AMD FirePro W2100 vs NVIDIA GeForce GT 735M Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score in the database?

A: The AMD FirePro W2100, with an average benchmark score of 4295, compared to the NVIDIA GeForce GT 735M's 3616.

Q: How much faster is the AMD FirePro W2100 in the head-to-head OpenCL benchmark?

A: The FirePro W2100 scores 4093 in Geekbench OpenCL versus 3616 for the GT 735M, a 13.2% advantage.

Q: Which GPU has a higher transistor count?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GT 735M has 1,020 million transistors, while the AMD FirePro W2100 has 950 million.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between the two cards?

A: The AMD FirePro W2100 has a memory bandwidth of 28.80 GB/s, twice the 14.40 GB/s of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 735M.

Q: Which GPU supports a newer Vulkan version?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GT 735M supports Vulkan 1.2.175, while the AMD FirePro W2100 supports Vulkan 1.2.170.

Q: What are the pixel rates of each GPU?

A: The AMD FirePro W2100 achieves 5.440 GPixel/s, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 735M achieves 5.024 GPixel/s.

Architecture Differences

The AMD FirePro W2100 and NVIDIA GeForce GT 735M represent two distinct design philosophies from their respective manufacturers. The FirePro W2100 is built on AMD's Oland chip using the GCN 1.0 architecture, while the GT 735M uses NVIDIA's GK208 chip based on Kepler 2.0. Both GPUs are manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC, which places them in the same fabrication generation, but their internal organizations diverge significantly.

The GT 735M contains more transistors, 1,020 million versus 950 million for the FirePro W2100, and has a larger die size at 87 mm² compared to 77 mm². Despite this, the AMD chip achieves a higher transistor density of 12.3M per mm², while the NVIDIA chip reaches 11.7M per mm². This density difference suggests the FirePro W2100 packs its transistors more tightly into a smaller area.

Shader configuration is another major architectural split. The GT 735M has 384 shading units and 32 texture mapping units, while the FirePro W2100 has 320 shading units and 20 TMUs. Both have 8 ROPs. The NVIDIA card's additional shading units and TMUs give it a theoretical advantage in texture-heavy workloads, though the AMD card counters with higher clock speeds.

Clock behavior differs as well. The FirePro W2100 operates at a base clock of 630 MHz with a boost of 680 MHz, while the GT 735M runs at 575 MHz base and 628 MHz boost. The AMD card runs faster at both ends of the spectrum, which helps its compute performance despite fewer shaders. Memory clocks are identical at 900 MHz, translating to 1800 Mbps effective for both.

The memory subsystems are where the architectures show their most consequential difference. Both use 2 GB of DDR3, but the FirePro W2100 has a 128-bit memory bus versus the GT 735M's 64-bit bus. This doubles the AMD card's memory bandwidth to 28.80 GB/s, while the NVIDIA card manages only 14.40 GB/s. For a low-power discrete GPU, memory bandwidth is often the limiting factor, and this gap shapes the benchmark results.

API support shows slight divergence. The FirePro W2100 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), while the GT 735M supports DirectX 12 (11_0). Both list OpenGL 4.6. In Vulkan, the NVIDIA card has a newer implementation at 1.2.175 versus AMD's 1.2.170. Neither GPU includes dedicated ray tracing or tensor cores.

Physical and power characteristics also differ. The FirePro W2100 is a single-slot card with dimensions of 168 mm in length and 69 mm in height, while the GT 735M is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no listed dimensions, designed for portable devices. The AMD card has a 26 W TDP, the NVIDIA card 33 W. The FirePro W2100 suggests a 200 W system power supply, while the GT 735M lists no PSU recommendation. Neither card requires external power connectors. Both use a PCIe 3.0 x8 bus interface.

Display outputs reflect their intended deployment. The FirePro W2100 provides 2x DisplayPort 1.2 outputs, while the GT 735M's outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent," meaning the display connectivity depends on the laptop design.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records one head-to-head benchmark between these two GPUs: Geekbench OpenCL. The AMD FirePro W2100 wins decisively with a score of 4093 against the NVIDIA GeForce GT 735M's 3616, a 13.2% advantage. This is the only direct comparison available, and it favors the FirePro W2100.

Context from the nearest rivals helps interpret this result. The FirePro W2100's average benchmark score of 4295 places it in the 25th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M at 4282 (0.3% slower), the AMD Radeon Vega 3 at 4268 (0.6% slower), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 at 4335 (0.9% faster), and the NVIDIA Quadro K3000M at 4241 (1.3% slower). The FirePro W2100 sits in a tight cluster where a few percent separates it from much newer hardware.

The GT 735M's average score of 3616 places it in the 21st percentile. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 at 3629 (0.3% faster), the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation at 3596 (0.6% slower), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 545 at 3594 (0.6% slower), and the AMD Radeon HD 6770 at 3649 (0.9% faster). The GT 735M is similarly clustered, but at a lower overall performance tier.

The 13.2% gap in the head-to-head test represents a meaningful performance separation. In practical terms, the FirePro W2100's higher memory bandwidth, 28.80 GB/s versus 14.40 GB/s, likely explains much of this margin. The GT 735M's 384 shading units and 32 TMUs give it raw compute resources, but the narrow 64-bit memory bus starves those units of data. The FirePro W2100's 128-bit bus, combined with higher clocks, delivers better real-world throughput.

The GT 735M does have a higher theoretical FP32 throughput at 482.3 GFLOPS versus 435.2 GFLOPS, and a better texture rate at 20.10 GTexel/s versus 13.60 GTexel/s. Yet these theoretical advantages do not translate into benchmark victory. The recorded data shows the memory bandwidth constraint dominates in the OpenCL workload.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD FirePro W2100 | NVIDIA GeForce GT 735M |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | Kepler 2.0 |

| Chip | Oland | GK208 |

| Transistors | 950 million | 1,020 million |

| Die Size | 77 mm² | 87 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.3M / mm² | 11.7M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 630 MHz | 575 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 680 MHz | 628 MHz |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 64 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 28.80 GB/s | 14.40 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 320 | 384 |

| TMUs | 20 | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 5.440 GPixel/s | 5.024 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 13.60 GTexel/s | 20.10 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 435.2 GFLOPS | 482.3 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 26 W | 33 W |

| Slot Width | Single-slot | IGP |

| Suggested PSU | 200 W | None |

| Display Outputs | 2x DisplayPort 1.2 | Portable Device Dependent |

| DirectX | 12 (11_1) | 12 (11_0) |

| Vulkan | 1.2.170 | 1.2.175 |

| Dimensions | 168 mm x 69 mm | Not listed |

| Release Date | 2014-08-11 | 2013-03-31 |

The two GPUs share several fields: both use 2 GB of DDR3 memory at 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective), both have 8 ROPs, both use PCIe 3.0 x8, both have no power connectors, both are end-of-life products, and neither has a launch MSRP in the database. The GT 735M predates the FirePro W2100 by roughly a year and a half.

The Verdict

The benchmark data is unambiguous: the AMD FirePro W2100 outperforms the NVIDIA GeForce GT 735M. In the sole head-to-head test, Geekbench OpenCL, the FirePro W2100 is 13.2% faster, and its average benchmark score of 4295 exceeds the GT 735M's 3616 by a substantial margin. The FirePro W2100 also sits in the 25th percentile of all GPUs, four points above the GT 735M's 21st percentile.

The architectural evidence supports this outcome. The FirePro W2100 has double the memory bandwidth, 28.80 GB/s versus 14.40 GB/s, and higher clock speeds. The GT 735M counters with more shading units, 384 versus 320, and more TMUs, 32 versus 20, which yield higher theoretical FP32 and texture rates. But the recorded performance data shows these theoretical advantages are not realized in practice, likely due to the GT 735M's narrow memory bus.

The GT 735M is not without merits. Its 33 W TDP is higher than the FirePro W2100's 26 W, but it is designed as an IGP for portable devices, meaning it requires no separate card footprint. Its Vulkan 1.2.175 support is newer, and it has a slightly higher transistor count. However, none of these factors change the performance ranking in the database.

For buyers or system builders choosing between these two end-of-life parts, the FirePro W2100 is the stronger performer in compute workloads. Its DisplayPort 1.2 outputs also make it suitable for professional display setups, while the GT 735M's portable-device dependence limits its flexibility.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD FirePro W2100 wins in compute performance, as demonstrated by the 13.2% OpenCL advantage and the 679-point gap in average benchmark score. It also wins in memory bandwidth, offering exactly double the GT 735M's 14.40 GB/s, and in pixel rate, 5.440 GPixel/s versus 5.024 GPixel/s. Its 128-bit memory bus is a clear structural advantage. The FirePro W2100 also wins on power efficiency, with a 26 W TDP compared to 33 W, and it provides fixed DisplayPort 1.2 outputs for connection to professional monitors. Its higher transistor density, 12.3M per mm² versus 11.7M per mm², indicates more efficient use of silicon area.

The NVIDIA GeForce GT 735M wins in raw shader resources, with 384 shading units versus 320, and 32 TMUs versus 20. This yields higher texture rate, 20.10 GTexel/s versus 13.60 GTexel/s, and higher FP32 throughput, 482.3 GFLOPS versus 435.2 GFLOPS. The GT 735M also has a newer Vulkan implementation, 1.2.175 versus 1.2.170, and a larger die at 87 mm² with more transistors at 1,020 million. As an IGP, it has no physical dimensions or slot requirements, making it suitable for compact portable systems. Its DirectX 12 (11_0) support is slightly older than the FirePro W2100's 12 (11_1), but it remains within the same generation of API compatibility.

The use-case split is clear. For compute-oriented tasks, particularly OpenCL workloads, and for systems requiring a dedicated single-slot card with DisplayPort outputs, the FirePro W2100 is the better choice. For portable devices where an integrated solution with higher theoretical texture and FP32 rates is preferred, the GT 735M fits that niche. The recorded data, however, consistently favors the FirePro W2100 in measured performance.