GeForce GT 420M vs Radeon HD 5550

CPU

GPU

GeForce GT 420M

2012Core: Up to 625 MHzBoost: 645 MHz

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Radeon HD 5550

2009Core: 725 MHz

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GeForce GT 420M vs Radeon HD 5550 Performance Spectrum

GeForce GT 420M

0.5 GB 32

392

+2.1%

GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU

Radeon HD 5550

2 GB 151

384

0.0%

Mobility Radeon. HD 5470

Radeon R9 Fury + Fury X

Radeon RX 7600M XT

Radeon RX 6700 XT

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 420M 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 420M 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 420M

2012

Why buy it

✅Draws 32W instead of 151W, a 119W reduction.
✅More future proof: Kepler (2012−2018) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 5550 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2012 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 5.1 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $75 MSRP).

Radeon HD 5550

2009

Why buy it

✅57.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.1 vs 0 G3D/$ ($75 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 512 MB).

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.
❌371.9% higher power demand at 151W vs 32W.

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 57.6% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GT 420M instead at 392 vs 384, 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 GT 420M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2012 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 today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. 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 420M has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GT 420M vs Radeon HD 5550 Technical Specifications

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

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)

The GeForce GT 420M 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.

Feature	GeForce GT 420M	Radeon 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 420M has 512 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 5550 carries 2 GB. Radeon HD 5550 gives you 300% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce GT 420M and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 5550. 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 newer card here is GeForce GT 420M (2012 vs 2009).

Feature	GeForce GT 420M	Radeon HD 5550
MSRP	—	$75
Codename	GK107	Cypress
Release	March 22 2012	September 30 2009
Ranking	#909	#682

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