AMD FirePro W4170M vs AMD Radeon R7 M440 Comparison

The AMD Radeon R7 M440 and AMD FirePro W4170M are both end-of-life mobile graphics solutions from AMD, but they target different segments within the mobile market and deliver distinct performance profiles. While the R7 M440 holds a narrow overall benchmark lead, the FirePro W4170M offers a fundamentally different feature set and memory configuration that may suit specific professional workloads. The data shows a closer contest than the generational gap might suggest, with the R7 M440 winning the only direct head-to-head benchmark by a 3.6% margin, yet the FirePro counters with superior memory bandwidth and compute throughput in certain metrics.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon R7 M440 establishes its advantage in general-purpose compute benchmarks, specifically in the OpenCL and Vulkan tests recorded in the fact pack. It scores 5214 in Geekbench OpenCL and 5751 in Geekbench Vulkan, giving it an average benchmark score of 5483. This places it at the 32nd percentile of all GPUs, which is modest but slightly ahead of its direct rival. The R7 M440’s win in the head-to-head OpenCL test against the FirePro W4170M, with a 3.6% delta, indicates that its GCN 3.0 architecture and higher memory clock speed of 1800 Mbps effective provide a tangible benefit in compute tasks that leverage these resources. The R7 M440 also benefits from a newer architecture generation, which supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.2.170, making it more capable for modern API-based workloads.

The AMD FirePro W4170M, despite losing the single head-to-head benchmark, wins in several specification-driven scenarios that are not captured by the raw Geekbench scores. Its memory subsystem is substantially more capable: it features 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding 64.00 GB/s of bandwidth, compared to the R7 M440’s 4 GB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus, which delivers only 14.40 GB/s. This 4.4x bandwidth advantage is critical for memory-intensive applications such as large texture loads, high-resolution framebuffers, or professional visualization tasks where data throughput is the bottleneck. The FirePro also has more shading units (384 vs. 320), more TMUs (24 vs. 20), and a higher FP32 compute rating of 691.2 GFLOPS versus 570.2 GFLOPS, giving it a raw compute advantage of roughly 21%. Its pixel rate of 7.200 GPixel/s and texture rate of 21.60 GTexel/s also edge out the R7 M440’s 7.128 GPixel/s and 17.82 GTexel/s, respectively. For workloads that rely on raw shader throughput or fill rates, the FirePro W4170M is the stronger part.

The Verdict

The verdict is split along workload lines. For users prioritizing modern API support and general compute benchmarks, the AMD Radeon R7 M440 is the clear choice. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 5214 and Vulkan score of 5751 demonstrate superior performance in cross-platform compute tests, and its GCN 3.0 architecture with DirectX 12 (12_0) support ensures better compatibility with contemporary gaming and compute applications. The R7 M440’s 3.6% lead in the direct head-to-head OpenCL benchmark confirms that its newer design translates into real-world compute wins, even against a chip with more raw shading units.

For users whose primary concern is memory bandwidth or raw fill rate, the AMD FirePro W4170M is the better option. Its 64.00 GB/s of GDDR5 bandwidth is a massive advantage over the R7 M440’s 14.40 GB/s, making it far more suitable for tasks that involve large data sets or high-resolution textures. The FirePro’s higher FP32 performance (691.2 GFLOPS) and superior texture rate (21.60 GTexel/s) also give it an edge in shader-bound or texture-heavy scenarios. However, its older GCN 1.0 architecture only supports DirectX 12 (11_1), which limits its modern API compatibility. The data suggests that if you need a mobile GPU for professional rendering or compute tasks that scale with bandwidth, the FirePro W4170M is the pick, but for broader compatibility and better average benchmark scores, the R7 M440 wins.

The percentile rankings reinforce this split: the R7 M440 sits at the 32nd percentile of all GPUs, while the FirePro W4170M sits at the 30th percentile, a small but measurable gap that favors the newer part in overall performance.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark in the fact pack is the Geekbench OpenCL test, where the AMD Radeon R7 M440 scores 5214 and the AMD FirePro W4170M scores 5034. The R7 M440 wins this test by a 3.6% margin, which is a narrow but consistent lead. This result is notable because the FirePro W4170M has more shading units (384 vs. 320) and a higher FP32 rating (691.2 GFLOPS vs. 570.2 GFLOPS), yet the R7 M440 still outperforms it in this compute workload. The R7 M440’s advantage likely stems from its GCN 3.0 architecture and faster effective memory clock of 1800 Mbps, which may improve memory access patterns in OpenCL kernels despite the much lower total bandwidth.

The R7 M440 also has a Vulkan benchmark score of 5751, which is higher than its OpenCL score, suggesting that its architecture scales well with modern graphics APIs. The FirePro W4170M has no recorded Vulkan score, limiting direct comparison in that API. In the nearest rival context, the R7 M440’s average score of 5483 places it just 0.3% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro M4000 and 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon 610M, while trailing the GeForce GTX 765M and MX130 by 0.3% and 0.5%, respectively. The FirePro W4170M’s average score of 5034 is 0.3% ahead of the Radeon R5 M430 and 0.7% ahead of the Radeon R7 Graphics, but 0.6% behind the R7 M340 and R7 240. These deltas show that both GPUs are clustered tightly with their direct competitors, but the R7 M440 holds a slight edge in average performance.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M440 has an average benchmark score of 5483, while the AMD FirePro W4170M has an average score of 5034, giving the R7 M440 a lead of approximately 8.9%.

Q: Does the FirePro W4170M have any performance advantage over the R7 M440?

A: Yes, the FirePro W4170M has higher raw compute specifications, including 384 shading units versus 320, and an FP32 rating of 691.2 GFLOPS versus 570.2 GFLOPS. It also has significantly higher memory bandwidth at 64.00 GB/s compared to 14.40 GB/s.

Q: What is the difference in memory configuration between the two?

A: The R7 M440 uses 4 GB of DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus with 14.40 GB/s bandwidth, while the FirePro W4170M uses 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus with 64.00 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU supports a newer version of DirectX?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M440 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), whereas the AMD FirePro W4170M supports DirectX 12 (11_1), making the R7 M440 the more modern option for DirectX 12 features.

Q: Are there any benchmark results for Vulkan on the FirePro W4170M?

A: No, the fact pack only lists a Geekbench OpenCL score of 5034 for the FirePro W4170M. No Vulkan benchmark score is recorded for that GPU.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in terms of pixel and texture rates?

A: The FirePro W4170M has a pixel rate of 7.200 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 21.60 GTexel/s, while the R7 M440 has a pixel rate of 7.128 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 17.82 GTexel/s, giving the FirePro a slight edge in both.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon R7 M440 is built on the Meso chip using the GCN 3.0 architecture, manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It has a transistor count of 1,550 million on a die size of 125 mm², yielding a transistor density of 12.4M / mm². This is a newer architecture generation, belonging to the "Gem System (R7 M400)" line, and it supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The R7 M440 also has a memory clock of 900 MHz with 1800 Mbps effective speed.

The AMD FirePro W4170M uses the Opal chip with the older GCN 1.0 architecture, also on a 28 nm TSMC process. It has 950 million transistors on a 77 mm² die, with a transistor density of 12.3M / mm². This GPU belongs to the "FirePro Mobile (Wx100M)" generation and supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. Its base clock is 825 MHz with a boost clock of 900 MHz, and its memory runs at 1000 MHz with 4 Gbps effective speed. The architecture difference is significant: GCN 3.0 offers improved instruction scheduling and power management compared to GCN 1.0, which explains the R7 M440’s better performance in modern compute benchmarks despite lower raw specs.

Specification Differences

The primary specification differences between the two GPUs are substantial. The R7 M440 has 4 GB of DDR3 memory, while the FirePro W4170M has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory. The memory bus width differs as well: the R7 M440 uses a 64-bit bus, while the FirePro uses a 128-bit bus. This results in a stark bandwidth difference: 14.40 GB/s for the R7 M440 versus 64.00 GB/s for the FirePro. The shading unit count favors the FirePro at 384 versus 320, and the TMU count also favors the FirePro at 24 versus 20. Both have 8 ROPs. The FirePro has higher pixel and texture rates at 7.200 GPixel/s and 21.60 GTexel/s, respectively, compared to the R7 M440’s 7.128 GPixel/s and 17.82 GTexel/s. The FP32 compute performance is 691.2 GFLOPS for the FirePro versus 570.2 GFLOPS for the R7 M440, and the FirePro has no listed FP16 performance, while the R7 M440 has FP16 at 570.2 GFLOPS (1:1). The FirePro has a base clock of 825 MHz and a boost of 900 MHz, whereas the R7 M440 has no listed base or boost clocks. The R7 M440’s slot width is listed as "IGP," while the FirePro is an "MXM Module," and the FirePro has no power connectors. Both use a PCIe 3.0 x8 bus interface and have "Portable Device Dependent" display outputs. The R7 M440 was released on May 14, 2016, while the FirePro was released earlier on April 22, 2015.