AMD FirePro W5100 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Comparison

The AMD FirePro W5100 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 are separated by two GPU generations, two process nodes, and a chasm in raw compute capability. In the only two directly comparable benchmark tests available, the GTX 1080 wins both decisively, scoring 4.3x higher in Geekbench OpenCL and 2.2x higher in Geekbench Vulkan. The W5100, however, is not without purpose: it is a professional workstation card with a 50 W power draw and a single-slot design, positioning it for dense, low-power compute environments rather than high-end rendering. The data indicates these are not direct competitors but rather solutions for different workloads, with the GTX 1080 dominating in absolute performance and the W5100 offering efficiency and form-factor advantages that the benchmark scores do not capture.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data gives the GTX 1080 a clean sweep in raw performance contests. In Geekbench OpenCL, the GTX 1080 scores 51,204 against the W5100’s 11,888, a delta of -76.8% for the AMD card. The Vulkan gap is similarly lopsided: 30,398 for NVIDIA versus 13,805 for AMD, a -54.6% difference. These are not marginal wins; they represent a multi-generational leap in compute throughput that no architectural tweak on the older card could close.

Yet the W5100 wins where specifications matter more than benchmark scores. Its 50 W TDP is 130 W lower than the GTX 1080’s 180 W, and it requires no external power connectors, drawing everything from the PCIe slot. The suggested PSU is 250 W versus 450 W for the GTX 1080. The W5100 is also a single-slot card at 173 mm length, compared to the GTX 1080’s dual-slot, 267 mm footprint. For multi-GPU workstations or SFF builds where power and space are constrained, the W5100 is the only viable option. It also offers four DisplayPort 1.2 outputs, while the GTX 1080 provides a mix of DVI, HDMI 2.0, and three DisplayPort 1.4a connectors — the AMD card is built for multi-monitor professional setups.

The GTX 1080 counteracts with architectural maturity. Its 16 nm process and 7,200 million transistors deliver 8.873 TFLOPS FP32 performance, a figure 6.2x higher than the W5100’s 1,428.5 GFLOPS. Memory bandwidth tells the same story: 320.3 GB/s versus 96.00 GB/s. Every compute-heavy metric favors NVIDIA. The GTX 1080 also supports DirectX 12_1 and Vulkan 1.4, while the W5100 tops out at DirectX 12_0 and Vulkan 1.2.170. For modern gaming or GPU-accelerated workloads, the GTX 1080 is the clear winner; for low-power professional compute, the W5100’s efficiency is its victory.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The W5100 is built on AMD’s GCN 2.0 architecture using the Bonaire chip, fabricated on TSMC’s 28 nm process. It packs 2,080 million transistors into a 160 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 13.0 million per mm². The GTX 1080 uses NVIDIA’s Pascal architecture with the GP104 chip, produced on TSMC’s 16 nm process. It contains 7,200 million transistors across a 314 mm² die, achieving 22.9 million transistors per mm² — a 76% higher density that reflects the newer manufacturing node.

Core configurations diverge sharply. The W5100 has 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The GTX 1080 more than triples that count with 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. Pixel rate jumps from 14.88 GPixel/s on the AMD card to 110.9 GPixel/s on NVIDIA, and texture rate from 44.64 GTexel/s to 277.3 GTexel/s. The GTX 1080’s FP32 throughput of 8.873 TFLOPS dwarfs the W5100’s 1,428.5 GFLOPS by a factor of 6.2x.

Memory subsystems are equally divergent. The W5100 uses 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 96.00 GB/s bandwidth at 6 Gbps effective. The GTX 1080 ships with 8 GB of GDDR5X on a 256-bit bus, achieving 320.3 GB/s at 10 Gbps effective. The NVIDIA card has twice the capacity and 3.3x the bandwidth. Clock behavior also differs: the W5100 lists no base or boost clocks in the data, only a 1500 MHz memory clock, while the GTX 1080 specifies a 1607 MHz base and 1733 MHz boost. The GTX 1080 also supports FP16 at 138.6 GFLOPS (1:64 ratio), a feature absent from the W5100’s specifications.

API support marks another generational gap. Both cards support OpenGL 4.6, but the GTX 1080 adds DirectX 12_1 over the W5100’s 12_0 and Vulkan 1.4 over 1.2.170. The GTX 1080’s display outputs include HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.4a, whereas the W5100 offers only four DisplayPort 1.2 connections. Power delivery reflects the performance difference: the W5100 sips 50 W with no auxiliary connectors, while the GTX 1080 requires 180 W and a single 8-pin connector.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two available head-to-head tests tell a consistent story of NVIDIA dominance. In Geekbench OpenCL, the GTX 1080 scores 51,204 against the W5100’s 11,888. The deltaPct of -76.8% means the AMD card delivers less than a quarter of the NVIDIA card’s compute throughput in this workload. OpenCL is often used for general-purpose GPU compute, and the 4.3x advantage reflects the GTX 1080’s superior core count, memory bandwidth, and process node.

Geekbench Vulkan shows a slightly narrower but still massive gap. The GTX 1080 scores 30,398, while the W5100 manages 13,805 — a 2.2x difference and a -54.6% deltaPct. Vulkan is a lower-level API that can favor efficient architectures, yet the W5100’s GCN 2.0 design from 2014 cannot overcome the Pascal generation’s advantage. Even in a workload that should theoretically narrow the gap, the GTX 1080 wins by a wide margin.

Context from the rivals list reinforces the W5100’s position. The AMD card’s average benchmark score of 12,847 places it within 0.1% of the Radeon Pro 455 and GTX 590, and 0.2% ahead of the Radeon 740M. The GTX 1080’s average of 11,960, by contrast, sits 1% above the RX 6500 XT and 2.9% above the RX 7800 XT, though it trails the GTX 960A by 0.3%. These are different performance tiers entirely. The W5100 competes with mid-range mobile and older desktop parts; the GTX 1080 rivals modern mid-range and upper-mid-range GPUs despite being end-of-life.

The Verdict

The data supports a clear split: the GTX 1080 is the superior compute product, and the W5100 is the superior efficiency product. Anyone needing raw performance — gaming, 3D rendering, machine learning inference, or high-resolution video work — should choose the GTX 1080. Its 4.3x OpenCL lead and 2.2x Vulkan lead leave no room for debate on performance grounds. The 8 GB GDDR5X memory and 320.3 GB/s bandwidth handle large datasets that would choke the W5100’s 4 GB GDDR5 and 96.00 GB/s.

The W5100, however, is for systems where power and space are the primary constraints. Its 50 W TDP, no external power connectors, and single-slot 173 mm design make it ideal for dense compute racks or compact workstations. The four DisplayPort outputs support multi-monitor professional setups natively. Its 52nd percentile ranking versus the GTX 1080’s 51st percentile shows that average benchmark scores do not fully capture the W5100’s utility — the AMD card actually edges NVIDIA by 0.7 percentage points in percentile ranking despite losing every head-to-head test, likely due to the different benchmark suites used for each card.

Pick the GTX 1080 for performance-critical tasks. Pick the W5100 for power-sensitive, space-constrained professional deployments. The 2014 release date of the W5100 versus the 2016 release of the GTX 1080 explains most of the gap, but the architectural differences — 28 nm versus 16 nm, GCN 2.0 versus Pascal — ensure the gap persists across every workload category.

FAQ

Q: Which card performs better in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 scores 51,204 versus the AMD FirePro W5100’s 11,888, a -76.8% deltaPct that gives NVIDIA a 4.3x advantage.

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

A: The GTX 1080 scores 30,398 in Geekbench Vulkan, while the W5100 scores 13,805. NVIDIA wins by 2.2x, with a -54.6% deltaPct for the AMD card.

Q: What are the power consumption differences?

A: The W5100 has a 50 W TDP and requires no external power connectors, with a 250 W suggested PSU. The GTX 1080 has a 180 W TDP, needs one 8-pin connector, and requires a 450 W suggested PSU.

Q: Which card has more memory and bandwidth?

A: The GTX 1080 offers 8 GB of GDDR5X with 320.3 GB/s bandwidth on a 256-bit bus. The W5100 has 4 GB of GDDR5 with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth on a 128-bit bus.

Q: How do their form factors differ?

A: The W5100 is a single-slot card measuring 173 mm in length and 111 mm in height. The GTX 1080 is dual-slot, measuring 267 mm in length, 112 mm in height, and 40 mm in width.

Q: What API levels does each card support?

A: Both support OpenGL 4.6. The GTX 1080 supports DirectX 12_1 and Vulkan 1.4, while the W5100 supports DirectX 12_0 and Vulkan 1.2.170.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD FirePro W5100 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 |

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

| Architecture | GCN 2.0 | Pascal |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 16 nm |

| Transistors | 2,080 million | 7,200 million |

| Die Size | 160 mm² | 314 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 13.0M / mm² | 22.9M / mm² |

| Base Clock | — | 1607 MHz |

| Boost Clock | — | 1733 MHz |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 8 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5X |

| Memory Bus | 128 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 96.00 GB/s | 320.3 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 768 | 2560 |

| TMUs | 48 | 160 |

| ROPs | 16 | 64 |

| Pixel Rate | 14.88 GPixel/s | 110.9 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 44.64 GTexel/s | 277.3 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 1,428.5 GFLOPS | 8.873 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | — | 138.6 GFLOPS (1:64) |

| TDP | 50 W | 180 W |

| Slot Width | Single-slot | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | None | 1x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 250 W | 450 W |

| Display Outputs | 4x DisplayPort 1.2 | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| DirectX Support | 12 (12_0) | 12 (12_1) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.2.170 | 1.4 |

| Release Date | 2014-03-30 | 2016-05-26 |

| Launch MSRP | — | 599 USD |