AMD FirePro W4190M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 and the AMD FirePro W4190M are both end-of-life mobile graphics solutions, but the benchmark data shows a clear, if modest, performance hierarchy. In the sole head-to-head benchmark available (Geekbench OpenCL), the GTS 450 emerges victorious, scoring 4893 against the FirePro’s 4505. This 8.6% lead is decisive in a direct comparison, yet both cards occupy a similar, low-performance tier in the broader GPU landscape, sitting at the 28th and 26th percentiles respectively.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison between these two GPUs is the Geekbench OpenCL test, where the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 wins with a score of 4893. The AMD FirePro W4190M trails with 4505, resulting in a delta of 8.6% in NVIDIA’s favor. This is a significant margin for a single-generation comparison, indicating that despite its older release date, the GTS 450 delivers superior raw compute throughput in this specific workload.

Contextualizing these scores against their nearest rivals clarifies their standing. The GTS 450’s 4893 score places it in a tight cluster: it is a mere 0.2% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB (4901) and the AMD FirePro W5130M (4904), and just 0.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon R6 M255DX (4867). This proximity suggests that in OpenCL tasks, the GTS 450 performs essentially on par with much newer or differently positioned hardware, making its 8.6% lead over the W4190M all the more notable.

The FirePro W4190M’s 4505 score also sits within a dense pack of rivals, but at a lower level. It is 0.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon R7 M260 (4499), yet 1.2% behind the Intel HD Graphics P530 (4560) and 1.4% behind the AMD Radeon RX 560 (4569). The data shows that the W4190M is not merely slower than the GTS 450; it is also outclassed by several integrated and entry-level discrete solutions that are its direct contemporaries. The performance gap is consistent across the board, reinforcing the GTS 450’s advantage as a general trend rather than a single benchmark anomaly.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is stark, reflecting their different design goals and eras. The GTS 450 is built on NVIDIA’s Fermi architecture using a 40 nm process node from TSMC, featuring 1,170 million transistors on a 238 mm² die. In contrast, the FirePro W4190M uses AMD’s GCN 1.0 architecture on a more advanced 28 nm process, also from TSMC, but packs fewer transistors—950 million—onto a much smaller 77 mm² die. This results in a dramatically higher transistor density for the AMD part: 12.3M per mm² versus 4.9M per mm² for the NVIDIA GPU.

Core configuration further separates them. The GTS 450 deploys 192 shading units, 32 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 16 raster operation units (ROPs). The FirePro W4190M offers a different balance: 384 shading units (double the GTS 450), but only 24 TMUs and 8 ROPs (fewer than the NVIDIA part). This explains their respective theoretical throughputs. The GTS 450 achieves a pixel rate of 6.264 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 25.06 GTexel/s, while the W4190M counters with a higher pixel rate of 7.200 GPixel/s but a lower texture rate of 21.60 GTexel/s. In raw FP32 compute, the W4190M leads with 691.2 GFLOPS versus 601.3 GFLOPS, yet it still loses the OpenCL benchmark—suggesting that architecture efficiency and driver optimization play a larger role than raw theoretical numbers.

Memory configurations differ in capacity but not bus width. Both use GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, but the GTS 450 has 1024 MB with a bandwidth of 57.73 GB/s, while the FirePro W4190M offers 2 GB and a slightly higher bandwidth of 64.00 GB/s. Clock speeds also vary: the GTS 450 runs its memory at 902 MHz (3.6 Gbps effective), whereas the W4190M has a base clock of 825 MHz, a boost clock of 900 MHz, and memory at 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective). The feature sets reflect their respective lineages: the GTS 450 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6 but lacks Vulkan, while the W4190M supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170.

FAQ

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

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 scores 4893, which is 8.6% higher than the AMD FirePro W4190M’s 4505, making it the outright winner in this test.

Q: Does the AMD FirePro W4190M have more shading units than the GTS 450?

A: Yes, the FirePro W4190M has 384 shading units, exactly double the 192 found on the GTS 450, yet this does not translate into a benchmark victory.

Q: What is the process node difference between these two GPUs?

A: The GTS 450 uses a 40 nm process, while the FirePro W4190M uses a more advanced 28 nm process, both manufactured by TSMC.

Q: Which GPU supports Vulkan?

A: Only the AMD FirePro W4190M supports Vulkan (version 1.2.170); the NVIDIA GTS 450 has no Vulkan support listed, though both support DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.6.

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

A: The GTS 450 is 0.2% behind the RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB and 0.5% ahead of the Radeon R6 M255DX. The W4190M is 1.2% behind the Intel HD Graphics P530 and 1.6% behind the Radeon R5 M230.

Q: What are the memory capacities of each card?

A: The GTS 450 has 1024 MB of GDDR5, while the FirePro W4190M has 2 GB of GDDR5, both on a 128-bit bus.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 | AMD FirePro W4190M |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | Fermi | GCN 1.0 |

| Process Node | 40 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 1,170 million | 950 million |

| Die Size | 238 mm² | 77 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 4.9M / mm² | 12.3M / mm² |

| Base Clock | null | 825 MHz |

| Boost Clock | null | 900 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 902 MHz (3.6 Gbps effective) | 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 1024 MB | 2 GB |

| Memory Bandwidth | 57.73 GB/s | 64.00 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 192 | 384 |

| TMUs | 32 | 24 |

| ROPs | 16 | 8 |

| Pixel Rate | 6.264 GPixel/s | 7.200 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 25.06 GTexel/s | 21.60 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 601.3 GFLOPS | 691.2 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 106 W | null |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | MXM Module |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 300 W | null |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 2.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x8 |

| Display Outputs | 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a | Portable Device Dependent |

| Vulkan | null | 1.2.170 |

| DirectX | 12 (11_0) | 12 (11_1) |

| Release Date | 2010-09-12 | 2015-11-11 |

| Launch MSRP | 129 USD | null |

The Verdict

The benchmark data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 is the superior performer in this comparison. With an 8.6% higher OpenCL score (4893 vs 4505), it wins the only head-to-head test available. The GTS 450 also holds a higher percentile ranking (28th vs 26th), placing it above a greater proportion of all GPUs. While the AMD FirePro W4190M offers a newer architecture, more shading units, and double the memory, these advantages do not translate into a benchmark win. For raw compute performance as measured by Geekbench OpenCL, the GTS 450 is the clear choice.

However, the verdict is not without nuance. The GTS 450’s victory comes with caveats: it has a higher TDP (106 W), a dual-slot form factor, and requires a 6-pin power connector, whereas the FirePro W4190M is a power-efficient MXM module with no external power connectors. The W4190M also supports Vulkan and a newer DirectX feature level (11_1 vs 11_0). For a system builder prioritizing raw performance in a benchmark that stresses compute, the GTS 450 wins decisively. For a mobile deployment where power draw, physical size, and modern API support are critical, the W4190M’s feature set may be more appealing, though its performance is measurably lower.

Where Each One Wins

NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450: This GPU wins in the specific domain of OpenCL compute performance, as evidenced by its 4893 score. It also leads in texture throughput (25.06 GTexel/s vs 21.60 GTexel/s) and has a higher ROP count (16 vs 8), which can benefit certain rasterization-dependent tasks. Its 28th percentile ranking versus the W4190M’s 26th further supports its overall standing. For users whose primary metric is the Geekbench OpenCL score, the GTS 450 is the definitive winner.

AMD FirePro W4190M: The data indicates this card wins in several non-performance categories. It has a larger memory pool (2 GB vs 1024 MB) and higher memory bandwidth (64.00 GB/s vs 57.73 GB/s). Its pixel rate is also higher (7.200 GPixel/s vs 6.264 GPixel/s). The W4190M’s 28 nm process node and smaller die (77 mm² vs 238 mm²) suggest better power efficiency, and its MXM form factor with no power connectors makes it suitable for compact, low-power systems. It also offers Vulkan support and a slightly newer DirectX version, making it the more feature-complete option for modern software environments.