CPU
GPU
GeForce GT 420M
Popular choices:
Radeon HD 5550
Popular choices:
Performance Spectrum - GPU
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.
Value Upgrade Path
This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (G3D Mark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money. The GeForce GT 420M is positioned at rank 113 and the Radeon HD 5550 is on rank 224, so the GeForce GT 420M offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar GeForce GT 420M
Performance Per Dollar Radeon HD 5550
Performance Comparison
About G3D Mark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
The GeForce GT 420M is the superior choice for raw performance. It leads with a 2.1% higher G3D Mark score. However, the Radeon HD 5550 offers more VRAM, which may be beneficial for texture-heavy scenarios at higher resolutions.
| Insight | GeForce GT 420M | Radeon HD 5550 |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | ✅Leading raw performance (+2.1%) | ❌Lower raw frame rates (-2.1%) |
| Longevity | 🛑Obsolete Architecture (2012 / Kepler (2012−2018)) | 🛑Obsolete Architecture (2009 / TeraScale 2 (2009−2015)) |
| Ecosystem | Supports FSR Upscaling | Supports FSR Upscaling |
| VRAM | ❌ Less VRAM capacity | ✅ More VRAM (+300%) |
| Efficiency | 💡 Excellent Perf/Watt | ⚡ Higher Power Consumption |
| Case Fit | — | 📏 Compact / SFF Friendly |
💎 Value Proposition
While current pricing data is unavailable, the GeForce GT 420M remains the clear technical winner. Check real-time availability to determine if the performance gap justifies the market price.
Performance Check
Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 7800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.
Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.
Technical Specifications
Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GT 420M and Radeon HD 5550
GeForce GT 420M
The GeForce GT 420M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 22 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from Up to 625 MHz to 645 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 32W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 392 points.
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 420M scores 392 and the Radeon HD 5550 reaches 384 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GT 420M is built on Kepler while the Radeon HD 5550 uses TeraScale 2, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce GT 420M) vs 1,440 (Radeon HD 5550). Raw compute: 0.48 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 420M) vs 2.088 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 5550).
| Feature | GeForce GT 420M | Radeon HD 5550 |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 392+2% | 384 |
| Architecture | Kepler | TeraScale 2 |
| Process Node | 28 nm | 40 nm |
| Shading Units | 384 | 1440+275% |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 0.48 TFLOPS | 2.088 TFLOPS+335% |
| ROPs | 16 | 32+100% |
| TMUs | 32 | 72+125% |
| L1 Cache | 32 KB | 144 KB+350% |
| L2 Cache | 256 KB | 512 KB+100% |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
| Feature | GeForce GT 420M | Radeon HD 5550 |
|---|---|---|
| Upscaling Tech | FSR 1.0 (Software) | FSR 1.0 (Software) |
| Frame Generation | Not Supported | Not Supported |
| Ray Reconstruction | No | No |
| Low Latency | Standard | AMD Anti-Lag |
Video Memory (VRAM)
The GeForce GT 420M comes with 512 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 5550 has 2 GB. The Radeon HD 5550 offers 300% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 128-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 256 KB (GeForce GT 420M) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 5550) — the Radeon HD 5550 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce GT 420M | Radeon HD 5550 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 0.5 GB | 2 GB+300% |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | Unknown | Unknown |
| Bus Width | 128-bit | 128-bit |
| L2 Cache | 256 KB | 512 KB+100% |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 11.0 (GeForce GT 420M) vs 11.2 (11_0) (Radeon HD 5550). Vulkan: None vs N/A. OpenGL: 4.0 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 1 vs 3.
| Feature | GeForce GT 420M | Radeon HD 5550 |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 11.0 | 11.2 (11_0)+2% |
| Vulkan | None | N/A |
| OpenGL | 4.0 | 4.4+10% |
| Max Displays | 1 | 3+200% |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: No (GeForce GT 420M) vs None (Radeon HD 5550). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP4 vs UVD 2.2. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP (GeForce GT 420M) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 5550).
| Feature | GeForce GT 420M | Radeon HD 5550 |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | No | None |
| Decoder | PureVideo HD VP4 | UVD 2.2 |
| Codecs | MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP | H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce GT 420M draws 32W versus the Radeon HD 5550's 151W — a 130.1% difference. The GeForce GT 420M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GT 420M) vs 200W (Radeon HD 5550). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs None. Card length: 0mm vs 168mm, occupying 0 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 70.
| Feature | GeForce GT 420M | Radeon HD 5550 |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 32W-79% | 151W |
| Recommended PSU | 350W | 200W-43% |
| Power Connector | PCIe-powered | None |
| Length | 0mm | 168mm |
| Height | 0mm | 69mm |
| Slots | 0-100% | 1 |
| Temp (Load) | 75°C | 70-7% |
| Perf/Watt | 12.3+392% | 2.5 |
Value Analysis
The GeForce GT 420M is the newer GPU (2012 vs 2009).
| Feature | GeForce GT 420M | Radeon HD 5550 |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | — | $75 |
| Avg Price (30d) | — | $75 |
| Codename | GK107 | Cypress |
| Release | March 22 2012 | September 30 2009 |
| Ranking | #909 | #682 |
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