AMD FirePro M5100 vs NVIDIA GeForce 945M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available in the database is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the result is a clear win for the NVIDIA GeForce 945M. It scores 8,099 points against the AMD FirePro M5100's 6,830 points, a lead of 18.6%. That is a substantial margin for a single benchmark, and it places the two GPUs in different performance tiers despite their similar core configurations.

To put that score into context, the GeForce 945M sits at the 42nd percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals are tightly clustered: the NVIDIA GRID K2 at 8,080 (0.2% behind), the AMD Radeon R9 M360 at 8,129 (0.4% ahead), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost at 8,067 (0.4% behind), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M at 8,135 (0.4% ahead). The 945M is effectively in a dead heat with all four of those cards, with deltas under half a percent. This means the 945M is not an outlier; it performs exactly as expected for its class.

The FirePro M5100, by contrast, sits at the 38th percentile. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon R7 M370 at 6,764 (1% behind), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M at 6,946 (1.7% ahead), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010 at 6,698 (2% behind), and the AMD Radeon R5 M240 at 6,975 (2.1% ahead). The FirePro sits in the middle of that group, trailing the GTX 675M and the R5 M240 while leading the R7 M370 and GT 1010. The spread is larger here, roughly 4 percentage points from the bottom to the top of its rival cluster, which suggests the FirePro is not as consistently positioned as the 945M.

The 18.6% gap between the two cards in this head-to-head is the dominant fact. The 945M wins the only recorded benchmark, and it wins by a wide enough margin that no other data would be needed to establish which card is faster in raw compute workloads.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs are built on the same 28 nm process at TSMC, but everything else about their designs diverges. The NVIDIA GeForce 945M uses the GM107 chip, which is part of the Maxwell architecture and the GeForce 900M generation. It packs 1,870 million transistors into a 148 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 12.6 million per square millimeter. The AMD FirePro M5100 uses the Venus chip, based on the older GCN 1.0 architecture from the FirePro Mobile (Mx100) generation. It contains 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, for a density of 12.2 million per square millimeter. The transistor density is nearly identical, but NVIDIA fits more transistors into a larger die.

The core configurations are superficially similar. Both cards have 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. That is where the similarity ends. The 945M runs at a base clock of 928 MHz with a boost of 1020 MHz, while the FirePro runs at 725 MHz base and 775 MHz boost. The clocks are not close; the NVIDIA card is roughly 28% higher on base clock and 32% higher on boost. This clock advantage flows directly into the compute rates. The 945M delivers 1,305.6 GFLOPS of FP32 performance, 16.32 GPixel/s of pixel throughput, and 40.80 GTexel/s of texture throughput. The FirePro manages 992.0 GFLOPS, 12.40 GPixel/s, and 31.00 GTexel/s. Every throughput metric favors the 945M by roughly the same proportion.

Memory is another major split. The 945M uses 2 GB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus, running at 900 MHz with 1800 Mbps effective, for a bandwidth of 28.80 GB/s. The FirePro uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on the same 128-bit bus, but at 1125 MHz with 4.5 Gbps effective, for a bandwidth of 72.00 GB/s. That is a 150% bandwidth advantage for the AMD card. The FirePro's GDDR5 is a significantly faster memory technology, and the database records show that this is the one area where the AMD card has a clear hardware edge.

Feature support differs as well. The 945M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The FirePro supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The DirectX feature levels are different, with the AMD card supporting a slightly higher feature level, while the NVIDIA card supports a newer Vulkan version.

The physical format is MXM for both, but the bus interfaces differ. The 945M uses MXM-B (3.0), while the FirePro uses MXM-A (3.0). Both are portable device modules with display outputs tagged as "Portable Device Dependent." The NVIDIA card has a TDP of 75 W and requires no power connectors; the FirePro's TDP is not recorded in the database.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce 945M wins in raw compute performance. Its 18.6% lead in the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark is the headline number, and it is supported by higher clocks and higher throughput rates across pixel, texture, and FP32 operations. The 945M also has a newer architecture generation, Maxwell versus GCN 1.0, and a newer Vulkan version (1.4 versus 1.2.170). For general compute tasks, OpenCL workloads, and any application that leans on shader throughput, the 945M is the stronger card.

The AMD FirePro M5100 wins in memory bandwidth. Its GDDR5 memory delivers 72.00 GB/s, which is 2.5 times the 28.80 GB/s of the 945M's DDR3. For workloads that are memory-bound rather than compute-bound, such as large texture streaming or certain data-parallel tasks, this bandwidth advantage could offset some of the compute deficit. The FirePro also supports DirectX 12 with feature level 11_1, which is a notch above the 11_0 feature level of the 945M, so games or applications built around that feature level may see compatibility or performance benefits on the AMD card.

The FirePro does not win any recorded benchmark, so any use case favoring it must be inferred from its hardware characteristics. The bandwidth advantage is real and substantial, but the compute deficit is equally real. The database shows one win for the 945M and zero for the FirePro.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 945M scores 8,099, which is 18.6% higher than the AMD FirePro M5100's 6,830.

Q: Do both cards have the same number of shading units?

A: Yes, both have 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs.

Q: Which card has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The AMD FirePro M5100 has 72.00 GB/s from GDDR5, while the NVIDIA GeForce 945M has 28.80 GB/s from DDR3.

Q: How do the clock speeds compare?

A: The 945M runs at 928 MHz base and 1020 MHz boost, while the FirePro runs at 725 MHz base and 775 MHz boost.

Q: Which card supports a newer Vulkan version?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 945M supports Vulkan 1.4, while the AMD FirePro M5100 supports Vulkan 1.2.170.

Q: Are both GPUs based on the same manufacturing process?

A: Yes, both are built on a 28 nm process at TSMC, but the 945M uses the Maxwell architecture while the FirePro uses GCN 1.0.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ on nearly every specification except for memory size, core counts, process node, foundry, slot width, and display outputs.

• Architecture: Maxwell (GM107) for the 945M; GCN 1.0 (Venus) for the FirePro M5100.
• Generation: GeForce 900M for the 945M; FirePro Mobile (Mx100) for the FirePro.
• Transistors: 1,870 million for the 945M; 1,500 million for the FirePro.
• Die size: 148 mm² for the 945M; 123 mm² for the FirePro.
• Transistor density: 12.6M / mm² for the 945M; 12.2M / mm² for the FirePro.
• Base clock: 928 MHz for the 945M; 725 MHz for the FirePro.
• Boost clock: 1020 MHz for the 945M; 775 MHz for the FirePro.
• Memory clock: 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective) for the 945M; 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective) for the FirePro.
• Memory type: DDR3 for the 945M; GDDR5 for the FirePro.
• Memory bus width: both 128 bit, no difference.
• Memory bandwidth: 28.80 GB/s for the 945M; 72.00 GB/s for the FirePro.
• Pixel rate: 16.32 GPixel/s for the 945M; 12.40 GPixel/s for the FirePro.
• Texture rate: 40.80 GTexel/s for the 945M; 31.00 GTexel/s for the FirePro.
• FP32: 1,305.6 GFLOPS for the 945M; 992.0 GFLOPS for the FirePro.
• TDP: 75 W for the 945M; not recorded for the FirePro.
• Power connectors: None for the 945M; not recorded for the FirePro.
• Bus interface: MXM-B (3.0) for the 945M; MXM-A (3.0) for the FirePro.
• DirectX support: 12 (11_0) for the 945M; 12 (11_1) for the FirePro.
• Vulkan support: 1.4 for the 945M; 1.2.170 for the FirePro.
• Release date: 2015-10-26 for the 945M; 2013-10-15 for the FirePro.
• Predecessor: GeForce 800M for the 945M; FirePro Mobility for the FirePro.
• Successor: GeForce 10 Mobile for the 945M; Radeon Pro Mobile for the FirePro.
• Production status: End-of-life for both, no difference.

The Verdict

The data points to one clear choice for most workloads. The NVIDIA GeForce 945M wins the only direct benchmark by 18.6%, and it holds advantages in clock speed, FP32 throughput, pixel rate, texture rate, transistor count, and Vulkan support. If the task is OpenCL compute, gaming, or any shader-heavy workload, the 945M is the card to pick.

The AMD FirePro M5100 is not without merit. Its GDDR5 memory provides 72.00 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than double the 945M's DDR3 bandwidth. For scenarios where memory bandwidth is the limiting factor, the FirePro could be the better fit. It also has a slightly higher DirectX feature level (11_1 versus 11_0), which may matter for specific applications.

However, the benchmark record shows no wins for the FirePro. The 945M sits at the 42nd percentile among all GPUs, while the FirePro sits at the 38th. Both are end-of-life products, but the 945M is from a later generation, released in late 2015 versus late 2013 for the FirePro. The 945M is the faster card, the more modern card, and the one with the better benchmark score. The FirePro's bandwidth advantage is real but does not translate into a benchmark win in the recorded data.

For a buyer choosing between these two, the decision should rest on the workload. If compute performance matters, take the 945M. If memory bandwidth is the priority and the application can exploit it, the FirePro M5100 is the only option with that kind of throughput. In a straight performance comparison, the 945M is the winner.