AMD FirePro W4170M vs AMD Radeon Vega 3 Comparison

The AMD FirePro W4170M and AMD Radeon Vega 3 represent two very different approaches to mobile graphics. The FirePro W4170M is a dedicated, professional-grade MXM module from 2015, built for workstation laptops. The Radeon Vega 3 is a much younger integrated graphics processor (IGP) from 2019, designed to sit inside an APU for lightweight laptops. The benchmark data in the database shows a clear, if narrow, winner in raw compute, but the story is more nuanced when architectural generation and feature support are considered.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark recorded in the database for both parts is Geekbench OpenCL. In this test, the AMD FirePro W4170M scores 5034 points, while the AMD Radeon Vega 3 scores 3963 points. That is a raw difference of 1071 points, which translates to a 27% advantage for the FirePro W4170M. This is a decisive win for the older dedicated card.

To put that number in perspective, the FirePro W4170M sits at the 30th percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the Radeon Vega 3 sits at the 25th percentile. The FirePro’s nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon R5 M430 (average score 5018, a 0.3% gap), the AMD Radeon R7 M340 (5063, a -0.6% gap), and the AMD Radeon R7 240 (5063, -0.6% gap). The FirePro W4170M is essentially neck-and-neck with those parts, all within a fraction of a percent of each other. Its 5034 score is 0.3% ahead of the R5 M430 and 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon R7 Graphics (4998).

The Radeon Vega 3, by contrast, finds its rivals in a different performance tier. Its average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 4268, which is notably lower than its OpenCL-only score. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M (average score 4282, a -0.3% gap), the AMD FirePro W2100 (4295, -0.6% gap), and the NVIDIA Quadro K3000M (4241, 0.6% gap). Interestingly, the database also lists the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 (4335, -1.5% gap) as a nearest rival, which illustrates how clustered the scores are around this performance level.

The head-to-head result is unambiguous: the FirePro W4170M wins the only shared benchmark by a substantial margin. That 27% delta is not a statistical fluke; it reflects a real compute advantage in OpenCL workloads. The Radeon Vega 3, despite being four years newer and built on a much more advanced process node, cannot match the raw throughput of the dedicated FirePro part in this test.

Where Each One Wins

The FirePro W4170M wins in raw compute throughput. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 5034 is 27% higher than the Vega 3’s 3963. This means for any OpenCL-accelerated task, whether it is video encoding, physics simulation, or general-purpose GPU compute, the FirePro W4170M will deliver results faster. The database also shows the FirePro has a higher pixel rate (7.200 GPixel/s versus 4.400 GPixel/s) and a higher texture rate (21.60 GTexel/s versus 13.20 GTexel/s). These figures indicate that the FirePro can fill the screen and apply textures more quickly, which matters for older DirectX 11 workloads and professional 2D/3D rendering tasks.

The Radeon Vega 3 wins in architectural modernity and API support. It is built on GCN 5.0 architecture, while the FirePro uses GCN 1.0. The Vega 3 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), whereas the FirePro only supports DirectX 12 (11_1). The Vega 3 also supports Vulkan 1.3, compared to the FirePro’s Vulkan 1.2.170. For modern gaming or compute applications that use newer API features, the Vega 3 has a clear edge despite its lower raw scores. The Vega 3 also has a higher boost clock (1100 MHz versus 900 MHz) and supports FP16 compute at a 2:1 ratio, delivering 844.8 GFLOPS of half-precision throughput, a feature the FirePro lacks entirely.

There is also a practical distinction in how each is used. The FirePro W4170M is a dedicated MXM module with its own 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 64.00 GB/s of dedicated bandwidth. The Vega 3 uses system shared memory, with bandwidth described as system dependent. For workloads that are sensitive to memory bandwidth, the FirePro’s dedicated 64.00 GB/s is a significant advantage. For casual use or light gaming, the Vega 3’s ability to share system memory may be more flexible, but it cannot match the FirePro’s dedicated bandwidth.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The AMD FirePro W4170M scores 5034, while the AMD Radeon Vega 3 scores 3963. The FirePro leads by 27% in this test.

Q: How does the Radeon Vega 3 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Vega 3’s average benchmark score is 4268. It is 0.3% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M (4282) and 0.6% behind the AMD FirePro W2100 (4295), but 0.6% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro K3000M (4241).

Q: What is the FirePro W4170M’s performance percentile?

A: The FirePro W4170M sits at the 30th percentile of all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 5034.

Q: Does the Radeon Vega 3 support newer APIs than the FirePro?

A: Yes. The Vega 3 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3, while the FirePro W4170M supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The FirePro W4170M has 2 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus with 64.00 GB/s bandwidth. The Vega 3 uses system shared memory with system dependent bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock?

A: The Radeon Vega 3 has a boost clock of 1100 MHz, while the FirePro W4170M boosts to 900 MHz.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every core specification. The FirePro W4170M uses an Opal chip with 384 shading units, 24 texture mapping units, and 8 raster output units. The Radeon Vega 3 uses a Picasso chip with only 192 shading units, 12 TMUs, and 4 ROPs. That means the FirePro has exactly twice the shading units, twice the TMUs, and twice the ROPs of the Vega 3.

Clock speeds also differ significantly. The FirePro runs at a base clock of 825 MHz and boosts to 900 MHz. The Vega 3 runs at a much lower base clock of 300 MHz but boosts to 1100 MHz. The Vega 3’s boost clock is 200 MHz higher than the FirePro’s, but its base clock is 525 MHz lower. Memory clocks are not directly comparable: the FirePro uses 1000 MHz memory with 4 Gbps effective data rate, while the Vega 3’s memory clock is listed as system shared.

Compute rates reflect the core count differences. The FirePro delivers 691.2 GFLOPS of FP32 performance, a pixel rate of 7.200 GPixel/s, and a texture rate of 21.60 GTexel/s. The Vega 3 delivers 422.4 GFLOPS of FP32, a pixel rate of 4.400 GPixel/s, and a texture rate of 13.20 GTexel/s. The Vega 3 does have FP16 capability at 844.8 GFLOPS (2:1 ratio), which the FirePro lacks entirely.

Power and form factor also differ. The Vega 3 is an integrated graphics processor with a 15 W TDP, while the FirePro W4170M is an MXM module with no TDP listed in the database. The Vega 3 uses an IGP bus interface, while the FirePro uses PCIe 3.0 x8. Display outputs are motherboard dependent for the Vega 3 and portable device dependent for the FirePro.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is substantial. The FirePro W4170M is built on GCN 1.0 architecture, which dates back to AMD’s first-generation Graphics Core Next design. It uses an Opal chip manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The chip contains 950 million transistors on a die size of 77 mm², giving a transistor density of 12.3 million per square millimeter.

The Radeon Vega 3 is built on GCN 5.0 architecture, AMD’s fifth-generation Graphics Core Next design. It uses a Picasso chip manufactured on a 12 nm process at GlobalFoundries. The chip contains 4,940 million transistors on a die size of 210 mm², giving a transistor density of 23.5 million per square millimeter. That is roughly 1.9 times the transistor density of the older FirePro chip.

The generational names confirm the divide: the FirePro is part of the FirePro Mobile (Wx100M) generation, while the Vega 3 belongs to the Vega IGP (Picasso) generation. The FirePro’s predecessor is FirePro Mobility, and its successor is Radeon Pro Mobile. The Vega 3’s predecessor is GCN 3.0 IGP, and its successor is Vega II IGP.

API support differences follow the architectural split. The Vega 3 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), which includes features like conservative rasterization and rasterizer ordered views. The FirePro only supports DirectX 12 (11_1), which lacks those features. Vulkan support is also newer on the Vega 3, with version 1.3 versus 1.2.170 on the FirePro. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

The process node difference is significant: 12 nm versus 28 nm. That allows the Vega 3 to pack over five times as many transistors into a die that is not quite three times larger, achieving nearly double the transistor density. However, the Vega 3 uses far fewer shading units (192 versus 384), which explains its lower raw compute output. The architectural efficiency of GCN 5.0 does not overcome the sheer core count disadvantage in the OpenCL benchmark.

The release dates also reflect the generational gap. The FirePro W4170M launched on April 22, 2015, while the Radeon Vega 3 launched on November 19, 2019, over four and a half years later. Both are now listed as end-of-life in the database. The Vega 3’s 15 W TDP and integrated design make it suitable for ultraportable laptops, while the FirePro’s MXM form factor and dedicated memory target professional mobile workstations. The data shows a clear compute win for the older FirePro in OpenCL, but the Vega 3 counters with modern API support and a much more efficient manufacturing process.