GeForce MX550 vs GT 520M
Aggregate performance score
We've compared GeForce GT 520M and GeForce MX550, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.
GeForce MX550 outperforms GT 520M by a whopping 1523% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.
| Place in performance ranking | 1124 | 377 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.01 | no data |
| Architecture | Fermi (2010−2014) | Turing (2018−2021) |
| GPU code name | N12P-GP/LV | GN18-S5 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Laptop |
| Release date | 5 January 2011 (13 years ago) | 17 December 2021 (2 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $59.99 | no data |
| Current price | $237 (4x MSRP) | no data |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.
Detailed specifications
General performance parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. These parameters indirectly speak of performance, but for precise assessment you have to consider their benchmark and gaming test results. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.
| Pipelines / CUDA cores | 48 | 1024 |
| CUDA cores | 48 | no data |
| Core clock speed | 740 / 600 MHz | no data |
| Boost clock speed | no data | 1320 MHz |
| Number of transistors | 585 million | 4,700 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 40 nm | 12 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 12 Watt | 15-25 Watt |
| Texture fill rate | 5.9 billion/sec | 42.24 |
| Floating-point performance | 129.02 gflops | no data |
Form factor & compatibility
Information on GeForce GT 520M and GeForce MX550 compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For notebook video cards it's notebook size, connection slot and bus, if the video card is inserted into a slot instead of being soldered to the notebook motherboard.
| Interface | PCIe 2.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x8 |
| Supplementary power connectors | None | None |
VRAM capacity and type
Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.
| Memory type | DDR3 | GDDR6 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 1536 MB | 2 GB |
| Memory bus width | 64 Bit | 64 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 800 MHz | 12000 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 12.8 GB/s | 96 GB/s |
| Shared memory | - | - |
Connectivity and outputs
Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.
| Display Connectors | No outputs | No outputs |
Supported technologies
Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.
| Optimus | + | + |
API compatibility
List of supported graphics and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | 12 API | 12 (12_1) |
| Shader Model | 5.1 | 6.6 |
| OpenGL | 4.5 | 4.6 |
| OpenCL | 1.1 | 3.0 |
| Vulkan | N/A | 1.2 |
| CUDA | + | 7.5 |
Synthetic benchmark performance
Non-gaming benchmark performance comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.
Combined synthetic benchmark score
This is our combined benchmark performance score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.
MX550 outperforms GT 520M by 1523% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Passmark
This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark, part of Passmark PerformanceTest suite. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.
Benchmark coverage: 25%
MX550 outperforms GT 520M by 1528% in Passmark.
3DMark 11 Performance GPU
3DMark 11 is an obsolete DirectX 11 benchmark by Futuremark. It used four tests based on two scenes, one being few submarines exploring the submerged wreck of a sunken ship, the other is an abandoned temple deep in the jungle. All the tests are heavy with volumetric lighting and tessellation, and despite being done in 1280x720 resolution, are relatively taxing. Discontinued in January 2020, 3DMark 11 is now superseded by Time Spy.
Benchmark coverage: 17%
MX550 outperforms GT 520M by 1893% in 3DMark 11 Performance GPU.
3DMark Vantage Performance
3DMark Vantage is an outdated DirectX 10 benchmark using 1280x1024 screen resolution. It taxes the graphics card with two scenes, one depicting a girl escaping some militarized base located within a sea cave, the other displaying a space fleet attack on a defenseless planet. It was discontinued in April 2017, and Time Spy benchmark is now recommended to be used instead.
Benchmark coverage: 17%
MX550 outperforms GT 520M by 1504% in 3DMark Vantage Performance.
Gaming performance
Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.
Average FPS across all PC games
Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:
| 900p | 7
−1471%
| 110−120
+1471%
|
| Full HD | 12
−308%
| 49
+308%
|
| 1200p | 7
−1471%
| 110−120
+1471%
|
| 4K | 1−2
−2700%
| 28
+2700%
|
FPS performance in popular games
Full HD
Low Preset
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 0−1 | no data |
Full HD
Medium Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 0−1 | no data |
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 0−1 | no data |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 0−1 | no data |
| Far Cry New Dawn | 0−1 | no data |
| Hitman 3 | 0−1 | no data |
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 0−1 | no data |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 0−1 | no data |
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 0−1 | no data |
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 0−1 | no data |
Full HD
High Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 0−1 | no data |
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 0−1 | no data |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 0−1 | no data |
| Far Cry New Dawn | 0−1 | no data |
| Hitman 3 | 0−1 | no data |
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 0−1 | no data |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 0−1 | no data |
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 0−1 | no data |
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 0−1 | no data |
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 0−1 | no data |
Full HD
Ultra Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 0−1 | no data |
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 0−1 | no data |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 0−1 | no data |
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 0−1 | no data |
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 0−1 | no data |
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 0−1 | no data |
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 0−1 | no data |
Full HD
Epic Preset
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 0−1 | no data |
1440p
High Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 0−1 | no data |
1440p
Ultra Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 0−1 | no data |
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 0−1 | no data |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 0−1 | no data |
| Far Cry 5 | 0−1 | no data |
| Hitman 3 | 0−1 | no data |
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 0−1 | no data |
1440p
Epic Preset
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 0−1 | no data |
4K
High Preset
| Far Cry New Dawn | 0−1 | no data |
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 0−1 | no data |
4K
Ultra Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 0−1 | no data |
| Far Cry 5 | 0−1 | no data |
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 0−1 | no data |
| Metro Exodus | 0−1 | no data |
4K
Epic Preset
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 0−1 | no data |
Full HD
Medium Preset
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 18−20
−1479%
|
300−310
+1479%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 35−40
−1479%
|
600−650
+1479%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 27−30
−1507%
|
450−500
+1507%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 55−60
−1479%
|
900−950
+1479%
|
| Metro Exodus | 35−40
−1479%
|
600−650
+1479%
|
Full HD
High Preset
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 18−20
−1479%
|
300−310
+1479%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 35−40
−1479%
|
600−650
+1479%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 27−30
−1507%
|
450−500
+1507%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 55−60
−1479%
|
900−950
+1479%
|
| Metro Exodus | 35−40
−1479%
|
600−650
+1479%
|
Full HD
Ultra Preset
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 18−20
−1479%
|
300−310
+1479%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 27−30
−1507%
|
450−500
+1507%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 55−60
−1479%
|
900−950
+1479%
|
1440p
High Preset
| Far Cry New Dawn | 20−22
−1400%
|
300−310
+1400%
|
1440p
Ultra Preset
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 8−9
−1400%
|
120−130
+1400%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 21−24
−1491%
|
350−400
+1491%
|
| Metro Exodus | 18−20
−1479%
|
300−310
+1479%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 18−20
−1511%
|
290−300
+1511%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 12−14
−1483%
|
190−200
+1483%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 7−8
−1471%
|
110−120
+1471%
|
4K
High Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 10−12
−1445%
|
170−180
+1445%
|
| Hitman 3 | 8−9
−1400%
|
120−130
+1400%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 7−8
−1471%
|
110−120
+1471%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 10−11
−1500%
|
160−170
+1500%
|
4K
Ultra Preset
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 5−6
−1500%
|
80−85
+1500%
|
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 6−7
−1483%
|
95−100
+1483%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 2−3
−1400%
|
30−33
+1400%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 14−16
−1500%
|
240−250
+1500%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 4−5
−1400%
|
60−65
+1400%
|
This is how GT 520M and GeForce MX550 compete in popular games:
- GeForce MX550 is 1471% faster in 900p
- GeForce MX550 is 308% faster in 1080p
- GeForce MX550 is 1471% faster in 1200p
- GeForce MX550 is 2700% faster in 4K
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 0.73 | 11.85 |
| Recency | 5 January 2011 | 17 December 2021 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 1536 MB | 2 GB |
| Chip lithography | 40 nm | 12 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 12 Watt | 15 Watt |
The GeForce MX550 is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GT 520M in performance tests.
Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Comparisons with similar GPUs
We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.
