AMD Radeon RX 6600M vs NVIDIA GeForce MX550 Comparison

# NVIDIA GeForce MX550 vs AMD Radeon RX 6600M: A Database Benchmark Analysis

The comparison between the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 and the AMD Radeon RX 6600M is a study in contrasting design philosophies within the mobile graphics space. The MX550 is an entry-level, end-of-life mobile solution from NVIDIA, while the RX 6600M is a high-performance, mainstream mobile part from AMD's Radeon RX 6000 series. The benchmark data in the database reveals a significant performance gap, with the AMD part winning both recorded head-to-head tests. This analysis walks through the numbers to determine which part serves which workload.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records two head-to-head benchmark comparisons between these two GPUs, and the AMD Radeon RX 6600M wins both. The most decisive victory comes in Geekbench OpenCL, where the AMD part scores 67,765 points against the NVIDIA's 20,372. This is a massive win for the RX 6600M, which is 69.9% faster than the MX550. The AMD's advantage is so large here that the NVIDIA score is less than a third of the AMD's output.

The second head-to-head test is Geekbench Vulkan, where the RX 6600M again takes a clear lead. The AMD GPU scores 73,740 points, while the NVIDIA MX550 scores 32,469 points. The delta percentage is again substantial, at 56% slower for the NVIDIA part. Across both recorded tests, the AMD Radeon RX 6600M is the winner with a total of 2 wins and 0 losses.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two parts is foundational. The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 is built on the TU117SB chip, which is based on the Turing architecture and produced on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It integrates 4,700 million transistors on a die size of 200 mm², yielding a transistor density of 23.5 million per mm². This is a compact, power-efficient design meant for slim and light laptops, with a 25 W TDP.

In contrast, the AMD Radeon RX 6600M uses the Navi 23 chip, built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture. This is a much larger and newer design, fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC. The chip integrates 11,060 million transistors on a 237 mm² die, for a density of 46.7 million transistors per mm². The AMD die is physically larger and packs more than twice the transistor density, which is a primary factor in its much higher benchmark results.

FAQ

Q: What are the base and boost clock speeds of each GPU?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 has a base clock of 1065 MHz and a boost clock of 1320 MHz. The AMD Radeon RX 6600M features a much higher base clock of 2068 MHz and a boost clock of 2416 MHz.

Q: How much memory does each GPU have, and what type is it?

A: The NVIDIA MX550 is equipped with 2 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 64-bit bus. The AMD RX 6600M has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus. The AMD's bandwidth is 224.0 GB/s, while the NVIDIA's bandwidth is 96.00 GB/s.

Q: What are the shading unit and texture rates?

A: The MX550 has 1024 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The AMD RX 6600M has 1792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, plus 28 ray tracing cores. The AMD offers a much higher pixel rate of 154.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 270.6 GTexel/s, compared to the NVIDIA's 21.12 GPixel/s and 42.24 GTexel/s.

Q: Which interface, API, and TDP do they support?

A: Both use a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface. The MX550 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The RX 6600M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The MX550 has a 25 W TDP, while the RX 6600M has a 100 W TDP. The NVIDIA is an integrated GPU, while the AMD is also an integrated GPU for mobile systems. Both are end-of-life products.

The Verdict

The data is unequivocal. The AMD Radeon RX 6600M is the faster GPU, and the delta is not small. The AMD wins the OpenCL benchmark by 69.9% and the Vulkan benchmark by 56.0%. The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 is a low-power part designed for portability, but the AMD is a much higher-performing part with a significantly higher power envelope (100W vs 25W). There are no numbers in the database for the NVIDIA's efficiency, but the config details show that the MX550 is a smaller, lighter, and less power-hungry part. For basic, everyday use, the MX550 is sufficient. For any demanding workload such as gaming, rendering, or compute tasks, the RX 6600M is clearly the stronger option.

Specification Differences

The two product lines differ in several fields, as shown from the database:

| Field | NVIDIA GeForce MX550 | AMD Radeon RX 6600M |

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

| Chip | TU117SB | Navi 23 |

| Architecture | Turing | RDNA 2.0 |

| Process | 12 nm | 7 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | TSMC |

| Transistors | 4,700 million | 11,060 million |

| Die Size | 200 mm² | 237 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 23.5M / mm² | 46.7M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1065 MHz | 2062 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1320 MHz | 2412 MHz |

| Memory | 2 GB GDDR6 | 8 GB GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus | 64-bit | 128-bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 96.00 GB/s | 224.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1024 | 1792 |

| TMUs | 32 | 112 |

| ROPs | 16 | 64 |

| RT Cores | None | 28 |

| Pixel Rate | 21.12 GPixel/s | 154.6 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 42.24 GTexel/s | 270.6 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 2.703 TFLOPS | 8.659 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 2.703 TFLOPS (1:1) | 17.32 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 25 W | 100 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 4.0 x8 |

| DirectX | 12 (12_1) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | 1.4 |

| Release | 2021-12-16 | 2021-05-30 |

The NVIDIA has no memory of its predecessor, and the AMD's predecessor is the Polaris Mobile. The AMD Radeon RX 6600M is in an end-of-life state.

Where Each One Wins

NVIDIA GeForce MX550: Portable, Efficient, Everyday

The MX550's strengths lie in its compact integrated design. With a 25W power draw, it is a low-power part. Its 1065MHz base clock and 1320MHz boost clock, paired with 2GB of GDDR6 memory is enough for basic multimedia and light gaming. Its benchmark results show a score of 20,372 in Geekbench OpenCL and 32,469 in Geekbench Vulkan. The MX550 is an integrated GPU that supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. It is suited for portable devices where battery life and thermals are critical. The MX550 is the only choice if a system needs the lowest power. It is also a Turing part, so it has no ray tracing cores, which is fine for non ray tracing workloads.

AMD Radeon RX 6600M: The Heavy Hitter

The AMD RX 6600M is a different class of mobile GPU. It has a 100W power draw, a 7nm process, and of course, the die size is 237mm². It has 8GB of GDDR6. It is a part that is oriented to performance. In the head-to-head benchmark, the RX 6600M is the winner: it is 69.9% faster in Geekbench OpenCL. It is 56.0% faster in Geekbench Vulkan. With 1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, it has more than enough for high end gaming, rendering, and compute. It supports ray tracing, with 28 RT cores. The AMD is the only choice for a user who needs the high frame rates, or compute performance, or playing games with heavy shaders. Its FP32 performance is 8.659 TFLOPS, and its FP16 is 17.32 TFLOPS (2:1). The MX550 is not the one for you if you want these features. The data is clear.