Radeon HD 6550A vs Radeon HD 8870M

When comparing Radeon HD 6550A and Radeon HD 8870M, 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 8870M is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

Radeon HD 8870M is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: Radeon HD 8870M 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 8870M here:

Main Specs

  Radeon HD 6550A Radeon HD 8870M
Power consumption (TDP) 35 Watt
Interface MXM-A (3.0) PCIe 3.0 x16
Memory type GDDR3 GDDR5, DDR3
Maximum RAM amount 2 GB 2 GB
Display Connectors No outputs No outputs
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  • Radeon HD 6550A is connected by MXM-A (3.0), and Radeon HD 8870M uses PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.
  • Radeon HD 6550A and Radeon HD 8870M have maximum RAM of 2 GB.
  • Radeon HD 6550A is used in Desktops, and Radeon HD 8870M - in Laptops.
  • Radeon HD 6550A is build with TeraScale 2 architecture, and Radeon HD 8870M - with GCN.
  • Core clock speed of Radeon HD 8870M is 175 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 6550A.
  • Radeon HD 6550A is manufactured by 40 nm process technology, and Radeon HD 8870M - by 28 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon HD 8870M is 2900 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 6550A.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 0−1 7−8
ultra / 1080p 4−5
QHD / 1440p 0−1 0−1
low / 720p 1−2 18−20
medium / 1080p 0−1 9−10
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8870M in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 1800% more, than Radeon HD 6550A.

Full Specs

  Radeon HD 6550A Radeon HD 8870M
Architecture TeraScale 2 GCN
Code name Pinewood Venus
Type Desktop Laptop
Release date 7 February 2011 18 December 2012
Pipelines 480 640
Core clock speed 550 MHz 725 MHz
Boost Clock 775 MHz
Transistor count 627 million 1,500 million
Manufacturing process technology 40 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 13.20 31.00
Floating-point performance 624.0 gflops 992.0 gflops
Memory bus width 128 Bit 128 Bit
Memory clock speed 1600 MHz 4500 MHz
Memory bandwidth 25.6 GB/s 72 GB/s
Shared memory -
DirectX 11.2 (11_0) 12 (11_1)
Shader Model 5.0 5.1
OpenGL 4.4 4.6
OpenCL 1.2 1.2
Vulkan N/A 1.2.131
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 107 Mh/s
Laptop size large
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