ATI HD 3870 vs AMD HD 6550A

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Combined performance score

HD 6550A
1.82
+27.3%

HD 6550A outperforms HD 3870 by 27% in our combined benchmark results.

General info

GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.

Place in performance ranking874945
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Value for moneyno data0.03
ArchitectureTeraScale 2 (2009−2015)TeraScale (2005−2013)
GPU code namePinewoodRV670
Market segmentDesktopDesktop
Release date7 February 2011 (13 years old)19 November 2007 (16 years old)
Launch price (MSRP)no data$269
Current priceno data$195 (0.7x MSRP)
Value for money

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

no data

Technical specs

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 cores480320
Core clock speed550 MHz777 MHz
Number of transistors627 million666 million
Manufacturing process technology40 nm55 nm
Power consumption (TDP)35 Watt106 Watt
Texture fill rate13.2012.43
Floating-point performance624.0 gflops497.3 gflops

Size and compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

InterfaceMXM-A (3.0)PCIe 2.0 x16
Lengthno data241 mm
WidthMXM Module2-slot
Supplementary power connectorsno data1x 6-pin

Memory

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 typeGDDR3GDDR4
Maximum RAM amount2 GB512 MB
Memory bus width128 Bit256 Bit
Memory clock speed1600 MHz2252 MHz
Memory bandwidth25.6 GB/s72.06 GB/s

Video outputs and ports

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 ConnectorsNo outputs2x DVI, 1x S-Video

API support

List of supported graphics and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX11.2 (11_0)10.1 (10_1)
Shader Model5.04.1
OpenGL4.43.3
OpenCL1.2N/A
VulkanN/AN/A

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.

HD 6550A 1.82
+27.3%
ATI HD 3870 1.43

HD 6550A outperforms HD 3870 by 27% in our combined 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%

HD 6550A 707
+27.4%
ATI HD 3870 555

HD 6550A outperforms HD 3870 by 27% in Passmark.

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Advantages and disadvantages


Performance score 1.82 1.43
Recency 7 February 2011 19 November 2007
Maximum RAM amount 2 GB 512 MB
Chip lithography 40 nm 55 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 35 Watt 106 Watt

The Radeon HD 6550A is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon HD 3870 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

User ratings

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite graphics card.


AMD Radeon HD 6550A
Radeon HD 6550A
ATI Radeon HD 3870
Radeon HD 3870

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User ratings: view and submit

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3.7 121 vote

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Questions and comments

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