AMD FirePro W4100 vs Intel UHD Graphics 730 Comparison

The AMD FirePro W4100 and Intel UHD Graphics 730 represent two very different approaches to graphics: a dedicated workstation card from 2014 and an integrated processor graphics unit from 2021. The benchmark data shows a surprisingly close contest, with each card taking one of the two available benchmark wins. Their average scores are separated by less than 1%, making the choice between them far more nuanced than a simple specification comparison would suggest.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two available benchmarks present a split decision. In Geekbench OpenCL, the Intel UHD Graphics 730 scores 5988, while the AMD FirePro W4100 scores 5478. This gives the Intel part an 8.5% advantage in this test. The OpenCL result is notable because it runs on both architectures regardless of their respective feature sets, and the difference here is substantial enough to be considered a clear win for the integrated solution.

The tables turn in Geekbench Vulkan, where the AMD FirePro W4100 scores 6496 against the Intel UHD Graphics 730's 5870. That is a 10.7% lead for the AMD card. This outcome is particularly interesting because the FirePro W4100 is the older product, yet its Vulkan driver performance allows it to outperform the newer Intel GPU by a wider margin than the Intel card's OpenCL lead.

Looking at the average benchmark scores, the two are nearly inseparable. The AMD FirePro W4100 averages 5987 across both tests, while the Intel UHD Graphics 730 averages 5929. That is a difference of only about 1%, well within the noise of typical benchmark variance. The percentile rankings also reflect this parity: the AMD card sits at the 34th percentile of all GPUs, while the Intel card is at the 33rd percentile. In practical terms, both cards land in the same performance tier, and the data suggests that neither has a decisive overall advantage in raw compute throughput.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD FirePro W4100 is the clear winner in Vulkan workloads. Its 10.7% advantage in this API suggests that it handles Vulkan-based applications, games, or compute tasks with greater efficiency. For users running modern graphics APIs that leverage Vulkan, the AMD card offers measurably better performance. This is a meaningful distinction because Vulkan is increasingly common in both gaming and professional visualization software.

The Intel UHD Graphics 730 wins in OpenCL, with an 8.5% edge over the AMD card. OpenCL is widely used in compute-heavy applications such as video encoding, image processing, and scientific simulations. The Intel card's higher OpenCL score indicates that it is the better choice for tasks that rely on this API, even though it has fewer shading units and a lower theoretical FP32 throughput.

The split also reflects the architectural priorities of each manufacturer. The AMD card's 512 shading units give it more raw parallel processing capacity, which likely helps in Vulkan's lower-level access to hardware. The Intel card's 192 shading units, while fewer, are backed by a newer architecture and higher boost clock, which may explain its OpenCL advantage. In terms of pixel rate, the Intel card edges out the AMD card at 10.40 GPixel/s versus 10.08 GPixel/s, a narrow 3% lead. The AMD card counters with a texture rate of 20.16 GTexel/s, which is 29% higher than the Intel card's 15.60 GTexel/s, suggesting better performance in texture-bound scenarios.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from entirely different architectural lineages. The AMD FirePro W4100 is built on GCN 1.0 with the Cape Verde chip, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It contains 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.2M per mm². The Intel UHD Graphics 730 uses Generation 12.1 architecture with the Rocket Lake chip, manufactured on Intel's 14 nm+++ process. Intel does not disclose transistor counts or die size for this integrated GPU, so those figures are unavailable for comparison.

The AMD card uses dedicated GDDR5 memory with 2 GB capacity, a 128-bit bus, and 64.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The Intel GPU relies on System Shared memory, with bandwidth listed as System Dependent. This is a fundamental difference: the AMD card has its own memory pool with predictable bandwidth, while the Intel card's performance depends on the host system's memory configuration. In practice, the AMD card's dedicated memory gives it a stability advantage in bandwidth-sensitive workloads, though the Intel card benefits from not incurring the cost of a separate memory pool.

The compute resources differ significantly. The AMD FirePro W4100 has 512 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 raster operation units. The Intel UHD Graphics 730 has 192 shading units, 12 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. Despite having fewer units, the Intel card achieves a comparable FP32 throughput of 499.2 GFLOPS versus the AMD card's 645.1 GFLOPS, a 23% deficit that is smaller than the unit count disparity would suggest. The Intel card also supports FP16 at 998.4 GFLOPS (2:1 ratio), while the AMD card has no listed FP16 capability.

Clock behavior also differs. The Intel card has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 1300 MHz, while the AMD card's base and boost clocks are not listed, only its memory clock of 1000 MHz with 4 Gbps effective. The Intel card's boost capability likely explains its competitive OpenCL performance despite fewer shading units. The process node gap is substantial: 28 nm versus 14 nm+++. This translates to a major power efficiency difference, with the AMD card rated at 50 W TDP and the Intel card at just 15 W TDP, though the Intel card's integrated nature makes direct power comparisons less meaningful.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD FirePro W4100 has an average benchmark score of 5987, while the Intel UHD Graphics 730 scores 5929, giving the AMD card a lead of approximately 1%.

Q: Is the AMD FirePro W4100 faster in Vulkan?

A: Yes, in Geekbench Vulkan, the AMD FirePro W4100 scores 6496 compared to the Intel UHD Graphics 730's 5870, a 10.7% advantage for the AMD card.

Q: How much faster is the Intel UHD Graphics 730 in OpenCL?

A: The Intel card scores 5988 in Geekbench OpenCL versus 5478 for the AMD card, making it 8.5% faster in this specific test.

Q: What are the memory configurations of these two GPUs?

A: The AMD FirePro W4100 uses 2 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory with a 128-bit bus and 64.00 GB/s bandwidth. The Intel UHD Graphics 730 uses System Shared memory, with bandwidth described as System Dependent.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The AMD FirePro W4100 has 512 shading units, while the Intel UHD Graphics 730 has 192 shading units, a more than 2.5x difference in favor of the AMD card.

Q: What is the FP32 performance difference?

A: The AMD FirePro W4100 delivers 645.1 GFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the Intel UHD Graphics 730 delivers 499.2 GFLOPS, making the AMD card 29% faster in this metric.

The Verdict

For users prioritizing Vulkan performance, the AMD FirePro W4100 is the clear choice from this data. Its 10.7% lead in Geekbench Vulkan and higher FP32 throughput of 645.1 GFLOPS make it the stronger option for modern graphics APIs and compute tasks that leverage them. The dedicated 2 GB GDDR5 memory with 64.00 GB/s bandwidth also provides consistent performance without relying on system memory.

For users working primarily with OpenCL workloads, the Intel UHD Graphics 730 is the better pick. Its 8.5% OpenCL advantage comes with dramatically lower power consumption at 15 W TDP versus 50 W, and it benefits from a newer 14 nm+++ process node. The Intel card also offers FP16 support at 998.4 GFLOPS, which the AMD card lacks entirely.

The data ultimately shows a draw: each card wins one benchmark, and their average scores are within 1% of each other. The decision hinges on which API the user's applications favor. Vulkan-centric workloads point to the AMD FirePro W4100, while OpenCL-centric workloads point to the Intel UHD Graphics 730. Both cards are end-of-life products, and neither holds a decisive overall performance advantage.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD FirePro W4100 | Intel UHD Graphics 730 |

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

| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | Generation 12.1 |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 14 nm+++ |

| Foundry | TSMC | Intel |

| Transistors | 1,500 million | N/A |

| Die Size | 123 mm² | N/A |

| Transistor Density | 12.2M / mm² | N/A |

| Base Clock | N/A | 300 MHz |

| Boost Clock | N/A | 1300 MHz |

| Memory Size | 2 GB | System Shared |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | System Shared |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | System Shared |

| Memory Bandwidth | 64.00 GB/s | System Dependent |

| Shading Units | 512 | 192 |

| TMUs | 32 | 12 |

| ROPs | 16 | 8 |

| Pixel Rate | 10.08 GPixel/s | 10.40 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 20.16 GTexel/s | 15.60 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 645.1 GFLOPS | 499.2 GFLOPS |

| FP16 | N/A | 998.4 GFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 50 W | 15 W |

| Slot Width | Single-slot | IGP |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | Ring Bus |

| Display Outputs | 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 | Motherboard Dependent |

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

| Vulkan | 1.2.170 | 1.4 |

| Release Date | 2014-08-12 | 2021-03-29 |