AMD FirePro W4170M vs Intel HD Graphics P530 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only recorded head-to-head benchmark between the AMD FirePro W4170M and the Intel HD Graphics P530 is the Geekbench OpenCL test. In that test, the AMD FirePro W4170M scores 5034, while the Intel HD Graphics P530 scores 4549. The AMD part wins this round with a 10.7% advantage. That is a meaningful margin in a compute workload, especially considering the different roles these two parts play in a system.

Looking at the broader database context, the FirePro W4170M sits at the 30th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon R5 M430 at 5018 (a delta of 0.3% in favor of the FirePro), the AMD Radeon R7 M340 at 5063 (a delta of -0.6%), and the AMD Radeon R7 240 at 5063 (also -0.6%). The FirePro W4170M is also 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon R7 Graphics, which scores 4998. So this is a tightly clustered group of mobile and low-end desktop parts, all within a couple of points of each other. The FirePro W4170M is not a standout in absolute terms, but it is competitive with its direct peers.

The Intel HD Graphics P530, by contrast, sits at the 26th percentile of all GPUs, four points lower than the FirePro. Its average benchmark score is 4560. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 560 at 4569 (a delta of -0.2%), the AMD Radeon R5 M230 at 4577 (a delta of -0.4%), the AMD FirePro W4190M at 4505 (a delta of 1.2% in favor of the P530), and the NVIDIA Quadro M3000M at 4621 (a delta of -1.3%). The P530 is effectively tied with the RX 560 and R5 M230 in this test, which is notable because the RX 560 is a discrete card, while the P530 is an integrated processor graphics solution.

The gap between the two parts in the OpenCL test is 10.7%. That is not a small difference in compute terms. The FirePro W4170M delivers 691.2 GFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the P530 delivers 384.0 GFLOPS. That is a 1.8x raw throughput difference, which aligns with the benchmark delta. The FirePro also has more shading units (384 vs 192), more texture units (24 vs 16), and more ROPs (8 vs 3). Those are structural advantages that show up in the compute score.

The P530 does have one additional benchmark recorded in the database: a Vulkan score of 4571. The FirePro W4170M has no Vulkan result listed, so a direct comparison in that API is not possible from the recorded data. The P530's Vulkan score is essentially identical to its OpenCL score, which suggests consistent performance across these two APIs for that part.

The Verdict

The AMD FirePro W4170M is the faster part in the only benchmark where both have recorded results. It wins the OpenCL test by 10.7%, and it has a higher percentile ranking (30th vs 26th). If your workload is OpenCL compute, the FirePro W4170M is the clear pick from this data.

The Intel HD Graphics P530 is not without merits, but they are not compute merits. It has a Vulkan score that is close to its OpenCL score, and it is an integrated part, which means it requires no separate power connector and fits into any motherboard with the right socket. The FirePro W4170M is an MXM module, which is a different form factor entirely. That alone may decide the choice for many users: if your system only accepts an IGP, the P530 is your only option of these two.

For raw compute, the FirePro W4170M wins. For compatibility and low power draw, the P530 wins. The P530 has a 15 W TDP, while the FirePro W4170M has no TDP listed in the database. The FirePro also uses GDDR5 memory with a 128-bit bus and 64.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The P530 uses system shared memory, with bandwidth listed as system dependent. That is a significant difference in practice: dedicated memory versus shared memory.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL compute?

A: The AMD FirePro W4170M scores 5034 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the Intel HD Graphics P530 scores 4549. The FirePro wins by 10.7%.

Q: Does the Intel HD Graphics P530 have any benchmark where it beats the FirePro W4170M?

A: No. The database records one head-to-head benchmark, and the FirePro W4170M wins it. The P530 has a Vulkan score of 4571, but the FirePro has no Vulkan result recorded, so no direct comparison is possible in that API.

Q: How does the FirePro W4170M compare to its nearest rivals?

A: It is within 0.6% of the AMD Radeon R7 M340 and AMD Radeon R7 240, 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon R5 M430, and 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon R7 Graphics. These are all effectively tied in average score.

Q: What is the memory configuration of each part?

A: The FirePro W4170M has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, with 64.00 GB/s bandwidth. The Intel HD Graphics P530 uses system shared memory, with bus width and bandwidth listed as system shared and system dependent.

Q: What are the form factors of these two GPUs?

A: The FirePro W4170M is an MXM module, while the Intel HD Graphics P530 is an IGP (integrated graphics processor). The FirePro has no power connectors, and the P530 has none listed because it draws power from the motherboard.

Q: Which part has better API support?

A: The Intel HD Graphics P530 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The AMD FirePro W4170M supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The P530 has a higher DirectX feature level and a newer Vulkan version.

Specification Differences

The two parts differ on nearly every major specification. The AMD FirePro W4170M uses the GCN 1.0 architecture, while the Intel HD Graphics P530 uses Generation 9.0. The FirePro is built on a 28 nm process at TSMC, while the P530 is built on a 14 nm+ process at Intel. The FirePro has 950 million transistors on a 77 mm² die, while the P530 has no transistor count listed but a larger 123 mm² die.

Clock speeds differ substantially. The FirePro has a base clock of 825 MHz and a boost clock of 900 MHz. The P530 has a base clock of 350 MHz and a boost clock of 1000 MHz. The FirePro has a higher base clock, but the P530 has a higher boost clock. Memory clocks are not directly comparable: the FirePro runs its GDDR5 at 1000 MHz with 4 Gbps effective, while the P530 uses system shared memory.

Compute resources are heavily in the FirePro's favor. It has 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. The P530 has 192 shading units, 16 TMUs, and 3 ROPs. Pixel rate is 7.200 GPixel/s for the FirePro versus 3.000 GPixel/s for the P530. Texture rate is 21.60 GTexel/s versus 16.00 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput is 691.2 GFLOPS versus 384.0 GFLOPS. The P530 does have FP16 performance listed at 768.0 GFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, while the FirePro has no FP16 figure recorded.

The FirePro is a PCIe 3.0 x8 card, while the P530 uses a Ring Bus interface. Display outputs are portable device dependent for the FirePro and motherboard dependent for the P530. Release dates differ by about four months: the FirePro launched on 2015-04-22, and the P530 launched on 2015-08-31. Both are end-of-life. The FirePro has a predecessor (FirePro Mobility) and a successor (Radeon Pro Mobile), while the P530 has neither listed.

Architecture Differences

The AMD FirePro W4170M is built on GCN 1.0, AMD's first-generation Graphics Core Next architecture. The chip is codenamed Opal and belongs to the FirePro Mobile (Wx100M) generation. It uses a 28 nm process from TSMC, with 950 million transistors on a 77 mm² die. That gives a transistor density of 12.3M per mm². The architecture was designed for discrete mobile workstations, and the MXM form factor reflects that.

The Intel HD Graphics P530 is built on Generation 9.0, Intel's Skylake GT2 graphics architecture. It belongs to the HD Graphics-W (Skylake) generation. It uses a 14 nm+ process from Intel, with a die size of 123 mm². No transistor count is recorded. The P530 is an integrated part, using the Ring Bus to connect to the rest of the processor. It has a 15 W TDP, which covers the entire graphics block.

The FirePro has dedicated GDDR5 memory, which is a major architectural advantage for bandwidth-sensitive workloads. The P530 shares system memory, and its bandwidth is system dependent. This means the P530's performance can vary depending on the platform it is installed in, while the FirePro's memory performance is fixed.

The shading resources differ by a factor of two in the FirePro's favor: 384 vs 192 shading units. The texture units are 24 vs 16, and the ROP count is 8 vs 3. The FirePro's pixel rate is more than double the P530's, which matters for fill-rate-bound scenarios. The P530 does have a higher boost clock at 1000 MHz versus 900 MHz, but the FirePro's wider resource pool overcomes that.

API support differs as well. The FirePro supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The P530 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The P530 has a higher DirectX feature level and a newer Vulkan version, which may matter for specific applications that use those features.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD FirePro W4170M wins in raw compute performance. Its OpenCL score is 10.7% higher than the P530's, and its FP32 throughput is 691.2 GFLOPS versus 384.0 GFLOPS. It also has more than double the pixel rate and a 1.35x texture rate advantage. If your workload is OpenCL compute, GPGPU tasks, or any fill-rate-heavy rendering, the FirePro is the better choice. The dedicated 2 GB GDDR5 memory with 64.00 GB/s bandwidth is a substantial advantage over system shared memory, especially in scenarios where memory bandwidth is the bottleneck.

The Intel HD Graphics P530 wins in integration and power efficiency. It is an IGP with a 15 W TDP, which means it adds no separate power requirements and fits into any system with a compatible motherboard. The FirePro is an MXM module, which requires a specific slot and chassis. The P530 also has a higher boost clock (1000 MHz vs 900 MHz), a higher DirectX feature level (12_1 vs 11_1), and a newer Vulkan version (1.3 vs 1.2.170). For users who need Vulkan 1.3 support or DirectX 12_1 features, the P530 is the only option of the two.

The P530's Vulkan score of 4571 shows it can handle modern API workloads, and it is within 1.2% of the AMD FirePro W4190M in average score. That means the P530 is a competent integrated solution, but it is not a compute powerhouse.

In practical terms: if you are building a low-power system and need graphics that are good enough for general use and some modern API support, the Intel HD Graphics P530 is the sensible pick. If you need compute performance for OpenCL-heavy applications and have a chassis that accepts an MXM module, the AMD FirePro W4170M delivers a clear 10.7% advantage in the only head-to-head test recorded. The data does not support using the P530 for compute-intensive tasks when the FirePro is available.