GTX 1070 Max-Q vs RX 550
Head-to-head specifications
| Metric | GTX 1070 Max-Q | RX 550 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 1,581 | 423 | +273.8% |
| Avg FPS @ 1080p | 30 | 22 | +36.4% |
| Avg FPS @ 1440p | 16 | 11 | +45.5% |
| Avg FPS @ 4K | 8 | 6 | +33.3% |
| FP32 compute (TFLOPS) | 4.5 | 1.2 | +273.6% |
| VRAM | 8 GB GDDR5 | 2 GB GDDR5 | — |
| Memory bandwidth (GB/s) | 224 | 112 | +100.0% |
| TDP (W) | 67 | 50 | — |
- GTX 1070 Max-Q averages 16 fps at 1440p versus 11 fps — about 45% faster.
- RX 550 draws less power (50W vs 67W).
Verdict: GTX 1070 Max-Q or RX 550?
GTX 1070 Max-Q advantages
- 1440p gaming (+31%)
- 4K gaming (+25%)
- Synthetic benchmark performance (+73%)
- Video memory (+75%)
- Memory bandwidth (+50%)
RX 550 advantages
- Power efficiency (+25%)
Which should you choose?
- Choose the GTX 1070 Max-Q if you game at 1440p.
- Choose the RX 550 if you want lower power draw, heat and noise.
- Choose the GTX 1070 Max-Q if you game at 4K or drive a high-resolution display.
GTX 1070 Max-Q vs RX 550: which should you choose?
GTX 1070 Max-Q — NVIDIA laptop graphics card (2016, Pascal) with 8 GB of GDDR5, averaging 16 fps at 1440p.
RX 550 — AMD desktop graphics card (2017, Polaris) with 2 GB of GDDR5, averaging 11 fps at 1440p; launched at $79.
GTX 1070 Max-Q vs RX 550: GTX 1070 Max-Q is faster for gaming. GTX 1070 Max-Q averages 16 fps at 1440p versus 11 fps — about 45% faster. RX 550 draws less power (50W vs 67W).
1080p, 1440p and 4K
At 1440p — the most common enthusiast resolution — the GTX 1070 Max-Q averages 16 fps against 11. At 4K (8 vs 6 fps) VRAM (8GB vs 2GB) and memory bandwidth matter more.
Power and value
Board power is 67 W versus 50 W, which affects PSU headroom, case cooling and noise.
The verdict
Both are credible choices in the graphics card comparison space; the specification table above lays out every metric so you can weigh the trade-offs that matter to you. Pick the one whose strengths line up with how you will actually use it.
Frequently asked questions
Is the GTX 1070 Max-Q better than the RX 550?
GTX 1070 Max-Q is the clearly stronger overall choice, winning most of the dimensions that matter. GTX 1070 Max-Q averages 16 fps at 1440p versus 11 fps — about 45% faster.
What is the main difference between the GTX 1070 Max-Q and the RX 550?
GTX 1070 Max-Q averages 16 fps at 1440p versus 11 fps — about 45% faster. RX 550 draws less power (50W vs 67W).
Which should I choose?
Choose the GTX 1070 Max-Q if you game at 1440p. Choose the RX 550 if you want lower power draw, heat and noise.
Methodology
Graphics cards are compared on 3DMark Time Spy scores, average gaming frame rates at 1080p/1440p/4K, FP32 compute throughput, VRAM capacity and type, memory bandwidth, board power (TDP) and launch MSRP — plus AI workload throughput (Stable Diffusion iterations/s and local LLM tokens/s) where measured. Vintage and server GPUs without modern benchmark results are compared on specifications only, clearly labelled. Frame rates are averages across a game suite at high settings; specific titles vary.