GeForce PCX 5900 vs RADEON 9550

NVIDIA

GeForce PCX 5900

2011Core: 607 MHz
VS
AMD

RADEON 9550

2017Core: 1100 MHzBoost: 1183 MHz

GeForce PCX 5900 vs RADEON 9550 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 PCX 5900 vs RADEON 9550 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 PCX 5900 vs RADEON 9550: 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 PCX 5900

2011

Why buy it

  • Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

  • 2011 hardware with 256 MB 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 0.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $129 MSRP).
  • 630% higher power demand at 365W vs 50W.

RADEON 9550

2017

Why buy it

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 0.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($129 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • Draws 50W instead of 365W, a 315W reduction.
  • More future proof: GCN 4.0 (2016−2020) on 14nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 2017 hardware with 256 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?
RADEON 9550 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 2.9% in PassMark G3D (35 vs 34), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce PCX 5900 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
RADEON 9550 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, RADEON 9550 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce PCX 5900 has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce PCX 5900 vs RADEON 9550 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce PCX 5900

The GeForce PCX 5900 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 24 2011. It features the Fermi 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 607 MHz. It has 1024 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 365W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 34 points. Launch price was $699.

AMD

RADEON 9550

The RADEON 9550 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 20 2017. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1100 MHz to 1183 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 35 points. Launch price was $79.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce PCX 5900 scores 34 and the RADEON 9550 reaches 35 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce PCX 5900 is built on Fermi 2.0 while the RADEON 9550 uses GCN 4.0, both on 40 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 1,024 (GeForce PCX 5900) vs 512 (RADEON 9550). Raw compute: 1.244 TFLOPS ×2 (GeForce PCX 5900) vs 1.211 TFLOPS (RADEON 9550).

FeatureGeForce PCX 5900RADEON 9550
G3D Mark Score
34
35+3%
Architecture
Fermi 2.0
GCN 4.0
Process Node
40 nm
14 nm
Shading Units
1024 ×2+100%
512
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.244 TFLOPS ×2+3%
1.211 TFLOPS
ROPs
48 ×2+200%
16
TMUs
64 ×2+100%
32
L1 Cache
1 MB+669%
0.13 MB
L2 Cache
768 KB+200%
256 KB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce PCX 5900 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The RADEON 9550 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce PCX 5900RADEON 9550
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 256 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce PCX 5900 and 64-bit on the RADEON 9550. L2 Cache: 768 KB (GeForce PCX 5900) vs 256 KB (RADEON 9550) — the GeForce PCX 5900 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce PCX 5900RADEON 9550
VRAM Capacity
0.25 GB
0.25 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
128-bit+100%
64-bit
L2 Cache
768 KB+200%
256 KB
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce PCX 5900 draws 365W versus the RADEON 9550's 50W — a 151.8% difference. The RADEON 9550 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce PCX 5900) vs 350W (RADEON 9550). Power connectors: Legacy vs Legacy.

FeatureGeForce PCX 5900RADEON 9550
TDP
365W
50W-86%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
Legacy
Legacy
Perf/Watt
0.1
0.7+600%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce PCX 5900 came in at $0, while the RADEON 9550 launched at $129. On MSRP, GeForce PCX 5900 was 100+% cheaper ($129 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): Infinity (GeForce PCX 5900) vs 0.3 (RADEON 9550) — the GeForce PCX 5900 offers Infinity% better value. The newer card here is RADEON 9550 (2017 vs 2011).

FeatureGeForce PCX 5900RADEON 9550
MSRP
$0-100%
$129
Performance per Dollar
Infinity
0.3
Codename
GF110
Lexa
Release
March 24 2011
April 20 2017
Ranking
#555
#668

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