Radeon RX 550 vs Radeon HD 7850

Speed and memory

In our performance index the Radeon RX 550 scores 3.2 and the Radeon HD 7850 scores 3, which makes the Radeon RX 550 about 7% faster. That is a small gap, below what most people notice without a frame counter.

The Radeon RX 550 has 4 GB of video memory and the Radeon HD 7850 has 2 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 (13 against 7 fps), and the smallest is in Fortnite (40 against 38 fps). Games that are light enough to run above 200 fps on both cards show little difference at all.

Power and value

The Radeon RX 550 is rated at 50 W and the Radeon HD 7850 at 130 W. With a mid-range processor that means a power supply of about 450 W for the first and 450 W for the second. A gap of 80 W shows up in heat and fan noise, and in your electricity use over a few years.

At launch the Radeon RX 550 cost $79 and the Radeon HD 7850 $249. Per dollar, the Radeon RX 550 gave more performance (4.1 points per $100 against 1.2). Current prices differ, so run the same sum on what you can actually buy today.

Which one to buy

Choose the Radeon RX 550 if you want the faster card, and it also has at least as much memory. It makes the most sense at 1440p and above, or on a monitor with a high refresh rate.

Choose the Radeon HD 7850 if the price gap matters more than the 7% speed difference. Whichever you pick, check reviews for the games you play, because two cards with similar scores can differ in individual titles.