NVIDIA GeForce MX550 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile occupy opposite ends of the mobile graphics spectrum. The MX550 is an end-of-life entry-level part built on the Turing architecture, while the RTX 5060 Mobile is an active, high-performance Blackwell 2.0 solution. Based on the recorded benchmark data, the RTX 5060 Mobile is decisively faster in every measurable test, offering a massive leap in compute, rendering, and API feature support. The Verdict is straightforward: the MX550 is only suitable for basic, legacy workloads, whereas the RTX 5060 Mobile is designed for demanding gaming and professional tasks.

The Verdict

The data dictates a clear separation in use cases. For users with a legacy system requiring a low-power, IGP-class GPU for simple display output or older applications, the MX550 remains a functional, if limited, option. Its 72nd percentile ranking among all GPUs shows it outperforms a significant portion of the market, but its absolute scores are low. The RTX 5060 Mobile, despite a lower overall percentile rank of 67, delivers between 66.3% and 79% higher scores in the head-to-head compute tests. This discrepancy in percentile versus raw performance is explained by the different benchmark suites and the broader competitive landscape. The RTX 5060 Mobile is the only choice for any modern, demanding workload, including DirectX 12 Ultimate titles and Vulkan-based applications. The MX550 should be considered only for legacy compatibility or the most basic of tasks, while the RTX 5060 Mobile is the superior pick for any user prioritizing performance, future-proofing, and feature completeness.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head results are one-sided. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RTX 5060 Mobile scores 96,969 points, a 79% improvement over the MX550's 20,372 points. This delta is the largest single gap in the comparison. The Vulkan test shows a similar trend, with the RTX 5060 Mobile scoring 96,451 points versus the MX550's 32,469 points, a 66.3% lead. These are not marginal gains; they represent a fundamental shift in processing capability.

The broader benchmark suites reinforce this dominance. In the Passmark G3D test, the RTX 5060 Mobile scores 18,852 points. Its Passmark GPU Compute score is 7,607 points. The MX550 has no equivalent recorded scores in the database, but its average benchmark score of 26,421 across its two tests is less than the RTX 5060 Mobile's individual compute scores. The RTX 5060 Mobile also records 119 points in Passmark DirectX 10, 168 in DirectX 11, 87 in DirectX 12, and 203 in DirectX 9, alongside a G2D score of 876. These figures, while lower than its OpenCL and Vulkan results, show consistent performance across API generations. The MX550's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon 860M, score an average of 26,401, which is nearly identical to the MX550's average of 26,421. This places the MX550 in a performance tier comparable to integrated graphics, while the RTX 5060 Mobile competes with discrete desktop-class parts like the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT, which scores an average of 22,549.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gulf between these two GPUs is substantial. The MX550 uses the TU117SB chip, a Turing-generation design fabricated on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It houses 4,700 million transistors on a 200 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 23.5M per mm². The RTX 5060 Mobile, in contrast, uses the GB206 chip, built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture and a 5 nm TSMC process. This chip packs 21,900 million transistors into a smaller 181 mm² die, achieving a dramatically higher density of 121.0M per mm².

The most significant feature divergence is in ray tracing and tensor cores. The MX550 has no dedicated RT cores or tensor cores, making it incapable of hardware-accelerated ray tracing or AI-driven features like DLSS. The RTX 5060 Mobile includes 26 RT cores and 104 tensor cores, enabling hardware ray tracing and advanced AI workloads. This hardware difference is reflected in the DirectX support: the MX550 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the RTX 5060 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), a higher feature level that includes ray tracing and mesh shaders. Both GPUs support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4, but the RTX 5060 Mobile's superior compute resources make it far more effective in these APIs. The MX550's FP32 performance is 2.703 TFLOPS, while the RTX 5060 Mobile reaches 9.684 TFLOPS, a 3.6x increase in raw compute throughput.

Specification Differences

The specification sheet shows a generational leap in every category. The MX550 has 1024 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, while the RTX 5060 Mobile has 3328 shading units, 104 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. This 3.25x increase in shading units directly translates to higher pixel and texture rates. The MX550 achieves a pixel rate of 21.12 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 42.24 GTexel/s. The RTX 5060 Mobile reaches 69.84 GPixel/s and 151.3 GTexel/s, representing a 3.3x improvement in pixel throughput and a 3.6x improvement in texture throughput.

Memory configuration is another major divider. The MX550 comes with 2 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 64-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 96.00 GB/s. The RTX 5060 Mobile features 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This 4x increase in memory size and 4x increase in bandwidth are critical for modern textures and large datasets. The memory clock is also effective at 12 Gbps for the MX550 versus 24 Gbps for the RTX 5060 Mobile.

Clock speeds tell a nuanced story. The MX550 has a higher base clock of 1065 MHz, but a lower boost clock of 1320 MHz. The RTX 5060 Mobile has a lower base clock of 952 MHz but a higher boost clock of 1455 MHz. The RTX 5060 Mobile's sustained boost is likely more impactful given its vastly higher core count. Power consumption differs as well: the MX550 has a TDP of 25 W, while the RTX 5060 Mobile has a TDP of 45 W. Both are IGP-slot devices with no power connectors, making them suitable for portable devices, but the RTX 5060 Mobile's higher power envelope supports its additional hardware.

The bus interface also differs: the MX550 uses PCIe 4.0 x8, while the RTX 5060 Mobile uses PCIe 5.0 x16. This provides the RTX 5060 Mobile with double the lane count and a newer protocol, reducing transfer bottlenecks. The MX550 was released on December 16, 2021, and is marked as end-of-life. The RTX 5060 Mobile was released on May 19, 2025, and is an active product. Neither part has a recorded launch MSRP in the database. The RTX 5060 Mobile also has a predecessor, the GeForce 40 Mobile, while the MX550 has no recorded predecessor or successor. Both parts have display outputs that are marked as "Portable Device Dependent," meaning the number and type of outputs vary by laptop manufacturer.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 has a higher average benchmark score of 26,421, compared to the RTX 5060 Mobile's average of 22,435. However, this average is based on a limited set of tests for the MX550. The RTX 5060 Mobile's individual scores, such as 96,969 in Geekbench OpenCL, are far higher than any MX550 result.

Q: Does the RTX 5060 Mobile support hardware ray tracing?

A: Yes. The RTX 5060 Mobile includes 26 RT cores and 104 tensor cores, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), which includes hardware-accelerated ray tracing. The MX550 has no RT or tensor cores and only supports DirectX 12 (12_1), so it cannot do hardware ray tracing.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 5060 Mobile in the Geekbench Vulkan test?

A: The RTX 5060 Mobile scores 96,451 points in the Geekbench Vulkan test, which is 66.3% higher than the MX550's score of 32,469 points.

Q: What is the memory capacity and type for each GPU?

A: The MX550 has 2 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 64-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 96.00 GB/s. The RTX 5060 Mobile has 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 384.0 GB/s.

Q: What is the transistor count difference between the two chips?

A: The MX550's TU117SB chip contains 4,700 million transistors on a 200 mm² die. The RTX 5060 Mobile's GB206 chip contains 21,900 million transistors on a 181 mm² die.

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock?

A: The RTX 5060 Mobile has a higher boost clock of 1455 MHz, compared to the MX550's boost clock of 1320 MHz. The MX550 has a higher base clock of 1065 MHz versus the RTX 5060 Mobile's 952 MHz.

Q: Are both GPUs suitable for modern gaming?

A: Based on the data, only the RTX 5060 Mobile is suitable. It has 3,328 shading units, 9.684 TFLOPS FP32 performance, and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate. The MX550's 2.703 TFLOPS and 2 GB memory are below the requirements for modern titles, and its lack of RT cores limits feature support.