NVIDIA RTX A1000 vs NVIDIA T550 Mobile Comparison

The NVIDIA RTX A1000 and NVIDIA T550 Mobile represent two distinct approaches to professional mobile graphics, separated by architecture generations and design philosophies. The benchmark data reveals a clear performance hierarchy, but the specifics of how and why that hierarchy exists require a closer look at the underlying specifications and test results.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two GPUs were directly compared in two compute-oriented tests, and the NVIDIA RTX A1000 emerged victorious in both. The most significant margin was in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the A1000 scored 49,574 against the T550 Mobile’s 30,801. This translates to a 60.9% advantage for the A1000, a substantial gap that underscores the architectural leap between the two. Vulkan is a low-level API that often scales well with raw compute resources, and the A1000’s superior shading unit count and memory bandwidth likely contribute heavily to this result.

The Geekbench OpenCL test tells a similar story, though with a slightly smaller margin. The A1000 posted a score of 52,078, while the T550 Mobile managed 35,521. This represents a 46.6% difference in favor of the A1000. OpenCL is a more mature and widely used API, and while the relative gap is smaller than in Vulkan, it is still decisive. The A1000’s advantage here suggests that its performance lead is not limited to a single API but is a fundamental property of its hardware.

When placed in the broader context of all GPUs, the A1000 sits at the 79th percentile, while the T550 Mobile is at the 77th percentile. This is a surprisingly close overall ranking despite the large head-to-head margins. The A1000’s average benchmark score across all tests is 34,207, while the T550 Mobile’s is 33,161. The T550 Mobile’s overall average is pulled up by its performance in other, non-head-to-head tests, but the direct comparison shows that in the tests where both were run, the A1000 is significantly faster.

The nearest rivals for the A1000 include the NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB, which scores 34,154 and is only 0.2% behind, and the AMD Radeon RX 560 XT at 34,133. The NVIDIA TITAN V sits just 0.4% ahead of the A1000, showing that the A1000 is competitive with much older, high-end hardware. For the T550 Mobile, its closest competitor is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile, which scores 33,170, a 0% delta, indicating they are essentially tied in average performance. The AMD Radeon Pro 570 is 0.1% behind, and the NVIDIA P104-100 is 0.5% ahead. This shows that while the T550 Mobile is not a top performer, it is not an outlier either, holding its own against other mid-range mobile options.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the Geekbench Vulkan benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A1000 is significantly faster, scoring 49,574 compared to the T550 Mobile’s 30,801, a 60.9% advantage.

Q: How does the memory bandwidth compare between the two?

A: The RTX A1000 has a memory bandwidth of 192.0 GB/s, which is exactly double the 96.00 GB/s of the T550 Mobile.

Q: Are there any tests where the T550 Mobile wins?

A: In the provided head-to-head data, the T550 Mobile does not win any of the two benchmarks. The RTX A1000 wins both the OpenCL and Vulkan tests.

Q: What is the difference in their average benchmark scores?

A: The RTX A1000 has an average benchmark score of 34,207, while the T550 Mobile has an average of 33,161.

Q: Which GPU has a higher pixel rate?

A: The T550 Mobile has a higher pixel rate of 53.28 GPixel/s, compared to the RTX A1000’s 46.78 GPixel/s.

Q: What is the transistor density of the RTX A1000?

A: The RTX A1000 has a transistor density of 43.5 million transistors per square millimeter, which is nearly double the 23.5M / mm² of the T550 Mobile.

Architecture Differences

The fundamental difference between these two GPUs lies in their underlying architectures. The RTX A1000 is built on the Ampere architecture, specifically the GA107 chip, while the T550 Mobile uses the older Turing architecture with the TU117 chip. This is a generational leap, and it shows in nearly every aspect of their design.

The manufacturing process is a key differentiator. The A1000 is fabricated on an 8 nm process at Samsung, while the T550 Mobile uses a 12 nm process at TSMC. This smaller node allows the A1000 to pack significantly more transistors into the same physical space. The A1000 has 8,700 million transistors on a 200 mm² die, resulting in a density of 43.5 million transistors per square millimeter. The T550 Mobile has 4,700 million transistors, also on a 200 mm² die, but with a much lower density of 23.5 million per square millimeter. This explains how the A1000 can offer double the shading units and other compute resources.

The A1000 features hardware ray tracing cores and tensor cores, with 18 RT cores and 72 tensor cores. The T550 Mobile has none of these, as it is based on the earlier Turing architecture which did not include these dedicated units in this segment. This means the A1000 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the T550 Mobile is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1). The A1000’s feature set is therefore more future-proof for applications that leverage these advanced compute paths.

The A1000 also has a more modern bus interface, using PCIe 4.0 x8, whereas the T550 Mobile is limited to PCIe 3.0 x16. While the x16 link of the T550 Mobile has more lanes, the newer PCIe 4.0 standard provides higher bandwidth per lane, which can be beneficial for data transfer in certain professional workloads. The A1000’s display outputs are 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a, while the T550 Mobile is described as "Portable Device Dependent," indicating its outputs are determined by the laptop manufacturer.

Specification Differences

A direct comparison of specifications shows the A1000 is the more powerful part on paper. The shading units tell a clear story: the A1000 has 2,304, while the T550 Mobile has 1,024. This is a 2.25x difference in raw shader count. The texture mapping units (TMUs) also differ, with the A1000 having 72 versus the T550 Mobile’s 64. Both have 32 ROPs, which is a point of parity.

Memory is another major differentiator. The A1000 comes with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The T550 Mobile is equipped with only 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 64-bit bus, yielding 96.00 GB/s. This difference in memory capacity and bandwidth is critical for large datasets and high-resolution textures. The A1000’s memory is also noted as running at 1500 MHz with 12 Gbps effective speed, which is identical to the T550 Mobile’s memory clock, but the wider bus gives the A1000 its bandwidth advantage.

The compute capabilities also diverge significantly. The A1000 delivers 6.737 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the T550 Mobile manages 3.410 TFLOPS. This is a 1.98x difference, closely matching the shading unit count. Interestingly, the FP16 performance is nearly identical: the A1000 offers 6.737 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), while the T550 Mobile offers 6.820 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio). This means the T550 Mobile can match the A1000 in FP16 workloads by sacrificing some precision, but its FP32 performance is far behind.

Power consumption is a major point of divergence. The A1000 has a TDP of 50 W, while the T550 Mobile is rated at just 23 W. This makes the T550 Mobile a more power-efficient part, but it comes at the cost of raw performance. The A1000 is a single-slot card, while the T550 Mobile is an integrated graphics processor (IGP), meaning it is soldered onto the motherboard. The A1000’s suggested PSU is 250 W, while the T550 Mobile has no such requirement. The production status also differs: the A1000 is "Active," while the T550 Mobile is "End-of-life."

Where Each One Wins

The RTX A1000 wins decisively in compute-heavy tasks. Its FP32 performance is nearly double that of the T550 Mobile, and its memory bandwidth is exactly double. This makes it the clear choice for applications like 3D rendering, video editing, and any workload that relies on general-purpose GPU computing. The presence of RT and tensor cores also gives it a distinct advantage in newer software that utilizes ray tracing or AI-accelerated features. The benchmark data confirms this, with the A1000 winning both the OpenCL and Vulkan tests by a wide margin.

The T550 Mobile’s strengths lie in its efficiency and portability. With a TDP of 23 W, it draws less than half the power of the A1000. This is a critical factor in thin-and-light laptops where thermal headroom and battery life are paramount. Its higher pixel rate of 53.28 GPixel/s compared to the A1000’s 46.78 GPixel/s suggests it might have a slight edge in fill-rate-bound scenarios, though this is not reflected in the compute benchmarks. The T550 Mobile is also an IGP, which means it can be integrated into more compact designs.

In terms of raw performance, the A1000 is the unequivocal winner. However, the T550 Mobile’s lower power draw could make it a better fit for specific, power-sensitive designs. The T550 Mobile’s average benchmark score of 33,161 is only 3% lower than the A1000’s 34,207, despite the large head-to-head margins. This suggests that the T550 Mobile performs relatively better in other, non-compute-intensive tests, though those results are not available in the provided data.

The Verdict

The data clearly indicates that the NVIDIA RTX A1000 is the superior performer for anyone prioritizing raw compute power. Its 46.6% lead in OpenCL and 60.9% lead in Vulkan are decisive, and its doubled memory bandwidth and shading unit count make it a more capable workstation GPU. The inclusion of RT and tensor cores, coupled with DirectX 12 Ultimate support, positions it for modern professional software. Users who run GPU-accelerated renderers, simulations, or machine learning inference will find the A1000 significantly faster.

The NVIDIA T550 Mobile, on the other hand, is a more specialized part. Its 23 W TDP makes it ideal for ultra-portable workstations where battery life is critical. While it loses in compute benchmarks, its higher pixel rate and lower power consumption could be advantageous in specific 2D or light 3D workloads. It is an end-of-life product, so it may be found in existing laptops rather than new purchases. For a user who needs a display adapter for occasional CAD or light photo editing and values maximum battery life, the T550 Mobile might suffice, but it will not handle heavy compute tasks as efficiently as the A1000.

The choice between these two is ultimately a trade-off between performance and power efficiency. The A1000 is the clear winner in every head-to-head benchmark, and its architectural advantages make it the better long-term investment for professional workloads. The T550 Mobile is a legacy part that offers a power-efficient alternative, but it cannot match the A1000’s computational throughput. For most professional users, the RTX A1000 is the recommended option based on the benchmark data.