NVIDIA P104-100 vs NVIDIA T550 Mobile Comparison

# NVIDIA T550 Mobile vs NVIDIA P104-100

The NVIDIA T550 Mobile and NVIDIA P104-100 occupy entirely different corners of the GPU landscape, yet their average benchmark scores land within 0.5% of each other. The T550 Mobile is a 23 W integrated-class mobile part built for portability, while the P104-100 is a dual-slot mining card with no display outputs and a 200 W suggested PSU. The data reveals a fascinating split: the P104-100 dominates raw compute benchmarks by wide margins, while the T550 Mobile counters with efficiency and modern architecture features. Their equal percentile ranking (77th among all GPUs) and near-identical average scores (33161 vs 32982) suggest that total performance is a wash, but how each card achieves that score could not be more different.

Where Each One Wins

The P104-100 wins decisively in every head-to-head benchmark recorded. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 52368 against the T550 Mobile's 35521, a 32.2% advantage. In Geekbench Vulkan, the P104-100 posts 45165 versus 30801, a 31.8% lead. These are not marginal victories—they are substantial performance gaps that point to the P104-100's much larger silicon and higher power envelope.

The T550 Mobile, however, wins in the areas that matter for mobile workstations: power consumption and physical footprint. At 23 W TDP with an IGP slot width and no power connectors, it can be integrated into thin laptops. The P104-100 requires a dual-slot cooler, a single 8-pin power connector, and a 200 W suggested PSU, plus it measures 267 mm (10.5 inches) in length. The T550 Mobile has no listed dimensions, but its "Portable Device Dependent" display outputs and IGP form factor signal that it is designed to disappear inside a chassis.

For compute-heavy workloads where performance is the sole criterion, the P104-100 is the clear winner. For mobile deployment, thermal-constrained environments, or any scenario requiring display output, the T550 Mobile is the only viable option—the P104-100 has no display outputs at all. The data shows a trade-off between raw throughput and usability.

Architecture Differences

These two GPUs represent two distinct generations of NVIDIA architecture. The T550 Mobile uses the TU117 chip on the Turing architecture, fabricated on TSMC's 12 nm process. The P104-100 uses the GP104 chip on the older Pascal architecture, built on a 16 nm process. The Turing part is smaller: 200 mm² die size with 4,700 million transistors, yielding a transistor density of 23.5M per mm². The Pascal part is physically larger at 314 mm² with 7,200 million transistors, but its density is slightly lower at 22.9M per mm².

The memory subsystems diverge sharply. The T550 Mobile pairs 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus, delivering 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth at 12 Gbps effective speed. The P104-100 also has 4 GB, but uses GDDR5X on a 256-bit bus, achieving 320.3 GB/s—more than triple the bandwidth. This memory bandwidth advantage likely explains the P104-100's large lead in Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan, which often stress memory throughput.

Compute resources also favor the P104-100. It packs 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, versus the T550 Mobile's 1024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The P104-100's pixel rate is 110.9 GPixel/s and texture rate is 208.0 GTexel/s, while the T550 Mobile manages 53.28 GPixel/s and 106.6 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput tells the same story: 6.655 TFLOPS for the P104-100 versus 3.410 TFLOPS for the T550 Mobile. Interestingly, the T550 Mobile has a 2:1 FP16 ratio (6.820 TFLOPS), while the P104-100's FP16 is severely reduced at 104.0 GFLOPS (1:64), reflecting Turing's improved half-precision support over Pascal.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two recorded benchmark comparisons both go to the P104-100, and both by substantial margins. In Geekbench OpenCL, the P104-100 scores 52368 versus 35521 for the T550 Mobile, a delta of -32.2% when viewed from the T550's perspective. This means the T550 Mobile delivers only about two-thirds of the P104-100's OpenCL performance. The gap is nearly identical in Geekbench Vulkan, where the P104-100's 45165 beats the T550 Mobile's 30801 by 31.8%.

These results align with the hardware specifications. The P104-100 has 1.875× more shading units, 1.875× more TMUs, and 2× the ROPs. Its memory bandwidth is 3.34× higher. The FP32 throughput advantage is 1.95×. Yet the average benchmark scores are nearly identical—32982 for the P104-100 versus 33161 for the T550 Mobile. This suggests that the P104-100's raw compute advantages are offset by other factors in the aggregate scoring, possibly its PCIe 1.0 x4 bus interface, which severely limits data transfer compared to the T550 Mobile's PCIe 3.0 x16 connection.

When compared to their nearest rivals, both cards hold their ground. The T550 Mobile sits 0.5% above the P104-100 in average score, while the P104-100 is 0.4% above the T600 Mobile and 0.6% below the RTX 3050 Mobile. The AMD Radeon Pro 570 sits just 0.1% above the T550 Mobile. These deltaPct values are all within 1%, indicating that this cluster of GPUs is tightly packed in overall performance despite their architectural differences.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance?

A: The P104-100 dominates in raw compute. It scores 52368 in Geekbench OpenCL versus 35521 for the T550 Mobile (32.2% higher) and 45165 in Geekbench Vulkan versus 30801 (31.8% higher). Its FP32 performance is 6.655 TFLOPS compared to 3.410 TFLOPS.

Q: Do their average benchmark scores differ significantly?

A: No. The T550 Mobile averages 33161, while the P104-100 averages 32982—a difference of only 0.5%. Both GPUs rank in the 77th percentile among all GPUs.

Q: Which card has better memory bandwidth?

A: The P104-100 is vastly superior with 320.3 GB/s over a 256-bit bus using GDDR5X. The T550 Mobile manages only 96.00 GB/s over a 64-bit bus using GDDR6, despite the newer memory type.

Q: Can the P104-100 be used for display output?

A: No. The P104-100 has "No outputs" listed for display outputs. It is classified under "Mining GPUs" and requires a separate GPU for any display functionality. The T550 Mobile has "Portable Device Dependent" outputs, meaning it can drive displays in compatible laptops.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The T550 Mobile has a 23 W TDP, an IGP slot width, and no power connectors. The P104-100 requires a dual-slot cooler, a single 8-pin power connector, and a 200 W suggested PSU.

Q: Why does the T550 Mobile have better FP16 performance than the P104-100?

A: The T550 Mobile's Turing architecture supports FP16 at a 2:1 ratio, delivering 6.820 TFLOPS. The P104-100's Pascal architecture has a 1:64 ratio, yielding only 104.0 GFLOPS. This makes the T550 Mobile far more capable for half-precision workloads.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear but nuanced picture. For anyone prioritizing peak compute performance in OpenCL or Vulkan workloads, the P104-100 is the superior choice—its 32.2% lead in Geekbench OpenCL and 31.8% lead in Geekbench Vulkan are decisive. Its 320.3 GB/s memory bandwidth and 6.655 TFLOPS FP32 throughput make it a compute powerhouse relative to the T550 Mobile.

However, the P104-100 is a mining-specific card with no display outputs, a dual-slot form factor, and a 200 W PSU requirement. It cannot function as a standalone graphics solution. The T550 Mobile, despite being 32% slower in the head-to-head benchmarks, offers 23 W power consumption, an IGP form factor, and display capabilities suitable for portable devices. Its average benchmark score is slightly higher (33161 vs 32982), suggesting that in the full spectrum of benchmarks—not just the two head-to-head tests—the T550 Mobile holds its own.

The choice depends entirely on the use case. The P104-100 is for compute-only environments where power and space are available. The T550 Mobile is for mobile workstations where efficiency and display output are non-negotiable. Given that the P104-100 is classified under "Mining GPUs" and the T550 Mobile under "Quadro Turing-M," the intended markets are fundamentally different. The P104-100 wins on performance; the T550 Mobile wins on practicality.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA T550 Mobile | NVIDIA P104-100 |

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

| Chip | TU117 | GP104 |

| Architecture | Turing | Pascal |

| Generation | Quadro Turing-M (Tx000) | Mining GPUs |

| Process Node | 12 nm | 16 nm |

| Transistors | 4,700 million | 7,200 million |

| Die Size | 200 mm² | 314 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 23.5M / mm² | 22.9M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1065 MHz | 1607 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1665 MHz | 1733 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective) | 1251 MHz (10 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 4 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5X |

| Memory Bus Width | 64 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 96.00 GB/s | 320.3 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1024 | 1920 |

| TMUs | 64 | 120 |

| ROPs | 32 | 64 |

| Pixel Rate | 53.28 GPixel/s | 110.9 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 106.6 GTexel/s | 208.0 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 3.410 TFLOPS | 6.655 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 6.820 TFLOPS (2:1) | 104.0 GFLOPS (1:64) |

| TDP | 23 W | Not listed |

| Slot Width | IGP | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | None | 1x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | Not listed | 200 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 1.0 x4 |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | No outputs |

| Length | Not listed | 267 mm (10.5 inches) |

| Release Date | Not listed | 2017-12-11 |

| Predecessor | Quadro Pascal-M | Not listed |

| Successor | Ampere-MW | Not listed |