GeForce GTX 970 vs Radeon RX 6550M

CPU

GPU

GeForce GTX 970

2014Core: 1050 MHzBoost: 1178 MHz

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Radeon RX 6550M

2023Core: 2000 MHzBoost: 2840 MHz

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GeForce GTX 970 vs Radeon RX 6550M Performance Spectrum

GeForce GTX 970

4 GB 150

9,640

0.0%

GeForce GTX 670

GeForce GTX 1050 Ti

GeForce GTX 980 (móvel)

GeForce GTX Titan

GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design

TITAN V CEO Edition

RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation

GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile

Radeon RX 6550M

4 GB 80

9,705

+0.7%

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 970 vs Radeon RX 6550M 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 GTX 970 vs Radeon RX 6550M: 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 970

2014

Why buy it

✅6.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 29.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
❌2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌87.5% higher power demand at 150W vs 80W.

Radeon RX 6550M

2023

Why buy it

✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
✅Better long-term bet: RDNA 2.0 (2020−2025) on 6nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
✅Draws 80W instead of 150W, a 70W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 970 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 29.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce GTX 970 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 6.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon RX 6550M instead at 9,705 vs 9,640, 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?

Radeon RX 6550M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer feature stack, with FSR 3 (2023) and FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023), while GeForce GTX 970 is limited to no meaningful modern upscaling stack and no comparable frame-generation support, a 6nm process instead of 28nm, 16 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2023 generation instead of 2014. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce GTX 970 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 GTX 970 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon RX 6550M has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 970 vs Radeon RX 6550M Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 970

The GeForce GTX 970 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 19 2014. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1050 MHz to 1178 MHz. It has 1664 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,640 points. Launch price was $329.

Radeon RX 6550M

The Radeon RX 6550M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 4 2023. It features the RDNA 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 2000 MHz to 2840 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 80W. Manufactured using 6 nm process technology. It features 16 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,705 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 970 scores 9,640 and the Radeon RX 6550M reaches 9,705 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 970 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Radeon RX 6550M uses RDNA 2.0, both on 28 nm vs 6 nm. Shader units: 1,664 (GeForce GTX 970) vs 1,024 (Radeon RX 6550M). Raw compute: 3.92 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 970) vs 5.816 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 6550M). Boost clocks: 1178 MHz vs 2840 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	Radeon RX 6550M
G3D Mark Score	9,640	9,705
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	RDNA 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	6 nm
Shading Units	1664+63%	1024
Compute (TFLOPS)	3.92 TFLOPS	5.816 TFLOPS+48%
Boost Clock	1178 MHz	2840 MHz+141%
ROPs	56+75%	32
TMUs	104+63%	64
L1 Cache	624 KB+144%	256 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 6550M is support for FSR Frame Generation + AFMF. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The GeForce GTX 970 does not have comparable native support in the same tier.The GeForce GTX 970 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon RX 6550M leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	Radeon RX 6550M
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR 3
Frame Generation	Not Supported	FSR Frame Generation + AFMF
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 4 GB of video memory. Memory bandwidth: 224 GB/s (GeForce GTX 970) vs 144 GB/s (Radeon RX 6550M) — a 55.6% advantage for the GeForce GTX 970. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 970 and 64-bit on the Radeon RX 6550M. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 970) vs 1 MB (Radeon RX 6550M) — the GeForce GTX 970 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	Radeon RX 6550M
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	224 GB/s+56%	144 GB/s
Bus Width	256-bit+300%	64-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FL 12_1) (GeForce GTX 970) vs 12.2 (Radeon RX 6550M). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	Radeon RX 6550M
DirectX	12 (FL 12_1)	12.2+2%
Vulkan	1.3	1.3
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 2nd gen (GeForce GTX 970) vs VCN 3.0 (Radeon RX 6550M). Decoder: PureVideo VP6 vs VCN 3.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 970) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Decode) (Radeon RX 6550M).

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	Radeon RX 6550M
Encoder	NVENC 2nd gen	VCN 3.0
Decoder	PureVideo VP6	VCN 3.0
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Decode)

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 970 draws 150W versus the Radeon RX 6550M's 80W — a 60.9% difference. The Radeon RX 6550M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 970) vs 500W (Radeon RX 6550M). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs Mobile. Card length: 267mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 80°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	Radeon RX 6550M
TDP	150W	80W-47%
Recommended PSU	500W	500W
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	Mobile
Length	267mm	0mm
Height	111mm	0mm
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	80°C	80°C
Perf/Watt	64.3	121.3+89%

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon RX 6550M (2023 vs 2014).

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	Radeon RX 6550M
MSRP	$329	—
Codename	GM204	Navi 24
Release	September 19 2014	January 4 2023
Ranking	#269	#267

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