AMD FirePro M5100 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The AMD FirePro M5100 scores 6830, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M scores 6389. This gives the AMD part a 6.9% lead in the sole head-to-head benchmark.

Q: How does the FirePro M5100 compare to its nearest rivals in performance?

A: The FirePro M5100 sits at the 38th percentile of all GPUs. It is 1% ahead of the AMD Radeon R7 M370 and 2% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010, while trailing the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M by 1.7% and the AMD Radeon R5 M240 by 2.1%.

Q: What is the GTX 580M's position relative to its own competitor set?

A: The GTX 580M lands at the 37th percentile. It matches the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE exactly (0% delta), is 0.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100, and 1% ahead of the AMD Radeon R7 M350, while trailing the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 72 GB Blackwell by 0.3%.

Q: What are the memory specifications of each card?

A: Both cards feature 2 GB of GDDR5 memory. The FirePro M5100 uses a 128-bit bus with 72.00 GB/s bandwidth, while the GTX 580M uses a 256-bit bus with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has a smaller manufacturing process?

A: The AMD FirePro M5100 is built on a 28 nm process, whereas the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M uses a 40 nm process. Both are fabricated by TSMC.

Q: What is the transistor density difference between the two chips?

A: The FirePro M5100's Venus chip packs 1,500 million transistors into a 123 mm² die, yielding 12.2M transistors per mm². The GTX 580M's GF114 chip contains 1,950 million transistors on a 332 mm² die, resulting in 5.9M transistors per mm².

The Verdict

Based purely on benchmark data, the AMD FirePro M5100 is the faster GPU. It wins the only head-to-head comparison available, posting 6830 against the GTX 580M's 6389 in Geekbench OpenCL, a 6.9% margin. The percentile ranking corroborates this: the FirePro sits at the 38th percentile versus the GTX 580M's 37th, a narrow but consistent gap.

For users prioritizing raw compute throughput in OpenCL workloads, the FirePro M5100 is the clear choice. Its FP32 output of 992.0 GFLOPS slightly exceeds the GTX 580M's 952.3 GFLOPS. The FirePro also offers a more modern feature set, including Vulkan 1.2.170 support, which the GTX 580M lacks entirely.

However, the GTX 580M is not without merit. It delivers substantially higher memory bandwidth at 96.00 GB/s versus 72.00 GB/s, thanks to a 256-bit bus versus 128-bit. Its texture rate is also higher at 39.68 GTexel/s compared to 31.00 GTexel/s, and it has double the ROPs (32 vs 16). These characteristics could favor certain memory-bound or texture-heavy workloads, despite the overall compute deficit.

The FirePro M5100 is the pick for general-purpose compute and modern API compatibility. The GTX 580M is the pick for scenarios where memory bandwidth and texture throughput dominate, and where its higher TDP of 100 W is acceptable. For most users, the FirePro's 6.9% benchmark lead and architectural advantages make it the stronger recommendation.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test. In this benchmark, the AMD FirePro M5100 scores 6830, beating the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M's 6389 by 6.9%. This is a decisive win for AMD, representing a meaningful performance gap in a compute-oriented workload.

Looking at the nearest rivals provides additional context. The FirePro's 6830 sits comfortably above its closest competitor, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M, which averages 6946 — the FirePro trails that card by only 1.7%, despite being a workstation-oriented part. The GTX 580M's 6389 matches the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE exactly, showing that the GTX 580M is essentially on par with a desktop GPU from an earlier generation.

The delta between the two cards in this benchmark (6.9%) is larger than the gap between either card and its immediate rivals. The FirePro is 1% ahead of the Radeon R7 M370 and 2% ahead of the GeForce GT 1010, while the GTX 580M is 0.9% ahead of the Radeon Pro WX 4100 and 1% ahead of the Radeon R7 M350. This suggests that the FirePro M5100 and GTX 580M occupy adjacent performance tiers, with the AMD card holding a modest but real edge.

In terms of derived metrics, the FirePro's pixel rate of 12.40 GPixel/s exceeds the GTX 580M's 9.920 GPixel/s by roughly 25%. The texture rates tell a different story: the GTX 580M's 39.68 GTexel/s is 28% higher than the FirePro's 31.00 GTexel/s. These figures, while not directly benchmarked, align with the architectural differences between the two designs.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs diverge significantly in their core configurations. The AMD FirePro M5100 has 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M has 384 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. This means the FirePro has 67% more shading units, while the GTX 580M has 60% more TMUs and double the ROPs.

Clock speeds also differ. The FirePro M5100 runs at a base clock of 725 MHz with a boost clock of 775 MHz. The GTX 580M has no listed base or boost clocks, only a memory clock of 750 MHz (3 Gbps effective). The FirePro's memory runs at 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective).

Memory configuration is a major differentiator. Both have 2 GB of GDDR5, but the GTX 580M uses a 256-bit bus for 96.00 GB/s bandwidth, while the FirePro uses a 128-bit bus for 72.00 GB/s. This gives NVIDIA a 33% bandwidth advantage.

Power characteristics differ as well. The GTX 580M has a specified TDP of 100 W, while the FirePro M5100 has no TDP listed. The GTX 580M also lists no power connectors, whereas the FirePro omits this field entirely.

The bus interface is another point of difference: the FirePro uses MXM-A (3.0), while the GTX 580M uses MXM-B (3.0). Both are MXM modules, but the different form factors may affect compatibility with specific laptop chassis.

Architecture Differences

The AMD FirePro M5100 is built on GCN 1.0 architecture, using the Venus chip. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M is built on Fermi 2.0 architecture, using the GF114 chip. These are fundamentally different GPU designs from different eras.

Manufacturing processes set them apart clearly. The FirePro uses a 28 nm process at TSMC, while the GTX 580M uses a 40 nm process at the same foundry. This process advantage allows AMD to pack 1,500 million transistors into a 123 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 12.2M per mm². NVIDIA's larger 332 mm² die holds 1,950 million transistors but at a lower density of 5.9M per mm².

API support differs meaningfully. The FirePro M5100 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The GTX 580M supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support listed. This makes the FirePro more future-proof for modern applications.

The FirePro is part of the FirePro Mobile (Mx100) generation, while the GTX 580M belongs to the GeForce 500M generation. Their release dates reflect this gap: the FirePro launched in October 2013, while the GTX 580M launched in June 2011. The FirePro's predecessor is the FirePro Mobility series and its successor is the Radeon Pro Mobile series. The GTX 580M's predecessor is the GeForce 400M series and its successor is the GeForce 600M series.

Both cards are end-of-life products. Both have portable device dependent display outputs, meaning their connectivity is determined by the laptop manufacturer rather than the GPU itself.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD FirePro M5100 wins in compute-oriented tasks. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 6830 surpasses the GTX 580M by 6.9%, and its FP32 output of 992.0 GFLOPS edges out the NVIDIA card's 952.3 GFLOPS. The FirePro's higher shading unit count (640 vs 384) contributes to this advantage. For OpenCL acceleration, general compute, and workloads that leverage modern APIs like Vulkan 1.2.170, the FirePro is the superior choice.

The FirePro also wins on pixel throughput, with a pixel rate of 12.40 GPixel/s versus the GTX 580M's 9.920 GPixel/s. This could translate to better performance in fill-rate-limited scenarios, particularly at lower resolutions where pixel processing is the bottleneck.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M wins in memory bandwidth and texture throughput. Its 96.00 GB/s bandwidth, enabled by the 256-bit bus, is 33% higher than the FirePro's 72.00 GB/s. Its texture rate of 39.68 GTexel/s is 28% higher than the FirePro's 31.00 GTexel/s. These advantages favor workloads that are bandwidth-constrained or texture-heavy, such as high-resolution texture filtering or certain rendering paths.

The GTX 580M also has double the ROPs (32 vs 16), which could benefit antialiasing and other pixel-operations-intensive tasks, despite its lower overall pixel rate. Its higher TDP of 100 W suggests it may have more power headroom in sustained workloads, though this is not directly benchmarked.

For users deciding between these two, the choice hinges on workload type. Compute and modern API compatibility point to the FirePro M5100. Memory-bandwidth-bound and texture-heavy tasks point to the GTX 580M. Given the FirePro's benchmark victory and its architectural advantages in shading and process technology, it is the more balanced and future-proof option.