Radeon HD 6970 vs Radeon RX 550

Speed and memory

In our performance index the Radeon HD 6970 scores 3.4 and the Radeon RX 550 scores 3.2, which makes the Radeon HD 6970 about 6% faster. That is a small gap, below what most people notice without a frame counter.

The Radeon HD 6970 has 2 GB of video memory and the Radeon RX 550 has 4 GB. That difference matters at 1440p and in new games at High textures, and it can outweigh a small speed advantage as the card ages.

In our estimates for popular games at 1080p on High, the biggest gap is in Red Dead Redemption 2 (8 against 13 fps), and the smallest is in Minecraft: Java Edition (67 against 64 fps). Games that are light enough to run above 200 fps on both cards show little difference at all.

Power and value

The Radeon HD 6970 is rated at 250 W and the Radeon RX 550 at 50 W. With a mid-range processor that means a power supply of about 650 W for the first and 450 W for the second. A gap of 200 W shows up in heat and fan noise, and in your electricity use over a few years.

At launch the Radeon HD 6970 cost $369 and the Radeon RX 550 $79. Per dollar, the Radeon RX 550 gave more performance (4.1 points per $100 against 0.9). Current prices differ, so run the same sum on what you can actually buy today.

Which one to buy

Choose the Radeon HD 6970 if you want the faster card, and you can accept 2 GB of memory. It makes the most sense at 1440p and above, or on a monitor with a high refresh rate.

Choose the Radeon RX 550 if the price gap matters more than the 6% speed difference, and you value the extra video memory. Whichever you pick, check reviews for the games you play, because two cards with similar scores can differ in individual titles.