Radeon 550X vs Radeon HD 8970M
If you are going to buy a new graphics card and are choosing between Radeon 550X and Radeon HD 8970M, there are a couple of things to consider. Cards with more VRAM in general perform better and allow you to play on higher graphics settings. Size also makes a difference. A model with a large heatsink can occupy up to three expansion slots on a motherboard. Be sure you have enough room in your PC case. When comparing GPUs with different architectures, more processing cores and even higher TFLOPS will not always translate to better performance. To help you decide which GPU you need, we have measured frame rates in a number of popular games. For more on how the Radeon 550X stacks up against Radeon HD 8970M, check out specs charts below.
Radeon 550X
Radeon HD 8970M is a Laptop Graphics Card
Note: Radeon HD 8970M 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 8970M here:
Main Specs
| Radeon 550X | Radeon HD 8970M | |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 50 Watt | 100 Watt |
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x8 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| Supplementary power connectors | None | |
| Memory type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 2 GB | 4 GB |
| Display Connectors | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort | No outputs |
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- Radeon HD 8970M has 100% more power consumption, than Radeon 550X.
- Radeon 550X is connected by PCIe 3.0 x8, and Radeon HD 8970M uses PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.
- Radeon HD 8970M has 2 GB more memory, than Radeon 550X.
- Radeon 550X is used in Desktops, and Radeon HD 8970M - in Laptops.
- Radeon 550X is build with GCN 4.0 architecture, and Radeon HD 8970M - with GCN.
- Core clock speed of Radeon 550X is 232 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 8970M.
- Radeon 550X is manufactured by 14 nm process technology, and Radeon HD 8970M - by 28 nm process technology.
- Memory clock speed of Radeon 550X is 2200 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 8970M.
Game benchmarks
| high / 1080p | 7−8 | 20−22 |
| ultra / 1080p | 4−5 | 12−14 |
| QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 6−7 |
| 4K / 2160p | − | 5−6 |
| low / 720p | 16−18 | 35−40 |
| medium / 1080p | 9−10 | 24−27 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 166% more, than Radeon 550X. | ||
| high / 1080p | 12−14 | 30−35 |
| ultra / 1080p | 10−12 | 27−30 |
| QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 10−12 |
| 4K / 2160p | − | 7−8 |
| low / 720p | 24−27 | 65−70 |
| medium / 1080p | 12−14 | 35−40 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Battlefield 5 is 173% more, than Radeon 550X. | ||
| low / 768p | 45−50 | 50−55 |
| high / 1080p | 45−50 | − |
| QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 0−1 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Call of Duty: Warzone is 10% more, than Radeon 550X. | ||
| low / 768p | 140−150 | 230−240 |
| medium / 768p | 110−120 | 200−210 |
| ultra / 1080p | 55−60 | 110−120 |
| QHD / 1440p | 30−35 | 85−90 |
| 4K / 2160p | 27−30 | 45−50 |
| high / 768p | 85−90 | 160−170 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is 84% more, than Radeon 550X. | ||
| low / 768p | 55−60 | 60−65 |
| ultra / 1080p | 20−22 | 50−55 |
| medium / 1080p | 45−50 | 55−60 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Cyberpunk 2077 is 35% more, than Radeon 550X. | ||
| low / 768p | 80−85 | 120−130 |
| medium / 768p | 60−65 | 100−110 |
| ultra / 1080p | 35−40 | 75−80 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Dota 2 is 70% more, than Radeon 550X. | ||
| high / 1080p | 8−9 | 24−27 |
| ultra / 1080p | 8−9 | 21−24 |
| QHD / 1440p | − | 18−20 |
| 4K / 2160p | 4−5 | 7−8 |
| low / 720p | 20−22 | 50−55 |
| medium / 1080p | 9−10 | 24−27 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Far Cry 5 is 160% more, than Radeon 550X. | ||
| high / 1080p | 14−16 | 30−35 |
| ultra / 1080p | 10−12 | 24−27 |
| QHD / 1440p | − | 14−16 |
| low / 720p | 60−65 | 120−130 |
| medium / 1080p | 24−27 | 70−75 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Fortnite is 125% more, than Radeon 550X. | ||
| high / 1080p | 12−14 | 30−35 |
| ultra / 1080p | 10−12 | 24−27 |
| QHD / 1440p | 1−2 | 12−14 |
| 4K / 2160p | − | 12−14 |
| low / 720p | 27−30 | 65−70 |
| medium / 1080p | 14−16 | 35−40 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Forza Horizon 4 is 169% more, than Radeon 550X. | ||
| low / 768p | 55−60 | 100−110 |
| medium / 768p | 45−50 | 90−95 |
| high / 1080p | 12−14 | 40−45 |
| ultra / 1080p | 6−7 | 16−18 |
| QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 6−7 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Grand Theft Auto V is 106% more, than Radeon 550X. | ||
| high / 1080p | 5−6 | 12−14 |
| ultra / 1080p | 3−4 | 10−11 |
| 4K / 2160p | 0−1 | 2−3 |
| low / 720p | 12−14 | 35−40 |
| medium / 1080p | 7−8 | 16−18 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Metro Exodus is 171% more, than Radeon 550X. | ||
| low / 768p | 95−100 | 120−130 |
| high / 1080p | 90−95 | − |
| ultra / 1080p | 80−85 | − |
| medium / 1080p | 90−95 | 110−120 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Minecraft is 26% more, than Radeon 550X. | ||
| high / 1080p | 16−18 | − |
| ultra / 1080p | 14−16 | 14−16 |
| low / 720p | 30−35 | 70−75 |
| medium / 1080p | 18−20 | 18−20 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS is 59% more, than Radeon 550X. | ||
| high / 1080p | − | 14−16 |
| ultra / 1080p | 7−8 | 10−11 |
| QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 1−2 |
| 4K / 2160p | − | 1−2 |
| low / 720p | 12−14 | 35−40 |
| medium / 1080p | 10−12 | 20−22 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Red Dead Redemption 2 is 130% more, than Radeon 550X. | ||
| low / 768p | 24−27 | 70−75 |
| medium / 768p | 16−18 | 45−50 |
| high / 1080p | 10−11 | 24−27 |
| ultra / 1080p | 6−7 | 14−16 |
| 4K / 2160p | 6−7 | 8−9 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is 153% more, than Radeon 550X. | ||
| low / 768p | 85−90 | 90−95 |
| medium / 768p | 45−50 | 60−65 |
| ultra / 1080p | 20−22 | 40−45 |
| high / 768p | 35−40 | 55−60 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in World of Tanks is 31% more, than Radeon 550X. | ||
Full Specs
| Radeon 550X | Radeon HD 8970M | |
| Architecture | GCN 4.0 | GCN |
| Code name | Lexa | Neptune |
| Type | Desktop | Laptop |
| Release date | 27 March 2019 | 15 May 2013 |
| Pipelines | 512 | 1280 |
| Core clock speed | 1082 MHz | 850 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1218 MHz | 900 MHz |
| Transistor count | 2,200 million | 2,800 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 14 nm | 28 nm |
| Texture fill rate | 38.98 | 72.00 |
| Floating-point performance | 2,304 gflops | |
| Length | 145 mm | |
| Memory bus width | 128 Bit | 256 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 7000 MHz | 4800 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 112.0 GB/s | 153.6 GB/s |
| Shared memory | - | |
| DirectX | 12 (12_0) | 12 (11_1) |
| Shader Model | 6.4 | 5.1 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| OpenCL | 2.0 | 1.2 |
| Vulkan | 1.2.131 | 1.2.131 |
| Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) | 273 Mh/s | |
| Laptop size | large | |
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