AMD FirePro W4170M vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The AMD FirePro W4170M and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 occupy entirely different performance strata, and the recorded benchmark data confirms this is not a close contest. The AMD FirePro W4170M posts a Geekbench OpenCL score of 5034, placing it in the 30th percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals are all low-end mobile and entry desktop parts: it trails the AMD Radeon R7 M340 by 0.6%, sits 0.6% behind the Radeon R7 240, and leads the AMD Radeon R5 M430 by a marginal 0.3%. The data shows a tightly clustered group of sub-5000 to low-5000 scores, meaning the FirePro W4170M is competitive only within a narrow band of very old, low-power graphics solutions.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6, by contrast, delivers a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4334.5, which lands in the 25th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are equally modest: the Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200 scores 4360 (0.6% ahead), the AMD FirePro W2100 scores 4295 (0.9% behind), the NVIDIA GeForce 930M scores 4388 (1.2% ahead), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M scores 4282 (1.2% behind). This is a surprising result, as the RTX 4070 GDDR6's raw specifications dwarf those of its listed rivals, yet the single benchmark recorded for it does not reflect that dominance. Still, the FirePro W4170M cannot claim any benchmark win here; the head-to-head benchmark table is empty, and neither product records a win against the other.

Where each one wins is therefore a matter of context. The FirePro W4170M wins in the sense of being a legacy mobile workstation part with a 2015 release date, designed for portable devices, and its performance aligns with other ancient low-end parts. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 wins in every architectural and specification category, from process node to memory bandwidth to feature set, even if the lone benchmark score does not show a direct numerical advantage over the FirePro.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from completely different eras and design philosophies. The AMD FirePro W4170M uses the Opal chip, built on GCN 1.0 architecture, manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 950 million transistors onto a 77 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.3 million per mm². The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 uses the AD104 chip, built on Ada Lovelace architecture, manufactured on a 5 nm process, also at TSMC. It contains 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 121.8 million per mm². That is a 10x improvement in density, and the RTX 4070 GDDR6 has roughly 38 times more transistors overall.

Clock speeds differ dramatically. The FirePro W4170M runs at a base clock of 825 MHz and boosts to 900 MHz, with memory clocked at 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective). The RTX 4070 GDDR6 runs at a base of 1920 MHz and boosts to 2475 MHz, with memory at 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective). The NVIDIA part's boost clock is 2.75 times higher than the AMD part's boost clock.

Memory configuration is another chasm. The FirePro W4170M has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 64.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, delivering 480.0 GB/s, which is 7.5 times the bandwidth. The compute resources are similarly lopsided: the FirePro has 384 shading units, 24 texture mapping units, and 8 ROPs; the RTX 4070 GDDR6 has 5888 shading units, 184 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The NVIDIA part also includes 46 ray tracing cores and 184 tensor cores, neither of which exist on the AMD FirePro part.

The API support reflects the architectural gap. The FirePro W4170M supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The bus interface also differs: the FirePro uses PCIe 3.0 x8, while the RTX 4070 GDDR6 uses PCIe 4.0 x16. The power delivery is entirely different as well: the FirePro is an MXM module with no power connectors, while the RTX 4070 GDDR6 is a dual-slot card requiring a single 16-pin connector and a suggested 550 W power supply, with a 200 W TDP.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher transistor density?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 has a transistor density of 121.8 million per mm², compared to the AMD FirePro W4170M's 12.3 million per mm².

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The RTX 4070 GDDR6 provides 480.0 GB/s of bandwidth, while the FirePro W4170M provides 64.00 GB/s, a 7.5x difference.

Q: Do both GPUs support ray tracing?

A: No. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 includes 46 ray tracing cores, while the FirePro W4170M has no ray tracing cores listed.

Q: What is the release date gap between these two products?

A: The FirePro W4170M was released on 2015-04-22, and the RTX 4070 GDDR6 was released on 2024-08-19, a gap of over nine years.

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock?

A: The RTX 4070 GDDR6 boosts to 2475 MHz, while the FirePro W4170M boosts to 900 MHz.

Q: What is the form factor difference?

A: The FirePro W4170M is an MXM module with no power connectors, while the RTX 4070 GDDR6 is a dual-slot card with a 16-pin power connector.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every recorded specification. The process node is 28 nm for the FirePro W4170M and 5 nm for the RTX 4070 GDDR6. Transistor count is 950 million versus 35,800 million. Die size is 77 mm² versus 294 mm². Base clock is 825 MHz versus 1920 MHz. Boost clock is 900 MHz versus 2475 MHz. Memory clock is 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective) versus 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective).

Memory size is 2 GB GDDR5 versus 12 GB GDDR6. Bus width is 128 bit versus 192 bit. Bandwidth is 64.00 GB/s versus 480.0 GB/s. Shading units are 384 versus 5888. TMUs are 24 versus 184. ROPs are 8 versus 64. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 has 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores; the FirePro has none.

Pixel rate is 7.200 GPixel/s versus 158.4 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 21.60 GTexel/s versus 455.4 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 691.2 GFLOPS versus 29.15 TFLOPS. The FP16 rate is absent for the FirePro, while the RTX 4070 GDDR6 achieves 29.15 TFLOPS (1:1). TDP is not listed for the FirePro, but the RTX 4070 GDDR6 has a 200 W TDP.

Slot width is MXM Module versus Dual-slot. Power connectors are None versus 1x 16-pin. Suggested PSU is absent for the FirePro, 550 W for the RTX 4070 GDDR6. Bus interface is PCIe 3.0 x8 versus PCIe 4.0 x16. Display outputs are Portable Device Dependent versus 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 has physical dimensions of 240 mm length, 110 mm height, and 40 mm width; the FirePro has no dimensions listed.

DirectX support is 12 (11_1) versus 12 Ultimate (12_2). Vulkan support is 1.2.170 versus 1.4. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The release dates are 2015-04-22 versus 2024-08-19. The production status for both is end-of-life. The FirePro's predecessor is FirePro Mobility and successor is Radeon Pro Mobile; the RTX 4070 GDDR6's predecessor is GeForce 30 and successor is GeForce 50.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no shared benchmark results for these two products, so a direct numerical comparison cannot be made from the recorded data. The FirePro W4170M has only one benchmark entry: a Geekbench OpenCL score of 5034. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 has only one benchmark entry: a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4334.5. These are different tests measuring different workloads, so they are not directly comparable.

What can be compared is each product's position relative to its own peer group. The FirePro W4170M's 5034 OpenCL score is 0.3% above the AMD Radeon R5 M430's 5018, 0.6% below the AMD Radeon R7 M340's 5063, 0.6% below the AMD Radeon R7 240's 5063, and 0.7% above the AMD Radeon R7 Graphics' 4998. This shows the FirePro W4170M is essentially a mid-pack performer among very old, low-end parts, with no meaningful lead or deficit.

The RTX 4070 GDDR6's 4334.5 Steel Nomad score is 0.6% below the Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200's 4360, 0.9% above the AMD FirePro W2100's 4295, 1.2% below the NVIDIA GeForce 930M's 4388, and 1.2% above the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M's 4282. This is a similar story: the RTX 4070 GDDR6 sits in the middle of its listed rivals, none of which are remotely comparable to its specification sheet.

The specification comparison tells the real story. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 has 15.3 times the shading units of the FirePro W4170M, 7.5 times the memory bandwidth, 7.7 times the TMUs, 8 times the ROPs, and 42.2 times the FP32 compute throughput. The pixel rate is 22 times higher, and the texture rate is 21.1 times higher. These are not incremental differences; they represent two entirely different classes of hardware.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 is the overwhelmingly more capable product. Its architectural advantages are comprehensive, from the 5 nm process node to the 5888 shading units, the 12 GB memory pool, the 480.0 GB/s bandwidth, and the inclusion of ray tracing and tensor cores. It also carries a launch MSRP of 599 USD, which the database records once. The FirePro W4170M, by contrast, is a 2015-era mobile workstation chip with a 28 nm process, 384 shading units, 2 GB of GDDR5, and no modern feature set.

Who should pick which? The RTX 4070 GDDR6 is the choice for any workload that demands modern rendering features, high resolution textures, or compute acceleration. Its 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 158.4 GPixel/s pixel rate place it in a different league from the FirePro W4170M's 691.2 GFLOPS and 7.200 GPixel/s. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, making it suitable for current-generation gaming and professional applications.

The FirePro W4170M is only relevant for legacy systems that require an MXM module with no external power connectors. Its 5034 OpenCL score and 30th percentile ranking show it is competitive only with other low-end parts from its era, such as the Radeon R5 M430 or Radeon R7 Graphics. It has no ray tracing, no tensor cores, no modern API support beyond the minimum, and its 64.00 GB/s bandwidth is insufficient for any demanding workload by modern standards.

The verdict is straightforward: the RTX 4070 GDDR6 is the only sensible choice for any new build or upgrade, while the FirePro W4170M should only be considered for specialized mobile replacements in old systems. The benchmark data, while not directly comparable between the two, reinforces the specification gap: each product sits near the middle of its own peer group, but those peer groups are separated by over nine years of GPU development.