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GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon HD 5550

CPUCPUGPUGPU
NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060

2016Core: 1607 MHzBoost: 1733 MHz
Buy on Amazon
VS
AMD

Radeon HD 5550

2009Core: 725 MHz
Buy on Amazon

GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon HD 5550 Performance Spectrum

GeForce GTX 1060
6 GB 180
10,064
+2520.8%
brand logoGeForce GTX 680
brand logoGeForce GTX 970XM FORCE
brand logoGeForce RTX 2050 Mobile
brand logoGeForce GTX TITAN Z
brand logoGeForce GTX 980 Ti
brand logoGeForce RTX 5060 Mobile
brand logoGeForce RTX 2080 Ti
brand logoGeForce RTX 4080 Mobile
Radeon HD 5550
2 GB 151
384
0.0%
brand logoMobility Radeon. HD 5470
brand logoRadeon HD 8280E
brand logoRadeon HD 2900 GT
brand logoRadeon HD 8310E
brand logoRadeon R9 M395X
brand logoRadeon R9 Fury + Fury X
brand logoRadeon RX 7600M XT
brand logoRadeon 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 GTX 1060 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.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low117 FPS
medium105 FPS
high91 FPS
ultra77 FPS
1080P
Radeon HD 5550
low17 FPS
medium14 FPS
high12 FPS
ultra9 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low216 FPS
medium181 FPS
high148 FPS
ultra113 FPS
1080P
Radeon HD 5550
low17 FPS
medium14 FPS
high12 FPS
ultra9 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low453 FPS
medium362 FPS
high302 FPS
ultra226 FPS
1080P
Radeon HD 5550
low17 FPS
medium14 FPS
high12 FPS
ultra9 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low358 FPS
medium302 FPS
high260 FPS
ultra226 FPS
1080P
Radeon HD 5550
low17 FPS
medium14 FPS
high12 FPS
ultra9 FPS
Among Us

Among Us

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low60 FPS
medium60 FPS
high60 FPS
ultra60 FPS
1080P
Radeon HD 5550
low17 FPS
medium14 FPS
high12 FPS
ultra9 FPS
Apex Legends

Apex Legends

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low237 FPS
medium218 FPS
high193 FPS
ultra177 FPS
1080P
Radeon HD 5550
low17 FPS
medium14 FPS
high12 FPS
ultra9 FPS
ARC Raiders

ARC Raiders

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low92 FPS
medium73 FPS
high59 FPS
ultra41 FPS
1080P
Radeon HD 5550
low17 FPS
medium14 FPS
high12 FPS
ultra9 FPS
Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low128 FPS
medium104 FPS
high94 FPS
ultra70 FPS
1080P
Radeon HD 5550
low17 FPS
medium14 FPS
high12 FPS
ultra9 FPS
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low107 FPS
medium91 FPS
high69 FPS
ultra60 FPS
1080P
Radeon HD 5550
low17 FPS
medium14 FPS
high12 FPS
ultra9 FPS
Call of Duty: Warzone

Call of Duty: Warzone

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low122 FPS
medium101 FPS
high85 FPS
ultra72 FPS
1080P
Radeon HD 5550
low17 FPS
medium14 FPS
high12 FPS
ultra9 FPS
Check FPS with Custom Builds

GeForce GTX 1060 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 GTX 1060

2016

Why buy it

  • ✅1135.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • ✅Delivers 689.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 5.1 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $75 MSRP).
  • ✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 2 GB).
  • ✅Radeon HD 5550 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so GeForce GTX 1060 is the less risky modern option long term.

Trade-offs

  • ❌2016 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • ❌19.2% higher power demand at 180W vs 151W.

Radeon HD 5550

2009

Why buy it

  • ✅Costs $174 less on MSRP ($75 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
  • ✅Draws 151W instead of 180W, a 29W reduction.
  • ✅Measures 168mm instead of 173mm, a 5mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • ❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • ❌2009 hardware with 2 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 5.1 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($75 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce GTX 1060 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 1135.6% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2520.8% in PassMark G3D (10,064 vs 384), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce GTX 1060 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 6 GB vs 2 GB of VRAM, a 16nm process instead of 40nm, and a newer 2016 generation instead of 2009. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce GTX 1060 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $174 more expensive on MSRP at $249 vs $75, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 689.4% (40.4 vs 5.1), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon HD 5550 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060

The GeForce GTX 1060 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 27 2016. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1607 MHz to 1733 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 180W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 10,064 points. Launch price was $599.

AMD

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

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon HD 5550's 384 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 2520.8%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon HD 5550 uses TeraScale 2, both on 16 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1,440 (Radeon HD 5550). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 2.088 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 5550).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon HD 5550
G3D Mark Score
10,064+2521%
384
Architecture
Pascal
TeraScale 2
Process Node
16 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
2560+78%
1440
Compute (TFLOPS)
8.873 TFLOPS+325%
2.088 TFLOPS
ROPs
64+100%
32
TMUs
160+122%
72
L1 Cache
960 KB+567%
144 KB
L2 Cache
2 MB+300%
0.5 MB
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 1060 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.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon 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 GTX 1060 has 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 5550 carries 2 GB. GeForce GTX 1060 gives you 200% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 1060 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 5550. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 5550) — the GeForce GTX 1060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon HD 5550
VRAM Capacity
6 GB+200%
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
192 GB/s
Unknown
Bus Width
192-bit+50%
128-bit
L2 Cache
2 MB+300%
0.5 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 11.2 (11_0) (Radeon HD 5550). Vulkan: 1.3 vs N/A. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon HD 5550
DirectX
12+7%
11.2 (11_0)
Vulkan
1.3
N/A
OpenGL
4.5+2%
4.4
Max Displays
4+33%
3
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060) vs None (Radeon HD 5550). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs UVD 2.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 5550).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon HD 5550
Encoder
NVENC (Pascal)
None
Decoder
NVDEC (Pascal)
UVD 2.2
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon HD 5550's 151W — a 17.5% difference. The Radeon HD 5550 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 200W (Radeon HD 5550). Power connectors: 6-pin vs None. Card length: 173mm vs 168mm, occupying 2 vs 1 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon HD 5550
TDP
180W
151W-16%
Recommended PSU
400W
200W-50%
Power Connector
6-pin
None
Length
173mm
168mm
Height
111mm
69mm
Slots
2
1-50%
Temp (Load)
—
70
Perf/Watt
55.9+2136%
2.5
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 1060 came in at $249, while the Radeon HD 5550 launched at $75. On MSRP, Radeon HD 5550 was 69.9% cheaper ($174 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 5.1 (Radeon HD 5550) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 692.2% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 1060 (2016 vs 2009).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon HD 5550
MSRP
$249
$75-70%
Performance per Dollar
40.4+692%
5.1
Codename
GP104
Cypress
Release
May 27 2016
September 30 2009
Ranking
#137
#682
Search GeForce GTX 1060 on AmazonSearch Radeon HD 5550 on Amazon

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