AMD FirePro W4170M vs AMD Radeon R8 M445DX Comparison

AMD FirePro W4170M and AMD Radeon R8 M445DX are both end-of-life mobile GPUs from AMD, but they serve very different purposes. The FirePro W4170M is a professional mobile workstation part built on the older GCN 1.0 architecture, while the Radeon R8 M445DX is a hybrid graphics solution using GCN 3.0. Benchmark data shows the FirePro holds a clear lead in raw compute performance, but the R8 M445DX brings newer architectural features and higher boost clocks to the table. The choice between them depends entirely on whether you need professional-grade reliability or a more modern feature set in a shared-memory configuration.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available is Geekbench OpenCL, and it shows a decisive win for the AMD FirePro W4170M. The FirePro scores 5034 points, while the Radeon R8 M445DX manages 4727 points. That is a delta of 6.5% in favor of the FirePro. In practical terms, this means the FirePro delivers noticeably higher compute throughput in OpenCL workloads, which often translate to GPGPU tasks like rendering, video encoding, or scientific calculations. The 307-point gap is not massive, but it is consistent and measurable.

Looking at the wider competitive landscape, the FirePro W4170M sits at the 30th percentile of all GPUs, while the R8 M445DX sits at the 27th percentile. That three-percentile gap aligns with the 6.5% benchmark delta. The FirePro’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon R7 M340 and R7 240, both scoring 5063, which is only 0.6% higher than the FirePro. It also edges out the AMD Radeon R5 M430 by 0.3% and the AMD Radeon R7 Graphics by 0.7%. The FirePro is essentially trading blows with these entry-level discrete and integrated parts, sitting right in the middle of that cluster.

The R8 M445DX, by contrast, has a slightly different set of rivals. Its nearest competitor is the AMD Radeon R5 M335, which scores 4752, just 0.5% higher. The R8 also comes within 0.9% of the NVIDIA Quadro P400 and beats the AMD Radeon R5 M255 by 1.3%. Interestingly, the R8 M445DX is only 1.3% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB in this particular OpenCL test, though that comparison is almost certainly a quirk of the benchmark rather than a reflection of real-world gaming performance. Still, the data shows the R8 M445DX is competitive with low-end discrete GPUs from the same era.

When comparing the two directly, the FirePro W4170M wins the only head-to-head test. It has a higher base clock at 825 MHz versus 780 MHz, though the R8 M445DX has a higher boost clock at 1021 MHz versus 900 MHz. The FirePro also has more shading units (384 versus 320) and more texture mapping units (24 versus 20). However, the R8 M445DX counters with a higher pixel rate of 8.168 GPixel/s versus 7.200 GPixel/s, and a higher FP16 throughput of 653.4 GFLOPS (1:1) compared to the FirePro’s null FP16 capability. The R8’s advantage in pixel rate comes from its higher boost clock, which allows it to fill pixels faster despite having fewer shading units.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD FirePro W4170M wins in raw compute performance. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 5034 is 6.5% higher than the R8 M445DX’s 4727. This advantage comes from having more shading units (384 versus 320) and more TMUs (24 versus 20). The FirePro also has dedicated GDDR5 memory with a 128-bit bus and 64.00 GB/s bandwidth, which is significantly faster than the R8’s system-shared memory. For workloads that depend on memory bandwidth and parallel compute, such as rendering, physics simulations, or data processing, the FirePro is the stronger choice. Its architecture also supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and OpenGL 4.6, which covers most professional applications.

The AMD Radeon R8 M445DX wins in architectural modernity and clock speed. It is built on GCN 3.0, which is a newer architecture than the FirePro’s GCN 1.0. This brings full DirectX 12 (12_0) support, which is a meaningful upgrade for gaming and newer applications. The R8 also has a higher boost clock of 1021 MHz versus 900 MHz, which helps it achieve a higher pixel rate of 8.168 GPixel/s despite having fewer shading units. The R8’s FP16 throughput of 653.4 GFLOPS (1:1) is another advantage, as it allows for faster half-precision compute in supported workloads. The R8 M445DX is also an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with a "Gem System Hybrid" design, meaning it shares system memory. This makes it a more flexible solution for thin-and-light laptops where dedicated VRAM is not feasible.

In gaming scenarios, the R8 M445DX’s newer architecture and higher boost clock likely give it an edge, especially in titles that leverage DirectX 12 features. The FirePro, with its older architecture and lower clock speed, is better suited for professional workloads that favor raw compute over modern API features. The FirePro’s dedicated GDDR5 memory also gives it a bandwidth advantage that can help in texture-heavy applications, but the R8’s higher pixel rate suggests it can fill frames faster in rasterization-heavy tasks.

Architecture Differences

The AMD FirePro W4170M is built on the GCN 1.0 architecture, codenamed "Opal." It uses a 28 nm process node at TSMC and packs 950 million transistors onto a 77 mm² die, giving it a transistor density of 12.3 million per mm². Its memory subsystem consists of 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, providing 64.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The chip has 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 8 ROPs, with a base clock of 825 MHz and a boost clock of 900 MHz. This configuration delivers 691.2 GFLOPS of FP32 performance and a pixel rate of 7.200 GPixel/s.

The AMD Radeon R8 M445DX is built on the newer GCN 3.0 architecture, codenamed "Meso." It also uses a 28 nm process at TSMC but packs significantly more transistors: 1,550 million on a 125 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 12.4 million per mm². The R8 has 320 shading units, 20 TMUs, and 8 ROPs, with a base clock of 780 MHz and a boost clock of 1021 MHz. This yields 653.4 GFLOPS of FP32 performance and 653.4 GFLOPS of FP16 (1:1), along with a pixel rate of 8.168 GPixel/s. The R8 uses system-shared memory, so its memory size, type, bus width, and bandwidth are all listed as "System Shared" or "System Dependent."

The most significant architectural difference is the memory subsystem. The FirePro has dedicated GDDR5 with a fixed bandwidth of 64.00 GB/s, while the R8 relies on system memory, which is slower and shared with the CPU. The R8 compensates with a higher boost clock and newer architecture, but the FirePro’s dedicated memory gives it a clear advantage in bandwidth-bound tasks. The R8 also has a higher transistor count and larger die, which reflects its more complex GCN 3.0 design. Both chips support DirectX 12, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170, but the R8 supports DirectX 12 (12_0) while the FirePro is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1).

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL benchmarks?

A: The AMD FirePro W4170M scores 5034 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 6.5% higher than the AMD Radeon R8 M445DX’s score of 4727.

Q: Does the Radeon R8 M445DX support newer DirectX versions?

A: Yes, the R8 M445DX supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the FirePro W4170M only supports DirectX 12 (11_1).

Q: How does the memory configuration differ between the two?

A: The FirePro W4170M has 2 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus with 64.00 GB/s bandwidth. The R8 M445DX uses system-shared memory with no dedicated VRAM, and its bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent."

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock?

A: The Radeon R8 M445DX has a boost clock of 1021 MHz, which is higher than the FirePro W4170M’s boost clock of 900 MHz.

Q: What is the transistor count difference?

A: The FirePro W4170M has 950 million transistors, while the R8 M445DX has 1,550 million transistors.

Q: Are both GPUs end-of-life products?

A: Yes, both the AMD FirePro W4170M and the AMD Radeon R8 M445DX have a production status of "End-of-life."

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD FirePro W4170M | AMD Radeon R8 M445DX |

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

| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | GCN 3.0 |

| Chip | Opal | Meso |

| Generation | FirePro Mobile (Wx100M) | Gem System Hybrid (Rx M400) |

| Transistors | 950 million | 1,550 million |

| Die Size | 77 mm² | 125 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.3M / mm² | 12.4M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 825 MHz | 780 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 900 MHz | 1021 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 |

| Memory Clock | 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective) | System Shared |

| Shading Units | 384 | 320 |

| TMUs | 24 | 20 |

| ROPs | 8 | 8 |

| Pixel Rate | 7.200 GPixel/s | 8.168 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 21.60 GTexel/s | 20.42 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 691.2 GFLOPS | 653.4 GFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | N/A | 653.4 GFLOPS (1:1) |

| Slot Width | MXM Module | IGP |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x8 | IGP |

| DirectX Support | 12 (11_1) | 12 (12_0) |

| Release Date | 2015-04-22 | 2016-05-14 |

The Verdict

The AMD FirePro W4170M is the clear winner for compute-heavy professional workloads. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 5034 is 6.5% higher than the R8 M445DX’s 4727. The FirePro also has dedicated GDDR5 memory with 64.00 GB/s bandwidth, which is a massive advantage over the R8’s system-shared memory. If your primary use case involves OpenCL-accelerated tasks like rendering, video processing, or scientific computing, the FirePro is the better choice. Its 384 shading units and 24 TMUs provide more parallel compute capacity, and its 691.2 GFLOPS FP32 performance outpaces the R8’s 653.4 GFLOPS.

The AMD Radeon R8 M445DX is the better option for users who need a more modern architecture and are willing to sacrifice raw compute performance. Its GCN 3.0 architecture supports DirectX 12 (12_0), which is a meaningful upgrade over the FirePro’s DirectX 12 (11_1). The R8 also has a higher boost clock of 1021 MHz, which gives it a higher pixel rate of 8.168 GPixel/s. This makes it more suitable for gaming or applications that benefit from newer API features and faster pixel filling. However, its reliance on system-shared memory is a significant drawback for memory-intensive tasks.

In summary, the FirePro W4170M wins on raw performance and memory bandwidth, making it ideal for professional compute tasks. The R8 M445DX wins on architectural modernity and clock speed, making it a better fit for gaming or general-purpose use in hybrid graphics systems. The data clearly favors the FirePro in OpenCL, but the R8’s newer feature set should not be overlooked. Your choice should be guided by whether you prioritize compute performance or modern API support.