AMD FirePro W2100 vs NVIDIA GeForce MX110 Comparison

The Verdict

The recorded data splits these two end-of-life mobile and workstation parts almost evenly, with one benchmark win apiece. The AMD FirePro W2100 takes the Geekbench Vulkan test decisively, scoring 4497 against 3413 for the NVIDIA GeForce MX110, a 31.8% advantage. The NVIDIA GeForce MX110 counters in the Geekbench OpenCL test, scoring 4255 against 4093, a 3.8% edge. For workloads that leverage Vulkan, the FirePro W2100 is the clear choice from the data. For OpenCL-centric tasks, the MX110 holds a narrow but consistent lead. The FirePro W2100 also sits at the 25th percentile among all GPUs in the database, while the MX110 sits at the 23rd percentile, indicating the FirePro has a marginally higher overall standing. Buyers should select the FirePro W2100 if their application stack is Vulkan-based, and the MX110 if OpenCL performance is the priority. The MX110 is an integrated chip (IGP form factor) designed for portable devices, while the FirePro W2100 is a single-slot discrete card with DisplayPort outputs, so form factor and connectivity will likely dictate the final choice in practice.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural lineages. The AMD FirePro W2100 is built on GCN 1.0 architecture using the Oland chip, belonging to the FirePro GCN (Wx100) generation. The NVIDIA GeForce MX110 uses the Maxwell architecture with the GM108S chip, part of the GeForce MX (1xx) generation. Both are fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC, and both have a die size of 77 mm². Transistor counts differ slightly: the FirePro W2100 contains 950 million transistors, while the MX110 contains 1,020 million. This yields a transistor density of 12.3M per mm² for the AMD part and 13.2M per mm² for the NVIDIA part. The FirePro W2100 has 320 shading units, 20 texture mapping units, and 8 ROPs. The MX110 has 256 shading units, 16 texture mapping units, and 8 ROPs. Neither chip includes dedicated ray tracing cores or tensor cores. The FirePro W2100 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The MX110 supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The FirePro W2100 uses a PCIe 3.0 x8 bus interface, while the MX110 uses PCIe 3.0 x4. The FirePro offers 2x DisplayPort 1.2 outputs, while the MX110's display outputs are listed as portable device dependent.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench OpenCL result favors the NVIDIA GeForce MX110. The MX110 scores 4255, while the AMD FirePro W2100 scores 4093. The delta is 3.8% in favor of NVIDIA. This is a modest lead, but it is consistent with the MX110's higher clock speeds: the MX110 runs at a base clock of 978 MHz and a boost clock of 1006 MHz, versus 630 MHz base and 680 MHz boost for the FirePro W2100. The MX110 also has faster memory, with GDDR5 at 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective) versus DDR3 at 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective). This contributes to the MX110's higher memory bandwidth of 40.10 GB/s versus 28.80 GB/s for the FirePro. Despite having fewer shading units (256 vs 320) and fewer TMUs (16 vs 20), the MX110's clock and memory advantages push its OpenCL score ahead. Its pixel rate is 8.048 GPixel/s and texture rate is 16.10 GTexel/s, both higher than the FirePro's 5.440 GPixel/s and 13.60 GTexel/s. The MX110's FP32 throughput is 515.1 GFLOPS versus 435.2 GFLOPS for the FirePro.

The Geekbench Vulkan result flips decisively. The AMD FirePro W2100 scores 4497, a 31.8% advantage over the MX110's 3413. This is a substantial margin, far larger than the OpenCL gap. The Vulkan result suggests the FirePro W2100's GCN architecture and its Vulkan driver implementation (version 1.2.170) deliver significantly better Vulkan performance than the MX110's Maxwell architecture with Vulkan 1.4 support. The FirePro's 320 shading units and 20 TMUs may also play a role, but the raw compute metrics do not explain a 31.8% swing. The data indicates the FirePro W2100 is substantially stronger in Vulkan workloads, while the MX110 is only marginally stronger in OpenCL.

The average benchmark scores in the database reflect these results. The FirePro W2100 has an average benchmark score of 4295, while the MX110 has an average of 3834. The FirePro's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M (avg 4282, delta 0.3%), the AMD Radeon Vega 3 (avg 4268, delta 0.6%), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 (avg 4335, delta -0.9%), and the NVIDIA Quadro K3000M (avg 4241, delta 1.3%). The MX110's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 (avg 3823, delta 0.3%), the Intel UHD Graphics 710 (avg 3792, delta 1.1%), the AMD Radeon R5 Graphics (avg 3883, delta -1.2%), and the NVIDIA Quadro 2000 (avg 3898, delta -1.6%). The FirePro W2100 sits very close to the RTX 4070 GDDR6 in average score, within 0.9%, which is a notable data point. The MX110 sits within 1.6% of its closest rivals, indicating a tight cluster around its performance level.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in several key specification fields. The FirePro W2100 uses the Oland chip with GCN 1.0 architecture, while the MX110 uses the GM108S chip with Maxwell architecture. Transistor counts differ: 950 million for AMD versus 1,020 million for NVIDIA, with transistor densities of 12.3M per mm² and 13.2M per mm² respectively. The base clock is 630 MHz for the FirePro and 978 MHz for the MX110. The boost clock is 680 MHz for the FirePro and 1006 MHz for the MX110. Memory type differs: DDR3 for the FirePro versus GDDR5 for the MX110. Memory clock is 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective) for the FirePro versus 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective) for the MX110. Memory bus width is 128 bit for the FirePro versus 64 bit for the MX110. Memory bandwidth is 28.80 GB/s for the FirePro versus 40.10 GB/s for the MX110. Shading units number 320 for the FirePro versus 256 for the MX110. TMUs number 20 for the FirePro versus 16 for the MX110. Pixel rate is 5.440 GPixel/s for the FirePro versus 8.048 GPixel/s for the MX110. Texture rate is 13.60 GTexel/s for the FirePro versus 16.10 GTexel/s for the MX110. FP32 compute is 435.2 GFLOPS for the FirePro versus 515.1 GFLOPS for the MX110. TDP is 26 W for the FirePro versus 30 W for the MX110. The FirePro is single-slot with a 168 mm length and 69 mm height, while the MX110 has no listed dimensions and is an IGP form factor. The FirePro uses PCIe 3.0 x8, the MX110 uses PCIe 3.0 x4. Display outputs are 2x DisplayPort 1.2 for the FirePro and portable device dependent for the MX110. DirectX support differs: 12 (11_1) for the FirePro versus 12 (11_0) for the MX110. Vulkan support differs: 1.2.170 for the FirePro versus 1.4 for the MX110. The suggested PSU is 200 W for the FirePro, with no value listed for the MX110. Release dates differ: 2014-08-11 for the FirePro versus 2017-11-16 for the MX110. Both are end-of-life. The FirePro has a predecessor (FirePro Terascale) and a successor (Radeon Pro Polaris), while the MX110 has neither listed. Neither has a launch MSRP field.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD FirePro W2100 has an average benchmark score of 4295, while the NVIDIA GeForce MX110 has an average of 3834. The FirePro also holds a higher percentile rank at 25 versus 23 for the MX110.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce MX110 wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 4255 against 4093 for the AMD FirePro W2100, a 3.8% advantage.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in Geekbench Vulkan?

A: The AMD FirePro W2100 wins the Geekbench Vulkan test with a score of 4497 against 3413 for the NVIDIA GeForce MX110, a 31.8% advantage.

Q: What are the memory specifications for each GPU?

A: The FirePro W2100 has 2 GB of DDR3 memory on a 128 bit bus with 28.80 GB/s bandwidth. The MX110 has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 64 bit bus with 40.10 GB/s bandwidth. The MX110 has higher bandwidth despite the narrower bus due to faster memory clocks.

Q: Which GPU has higher clock speeds?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce MX110 has a base clock of 978 MHz and a boost clock of 1006 MHz. The AMD FirePro W2100 has a base clock of 630 MHz and a boost clock of 680 MHz.

Q: What are the form factor and connectivity differences?

A: The FirePro W2100 is a single-slot card with a 168 mm length and 69 mm height, using PCIe 3.0 x8 and offering 2x DisplayPort 1.2 outputs. The MX110 is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no listed dimensions, using PCIe 3.0 x4, and its display outputs are portable device dependent.