AMD FirePro W4100 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows only two common benchmark tests between the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 and the AMD FirePro W4100: Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan. In both, the GTX 970 is decisively ahead, but the margin tells different stories about each workload.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the GTX 970 scores 29,982 against the FirePro W4100's 5,478. That is a delta of 447.3% in favor of the NVIDIA card. The gap is enormous, reflecting the sheer compute throughput difference between the two chips. The GTX 970's raw FP32 output of 3.920 TFLOPS dwarfs the FirePro's 645.1 GFLOPS, and OpenCL tends to scale aggressively with shading unit count and memory bandwidth.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the GTX 970 posts 20,005 while the FirePro W4100 manages 6,496, a 208% delta. The margin narrows compared to OpenCL, but the NVIDIA card still more than triples the AMD result. Vulkan is a lower-overhead API, so the gap likely reflects architectural efficiency rather than just raw peak throughput. The GTX 970 supports Vulkan 1.4, while the FirePro W4100 is limited to Vulkan 1.2.170, which may affect feature-level performance in this test.

The overall head-to-head tally stands at 2 wins for the GTX 970 and 0 for the FirePro W4100. No benchmark in the database shows the AMD card ahead of the NVIDIA part. The average benchmark score reinforces this: the GTX 970 sits at 7,157 across all recorded tests, while the FirePro W4100 averages 5,987. That puts the GTX 970 roughly 19.5% higher on average, though the head-to-head deltas are far larger because the two shared tests are compute-heavy.

Context matters. The GTX 970's nearest rivals in the database include the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 (average 7,170, delta -0.2%), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE (7,171, -0.2%), the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile (7,203, -0.6%), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 (7,222, -0.9%). The GTX 970 is essentially in a cluster with these parts, slightly below the GTX 750's average. Meanwhile, the FirePro W4100 sits alongside the NVIDIA Quadro K4000M (5,986, 0% delta), the NVIDIA Quadro K4000 (5,982, 0.1%), the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server (5,996, -0.2%), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M (6,000, -0.2%). The FirePro is right in line with those workstation and mobile parts.

Architecture Differences

The GTX 970 uses the GM204 chip built on NVIDIA's Maxwell 2.0 architecture, part of the GeForce 900 generation. The FirePro W4100 uses the Cape Verde chip on AMD's GCN 1.0 architecture, part of the FirePro GCN (Wx100) generation. Both are fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process node, so the process technology is identical. The difference lies entirely in how each company used those transistors.

The GTX 970 packs 5,200 million transistors on a 398 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 13.1 million per square millimeter. The FirePro W4100 has 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, with a density of 12.2 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA chip is more than three times larger in transistor count and die area. That scale difference shows up directly in the execution resources: the GTX 970 has 1,664 shading units, 104 texture mapping units, and 56 raster output pipelines. The FirePro W4100 has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The GTX 970 has over three times the shading units, over three times the TMUs, and three and a half times the ROPs.

Memory architecture differs sharply as well. The GTX 970 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, yielding 224.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The FirePro W4100 has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, producing 64.00 GB/s. The memory clock also differs: the GTX 970 runs at 7 Gbps effective, while the FirePro runs at 4 Gbps effective. The NVIDIA card has 3.5 times the memory bandwidth, which matters heavily for compute workloads and high-resolution textures.

Clock behavior is another differentiator. The GTX 970 has a base clock of 1050 MHz and a boost clock of 1178 MHz. The FirePro W4100 has no base or boost clock listed in the database; only its memory clock of 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective) is recorded. The GTX 970's boost clock allows it to sustain higher frequencies under load, while the FirePro's fixed behavior is less clearly defined.

API support also separates them. The GTX 970 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The FirePro W4100 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support the same OpenGL version, but the GTX 970 has a higher DirectX feature level and a newer Vulkan version. This translates to broader compatibility with modern graphics features.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 970 wins across every common benchmark in the database. In raw compute, OpenCL and Vulkan both favor it overwhelmingly. The 447.3% OpenCL delta and 208% Vulkan delta are not marginal differences; they indicate a completely different performance class. The GTX 970's average benchmark score of 7,157 versus the FirePro's 5,987 places the NVIDIA card in the 39th percentile of all GPUs, while the FirePro sits in the 34th percentile. Neither is a top-tier part by modern standards, but the GTX 970 is clearly the stronger performer.

The FirePro W4100's advantages are not in speed but in physical and power characteristics. It has a 50 W TDP versus the GTX 970's 148 W, over three times lower. It requires no power connectors, while the GTX 970 needs two 6-pin connectors. The suggested PSU for the FirePro is 250 W, compared to 300 W for the GTX 970. The FirePro is a single-slot card at 171 mm length and 69 mm height, while the GTX 970 is a dual-slot card at 267 mm length and 111 mm height. For compact workstation builds or systems with tight power budgets, the FirePro W4100 is the more practical fit.

The FirePro also offers four mini-DisplayPort 1.2 outputs, which is useful for multi-monitor workstation setups. The GTX 970 has one DVI, one HDMI 2.0, and three DisplayPort 1.2 outputs. Both can drive multiple displays, but the FirePro's four mini-DP ports may be more convenient for certain professional configurations.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every specification field. Process node and foundry are identical: both are 28 nm from TSMC. Everything else diverges.

• Chip and architecture: GM204 / Maxwell 2.0 for the GTX 970; Cape Verde / GCN 1.0 for the FirePro W4100.
• Transistors: 5,200 million versus 1,500 million.
• Die size: 398 mm² versus 123 mm².
• Transistor density: 13.1M / mm² versus 12.2M / mm².
• Base clock: 1050 MHz for the GTX 970; not listed for the FirePro.
• Boost clock: 1178 MHz for the GTX 970; not listed for the FirePro.
• Memory clock: 7 Gbps effective versus 4 Gbps effective.
• Memory size: 4 GB versus 2 GB.
• Memory type: both GDDR5.
• Memory bus width: 256-bit versus 128-bit.
• Memory bandwidth: 224.4 GB/s versus 64.00 GB/s.
• Shading units: 1,664 versus 512.
• TMUs: 104 versus 32.
• ROPs: 56 versus 16.
• Pixel rate: 65.97 GPixel/s versus 10.08 GPixel/s.
• Texture rate: 122.5 GTexel/s versus 20.16 GTexel/s.
• FP32: 3.920 TFLOPS versus 645.1 GFLOPS.
• TDP: 148 W versus 50 W.
• Slot width: dual-slot versus single-slot.
• Power connectors: 2x 6-pin versus none.
• Suggested PSU: 300 W versus 250 W.
• Display outputs: 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.2 versus 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.2.
• DirectX: 12 (12_1) versus 12 (11_1).
• Vulkan: 1.4 versus 1.2.170.
• Dimensions: 267 mm x 111 mm x 40 mm versus 171 mm x 69 mm (width not listed).

The GTX 970 is larger, heavier, and more power-hungry, but it delivers roughly six times the FP32 throughput and 3.5 times the memory bandwidth. The FirePro W4100 is a compact, low-power card that trades performance for physical flexibility.

FAQ

Q: Which card has higher raw compute performance?

A: The GTX 970. Its FP32 output is 3.920 TFLOPS versus 645.1 GFLOPS for the FirePro W4100, and it wins the shared OpenCL benchmark by 447.3% (29,982 versus 5,478).

Q: How do the cards compare in memory bandwidth?

A: The GTX 970 has 224.4 GB/s of bandwidth from 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus at 7 Gbps effective. The FirePro W4100 has 64.00 GB/s from 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus at 4 Gbps effective. That is a 3.5x difference.

Q: Are both cards still in production?

A: No. Both are listed as end-of-life in the database. The GTX 970 was released on 2014-09-18, and the FirePro W4100 was released on 2014-08-12.

Q: Which card requires less power?

A: The FirePro W4100 has a 50 W TDP and needs no power connectors, with a suggested PSU of 250 W. The GTX 970 has a 148 W TDP, requires two 6-pin connectors, and suggests a 300 W PSU.

Q: How many display outputs does each card have?

A: The GTX 970 has one DVI, one HDMI 2.0, and three DisplayPort 1.2 outputs. The FirePro W4100 has four mini-DisplayPort 1.2 outputs.

Q: Which card supports a newer version of Vulkan?

A: The GTX 970 supports Vulkan 1.4, while the FirePro W4100 supports Vulkan 1.2.170. The GTX 970 also has a higher DirectX feature level: 12_1 versus 11_1.