AMD FirePro W2100 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M has an average benchmark score of 4855, while the AMD FirePro W2100 scores 4295. The GeForce GTX 560M outperforms the FirePro W2100 by 13% in the recorded average.

Q: What is the architecture difference between these two cards?

A: The GeForce GTX 560M is built on NVIDIA's Fermi 2.0 architecture with the GF116 chip, while the FirePro W2100 uses AMD's GCN 1.0 architecture with the Oland chip. The FirePro W2100 is manufactured on a 28 nm process, whereas the GeForce GTX 560M uses a 40 nm process.

Q: Which card has more memory and what type?

A: The FirePro W2100 has 2 GB of DDR3 memory with a 128-bit bus, while the GeForce GTX 560M has 1536 MB of GDDR5 memory with a 192-bit bus. The GeForce GTX 560M achieves 60.00 GB/s bandwidth versus 28.80 GB/s for the FirePro W2100.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The GeForce GTX 560M has a 75 W TDP, while the FirePro W2100 has a 26 W TDP. The FirePro W2100 is the more power-efficient card, drawing significantly less power.

Q: Which card supports Vulkan?

A: The FirePro W2100 supports Vulkan 1.2.170, while the GeForce GTX 560M has no Vulkan support recorded. Both cards support DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.6, though the GTX 560M's DirectX support is 12 (11_0) while the FirePro W2100's is 12 (11_1).

Q: How do these cards rank among all GPUs?

A: The GeForce GTX 560M sits at the 28th percentile of all GPUs, and the FirePro W2100 sits at the 25th percentile. Both are relatively low-ranking cards, but the GeForce GTX 560M holds a slight percentile advantage.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is substantial. The GeForce GTX 560M uses NVIDIA's Fermi 2.0 architecture built around the GF116 chip, a 40 nm TSMC design with 1,170 million transistors on a 238 mm² die. The FirePro W2100 employs AMD's GCN 1.0 architecture with the Oland chip, manufactured on a 28 nm process with 950 million transistors on a much smaller 77 mm² die.

The process node difference is significant: 40 nm versus 28 nm. This is reflected in transistor density, where the FirePro W2100 packs 12.3M transistors per mm² compared to 4.9M per mm² for the GeForce GTX 560M. The smaller, denser design allows the FirePro W2100 to achieve its dramatically lower 26 W TDP versus the 75 W TDP of the GeForce GTX 560M.

Shader resources differ in configuration. The GeForce GTX 560M has 192 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 24 ROPs. The FirePro W2100 has 320 shading units but only 20 TMUs and 8 ROPs. The higher shading unit count on the FirePro W2100 is offset by its lower clock speeds, with a base clock of 630 MHz and boost clock of 680 MHz, while the GeForce GTX 560M's memory clock runs at 625 MHz with 2.5 Gbps effective.

Memory architecture also differs sharply. The GeForce GTX 560M uses GDDR5 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 60.00 GB/s bandwidth. The FirePro W2100 uses DDR3 on a 128-bit bus, delivering only 28.80 GB/s. The GeForce GTX 560M offers just over double the memory bandwidth despite having less capacity (1536 MB versus 2 GB).

The physical and connectivity profiles are different. The GeForce GTX 560M is an MXM Module with an MXM-B (3.0) interface and portable-device-dependent display outputs. The FirePro W2100 is a single-slot card with PCIe 3.0 x8 interface, 2x DisplayPort 1.2 outputs, and specific dimensions of 168 mm length and 69 mm height. The FirePro W2100 lists a suggested PSU of 200 W, while the GeForce GTX 560M has no suggested PSU recorded.

API support shows a clear advantage for the newer FirePro W2100 in Vulkan. Both support OpenGL 4.6, but the FirePro W2100 adds Vulkan 1.2.170. The GeForce GTX 560M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), while the FirePro W2100 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), a minor revision difference.

The Verdict

The benchmark data shows the GeForce GTX 560M as the clear performance winner. In the head-to-head Geekbench OpenCL test, the GeForce GTX 560M scores 4855 against the FirePro W2100's 4093, a 18.6% advantage. The average benchmark scores confirm this, with the GeForce GTX 560M at 4855 and the FirePro W2100 at 4295.

The GeForce GTX 560M is the card to pick if raw compute performance is the priority. Its 60.00 GB/s memory bandwidth, 595.2 GFLOPS FP32 throughput, and 24.80 GTexel/s texture rate all exceed the FirePro W2100's 28.80 GB/s, 435.2 GFLOPS, and 13.60 GTexel/s respectively. The pixel rate also favors the GeForce GTX 560M at 6.200 GPixel/s versus 5.440 GPixel/s.

The FirePro W2100 is the pick for efficiency-focused workloads. Its 26 W TDP is roughly one-third of the GeForce GTX 560M's 75 W, and its 28 nm process yields a much higher transistor density. The FirePro W2100 also adds Vulkan support and a newer DirectX revision, which matters for software compatibility. Its 2 GB memory capacity is larger, though the slower DDR3 type limits practical bandwidth.

The percentile rankings reflect the overall picture: the GeForce GTX 560M sits at the 28th percentile while the FirePro W2100 sits at the 25th. Neither card is a high performer by modern standards, but the GeForce GTX 560M is measurably ahead in every compute metric recorded.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every specification field:

• Process Node: GeForce GTX 560M uses 40 nm; FirePro W2100 uses 28 nm.
• Transistors: 1,170 million versus 950 million.
• Die Size: 238 mm² versus 77 mm².
• Transistor Density: 4.9M per mm² versus 12.3M per mm².
• Clock Speeds: FirePro W2100 has base 630 MHz and boost 680 MHz; GeForce GTX 560M has no base or boost clock recorded, only memory clock 625 MHz (2.5 Gbps effective).
• Memory: 1536 MB GDDR5 on 192-bit bus versus 2 GB DDR3 on 128-bit bus.
• Memory Bandwidth: 60.00 GB/s versus 28.80 GB/s.
• Shading Units: 192 versus 320.
• TMUs: 32 versus 20.
• ROPs: 24 versus 8.
• Pixel Rate: 6.200 GPixel/s versus 5.440 GPixel/s.
• Texture Rate: 24.80 GTexel/s versus 13.60 GTexel/s.
• FP32: 595.2 GFLOPS versus 435.2 GFLOPS.
• TDP: 75 W versus 26 W.
• Slot Width: MXM Module versus Single-slot.
• Power Connectors: None for both, but FirePro W2100 has suggested PSU 200 W.
• Bus Interface: MXM-B (3.0) versus PCIe 3.0 x8.
• Display Outputs: Portable Device Dependent versus 2x DisplayPort 1.2.
• Dimensions: FirePro W2100 has length 168 mm (6.6 inches) and height 69 mm (2.7 inches); GeForce GTX 560M has no dimensions recorded.
• DirectX: 12 (11_0) versus 12 (11_1).
• Vulkan: None versus 1.2.170.
• Release Date: 2011-05-29 versus 2014-08-11.
• Predecessor: GeForce 400M versus FirePro Terascale.
• Successor: GeForce 600M versus Radeon Pro Polaris.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only head-to-head benchmark recorded is Geekbench OpenCL. The GeForce GTX 560M scores 4855, while the FirePro W2100 scores 4093. This gives the GeForce GTX 560M a 18.6% advantage in this test.

Looking at the average benchmark scores, the GeForce GTX 560M holds a 13% lead over the FirePro W2100. The GeForce GTX 560M's nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce 940MX with an average score of 4844, a 0.2% difference. The AMD Radeon R6 M255DX is 0.2% behind the GeForce GTX 560M at 4867. The GeForce GTS 450 trails by 0.8% at 4893, and the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB is 0.9% behind at 4901.

The FirePro W2100's nearest rival is the NVIDIA Quadro K3000M at 4241, a 1.3% difference. The AMD Radeon Vega 3 scores 4268, 0.6% behind the FirePro W2100. The GeForce GTX 460M scores 4282, 0.3% behind. The GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 scores 4335, 0.9% ahead of the FirePro W2100.

The GeForce GTX 560M also has a Vulkan score recorded for the FirePro W2100 at 4497, but no corresponding Vulkan score exists for the GeForce GTX 560M. This makes direct Vulkan comparison impossible from the data.

Where Each One Wins

The GeForce GTX 560M wins in raw compute performance. Its 595.2 GFLOPS FP32 output is 36.8% higher than the FirePro W2100's 435.2 GFLOPS. The texture rate of 24.80 GTexel/s is 82.4% higher than the 13.60 GTexel/s of the FirePro W2100. The pixel rate of 6.200 GPixel/s also exceeds the 5.440 GPixel/s of the FirePro W2100.

Memory bandwidth heavily favors the GeForce GTX 560M. At 60.00 GB/s, it offers more than twice the 28.80 GB/s of the FirePro W2100. This bandwidth advantage directly impacts any memory-intensive workload, from texture streaming to compute buffers.

The FirePro W2100 wins in power efficiency. With a 26 W TDP, it consumes about 65% less power than the GeForce GTX 560M's 75 W. The 28 nm process node gives it a significant density advantage, with 12.3M transistors per mm² versus 4.9M per mm².

The FirePro W2100 also wins on memory capacity with 2 GB versus 1536 MB, and on API support with Vulkan 1.2.170 and DirectX 12 (11_1) versus DirectX 12 (11_0). The FirePro W2100 also offers a boost clock of 680 MHz, while the GeForce GTX 560M has no boost clock recorded.

For users prioritizing compute throughput and memory bandwidth, the GeForce GTX 560M is the stronger choice. For users prioritizing power draw, API compatibility, and memory capacity, the FirePro W2100 is the better fit. The GeForce GTX 560M wins 1 head-to-head benchmark, while the FirePro W2100 wins 0.