GeForce 720A vs Radeon HD 8550D

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

GeForce 720A vs Radeon HD 8550D FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

GeForce 720A vs Radeon HD 8550D: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

GeForce 720A

2015

Why buy it

✅Costs $20 less on MSRP ($30 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).
✅Delivers 69.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 19.2 vs 11.3 G3D/$ ($30 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).
✅Draws 33W instead of 130W, a 97W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 8550D across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2015 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon HD 8550D

2012

Why buy it

✅21.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌2012 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
66.7% HIGHER MSRP
$50 MSRPvs$30 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 11.3 vs 19.2 G3D/$ ($50 MSRP vs $30 MSRP).
❌293.9% higher power demand at 130W vs 33W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 8550D is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 21.2% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce 720A instead at 577 vs 567, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce 720A is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a newer 2015 generation instead of 2012. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce 720A makes the most sense to buy today. It is $20 cheaper on MSRP at $30 vs $50, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 69.6% (19.2 vs 11.3), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon HD 8550D still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce 720A vs Radeon HD 8550D Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

GeForce 720A

The GeForce 720A is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 13 2015. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 928 MHz to 941 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 33W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 577 points.

Radeon HD 8550D

The Radeon HD 8550D is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 5 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 130W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 567 points. Launch price was $249.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce 720A scores 577 and the Radeon HD 8550D reaches 567 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 720A is built on Maxwell while the Radeon HD 8550D uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 384 (GeForce 720A) vs 1,024 (Radeon HD 8550D). Raw compute: 0.7227 TFLOPS (GeForce 720A) vs 1.761 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8550D). Boost clocks: 941 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	GeForce 720A	Radeon HD 8550D
G3D Mark Score	577+2%	567
Architecture	Maxwell	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	384	1024+167%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.7227 TFLOPS	1.761 TFLOPS+144%
Boost Clock	941 MHz	1000 MHz+6%
ROPs	8	32+300%
TMUs	24	64+167%
L1 Cache	192 KB	256 KB+33%
L2 Cache	1 MB+100%	0.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 720A gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 8550D leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce 720A	Radeon HD 8550D
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 512 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce 720A and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 8550D. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce 720A) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 8550D) — the GeForce 720A has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce 720A	Radeon HD 8550D
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	0.5 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	1 MB+100%	0.5 MB

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 720A draws 33W versus the Radeon HD 8550D's 130W — a 119% difference. The GeForce 720A is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 720A) vs 350W (Radeon HD 8550D). Power connectors: Legacy vs 1x 6-pin.

Feature	GeForce 720A	Radeon HD 8550D
TDP	33W-75%	130W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	Legacy	1x 6-pin
Length	0mm	—
Height	0mm	—
Slots	0	—
Temp (Load)	85	—
Perf/Watt	17.5+298%	4.4

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 720A came in at $30, while the Radeon HD 8550D launched at $50. On MSRP, GeForce 720A was 40% cheaper ($20 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 19.2 (GeForce 720A) vs 11.3 (Radeon HD 8550D) — the GeForce 720A offers 69.9% better value. The newer card here is GeForce 720A (2015 vs 2012).

Feature	GeForce 720A	Radeon HD 8550D
MSRP	$30-40%	$50
Performance per Dollar	19.2+70%	11.3
Codename	GM108	Pitcairn
Release	March 13 2015	March 5 2012
Ranking	#810	#503

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