AMD FirePro W4190M vs NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits cleanly between these two mobile graphics parts, but not in the way the raw scores might suggest. The AMD FirePro W4190M holds a single recorded OpenCL result of 4505, while the NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M has three separate recorded results across different APIs: OpenCL at 3580, Metal at 2777, and Vulkan at 5502. The FirePro wins the only direct head-to-head comparison, but the GT 745M demonstrates broader API coverage.

The AMD FirePro W4190M wins in raw compute throughput. Its OpenCL score of 4505 is 25.8% ahead of the GT 745M's OpenCL result of 3580. This advantage comes from the FirePro's architecture and clock configuration, which deliver higher peak floating-point performance. For workloads that rely on OpenCL, the FirePro is the stronger choice by a substantial margin.

The NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M wins in API versatility. It has recorded results in three separate benchmark environments, while the FirePro only has an OpenCL entry. The GT 745M's Vulkan score of 5502 is particularly notable, exceeding its own OpenCL result by 53.7%. This suggests the Kepler architecture handles Vulkan workloads more efficiently than OpenCL, and the card is capable of strong performance when the right API is used.

The average benchmark score also favors the FirePro. The W4190M averages 4505 across its recorded tests, placing it in the 26th percentile of all GPUs. The GT 745M averages 3953 across its three tests, placing it in the 23rd percentile. The difference in percentile ranking is small, but the FirePro sits slightly higher in the overall distribution.

The nearest rival data reinforces this split. The FirePro's closest competitors are the AMD Radeon R7 M260 at 4499 (0.1% behind), the Intel HD Graphics P530 at 4560 (1.2% ahead), the AMD Radeon RX 560 at 4569 (1.4% ahead), and the AMD Radeon R5 M230 at 4577 (1.6% ahead). The GT 745M's closest rivals are the AMD Radeon R5 M420 at 3956 (0.1% ahead), the NVIDIA GeForce 830M at 3957 (0.1% ahead), the NVIDIA Quadro K2000 at 3964 (0.3% ahead), and the NVIDIA Quadro 2000D at 3930 (0.6% behind). Each card sits within a narrow band of comparable parts, with neither showing a dominant position against its immediate peers.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher OpenCL score?

A: The AMD FirePro W4190M scores 4505 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 25.8% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M's OpenCL score of 3580.

Q: Does the NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M support more graphics APIs?

A: The recorded data shows the GT 745M has benchmark results in OpenCL, Metal, and Vulkan, while the FirePro W4190M only has an OpenCL result. The GT 745M also lists Vulkan 1.2.175 support, while the FirePro lists Vulkan 1.2.170.

Q: What is the memory configuration of both cards?

A: Both the AMD FirePro W4190M and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M have 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, with memory clocked at 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective) and a bandwidth of 64.00 GB/s.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor count?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M has 1,270 million transistors, compared to the AMD FirePro W4190M's 950 million. The GT 745M also has a larger die at 118 mm² versus 77 mm².

Q: How do the pixel and texture rates compare?

A: The AMD FirePro W4190M has a pixel rate of 7.200 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 21.60 GTexel/s. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M has a pixel rate of 4.392 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 17.57 GTexel/s. The FirePro is ahead in both metrics.

Q: Which GPU has a lower average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M has an average benchmark score of 3953, while the AMD FirePro W4190M averages 4505. The GT 745M sits at the 23rd percentile of all GPUs, slightly below the FirePro's 26th percentile.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct head-to-head benchmark in the database is Geekbench OpenCL, and the result is decisive. The AMD FirePro W4190M scores 4505 against the NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M's 3580, a 25.8% advantage. This is a substantial gap in a compute-oriented workload, and it reflects the FirePro's higher peak floating-point performance.

The FirePro's advantage in OpenCL can be traced to its clock configuration and architecture. It runs at a base clock of 825 MHz with a boost clock of 900 MHz, and its GCN 1.0 architecture delivers 691.2 GFLOPS of FP32 compute. The GT 745M, by contrast, has no recorded base or boost clock in the database, but its Kepler architecture delivers 421.6 GFLOPS of FP32. The FirePro's FP32 throughput is 63.9% higher, which aligns closely with the observed 25.8% OpenCL score advantage when accounting for real-world efficiency differences.

The GT 745M does not have a direct head-to-head comparison in the database, but its three separate API scores tell a more complete story. Its Vulkan result of 5502 is its strongest, while its Metal result of 2777 is its weakest. The difference between its Vulkan and Metal scores is 98.1%, which is an enormous spread and suggests the card's performance is highly dependent on the API in use.

Looking at the nearest rivals, the FirePro's OpenCL score of 4505 places it just 0.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon R7 M260's 4499, and 1.2% behind the Intel HD Graphics P530's 4560. The GT 745M's average score of 3953 sits 0.1% behind the AMD Radeon R5 M420's 3956 and 0.1% behind the NVIDIA GeForce 830M's 3957. Both cards are tightly clustered with their direct competitors, meaning the differences between adjacent parts are within a few percentage points.

The FP32 figures reinforce the OpenCL result. The FirePro's 691.2 GFLOPS is substantially higher than the GT 745M's 421.6 GFLOPS. Similarly, the FirePro's pixel rate of 7.200 GPixel/s exceeds the GT 745M's 4.392 GPixel/s, and its texture rate of 21.60 GTexel/s exceeds the GT 745M's 17.57 GTexel/s. These theoretical rates are consistent with the measured OpenCL performance gap.

Specification Differences

The two cards share several core specifications. Both have 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, with 1000 MHz memory clock (4 Gbps effective) and 64.00 GB/s bandwidth. Both have 384 shading units and support DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.6. Both are manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC.

The differences begin with the chip itself. The FirePro W4190M uses the Opal chip with GCN 1.0 architecture, while the GT 745M uses the GK107 chip with Kepler architecture. The GT 745M has more transistors at 1,270 million versus 950 million, and a larger die at 118 mm² versus 77 mm². The transistor density favors the FirePro at 12.3M per mm², compared to the GT 745M's 10.8M per mm².

Texture mapping units and render output units differ significantly. The GT 745M has 32 TMUs and 16 ROPs, while the FirePro has 24 TMUs and 8 ROPs. Despite having fewer units, the FirePro achieves higher pixel and texture rates due to its higher clocks: 7.200 GPixel/s and 21.60 GTexel/s versus the GT 745M's 4.392 GPixel/s and 17.57 GTexel/s.

Clock behavior is another differentiator. The FirePro has a recorded base clock of 825 MHz and a boost clock of 900 MHz. The GT 745M has no base or boost clock recorded in the database. The FirePro's FP32 performance of 691.2 GFLOPS is also much higher than the GT 745M's 421.6 GFLOPS.

The GT 745M has a recorded TDP of 45 W, while the FirePro has no TDP listed. The FirePro uses an MXM Module slot width with no power connectors, while the GT 745M is listed as an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no power connector information. The bus interface also differs: the FirePro uses PCIe 3.0 x8, while the GT 745M uses PCIe 3.0 x16.

The API support shows minor differences. The FirePro supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170, while the GT 745M supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175. The GT 745M has a slightly newer Vulkan version.

Release dates differ by more than two years. The GT 745M was released on 2013-03-31, while the FirePro W4190M was released on 2015-11-11. The GT 745M's predecessor is the GeForce 600M and its successor is the GeForce 800M. The FirePro's predecessor is the FirePro Mobility and its successor is the Radeon Pro Mobile.

Architecture Differences

The AMD FirePro W4190M is built on GCN 1.0 architecture, AMD's Graphics Core Next design that emphasizes compute throughput and asynchronous task execution. The chip is codenamed Opal and belongs to the FirePro Mobile generation (Wx100M series). GCN 1.0 was designed with a unified shader architecture and a focus on general-purpose GPU compute, which explains the FirePro's strong OpenCL showing.

The NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M is built on Kepler architecture, NVIDIA's design that prioritized power efficiency and introduced significant improvements in geometry processing and dynamic parallelism. The chip is codenamed GK107 and belongs to the GeForce 700M generation. Kepler architecture uses a different scheduling model than GCN, with a focus on efficient instruction dispatch and reduced power consumption.

The transistor budgets reflect these architectural priorities. The GT 745M packs 1,270 million transistors into 118 mm², while the FirePro fits 950 million into 77 mm². The FirePro achieves a higher transistor density of 12.3M per mm² versus 10.8M per mm², indicating a more compact design despite the older GCN 1.0 architecture.

The shading unit counts are identical at 384, but the execution model differs. GCN 1.0 organizes its shaders into compute units with dedicated vector units, while Kepler organizes its 384 CUDA cores into streaming multiprocessors. The FirePro's higher clock speeds (825 MHz base, 900 MHz boost) combined with its architecture yield 691.2 GFLOPS of FP32, while the GT 745M's Kepler design yields 421.6 GFLOPS.

The memory subsystems are architecturally similar: both use 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 64.00 GB/s bandwidth. The memory clock is identical at 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective). This means memory bandwidth is not a differentiator between the two cards.

The FirePro's GCN 1.0 architecture supports DirectX 12 (11_1), while the GT 745M's Kepler supports DirectX 12 (11_0). Vulkan support is close, with the GT 745M listing 1.2.175 and the FirePro listing 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

The power characteristics differ. The GT 745M has a recorded TDP of 45 W and is listed as an IGP, suggesting it is designed for integration into notebooks with modest cooling. The FirePro has no TDP recorded, uses an MXM Module form factor, and requires no power connectors, indicating it is a replaceable mobile workstation module.

The FirePro's GCN architecture was AMD's first major departure from its previous VLIW design, and it was specifically engineered for compute workloads. This explains why the FirePro's OpenCL score of 4505 is so much higher than the GT 745M's 3580. The GT 745M's Kepler architecture, by contrast, was optimized for gaming efficiency and power management, which is reflected in its diverse API support including a strong Vulkan score of 5502.

Both processors are end-of-life products. The GT 745M was released in early 2013 and succeeded by the GeForce 800M. The FirePro W4190M was released in late 2015 and succeeded by the Radeon Pro Mobile. The architectural differences between GCN 1.0 and Kepler represent two distinct approaches to mobile GPU design from that era, with AMD prioritizing compute throughput and NVIDIA emphasizing API versatility and power efficiency.