AMD FirePro W2100 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains a single direct comparison between the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 and the AMD FirePro W2100, using the Geekbench OpenCL workload. This test measures general-purpose compute performance, which is a strong indicator of how a card handles non-graphics tasks such as OpenCL-accelerated applications.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 scores 4893 points in Geekbench OpenCL, while the AMD FirePro W2100 scores 4093 points. This gives the GTS 450 a 19.5% lead, a decisive margin in compute-bound scenarios. The GTS 450 wins the only head-to-head benchmark recorded, with the win tally standing at 1 for NVIDIA and 0 for AMD.

Looking at the broader context, the GTS 450 sits at the 28th percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the FirePro W2100 sits at the 25th percentile. The average benchmark score for the GTS 450 is 4893, while the FirePro W2100 averages 4295 across its two recorded tests (OpenCL and Vulkan). The FirePro W2100 does have a separate Vulkan score of 4497, which is not part of the head-to-head comparison but shows that its only other recorded metric is also below the GTS 450's OpenCL result.

The GTS 450's nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB (scoring 4901, a 0.2% difference) and the AMD FirePro W5130M (scoring 4904, also a 0.2% difference). This places the GTS 450 in a tight cluster of GPUs at that performance level. The FirePro W2100, meanwhile, is close to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M (scoring 4282, a 0.3% difference) and the AMD Radeon Vega 3 (scoring 4268, a 0.6% difference). The FirePro W2100 trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 by 0.9% (that card scores 4335), which is a notably small gap for such a different class of hardware.

The 19.5% delta between the two cards is substantial enough that users will notice it in any OpenCL-based workload, such as video encoding filters, physics simulations, or other compute offloads. The GTS 450 is the clear winner in the only measured comparison, and the data does not show any test where the FirePro W2100 pulls ahead.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 scores 4893 versus 4093 for the AMD FirePro W2100, a 19.5% advantage for the GTS 450.

Q: Does the FirePro W2100 win any benchmark in the head-to-head comparison?

A: No. The head-to-head record shows 1 win for the GTS 450 and 0 wins for the FirePro W2100.

Q: How does each card compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GTS 450 is within 0.2% of the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB (4901) and the FirePro W5130M (4904), and 0.5% ahead of the Radeon R6 M255DX (4867). The FirePro W2100 is 0.3% ahead of the GeForce GTX 460M (4282), 0.6% ahead of the Radeon Vega 3 (4268), and 1.3% ahead of the Quadro K3000M (4241), while trailing the RTX 4070 GDDR6 by 0.9% (4335).

Q: What is the percentile ranking for each card?

A: The GTS 450 is at the 28th percentile of all GPUs, while the FirePro W2100 is at the 25th percentile.

Q: Does the FirePro W2100 have any other benchmark results?

A: Yes, it has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 4497, which is not part of the head-to-head comparison but is still lower than the GTS 450's OpenCL score of 4893.

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The GTS 450 averages 4893, while the FirePro W2100 averages 4295 across its two recorded tests.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 wins the only benchmark category recorded, Geekbench OpenCL, by a 19.5% margin. This makes it the straightforward choice for any workload that relies on OpenCL compute, which includes many scientific, engineering, and content-creation applications that offload parallel tasks to the GPU. The GTS 450's compute advantage is large enough that it should be the default pick for users who prioritize raw processing power over other factors.

The AMD FirePro W2100 does not win any benchmark in the comparison. Its only other recorded result, Geekbench Vulkan with a score of 4497, is still below the GTS 450's OpenCL score. However, the FirePro W2100 has a much lower power draw of 26 W compared to the GTS 450's 106 W, and it requires no power connectors, running off the PCIe slot alone. It also supports PCIe 3.0 x8, whereas the GTS 450 uses PCIe 2.0 x16. For users building a low-power system where the GPU must run without auxiliary power, the FirePro W2100 offers a functional path, but the performance data does not favor it in any compute test.

The FirePro W2100 also has 2 GB of memory versus 1 GB on the GTS 450, which can matter for holding larger datasets, but the memory type is DDR3 with a bandwidth of 28.80 GB/s, far below the GTS 450's GDDR5 bandwidth of 57.73 GB/s. In memory-throughput-sensitive tasks, the GTS 450 should maintain its lead despite the smaller capacity.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every core specification. The GTS 450 uses 192 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs, while the FirePro W2100 uses 320 shading units, 20 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. The GTS 450 has higher pixel rate (6.264 GPixel/s versus 5.440 GPixel/s) and texture rate (25.06 GTexel/s versus 13.60 GTexel/s). The GTS 450 delivers 601.3 GFLOPS of FP32 compute, while the FirePro W2100 delivers 435.2 GFLOPS.

Memory configurations are also quite different. The GTS 450 has 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 57.73 GB/s bandwidth, while the FirePro W2100 has 2 GB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus with 28.80 GB/s bandwidth. The memory clock is similar in base terms, with the GTS 450 at 902 MHz (3.6 Gbps effective) and the FirePro W2100 at 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective), but the GDDR5 versus DDR3 difference drives the large bandwidth gap.

Power and physical specifications diverge sharply. The GTS 450 has a TDP of 106 W, is dual-slot, requires a 1x 6-pin power connector, and suggests a 300 W PSU. The FirePro W2100 has a TDP of 26 W, is single-slot, uses no power connectors, and suggests a 200 W PSU. The GTS 450 is longer at 210 mm (8.3 inches) versus 168 mm (6.6 inches) and taller at 111 mm (4.4 inches) versus 69 mm (2.7 inches). The bus interface is PCIe 2.0 x16 for the GTS 450 and PCIe 3.0 x8 for the FirePro W2100.

Display outputs differ: the GTS 450 offers 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a, while the FirePro W2100 offers 2x DisplayPort 1.2. API support also differs: both support DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.6, but the GTS 450 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0) feature level, while the FirePro W2100 supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and adds Vulkan 1.2.170, which the GTS 450 lacks entirely.

Architecture Differences

The NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 is built on the GF106 chip using the Fermi architecture, manufactured on a 40 nm process at TSMC. The die measures 238 mm² and contains 1,170 million transistors, giving a transistor density of 4.9 million per mm². It belongs to the GeForce 400 generation and was released in September 2010, succeeding the GeForce 200 series and preceding the GeForce 500 series.

The AMD FirePro W2100 uses the Oland chip with GCN 1.0 architecture, manufactured on a 28 nm process, also at TSMC. The die is much smaller at 77 mm² and contains 950 million transistors, resulting in a higher transistor density of 12.3 million per mm². It belongs to the FirePro GCN (Wx100) generation and was released in August 2014, succeeding FirePro Terascale and preceding Radeon Pro Polaris.

The architectural gap is significant. Fermi is an older design with a focus on high shader counts and compute throughput, which explains the GTS 450's higher FP32 output despite fewer shading units (192 versus 320). GCN 1.0 is a newer architecture with better feature support, including Vulkan, but the FirePro W2100 is a low-power implementation with lower clocks (630 MHz base, 680 MHz boost) and fewer TMUs and ROPs. The GTS 450 does not list a base or boost clock in the database, only its memory clock of 902 MHz.

The GTS 450's larger die and higher transistor count point to a more complex design with more execution resources, while the FirePro W2100's smaller die and higher density reflect the newer manufacturing process. The FirePro W2100 is clearly designed for low power consumption and compact physical footprint, while the GTS 450 is built for higher throughput at the cost of power and space.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 outperforms the AMD FirePro W2100 in the only recorded compute benchmark, with a 19.5% lead in Geekbench OpenCL. The GTS 450 also has higher pixel rate, texture rate, FP32 throughput, and memory bandwidth, all of which point to stronger overall performance in compute and graphics workloads. Its 28th percentile ranking versus the FirePro W2100's 25th percentile further confirms the performance gap.

The AMD FirePro W2100 wins on efficiency and physical design. Its 26 W TDP is roughly a quarter of the GTS 450's 106 W, it requires no power connectors, and it fits in a single slot with a shorter length. It also offers 2 GB of memory versus 1 GB, which can be an advantage for holding larger working sets, and it supports Vulkan 1.2.170, which the GTS 450 does not. For users building a small, low-power workstation that must run on a 200 W PSU, the FirePro W2100 is the sensible choice, but it comes with a measurable performance penalty.

For anyone who needs compute performance, the GTS 450 is the pick. The 19.5% OpenCL lead is not marginal; it will show up in real workloads such as rendering, simulation, or video processing. The GTS 450 also has higher texture and pixel rates, which matters for any 3D application that pushes geometry and fills. The tradeoff is power draw and physical size, but if your system can accommodate a dual-slot, 106 W card with a 6-pin connector, the GTS 450 is the stronger performer.

The FirePro W2100 targets a different use case: low-power, compact, and quiet operation. Its 2 GB memory capacity and DisplayPort outputs make it suitable for basic multi-monitor setups or as a secondary compute device, but its 435.2 GFLOPS FP32 and 28.80 GB/s bandwidth are far below the GTS 450. The Vulkan support is a genuine feature advantage, but only if your software actually uses it, and the database does not include a head-to-head Vulkan test.

In summary, the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 is the faster card by every measured metric. The AMD FirePro W2100 is the more efficient card by every power and physical metric. Choose the GTS 450 for performance, choose the FirePro W2100 for low power and compactness. There is no third option in the data: the win count is 1 to 0, and no benchmark shows the FirePro W2100 ahead.