GeForce GT 420M vs Radeon HD 6550D

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 6550D 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 6550D: 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 200W, a 168W reduction.
✅More future proof: Kepler (2012−2018) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 6550D across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌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 5.7 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $70 MSRP).

Radeon HD 6550D

2010

Why buy it

✅61.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.7 vs 0 G3D/$ ($70 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌2010 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌525% higher power demand at 200W vs 32W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 6550D is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 61.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2% in PassMark G3D (400 vs 392), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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 2010. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 6550D 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 6550D 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 6550D 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 6550D

The Radeon HD 6550D is manufactured by AMD. It was released in December 14 2010. It features the TeraScale 3 architecture. The boost clock speed is 800 MHz. It has 1408 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 400 points. Launch price was $299.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GT 420M scores 392 and the Radeon HD 6550D reaches 400 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GT 420M is built on Kepler while the Radeon HD 6550D uses TeraScale 3, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce GT 420M) vs 1,408 (Radeon HD 6550D). Raw compute: 0.48 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 420M) vs 2.253 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6550D). Boost clocks: 645 MHz vs 800 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GT 420M	Radeon HD 6550D
G3D Mark Score	392	400+2%
Architecture	Kepler	TeraScale 3
Process Node	28 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	384	1408+267%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.48 TFLOPS	2.253 TFLOPS+369%
Boost Clock	645 MHz	800 MHz+24%
ROPs	16	32+100%
TMUs	32	88+175%
L1 Cache	32 KB	352 KB+1000%
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 6550D leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GT 420M	Radeon HD 6550D
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

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Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 512 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce GT 420M and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 6550D. L2 Cache: 256 KB (GeForce GT 420M) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 6550D) — the Radeon HD 6550D has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GT 420M	Radeon HD 6550D
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	0.5 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GT 420M draws 32W versus the Radeon HD 6550D's 200W — a 144.8% difference. The GeForce GT 420M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GT 420M) vs 350W (Radeon HD 6550D). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 1x 6-pin.

Feature	GeForce GT 420M	Radeon HD 6550D
TDP	32W-84%	200W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	1x 6-pin
Length	0mm	—
Height	0mm	—
Slots	0	—
Temp (Load)	75°C	—
Perf/Watt	12.3+515%	2.0

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Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce GT 420M (2012 vs 2010).

Feature	GeForce GT 420M	Radeon HD 6550D
MSRP	—	$70
Codename	GK107	Cayman
Release	March 22 2012	December 14 2010
Ranking	#909	#623

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