope of the TITAN Z pay off.

The geekbench_vulkan test flips the result. Here the MX550 scores 32,469, while the TITAN Z scores 22,006. This is a 47.5% lead for the MX550, and the margin is significant. The Vulkan path appears to favor the newer architecture's scheduling and front-end efficiency. The MX550's Turing-based design, with its dedicated workload scheduling and lower power target, manages the Vulkan command stream more efficiently, resulting in a higher frame throughput.

The aggregate benchmark average for the MX550 is 26,421, while the TITAN Z averages 23,736. That is an 11% overall lead for the MX550, but the component tests tell the real story: the MX550 wins the API that exposes a more modern command processor, while the TITAN Z wins where raw compute density is the deciding factor.

FAQ

Q: Which card wins in Vulkan?

A: The NVIDIA MX550 is the clear Vulkan winner. The recorded 32,469 Vulkan score represents a 47.5% advantage over the TITAN Z's 22,006. The architecture difference is decisive here: the Turing processor handles the Vulkan command stream with less overhead.

Q: Which card is faster in OpenCL?

A: The GTX TITAN Z is faster, scoring 25,465 to 20,372. That is a 20% lead. In this API, the dual-GPU configuration and the higher thermal envelope allow the TITAN Z to sustain a higher compute throughput.

Q: How do the benchmark averages compare?

A: The database lists the MX550 with an average score of 26,421 across all recorded workloads. The TITAN Z has a 23,583 average. These averages put the MX550 at the 72nd percentile of all GPUs, and the TITAN Z at the 69th. A nearly identical average, but the mix of workloads separates them.

Q: Which card leads in the head-to-head tests?

A: The two cards split the head-to-head results at one win each. The MX550 won the Vulkan geekbench test, and the GTX TITAN Z won the OpenCL test. A difference of a 47.5% margin in both cases shows the effect of the matching of the workload to the architecture.

Q: What does the MX550's 72nd percentile mean?

A: The 72nd percentile means that the MX550 places itself above 72 percent of all GPUs in the database. A similar 69th percentile for the TITAN Z. These percentiles are global ranks, not the absolute performance.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on very different foundations. The MX550 uses the TU117SB chip (Turing architecture) and is built on a 12 nm process at TSMC. NVIDIA counts 4,700 million transistors on a 200 mm² die, resulting in a density of 23.5 million transistors per square millimeter. The TITAN Z pairs two GK110B chips (Kepler architecture), built on 28 nm at TSMC. That is a total of 7,080 million transistors across a 561 mm² die pair, a density of 12.6 million per square millimeter.

The MX550 packs 1,024 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 raster output units. The TITAN Z brings 2,880 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 48 ROPs to the table. The MX550's clock starts at 1065 MHz and boosts to 1320 MHz, the memory data rate at 1500 MHz yields 12 Gbps effective. The TITAN Z runs its memory at 1750 MHz, and its base chip clock is 705 MHz, boosting to 876 MHz.

The MX550 uses 2 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus, delivering 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The TITAN Z has 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, for 336.0 GB/s. The MX550's pixel throughput is recorded as 21.12 GPixel/s, its texture fill rate as 42.24 GTexel/s. The TITAN Z records 52.56 GPixel/s and 210.2 GTexel/s. FP32 compute on the MX550 is 2.703 TFLOPS, with FP16 at the same 1:1 ratio. The TITAN Z's FP32 is 5.046 TFLOPS.

The MX550 is an integrated (IGP) chip with a slot width of 1 slot and no external power connectors. The TITAN Z is a triple-slot card requiring two 8-pin power connectors, and a 750 W power supply is recommended. The MX550 connects over PCIe 4.0 x8; the TITAN Z uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs: the MX550 is portable device dependent, while the TITAN Z has 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2.

Specification Differences

| Field | MX550 | TITAN Z |

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

| Chip | TU117SB | GK110B |

| Architecture | Turing | Kepler |

| Process | 12 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 4,700 million | 7,080 million |

| Die size | 200 mm² | 561 mm² |

| Density | 23.5M / mm² | 12.6M / mm² |

| Base clock | 1065 MHz | 705 MHz |

| Boost clock | 1320 MHz | 876 MHz |

| Memory clock | 1500 MHz | 1750 MHz |

| Memory | 2 GB GDDR6 | 6 GB GDDR5 |

| Bus width | 64 bit | 384 bit |

| Bandwidth | 96.00 GB/s | 336.0 GB/s |

| Shading units | 1024 | 2880 |

| TMUs | 32 | 240 |

| ROPs | 16 | 48 |

| Pixel rate | 21.12 GPixel/s | 52.56 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 42.24 GTexel/s | 210.2 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 2.703 TFLOPS | 5.046 TFLOPS |

| TDP | 25 W | 375 W |

| Slot width | IGP | Triple-slot |

| Power connectors | None | 2x 8-pin |

| Bus interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| API support | DX 12 (12_1), OGL 4.6, VK 1.4 | DX 12 (11_1), OGL 4.6, VK 1.2.175 |

The Verdict

From the measured data, the decision comes down to workload. The GTX TITAN Z is a compute-first card: its huge memory bus (384 bit), 6 GB frame buffer, and 5.046 TFLOPS FP32 throughput make it the choice for pure OpenCL compute. The MX550 is a balanced, mobile-only part that trades raw throughput for a modern IGP and a very low board power draw; its Vulkan performance is excellent, and it holds a global rank that is comparable to the TITAN's, with a lower power envelope that fits it to systems without add-in power. A user who works on portable devices and Vulkan API should choose the MX550. A user with a compute node that is plugged in and requires max raw throughput in OpenCL should pick the TITAN Z. The database measures a 20% and 47.5% lead in the two tests, so the choice is actually easy, but the context is what leads to the final answer.