GPU Comparison

The Verdict

The data presents a clear generational and positional divide. The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 and AMD Radeon RX 590 are not direct competitors in the traditional sense; they serve entirely different segments of the market. The MX550 is a low-power, integrated-class part designed for thin-and-light portables, while the RX 590 is a high-power, dual-slot desktop card built for demanding gaming. Benchmark results show the RX 590 holds a significant raw performance edge in aggregate, but the MX550 counters with a drastically lower power draw and a more modern feature set.

For users building a desktop with an existing 450W power supply and a dual-slot slot, the Radeon RX 590 is the unequivocal choice for sheer compute and fill-rate performance. Its average benchmark score of 24,744 places it in the 70th percentile of all GPUs, and it sits within 0.1% of the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile. In contrast, the GeForce MX550, with an average score of 26,421 and a 72nd percentile ranking, actually edges out the RX 590 in the aggregate scoring data, despite being a low-power part. This is a surprising result that warrants deeper analysis of the specific workload benchmarks.

The verdict is nuanced. For a gamer with a bulky desktop case, the RX 590’s memory bandwidth and texture throughput are likely superior for traditional rasterization. However, for a professional or power-conscious user who prioritizes portability and low heat output, the MX550 offers a more compelling package. The data also reveals that the MX550 outperforms its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon 860M, by 0.1%, while the RX 590 trails the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile by a similar margin. Ultimately, the choice hinges on the platform: one is a mobile IGP, the other a dedicated desktop card.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is substantial, representing two very different design philosophies from their respective manufacturers. The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 is built on the Turing architecture, using the TU117SB chip manufactured by TSMC on a 12 nm process. It packs 4,700 million transistors into a 200 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 23.5M per mm². The AMD Radeon RX 590, on the other hand, uses the older GCN 4.0 architecture on the Polaris 30 chip, fabricated by GlobalFoundries on the same 12 nm node. It contains 5,700 million transistors on a larger 232 mm² die, achieving a slightly higher density of 24.6M per mm².

Memory configurations are starkly different. The MX550 uses 2 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 64-bit bus, delivering 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 590 uses 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 256.0 GB/s, over 2.6 times the bandwidth. This is a critical differentiator for high-resolution textures and multi-sample anti-aliasing. The core configs also diverge: the MX550 has 1,024 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, while the RX 590 has 2,304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The RX 590’s raw compute is 7.119 TFLOPS FP32 versus the MX550’s 2.703 TFLOPS, a 2.6x advantage.

Power and physical requirements are the most extreme differences. The MX550 is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with a 25 W TDP and no power connectors, making it suitable for portable devices. The RX 590 is a dual-slot card with a 175 W TDP, requiring a single 8-pin power connector and a suggested 450 W power supply. It measures 241 mm (9.5 inches) in length. In terms of features, the MX550 supports PCIe 4.0 x8, while the RX 590 uses PCIe 3.0 x16. API support also differs: the MX550 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while the RX 590 supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data, though limited, indicates a clear split in strengths. The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 wins in the aggregate and in specific modern API workloads. Its average benchmark score of 26,421 is 6.8% higher than the RX 590’s 24,744. In the Geekbench Vulkan test, the MX550 scores 32,469, a strong showing for a low-power chip. It also has a higher percentile ranking (72nd vs 70th) among all GPUs. This suggests the Turing architecture’s modern scheduling and feature set gives it an edge in compute-oriented or Vulkan-based tasks.

The AMD Radeon RX 590 wins decisively in raw throughput and memory-intensive workloads. Its 256.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 222.5 GTexel/s texture rate are superior for traditional fill-rate-bound scenarios. Its 49.44 GPixel/s pixel rate is more than double the MX550’s 21.12 GPixel/s. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the RX 590 scores 1,081, demonstrating its ability to handle demanding DirectX 12 titles. The Geekbench Metal score of 48,407 also shows its strength in Apple’s graphics API, relevant for Hackintosh or eGPU scenarios.

The use-case split is clear. The MX550 wins for thin-and-light laptops, office productivity, and light creative work where the 25 W TDP is a boon. The RX 590 wins for desktop gaming at 1080p with high settings, especially where 8 GB of VRAM is needed for modern assets. The MX550’s lack of a suggested PSU requirement and IGP form factor makes it a non-entity for desktop builders, while the RX 590’s 175 W TDP makes it unsuitable for portable devices.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 has a higher average benchmark score of 26,421 compared to the AMD Radeon RX 590’s 24,744.

Q: What is the TDP difference between the two cards?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 has a 25 W TDP, while the AMD Radeon RX 590 has a 175 W TDP, a 150 W difference.

Q: Which GPU offers more memory bandwidth?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 590 offers 256.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth, which is more than the MX550’s 96.00 GB/s.

Q: Are these GPUs still in production?

A: No, both the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 and the AMD Radeon RX 590 are listed as end-of-life products.

Q: What is the DirectX support level for each GPU?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the AMD Radeon RX 590 supports DirectX 12 (12_0).

Q: Which GPU has a higher transistor count?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 590 has 5,700 million transistors, compared to the NVIDIA GeForce MX550’s 4,700 million.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark section is sparse, but the available data points provide a fascinating contrast. The AMD Radeon RX 590 demonstrates its dominance in traditional DirectX 12 rasterization with a score of 1,081 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. This is a synthetic benchmark designed to stress modern game-like workloads, and the RX 590’s robust 7.119 TFLOPS FP32 compute and 32 ROPs are well-suited to this task. The MX550 has no comparable DX12 test score, indicating a potential weakness in this area or a lack of testing for low-power IGPs.

In the Geekbench suite, the results are mixed and surprising. The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 scores 32,469 in the Vulkan test, which is a strong result for a 25 W part. This is likely due to Turing’s more efficient Vulkan driver overhead and async compute capabilities. Conversely, the RX 590 scores 48,407 in the Geekbench Metal test, showing its strength in Apple’s API. This is a significant win for the RX 590, indicating its suitability for macOS-based workflows or Metal-accelerated applications.

The aggregate data tells the real story. The MX550’s average score of 26,421 is 6.8% higher than the RX 590’s 24,744. This is a surprising inversion given the RX 590’s raw specs. The MX550’s nearest rival, the AMD Radeon 860M, scores 26,401, just 0.1% lower, while the RX 590’s nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile, scores 24,763, just 0.1% higher. This suggests that in modern, compute-heavy benchmarks, the Turing architecture’s efficiency can overcome the Polaris card’s brute-force advantage. However, for gamers relying on DX12 and high-resolution textures, the RX 590’s 256.0 GB/s bandwidth and 8 GB VRAM remain compelling advantages that the synthetic average does not fully capture.