Radeon HD 6550A vs Radeon HD 8970M
In this comparison between Radeon HD 6550A and Radeon HD 8970M you will find out which graphics card performs better in today's games. Bear in mind that third-party versions may have more efficient cooling and higher clock speeds. This will increase cards' performance, though not by much. In addition to raw power you should also take into account the dimensions. Thicker models simply will not fit into a small mini-ITX case. The resolution of your monitor also affects the choice, since 4K gameplay requires a more powerful GPU. And don't overspend on the graphics card. Other parts of your build may also need to be upgraded, save some money for the CPU or power supply. For some people Radeon HD 6550A will be the best choice, for others Radeon HD 8970M will be their preference. Study the comparison tables below and make your choice.
Radeon HD 6550A
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 HD 6550A | Radeon HD 8970M | |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 35 Watt | 100 Watt |
| Interface | MXM-A (3.0) | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| Memory type | GDDR3 | GDDR5 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 2 GB | 4 GB |
| Display Connectors | No outputs | No outputs |
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- Radeon HD 8970M has 185% more power consumption, than Radeon HD 6550A.
- Radeon HD 6550A is connected by MXM-A (3.0), and Radeon HD 8970M uses PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.
- Radeon HD 8970M has 2 GB more memory, than Radeon HD 6550A.
- Radeon HD 6550A is used in Desktops, and Radeon HD 8970M - in Laptops.
- Radeon HD 6550A is build with TeraScale 2 architecture, and Radeon HD 8970M - with GCN.
- Core clock speed of Radeon HD 8970M is 300 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 6550A.
- Radeon HD 6550A is manufactured by 40 nm process technology, and Radeon HD 8970M - by 28 nm process technology.
- Memory clock speed of Radeon HD 8970M is 3200 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 6550A.
Game benchmarks
| high / 1080p | 0−1 | 20−22 |
| ultra / 1080p | − | 12−14 |
| QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 6−7 |
| 4K / 2160p | − | 5−6 |
| low / 720p | 1−2 | 35−40 |
| medium / 1080p | 0−1 | 24−27 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 3600% more, than Radeon HD 6550A. | ||
| high / 1080p | − | 30−35 |
| ultra / 1080p | − | 27−30 |
| QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 10−12 |
| 4K / 2160p | − | 7−8 |
| low / 720p | 0−1 | 65−70 |
| medium / 1080p | − | 35−40 |
| low / 768p | 50−55 | 50−55 |
| high / 1080p | 45−50 | − |
| QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 0−1 |
| Radeon HD 6550A and Radeon HD 8970M have the same average FPS in Call of Duty: Warzone. | ||
| low / 768p | 60−65 | 230−240 |
| medium / 768p | 27−30 | 200−210 |
| ultra / 1080p | 7−8 | 110−120 |
| QHD / 1440p | − | 85−90 |
| 4K / 2160p | − | 45−50 |
| high / 768p | 16−18 | 160−170 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is 542% more, than Radeon HD 6550A. | ||
| low / 768p | 70−75 | 60−65 |
| ultra / 1080p | 0−1 | 50−55 |
| medium / 1080p | 45−50 | 55−60 |
| Radeon HD 6550A and Radeon HD 8970M have the same average FPS in Cyberpunk 2077. | ||
| low / 768p | 45−50 | 120−130 |
| medium / 768p | 10−11 | 100−110 |
| ultra / 1080p | 0−1 | 75−80 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Dota 2 is 296% more, than Radeon HD 6550A. | ||
| high / 1080p | − | 24−27 |
| ultra / 1080p | − | 21−24 |
| QHD / 1440p | − | 18−20 |
| 4K / 2160p | − | 7−8 |
| low / 720p | 0−1 | 50−55 |
| medium / 1080p | − | 24−27 |
| high / 1080p | − | 30−35 |
| ultra / 1080p | − | 24−27 |
| QHD / 1440p | − | 14−16 |
| low / 720p | 21−24 | 120−130 |
| medium / 1080p | 0−1 | 70−75 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Fortnite is 468% more, than Radeon HD 6550A. | ||
| high / 1080p | 0−1 | 30−35 |
| ultra / 1080p | − | 24−27 |
| QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 12−14 |
| 4K / 2160p | − | 12−14 |
| low / 720p | 0−1 | 65−70 |
| medium / 1080p | 0−1 | 35−40 |
| low / 768p | 18−20 | 100−110 |
| medium / 768p | − | 90−95 |
| high / 1080p | 0−1 | 40−45 |
| ultra / 1080p | − | 16−18 |
| QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 6−7 |
| medium / 720p | 12−14 | − |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Grand Theft Auto V is 452% more, than Radeon HD 6550A. | ||
| high / 1080p | − | 12−14 |
| ultra / 1080p | − | 10−11 |
| 4K / 2160p | − | 2−3 |
| low / 720p | 0−1 | 35−40 |
| medium / 1080p | − | 16−18 |
| low / 768p | 75−80 | 120−130 |
| high / 1080p | 27−30 | − |
| medium / 1080p | − | 110−120 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Minecraft is 62% more, than Radeon HD 6550A. | ||
| ultra / 1080p | − | 14−16 |
| low / 720p | 8−9 | 70−75 |
| medium / 1080p | − | 18−20 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS is 800% more, than Radeon HD 6550A. | ||
| high / 1080p | − | 14−16 |
| ultra / 1080p | − | 10−11 |
| QHD / 1440p | − | 1−2 |
| 4K / 2160p | − | 1−2 |
| low / 720p | 0−1 | 35−40 |
| medium / 1080p | − | 20−22 |
| low / 768p | 0−1 | 70−75 |
| medium / 768p | − | 45−50 |
| high / 1080p | − | 24−27 |
| ultra / 1080p | − | 14−16 |
| 4K / 2160p | − | 8−9 |
| low / 768p | 45−50 | 90−95 |
| medium / 768p | 14−16 | 60−65 |
| ultra / 1080p | 0−1 | 40−45 |
| high / 768p | 12−14 | 55−60 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in World of Tanks is 180% more, than Radeon HD 6550A. | ||
Full Specs
| Radeon HD 6550A | Radeon HD 8970M | |
| Architecture | TeraScale 2 | GCN |
| Code name | Pinewood | Neptune |
| Type | Desktop | Laptop |
| Release date | 7 February 2011 | 15 May 2013 |
| Pipelines | 480 | 1280 |
| Core clock speed | 550 MHz | 850 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 900 MHz | |
| Transistor count | 627 million | 2,800 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 40 nm | 28 nm |
| Texture fill rate | 13.20 | 72.00 |
| Floating-point performance | 624.0 gflops | 2,304 gflops |
| Memory bus width | 128 Bit | 256 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 1600 MHz | 4800 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 25.6 GB/s | 153.6 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) | 273 Mh/s | |
| Laptop size | large | |
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