AMD FirePro W4170M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M Comparison

The AMD FirePro W4170M and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M are both end-of-life mobile graphics solutions, but they represent very different eras and design philosophies. The benchmark data shows the AMD FirePro W4170M holds a lead in the single available test, but the specifications reveal a more complex story about how each GPU achieves its performance and where it fits in the mobile landscape.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, which measures raw compute throughput. In this test, the AMD FirePro W4170M scores 5034 points, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M scores 4855 points. The delta is 3.7% in favor of the AMD part. This is a modest win, but it is a consistent one across the field of rivals.

Looking at the nearest rivals for the FirePro W4170M, its score of 5034 places it just 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon R5 M430 (5018) and 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon R7 Graphics (4998). It is slightly behind the AMD Radeon R7 M340 and AMD Radeon R7 240, both of which score 5063, making the FirePro 0.6% slower. This positions the FirePro W4170M in a tight cluster of entry-level GPUs where performance differences are measured in fractions of a percent.

The GTX 560M, with its score of 4855, sits in a similar tier. It is 0.2% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce 940MX (4844) and 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon R6 M255DX (4867). Interestingly, it is also 0.8% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 (4893) and 0.9% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB (4901), though the RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB is clearly a much more modern part. The data shows both cards are firmly in the same performance bracket, with the FirePro W4170M holding a slight edge in compute workload.

The percentile rankings reinforce this. The FirePro W4170M sits at the 30th percentile of all GPUs, while the GTX 560M is at the 28th percentile. The 3.7% delta between them in the head-to-head test translates to a small but measurable gap in overall standing. For a builder looking at these two, the FirePro W4170M is the faster card in raw OpenCL compute, but the margin is not large enough to be a deciding factor for most workloads.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the data, the AMD FirePro W4170M is the winner in the compute benchmark, and it also holds a slight edge in the percentile ranking. It achieves this with a much smaller die and fewer transistors, which confirms its newer architecture. The GTX 560M is not without its strengths, however. It has a significantly higher texture rate and more ROPs, which can translate to better performance in certain rasterization-heavy tasks.

The data suggests the FirePro W4170M is the better choice for users who prioritize compute performance, such as OpenCL acceleration in professional applications. Its higher FP32 throughput of 691.2 GFLOPS versus the GTX 560M’s 595.2 GFLOPS supports this. The GTX 560M, with its 24 ROPs and 24.80 GTexel/s texture rate, may be the better pick for those who care about fill-rate-bound scenarios, though the benchmark data does not directly confirm this.

For a mobile workstation, the FirePro W4170M appears to be the more efficient and capable part. It is built on a 28 nm process versus the GTX 560M’s 40 nm node, and it has a much higher transistor density of 12.3M per mm² versus 4.9M per mm². This suggests the FirePro is a more modern design that gets more performance from less silicon. The GTX 560M is an older card from 2011, and its architecture shows its age in the compute results.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD FirePro W4170M wins in the OpenCL compute benchmark, posting a 5034 score versus 4855 for the GTX 560M. This indicates it is the stronger choice for general-purpose GPU compute tasks that leverage OpenCL. Its higher FP32 performance of 691.2 GFLOPS also points to an advantage in floating-point-heavy workloads. The FirePro also has a higher pixel rate of 7.200 GPixel/s versus 6.200 GPixel/s for the GTX 560M, suggesting it may be faster at certain pixel-processing operations despite having only 8 ROPs.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M wins in the texture department. It has 32 TMUs versus the FirePro’s 24, and its texture rate of 24.80 GTexel/s is higher than the 21.60 GTexel/s of the AMD part. This means the GTX 560M could be faster at tasks that are heavily dependent on texture fetching and filtering. It also has 24 ROPs versus 8 on the FirePro, which is a significant advantage for fill-rate-bound scenarios, even though its pixel rate is lower. The GTX 560M also has a wider 192-bit memory bus versus the FirePro’s 128-bit bus, though its bandwidth of 60.00 GB/s is actually lower than the FirePro’s 64.00 GB/s.

The GTX 560M also has a higher transistor count of 1,170 million versus 950 million, and a larger die size of 238 mm² versus 77 mm². This is a case where the NVIDIA card uses more silicon to achieve its results, while the FirePro uses a more efficient design. The GTX 560M is a Fermi 2.0 architecture part, while the FirePro is GCN 1.0, which explains the difference in efficiency.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The AMD FirePro W4170M is faster, scoring 5034 points compared to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M’s 4855 points. This represents a 3.7% advantage for the AMD card.

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

A: The FirePro W4170M scores 0.3% higher than the AMD Radeon R5 M430 (5018) and 0.7% higher than the AMD Radeon R7 Graphics (4998). It is 0.6% slower than both the AMD Radeon R7 M340 and AMD Radeon R7 240, which each score 5063.

Q: What is the performance difference between the GTX 560M and the GeForce 940MX?

A: The GTX 560M scores 4855 in OpenCL, which is 0.2% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce 940MX’s score of 4844. The difference is minimal, placing them in the same performance tier.

Q: Does the GTX 560M have any advantages in raw specifications?

A: Yes, the GTX 560M has more texture mapping units (32 versus 24) and more ROPs (24 versus 8) than the FirePro W4170M. It also has a wider 192-bit memory bus, though its total memory bandwidth of 60.00 GB/s is lower than the FirePro’s 64.00 GB/s.

Q: Which card has a higher pixel fill rate?

A: The AMD FirePro W4170M has a higher pixel rate of 7.200 GPixel/s, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M has a pixel rate of 6.200 GPixel/s. This is despite the GTX 560M having more ROPs.

Q: How does the transistor density differ between the two cards?

A: The AMD FirePro W4170M has a transistor density of 12.3 million transistors per square millimeter, which is significantly higher than the GTX 560M’s 4.9 million per square millimeter. This reflects the FirePro’s smaller 77 mm² die on a 28 nm process versus the GTX 560M’s 238 mm² die on a 40 nm process.

Architecture Differences

The AMD FirePro W4170M is built on GCN 1.0 architecture, using the Opal chip, and is part of the FirePro Mobile (Wx100M) generation. It is manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. This is a modern, efficient design that packs 950 million transistors into a 77 mm² die, giving it a transistor density of 12.3M per mm². The GCN architecture is designed for compute-heavy workloads, which aligns with its strong OpenCL performance.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M uses the Fermi 2.0 architecture with the GF116 chip, part of the GeForce 500M generation. It is manufactured on an older 40 nm process, also at TSMC, and has a much larger 238 mm² die containing 1,170 million transistors. This results in a transistor density of just 4.9M per mm². Fermi 2.0 is an older design that is less efficient per transistor, which explains why it needs more silicon to achieve similar performance.

The FirePro W4170M supports Vulkan 1.2.170, while the GTX 560M has no Vulkan support listed. Both support DirectX 12, but the FirePro supports version 11_1 while the GTX 560M supports version 11_0. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The FirePro also uses a PCIe 3.0 x8 bus interface, while the GTX 560M uses an MXM-B (3.0) interface. These architectural differences show a clear generational gap, with the FirePro designed for more modern software and APIs.

Specification Differences

The most obvious specification difference is memory size. The AMD FirePro W4170M has 2 GB of GDDR5, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M has 1536 MB of GDDR5. The FirePro also has a higher memory clock of 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective) versus the GTX 560M’s 625 MHz (2.5 Gbps effective). This gives the FirePro a memory bandwidth of 64.00 GB/s, which is higher than the GTX 560M’s 60.00 GB/s, even though the GTX 560M has a wider 192-bit bus.

The core configurations differ significantly. The FirePro W4170M has 384 shading units and 24 TMUs, while the GTX 560M has 192 shading units and 32 TMUs. The FirePro compensates for fewer TMUs with a higher texture rate of 21.60 GTexel/s versus 24.80 GTexel/s for the NVIDIA card. In terms of FP32 performance, the FirePro delivers 691.2 GFLOPS, which is higher than the GTX 560M’s 595.2 GFLOPS. The FirePro also has a higher pixel rate of 7.200 GPixel/s versus 6.200 GPixel/s.

Clock speeds also differ. The FirePro has a base clock of 825 MHz and a boost clock of 900 MHz, while the GTX 560M has no base or boost clock listed, only a memory clock. The TDP for the FirePro is not listed, while the GTX 560M is rated at 75 W. Both are MXM Modules with no power connectors. The release dates are also far apart: the FirePro was released on 2015-04-22, while the GTX 560M was released on 2011-05-29. This four-year gap explains the architectural and efficiency improvements seen in the AMD card.