AMD FirePro W5100 vs AMD Radeon Pro 555X Comparison

The AMD Radeon Pro 555X and the AMD FirePro W5100 are both end-of-life professional graphics cards, but they represent different eras of AMD’s GCN architecture. The Radeon Pro 555X, built on the newer 14 nm process, is a mobile integrated GPU from the 500X series, while the FirePro W5100 is a 28 nm desktop workstation card from the older Wx100 generation. Benchmark results show a split decision: the Radeon Pro 555X wins in OpenCL by 6.2%, while the FirePro W5100 counters with a 6.9% lead in Vulkan. This makes the choice between them dependent on the specific API workload, rather than a clear overall victor.

Where Each One Wins

The Radeon Pro 555X establishes its advantage in OpenCL compute workloads. In the geekbench_opencl test, it scores 12628 against the FirePro W5100’s 11888, a 6.2% margin. This indicates that for general-purpose GPU compute tasks leveraging OpenCL, the newer Polaris 21 chip provides a measurable performance uplift. The Radeon Pro 555X also holds a higher overall average benchmark score of 13321 compared to 12847 for the FirePro W5100, placing it in the 54th percentile of all GPUs versus the FirePro’s 52nd.

The FirePro W5100, conversely, wins decisively in Vulkan graphics workloads. Its geekbench_vulkan score of 13805 outpaces the Radeon Pro 555X’s 12855 by 6.9%. This is a significant margin, suggesting that in Vulkan-based applications—which are increasingly common in modern game engines and compute frameworks—the older Bonaire chip is the stronger performer. The FirePro’s higher pixel rate of 14.88 GPixel/s and texture rate of 44.64 GTexel/s, compared to the Radeon Pro 555X’s 14.51 GPixel/s and 43.54 GTexel/s, support this graphics-oriented edge.

The split is perfectly even at one benchmark win each. The Radeon Pro 555X is better suited for OpenCL compute tasks, while the FirePro W5100 is preferable for Vulkan-centric workloads. For users prioritizing a single API, the choice is clear based on that API. For mixed workloads, the 6-7% margins in either direction are modest, meaning the decision may hinge on other factors like form factor or power requirements.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 555X has a higher average benchmark score of 13321, compared to the AMD FirePro W5100’s 12847. This places the Radeon Pro 555X in the 54th percentile of all GPUs, while the FirePro W5100 sits in the 52nd.

Q: How do the two cards compare in OpenCL performance?

A: The Radeon Pro 555X leads in OpenCL, scoring 12628 versus the FirePro W5100’s 11888. This represents a 6.2% advantage for the Radeon Pro 555X in that specific benchmark.

Q: What is the Vulkan performance difference?

A: The FirePro W5100 is the winner in Vulkan, achieving a score of 13805 against the Radeon Pro 555X’s 12855. The FirePro W5100 leads by 6.9% in this test.

Q: Are the memory specifications identical?

A: Both cards feature 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus. The Radeon Pro 555X has a memory clock of 1470 MHz (5.9 Gbps effective) and bandwidth of 94.08 GB/s, while the FirePro W5100 has a 1500 MHz clock (6 Gbps effective) and bandwidth of 96.00 GB/s.

Q: Which card has a lower power draw?

A: The FirePro W5100 has a lower TDP of 50 W, compared to the Radeon Pro 555X’s 75 W. The FirePro W5100 also has a suggested PSU rating of 250 W, while the Radeon Pro 555X has no suggested PSU listed.

Q: What are the physical form factor differences?

A: The Radeon Pro 555X is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no power connectors, typical of a laptop or mobile solution. The FirePro W5100 is a single-slot desktop card measuring 173 mm in length and 111 mm in height, with four DisplayPort 1.2 outputs.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data provides exactly two comparison points, one for each card. The first is geekbench_opencl, where the Radeon Pro 555X scores 12628 and the FirePro W5100 scores 11888. The Radeon Pro 555X wins this round by a 6.2% margin. This is a meaningful difference in raw compute throughput, likely stemming from the architectural improvements in GCN 4.0 over GCN 2.0, even though both cards share the same core counts.

The second benchmark is geekbench_vulkan, where the FirePro W5100 reverses the outcome. It scores 13805 against the Radeon Pro 555X’s 12855, a 6.9% lead for the FirePro W5100. This is slightly larger than the Radeon Pro 555X’s OpenCL win, making the Vulkan result the bigger performance swing in this pairing. What is striking is that the FirePro W5100 achieves this despite being built on an older 28 nm process and having a lower average benchmark score overall.

When placed in context with their nearest rivals, both cards sit in a crowded mid-range field. The Radeon Pro 555X’s average score of 13321 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 (13300, +0.2%) and the AMD FirePro M6100 (13354, -0.2%). The FirePro W5100’s 12847 average is similarly close to the AMD Radeon Pro 455 (12831, +0.1%) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 (12830, +0.1%). These deltaPct values show that neither card has a significant edge over its nearest competitors—the differences are within a fraction of a percent, reinforcing that these are comparable mid-tier parts.

The benchmark wins are split exactly one to one, with no dominant performer. The Radeon Pro 555X takes the compute-oriented OpenCL test, while the FirePro W5100 takes the graphics-oriented Vulkan test. For users who know their primary API, the benchmark scores offer a direct answer; for those who do not, the overall averages slightly favor the Radeon Pro 555X.

Specification Differences

The two cards diverge on nearly every physical and electrical specification, despite sharing the same core configuration. The Radeon Pro 555X uses a 14 nm process from GlobalFoundries, while the FirePro W5100 uses a 28 nm process from TSMC. This process advantage allows the Radeon Pro 555X to pack 3,000 million transistors into a 123 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 24.4M per mm². The FirePro W5100 has fewer transistors at 2,080 million, on a larger 160 mm² die, for a much lower density of 13.0M per mm².

Power consumption differs substantially. The Radeon Pro 555X has a TDP of 75 W, while the FirePro W5100 draws only 50 W. The FirePro W5100 also lists a suggested PSU of 250 W, which the Radeon Pro 555X does not have. The form factor is another major split: the Radeon Pro 555X is an IGP with no power connectors and portable device dependent display outputs, while the FirePro W5100 is a single-slot card with no power connectors and four DisplayPort 1.2 outputs. The FirePro W5100 has defined physical dimensions of 173 mm by 111 mm, whereas the Radeon Pro 555X has none listed.

Memory clocks are close but not identical: the Radeon Pro 555X runs at 1470 MHz (5.9 Gbps effective) with 94.08 GB/s bandwidth, while the FirePro W5100 runs at 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective) with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth. Both use 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus. The bus interface also differs: the Radeon Pro 555X uses PCIe 3.0 x8, while the FirePro W5100 uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Finally, the API support for Vulkan differs slightly, with the Radeon Pro 555X supporting Vulkan 1.3 and the FirePro W5100 supporting Vulkan 1.2.170.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two cards is significant, representing two generations of GCN. The Radeon Pro 555X is built on GCN 4.0 with the Polaris 21 chip, while the FirePro W5100 uses GCN 2.0 with the Bonaire chip. The Radeon Pro 555X belongs to the "Radeon Pro Mac (500X Series)" generation, whereas the FirePro W5100 is from the "FirePro GCN (Wx100)" generation. This generational leap explains the process node improvement from 28 nm to 14 nm, as well as the transistor density increase.

Both cards share identical compute resources: 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 16 raster operations units. They also match in raw throughput metrics—the Radeon Pro 555X delivers 1,393.2 GFLOPS FP32, while the FirePro W5100 delivers 1,428.5 GFLOPS. The FirePro W5100 actually has a slightly higher pixel rate (14.88 GPixel/s vs 14.51 GPixel/s) and texture rate (44.64 GTexel/s vs 43.54 GTexel/s). The Radeon Pro 555X supports FP16 at a 1:1 ratio (1,393.2 GFLOPS), while the FirePro W5100 has no listed FP16 capability.

The release dates are far apart: the FirePro W5100 launched on 2014-03-30, while the Radeon Pro 555X launched on 2018-07-15. The FirePro W5100’s predecessor is listed as "FirePro Terascale," and its successor is "Radeon Pro Polaris," which aligns with the Radeon Pro 555X’s architecture. The Radeon Pro 555X has no predecessor or successor listed. DirectX and OpenGL support are identical (12_0 and 4.6 respectively), but the Vulkan version differs, with the newer card supporting 1.3 versus the older card’s 1.2.170. These architectural differences explain the benchmark split: the newer GCN 4.0 excels in OpenCL, while the older GCN 2.0 holds its own in Vulkan.