Radeon HD 5550 vs GeForce GTX 260M
Radeon HD 5550
Popular choices:
GeForce GTX 260M
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Performance Spectrum - GPU
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.
Value Upgrade Path
This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (G3D Mark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money. The Radeon HD 5550 is positioned at rank 224 and the GeForce GTX 260M is on rank 134, so the GeForce GTX 260M offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Radeon HD 5550
Performance Per Dollar GeForce GTX 260M
Performance Comparison
About G3D Mark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
The Radeon HD 5550 is the superior choice for raw performance. It leads with a 0.5% higher G3D Mark score and 100% more VRAM (2 GB vs 1 GB). This advantage makes it significantly better for higher resolutions (1440p/4K) and graphic-intensive titles compared to the GeForce GTX 260M.
| Insight | Radeon HD 5550 | GeForce GTX 260M |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | ✅Leading raw performance (+0.5%) | ❌Lower raw frame rates (-0.5%) |
| Longevity | 🛑Obsolete Architecture (2009 / TeraScale 2 (2009−2015)) | 🛑Obsolete Architecture (2008 / Tesla 2.0 (2007−2013)) |
| Ecosystem | Supports FSR Upscaling | Supports FSR Upscaling |
| VRAM | ✅ More VRAM (+100%) | ❌ Less VRAM capacity |
| Efficiency | 💡 Excellent Perf/Watt | ⚡ Higher Power Consumption |
| Case Fit | 📏 Compact / SFF Friendly | — |
💎 Value Proposition
While current pricing data is unavailable, the Radeon HD 5550 remains the clear technical winner. Check real-time availability to determine if the performance gap justifies the market price.
Performance Check
Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 7800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.
Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.
Technical Specifications
Side-by-side comparison of Radeon HD 5550 and GeForce GTX 260M
Radeon HD 5550
The Radeon HD 5550 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in September 30 2009. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 725 MHz. It has 1440 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 151W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 384 points. Launch price was $299.
GeForce GTX 260M
The GeForce GTX 260M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in June 16 2008. It features the Tesla 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 576 MHz. It has 192 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 182W. Manufactured using 65 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 382 points. Launch price was $449.
Graphics Performance
The Radeon HD 5550 scores 384 and the GeForce GTX 260M reaches 382 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 5550 is built on TeraScale 2 while the GeForce GTX 260M uses Tesla 2.0, both on 40 nm vs 65 nm. Shader units: 1,440 (Radeon HD 5550) vs 192 (GeForce GTX 260M). Raw compute: 2.088 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 5550) vs 0.4769 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 260M).
| Feature | Radeon HD 5550 | GeForce GTX 260M |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 384 | 382 |
| Architecture | TeraScale 2 | Tesla 2.0 |
| Process Node | 40 nm | 65 nm |
| Shading Units | 1440+650% | 192 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 2.088 TFLOPS+338% | 0.4769 TFLOPS |
| ROPs | 32+14% | 28 |
| TMUs | 72+13% | 64 |
| L2 Cache | 512 KB+129% | 224 KB |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
| Feature | Radeon HD 5550 | GeForce GTX 260M |
|---|---|---|
| Upscaling Tech | FSR 1.0 (Software) | FSR 2.1 (Compatible) |
| Frame Generation | Not Supported | FSR 3 (Compatible) |
| Ray Reconstruction | No | No |
| Low Latency | AMD Anti-Lag | Standard |
Video Memory (VRAM)
The Radeon HD 5550 comes with 2 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce GTX 260M has 1 GB. The Radeon HD 5550 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 128-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 512 KB (Radeon HD 5550) vs 224 KB (GeForce GTX 260M) — the Radeon HD 5550 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | Radeon HD 5550 | GeForce GTX 260M |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 2 GB+100% | 1 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | Unknown | Unknown |
| Bus Width | 128-bit | 128-bit |
| L2 Cache | 512 KB+129% | 224 KB |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 11.2 (11_0) (Radeon HD 5550) vs 11.1 (10_0) (GeForce GTX 260M). OpenGL: 4.4 vs 3.3. Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 2.
| Feature | Radeon HD 5550 | GeForce GTX 260M |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 11.2 (11_0) | 11.1 (10_0) |
| OpenGL | 4.4+33% | 3.3 |
| Max Displays | 3+50% | 2 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: None (Radeon HD 5550) vs PureVideo HD VP2 (GeForce GTX 260M). Decoder: UVD 2.2 vs PureVideo HD VP2. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 5550) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce GTX 260M).
| Feature | Radeon HD 5550 | GeForce GTX 260M |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | None | PureVideo HD VP2 |
| Decoder | UVD 2.2 | PureVideo HD VP2 |
| Codecs | H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 | H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 |
Power & Dimensions
The Radeon HD 5550 draws 151W versus the GeForce GTX 260M's 182W — a 18.6% difference. The Radeon HD 5550 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 200W (Radeon HD 5550) vs 350W (GeForce GTX 260M). Power connectors: None vs None. Typical load temperature: 70 vs 85°C.
| Feature | Radeon HD 5550 | GeForce GTX 260M |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 151W-17% | 182W |
| Recommended PSU | 200W-43% | 350W |
| Power Connector | None | None |
| Length | 168mm | — |
| Height | 69mm | — |
| Slots | 1 | 0-100% |
| Temp (Load) | 70-18% | 85°C |
| Perf/Watt | 2.5+19% | 2.1 |
Value Analysis
The Radeon HD 5550 is the newer GPU (2009 vs 2008).
| Feature | Radeon HD 5550 | GeForce GTX 260M |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $75 | — |
| Avg Price (30d) | $75 | — |
| Codename | Cypress | GT200 |
| Release | September 30 2009 | June 16 2008 |
| Ranking | #682 | #821 |
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