AMD Radeon RX 470 vs NVIDIA GeForce MX550 Comparison

# AMD Radeon RX 470 vs NVIDIA GeForce MX550

The AMD Radeon RX 470 and NVIDIA GeForce MX550 are two very different GPUs separated by five years of release timing, but the benchmark data shows a clear overall winner. The RX 470, a desktop-oriented part from the Arctic Islands generation, holds a decisive lead over the MX550, a mobile-focused Turing chip. With 2 wins in head-to-head tests and zero for the MX550, the RX 470's average benchmark score of 28,996 sits notably higher than the MX550's 26,421, placing the AMD card in the 74th percentile of all GPUs versus the NVIDIA card's 72nd percentile.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the head-to-head benchmark comparisons?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 470 wins both available head-to-head tests. It scores 33,568 in Geekbench OpenCL versus 20,372 for the MX550, a 64.8% advantage, and 39,884 in Geekbench Vulkan versus 32,469, a 22.8% lead.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The RX 470's average benchmark score is 28,996, while the MX550 averages 26,421. This represents a difference of roughly 2,575 points, with the RX 470 sitting about 9.7% higher.

Q: What are their percentile rankings among all GPUs?

A: The RX 470 ranks in the 74th percentile of all GPUs, while the MX550 sits in the 72nd percentile. Despite the gap in raw scores, both cards occupy similar relative positions in the broader GPU landscape.

Q: Which GPU has a higher transistor count and larger die?

A: The RX 470 uses 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die, compared to the MX550's 4,700 million transistors on a 200 mm² die. The RX 470 also has a slightly higher transistor density at 24.6 million per mm² versus 23.5 million per mm².

Q: What are the memory specifications for each card?

A: The RX 470 features 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 211.2 GB/s bandwidth. The MX550 has 2 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 64-bit bus with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth, offering less than half the bandwidth of the AMD card.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same DirectX version?

A: No. The RX 470 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the MX550 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), giving the NVIDIA card a higher feature level. However, both support OpenGL 4.6, and the MX550 supports Vulkan 1.4 compared to the RX 470's Vulkan 1.3.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is substantial. The RX 470 is built on AMD's GCN 4.0 architecture, using the Ellesmere chip fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. The MX550, by contrast, employs NVIDIA's Turing architecture with the TU117SB chip, manufactured on a 12 nm process at TSMC. This means the MX550 benefits from a newer process node despite being a lower-power part, while the RX 470 relies on a more mature but less dense manufacturing technology.

The compute resources differ dramatically. The RX 470 packs 2,048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs, whereas the MX550 offers just 1,024 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. That translates to a significant raw throughput advantage for the AMD card: the RX 470 delivers 4.940 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 154.4 GTexel/s of texture rate, while the MX550 manages 2.703 TFLOPS and 42.24 GTexel/s. Pixel rate also favors the RX 470 at 38.59 GPixel/s versus 21.12 GPixel/s.

Memory architecture reinforces the gap. The RX 470 uses a 256-bit bus with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory running at 6.6 Gbps effective, yielding 211.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The MX550 pairs 2 GB of GDDR6 with a 64-bit bus at 12 Gbps effective, producing only 96.00 GB/s. The MX550's memory clock is higher in raw frequency (1500 MHz versus 1650 MHz for the RX 470's quoted memory clock), but the narrow bus cripples total bandwidth. Neither card includes ray tracing cores or tensor cores, so both rely on traditional rasterization hardware.

Power characteristics highlight the MX550's mobile intent. The RX 470 has a 120 W TDP, requires a dual-slot cooler, and needs a 1x 6-pin power connector with a 300 W suggested PSU. The MX550 is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) form factor with a 25 W TDP, no power connectors, and no suggested PSU, making it suitable for thin-and-light laptops. The RX 470 also carries a 240 mm length and 35 mm width, while the MX550 has no listed dimensions, reflecting its soldered mobile nature.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data covers two compute-oriented tests, and the RX 470 dominates both. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 470 scores 33,568 against the MX550's 20,372, a delta of 64.8%. This is an enormous margin, driven by the RX 470's doubling of shading units, quadruple the TMUs, and more than double the memory bandwidth. The OpenCL workload scales with raw compute throughput, and the RX 470's 4.940 TFLOPS versus 2.703 TFLOPS explains the magnitude of the win.

Geekbench Vulkan tells a similar but slightly closer story. The RX 470 posts 39,884, while the MX550 reaches 32,469, giving the AMD card a 22.8% advantage. The smaller delta in Vulkan suggests that the MX550's Turing architecture handles API-level overhead more efficiently, partially compensating for its lower compute resources. Still, the RX 470's superior memory bandwidth and ROP count allow it to pull ahead decisively.

Notably, the RX 470 also has additional benchmark data that the MX550 lacks. The AMD card scores 842 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and 41,690 in Geekbench Metal, while the MX550 has no entries for these tests. This absence of data means the MX550's performance profile is less fully characterized, but the two available tests consistently favor the RX 470.

The average benchmark scores reinforce the head-to-head results. The RX 470's 28,996 average places it within 0.4% of the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (28,874) and 0.6% of the Intel Arc A370M (29,175), while the MX550's 26,421 average sits 0.1% above the AMD Radeon 860M (26,401) and 0.3% above the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 (26,331). This positions the RX 470 in a higher performance tier, closer to midrange mobile GPUs, whereas the MX550 aligns with entry-level integrated-class parts.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon RX 470 outperforms the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 in every measured benchmark. The RX 470 wins both head-to-head tests, holds a higher average benchmark score (28,996 versus 26,421), and ranks in a higher percentile (74 versus 72). For users prioritizing raw compute performance, the RX 470 is the clear choice, offering 64.8% higher OpenCL scores and 22.8% higher Vulkan scores.

However, context matters. The MX550's 25 W TDP and IGP form factor make it suitable for ultraportable laptops where power efficiency is paramount, while the RX 470's 120 W TDP, dual-slot cooler, and 6-pin connector demand a desktop chassis with adequate cooling and power delivery. The MX550 also supports a newer DirectX feature level (12_1 versus 12_0) and a newer Vulkan version (1.4 versus 1.3), which could matter for specific application compatibility.

The RX 470's nearest rivals include the RX 6800M (0.4% higher) and Intel Arc A370M (0.6% lower), while the MX550's peers are the Radeon 860M (0.1% higher) and RTX 5060 (0.3% higher). This clustering shows that the RX 470 competes with midrange mobile GPUs, whereas the MX550 sits among lower-tier parts. For anyone who needs maximum performance per dollar of silicon, the RX 470 wins outright.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every specification. The RX 470 uses the Ellesmere chip on GCN 4.0 architecture with a 14 nm GlobalFoundries process, while the MX550 employs TU117SB on Turing with a 12 nm TSMC process. Transistor counts are 5,700 million versus 4,700 million, with die sizes of 232 mm² versus 200 mm². The RX 470's base clock is 926 MHz with a 1206 MHz boost, compared to the MX550's 1065 MHz base and 1320 MHz boost, meaning the NVIDIA chip runs at higher frequencies but with far fewer execution units.

Memory configurations diverge sharply: 4 GB GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus at 1650 MHz (6.6 Gbps effective) versus 2 GB GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective). Bandwidth is 211.2 GB/s versus 96.00 GB/s. Shading units are 2,048 versus 1,024, TMUs are 128 versus 32, and ROPs are 32 versus 16. Pixel rate is 38.59 GPixel/s versus 21.12 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 154.4 GTexel/s versus 42.24 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 4.940 TFLOPS versus 2.703 TFLOPS.

Power and physical specs also differ: 120 W TDP versus 25 W, dual-slot versus IGP, 1x 6-pin connector versus none, and a 300 W suggested PSU versus no suggestion. The RX 470 is 240 mm long, 95 mm tall, and 35 mm wide, while the MX550 has no listed dimensions. The RX 470 supports PCIe 3.0 x16, while the MX550 uses PCIe 4.0 x8. Display outputs are 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a for the RX 470, versus "Portable Device Dependent" for the MX550. The RX 470 has a launch MSRP of 179 USD, while the MX550 has no listed MSRP.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 470 wins in raw compute performance, memory bandwidth, and texture/pixel throughput. Its 64.8% OpenCL advantage and 22.8% Vulkan lead make it the superior choice for GPU-accelerated workloads like rendering, machine learning inference, or any task that scales with shading units and FP32 throughput. The 211.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth is more than double the MX550's 96.00 GB/s, favoring the RX 470 in bandwidth-sensitive applications such as high-resolution texture streaming or large dataset processing. The RX 470 also wins on average benchmark score by 2,575 points and holds a higher percentile ranking.

The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 wins in power efficiency and form factor. Its 25 W TDP is one-fifth of the RX 470's 120 W, and its IGP design means it can be integrated into thin laptops without dedicated cooling or power connectors. The MX550's higher base and boost clocks (1065 MHz and 1320 MHz versus 926 MHz and 1206 MHz) suggest better per-clock efficiency, and its newer architecture supports DirectX 12_1 and Vulkan 1.4, offering more modern API feature sets. For battery-constrained or thermally limited environments, the MX550 is the only viable option, even though it sacrifices significant performance.

The data also shows the MX550's nearest rivals are all lower-tier parts (Radeon 860M, RTX 5060), while the RX 470's rivals include midrange mobile GPUs (RX 6800M, Arc A370M). This positional difference means the RX 470 is better suited for gaming at higher settings or content creation workloads, while the MX550 targets basic productivity, light media playback, and casual gaming where its 25 W power envelope is a decisive advantage.