AMD FirePro W4170M vs AMD Radeon R5 M435 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records a single head-to-head benchmark between these two mobile GPUs, and it settles the matter decisively. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD Radeon R5 M435 scores 5859 points against the AMD FirePro W4170M's 5034 points. That is a 16.4% advantage for the R5 M435, a substantial margin in a synthetic compute workload that stresses raw throughput across the entire GPU.

Looking at the broader field, the R5 M435's score places it in the 33rd percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its closest competitors in the rankings are a tight cluster: the AMD Radeon R7 M465 sits just 0.3% behind with 5841 points, while the Intel UHD Graphics 730 and AMD Radeon HD 8730M trail by 1.2% and 1.6% respectively. The NVIDIA Quadro K620M also lands at 5957 points, a 1.6% gap. This means the R5 M435 is not merely beating the W4170M; it is operating in a performance tier that includes significantly more recent integrated graphics and older midrange discrete parts.

The FirePro W4170M, by contrast, sits in the 30th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all AMD parts: the Radeon R5 M430 is 0.3% behind with 5018 points, the Radeon R7 M340 and Radeon R7 240 are both 0.6% ahead with 5063 points, and the Radeon R7 Graphics is 0.7% behind with 4998 points. The W4170M is therefore clustered with entry-level mobile and desktop parts, and its 5034-point OpenCL result is a clear step below the R5 M435's output.

The head-to-head delta of 16.4% is consistent with the architectural differences between the two chips. The R5 M435's higher boost clock and superior memory efficiency on a per-clock basis appear to outweigh the W4170M's wider memory bus. Benchmark results indicate a clean win count of 1 for the R5 M435 and 0 for the W4170M across recorded tests.

Architecture Differences

Both chips share more DNA than the benchmark score suggests, but the two GPUs diverge on several key design decisions. The Radeon M435 is built on the Jet chip on GCN 1.0 architecture, manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 690 million transistors on a 56 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.3M per mm². The FirePro W4170M uses the Opal chip, also GCN 1.0 architecture, also 28 nm TSMC, also TSMC foundry, with 950 million transistors on a 77 mm² die at the same 12.3M per mm² density. The W4170M is physically a larger and more complex chip, with 27.4% more transistors on a 37.5% larger die.

The compute resources scale accordingly. The W4170M fields 384 shading units, 24 texture mapping units, and 8 ROPs. The R5 M435 counters with 320 shading units, 20 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. The shading unit count difference is 64 units in favor of the W4170M, a 20% advantage in shading hardware alone. Texture rate data shows 21.60 GTexel/s for the W4170M against 20.60 GTexel/s for the M435, a modest 4.6% texture rate advantage. Pixel rate, however, favors the M435 at 8.240 GPixel/s against the W4170M's 7.200 GPixel/s.

Clock speeds, memory subsystem, and memory bandwidth are where the M435's design philosophy becomes clear. The R5 M435 runs at base clock 780 MHz with a boost clock of 1030 MHz, while the W4170M operates at base 825 MHz and boost 900 MHz. The M435 has a higher boost ceiling by 130 MHz. Memory is GDDR5 on both GPUs, but the M435 runs at 1125 MHz with 4.5 Gbps effective data rate, while the W4170M runs at 1000 MHz with 4 Gbps effective. The W4170M does hold a decisive memory bus advantage: 128 bit versus 64 bit. That wider bus delivers 64.00 GB/s of bandwidth versus the M435's 36.00 GB/s.

The result is a classic architectural trade-off. The W4170M has more shading units, more texture units, a wider memory bus, and nearly double the memory bandwidth. The M435 has a higher boost clock and fewer units doing less work per clock on a narrower bus. In this case, the smaller, faster GPU wins the recorded OpenCL benchmark, suggesting that the M435's higher clock rate and lower scheduling overhead compensate for its narrower memory path.

Both GPUs are 2 GB GDDR5 parts. Both use PCIe 3.0 x8 bus interfaces. Both support DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. Neither has listed RT cores or tensor cores. The M435 is an IGP-class slot width, while the W4170M is an MXM module with no power connectors. Both are end-of-life products, with the M435 released in 2016 and the W4170M released in 2015. The M435's generation is listed as Gem System (R5 M400) with a predecessor of Solar System and successor of Polaris Mobile. The W4170M's generation is FirePro Mobile (Wx100M), predecessor FirePro Mobility, successor Radeon Pro Mobile.

Where Each One Wins

The Radeon R5 M435 wins in aggregate compute performance, as recorded by the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark. Its 5859 score versus 5034 represents a 16.4% lead. For workloads that are sensitive to raw OpenCL throughput, such as general-purpose GPU compute or OpenCL-accelerated applications, the M435 is the stronger performer. The M435 also holds the advantage in pixel fill rate at 8.240 GPixel/s versus 7.200 GPixel/s and a higher boost clock at 1030 MHz versus 900 MHz. For tasks that are limited by peak clock speed or by pixel output, the M435 should deliver better results.

The FirePro W4170M wins on paper in several architectural categories, even if those advantages do not translate into a benchmark win. It has 384 shading units versus 320, a 20% advantage in raw shader count. It has 24 TMUs versus 20, a 20% advantage in texture units. It has a 128 bit memory bus versus 64 bit, and 64.00 GB/s of memory bandwidth versus 36.00 GB/s, nearly 78% more bandwidth. The W4170M also has a higher base clock at 825 MHz versus 780 MHz. These are meaningful advantages for workloads that are bandwidth-bound or that scale with shader count, yet in the recorded OpenCL test, these advantages did not overcome the M435's clock and efficiency advantages.

The M435's placement in the 33rd percentile versus the W4170M's 30th percentile reinforces the performance split. The M435 sits in the company of the R7 M465, UHD Graphics 730, HD 8730M, and Quadro K620M, all of which are within 1.6% of its score. The W4170M sits in the company of the R5 M430, R7 M340, R7 240, and R7 Graphics, a lower tier of performance. The database data indicates the M435 is the better compute GPU in practical terms.

The Verdict

The benchmark data is unambiguous. The AMD Radeon R5 M435 outperforms the AMD FirePro W4170M by 16.4% in the only recorded head-to-head OpenCL test, and it does so with a smaller chip, fewer shading units, lower transistor count, and significantly less memory bandwidth. That combination of specifications winning over a chip with more hardware resources is unusual.

Users who need maximum OpenCL compute performance in a mobile platform should pick the R5 M435 based on its 5859 score and 33rd percentile ranking. The M435 is clearly the stronger GPU for general compute tasks, pixel fill rate, and applications that respond to boost clock speed. Its nearest rival cluster includes the Radeon R7 M465 at 5841 and the Intel UHD Graphics 730 at 5929, meaning the M435 is competitive with parts that are typically considered a tier above its mobile IGP classification.

The FirePro W4170M is not without merit, but its 5034 score and 30th percentile rank place it firmly in entry-level territory. Its 128 bit memory bus and 64.00 GB/s bandwidth could be preferable for memory-bound workloads, and its 384 shading units are more than the M435's 320. However, the recorded benchmark data shows that these specifications do not produce a higher OpenCL score. The W4170M's nearest rivals, the R5 M430 at 5018 and R7 M340 at 5063, are all entry-level parts.

The verdict is straightforward. The R5 M435 wins on measured performance and should be the choice for users whose applications rely on OpenCL compute. The W4170M offers a wider memory bus and more shading units, but the data shows no performance benefit in the recorded benchmark. Given that both are end-of-life mobile GPUs with 2 GB GDDR5 memory and the same API support, the M435's higher benchmark score is the deciding factor.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the recorded benchmark?

A: The AMD Radeon R5 M435 scores 5859 in Geekbench OpenCL, 16.4% ahead of the AMD FirePro W4170M, which scores 5859.

Q: How many shading units does each GPU have?

A: The Radeon M435 has 320 shading units, while the FirePro W4170M has 384 shading units.

Q: What memory bandwidth does each GPU provide?

A: The Radeon M435 has a 64 bit bus with 36.00 GB/s of bandwidth, while the FirePro W4170M has a 128 bit bus with 64.00 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: Are both GPUs based on the same architecture?

A: Yes, both the Radeon M435 and the FirePro W4170M use GCN 1.0 architecture on a 28 nm TSMC process.

Q: What is the game clock or boost clock difference?

A: The Radeon M435 has a boost clock of 1030 MHz, while the FirePro W4170M has a boost clock of 900 MHz.

Q: Which GPU has the higher pixel rate?

A: The Radeon M435 has a pixel rate of 8.240 GPixel/s, while the FirePro W4170M has a pixel rate of 7.200 GPixel/s.