AMD FirePro M5100 vs AMD Radeon HD 8730M Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits cleanly in favor of the AMD FirePro M5100. In the only recorded head-to-head test, Geekbench OpenCL, the FirePro M5100 scores 6830 against the Radeon HD 8730M’s 5955, a 14.7% advantage. That single win covers the entire comparison, meaning the FirePro M5100 takes the performance crown across the board in this database’s measurements.

The Radeon HD 8730M does not win any recorded benchmark. Its 5955 OpenCL score places it near a cluster of similar-performance parts, including the NVIDIA Quadro K620M at 5957 (0% delta) and the AMD Radeon HD 8750M at 5970 (-0.3% delta). The FirePro M5100, by contrast, sits among slightly faster company: its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M at 6946 (-1.7% delta) and the AMD Radeon R5 M240 at 6975 (-2.1% delta). So while the FirePro M5100 is not at the top of the mobile GPU hierarchy, it clearly outclasses the HD 8730M in compute workloads.

For a practical use-case split: if the task is OpenCL compute, content creation, or any GPU-accelerated application that leans on raw shader throughput, the FirePro M5100 is the pick. The HD 8730M trails by enough that it will feel noticeably slower in those workloads. The HD 8730M’s only consolation is that it belongs to the same architectural generation, so it can run the same API feature set, but it does so with substantially less muscle.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs are built on AMD’s GCN 1.0 architecture and use the same 28 nm TSMC process node. That is where the similarities end in terms of physical design. The FirePro M5100 uses the Venus chip, a 1,500 million transistor design on a 123 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.2M per mm². The Radeon HD 8730M uses the smaller Mars chip, with 950 million transistors on a 77 mm² die, for a density of 12.3M per mm². The density figures are nearly identical, confirming that the performance gap comes from sheer silicon size, not process efficiency.

The FirePro M5100 has 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The HD 8730M halves or nearly halves those counts: 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. That translates directly into throughput rates. The FirePro M5100 delivers 12.40 GPixel/s pixel fill and 31.00 GTexel/s texture fill, while the HD 8730M manages 5.600 GPixel/s and 16.80 GTexel/s. Floating-point performance follows the same pattern: 992.0 GFLOPS FP32 for the FirePro M5100 versus 537.6 GFLOPS for the HD 8730M.

Memory is another major divider. The FirePro M5100 uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, running at 1125 MHz with 4.5 Gbps effective, for 72.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The HD 8730M also has 2 GB on a 128-bit bus, but it is DDR3 at 900 MHz with 1800 Mbps effective, yielding just 28.80 GB/s. That is a 2.5x bandwidth advantage for the FirePro M5100, which matters in memory-heavy compute and texture-bound scenes.

Clock speeds differ as well. The FirePro M5100 runs at 725 MHz base and 775 MHz boost. The HD 8730M runs at 650 MHz base and 700 MHz boost. Combined with more shaders and faster memory, the FirePro M5100 is ahead in every measurable hardware category.

Interface and form factor also differ. The FirePro M5100 uses an MXM-A (3.0) bus interface and comes as an MXM Module, typical of workstation-class laptops where GPUs are replaceable. The HD 8730M uses PCIe 3.0 x8, a more common mobile integration path. Both support DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170, so API compatibility is identical.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records one direct comparison: Geekbench OpenCL. The FirePro M5100 scores 6830, the HD 8730M scores 5955, and the delta is 14.7% in favor of the FirePro M5100. That is not a marginal gap; it is a clear tier separation. To put it in context, the FirePro M5100’s nearest rival, the AMD Radeon R7 M370, scores 6764, only 1% behind. The HD 8730M’s nearest rival, the NVIDIA Quadro K620M, scores 5957, essentially tied. So the FirePro M5100 is competing with a higher class of GPU, while the HD 8730M is competing with entry-level parts.

Broken down by hardware, the FirePro M5100’s 14.7% benchmark lead is smaller than its raw compute advantage would suggest. The FP32 gap is 992.0 versus 537.6 GFLOPS, an 84% difference. The bandwidth gap is 72.00 GB/s versus 28.80 GB/s, a 150% difference. Real-world OpenCL scores compress those hardware gaps because the workload is not purely shader-bound, but the direction is consistent: the FirePro M5100 wins, and it wins by a meaningful margin.

The pixel rate comparison reinforces the same story. At 12.40 GPixel/s, the FirePro M5100 more than doubles the HD 8730M’s 5.600 GPixel/s. Texture rate is similarly lopsided: 31.00 GTexel/s versus 16.80 GTexel/s, an 84% advantage. These are the kinds of numbers that show up in actual rendering and compute tasks, not just synthetic peaks.

One nuance: both GPUs are end-of-life products, and the HD 8730M launched earlier, in March 2013, while the FirePro M5100 came later in October 2013. The later release gave AMD time to put a larger chip in the workstation part, and the benchmark data reflects that.

The Verdict

Pick the AMD FirePro M5100 if you need compute performance and memory bandwidth. It wins the only recorded benchmark by 14.7%, and its hardware specs are superior across the board: more shaders, more TMUs, more ROPs, faster clocks, and GDDR5 memory with 72.00 GB/s versus 28.80 GB/s. It also sits in a higher performance percentile, 38th versus 34th among all GPUs, and its nearest rivals are more powerful parts like the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M and AMD Radeon R7 M370. If your workload is OpenCL-heavy, the FirePro M5100 is the clear choice.

Pick the AMD Radeon HD 8730M only if the system requires a PCIe 3.0 x8 card and the FirePro M5100’s MXM-A (3.0) module format is not compatible. From a pure performance standpoint, there is no argument for the HD 8730M. It scores 5955, which ties it with the NVIDIA Quadro K620M and places it just below the AMD Radeon HD 8750M. Those are entry-level results. The HD 8730M is not a bad GPU for its class, but it is a class below the FirePro M5100.

The data also shows that the FirePro M5100’s nearest rivals are within a few percent. The R7 M370 is only 1% behind, the GeForce GTX 675M is 1.7% behind, and the GeForce GT 1010 is 2% behind. So the FirePro M5100 is competitively positioned in its own tier. The HD 8730M, by contrast, is locked into a lower tier where the Quadro K620M, HD 8750M, and Quadro K4000 all sit within 0.5% of each other. The gap between the two GPUs is not close, and no benchmark result suggests otherwise.

For builders and upgraders looking at used or legacy mobile workstations, the FirePro M5100 is the one to seek out. The HD 8730M is acceptable for basic acceleration, but it will struggle in anything that demands high fill rates or memory throughput. The verdict, strictly from the recorded data: the FirePro M5100 wins decisively.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the AMD FirePro M5100 than the AMD Radeon HD 8730M in OpenCL?

A: The FirePro M5100 scores 6830 in Geekbench OpenCL versus 5955 for the HD 8730M, a 14.7% advantage.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same DirectX version?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12 (11_1), along with OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.2.170.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between the two?

A: The FirePro M5100 has 72.00 GB/s of bandwidth from 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus. The HD 8730M has 28.80 GB/s from 2 GB of DDR3 on the same 128-bit bus.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The FirePro M5100 has 640 shading units, while the HD 8730M has 384 shading units.

Q: Are these GPUs still in production?

A: No, both are marked as end-of-life in the database. The HD 8730M launched in March 2013, and the FirePro M5100 launched in October 2013.

Q: How does the FirePro M5100 compare to its nearest rival, the Radeon R7 M370?

A: The FirePro M5100 scores 6830, while the R7 M370 scores 6764, a 1% difference in favor of the FirePro M5100.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD FirePro M5100 | AMD Radeon HD 8730M |

|---|---|---|

| Chip | Venus | Mars |

| Generation | FirePro Mobile (Mx100) | Solar System (HD 8700M) |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 1,500 million | 950 million |

| Die Size | 123 mm² | 77 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.2M / mm² | 12.3M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 725 MHz | 650 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 775 MHz | 700 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1125 MHz, 4.5 Gbps effective | 900 MHz, 1800 Mbps effective |

| Memory Size | 2 GB | 2 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | DDR3 |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 72.00 GB/s | 28.80 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 640 | 384 |

| TMUs | 40 | 24 |

| ROPs | 16 | 8 |

| Pixel Rate | 12.40 GPixel/s | 5.600 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 31.00 GTexel/s | 16.80 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 992.0 GFLOPS | 537.6 GFLOPS |

| Bus Interface | MXM-A (3.0) | PCIe 3.0 x8 |

| Slot Width | MXM Module | Not specified |

| Release Date | October 2013 | March 2013 |

| Predecessor | FirePro Mobility | London |

| Successor | Radeon Pro Mobile | Gem System |

| Production Status | End-of-life | End-of-life |