Radeon RX 6900 XT vs RX 550
Aggregate performance score
We've compared Radeon RX 550 and Radeon RX 6900 XT, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.
6900 XT outperforms RX 550 by a whopping 897% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Contents
Primary details
GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.
| Place in the ranking | 619 | 34 |
| Place by popularity | 28 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 2.92 | 30.13 |
| Power efficiency | 9.85 | 16.36 |
| Architecture | GCN 4.0 (2016−2020) | RDNA 2.0 (2020−2025) |
| GPU code name | Lexa | Navi 21 |
| Market segment | Desktop | Desktop |
| Release date | 20 April 2017 (8 years ago) | 28 October 2020 (5 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $79 | $999 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
The higher the ratio, the better. We use the manufacturer's recommended prices.
RX 6900 XT has 932% better value for money than RX 550.
Performance to price scatter graph
Detailed specifications
General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.
| Pipelines / CUDA cores | 512 | 5120 |
| Core clock speed | 1100 MHz | 1825 MHz |
| Boost clock speed | 1183 MHz | 2250 MHz |
| Number of transistors | 2,200 million | 26,800 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 14 nm | 7 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 50 Watt | 300 Watt |
| Texture fill rate | 37.86 | 720.0 |
| Floating-point processing power | 1.211 TFLOPS | 23.04 TFLOPS |
| ROPs | 16 | 128 |
| TMUs | 32 | 320 |
| Ray Tracing Cores | no data | 80 |
| L0 Cache | no data | 1.3 MB |
| L1 Cache | 128 KB | 1 MB |
| L2 Cache | 512 KB | 4 MB |
| L3 Cache | no data | 128 MB |
Form factor & 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).
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x8 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |
| Length | 145 mm | 267 mm |
| Width | 2-slot | 3-slot |
| Supplementary power connectors | None | 2x 8-pin |
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 | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 4 GB | 16 GB |
| Memory bus width | 128 Bit | 256 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 1750 MHz | 2000 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 112.0 GB/s | 512.0 GB/s |
| Shared memory | - | - |
| Resizable BAR | - | + |
Connectivity and outputs
This section shows the types and number of video connectors on each GPU. The data applies specifically to desktop reference models (for example, NVIDIA’s Founders Edition). OEM partners often modify both the number and types of ports. On notebook GPUs, video‐output options are determined by the laptop’s design rather than the graphics chip itself.
| Display Connectors | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort | 1x HDMI 2.1, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1x USB Type-C |
| HDMI | + | + |
API and SDK support
List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | 12 (12_0) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |
| Shader Model | 6.4 | 6.8 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| OpenCL | 2.0 | 2.1 |
| Vulkan | 1.2.131 | 1.3 |
Synthetic benchmarks
Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.
Combined synthetic benchmark score
This is our combined benchmark score.
Passmark
This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. 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.
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:
| Full HD | 18−20
−1006%
| 199
+1006%
|
| 1440p | 12−14
−1042%
| 137
+1042%
|
| 4K | 8−9
−963%
| 85
+963%
|
Cost per frame, $
| 1080p | 4.39
+14.4%
| 5.02
−14.4%
|
| 1440p | 6.58
+10.8%
| 7.29
−10.8%
|
| 4K | 9.88
+19%
| 11.75
−19%
|
- RX 550 has 14% lower cost per frame in 1080p
- RX 550 has 11% lower cost per frame in 1440p
- RX 550 has 19% lower cost per frame in 4K
FPS performance in popular games
Full HD
Low
| Counter-Strike 2 | 300−350
+0%
|
300−350
+0%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 160−170
+0%
|
160−170
+0%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 150−160
+0%
|
150−160
+0%
|
Full HD
Medium
| Battlefield 5 | 195
+0%
|
195
+0%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 300−350
+0%
|
300−350
+0%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 160−170
+0%
|
160−170
+0%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 190−200
+0%
|
190−200
+0%
|
| Fortnite | 300−350
+0%
|
300−350
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 283
+0%
|
283
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 5 | 190−200
+0%
|
190−200
+0%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 150−160
+0%
|
150−160
+0%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 170−180
+0%
|
170−180
+0%
|
| Valorant | 350−400
+0%
|
350−400
+0%
|
Full HD
High
| Battlefield 5 | 196
+0%
|
196
+0%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 300−350
+0%
|
300−350
+0%
|
| Counter-Strike: Global Offensive | 270−280
+0%
|
270−280
+0%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 160−170
+0%
|
160−170
+0%
|
| Dota 2 | 160−170
+0%
|
160−170
+0%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 190−200
+0%
|
190−200
+0%
|
| Fortnite | 300−350
+0%
|
300−350
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 279
+0%
|
279
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 5 | 190−200
+0%
|
190−200
+0%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 160−170
+0%
|
160−170
+0%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 150−160
+0%
|
150−160
+0%
|
| Metro Exodus | 164
+0%
|
164
+0%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 170−180
+0%
|
170−180
+0%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 323
+0%
|
323
+0%
|
| Valorant | 350−400
+0%
|
350−400
+0%
|
Full HD
Ultra
| Battlefield 5 | 197
+0%
|
197
+0%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 160−170
+0%
|
160−170
+0%
|
| Dota 2 | 160−170
+0%
|
160−170
+0%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 190−200
+0%
|
190−200
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 248
+0%
|
248
+0%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 150−160
+0%
|
150−160
+0%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 170−180
+0%
|
170−180
+0%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 164
+0%
|
164
+0%
|
| Valorant | 411
+0%
|
411
+0%
|
Full HD
Epic
| Fortnite | 300−350
+0%
|
300−350
+0%
|
1440p
High
| Counter-Strike 2 | 190−200
+0%
|
190−200
+0%
|
| Counter-Strike: Global Offensive | 500−550
+0%
|
500−550
+0%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 130−140
+0%
|
130−140
+0%
|
| Metro Exodus | 102
+0%
|
102
+0%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 170−180
+0%
|
170−180
+0%
|
| Valorant | 450−500
+0%
|
450−500
+0%
|
1440p
Ultra
| Battlefield 5 | 196
+0%
|
196
+0%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 90−95
+0%
|
90−95
+0%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 160−170
+0%
|
160−170
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 231
+0%
|
231
+0%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 85−90
+0%
|
85−90
+0%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 150−160
+0%
|
150−160
+0%
|
1440p
Epic
| Fortnite | 150−160
+0%
|
150−160
+0%
|
4K
High
| Counter-Strike 2 | 85−90
+0%
|
85−90
+0%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 150−160
+0%
|
150−160
+0%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 45−50
+0%
|
45−50
+0%
|
| Metro Exodus | 67
+0%
|
67
+0%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 122
+0%
|
122
+0%
|
| Valorant | 300−350
+0%
|
300−350
+0%
|
4K
Ultra
| Battlefield 5 | 134
+0%
|
134
+0%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 85−90
+0%
|
85−90
+0%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 40−45
+0%
|
40−45
+0%
|
| Dota 2 | 150−160
+0%
|
150−160
+0%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 100−110
+0%
|
100−110
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 162
+0%
|
162
+0%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 45−50
+0%
|
45−50
+0%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 95−100
+0%
|
95−100
+0%
|
4K
Epic
| Fortnite | 75−80
+0%
|
75−80
+0%
|
This is how RX 550 and RX 6900 XT compete in popular games:
- RX 6900 XT is 1006% faster in 1080p
- RX 6900 XT is 1042% faster in 1440p
- RX 6900 XT is 963% faster in 4K
All in all, in popular games:
- there's a draw in 66 tests (100%)
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 6.41 | 63.90 |
| Recency | 20 April 2017 | 28 October 2020 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 4 GB | 16 GB |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 7 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 50 Watt | 300 Watt |
RX 550 has 500% lower power consumption.
RX 6900 XT, on the other hand, has a 896.9% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 3 years, a 300% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 100% more advanced lithography process.
The Radeon RX 6900 XT is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon RX 550 in performance tests.
Other comparisons
We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.
