GeForce GT 550M vs GeForce GTS 250

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 550M vs GeForce GTS 250 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 550M vs GeForce GTS 250: 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 550M

2013

Why buy it

✅Draws 50W instead of 106W, a 56W reduction.
✅More future proof: Kepler (2012−2018) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTS 250 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2013 hardware with 1 GB 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 4.4 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $129 MSRP).

GeForce GTS 250

2010

Why buy it

✅19.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 4.4 vs 0 G3D/$ ($129 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌2010 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌112% higher power demand at 106W vs 50W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce GTS 250 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 19.1% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1.4% in PassMark G3D (569 vs 561), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce GT 550M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2013 generation instead of 2010. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce GTS 250 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, GeForce GTS 250 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GT 550M has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GT 550M vs GeForce GTS 250 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GT 550M

The GeForce GT 550M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in June 25 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock speed is 980 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 561 points.

GeForce GTS 250

The GeForce GTS 250 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 13 2010. It features the Fermi architecture. The core clock speed is 783 MHz. It has 192 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 106W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 569 points. Launch price was $129.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GT 550M scores 561 and the GeForce GTS 250 reaches 569 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GT 550M is built on Kepler while the GeForce GTS 250 uses Fermi, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce GT 550M) vs 192 (GeForce GTS 250). Raw compute: 0.7526 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 550M) vs 0.6013 TFLOPS (GeForce GTS 250).

Feature	GeForce GT 550M	GeForce GTS 250
G3D Mark Score	561	569+1%
Architecture	Kepler	Fermi
Process Node	28 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	384+100%	192
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.7526 TFLOPS+25%	0.6013 TFLOPS
ROPs	16	16
TMUs	32	32
L1 Cache	32 KB	256 KB+700%
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce GT 550M	GeForce GTS 250
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 1 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce GT 550M and 128-bit on the GeForce GTS 250.

Feature	GeForce GT 550M	GeForce GTS 250
VRAM Capacity	1 GB	1 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.0 (GeForce GT 550M) vs 11.1 (10_0) (GeForce GTS 250). OpenGL: 4.0 vs 3.3. Maximum simultaneous displays: 1 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce GT 550M	GeForce GTS 250
DirectX	11.0	11.1 (10_0)
OpenGL	4.0+21%	3.3
Max Displays	1	2+100%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (GeForce GT 550M) vs PureVideo HD VP5 (GeForce GTS 250). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP4 vs PureVideo HD VP5. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP (GeForce GT 550M) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce GTS 250).

Feature	GeForce GT 550M	GeForce GTS 250
Encoder	No	PureVideo HD VP5
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP4	PureVideo HD VP5
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GT 550M draws 50W versus the GeForce GTS 250's 106W — a 71.8% difference. The GeForce GT 550M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GT 550M) vs 450W (GeForce GTS 250). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 229mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 90°C.

Feature	GeForce GT 550M	GeForce GTS 250
TDP	50W-53%	106W
Recommended PSU	350W-22%	450W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	1x 6-pin
Length	0mm	229mm
Height	0mm	111mm
Slots	0-100%	2
Temp (Load)	85°C-6%	90°C
Perf/Watt	11.2+107%	5.4

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce GT 550M (2013 vs 2010).

Feature	GeForce GT 550M	GeForce GTS 250
MSRP	—	$129
Codename	GK107	GF106
Release	June 25 2013	September 13 2010
Ranking	#726	#791

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