AMD FirePro W4300 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the only head-to-head benchmark available?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 12630, compared to the AMD FirePro W4300’s 11225. That is an 11.1% advantage for the NVIDIA part.

Q: How do the two cards rank against all other GPUs?

A: The AMD FirePro W4300 sits at the 50th percentile, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M is at the 48th percentile. Despite the lower percentile, the GTX 870M has a higher raw Geekbench OpenCL score.

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

A: The AMD FirePro W4300 has an average benchmark score of 11225, based solely on its OpenCL result. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M averages 9959, which pulls down its higher OpenCL score because it also has a Geekbench Metal score of 7288.

Q: Who are the closest rivals to the AMD FirePro W4300?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 is essentially tied with a score of 11228 and a deltaPct of 0. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M scores 11261, a 0.3% advantage. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q and RTX PRO 6000D Blackwell Max-Q each score 11088, putting them 1.2% behind.

Q: Who are the closest rivals to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 5300M scores 10013, a 0.5% edge for the GTX 870M. The NVIDIA Quadro K5100M scores 10043, a 0.8% edge. The AMD Radeon R9 M375 scores 10070, a 1.1% edge. The NVIDIA Quadro 6000 trails at 9846, putting it 1.1% behind.

Q: Which card has the higher memory bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M has a 192-bit memory bus and 120.0 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD FirePro W4300 has a 128-bit bus and 96.00 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA part also has a larger total memory capacity at 3 GB versus 4 GB, though the AMD card has more VRAM.

Architecture Differences

The AMD FirePro W4300 is built on GCN 2.0 architecture using the Bonaire chip, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 2,080 million transistors into a 160 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 13.0M per mm². The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M uses the Kepler architecture with the GK104 chip, also on TSMC’s 28 nm node. However, it houses 3,540 million transistors across a larger 294 mm² die, giving a lower density of 12.0M per mm².

The compute configurations diverge sharply. The FirePro W4300 has 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The GTX 870M more than doubles the shading unit count to 1344, with 112 TMUs and 24 ROPs. This structural difference explains the NVIDIA part’s higher pixel rate of 27.08 GPixel/s versus 14.88 GPixel/s, and its texture rate of 108.3 GTexel/s versus 44.64 GTexel/s.

Clock behavior also differs. The GTX 870M has explicit base and boost clocks of 941 MHz and 967 MHz, respectively. The FirePro W4300 lists no base or boost clock in the data, only a memory clock of 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective). The NVIDIA memory runs at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective). This means the AMD card relies on a higher memory transfer rate per pin, but the NVIDIA card compensates with a wider bus.

Both GPUs support DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.6, but their Vulkan versions differ: the FirePro W4300 supports Vulkan 1.2.170, while the GTX 870M supports Vulkan 1.2.175. The FirePro W4300 is a single-slot card with four mini-DisplayPort 1.2 outputs, whereas the GTX 870M is an MXM Module with display outputs described as portable device dependent. The AMD card has no power connectors and a 50 W TDP, while the NVIDIA card also lacks power connectors but runs at 100 W TDP.

The Verdict

The data paints a clear picture for raw compute: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M is faster in OpenCL. Its 12630 score beats the FirePro W4300’s 11225 by 11.1% in the only direct head-to-head test. That is a decisive margin for a single benchmark.

However, the AMD FirePro W4300 has a higher percentile ranking at 50 versus 48. It also carries 4 GB of VRAM compared to 3 GB on the NVIDIA part, which matters for memory-heavy workloads. The AMD card’s average benchmark score of 11225 is also higher than the GTX 870M’s 9959 average, because the NVIDIA card’s Metal score of 7288 drags its average down.

Who should pick which? The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M is the choice for users prioritizing peak OpenCL throughput. Its 1344 shading units and 120.0 GB/s bandwidth deliver tangible performance in compute-bound tasks. The AMD FirePro W4300 is better suited for those who need more VRAM and a lower power envelope at 50 W versus 100 W. The AMD card also offers a more conventional desktop form factor with four display outputs, whereas the GTX 870M is an MXM module tied to portable devices.

Professionals running OpenCL-heavy applications should side with NVIDIA based on the benchmark delta. Users who value memory capacity and multi-display setups should lean AMD. The percentile rankings are close, so the decision hinges on workload specifics rather than overall tier.

Specification Differences

| Field | AMD FirePro W4300 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M |

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

| Chip | Bonaire | GK104 |

| Architecture | GCN 2.0 | Kepler |

| Generation | FirePro GCN (Wx300) | GeForce 800M |

| Transistors | 2,080 million | 3,540 million |

| Die Size | 160 mm² | 294 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 13.0M / mm² | 12.0M / mm² |

| Base Clock | — | 941 MHz |

| Boost Clock | — | 967 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective) | 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 3 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 96.00 GB/s | 120.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 768 | 1344 |

| TMUs | 48 | 112 |

| ROPs | 16 | 24 |

| Pixel Rate | 14.88 GPixel/s | 27.08 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 44.64 GTexel/s | 108.3 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 1,428.5 GFLOPS | 2.599 TFLOPS |

| TDP | 50 W | 100 W |

| Slot Width | Single-slot | MXM Module |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | MXM-B (3.0) |

| Display Outputs | 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 | Portable Device Dependent |

| Vulkan | 1.2.170 | 1.2.175 |

| Release Date | 2015-11-30 | 2014-03-11 |

| Predecessor | FirePro Terascale | GeForce 700M |

| Successor | Radeon Pro GCN | GeForce 900M |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sole direct comparison is Geekbench OpenCL. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M posts 12630, while the AMD FirePro W4300 manages 11225. That is an 11.1% deficit for the AMD card. This result stacks with the architectural disparity: the GTX 870M’s 1344 shading units and 112 TMUs give it a structural advantage in parallel compute that the FirePro W4300’s 768 shading units and 48 TMUs cannot overcome.

Breaking down the numbers, the NVIDIA part delivers 2.599 TFLOPS of FP32 performance versus 1,428.5 GFLOPS for the AMD card. That is roughly an 82% theoretical advantage in raw floating-point throughput. The GTX 870M also doubles the pixel rate (27.08 GPixel/s versus 14.88 GPixel/s) and more than doubles the texture rate (108.3 GTexel/s versus 44.64 GTexel/s). These metrics align perfectly with the OpenCL score gap.

Memory bandwidth tells a similar story. The GTX 870M’s 192-bit bus delivers 120.0 GB/s, which is 25% higher than the FirePro W4300’s 96.00 GB/s over a 128-bit bus. Even though the AMD memory clock runs faster at 6 Gbps effective versus 5 Gbps effective, the wider NVIDIA bus wins outright. This bandwidth advantage helps explain why the GTX 870M sustains higher throughput in memory-intensive OpenCL workloads.

The AMD card does hold one notable win: 4 GB of VRAM versus 3 GB. That extra gigabyte can be critical for large datasets that exceed the NVIDIA card’s capacity. The FirePro W4300 also draws half the power at 50 W versus 100 W, which is a significant efficiency advantage in thermally constrained systems.

Context from the nearest rivals reinforces the picture. The GTX 870M’s OpenCL score of 12630 places it ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 5300M (10013), the NVIDIA Quadro K5100M (10043), and the AMD Radeon R9 M375 (10070). The FirePro W4300’s 11225 sits just behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M (11261) and the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 (11228), while edging out the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q variants (11088 each). Neither card dominates its peer group, but the GTX 870M’s head-to-head win is unambiguous.