AMD FirePro W4170M vs NVIDIA Quadro M500M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark in the database is Geekbench OpenCL, and the results are unambiguous. The NVIDIA Quadro M500M scores 5986, while the AMD FirePro W4170M scores 5034. That is an 18.9% advantage for the NVIDIA part, a decisive margin in a single test. The Quadro M500M also has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 5222, which the FirePro W4170M does not have at all, meaning the NVIDIA part can be tested in a broader range of workloads.

The overall average benchmark score tells the same story. The Quadro M500M sits at 5604, while the FirePro W4170M is at 5034. That difference pushes the Quadro M500M to the 32nd percentile among all GPUs, while the FirePro W4170M sits at the 30th percentile. Those are close percentile positions, but the underlying scores are not close. The Quadro M500M is nearly 11.3% higher in average score, and that gap is driven entirely by its OpenCL showing.

Context from the nearest rivals helps frame the comparison. The Quadro M500M edges out the AMD FirePro M4000 by 1.2%, beats the NVIDIA GeForce MX130 by 1.7%, and leads the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M by 1.9%. Its only nearby loss is to the AMD Radeon HD 8790M, which is 1.5% ahead. The FirePro W4170M, meanwhile, is barely ahead of the AMD Radeon R5 M430 by 0.3% and trails the AMD Radeon R7 M340 and AMD Radeon R7 240 by 0.6% each. It also leads the AMD Radeon R7 Graphics by 0.7%. In short, the Quadro M500M competes in a slightly higher performance tier among its nearest rivals, while the FirePro W4170M is clustered with lower-end parts.

The database records only one head-to-head test, but the available numbers indicate that the Quadro M500M wins the compute race decisively. Its 18.9% delta is not a marginal difference; it is a clear generational and architectural gap. The FirePro W4170M, despite its wider memory bus and faster memory type, cannot overcome the Quadro M500M's higher clock speeds and superior compute throughput.

The Verdict

The data points to one clear conclusion: choose the NVIDIA Quadro M500M if compute performance is the priority. It wins the only shared benchmark by 18.9%, holds a higher average benchmark score (5604 versus 5034), and ranks in a higher percentile (32nd versus 30th). It also offers a Vulkan score, which the FirePro W4170M does not provide in the database, so software that uses Vulkan will only run properly on the NVIDIA part.

The AMD FirePro W4170M is not without merits, but those merits are not visible in the benchmark scores. It has a wider 128-bit memory bus, GDDR5 memory, and a higher memory bandwidth of 64.00 GB/s, but none of that translates into a benchmark win. The Quadro M500M's 14.40 GB/s bandwidth, on a 64-bit bus with DDR3, is far lower, yet the NVIDIA part still wins by a wide margin. That means the Quadro M500M is extracting more performance from less memory bandwidth, which reflects its Maxwell architecture and higher clocks.

For a buyer who only cares about raw OpenCL performance, the choice is simple. The Quadro M500M is the faster card. For a buyer who needs Vulkan support, the Quadro M500M is also the only option, since the FirePro W4170M has no recorded Vulkan score. The FirePro W4170M is end-of-life, as is the Quadro M500M, so neither has a future-proofing advantage in that sense. The Quadro M500M also released later, in April 2016, versus April 2015 for the FirePro W4170M.

The verdict is therefore straightforward: the NVIDIA Quadro M500M is the better performer, the better-equipped card for modern APIs, and the safer pick in this pairing. The FirePro W4170M's memory advantages do not show up in the benchmarks, and no other test in the database gives it a win.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro M500M scores 5986, while the AMD FirePro W4170M scores 5034. That is an 18.9% advantage for the Quadro M500M.

Q: Does the AMD FirePro W4170M have any benchmark win over the NVIDIA Quadro M500M?

A: No. The database records only one head-to-head benchmark, and the Quadro M500M wins it. The FirePro W4170M has no wins in any recorded test.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each GPU?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro M500M has an average benchmark score of 5604, while the AMD FirePro W4170M has an average score of 5034.

Q: Which GPU has better Vulkan support according to the database?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro M500M has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 5222. The AMD FirePro W4170M has no Vulkan benchmark score recorded, and its Vulkan API version is listed as 1.2.170, while the Quadro M500M is listed with Vulkan 1.4.

Q: How do these GPUs compare to their nearest rivals?

A: The Quadro M500M leads the AMD FirePro M4000 by 1.2%, the NVIDIA GeForce MX130 by 1.7%, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M by 1.9%, while trailing the AMD Radeon HD 8790M by 1.5%. The FirePro W4170M leads the AMD Radeon R5 M430 by 0.3% and the AMD Radeon R7 Graphics by 0.7%, while trailing the AMD Radeon R7 M340 and AMD Radeon R7 240 by 0.6% each.

Q: Which GPU has the higher memory bandwidth?

A: The AMD FirePro W4170M has a memory bandwidth of 64.00 GB/s, using GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus. The NVIDIA Quadro M500M has 14.40 GB/s, using DDR3 on a 64-bit bus. Despite this, the Quadro M500M still wins the benchmark.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in almost every major specification category. The NVIDIA Quadro M500M uses the GM108S chip, while the AMD FirePro W4170M uses the Opal chip. The Quadro M500M has a base clock of 1029 MHz and a boost clock of 1124 MHz. The FirePro W4170M runs at a base clock of 825 MHz and a boost clock of 900 MHz. The Quadro M500M's memory runs at 900 MHz, which translates to 1800 Mbps effective, while the FirePro W4170M's memory runs at 1000 MHz, or 4 Gbps effective.

Memory configuration is a major split. The Quadro M500M has 2 GB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus, yielding 14.40 GB/s of bandwidth. The FirePro W4170M also has 2 GB, but it is GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, yielding 64.00 GB/s. That is a 4.4x bandwidth advantage for the AMD part. Shading units are equal at 384, and ROPs are equal at 8, but TMUs differ: the Quadro M500M has 16, while the FirePro W4170M has 24. The Quadro M500M has a higher pixel rate at 8.992 GPixel/s versus 7.200 GPixel/s, but the FirePro W4170M has a higher texture rate at 21.60 GTexel/s versus 17.98 GTexel/s. FP32 compute favors the Quadro M500M at 863.2 GFLOPS versus 691.2 GFLOPS.

The bus interface also differs. The Quadro M500M uses MXM-A (3.0), while the FirePro W4170M uses PCIe 3.0 x8. Both are MXM modules with no power connectors and portable-device-dependent display outputs. The Quadro M500M has a TDP of 30 W, while the FirePro W4170M has no TDP listed in the database. The Quadro M500M was released on April 26, 2016, while the FirePro W4170M was released on April 22, 2015. Both are end-of-life.

Architecture Differences

The architectural split is fundamental. The NVIDIA Quadro M500M is built on the Maxwell architecture, specifically the GM108S chip, while the AMD FirePro W4170M is built on GCN 1.0, using the Opal chip. Both are manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC, and both have a die size of 77 mm². Transistor counts differ slightly: the Quadro M500M packs 1,020 million transistors, while the FirePro W4170M has 950 million. That gives the Quadro M500M a higher transistor density of 13.2M per mm², versus 12.3M per mm² for the FirePro W4170M.

The shading unit count is identical at 384, but the surrounding hardware differs. The Quadro M500M has 16 TMUs and 8 ROPs, while the FirePro W4170M has 24 TMUs and 8 ROPs. The extra TMUs give the FirePro W4170M a higher texture rate, but the Maxwell architecture's higher clocks give the Quadro M500M a higher pixel rate and higher FP32 throughput. The Quadro M500M also supports a newer Vulkan version, 1.4, versus 1.2.170 for the FirePro W4170M. DirectX support is close: the Quadro M500M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), while the FirePro W4170M supports DirectX 12 (11_1). OpenGL support is identical at 4.6.

Neither GPU has ray tracing cores or tensor cores, so both rely on traditional rasterization and compute pipelines. The Quadro M500M's memory runs at 900 MHz with 1800 Mbps effective, while the FirePro W4170M's memory runs at 1000 MHz with 4 Gbps effective. The FirePro W4170M's memory type, bus width, and bandwidth are all superior on paper, but the Maxwell architecture's efficiency and the Quadro M500M's higher clocks compensate in the benchmark results.

The generation names reflect their different lineages. The Quadro M500M belongs to the Quadro Maxwell-M (Mx000M) generation, with a predecessor of Quadro Kepler-M and a successor of Quadro Pascal-M. The FirePro W4170M belongs to the FirePro Mobile (Wx100M) generation, with a predecessor of FirePro Mobility and a successor of Radeon Pro Mobile.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA Quadro M500M wins in compute performance, API support, and benchmark positioning. It scores 5986 in Geekbench OpenCL versus 5034 for the FirePro W4170M, an 18.9% margin. It has a Vulkan score of 5222, while the FirePro W4170M has none. Its average benchmark score is 5604, placing it at the 32nd percentile, and it beats most of its nearest rivals, including the AMD FirePro M4000, NVIDIA GeForce MX130, and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M. The Quadro M500M also has a higher FP32 compute rate of 863.2 GFLOPS and a higher pixel rate of 8.992 GPixel/s.

The AMD FirePro W4170M wins in memory-related specifications. It has 64.00 GB/s of bandwidth, versus 14.40 GB/s for the Quadro M500M, and it uses GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, while the Quadro M500M uses DDR3 on a 64-bit bus. It also has more TMUs (24 versus 16) and a higher texture rate of 21.60 GTexel/s. The FirePro W4170M supports DirectX 12 (11_1), one minor revision ahead of the Quadro M500M's DirectX 12 (11_0).

However, the database contains no benchmark where the FirePro W4170M wins. Its advantages are purely on-paper. If a workload is heavily texture-bound, the extra TMUs and higher texture rate might help, but no recorded test confirms that. If a workload requires maximum memory bandwidth, the FirePro W4170M's GDDR5 and 128-bit bus are objectively superior. But for general compute, OpenCL, and Vulkan workloads, the Quadro M500M is the clear winner based on the recorded data.

The practical takeaway is that the Quadro M500M is the GPU to pick for compute tasks, modern API compatibility, and higher benchmark standings. The FirePro W4170M is the GPU to pick only if memory bandwidth is the single most important factor, and even then, no benchmark in the database shows that advantage translating into a win.