Radeon HD 5550 vs Radeon HD 8610G

AMD

Radeon HD 5550

2009Core: 725 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 8610G

2013Core: 775 MHzBoost: 825 MHz

Radeon HD 5550 vs Radeon HD 8610G 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 HD 5550 vs Radeon HD 8610G 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 HD 5550 vs Radeon HD 8610G: 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 HD 5550

2009

Why buy it

  • 58.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $75 less on MSRP ($75 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
  • Delivers 91.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.1 vs 2.7 G3D/$ ($75 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
  • 300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 512 MB).

Trade-offs

  • 2009 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 202% higher power demand at 151W vs 50W.

Radeon HD 8610G

2013

Why buy it

  • Draws 50W instead of 151W, a 101W reduction.
  • More future proof: GCN 1.0 (2012−2020) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 5550 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2013 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 100% HIGHER MSRP
    $150 MSRPvs$75 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.7 vs 5.1 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs $75 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD 5550 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 58.1% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon HD 8610G instead at 401 vs 384, 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 HD 5550 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 2 GB vs 512 MB of VRAM. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon HD 5550 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $75 cheaper on MSRP at $75 vs $150, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 91.5% (5.1 vs 2.7), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Radeon HD 5550 vs Radeon HD 8610G Technical Specifications

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

AMD

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.

AMD

Radeon HD 8610G

The Radeon HD 8610G is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 1 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 775 MHz to 825 MHz. It has 320 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 401 points.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 5550 scores 384 and the Radeon HD 8610G reaches 401 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 5550 is built on TeraScale 2 while the Radeon HD 8610G uses GCN 1.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,440 (Radeon HD 5550) vs 320 (Radeon HD 8610G). Raw compute: 2.088 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 5550) vs 0.528 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8610G).

FeatureRadeon HD 5550Radeon HD 8610G
G3D Mark Score
384
401+4%
Architecture
TeraScale 2
GCN 1.0
Process Node
40 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
1440+350%
320
Compute (TFLOPS)
2.088 TFLOPS+295%
0.528 TFLOPS
ROPs
32+300%
8
TMUs
72+260%
20
L1 Cache
144 KB+80%
80 KB
L2 Cache
512 KB+300%
128 KB
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling
FSR upscaling

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon HD 5550Radeon HD 8610G
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)

The Radeon HD 5550 has 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 8610G carries 512 MB. Radeon HD 5550 gives you 300% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the Radeon HD 5550 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 8610G. L2 Cache: 512 KB (Radeon HD 5550) vs 128 KB (Radeon HD 8610G) — the Radeon HD 5550 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureRadeon HD 5550Radeon HD 8610G
VRAM Capacity
2 GB+300%
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
L2 Cache
512 KB+300%
128 KB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.2 (11_0) (Radeon HD 5550) vs 11.2 (FL 11_0) (Radeon HD 8610G). OpenGL: 4.4 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 3.

FeatureRadeon HD 5550Radeon HD 8610G
DirectX
11.2 (11_0)
11.2 (FL 11_0)
OpenGL
4.4
4.4
Max Displays
3
3
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (Radeon HD 5550) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 8610G). Decoder: UVD 2.2 vs UVD 3.0. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 5550) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Radeon HD 8610G).

FeatureRadeon HD 5550Radeon HD 8610G
Encoder
None
VCE 1.0
Decoder
UVD 2.2
UVD 3.0
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 5550 draws 151W versus the Radeon HD 8610G's 50W — a 100.5% difference. The Radeon HD 8610G is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 200W (Radeon HD 5550) vs 350W (Radeon HD 8610G). Power connectors: None vs 1x 6-pin.

FeatureRadeon HD 5550Radeon HD 8610G
TDP
151W
50W-67%
Recommended PSU
200W-43%
350W
Power Connector
None
1x 6-pin
Length
168mm
Height
69mm
Slots
1
0-100%
Temp (Load)
70
Perf/Watt
2.5
8.0+220%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 5550 came in at $75, while the Radeon HD 8610G launched at $150. On MSRP, Radeon HD 5550 was 50% cheaper ($75 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 5.1 (Radeon HD 5550) vs 2.7 (Radeon HD 8610G) — the Radeon HD 5550 offers 88.9% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 8610G (2013 vs 2009).

FeatureRadeon HD 5550Radeon HD 8610G
MSRP
$75-50%
$150
Performance per Dollar
5.1+89%
2.7
Codename
Cypress
Sun
Release
September 30 2009
March 1 2013
Ranking
#682
#891

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