NVIDIA Quadro FX 550M

# NVIDIA Quadro FX 550M, Benchmark Database Analysis

The NVIDIA Quadro FX 550M is a mobile workstation graphics processor from the Quadro FX Mobile generation, built on the 90 nm Curie architecture at TSMC. With a 35 W TDP, 128 MB of GDDR3 memory on a 128-bit bus, and a 16.00 GB/s memory bandwidth, this part targets entry-level mobile professional workloads from its March 2006 launch period. The data shows a processor that sits at the 50th percentile among all GPUs in the database, reflecting its mid-pack standing relative to the broader historical landscape.

Benchmark Performance

The Quadro FX 550M carries no dedicated benchmark scores in the database, with an average benchmark score of 0 and no entries in the benchmarks array. This absence of measured performance data means its percentile placement of 50 is derived from architectural parameters and historical context rather than direct workload testing. In practical terms, the chip’s theoretical throughput figures provide the clearest indication of its capabilities: a pixel rate of 3.600 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 5.400 GTexel/s, driven by 12 texture mapping units and 8 ROPs.

These figures, while modest by modern standards, were consistent with the entry-level mobile segment of its generation. The 128-bit memory bus combined with 500 MHz memory clock (1000 Mbps effective) yields 16.00 GB/s of bandwidth, which constrains fill-rate-bound workloads more severely than compute-bound tasks. The 3.600 GPixel/s pixel rate translates to roughly 3.6 million pixels per second per clock at the 500 MHz memory domain, a figure that would handle basic CAD viewport rendering but would struggle with high-resolution texture-heavy scenes.

The absence of FP32 or FP16 throughput numbers in the data further underscores the pre-unified-shader design of the Curie architecture, where vertex and pixel workloads were handled by separate pipelines. For the database’s percentile ranking, the 50th percentile indicates that half of all tracked GPUs score higher and half lower on the aggregate metric, a neutral position that aligns with its role as an entry-level professional mobile part rather than a performance leader.

How It Compares

The nearestRivals array is empty in the data, meaning no direct competitive comparisons are available from benchmark results. Without rival scores or deltaPct values, the Quadro FX 550M cannot be positioned against specific competing mobile workstation GPUs from its era. This absence of comparative data is notable, it suggests the database lacks sufficient benchmark entries for this part or its direct contemporaries to establish meaningful rival relationships.

What can be stated from the available facts is the predecessor and successor lineage: the Quadro FX 550M follows the Quadro FX Go and precedes the Quadro Fermi-M. This generational placement indicates a progression from the earlier Quadro FX Go series, with the Fermi-M successor representing a substantial architectural leap given Fermi’s introduction of unified shaders and compute capabilities. The 90 nm process node was already mature by 2006, with TSMC’s fabrication yielding 177 million transistors on a 125 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 1.4M / mm².

The end-of-life production status confirms this part is historical, and its lack of benchmark entries means users seeking performance comparisons must rely on the theoretical rates and architectural features documented here. In the absence of rival data, the most informative comparisons are internal: the 3.600 GPixel/s pixel rate versus the 5.400 GTexel/s texture rate shows a 1.5× ratio, typical of a design with more texture units relative to ROPs, favoring texture-bound workloads over pixel-fill-bound ones.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

The Quadro FX 550M predates dedicated ray tracing hardware by over a decade. The data explicitly lists no RT cores and no tensor cores, reflecting the Curie architecture’s fixed-function pipeline design from the mid-2000s. Ray tracing on this hardware, if attempted, would be entirely software-based, with no hardware acceleration for BVH traversal or ray-triangle intersection tests.

The feature set is defined by its API support: DirectX 9.0c (shader model 9_3) and OpenGL 2.1. These APIs represent the state of the art in 2006, with DirectX 9.0c supporting Shader Model 3.0 features such as dynamic branching and longer shader programs. OpenGL 2.1 similarly provided GLSL support, enabling programmable shading for professional applications. Notably, Vulkan is absent from the data, this API did not exist until 2016, and the Curie architecture is incompatible with modern compute APIs.

The 12 TMUs and 8 ROPs, combined with the 128 MB GDDR3 frame buffer, define the texture and pixel processing capabilities. For professional workloads of its era, CAD wireframe rendering, basic 3D modeling, and 2D drafting, the feature set was adequate. The lack of tensor cores means no AI-accelerated features, and the absence of RT cores means no hardware ray tracing, making this part unsuitable for modern DXR-based workloads or machine learning inference tasks.

Display outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent," indicating that the specific video connectors varied by laptop manufacturer and model. This is consistent with mobile workstation parts of the period, where display configuration was left to the OEM rather than standardized on the GPU itself.

FAQ

Q: What is the memory configuration of the Quadro FX 550M?

A: The Quadro FX 550M comes with 128 MB of GDDR3 memory, a 128-bit bus width, and a memory clock of 500 MHz (1000 Mbps effective), yielding a memory bandwidth of 16.00 GB/s.

Q: Does the Quadro FX 550M support hardware ray tracing?

A: No. The data lists no RT cores for this GPU, and the Curie architecture from 2006 predates hardware ray tracing acceleration. Any ray tracing would be software-based, with no dedicated hardware support.

Q: What APIs does the Quadro FX 550M support?

A: The GPU supports DirectX 9.0c (with shader model 9_3) and OpenGL 2.1. It does not support Vulkan, as that API was not available at the time of this product’s release.

Q: What is the transistor count and die size of this GPU?

A: The G73 chip contains 177 million transistors on a 125 mm² die, manufactured on a 90 nm process at TSMC. This results in a transistor density of 1.4M / mm².

Q: What is the production status of the Quadro FX 550M?

A: The production status is listed as "End-of-life." Its release date was March 12, 2006, and it has been succeeded by the Quadro Fermi-M, following its predecessor, the Quadro FX Go.

Q: What are the pixel and texture fill rates?

A: The pixel rate is 3.600 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 5.400 GTexel/s. These are derived from 8 ROPs and 12 TMUs at the chip’s operating clock.

Power and Cooling

The Quadro FX 550M has a thermal design power (TDP) of 35 W, a modest figure that reflects its mobile workstation positioning and the 90 nm process technology of its era. This level of power consumption is suitable for thin-and-light professional laptops, as it requires no exotic cooling solutions. The data does not specify a suggested PSU wattage, power connector requirements, or slot width, which is expected for a mobile GPU that draws power from the laptop’s internal power delivery system rather than a discrete PSU.

For mobile integration, the 35 W TDP allows for standard notebook cooling solutions, typically a heat pipe and fan assembly, without the need for dual-slot coolers or auxiliary power connectors. The absence of power connector specifications in the data is consistent with a mobile part that receives power through the motherboard’s dedicated GPU power rail. The bus interface is PCIe 1.0 x16, which provided sufficient bandwidth for the 16.00 GB/s memory subsystem and the GPU’s rendering workloads.

The 90 nm process node at TSMC produces 177 million transistors, and the 35 W TDP suggests a conservative clock regime to stay within thermal limits for mobile chassis. The pixel rate of 3.600 GPixel/s and texture rate of 5.400 GTexel/s represent the peak throughput achievable under this power envelope. Since no cooler specifications are provided, the data does not indicate whether a passive or active cooling solution is required; however, the 35 W figure typically necessitates active cooling in a laptop form factor, though some larger chassis with robust airflow might manage with passive cooling at reduced loads.

The end-of-life status and 2006 release date mean current users would need to consider the aging process node and potential thermal degradation over time. The 35 W TDP is low enough for many legacy laptop power supplies, but the lack of a suggested PSU in the data means system integrators must rely on the laptop’s original power adapter specifications. For any retrofit or repair scenario, the PCIe 1.0 x16 interface remains compatible with modern slots, though driver support for this end-of-life product would be a separate consideration.