AMD FirePro M6100 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The single head-to-head benchmark available in the dataset is Geekbench OpenCL, and it produces a decisive result. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 scores 15,341 points, while the AMD FirePro M6100 scores 13,354 points. This translates to a 13% advantage for the NVIDIA card, with the delta percentage indicating the AMD part trails by that margin. The data shows a clear winner here: the GeForce GTX 670 outperforms the FirePro M6100 by roughly 1,987 points in raw compute throughput as measured by this test.

Placing these scores in context is instructive. The FirePro M6100’s average benchmark score of 13,354 puts it at the 54th percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals are remarkably close: the AMD Radeon RX 5500M scores 13,356 (a 0% delta), the AMD Radeon HD 8950M scores 13,376 (0.2% ahead), the AMD Radeon Pro 555X scores 13,321 (0.3% behind), and the AMD Radeon Pro 555 scores 13,407 (0.4% ahead). The FirePro M6100 sits essentially in a dead heat with these four cards, all within a 0.7% band. This clustering suggests that in OpenCL workloads, the FirePro M6100 is a mid-pack mobile workstation GPU, with its performance being virtually indistinguishable from its closest contemporaries.

The GeForce GTX 670, by contrast, has an average benchmark score of 12,773, which places it at the 52nd percentile. This average is actually lower than its OpenCL score because the dataset includes additional benchmark results: a Metal score of 7,424 and a Vulkan score of 15,553. These three results pull the average down from the OpenCL peak. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 at 12,830 (0.4% ahead), the AMD Radeon Pro 455 at 12,831 (0.4% ahead), the AMD Radeon RX 7600M XT at 12,710 (0.5% behind), and the AMD FirePro W5100 at 12,847 (0.6% ahead). The GTX 670’s average sits in a similarly tight cluster, though its OpenCL score is well above that average, indicating that its performance varies significantly by API.

The head-to-head delta of -13% for the FirePro M6100 is the largest gap in either card’s nearest-rival set. For the GTX 670, the closest competitor (GTX 590) is only 0.4% away, making the 13% lead over the FirePro M6100 a substantial outlier. This suggests that while the GTX 670 trades blows with its immediate peers, it holds a decisive edge over the FirePro M6100 specifically in OpenCL compute.

Where Each One Wins

Based strictly on the data, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 wins in raw OpenCL compute performance. Its 15,341 OpenCL score is 13% higher than the FirePro M6100’s 13,354, and that is the only direct comparison available. The GTX 670 also demonstrates versatility across multiple APIs: its Vulkan score of 15,553 is actually higher than its OpenCL score, while its Metal score of 7,424 is notably lower. This spread indicates that the GTX 670 is strongly optimized for Vulkan and OpenCL workloads, but considerably weaker in Metal, where it scores roughly half of its OpenCL result.

The AMD FirePro M6100 has no wins in the head-to-head data. With winsA set to 0 and winsB set to 1, the dataset is unambiguous. However, the FirePro M6100’s benchmark profile is not without merit. Its single OpenCL score of 13,354 places it at the 54th percentile, which is actually two percentile points higher than the GTX 670’s 52nd percentile ranking. This apparent contradiction — a lower raw score but a higher percentile — reflects the distribution of scores across all GPUs in the database. The FirePro M6100’s nearest rivals are all within 0.4% of its score, suggesting that it delivers consistent, predictable performance that slots neatly into the existing mobile GPU hierarchy.

For use-case analysis, the data favors the GTX 670 for OpenCL-heavy applications, such as general-purpose GPU compute. The FirePro M6100, with its single benchmark result, offers no evidence of superiority in any test. Its 96.00 GB/s memory bandwidth and 128-bit bus are narrower than the GTX 670’s 192.3 GB/s and 256-bit bus, which likely explains part of the performance gap. The GTX 670 also has a higher pixel rate (27.44 GPixel/s vs. 17.60 GPixel/s) and texture rate (109.8 GTexel/s vs. 61.60 GTexel/s), reinforcing its advantage in fill-rate-limited scenarios.

The Verdict

The data points to a single conclusion: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 is the stronger GPU in this comparison. Its 13% OpenCL lead over the FirePro M6100 is significant and corroborated by its superior specification in nearly every measurable category — more shading units (1,344 vs. 896), more TMUs (112 vs. 56), more ROPs (32 vs. 16), higher FP32 throughput (2.634 TFLOPS vs. 1.971 TFLOPS), and double the memory bus width. The GTX 670 also boasts higher raw clock speeds (915 MHz base, 980 MHz boost) compared to the FirePro M6100, which has no listed base or boost clock.

However, the choice is not purely about performance. The FirePro M6100 is a mobile workstation part (MXM Module form factor) with a launch date of May 2014, while the GTX 670 is a desktop consumer card (Dual-slot, 241 mm length) launched in May 2012. The GTX 670 requires a 450 W power supply and dual 6-pin connectors, drawing 170 W TDP. The FirePro M6100 has no listed TDP and uses no power connectors, making it a lower-power solution by design. For a mobile workstation user, the FirePro M6100’s form factor and power characteristics are inherently more suitable, even if its performance lags.

For users prioritizing compute performance in a desktop context, the GeForce GTX 670 is the clear pick. Its OpenCL score is 13% higher, its Vulkan score is even higher still, and its overall specification sheet is more robust. For users constrained to mobile MXM platforms, the FirePro M6100 is the only viable option — the GTX 670 simply cannot fit into that form factor. The data does not support choosing the FirePro M6100 on performance grounds alone, but its existence as a mobile workstation GPU means it serves a different market segment.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 scores 15,341, which is 13% higher than the AMD FirePro M6100’s 13,354.

Q: How does the FirePro M6100 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The FirePro M6100 is within 0.4% of all four nearest rivals: the Radeon RX 5500M (13,356, 0% delta), Radeon HD 8950M (13,376, 0.2% ahead), Radeon Pro 555X (13,321, 0.3% behind), and Radeon Pro 555 (13,407, 0.4% ahead).

Q: What is the GTX 670’s best benchmark result?

A: Its Geekbench Vulkan score of 15,553 is the highest of its three listed results, followed by OpenCL at 15,341 and Metal at 7,424.

Q: Do both GPUs use the same process node?

A: Yes, both are manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC, though the GTX 670 uses 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, while the FirePro M6100 uses 2,080 million transistors on a 160 mm² die.

Q: What are the memory bus widths for each card?

A: The FirePro M6100 has a 128-bit bus with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth, while the GTX 670 has a 256-bit bus with 192.3 GB/s bandwidth. Both use 2 GB of GDDR5 memory.

Q: Which card has a higher percentile ranking?

A: The FirePro M6100 ranks at the 54th percentile of all GPUs, while the GTX 670 ranks at the 52nd percentile, despite the GTX 670 having a higher OpenCL score.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures. The AMD FirePro M6100 uses the GCN 2.0 architecture with the Emerald chip, belonging to the FirePro Mobile (Mx100) generation. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 uses the Kepler architecture with the GK104 chip, belonging to the GeForce 600 generation. Both are fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process, but the similarities end there.

The transistor counts differ substantially: the GTX 670 packs 3,540 million transistors onto a 294 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.0M per mm². The FirePro M6100 has 2,080 million transistors on a 160 mm² die, giving it a slightly higher density of 13.0M per mm². Despite having fewer transistors, the FirePro M6100 achieves higher density due to its smaller die.

Shader architecture diverges sharply. The GTX 670 has 1,344 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The FirePro M6100 has 896 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The GTX 670 effectively doubles the TMU and ROP counts, which explains its 109.8 GTexel/s texture rate versus the FirePro’s 61.60 GTexel/s, and its 27.44 GPixel/s pixel rate versus 17.60 GPixel/s.

Compute capabilities also differ. The GTX 670 delivers 2.634 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the FirePro M6100 delivers 1.971 TFLOPS. Neither card lists FP16 performance. The GTX 670’s base clock is 915 MHz with a boost clock of 980 MHz; the FirePro M6100 has no listed base or boost clock. Memory clocks are nearly identical (1502 MHz vs. 1500 MHz), but the GTX 670’s wider 256-bit bus gives it double the bandwidth.

API support shows a notable difference. The FirePro M6100 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The GTX 670 supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The DirectX feature level difference (12_0 vs. 11_0) indicates the FirePro M6100 supports newer DX12 features, despite being released later (May 2014 vs. May 2012).

Specification Differences

The most obvious difference is form factor. The FirePro M6100 is an MXM Module (MXM-B 3.0 interface) with no power connectors and portable-device-dependent display outputs. The GTX 670 is a Dual-slot card measuring 241 mm (9.5 inches) in length, 111 mm (4.4 inches) in height, and 38 mm (1.5 inches) in width, requiring 2x 6-pin power connectors and a suggested 450 W power supply.

Power consumption differs as well. The GTX 670 has a listed TDP of 170 W, while the FirePro M6100 has no TDP listed. The GTX 670’s display outputs are specified as 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2, whereas the FirePro M6100’s outputs are entirely dependent on the portable device.

Clock specifications are also divergent. The GTX 670 lists base (915 MHz) and boost (980 MHz) clocks; the FirePro M6100 lists neither. Memory clocks are nearly identical (1500 MHz / 6 Gbps effective for AMD, 1502 MHz / 6 Gbps effective for NVIDIA), but effective bandwidth differs because of bus width: 96.00 GB/s vs. 192.3 GB/s.

Release timing and market positioning differ. The FirePro M6100 launched on May 26, 2014, with no launch MSRP. The GTX 670 launched on May 9, 2012, with a launch MSRP of 399 USD. Both are end-of-life products. The FirePro M6100’s predecessor is FirePro Mobility and its successor is Radeon Pro Mobile; the GTX 670’s predecessor is GeForce 500 and its successor is GeForce 700.

The GTX 670 has a higher transistor count (3,540 million vs. 2,080 million), a larger die (294 mm² vs. 160 mm²), and more memory bandwidth. The FirePro M6100 has a slightly higher transistor density (13.0M / mm² vs. 12.0M / mm²) and a newer DirectX feature level. These specification differences align with the benchmark results: the GTX 670’s hardware advantages translate directly into its 13% OpenCL lead.