GPU Comparison

The AMD FirePro W2100 and Intel HD Graphics 630 represent two fundamentally different approaches to integrated and entry-level discrete graphics. The FirePro W2100 is a dedicated, low-profile workstation card built on AMD’s GCN 1.0 architecture, while the HD Graphics 630 is an integrated GPU embedded within Intel’s Kaby Lake processors. Benchmark data shows the AMD card holds a clear lead in compute workloads, but the Intel solution offers a more modern feature set and lower power consumption. The following analysis breaks down their performance, architecture, and specifications based on the available data.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD FirePro W2100 has an average benchmark score of 4295, while the Intel HD Graphics 630 scores 4075. This places the FirePro W2100 in the 25th percentile of all GPUs, versus the 24th percentile for the Intel part.

Q: How large is the performance gap in OpenCL and Vulkan?

A: In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the FirePro W2100 scores 4093 against the HD Graphics 630’s 3587, a lead of 14.1%. In Vulkan, the gap widens: the FirePro scores 4497 versus 3540, a 27% advantage.

Q: Does the Intel HD Graphics 630 have any benchmark where it wins?

A: Yes. The Intel GPU has a Geekbench Metal score of 5099, a test that the AMD FirePro W2100 does not have a recorded result for. However, in the two head-to-head benchmarks (OpenCL and Vulkan), the AMD card wins both.

Q: What are the power consumption differences?

A: The AMD FirePro W2100 has a TDP of 26 W and requires a 200 W suggested power supply. The Intel HD Graphics 630 has a TDP of 15 W and is an integrated GPU (IGP) with no separate power connectors or suggested PSU.

Q: Which GPU supports newer API versions?

A: The Intel HD Graphics 630 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3, while the AMD FirePro W2100 supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Q: How do the two compare in terms of memory architecture?

A: The AMD FirePro W2100 has 2 GB of dedicated DDR3 memory on a 128-bit bus with 28.80 GB/s bandwidth. The Intel HD Graphics 630 uses System Shared memory, with its bus width, bandwidth, and capacity all being system-dependent.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD FirePro W2100 is the clear winner in raw compute benchmarks. Its 14.1% advantage in OpenCL and 27% advantage in Vulkan indicate a substantial performance lead in general-purpose GPU compute and modern graphics APIs. This makes it the better choice for tasks that rely on OpenCL acceleration, such as certain professional workstation applications or compute-heavy rendering workloads. The FirePro W2100 also has a higher pixel rate (5.440 GPixel/s vs 3.000 GPixel/s), suggesting better fill-rate performance for traditional rasterization.

The Intel HD Graphics 630 wins in power efficiency and API modernity. With a 15 W TDP versus 26 W, it draws significantly less power. It also supports a newer DirectX version (12_1 vs 11_1) and a newer Vulkan version (1.3 vs 1.2.170), which could be relevant for compatibility with the latest games and applications. The Intel part also has a higher texture rate (24.00 GTexel/s vs 13.60 GTexel/s), indicating it may handle texture-heavy workloads more efficiently despite its lower overall compute score. Its Metal score of 5099, though not directly comparable to the AMD card’s results, shows it has a strong showing in Apple’s graphics API.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is stark. The AMD FirePro W2100 is built on the GCN 1.0 architecture using a 28 nm process at TSMC, with a die size of 77 mm² and 950 million transistors. This gives it a transistor density of 12.3M per mm². The Intel HD Graphics 630 uses the Generation 9.5 architecture on a 14 nm++ process at Intel, though its transistor count and die size are not specified in the data.

The FirePro W2100’s chip is codenamed Oland, and it belongs to the FirePro GCN (Wx100) generation. The Intel part uses the Kaby Lake GT2 chip and belongs to the HD Graphics (Kaby Lake) generation. These are not just different brands; they represent entirely different design philosophies. The AMD card is a discrete GPU with dedicated memory and a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface, while the Intel GPU is an integrated processor sharing system memory via a Ring Bus.

In terms of compute resources, the AMD card has 320 shading units, 20 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 8 raster output units (ROPs). The Intel GPU has fewer shading units (192) but more TMUs (24) and fewer ROPs (3). This configuration explains why the Intel part has a higher texture rate but lower pixel rate. The AMD card’s FP32 performance is 435.2 GFLOPS, while the Intel part is slightly lower at 384.0 GFLOPS. Notably, the Intel GPU also supports FP16 at 768.0 GFLOPS (2:1 ratio), a feature the AMD card does not list.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every measurable specification. The AMD FirePro W2100 has a base clock of 630 MHz and a boost clock of 680 MHz, while the Intel HD Graphics 630 has a much lower base clock of 350 MHz but a significantly higher boost clock of 1000 MHz. Memory is another major divider: the AMD card has 2 GB of dedicated DDR3 with a 128-bit bus and 28.80 GB/s bandwidth, whereas the Intel GPU relies entirely on system memory with bandwidth described as “System Dependent.”

The FirePro W2100 is a single-slot card measuring 168 mm in length and 69 mm in height, requiring no power connectors. The Intel HD Graphics 630 is an IGP with no physical dimensions listed. The AMD card’s display outputs are 2x DisplayPort 1.2, while the Intel GPU’s outputs are motherboard-dependent. The AMD part has a 26 W TDP and a suggested PSU of 200 W, while the Intel part draws just 15 W with no PSU recommendation. Both are end-of-life products, but the AMD card was released on 2014-08-11, while the Intel GPU came later on 2016-08-29.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data is unambiguous: the AMD FirePro W2100 wins both recorded benchmarks. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD card scores 4093 against the Intel HD Graphics 630’s 3587, a delta of 14.1%. This is a substantial lead, indicating that the FirePro W2100 is significantly faster at general-purpose compute tasks that leverage OpenCL.

The Vulkan results show an even larger gap. The AMD FirePro W2100 scores 4497, while the Intel HD Graphics 630 manages only 3540. This 27% difference is the single biggest win for the AMD card. It suggests that the FirePro W2100 is particularly strong in scenarios that utilize Vulkan’s lower-overhead API, which is common in modern games and some professional visualization tools.

It is notably the Intel HD Graphics 630 has a Metal score of 5099, which is higher than either of the AMD card’s scores. However, since the AMD FirePro W2100 has no recorded Metal benchmark, this cannot be considered a head-to-head victory. In the two tests where both GPUs have results, the AMD card wins by a combined average of roughly 20%. These numbers align with the overall average benchmark scores (4295 vs 4075), which show the AMD card holding a 5.4% advantage. The FirePro W2100’s nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M with a score of 4282 and a 0.3% delta, while the HD Graphics 630’s closest competitor is the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB at 4093 with a -0.4% delta, confirming that both GPUs sit in a similar performance tier despite their architectural differences.