Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.
AMD Radeon HD 8870M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti
Combined performance score
Radeon HD 8870M outperforms GeForce GTX 550 Ti by 6% in our combined benchmark results.
General info
GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.
Place in performance ranking | 650 | 637 |
Place by popularity | 63 | not in top-100 |
Value for money | 0.28 | 0.72 |
Architecture | Fermi (2010−2014) | GCN (2011−2017) |
GPU code name | GF116 | Venus |
Market segment | Desktop | Laptop |
Release date | 15 March 2011 (13 years old) | 18 December 2012 (11 years old) |
Launch price (MSRP) | $149 | no data |
Current price | $197 (1.3x MSRP) | $338 |
HD 8870M has 157% better value for money than GTX 550 Ti.
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 cores | 192 | 640 |
CUDA cores | 192 | no data |
Core clock speed | 900 MHz | 725 MHz |
Boost clock speed | no data | 775 MHz |
Number of transistors | 1,170 million | 1,500 million |
Manufacturing process technology | 40 nm | 28 nm |
Power consumption (TDP) | 116 Watt | no data |
Maximum GPU temperature | 100 °C | no data |
Texture fill rate | 28.8 billion/sec | 31.00 |
Floating-point performance | 691.2 gflops | 992.0 gflops |
Size and compatibility
Information on GeForce GTX 550 Ti and Radeon HD 8870M compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop video cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility). 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.
Laptop size | no data | large |
Bus support | 16x PCI-E 2.0 | no data |
Interface | PCIe 2.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
Length | 8.25" (21 cm) | no data |
Height | 4.376" (11.1 cm) | no data |
Width | 2-slot | no data |
Supplementary power connectors | One 6-pin | no data |
SLI options | + | no data |
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 type | GDDR5 | GDDR5, DDR3 |
Maximum RAM amount | 2 GB | 2 GB |
Memory bus width | 192 Bit | 128 Bit |
Memory clock speed | 4.1 GB/s | 4500 MHz |
Memory bandwidth | 98.4 GB/s | 72 GB/s |
Shared memory | no data | - |
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 Connectors | Two Dual Link DVI-IMini HDMI | No outputs |
Multi monitor support | + | no data |
HDMI | + | no data |
Maximum VGA resolution | 2048x1536 | no data |
Audio input for HDMI | Internal | no data |
API support
List of supported graphics and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
DirectX | 12 (11_0) | 12 (11_1) |
Shader Model | 5.1 | 5.1 |
OpenGL | 4.2 | 4.6 |
OpenCL | 1.1 | 1.2 |
Vulkan | N/A | 1.2.131 |
CUDA | + | no data |
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.
Radeon HD 8870M outperforms GeForce GTX 550 Ti by 6% 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%
Radeon HD 8870M outperforms GeForce GTX 550 Ti by 6% in Passmark.
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%
Radeon HD 8870M outperforms GeForce GTX 550 Ti by 15% in 3DMark Vantage Performance.
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%
Radeon HD 8870M outperforms GeForce GTX 550 Ti by 31% in 3DMark 11 Performance GPU.
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 | 38
−10.5%
| 42
+10.5%
|
Full HD | 37
+12.1%
| 33
−12.1%
|
Performance in popular games
Full HD
Low Preset
Cyberpunk 2077 | 7−8
+0%
|
7−8
+0%
|
Full HD
Medium Preset
Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 7−8
+0%
|
7−8
+0%
|
Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 2−3
−50%
|
3−4
+50%
|
Battlefield 5 | 10−12
−9.1%
|
12−14
+9.1%
|
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 14−16
−7.1%
|
14−16
+7.1%
|
Cyberpunk 2077 | 7−8
+0%
|
7−8
+0%
|
Far Cry 5 | 7−8
−14.3%
|
8−9
+14.3%
|
Far Cry New Dawn | 8−9
+0%
|
8−9
+0%
|
Forza Horizon 4 | 12−14
−8.3%
|
12−14
+8.3%
|
Hitman 3 | 8−9
−12.5%
|
9−10
+12.5%
|
Horizon Zero Dawn | 7−8
−14.3%
|
8−9
+14.3%
|
Red Dead Redemption 2 | 8−9
+0%
|
8−9
+0%
|
Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 10−12
+0%
|
10−12
+0%
|
Watch Dogs: Legion | 4−5
−25%
|
5−6
+25%
|
Full HD
High Preset
Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 7−8
+0%
|
7−8
+0%
|
Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 2−3
−50%
|
3−4
+50%
|
Battlefield 5 | 10−12
−9.1%
|
12−14
+9.1%
|
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 14−16
−7.1%
|
14−16
+7.1%
|
Cyberpunk 2077 | 7−8
+0%
|
7−8
+0%
|
Far Cry 5 | 7−8
−14.3%
|
8−9
+14.3%
|
Far Cry New Dawn | 8−9
+0%
|
8−9
+0%
|
Forza Horizon 4 | 12−14
−8.3%
|
12−14
+8.3%
|
Hitman 3 | 8−9
−12.5%
|
9−10
+12.5%
|
Horizon Zero Dawn | 7−8
−14.3%
|
8−9
+14.3%
|
Metro Exodus | 6−7
+0%
|
6−7
+0%
|
Red Dead Redemption 2 | 8−9
+0%
|
8−9
+0%
|
Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 10−12
+0%
|
10−12
+0%
|
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 9−10
+0%
|
9−10
+0%
|
Watch Dogs: Legion | 4−5
−25%
|
5−6
+25%
|
Full HD
Ultra Preset
Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 7−8
+0%
|
7−8
+0%
|
Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 2−3
−50%
|
3−4
+50%
|
Battlefield 5 | 10−12
−9.1%
|
12−14
+9.1%
|
Cyberpunk 2077 | 7−8
+0%
|
7−8
+0%
|
Far Cry 5 | 7−8
−14.3%
|
8−9
+14.3%
|
Far Cry New Dawn | 8−9
+0%
|
8−9
+0%
|
Forza Horizon 4 | 12−14
−8.3%
|
12−14
+8.3%
|
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 9−10
+0%
|
9−10
+0%
|
Watch Dogs: Legion | 4−5
−25%
|
5−6
+25%
|
1440p
High Preset
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 7−8
+0%
|
7−8
+0%
|
Hitman 3 | 7−8
+0%
|
7−8
+0%
|
Horizon Zero Dawn | 10−12
+0%
|
10−12
+0%
|
Metro Exodus | 2−3
+0%
|
2−3
+0%
|
Red Dead Redemption 2 | 2−3
+0%
|
2−3
+0%
|
Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 7−8
+0%
|
7−8
+0%
|
1440p
Ultra Preset
Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 2−3
+0%
|
2−3
+0%
|
Cyberpunk 2077 | 2−3
+0%
|
2−3
+0%
|
Far Cry 5 | 6−7
+0%
|
6−7
+0%
|
Far Cry New Dawn | 2−3
+0%
|
2−3
+0%
|
Forza Horizon 4 | 4−5
−25%
|
5−6
+25%
|
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 4−5
+0%
|
4−5
+0%
|
4K
High Preset
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 3−4
+0%
|
3−4
+0%
|
Hitman 3 | 4−5
+0%
|
4−5
+0%
|
Horizon Zero Dawn | 8−9
+0%
|
8−9
+0%
|
Red Dead Redemption 2 | 2−3
+0%
|
2−3
+0%
|
Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 1−2
+0%
|
1−2
+0%
|
4K
Ultra Preset
Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 2−3
+0%
|
2−3
+0%
|
Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 1−2
−100%
|
2−3
+100%
|
Cyberpunk 2077 | 0−1 | 0−1 |
Far Cry 5 | 4−5
−25%
|
5−6
+25%
|
Far Cry New Dawn | 7−8
+0%
|
7−8
+0%
|
Forza Horizon 4 | 1−2
−100%
|
2−3
+100%
|
This is how GTX 550 Ti and HD 8870M compete in popular games:
900p resolution:
- HD 8870M is 10.5% faster than GTX 550 Ti
1080p resolution:
- GTX 550 Ti is 12.1% faster than HD 8870M
Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:
- in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, with 4K resolution and the Ultra Preset, the HD 8870M is 100% faster than the GTX 550 Ti.
All in all, in popular games:
- HD 8870M is ahead in 25 tests (42%)
- there's a draw in 35 tests (58%)
Advantages and disadvantages
Performance score | 3.98 | 4.23 |
Recency | 15 March 2011 | 18 December 2012 |
Chip lithography | 40 nm | 28 nm |
We couldn't decide between GeForce GTX 550 Ti and Radeon HD 8870M. The differences in performance seem too small.
Be aware that GeForce GTX 550 Ti is a desktop card while Radeon HD 8870M is a notebook one.
Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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