AMD Radeon RX 6700S vs NVIDIA GeForce MX550 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks - walk through the biggest wins each way shows a decisive advantage for AMD Radeon RX 6700S. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 6700S scores 70965, which is 71.3% higher than the MX550's 20372. That is not a small gap; it is a three-and-a-half-fold difference in raw compute throughput. The Vulkan result is similarly lopsided: 76150 versus 32469, a 57.4% lead for the AMD part. The MX550 does not win any of the two recorded head-to-head tests, so every comparative statement here favors the RX 6700S.

The MX550's Geekbench OpenCL score of 20372 places it at the 72nd percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 26421. That average is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon 860M (26401, 0.1% ahead), and also close to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 (26331, 0.3% ahead). In other words, the MX550 sits in a tight cluster of mid-tier mobile and desktop parts, but its raw OpenCL and Vulkan numbers are far below what the RX 6700S delivers.

The RX 6700S, despite winning both head-to-head tests, has a lower overall percentile at 67. Its average benchmark score is 22154, which is dragged down by a set of lower-end Passmark results. For context, the RX 6700S is 0.1% behind the AMD Radeon RX 5700 (22170), 1.4% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB (21856), and 1.3% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile (22435). So while the RX 6700S crushes the MX550 in the two shared tests, its broader benchmark profile is more modest, reflecting that the Geekbench compute workloads favor its architecture heavily.

In the Vulkan test, the RX 6700S posts 76150, which is more than double the MX550's 32469. That result indicates a major advantage in graphics API compute performance, likely stemming from the much larger shader array and higher memory bandwidth. The OpenCL gap is even more pronounced in percentage terms, with the RX 6700S at 70965 versus 20372. Both tests show a consistent pattern: the RX 6700S is in a different performance class for these workloads.

What does this mean practically? In any application that uses OpenCL or Vulkan for compute acceleration, the RX 6700S will finish tasks in a fraction of the time. For gaming, the Vulkan result is the more relevant one, and the 57.4% lead suggests a substantial frame rate advantage in Vulkan-based titles. The MX550 is not competitive in these metrics, but its average score of 26421 and 72nd percentile show it is not a weak part overall; it is simply outpaced by a larger, faster GPU.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is fundamental. The MX550 uses NVIDIA's Turing architecture on a TU117SB chip, built on TSMC's 12 nm process. The RX 6700S uses AMD's RDNA 2.0 architecture on a Navi 23 chip, built on TSMC's 7 nm node. That process difference is significant: 12 nm versus 7 nm gives the AMD chip a major density and efficiency advantage. The transistor count reflects this: the MX550 has 4,700 million transistors on a 200 mm² die, while the RX 6700S has 11,060 million transistors on a 237 mm² die. That is more than double the transistor count in only 18.5% more silicon area, yielding a transistor density of 46.7M per mm² for the RX 6700S versus 23.5M per mm² for the MX550.

The memory subsystem is a key differentiator. The MX550 comes with 2 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus, delivering 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 6700S has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, giving it 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. That is 2.33 times the memory bandwidth, and four times the memory capacity. For modern games and compute workloads, the 2 GB limit on the MX550 is a hard cap, while the RX 6700S has room for high-resolution textures and larger datasets.

Compute resources are also vastly different. The MX550 has 1024 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The RX 6700S has 1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The AMD part has 75% more shading units, 3.5 times the TMUs, and four times the ROPs. The RX 6700S also includes 28 ray tracing cores, while the MX550 has none. This means the RX 6700S supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing, a feature the MX550 lacks entirely.

Clock speeds favor the AMD part as well. The MX550 runs at a base of 1065 MHz and a boost of 1320 MHz. The RX 6700S runs at a base of 1700 MHz and a boost of 2000 MHz, with a game clock of 1890 MHz. The higher clocks, combined with the larger shader array, explain the massive FP32 throughput difference: 2.703 TFLOPS for the MX550 versus 7.168 TFLOPS for the RX 6700S. That is a 2.65 times advantage in raw single-precision compute.

The pixel and texture rates follow the same pattern. The MX550 achieves 21.12 GPixel/s and 42.24 GTexel/s. The RX 6700S achieves 128.0 GPixel/s and 224.0 GTexel/s. Those are 6.1 times and 5.3 times higher, respectively. The RX 6700S also supports FP16 at a 2:1 rate (14.34 TFLOPS) versus the MX550's 1:1 rate (2.703 TFLOPS), meaning the AMD part can accelerate half-precision workloads more effectively.

API support differs as well. The MX550 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the RX 6700S supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. The DirectX 12 Ultimate feature set on the AMD part includes mesh shaders, variable rate shading, and other modern features, which the MX550 cannot access.

Power consumption is a major difference. The MX550 is rated at 25 W TDP, while the RX 6700S is rated at 80 W TDP. Both are integrated into portable devices with no power connectors and are described as "IGP" slot width. The MX550's lower power draw makes it suitable for thin-and-light laptops, while the RX 6700S requires more substantial cooling and battery capacity.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6700S. It delivers 7.168 TFLOPS FP32 versus 2.703 TFLOPS for the NVIDIA GeForce MX550, a 2.65 times advantage.

Q: How much memory bandwidth does each GPU have?

A: The MX550 has 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth from a 64-bit bus with 2 GB of GDDR6. The RX 6700S has 224.0 GB/s from a 128-bit bus with 8 GB of GDDR6.

Q: Can either GPU handle ray tracing?

A: Only the RX 6700S. It has 28 ray tracing cores. The MX550 has no ray tracing cores at all.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each GPU?

A: The MX550 averages 26421 across all recorded tests, placing it at the 72nd percentile. The RX 6700S averages 22154, placing it at the 67th percentile.

Q: Which GPU is more power efficient?

A: The MX550 has a 25 W TDP, while the RX 6700S has an 80 W TDP. The MX550 uses significantly less power, but it also performs far lower.

Q: In the head-to-head Vulkan test, how large is the performance gap?

A: The RX 6700S scores 76150 in Geekbench Vulkan, which is 57.4% higher than the MX550's 32469.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce MX550 | AMD Radeon RX 6700S |

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

| Architecture | Turing | RDNA 2.0 |

| Chip | TU117SB | Navi 23 |

| Process Node | 12 nm | 7 nm |

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

| Die Size | 200 mm² | 237 mm² |

| Base Clock | 1065 MHz | 1700 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1320 MHz | 2000 MHz |

| Memory Size | 2 GB | 8 GB |

| 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 |

| Ray Tracing Cores | None | 28 |

| Pixel Rate | 21.12 GPixel/s | 128.0 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 42.24 GTexel/s | 224.0 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 2.703 TFLOPS | 7.168 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 2.703 TFLOPS (1:1) | 14.34 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 25 W | 80 W |

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

| Release Date | 2021-12-16 | 2022-01-03 |

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

Where Each One Wins

The RX 6700S wins in every recorded head-to-head benchmark, and the margins are large. In Geekbench OpenCL, it leads by 71.3%. In Geekbench Vulkan, it leads by 57.4%. The RX 6700S also wins on every specification that matters for performance: more shading units, more TMUs, more ROPs, more memory capacity, more memory bandwidth, higher clocks, and ray tracing support. For gaming at higher resolutions, for content creation, for GPU compute, and for any workload that can use DirectX 12 Ultimate features, the RX 6700S is the clear choice.

The MX550 wins on power efficiency. At 25 W TDP versus 80 W, it draws less than one-third of the power. It also wins on transistor density in terms of absolute die size, but that is not a practical advantage. The MX550 is a better fit for ultra-thin laptops where battery life and thermals are the priority, and where the GPU is only needed for light gaming or media acceleration. Its 2 GB memory is sufficient for esports titles at low settings, but it will struggle with modern AAA games or large compute workloads.

Looking at the benchmark averages, the MX550 actually ranks higher in the overall percentile (72 versus 67) despite losing the head-to-head tests. This is because the MX550's average score of 26421 is higher than the RX 6700S's 22154. The RX 6700S's Passmark results are mixed, with strong G3D (15066) and GPU compute (5990) scores, but weak DirectX 10 (87), DirectX 11 (134), DirectX 12 (58), and DirectX 9 (195) results. These low DirectX scores pull its average down significantly. In contrast, the MX550 only has Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan results, both of which are respectable for its class.

The RX 6700S also has a clear advantage in memory capacity. With 8 GB versus 2 GB, the AMD part can handle modern game textures and larger datasets without spilling to system memory. The 224.0 GB/s bandwidth versus 96.00 GB/s is another major win, as memory bandwidth often becomes the bottleneck in high-resolution gaming and compute tasks.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon RX 6700S is the faster GPU by a wide margin. In the two recorded head-to-head tests, it wins both with deltas of 71.3% and 57.4%. Its architecture is two process generations ahead in density, it has more than double the transistors, nearly double the shading units, four times the memory capacity, and 2.33 times the memory bandwidth. The FP32 throughput is 2.65 times higher. For anyone building a laptop with gaming, 3D rendering, or GPU compute in mind, the RX 6700S is the only rational choice between these two.

The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 is not without merit, but its strengths are in a different domain. At 25 W TDP, it is designed for systems where power draw is critical. It can handle light gaming, video playback, and basic productivity acceleration without draining the battery. Its 72nd percentile ranking shows it is a competent part for its intended use case. But it cannot compete with the RX 6700S in any performance metric that matters for demanding workloads.

The only scenario where the MX550 makes sense is if the laptop chassis is extremely thin and light, and the user's GPU needs are minimal. The RX 6700S's 80 W TDP requires a larger cooling solution and a bigger battery, which adds weight and size. For a portable device where the GPU is a secondary concern, the MX550's lower power draw is a genuine advantage. For everything else, the RX 6700S is the superior product. The benchmark results show a clear performance hierarchy, and the architecture differences reinforce it. There is no data in the database that suggests the MX550 can close the gap in any realistic workload.