GeForce MX550 vs Radeon HD 7870 XT

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 MX550 vs Radeon HD 7870 XT 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 MX550 vs Radeon HD 7870 XT: 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 MX550

2021

Why buy it

✅Costs $120 less on MSRP ($150 MSRP vs $270 MSRP).
✅Delivers 80.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 29.9 vs 16.6 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs $270 MSRP).
✅Radeon HD 7870 XT is already obsolete for modern gaming, so GeForce MX550 is the less risky modern option long term.
✅Draws 25W instead of 185W, a 160W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7870 XT across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Older hardware, 2 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.

Radeon HD 7870 XT

2012

Why buy it

✅19.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌2012 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
80% HIGHER MSRP
$270 MSRPvs$150 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 16.6 vs 29.9 G3D/$ ($270 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
❌640% higher power demand at 185W vs 25W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 7870 XT is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 19.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce MX550 instead at 4,480 vs 4,470, 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?

GeForce MX550 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 12nm process instead of 28nm and a newer 2021 generation instead of 2012. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce MX550 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $120 cheaper on MSRP at $150 vs $270, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 80.4% (29.9 vs 16.6), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon HD 7870 XT still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce MX550 vs Radeon HD 7870 XT Technical Specifications

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

GeForce MX550

The GeForce MX550 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in December 17 2021. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1065 MHz to 1320 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 25W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,480 points.

Radeon HD 7870 XT

The Radeon HD 7870 XT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 19 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 925 MHz to 975 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 185W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,470 points. Launch price was $270.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce MX550 scores 4,480 and the Radeon HD 7870 XT reaches 4,470 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce MX550 is built on Turing while the Radeon HD 7870 XT uses GCN 1.0, both on 12 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,024 (GeForce MX550) vs 1,536 (Radeon HD 7870 XT). Raw compute: 2.703 TFLOPS (GeForce MX550) vs 2.995 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7870 XT). Boost clocks: 1320 MHz vs 975 MHz.

Feature	GeForce MX550	Radeon HD 7870 XT
G3D Mark Score	4,480	4,470
Architecture	Turing	GCN 1.0
Process Node	12 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1024	1536+50%
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.703 TFLOPS	2.995 TFLOPS+11%
Boost Clock	1320 MHz+35%	975 MHz
ROPs	16	32+100%
TMUs	32	96+200%
L1 Cache	2 MB+426%	0.38 MB
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce MX550 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 7870 XT leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce MX550	Radeon HD 7870 XT
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 2 GB of video memory. Memory bandwidth: 80 GB/s (GeForce MX550) vs 192 GB/s (Radeon HD 7870 XT) — a 140% advantage for the Radeon HD 7870 XT. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the GeForce MX550 and 256-bit on the Radeon HD 7870 XT. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce MX550) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 7870 XT) — the GeForce MX550 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce MX550	Radeon HD 7870 XT
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	80 GB/s	192 GB/s+140%
Bus Width	64-bit	256-bit+300%
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce MX550 draws 25W versus the Radeon HD 7870 XT's 185W — a 152.4% difference. The GeForce MX550 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce MX550) vs 500W (Radeon HD 7870 XT). Power connectors: Mobile vs 2x 6-pin.

Feature	GeForce MX550	Radeon HD 7870 XT
TDP	25W-86%	185W
Recommended PSU	350W-30%	500W
Power Connector	Mobile	2x 6-pin
Length	—	267mm
Height	—	111mm
Slots	—	2
Temp (Load)	—	80
Perf/Watt	179.2+640%	24.2

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce MX550 came in at $150, while the Radeon HD 7870 XT launched at $270. On MSRP, GeForce MX550 was 44.4% cheaper ($120 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 29.9 (GeForce MX550) vs 16.6 (Radeon HD 7870 XT) — the GeForce MX550 offers 80.1% better value. The newer card here is GeForce MX550 (2021 vs 2012).

Feature	GeForce MX550	Radeon HD 7870 XT
MSRP	$150-44%	$270
Performance per Dollar	29.9+80%	16.6
Codename	TU117S	Tahiti
Release	December 17 2021	November 19 2012
Ranking	#468	#469

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