Radeon HD 8770 vs Radeon RX 550

AMD

Radeon HD 8770

2013Core: 775 MHzBoost: 825 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon RX 550

2017Core: 1100 MHzBoost: 1183 MHz
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Radeon HD 8770 vs Radeon RX 550 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 8770 vs Radeon RX 550 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 8770 vs Radeon RX 550: 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 8770

2013

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 550 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
  • 2013 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 89.9% HIGHER MSRP
    $150 MSRPvs$79 MSRP

Radeon RX 550

2017

Why buy it

  • 69.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $71 less on MSRP ($79 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
  • Delivers 94.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 33.8 vs 17.4 G3D/$ ($79 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).

Trade-offs

  • 2017 hardware with 4 GB 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 RX 550 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 69.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.6% in PassMark G3D (2,674 vs 2,607), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon RX 550 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 4 GB vs 2 GB of VRAM, native frame generation with FSR Frame Generation (2023), while Radeon HD 8770 has no comparable frame-generation support, a 14nm process instead of 28nm, and a newer 2017 generation instead of 2013. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon RX 550 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $71 cheaper on MSRP at $79 vs $150, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 94.8% (33.8 vs 17.4), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Radeon HD 8770 vs Radeon RX 550 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

Radeon HD 8770

The Radeon HD 8770 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 1 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 775 MHz to 825 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,607 points.

AMD

Radeon RX 550

The Radeon RX 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: 2,674 points. Launch price was $79.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 8770 scores 2,607 and the Radeon RX 550 reaches 2,674 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 8770 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon RX 550 uses GCN 4.0, both on 28 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 384 (Radeon HD 8770) vs 512 (Radeon RX 550). Raw compute: 0.6336 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8770) vs 1.211 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 550). Boost clocks: 825 MHz vs 1183 MHz.

FeatureRadeon HD 8770Radeon RX 550
G3D Mark Score
2,607
2,674+3%
Architecture
GCN 1.0
GCN 4.0
Process Node
28 nm
14 nm
Shading Units
384
512+33%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.6336 TFLOPS
1.211 TFLOPS+91%
Boost Clock
825 MHz
1183 MHz+43%
ROPs
8
16+100%
TMUs
24
32+33%
L1 Cache
96 KB
128 KB+33%
L2 Cache
256 KB
512 KB+100%
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling
FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 550 is support for FSR Frame Generation. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The Radeon HD 8770 does not have comparable native support in the same tier.

FeatureRadeon HD 8770Radeon RX 550
Upscaling Tech
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
FSR Frame Generation
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
AMD Anti-Lag
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The Radeon HD 8770 has 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon RX 550 carries 4 GB. Radeon RX 550 gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 96 GB/s (Radeon HD 8770) vs 112 GB/s (Radeon RX 550) — a 16.7% advantage for the Radeon RX 550. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the Radeon HD 8770 and 128-bit on the Radeon RX 550. L2 Cache: 256 KB (Radeon HD 8770) vs 512 KB (Radeon RX 550) — the Radeon RX 550 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureRadeon HD 8770Radeon RX 550
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
4 GB+100%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
96 GB/s
112 GB/s+17%
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
L2 Cache
256 KB
512 KB+100%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12_0 (Radeon HD 8770) vs 12_0 (Radeon RX 550). Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 3.

FeatureRadeon HD 8770Radeon RX 550
DirectX
12_0
12_0
Max Displays
3
3
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 2.0 (Radeon HD 8770) vs VCE 3.4 (Radeon RX 550). Decoder: UVD 4.0 vs UVD 6.3.

FeatureRadeon HD 8770Radeon RX 550
Encoder
VCE 2.0
VCE 3.4
Decoder
UVD 4.0
UVD 6.3
Codecs
H.264,H.265
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 8770 draws 50W versus the Radeon RX 550's 50W — a 0% difference. The Radeon RX 550 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 8770) vs 300W (Radeon RX 550). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs None. Card length: 240mm vs 155mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

FeatureRadeon HD 8770Radeon RX 550
TDP
50W
50W
Recommended PSU
350W
300W-14%
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
None
Length
240mm
155mm
Slots
2
2
Perf/Watt
52.1
53.5+3%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 8770 came in at $150, while the Radeon RX 550 launched at $79. On MSRP, Radeon RX 550 was 47.3% cheaper ($71 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 17.4 (Radeon HD 8770) vs 33.8 (Radeon RX 550) — the Radeon RX 550 offers 94.3% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX 550 (2017 vs 2013).

FeatureRadeon HD 8770Radeon RX 550
MSRP
$150
$79-47%
Performance per Dollar
17.4
33.8+94%
Codename
Mars
Lexa
Release
April 1 2013
April 20 2017
Ranking
#844
#617

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