GeForce GT 130 vs Radeon HD 5550

NVIDIA

GeForce GT 130

2017Core: 1228 MHzBoost: 1468 MHz
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 5550

2009Core: 725 MHz
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GeForce GT 130 vs Radeon HD 5550 Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

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 GT 130 vs Radeon HD 5550 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 GT 130 vs Radeon HD 5550: 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 GT 130

2017

Why buy it

  • Draws 30W instead of 151W, a 121W reduction.
  • More future proof: Pascal (2016−2021) on 14nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 5550 across 41 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2017 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 33.3% HIGHER MSRP
    $100 MSRPvs$75 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 3.8 vs 5.1 G3D/$ ($100 MSRP vs $75 MSRP).

Radeon HD 5550

2009

Why buy it

  • 15.8% more average FPS across 41 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $25 less on MSRP ($75 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).
  • Delivers 34.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.1 vs 3.8 G3D/$ ($75 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).
  • 33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 2 GB).
  • Measures 168mm instead of 229mm, a 61mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • 2009 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 403.3% higher power demand at 151W vs 30W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD 5550 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 15.8% in average FPS across 41 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0.8% in PassMark G3D (384 vs 381), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce GT 130 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 14nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2017 generation instead of 2009. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon HD 5550 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $25 cheaper on MSRP at $75 vs $100, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 34.4% (5.1 vs 3.8), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 5550 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GT 130 has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GT 130 vs Radeon HD 5550 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce GT 130

The GeForce GT 130 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 17 2017. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1228 MHz to 1468 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 381 points. Launch price was $79.

AMD

Radeon HD 5550

The Radeon HD 5550 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in September 30 2009. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 725 MHz. It has 1440 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 151W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 384 points. Launch price was $299.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GT 130 scores 381 and the Radeon HD 5550 reaches 384 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GT 130 is built on Pascal while the Radeon HD 5550 uses TeraScale 2, both on 14 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce GT 130) vs 1,440 (Radeon HD 5550). Raw compute: 1.127 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 130) vs 2.088 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 5550).

FeatureGeForce GT 130Radeon HD 5550
G3D Mark Score
381
384
Architecture
Pascal
TeraScale 2
Process Node
14 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
384
1440+275%
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.127 TFLOPS
2.088 TFLOPS+85%
ROPs
16
32+100%
TMUs
24
72+200%
L1 Cache
144 KB
144 KB
L2 Cache
512 KB
512 KB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GT 130 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 5550 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GT 130Radeon HD 5550
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)

The GeForce GT 130 has 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 5550 carries 2 GB. Radeon HD 5550 gives you 33.3% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the GeForce GT 130 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 5550.

FeatureGeForce GT 130Radeon HD 5550
VRAM Capacity
1.5 GB
2 GB+33%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
64-bit
128-bit+100%
L2 Cache
512 KB
512 KB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10.0 (GeForce GT 130) vs 11.2 (11_0) (Radeon HD 5550). Vulkan: None vs N/A. OpenGL: 3.3 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 3.

FeatureGeForce GT 130Radeon HD 5550
DirectX
10.0
11.2 (11_0)+12%
Vulkan
None
N/A
OpenGL
3.3
4.4+33%
Max Displays
2
3+50%
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (GeForce GT 130) vs None (Radeon HD 5550). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP3 vs UVD 2.2. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (GeForce GT 130) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 5550).

FeatureGeForce GT 130Radeon HD 5550
Encoder
No
None
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP3
UVD 2.2
Codecs
MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GT 130 draws 30W versus the Radeon HD 5550's 151W — a 133.7% difference. The GeForce GT 130 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GT 130) vs 200W (Radeon HD 5550). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs None. Card length: 229mm vs 168mm, occupying 1 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 70.

FeatureGeForce GT 130Radeon HD 5550
TDP
30W-80%
151W
Recommended PSU
350W
200W-43%
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
None
Length
229mm
168mm
Height
111mm
69mm
Slots
1
1
Temp (Load)
75°C
70-7%
Perf/Watt
12.7+408%
2.5
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GT 130 came in at $100, while the Radeon HD 5550 launched at $75. On MSRP, Radeon HD 5550 was 25% cheaper ($25 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 3.8 (GeForce GT 130) vs 5.1 (Radeon HD 5550) — the Radeon HD 5550 offers 34.2% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GT 130 (2017 vs 2009).

FeatureGeForce GT 130Radeon HD 5550
MSRP
$100
$75-25%
Performance per Dollar
3.8
5.1+34%
Codename
GP108
Cypress
Release
May 17 2017
September 30 2009
Ranking
#641
#682

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