GPU Comparison

NVIDIA GeForce GT 645M and AMD FirePro W2100 are two end-of-life mobile and workstation graphics parts, respectively, built on the same 28 nm TSMC process but with fundamentally different design goals. The data shows a split decision across the two shared benchmark tests, with each card taking one victory. The NVIDIA card wins in Vulkan compute, while the AMD card dominates in OpenCL, making the choice highly dependent on the target application's API preference.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head comparison consists of two Geekbench compute tests, and the results are anything but close. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD FirePro W2100 delivers a score of 4093, which is a massive 34.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 645M's score of 2680. This is a decisive win for the AMD card, indicating a substantial advantage in raw compute throughput under the OpenCL API. The margin is so large that it suggests the NVIDIA card is not just slightly behind, but significantly outclassed in this specific workload, likely due to differences in architecture and driver optimization for that particular API.

However, the tables turn completely in the Geekbench Vulkan test. Here, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 645M scores 4875, defeating the AMD FirePro W2100's score of 4497 by a margin of 8.4%. While this victory is not as lopsided as AMD's OpenCL win, it is still a clear and definitive result. This shows that the NVIDIA card is better optimized for the newer Vulkan API, and its Kepler architecture handles this workload more efficiently than AMD's GCN 1.0 design. The deltaPct of 8.4% is significant, indicating a real performance gap rather than a statistical tie.

Looking at the broader context, the average benchmark score for the NVIDIA GeForce GT 645M is 4411, placing it in the 26th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce 930M, scores 4388, a negligible 0.5% difference. The AMD FirePro W2100 has an average score of 4295, putting it in the 25th percentile. Its closest competitor, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M, scores 4282, a 0.3% delta. This means that in terms of overall average performance, the two cards are extremely close, with the NVIDIA card holding a slim lead of roughly 2.7% (4411 vs 4295). The individual benchmark results, however, show they achieve this parity through vastly different strengths and weaknesses.

The aggregate data suggests a near-tie, but the head-to-head results reveal a more nuanced picture. The AMD card's 34.5% OpenCL victory is the single largest performance gap in any comparison, dwarfing the NVIDIA card's 8.4% Vulkan win. This suggests that for any application heavily reliant on OpenCL, the FirePro W2100 is the clear choice, while the GT 645M is preferable for Vulkan-based workloads.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GT 645M has a higher average benchmark score of 4411 compared to the AMD FirePro W2100's 4295, a difference of about 2.7%.

Q: How do the two cards compare in the Geekbench Vulkan test?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GT 645M wins the Vulkan test with a score of 4875, which is 8.4% higher than the AMD FirePro W2100's score of 4497.

Q: Which card is the clear winner in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The AMD FirePro W2100 is the decisive winner, scoring 4093 versus the NVIDIA GeForce GT 645M's 2680, a performance advantage of 34.5%.

Q: What is the percentile ranking for each card among all GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GT 645M ranks in the 26th percentile of all GPUs, while the AMD FirePro W2100 ranks in the 25th percentile.

Q: Based on the nearest rivals data, how does the NVIDIA card compare to the GeForce 930M?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GT 645M has an average score of 4411, which is just 0.5% higher than the GeForce 930M's score of 4388, making them virtually identical in overall performance.

Q: What is the closest rival to the AMD FirePro W2100 in terms of average score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M, with an average score of 4282, is the closest rival, being only 0.3% lower than the FirePro W2100's score of 4295.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on the same 28 nm process at TSMC but employ entirely different underlying architectures. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 645M is based on the Kepler architecture, using the GK107 chip. This design is from the GeForce 600M generation and features 1,270 million transistors on a die size of 118 mm², resulting in a transistor density of 10.8 million per mm². In contrast, the AMD FirePro W2100 uses the GCN 1.0 architecture with the Oland chip, which is part of the FirePro GCN (Wx100) generation. The AMD chip contains 950 million transistors on a smaller 77 mm² die, giving it a higher transistor density of 12.3 million per mm². This indicates that while both are 28 nm parts, AMD's chip is more compact and packs its transistors more tightly.

The execution resources also differ significantly. The NVIDIA card is equipped with 384 shading units, 32 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 16 raster output units (ROPs). The AMD card has fewer of each: only 320 shading units, 20 TMUs, and just 8 ROPs. These differences directly impact theoretical pixel and texture fill rates. The NVIDIA card achieves a pixel rate of 6.240 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 24.96 GTexel/s, while the AMD card lags with 5.440 GPixel/s and 13.60 GTexel/s, respectively. The NVIDIA card also holds a significant lead in raw floating-point performance, with an FP32 throughput of 599.0 GFLOPS compared to the AMD card's 435.2 GFLOPS.

The API support shows another divergence. The NVIDIA card supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175, while the AMD card supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. The AMD card has a slightly higher DirectX feature level, but the NVIDIA card has a marginally newer Vulkan version. The NVIDIA card also has a broader feature set in terms of API compatibility, though both support OpenGL 4.6. These architectural and feature differences explain the performance split seen in the benchmarks, where the NVIDIA card's higher shader count and fill rates may benefit Vulkan, while the AMD card's GCN design excels in OpenCL compute tasks.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ on several key specification points beyond their benchmark scores. The most obvious distinction is their physical form factor and bus interface. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 645M is an integrated GPU (IGP) with a slot width of "IGP" and uses a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface. Its display outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent," meaning they vary by the laptop it is installed in. The AMD FirePro W2100, conversely, is a single-slot, discrete card with a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface. It has fixed display outputs of 2x DisplayPort 1.2 and its dimensions are specified as 168 mm in length and 69 mm in height.

Clock speeds also vary. The NVIDIA card has a base clock of 709 MHz and a boost clock of 780 MHz. The AMD card operates at a lower base clock of 630 MHz and a boost clock of 680 MHz. Despite the lower clocks, both cards have the same memory configuration: 2 GB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus with a bandwidth of 28.80 GB/s and a memory clock of 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective). The power characteristics also differ, with the NVIDIA card having a TDP of 32 W and no power connectors, while the AMD card has a lower TDP of 26 W and also requires no power connectors, though it lists a suggested PSU of 200 W.

The production and release timelines are distinct. The NVIDIA card was released on 2012-09-30 and is part of the GeForce 600M generation, succeeding the GeForce 500M and preceding the GeForce 700M. The AMD card was released later, on 2014-08-11, and belongs to the FirePro GCN (Wx100) generation, succeeding FirePro Terascale and preceding Radeon Pro Polaris. Both are now marked as end-of-life products. In terms of pure specifications, the NVIDIA card has higher clock speeds, more shading units, TMUs, ROPs, and a wider bus interface, while the AMD card counters with a lower TDP, a discrete form factor, and a higher transistor density.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data paints a clear picture of where each GPU excels, and the choice between them is essentially a binary decision based on the primary workload. The AMD FirePro W2100 is the definitive winner in OpenCL-based applications. Its 34.5% lead in the Geekbench OpenCL test is a colossal margin that cannot be ignored. For any professional or compute-oriented task that leverages OpenCL, such as certain CAD, rendering, or scientific simulation workloads, the FirePro W2100 is the superior option. Its lower TDP of 26 W also makes it a more power-efficient choice for a workstation, and its single-slot form factor with dedicated DisplayPort outputs is suited for a desktop environment.

The NVIDIA GeForce GT 645M, on the other hand, wins in Vulkan compute. Its 8.4% advantage in the Geekbench Vulkan test, while smaller than AMD's OpenCL win, is still a clear victory. This makes it the better choice for any application that has adopted the Vulkan API for compute tasks, which is increasingly common in modern gaming and emerging professional applications. The NVIDIA card also has a higher average benchmark score overall (4411 vs 4295), suggesting it provides more balanced performance across a wider range of tasks. Its higher FP32 throughput and pixel/texture rates also indicate it may be better suited for graphics-intensive, non-compute workloads, despite the lack of direct benchmark data for those scenarios.

In summary, the AMD card wins where it counts most for compute-heavy OpenCL workflows, while the NVIDIA card takes the crown for Vulkan-based performance and overall average scores. For a user whose software stack is tied to OpenCL, the FirePro W2100 is the clear victor. For those using Vulkan or seeking a more general-purpose part with higher peak performance, the GeForce GT 645M is the better pick. The two cards are so closely matched in average terms that the deciding factor must be the specific API and application in question.