Radeon HD 6550A vs Radeon HD 6970M

When comparing Radeon HD 6550A and Radeon HD 6970M, 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 HD 6970M is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

Radeon HD 6970M is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: Radeon HD 6970M is only used in laptop graphics. It has lower GPU clock speed compared to the desktop variant, which results in lower power consumption, but also 10-30% lower gaming performance. Check available laptop models with Radeon HD 6970M here:

Main Specs

  Radeon HD 6550A Radeon HD 6970M
Power consumption (TDP) 35 Watt 75 Watt
Interface MXM-A (3.0) MXM-B (3.0)
Supplementary power connectors None
Memory type GDDR3 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 2 GB 2 GB
Display Connectors No outputs No outputs
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  • Radeon HD 6970M has 114% more power consumption, than Radeon HD 6550A.
  • Radeon HD 6550A is connected by MXM-A (3.0), and Radeon HD 6970M uses MXM-B (3.0) interface.
  • Radeon HD 6550A and Radeon HD 6970M have maximum RAM of 2 GB.
  • Radeon HD 6550A is used in Desktops, and Radeon HD 6970M - in Laptops.
  • Radeon HD 6550A is build with TeraScale 2 architecture, and Radeon HD 6970M - with Terascale 2.
  • Core clock speed of Radeon HD 6970M is 130 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 6550A.
  • Radeon HD 6550A and Radeon HD 6970M are manufactured by 40 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon HD 6550A is 700 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 6970M.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 0−1 10−12
ultra / 1080p 6−7
QHD / 1440p 0−1 1−2
low / 720p 1−2 24−27
medium / 1080p 0−1 14−16
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 6970M in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 2400% more, than Radeon HD 6550A.

Full Specs

  Radeon HD 6550A Radeon HD 6970M
Architecture TeraScale 2 Terascale 2
Code name Pinewood Blackcomb XT
Type Desktop Laptop
Release date 7 February 2011 6 January 2011
Pipelines 480 960
Core clock speed 550 MHz 680 MHz
Transistor count 627 million 1,700 million
Manufacturing process technology 40 nm 40 nm
Texture fill rate 13.20 32.64
Floating-point performance 624.0 gflops 1,305.6 gflops
Memory bus width 128 Bit 256 Bit
Memory clock speed 1600 MHz 900 MHz
Memory bandwidth 25.6 GB/s 115.2 GB/s
Shared memory -
DirectX 11.2 (11_0) 11.2 (11_0)
Shader Model 5.0 5.0
OpenGL 4.4 4.4
OpenCL 1.2 1.2
Vulkan N/A N/A
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 118 Mh/s
Laptop size large
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