Radeon 550 vs Radeon HD 7770

AMD

Radeon 550

2017Core: 1100 MHzBoost: 1183 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 7770

2012Core: 1000 MHz
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Radeon 550 vs Radeon HD 7770 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.

Radeon 550 vs Radeon HD 7770 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.

Radeon 550 vs Radeon HD 7770: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

Radeon 550

2017

Why buy it

  • Costs $80 less on MSRP ($79 MSRP vs $159 MSRP).
  • Delivers 98.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 27.1 vs 13.7 G3D/$ ($79 MSRP vs $159 MSRP).
  • Draws 50W instead of 80W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • 2017 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon HD 7770

2012

Why buy it

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

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.
  • 101.3% HIGHER MSRP
    $159 MSRPvs$79 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 13.7 vs 27.1 G3D/$ ($159 MSRP vs $79 MSRP).
  • 60% higher power demand at 80W vs 50W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD 7770 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 1.5% in PassMark G3D (2,173 vs 2,140), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon 550 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 14nm process instead of 28nm and a newer 2017 generation instead of 2012. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon 550 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $80 cheaper on MSRP at $79 vs $159, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 98.2% (27.1 vs 13.7), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon HD 7770 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

Radeon 550 vs Radeon HD 7770 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

Radeon 550

The Radeon 550 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: 2,140 points. Launch price was $79.

AMD

Radeon HD 7770

The Radeon HD 7770 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in February 15 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 80W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,173 points. Launch price was $159.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon 550 scores 2,140 and the Radeon HD 7770 reaches 2,173 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon 550 is built on GCN 4.0 while the Radeon HD 7770 uses GCN 1.0, both on 14 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 512 (Radeon 550) vs 640 (Radeon HD 7770). Raw compute: 1.211 TFLOPS (Radeon 550) vs 1.28 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7770).

FeatureRadeon 550Radeon HD 7770
G3D Mark Score
2,140
2,173+2%
Architecture
GCN 4.0
GCN 1.0
Process Node
14 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
512
640+25%
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.211 TFLOPS
1.28 TFLOPS+6%
ROPs
16
16
TMUs
32
40+25%
L1 Cache
128 KB
160 KB+25%
L2 Cache
256 KB
256 KB
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling
FSR upscaling

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon 550Radeon HD 7770
Upscaling Tech
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
AMD Anti-Lag
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 2 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the Radeon 550 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 7770.

FeatureRadeon 550Radeon HD 7770
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
128-bit+100%
L2 Cache
256 KB
256 KB
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon 550 draws 50W versus the Radeon HD 7770's 80W — a 46.2% difference. The Radeon 550 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (Radeon 550) vs 450W (Radeon HD 7770). Power connectors: None vs 1x 6-pin.

FeatureRadeon 550Radeon HD 7770
TDP
50W-38%
80W
Recommended PSU
300W-33%
450W
Power Connector
None
1x 6-pin
Length
210mm
Slots
2
Perf/Watt
42.8+57%
27.2
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon 550 came in at $79, while the Radeon HD 7770 launched at $159. On MSRP, Radeon 550 was 50.3% cheaper ($80 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 27.1 (Radeon 550) vs 13.7 (Radeon HD 7770) — the Radeon 550 offers 97.8% better value. The newer card here is Radeon 550 (2017 vs 2012).

FeatureRadeon 550Radeon HD 7770
MSRP
$79-50%
$159
Performance per Dollar
27.1+98%
13.7
Codename
Lexa
Cape Verde
Release
April 20 2017
February 15 2012
Ranking
#668
#664

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