Radeon 550 vs Radeon Ryzen 5 5600U

AMD

Radeon 550

2017Core: 1100 MHzBoost: 1183 MHz
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VS
AMD

Radeon Ryzen 5 5600U

2019Boost: 1845 MHz
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Radeon 550 vs Radeon Ryzen 5 5600U 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 Ryzen 5 5600U 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 Ryzen 5 5600U: 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 $221 less on MSRP ($79 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
  • Delivers 287.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 27.1 vs 7.0 G3D/$ ($79 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
  • Draws 50W instead of 110W, a 60W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon Ryzen 5 5600U across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 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 Ryzen 5 5600U

2019

Why buy it

  • 109.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Radeon 550 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so Radeon Ryzen 5 5600U is the less risky modern option long term.
  • More future proof: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Older hardware, 2 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.
  • 279.7% HIGHER MSRP
    $300 MSRPvs$79 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 7.0 vs 27.1 G3D/$ ($300 MSRP vs $79 MSRP).
  • 120% higher power demand at 110W vs 50W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon Ryzen 5 5600U is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 109.2% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon 550 instead at 2,140 vs 2,095, 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 Ryzen 5 5600U is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 7nm process instead of 14nm and a newer 2019 generation instead of 2017. 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 $221 cheaper on MSRP at $79 vs $300, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 287.9% (27.1 vs 7.0), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon 550 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon Ryzen 5 5600U has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon 550 vs Radeon Ryzen 5 5600U 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 Ryzen 5 5600U

The Radeon Ryzen 5 5600U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 7 2019. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1845 MHz. It has 1408 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 110W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,095 points.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon 550 scores 2,140 and the Radeon Ryzen 5 5600U reaches 2,095 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon 550 is built on GCN 4.0 while the Radeon Ryzen 5 5600U uses RDNA 1.0, both on 14 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 512 (Radeon 550) vs 1,408 (Radeon Ryzen 5 5600U). Raw compute: 1.211 TFLOPS (Radeon 550) vs 5.196 TFLOPS (Radeon Ryzen 5 5600U). Boost clocks: 1183 MHz vs 1845 MHz.

FeatureRadeon 550Radeon Ryzen 5 5600U
G3D Mark Score
2,140+2%
2,095
Architecture
GCN 4.0
RDNA 1.0
Process Node
14 nm
7 nm
Shading Units
512
1408+175%
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.211 TFLOPS
5.196 TFLOPS+329%
Boost Clock
1183 MHz
1845 MHz+56%
ROPs
16
32+100%
TMUs
32
88+175%
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling
FSR upscaling + RSR

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon 550Radeon Ryzen 5 5600U
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 video memory. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the Radeon 550 and System on the Radeon Ryzen 5 5600U.

FeatureRadeon 550Radeon Ryzen 5 5600U
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
Shared
Bus Width
64-bit
System
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon 550 draws 50W versus the Radeon Ryzen 5 5600U's 110W — a 75% difference. The Radeon 550 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (Radeon 550) vs 350W (Radeon Ryzen 5 5600U). Power connectors: None vs None.

FeatureRadeon 550Radeon Ryzen 5 5600U
TDP
50W-55%
110W
Recommended PSU
300W-14%
350W
Power Connector
None
None
Perf/Watt
42.8+125%
19.0
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon 550 came in at $79, while the Radeon Ryzen 5 5600U launched at $300. On MSRP, Radeon 550 was 73.7% cheaper ($221 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 27.1 (Radeon 550) vs 7.0 (Radeon Ryzen 5 5600U) — the Radeon 550 offers 287.1% better value. The newer card here is Radeon Ryzen 5 5600U (2019 vs 2017).

FeatureRadeon 550Radeon Ryzen 5 5600U
MSRP
$79-74%
$300
Performance per Dollar
27.1+287%
7.0
Codename
Lexa
Navi 14
Release
April 20 2017
October 7 2019
Ranking
#668
#297

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