GPU Comparison

# NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M vs AMD FirePro W4100

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M and AMD FirePro W4100 are both end-of-life mobile and workstation graphics solutions built on 28 nm TSMC process nodes, yet they serve different market segments. The GTX 770M, a GeForce 700M-series part with a GK106 Kepler chip, carries an average benchmark score of 6000 and sits at the 35th percentile of all GPUs. The FirePro W4100, a GCN 1.0 Cape Verde-based workstation card, averages 5987 and ranks at the 34th percentile. These nearly identical composite scores, a delta of just 0.2%, mask significant differences in individual workloads and architectural capabilities.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only head-to-head benchmark available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and it produces a decisive winner. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M scores 8552, while the AMD FirePro W4100 scores 5478. That represents a 56.1% advantage for the GTX 770M, a substantial margin that dwarfs the 0.2% difference in their overall average benchmark scores. This discrepancy suggests that the composite score is heavily influenced by other factors or test distributions, but for pure OpenCL compute performance, the GTX 770M is clearly superior.

Breaking down the numbers, the GTX 770M's 8552 OpenCL score is roughly 56% higher than the FirePro W4100's 5478. To put that in perspective, the FirePro W4100's OpenCL result is closer to the GTX 770M's average benchmark score of 6000 than to the GTX 770M's own OpenCL result. The GTX 770M also delivers 1.530 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, compared to the FirePro W4100's 645.1 GFLOPS, a 2.37x raw compute advantage. Texture throughput tells a similar story: 63.76 GTexel/s versus 20.16 GTexel/s, a 3.16x gap. Pixel rate is also higher on the GTX 770M at 15.94 GPixel/s versus 10.08 GPixel/s.

The FirePro W4100 does have one benchmark result the GTX 770M lacks: a Geekbench Vulkan score of 6496. This is notable because the GTX 770M has no Vulkan benchmark listed, making direct comparison impossible on that API. However, the FirePro W4100's Vulkan score of 6496 is higher than its OpenCL score of 5478, suggesting it performs relatively better under Vulkan than OpenCL. Still, this does not close the gap in OpenCL, where the GTX 770M wins the only direct comparison.

In terms of raw specifications that drive these results, the GTX 770M packs 960 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 24 ROPs. The FirePro W4100 has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The GTX 770M also has wider memory bus at 192-bit versus 128-bit, and higher memory bandwidth at 96.19 GB/s versus 64.00 GB/s. These architectural advantages translate directly into the 56.1% OpenCL delta.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M averages 6000, while the AMD FirePro W4100 averages 5987. The delta is 0.2%, placing them nearly equal in composite performance.

Q: How much faster is the GTX 770M in OpenCL compute?

A: The GTX 770M scores 8552 in Geekbench OpenCL versus 5478 for the FirePro W4100, a 56.1% advantage. This is the only head-to-head benchmark where both are tested.

Q: What Vulkan performance does the FirePro W4100 offer?

A: The FirePro W4100 scores 6496 in Geekbench Vulkan. The GTX 770M has no Vulkan benchmark listed, so no direct comparison is possible.

Q: Which GPU has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The GTX 770M delivers 96.19 GB/s across a 192-bit bus, while the FirePro W4100 provides 64.00 GB/s across a 128-bit bus. The GTX 770M's bandwidth is 50.3% higher.

Q: What are the FP32 compute figures for each card?

A: The GTX 770M achieves 1.530 TFLOPS, whereas the FirePro W4100 delivers 645.1 GFLOPS. The GTX 770M has roughly 2.37x the raw FP32 throughput.

Q: How do their transistor densities compare?

A: The FirePro W4100 has a slightly higher transistor density at 12.2M per mm² versus 11.5M per mm² for the GTX 770M, despite the GTX 770M having more total transistors (2,540 million vs 1,500 million).

The Verdict

The benchmark data points to a clear choice for compute-heavy workloads: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M. It wins the only head-to-head test by 56.1% and offers substantially higher raw throughput across every measured metric, FP32 (1.530 TFLOPS vs 645.1 GFLOPS), texture rate (63.76 vs 20.16 GTexel/s), and pixel rate (15.94 vs 10.08 GPixel/s). Its 3 GB of GDDR5 memory also exceeds the FirePro W4100's 2 GB, and its 96.19 GB/s bandwidth is 50% higher.

The AMD FirePro W4100 is not without merit. It is a single-slot card with lower power draw (50 W vs 75 W) and has a Vulkan benchmark score of 6496, indicating respectable API performance. Its 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 outputs are a professional workstation feature, and its 171 mm length makes it a compact option. However, in terms of pure compute performance, the data shows the FirePro W4100 trails the GTX 770M significantly.

For users prioritizing OpenCL compute, the GTX 770M is the logical choice based on its 56.1% head-to-head win. For those needing Vulkan performance or a low-profile workstation form factor with multiple DisplayPort outputs, the FirePro W4100 offers capabilities the GTX 770M does not list. The GTX 770M's average score of 6000 edges out the FirePro W4100's 5987, but the real separation is in the compute-specific tests.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every specification category. The GTX 770M uses the GK106 chip with 2,540 million transistors on a 221 mm² die, while the FirePro W4100 uses Cape Verde with 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die. Transistor density is slightly higher on the FirePro W4100 at 12.2M per mm² versus 11.5M per mm².

Clock speeds are listed differently: the GTX 770M has a base clock of 706 MHz and boost of 797 MHz, while the FirePro W4100 lists no base or boost clocks. Memory clocks are nearly identical at 1002 MHz for the GTX 770M and 1000 MHz for the FirePro W4100, both at 4 Gbps effective. Memory capacity favors the GTX 770M at 3 GB versus 2 GB, with bus widths of 192-bit versus 128-bit and bandwidth of 96.19 GB/s versus 64.00 GB/s.

The GTX 770M has 960 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 24 ROPs; the FirePro W4100 has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. Pixel and texture rates are 15.94 GPixel/s and 63.76 GTexel/s for the GTX 770M, versus 10.08 GPixel/s and 20.16 GTexel/s for the FirePro W4100. FP32 performance is 1.530 TFLOPS versus 645.1 GFLOPS.

Power and form factor differ: the GTX 770M is an MXM Module rated at 75 W with no power connectors and an MXM-B (3.0) interface; the FirePro W4100 is a single-slot, 50 W card with PCIe 3.0 x16 interface and a suggested PSU of 250 W. Display outputs are portable-device-dependent for the GTX 770M, while the FirePro W4100 offers 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.2. The FirePro W4100 measures 171 mm in length and 69 mm in height; the GTX 770M has no listed dimensions. Release dates differ: May 2013 for the GTX 770M and August 2014 for the FirePro W4100.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide is fundamental. The GTX 770M is built on NVIDIA's Kepler architecture, while the FirePro W4100 uses AMD's GCN 1.0. Both use a 28 nm TSMC process, but the chip designs diverge significantly. The GTX 770M's GK106 die is nearly twice the size of the FirePro W4100's Cape Verde die (221 mm² vs 123 mm²), accommodating 1,040 more million transistors. Kepler's design philosophy emphasizes higher clock frequencies and efficient geometry processing, whereas GCN 1.0 was AMD's first unified compute-oriented architecture, designed to excel in parallel workloads.

The shading unit counts reflect these different design goals: 960 units on the GTX 770M versus 512 on the FirePro W4100. Kepler organizes these into streaming multiprocessors, while GCN 1.0 groups them into compute units. The GTX 770M supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175; the FirePro W4100 supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6. Neither has dedicated ray tracing or tensor cores.

The GTX 770M's memory subsystem is wider and faster, with a 192-bit bus and 96.19 GB/s bandwidth versus 128-bit and 64.00 GB/s. The FirePro W4100 compensates with a more compact design and lower power envelope. The GTX 770M's predecessor is the GeForce 600M series and its successor is GeForce 800M. The FirePro W4100's predecessor is FirePro Terascale and successor is Radeon Pro Polaris. These lineage differences underscore the distinct market positioning: consumer-grade mobile gaming for the GTX 770M versus professional workstation graphics for the FirePro W4100, despite the latter's lower compute throughput.