AMD FirePro W5130M vs AMD Radeon R7 M260 Comparison

The AMD Radeon R7 M260 and AMD FirePro W5130M are both end-of-life mobile graphics solutions from AMD, but they target different segments and are built on different architectural generations. The data shows a clear overall performance advantage for the FirePro W5130M, which holds a higher average benchmark score and a higher percentile ranking among all GPUs. While the R7 M260 is part of the consumer-oriented Gem System (R7 M200) generation with a GCN 3.0 architecture, the FirePro W5130M belongs to the professional FirePro Mobile (Wx100M) lineup and utilizes the older GCN 1.0 architecture. The benchmark results reveal a significant performance gap, with the FirePro W5130M leading in the only available head-to-head test, though the specific architectural differences and memory configurations also play a crucial role in their distinct performance profiles.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, which measures general-purpose compute performance. In this test, the AMD FirePro W5130M delivers a score of 4904, while the AMD Radeon R7 M260 scores 3708. This results in a deltaPct of -24.4% for the R7 M260, meaning the FirePro W5130M is approximately 24.4% faster in this specific workload. This is a substantial margin and establishes a clear performance hierarchy between the two mobile GPUs.

Looking at the broader context from the nearestRivals data, the FirePro W5130M’s score of 4904 places it in competitive territory. It is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB, which has an average score of 4901, a deltaPct of just 0.1%. It also slightly edges out the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450, which scores 4893 (0.2% deltaPct). This suggests that in raw compute power, the FirePro W5130M is on par with some desktop-class discrete GPUs, despite being a mobile part. Its nearest rivals also include the AMD Radeon R7 M265 at 4929 (-0.5%) and the AMD Radeon R7 M360 at 4931 (-0.5%), indicating it sits in a tightly contested performance band.

Conversely, the Radeon R7 M260’s score of 3708 and its average benchmark score of 4499 place it in a lower performance tier. Its nearest rivals include the AMD FirePro W4190M with an average score of 4505 (-0.1% deltaPct), the Intel HD Graphics P530 at 4560 (-1.3%), the AMD Radeon RX 560 at 4569 (-1.5%), and the AMD Radeon R5 M230 at 4577 (-1.7%). This grouping indicates that the R7 M260’s performance is closely aligned with entry-level dedicated GPUs and high-end integrated graphics solutions.

The 24.4% lead in the OpenCL benchmark is the single most important data point in this comparison. It shows that the FirePro W5130M’s higher shading unit count and wider memory interface translate into a significant real-world compute advantage. The R7 M260, despite being from a newer architecture generation, simply does not have the raw hardware resources to compete with the FirePro W5130M in this metric. The data suggests that architectural generation is less important than the sheer number of processing units and memory bandwidth for this particular benchmark.

Where Each One Wins

Based on the available data, the performance split is one-sided. The AMD FirePro W5130M wins the sole head-to-head benchmark test, which is the Geekbench OpenCL test. This is a general compute benchmark, so it is indicative of performance in applications that can leverage GPUs for non-graphics tasks, such as video encoding, scientific simulations, and certain content creation workloads. The FirePro W5130M’s victory here, with its 24.4% lead, suggests it is the stronger choice for any workload that relies on OpenCL acceleration.

The AMD Radeon R7 M260 has zero benchmark wins in this comparison. While it is a capable GPU in its own right, the data shows it is outclassed by the FirePro W5130M in the measured compute test. Its performance profile, as indicated by its nearestRivals, places it in a bracket with other entry-level parts, but it does not achieve a victory in any of the recorded benchmarks. For users prioritizing raw compute performance, the FirePro W5130M is the clear winner based on the data.

The use-case split is therefore clear. The FirePro W5130M is positioned for professional and compute-intensive tasks where OpenCL performance is critical. The R7 M260, while not winning any tests here, is more aligned with basic consumer tasks. Its performance level, as suggested by its rivals like the Intel HD Graphics P530, makes it suitable for everyday use, but not for demanding compute workloads. The data does not include gaming benchmarks, so any conclusions about gaming performance are not supported by the fact pack.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD FirePro W5130M has a higher average benchmark score of 4904, compared to the AMD Radeon R7 M260’s average score of 4499.

Q: How much faster is the FirePro W5130M in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The FirePro W5130M scores 4904 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the Radeon R7 M260 scores 3708. This makes the FirePro W5130M approximately 24.4% faster, as indicated by the deltaPct of -24.4%.

Q: Is the Radeon R7 M260 competitive with the FirePro W5130M in any benchmark?

A: No. The Radeon R7 M260 does not win any of the recorded head-to-head benchmarks. The only direct comparison, Geekbench OpenCL, is won by the FirePro W5130M.

Q: What is the performance percentile for each GPU compared to all other GPUs?

A: The AMD FirePro W5130M is in the 29th percentile of all GPUs, while the AMD Radeon R7 M260 is in the 26th percentile.

Q: How does the FirePro W5130M compare to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB?

A: The FirePro W5130M’s average score of 4904 is nearly identical to the RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB’s score of 4901, with a deltaPct of just 0.1%.

Q: Which GPUs are the closest competitors to the Radeon R7 M260?

A: The nearest rivals to the R7 M260, based on average score, are the AMD FirePro W4190M (4505), Intel HD Graphics P530 (4560), AMD Radeon RX 560 (4569), and AMD Radeon R5 M230 (4577).

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ significantly in their core specifications, which directly explains the performance gap observed in benchmarks. The AMD FirePro W5130M is equipped with 512 shading units, 32 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 16 render output units (ROPs). In contrast, the AMD Radeon R7 M260 has fewer resources, with 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and only 8 ROPs. This 128-shading unit and 8-ROP advantage for the FirePro W5130M provides it with a substantially higher theoretical compute throughput.

The memory subsystems are also fundamentally different. The FirePro W5130M uses 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, resulting in a memory bandwidth of 64.00 GB/s. The R7 M260 also has 2 GB of memory, but it is the slower DDR3 type, and it operates on a much narrower 64-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of only 14.40 GB/s. This represents a massive 4.4x difference in memory bandwidth, which is critical for filling the shader units and handling large textures and data sets.

Clock speeds also differ, though less dramatically. The R7 M260 has a base clock of 940 MHz and a boost clock of 980 MHz, while the FirePro W5130M operates at a lower 900 MHz base and 925 MHz boost. The memory clock differs as well, with the R7 M260 running at 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective) and the FirePro W5130M at 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective). The bus interface is another point of divergence, with the R7 M260 using PCIe 3.0 x8 and the FirePro W5130M using the full PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.

The resulting fill rates and compute figures reflect these differences. The FirePro W5130M achieves a pixel rate of 14.80 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 29.60 GTexel/s, while the R7 M260 achieves 7.840 GPixel/s and 23.52 GTexel/s, respectively. In terms of FP32 performance, the FirePro W5130M delivers 947.2 GFLOPS, whereas the R7 M260 delivers 752.6 GFLOPS. The R7 M260 also lists an FP16 performance of 752.6 GFLOPS (1:1), while the FirePro W5130M does not have an FP16 figure listed.

Architecture Differences

The architectural foundations of these two GPUs are distinct, despite both being manufactured by AMD on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The AMD Radeon R7 M260 is based on the GCN 3.0 architecture and uses the Topaz chip. The AMD FirePro W5130M, on the other hand, is based on the older GCN 1.0 architecture and uses the Tropo chip. This generational difference is notable, as GCN 3.0 includes architectural refinements over the original GCN 1.0 design, though the benchmark data shows this does not translate into a performance advantage for the newer part.

The transistor counts and die sizes are remarkably similar. The R7 M260’s Topaz chip contains 1,550 million transistors on a 125 mm² die, while the FirePro W5130M’s Tropo chip has 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die. This results in a transistor density of 12.4M / mm² for the R7 M260 and 12.2M / mm² for the FirePro W5130M. The similarity in physical size and transistor budget makes the performance difference even more striking, as it shows the FirePro W5130M is extracting more performance from a nearly identical hardware footprint.

The API support also differs slightly due to the architecture revisions. The R7 M260 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the FirePro W5130M supports DirectX 12 (11_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.2.170. The R7 M260’s support for DirectX 12_0 features is a potential advantage for newer gaming titles, though no gaming benchmarks are available in the data to confirm this.

The production status and release dates show a timeline difference. The R7 M260 was released on June 10, 2014, while the FirePro W5130M was released later, on October 1, 2015. Both are now listed as end-of-life products. The R7 M260’s predecessor is listed as Solar System and its successor as Polaris Mobile. The FirePro W5130M’s predecessor is FirePro Mobility and its successor is Radeon Pro Mobile. Neither product has a listed launch MSRP, and both lack data for TDP, slot width, power connectors, and display outputs.