AMD FirePro W5100 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Comparison

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 is in a different performance class entirely, decisively outperforming the AMD FirePro W5100 in every benchmark recorded. While the FirePro W5100 holds its own against its immediate peers, it is thoroughly outclassed by the newer, larger Turing-based GPU.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark results paint a stark picture of generational and architectural superiority. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 scores 47,850, which is a massive 302% higher than the AMD FirePro W5100's score of 11,888. The delta percentage of -75.2% listed in the head-to-head data confirms this from the FirePro's perspective, indicating it trails the GTX 1660 by over three-quarters of its rival's score. This is not a marginal victory; it is a landslide.

The Vulkan results tell a similar story, though with a slightly narrower gap. The GTX 1660 achieves a score of 50,137, while the FirePro W5100 manages 13,805. This represents a 263% advantage for the NVIDIA card, with the data showing a -72.5% delta for the AMD part. While the relative performance gap is slightly smaller in Vulkan than in OpenCL, the absolute difference in scores is even larger, demonstrating the GTX 1660's superior raw compute capabilities in both API environments.

It is notably the FirePro W5100's own average benchmark score of 12,847 places it in the 52nd percentile of all GPUs, which is respectable for a professional card from its era. However, the GTX 1660's average score of 11,680 is misleadingly lower than its individual Geekbench results, likely due to the inclusion of other, less demanding tests in its average. In the two direct head-to-head comparisons available, the GTX 1660 wins both without exception. The data shows zero wins for the AMD FirePro W5100 and two for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660.

Where Each One Wins

There is no benchmark category where the AMD FirePro W5100 emerges victorious over the GTX 1660. The NVIDIA card wins exclusively in all comparative tests. However, interpreting "winning" requires context from the nearest rivals data. The FirePro W5100 is not a slow card in a vacuum; its average score of 12,847 is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon Pro 455 (12,831), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 (12,830), and the AMD Radeon 740M (12,870). Its performance delta against these rivals is a mere 0.1% or -0.2%, indicating it is perfectly competitive within its own performance tier.

The GTX 1660, conversely, sits in a different league. Its average score of 11,680 is competitive with much newer and more powerful cards like the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT (11,627) and the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT (11,842). The deltas here are similarly tight, ranging from -1.4% to +1.8% against these far more modern parts. This reveals that while the FirePro W5100 is a peer to 2012-2016 era graphics cards, the GTX 1660 is trading blows with high-end cards from 2021-2023. In terms of use cases, the FirePro W5100's wins are not against the GTX 1660 but against its own contemporaries; it is the best choice for a legacy professional workstation that requires four DisplayPort outputs and a single-slot form factor. The GTX 1660 is the clear winner for any task requiring maximum compute throughput, modern API support, or higher memory bandwidth.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are separated by five years of architectural evolution, which explains the performance chasm. The AMD FirePro W5100 is built on the GCN 2.0 architecture using a 28 nm process at TSMC, a node that was state-of-the-art in 2014. Its chip, codenamed Bonaire, contains 2,080 million transistors on a 160 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 13.0M / mm². In contrast, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 is based on the Turing architecture, fabricated on a significantly more advanced 12 nm process, also at TSMC. The TU116 chip packs 6,600 million transistors onto a 284 mm² die, achieving a density of 23.2M / mm². This is over three times the transistor count and nearly double the density of the AMD chip.

The compute resources differ massively. The FirePro W5100 has 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 16 raster output pipelines (ROPs). The GTX 1660 has 1,408 shading units, 88 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. This fundamental hardware advantage is reflected in the fill rates: the GTX 1660's pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s is over 5.7 times the FirePro's 14.88 GPixel/s, and its texture rate of 157.1 GTexel/s is nearly 3.5 times higher than the 44.64 GTexel/s of the AMD card. The FP32 compute performance tells the most dramatic story, with the GTX 1660 delivering 5.027 TFLOPS compared to the FirePro's 1,428.5 GFLOPS.

Memory architecture also heavily favors the NVIDIA card. The FirePro W5100 uses 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, providing 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 1660 uses 6 GB of GDDR5 on a wider 192-bit bus, delivering 192.1 GB/s — exactly double the bandwidth. The GTX 1660 also supports a newer DirectX feature level (12_1 vs 12_0) and a more recent Vulkan version (1.4 vs 1.2.170). While the FirePro W5100 offers four DisplayPort 1.2 outputs for multi-monitor professional setups, the GTX 1660 offers one DVI, one HDMI 2.0, and one DisplayPort 1.4a output.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD FirePro W5100 has a higher average benchmark score of 12,847 compared to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660's 11,680. However, this average is skewed because the GTX 1660's dataset includes many more tests, including lower DirectX scores, while the two direct head-to-head Geekbench tests show the GTX 1660 winning by a wide margin.

Q: What is the performance delta in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 scores 47,850, which is 75.2% higher than the AMD FirePro W5100's score of 11,888. The delta percentage is listed as -75.2% from the FirePro's perspective.

Q: How does the memory bandwidth compare between the two cards?

A: The GTX 1660 has double the memory bandwidth of the FirePro W5100. The NVIDIA card delivers 192.1 GB/s over a 192-bit bus, while the AMD card provides 96.00 GB/s over a 128-bit bus.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 has a significantly higher transistor density at 23.2M / mm², compared to the AMD FirePro W5100's 13.0M / mm². This is due to the GTX 1660's more advanced 12 nm process versus the FirePro's 28 nm node.

Q: Does the FirePro W5100 support more display outputs?

A: Yes, the AMD FirePro W5100 supports four DisplayPort 1.2 outputs, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 has one DVI, one HDMI 2.0, and one DisplayPort 1.4a output. The FirePro's configuration is designed for multi-monitor professional workstations.

Q: What are the TDP and power connector requirements?

A: The AMD FirePro W5100 has a TDP of 50 W and requires no power connectors, with a suggested PSU of 250 W. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 has a TDP of 120 W, requires a single 8-pin power connector, and has a suggested PSU of 300 W.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD FirePro W5100 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 |

|:--- |:--- |:--- |

| Architecture | GCN 2.0 | Turing |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 12 nm |

| Transistors | 2,080 million | 6,600 million |

| Die Size | 160 mm² | 284 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 13.0M / mm² | 23.2M / mm² |

| Base Clock | N/A | 1530 MHz |

| Boost Clock | N/A | 1785 MHz |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 6 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 96.00 GB/s | 192.1 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 768 | 1408 |

| TMUs | 48 | 88 |

| ROPs | 16 | 48 |

| Pixel Rate | 14.88 GPixel/s | 85.68 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 44.64 GTexel/s | 157.1 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 1,428.5 GFLOPS | 5.027 TFLOPS |

| TDP | 50 W | 120 W |

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

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

| Suggested PSU | 250 W | 300 W |

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

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

| Vulkan Support | 1.2.170 | 1.4 |

| Release Date | 2014-03-30 | 2019-03-13 |

| Length | 173 mm (6.8 inches) | 229 mm (9 inches) |

The Verdict

The choice between these two cards is straightforward based on the data. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 is the superior performer in every measurable way. It delivers quadruple the FP32 compute power, double the memory bandwidth, and significantly higher fill rates. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT and the RX 6500 XT, which places it in a modern performance tier. Anyone needing raw compute throughput, modern API support, or higher-resolution gaming and content creation should choose the GTX 1660 without hesitation.

The AMD FirePro W5100 is a legacy product, best suited for a very specific niche. Its key advantages are its professional feature set: a single-slot design, four DisplayPort outputs, and a low 50 W TDP with no external power connectors. Its performance peers are the AMD Radeon Pro 455 and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590, indicating it belongs to a much older performance class. For a user maintaining an older workstation that requires multiple display outputs from a single, low-power card, the FirePro W5100 remains a viable option. However, for any task that involves modern 3D rendering, compute workloads, or gaming, the GTX 1660 is the only logical choice from the data presented.