AMD FirePro M5100 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sole recorded benchmark in the database is Geekbench OpenCL, and it reveals a decisive advantage for the AMD FirePro M5100. The FirePro scores 6830 points, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti manages 5731 points. That is a 19.2% delta in favor of the AMD part. The margin is substantial enough to place the two cards in different performance tiers, even though both are end-of-life products from the early 2010s.

Looking at the FirePro M5100's position relative to its nearest rivals, the 6830 score sits just 1% above the AMD Radeon R7 M370 (6764) and 2% above the NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010 (6698). It trails the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M (6946) by 1.7% and the AMD Radeon R5 M240 (6975) by 2.1%. This clustering suggests the FirePro is right at the edge of a performance plateau, where small architectural differences make the difference between a win and a loss against a handful of similar-generation parts.

The GTX 550 Ti, by contrast, sits in a slightly lower neighborhood. Its 5731 score is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670MX (5721, only 0.2% behind), the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P6300 (5712, 0.3% behind), and the AMD Radeon HD 8790M (5691, 0.7% behind). The only rival it clearly beats in this group is the AMD Radeon R7 M465 (5841), which outpaces it by 1.9%. The takeaway is that the GTX 550 Ti is competitive with a narrow band of mid-range mobile and desktop GPUs from around 2011-2015, but the FirePro M5100 sits a full tier above that cluster.

The percentile rankings reinforce the gap. The FirePro M5100 lands in the 38th percentile of all GPUs, while the GTX 550 Ti rests in the 33rd percentile. That five-point difference in percentile is meaningful: it indicates the FirePro outranks roughly 5% more of the entire GPU landscape in OpenCL compute performance.

No other benchmark tests are recorded for either card. The database only contains the single Geekbench OpenCL result, so the head-to-head comparison is limited to this one metric. Still, a 19.2% lead in a compute-oriented workload is a clear, measurable statement about the relative capabilities of these two architectures.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD FirePro M5100 wins the only recorded benchmark outright, so in terms of raw compute throughput, it is the unequivocal victor. The 19.2% margin in Geekbench OpenCL indicates that the FirePro's compute pipeline is significantly more efficient for general-purpose GPU workloads, which is consistent with its professional mobile positioning.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti does not win any benchmark in this comparison. However, the data does not show it losing in every imaginable scenario, only in the one test that was recorded. The absence of other tests means there is no evidence of a gaming advantage, a power efficiency win, or a feature-set superiority, all of which could theoretically favor the GTX 550 Ti in specific use cases. The database simply does not contain that information.

For users who prioritize OpenCL compute tasks, whether that is video encoding, physics simulation, or data processing, the FirePro M5100 is the clear choice based on the available measurements. The GTX 550 Ti, with its lower score and lower percentile, would be a secondary option in such workloads. There is no recorded scenario where the GTX 550 Ti comes out ahead.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The AMD FirePro M5100 uses the Venus chip built on GCN 1.0 architecture, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The GTX 550 Ti uses the GF116 chip based on Fermi 2.0, also from TSMC but on a larger 40 nm node.

The transistor counts tell a story of density. The FirePro packs 1,500 million transistors into a 123 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.2 million per square millimeter. The GTX 550 Ti carries 1,170 million transistors across a much larger 238 mm² die, resulting in just 4.9 million per square millimeter. The FirePro's density advantage is more than double, which explains how it achieves higher performance in a smaller physical package.

Clock speeds differ as well. The FirePro M5100 has a base clock of 725 MHz and a boost clock of 775 MHz. The GTX 550 Ti has no recorded base or boost clocks, only a memory clock of 1026 MHz (4.1 Gbps effective). The FirePro's memory runs at 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective), giving it a higher memory transfer rate on paper.

Memory configurations diverge sharply. The FirePro includes 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, yielding 72.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 550 Ti offers 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a wider 192-bit bus, resulting in 98.50 GB/s of bandwidth. Despite having less memory, the GTX 550 Ti has a 36.8% bandwidth advantage, which could help in memory-heavy workloads.

The compute resources also differ. The FirePro has 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The GTX 550 Ti has 192 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. The FirePro's shading unit count is over three times higher, which drives its FP32 output of 992.0 GFLOPS versus the GTX 550 Ti's 691.2 GFLOPS. The pixel rate favors the FirePro at 12.40 GPixel/s versus 7.200 GPixel/s, while the texture rate is closer: 31.00 GTexel/s for the FirePro against 28.80 GTexel/s for the GTX.

API support shows a notable split. The FirePro supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The GTX 550 Ti supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support recorded. This makes the FirePro more future-proof for modern applications that leverage Vulkan.

Physical and power characteristics differ as well. The FirePro is an MXM Module with an MXM-A (3.0) bus interface, designed for laptops. The GTX 550 Ti is a dual-slot desktop card measuring 210 mm (8.3 inches) with a PCIe 2.0 x16 interface, a single 6-pin power connector, and a 300 W suggested PSU. The FirePro has no TDP recorded, while the GTX 550 Ti is rated at 116 W.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The AMD FirePro M5100 scores 6830 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 19.2% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti's 5731.

Q: Does the GTX 550 Ti have more memory bandwidth?

A: Yes. Although the GTX 550 Ti has only 1024 MB of memory versus the FirePro's 2 GB, its 192-bit bus provides 98.50 GB/s of bandwidth, compared to 72.00 GB/s on the FirePro.

Q: Which GPU supports Vulkan?

A: Only the AMD FirePro M5100 has Vulkan support (version 1.2.170). The GTX 550 Ti has no Vulkan support recorded.

Q: What are the process nodes for each GPU?

A: The FirePro M5100 uses a 28 nm process, while the GTX 550 Ti uses a 40 nm process. Both are manufactured by TSMC.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the GTX 550 Ti?

A: The GTX 550 Ti had a launch MSRP of 149 USD. The FirePro M5100 has no recorded launch MSRP.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The FirePro M5100 has 640 shading units, significantly more than the GTX 550 Ti's 192.

The Verdict

Based solely on the recorded data, the AMD FirePro M5100 is the superior GPU for compute-oriented tasks. Its 19.2% lead in Geekbench OpenCL, higher percentile ranking (38th versus 33rd), and support for Vulkan make it the more capable and modern part. The FirePro's massive shading unit advantage (640 versus 192) and higher FP32 throughput (992.0 GFLOPS versus 691.2 GFLOPS) explain why it outperforms the GTX 550 Ti in the one benchmark that was measured.

The GTX 550 Ti is not without strengths. Its wider 192-bit memory bus delivers 98.50 GB/s of bandwidth, which is 26.5 GB/s more than the FirePro. For workloads that are bandwidth-limited rather than compute-limited, the GTX 550 Ti could potentially close the gap, but no benchmark was recorded to confirm this. The GTX 550 Ti also has a higher pixel rate in one sense: 24 ROPs versus 16 ROPs, though its pixel rate of 7.200 GPixel/s is still lower than the FirePro's 12.40 GPixel/s due to clock differences.

For a user choosing between these two today, the FirePro M5100 is the better pick for OpenCL compute, professional workloads, and any application that can leverage Vulkan. The GTX 550 Ti would only be preferable in a system that requires a desktop PCIe card with a 6-pin connector and can tolerate its higher 116 W TDP, and even then it delivers less compute performance.

The data is clear: the FirePro M5100 wins the benchmark that exists, and its architectural advantages in shading units, FP32 output, and API support make it the more versatile and future-proof option. The GTX 550 Ti remains a competent budget card from 2011, but it is outclassed by the FirePro in every measured metric.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD FirePro M5100 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti |

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

| Chip | Venus | GF116 |

| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | Fermi 2.0 |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 40 nm |

| Transistors | 1,500 million | 1,170 million |

| Die Size | 123 mm² | 238 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.2M / mm² | 4.9M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 725 MHz | Not recorded |

| Boost Clock | 775 MHz | Not recorded |

| Memory Clock | 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective) | 1026 MHz (4.1 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 2 GB | 1024 MB |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 72.00 GB/s | 98.50 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 640 | 192 |

| TMUs | 40 | 32 |

| ROPs | 16 | 24 |

| Pixel Rate | 12.40 GPixel/s | 7.200 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 31.00 GTexel/s | 28.80 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 992.0 GFLOPS | 691.2 GFLOPS |

| TDP | Not recorded | 116 W |

| Slot Width | MXM Module | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | Not recorded | 1x 6-pin |

| Suggested PSU | Not recorded | 300 W |

| Bus Interface | MXM-A (3.0) | PCIe 2.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a |

| DirectX | 12 (11_1) | 12 (11_0) |

| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |

| Vulkan | 1.2.170 | Not recorded |

| Dimensions | Not recorded | 210 mm (8.3 inches) |

| Release Date | 2013-10-15 | 2011-03-14 |

| Launch MSRP | Not recorded | 149 USD |

| Geekbench OpenCL | 6830 | 5731 |

| Percentile | 38th | 33rd |