GeForce GT 740A vs Radeon HD 6550A

NVIDIA

GeForce GT 740A

2014Core: 993 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 6550A

2011Core: 600 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce GT 740A vs Radeon HD 6550A 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 740A vs Radeon HD 6550A 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 740A vs Radeon HD 6550A: 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 740A

2014

Why buy it

  • 0.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • More future proof: Kepler (2012−2018) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 2014 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 196.7% HIGHER MSRP
    $89 MSRPvs$30 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 8.0 vs 23.6 G3D/$ ($89 MSRP vs $30 MSRP).
  • 42.2% higher power demand at 64W vs 45W.

Radeon HD 6550A

2011

Why buy it

  • Costs $59 less on MSRP ($30 MSRP vs $89 MSRP).
  • Delivers 195.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 23.6 vs 8.0 G3D/$ ($30 MSRP vs $89 MSRP).
  • Draws 45W instead of 64W, a 19W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce GT 740A across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2011 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce GT 740A is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 0.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0.3% in PassMark G3D (710 vs 708), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce GT 740A is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2014 generation instead of 2011. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon HD 6550A makes the most sense to buy today. It is $59 cheaper on MSRP at $30 vs $89, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 195.8% (23.6 vs 8.0), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 6550A is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GT 740A has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GT 740A vs Radeon HD 6550A Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce GT 740A

The GeForce GT 740A is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 29 2014. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock speed is 993 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 64W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 710 points. Launch price was $89.

AMD

Radeon HD 6550A

The Radeon HD 6550A is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 19 2011. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 600 MHz. It has 480 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 45W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 708 points.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GT 740A scores 710 and the Radeon HD 6550A reaches 708 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GT 740A is built on Kepler while the Radeon HD 6550A uses TeraScale 2, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce GT 740A) vs 480 (Radeon HD 6550A). Raw compute: 0.7626 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 740A) vs 0.576 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6550A).

FeatureGeForce GT 740ARadeon HD 6550A
G3D Mark Score
710
708
Architecture
Kepler
TeraScale 2
Process Node
28 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
384
480+25%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.7626 TFLOPS+32%
0.576 TFLOPS
ROPs
16+100%
8
TMUs
32+33%
24
L1 Cache
32 KB
48 KB+50%
L2 Cache
256 KB
256 KB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GT 740A gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 6550A leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GT 740ARadeon HD 6550A
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)

Both cards ship with 512 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the GeForce GT 740A and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 6550A.

FeatureGeForce GT 740ARadeon HD 6550A
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
64-bit
128-bit+100%
L2 Cache
256 KB
256 KB
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GT 740A draws 64W versus the Radeon HD 6550A's 45W — a 34.9% difference. The Radeon HD 6550A is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 250W (GeForce GT 740A) vs 350W (Radeon HD 6550A). Power connectors: None vs 1x 6-pin.

FeatureGeForce GT 740ARadeon HD 6550A
TDP
64W
45W-30%
Recommended PSU
250W-29%
350W
Power Connector
None
1x 6-pin
Slots
0
Temp (Load)
75°C
Perf/Watt
11.1
15.7+41%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GT 740A came in at $89, while the Radeon HD 6550A launched at $30. On MSRP, Radeon HD 6550A was 66.3% cheaper ($59 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 8.0 (GeForce GT 740A) vs 23.6 (Radeon HD 6550A) — the Radeon HD 6550A offers 195% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GT 740A (2014 vs 2011).

FeatureGeForce GT 740ARadeon HD 6550A
MSRP
$89
$30-66%
Performance per Dollar
8.0
23.6+195%
Codename
GK107
Onega
Release
May 29 2014
April 19 2011
Ranking
#777
#926

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