Radeon HD 6550A vs Radeon R9 280

When comparing Radeon HD 6550A and Radeon R9 280, we look primarily at benchmarks and game tests. But it is not only about the numbers. Often you can find third-party models with higher clock speeds, better cooling, or a customizable RGB lighting. Not all of them will have all the features you need. Another thing to consider is the port selection. Most graphics cards have at least one DisplayPort and HDMI interface, but some monitors require DVI. Before you buy, check the TDP of the graphics card - this characteristic will help you estimate the consumption of the graphics card. You may even have to upgrade your PSU to meet its requirements. An important factor when choosing between Radeon HD 6550A and Radeon R9 280 is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

Main Specs

  Radeon HD 6550A Radeon R9 280
Power consumption (TDP) 35 Watt 200 Watt
Interface MXM-A (3.0) PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 1 x 6-pin + 1 x 8-pin
Memory type GDDR3 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 2 GB 3 GB
Display Connectors No outputs 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort
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  • Radeon R9 280 has 471% more power consumption, than Radeon HD 6550A.
  • Radeon HD 6550A is connected by MXM-A (3.0), and Radeon R9 280 uses PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.
  • Radeon R9 280 has 1 GB more memory, than Radeon HD 6550A.
  • Both cards are used in Desktops.
  • Radeon HD 6550A is build with TeraScale 2 architecture, and Radeon R9 280 - with GCN 1.0.
  • Radeon HD 6550A is manufactured by 40 nm process technology, and Radeon R9 280 - by 28 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon HD 6550A is 350 MHz higher, than Radeon R9 280.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 0−1 35−40
ultra / 1080p 21−24
QHD / 1440p 0−1 16−18
4K / 2160p 10−11
low / 720p 1−2 60−65
medium / 1080p 0−1 40−45
The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 280 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 6100% more, than Radeon HD 6550A.

Full Specs

  Radeon HD 6550A Radeon R9 280
Architecture TeraScale 2 GCN 1.0
Code name Pinewood Tahiti
Type Desktop Desktop
Release date 7 February 2011 4 March 2014
Pipelines 480 1792
Core clock speed 550 MHz
Boost Clock 933 MHz
Transistor count 627 million 4,313 million
Manufacturing process technology 40 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 13.20 104.5
Floating-point performance 624.0 gflops 3,344 gflops
Length 275 mm
Memory bus width 128 Bit 384 Bit
Memory clock speed 1600 MHz 1250 MHz
Memory bandwidth 25.6 GB/s 240 GB/s
DirectX 11.2 (11_0)
Shader Model 5.0 5.1
OpenGL 4.4 4.6
OpenCL 1.2 1.2
Vulkan N/A +
FreeSync +
Bus support PCIe 3.0
HDMI +
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 408 Mh/s
Eyefinity +
HD3D +
TrueAudio +
Design reference
CrossFire +
DDMA audio +
Ethereum / ETH (DaggerHashimoto) 21.5 Mh/s
LiquidVR +
TressFX +
UVD +
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