Radeon HD 8970M vs Radeon RX 550X

When choosing between Radeon HD 8970M and Radeon RX 550X, it is worth examining the specifications of the models in detail. Do they meet the recommended requirements of modern games and software? Storage capacity, form factor, TDP, available ports, warranty and manufacturer support are all important. For example, the size of a PC case can limit the maximum thickness and length of the card. Often, instead of the factory overclocked card and RGB backlight, it is better to choose a reference model with a more efficient GPU. And make sure that your current power supply unit has the correct connection pins (using adapters is not recommended). This GPUs compare tool is meant to help you to choose the best graphics card for your build. Let's find out the difference between Radeon HD 8970M and Radeon RX 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 HD 8970M Radeon RX 550X
Power consumption (TDP) 100 Watt 50 Watt
Interface PCIe 3.0 x16 PCIe 3.0 x8
Supplementary power connectors None
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 4 GB 4 GB
Display Connectors No outputs 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort
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  • Radeon HD 8970M has 100% more power consumption, than Radeon RX 550X.
  • Radeon HD 8970M is connected by PCIe 3.0 x16, and Radeon RX 550X uses PCIe 3.0 x8 interface.
  • Radeon HD 8970M and Radeon RX 550X have maximum RAM of 4 GB.
  • Radeon HD 8970M is used in Laptops, and Radeon RX 550X - in Desktops.
  • Radeon HD 8970M is build with GCN architecture, and Radeon RX 550X - with GCN 4.0.
  • Core clock speed of Radeon RX 550X is 250 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 8970M.
  • Radeon HD 8970M is manufactured by 28 nm process technology, and Radeon RX 550X - by 14 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon RX 550X is 1200 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 8970M.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 20−22 10−11
ultra / 1080p 12−14 6−7
QHD / 1440p 6−7 0−1
4K / 2160p 5−6
low / 720p 35−40 21−24
medium / 1080p 24−27 12−14
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 84% more, than Radeon RX 550X.

Full Specs

  Radeon HD 8970M Radeon RX 550X
Architecture GCN GCN 4.0
Code name Neptune Lexa
Type Laptop Desktop
Release date 15 May 2013 16 December 2018
Pipelines 1280 512
Core clock speed 850 MHz 1100 MHz
Boost Clock 900 MHz 1183 MHz
Transistor count 2,800 million 2,200 million
Manufacturing process technology 28 nm 14 nm
Texture fill rate 72.00 37.86
Floating-point performance 2,304 gflops 1,211 gflops
Length 145 mm
Memory bus width 256 Bit 128 Bit
Memory clock speed 4800 MHz 6000 MHz
Memory bandwidth 153.6 GB/s 96 GB/s
Shared memory -
DirectX 12 (11_1) 12 (12_0)
Shader Model 5.1 6.4
OpenGL 4.6 4.6
OpenCL 1.2 2.0
Vulkan 1.2.131 1.2.131
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 273 Mh/s
Laptop size large
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