AMD FirePro M6100 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Comparison

FAQ

Q: What is the AMD FirePro M6100's OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The AMD FirePro M6100 records a Geekbench OpenCL score of 13,354 points.

Q: What is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080's OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 records a Geekbench OpenCL score of 51,204 points.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in the head-to-head OpenCL test?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 wins the sole head-to-head benchmark, with a delta of -73.9% against the AMD FirePro M6100, meaning the FirePro scores 73.9% lower.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each GPU?

A: The AMD FirePro M6100 has an average benchmark score of 13,354, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 has an average benchmark score of 11,960.

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

A: The AMD FirePro M6100 has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 has 8 GB of GDDR5X memory on a 256-bit bus.

Q: What are the production statuses of these GPUs?

A: Both the AMD FirePro M6100 and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 are listed as end-of-life products.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data shows a clear split between the two GPUs. The AMD FirePro M6100 has a single recorded benchmark result, a Geekbench OpenCL score of 13,354. This score places it in the 54th percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 5500M (average score 13,356, a 0% delta), the AMD Radeon Pro 555X (13,321, 0.3% higher), the AMD Radeon HD 8950M (13,376, 0.2% lower), and the AMD Radeon Pro 555 (13,407, 0.4% lower). The FirePro is effectively in a tight cluster with these mobile and older desktop parts, showing that its compute performance is competitive within that specific segment.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080, however, dominates in raw score breadth. Its Geekbench OpenCL result is 51,204, and it also posts strong numbers in other tests: a Geekbench Metal score of 23,824, a Geekbench Vulkan score of 30,398, a Passmark G3D score of 15,586, and a Passmark GPU Compute score of 7,614. Its average benchmark score of 11,960 is lower than the FirePro's average, but this is because the GTX 1080's dataset includes several Passmark tests with scores that pull the average down, such as Passmark DirectX 9 at 211 and Passmark G2D at 888. The GTX 1080 wins every test it appears in against the FirePro, but the FirePro has no recorded wins in the head-to-head comparison.

The use-case split is defined by the benchmark suite. The FirePro M6100 is a mobile workstation part, and its single OpenCL score suggests it is adequate for compute tasks that rely on that API. The GTX 1080, as a desktop enthusiast card, has a much wider range of benchmark results, including DirectX 9, 10, 11, and 12 tests, plus Vulkan and Metal. The data indicates the GTX 1080 is the stronger choice for any workload that uses those APIs, while the FirePro M6100's advantage is limited to its specific niche of mobile OpenCL compute.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations. The AMD FirePro M6100 is built on GCN 2.0 architecture, with the chip codename Emerald, and is manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 uses the Pascal architecture, with the chip GP104, and is manufactured on a 16 nm process, also at TSMC. The process node difference is significant: 28 nm versus 16 nm, which contributes to the GTX 1080's higher transistor density.

The FirePro M6100 integrates 2,080 million transistors on a die size of 160 mm², yielding a transistor density of 13.0 million per mm². The GTX 1080 integrates 7,200 million transistors on a 314 mm² die, yielding a density of 22.9 million per mm². This means the GTX 1080 packs more than three times the transistor count on a die that is less than twice the size, which is a direct consequence of the smaller process node.

The API support also differs. The FirePro M6100 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The GTX 1080 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The GTX 1080 has a higher DirectX feature level and a newer Vulkan version, which aligns with its later release date. The GTX 1080 also has a recorded FP16 performance of 138.6 GFLOPS (1:64), while the FirePro M6100 has no FP16 data in the database.

Specification Differences

The specifications differ substantially across almost every field. The AMD FirePro M6100 has 896 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 16 raster operation pipelines. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 has 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. These numbers indicate a much wider execution engine on the GTX 1080.

Memory is another major difference. The FirePro M6100 has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory with a 128-bit bus and a bandwidth of 96.00 GB/s, with a memory clock of 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective). The GTX 1080 has 8 GB of GDDR5X memory with a 256-bit bus and a bandwidth of 320.3 GB/s, with a memory clock of 1251 MHz (10 Gbps effective). The GTX 1080 has four times the capacity, double the bus width, and more than three times the bandwidth.

Clock speeds differ as well. The FirePro M6100 has no base or boost clock listed in the database, only its memory clock. The GTX 1080 has a base clock of 1607 MHz and a boost clock of 1733 MHz. The pixel rate for the FirePro is 17.60 GPixel/s, while the GTX 1080 achieves 110.9 GPixel/s. The texture rate is 61.60 GTexel/s for the FirePro, versus 277.3 GTexel/s for the GTX 1080. The FP32 compute is 1.971 TFLOPS for the FirePro, versus 8.873 TFLOPS for the GTX 1080.

Physical specifications also differ. The FirePro M6100 is an MXM Module with a bus interface of MXM-B (3.0), uses no power connectors, and has display outputs described as "Portable Device Dependent." The GTX 1080 is a dual-slot card with a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface, requires a single 8-pin power connector, and has a suggested PSU of 450 W. Its dimensions are 267 mm in length, 112 mm in height, and 40 mm in width. The GTX 1080 has a TDP of 180 W, while the FirePro M6100 has no TDP listed.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records only one direct head-to-head benchmark between these two GPUs. That test is Geekbench OpenCL, where the AMD FirePro M6100 scores 13,354 and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 scores 51,204. The winner is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080, with a delta of -73.9% applied to the FirePro. This means the FirePro's score is 73.9% lower than the GTX 1080's score in this specific test.

This is the biggest win recorded in either direction. The GTX 1080's OpenCL score is nearly four times that of the FirePro M6100. The GTX 1080 also has a Geekbench Metal score of 23,824 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 30,398, but there are no corresponding FirePro scores for these tests, so they cannot be compared directly. The FirePro's only benchmark is the OpenCL result, and it loses that one decisively.

In terms of the GTX 1080's broader benchmark profile, its Passmark scores show a spread: DirectX 9 at 211, DirectX 10 at 93, DirectX 11 at 124, DirectX 12 at 55, G2D at 888, G3D at 15,586, and GPU Compute at 7,614. These numbers indicate that the GTX 1080's compute performance is strong, but its legacy DirectX scores are lower, which is typical for a GPU designed for modern workloads. The FirePro M6100 has no equivalent data, so the comparison is limited to the single OpenCL test.

The Verdict

The data supports a clear verdict: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 is the superior GPU for almost any use case. It wins the only head-to-head benchmark, the Geekbench OpenCL test, by a margin of 73.9%, and its score of 51,204 dwarfs the FirePro M6100's 13,354. The GTX 1080 also has a much higher peak FP32 compute at 8.873 TFLOPS versus 1.971 TFLOPS, and its memory bandwidth of 320.3 GB/s is more than three times the FirePro's 96.00 GB/s. The GTX 1080's 8 GB of GDDR5X memory is also four times the capacity of the FirePro's 2 GB.

The AMD FirePro M6100 is a mobile workstation part from 2014, and its single recorded benchmark score of 13,354 places it in the 54th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all other mobile or older desktop parts, which suggests it is competitive within its own class. The GTX 1080, released in 2016, is in the 51st percentile, but that percentile is based on a larger set of benchmarks, including several DirectX tests that drag its average down. The GTX 1080's average score of 11,960 is lower than the FirePro's 13,354, but this is an artifact of the test suite, not a reflection of actual performance.

For a user who needs a mobile GPU for OpenCL compute workloads, the FirePro M6100 could be a passable option, but it is end-of-life and has no other recorded strengths. For anyone who needs a desktop GPU with strong performance across multiple APIs, including Vulkan, Metal, and DirectX, the GTX 1080 is the clear choice. The GTX 1080's launch MSRP is 599 USD, and its specifications, including 2,560 shading units and a 256-bit memory bus, put it in a different class entirely. The FirePro M6100 has no launch MSRP listed, but its specifications are modest by comparison. The verdict is unambiguous: the GTX 1080 wins on every measurable axis in the database.