AMD FirePro W5130M vs AMD Radeon R7 M360 Comparison

The AMD Radeon R7 M360 and AMD FirePro W5130M are both end-of-life mobile graphics solutions from AMD, built on the same 28 nm TSMC process, but they target different workload priorities. The data shows a tight overall race, with the FirePro W5130M edging ahead in the single available head-to-head benchmark, while the R7 M360 counters with a newer architecture and a slightly higher average benchmark score across all tests.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M360 has a higher average benchmark score of 4931, compared to the AMD FirePro W5130M's 4904. This places the R7 M360 0.6% ahead of the FirePro W5130M in the nearestRivals data.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The AMD FirePro W5130M wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 4904, while the AMD Radeon R7 M360 scores 4638. This represents a 5.4% advantage for the FirePro W5130M in that specific workload.

Q: What is the difference in memory bandwidth between the two cards?

A: The AMD FirePro W5130M has a significantly higher memory bandwidth of 64.00 GB/s, thanks to its 128-bit bus and GDDR5 memory. The AMD Radeon R7 M360 has only 14.40 GB/s of bandwidth, using a 64-bit bus and DDR3 memory.

Q: Which GPU supports a newer version of DirectX?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M360 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the AMD FirePro W5130M supports DirectX 12 (11_1). The R7 M360's GCN 3.0 architecture offers a more feature-complete DirectX 12 implementation.

Q: Do both GPUs have the same transistor count?

A: No, they are very close but not identical. The AMD Radeon R7 M360 has 1,550 million transistors on a 125 mm² die, while the AMD FirePro W5130M has 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die.

Q: What is the percentile ranking for both GPUs?

A: Both the AMD Radeon R7 M360 and the AMD FirePro W5130M are placed in the 29th percentile of all GPUs. This indicates they are in the same performance tier overall.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations, which explains their contrasting characteristics. The AMD Radeon R7 M360 is based on the GCN 3.0 architecture with the Meso chip, while the AMD FirePro W5130M uses the older GCN 1.0 architecture with the Tropo chip. Both are manufactured by TSMC on a 28 nm process, but the R7 M360 packs slightly more transistors (1,550 million vs 1,500 million) on a marginally larger die (125 mm² vs 123 mm²).

The R7 M360 compensates for its older-technology memory with a much higher clock speed. Its base clock runs at 1100 MHz and boosts to 1125 MHz, compared to the FirePro W5130M's 900 MHz base and 925 MHz boost. However, the FirePro W5130M uses a fundamentally different memory setup: it has a 128-bit bus with GDDR5 memory running at 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective), yielding 64.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The R7 M360, by contrast, uses a 64-bit DDR3 bus at 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective) for just 14.40 GB/s.

The compute resources are also distributed differently. The FirePro W5130M has more shading units (512 vs 384), more texture mapping units (32 vs 24), and double the render output units (16 vs 8). This gives it higher theoretical pixel rate (14.80 GPixel/s vs 9.000 GPixel/s) and texture rate (29.60 GTexel/s vs 27.00 GTexel/s). The FirePro W5130M also leads in FP32 performance with 947.2 GFLOPS versus 864.0 GFLOPS for the R7 M360. The R7 M360 has FP16 capabilities at a 1:1 ratio with FP32, while the FirePro W5130M has no listed FP16 support.

The R7 M360 is the newer part, released on May 4, 2015, while the FirePro W5130M came later on October 1, 2015. The R7 M360 belongs to the "Gem System (R7 M300)" generation with a "Solar System" predecessor and "Polaris Mobile" successor. The FirePro W5130M is from the "FirePro Mobile (Wx100M)" generation, succeeding "FirePro Mobility" and preceding "Radeon Pro Mobile". The R7 M360 connects via PCIe 3.0 x8, while the FirePro W5130M uses the wider PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data contains only one benchmark test: Geekbench OpenCL. In this test, the AMD FirePro W5130M scores 4904, while the AMD Radeon R7 M360 scores 4638. The FirePro W5130M wins by a 5.4% margin, as indicated by the deltaPct of -5.4 from the R7 M360's perspective.

This result is consistent with the architectural differences. The FirePro W5130M's 128-bit GDDR5 memory provides 64.00 GB/s of bandwidth, which is over 4 times the 14.40 GB/s available to the R7 M360. For an OpenCL workload that often stresses memory throughput, this is a decisive advantage. The FirePro W5130M also has 512 shading units running at a lower clock, which still yields 947.2 GFLOPS of FP32 compute, roughly 10% higher than the R7 M360's 864.0 GFLOPS.

However, the average benchmark score tells a slightly different story. The R7 M360 has an average score of 4931, which is 0.6% higher than the FirePro W5130M's 4904. This suggests that outside the single OpenCL test, the R7 M360 may perform relatively better in other workloads, likely due to its higher clock speeds and newer GCN 3.0 architecture. The R7 M360's nearestRivals list includes the FirePro W5130M with a 0.6% delta, while the FirePro W5130M's list shows the R7 M360 at -0.5% delta, confirming the razor-thin overall margin.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear split verdict. For pure compute throughput and memory-intensive tasks, the AMD FirePro W5130M is the stronger choice. Its 5.4% lead in Geekbench OpenCL is backed by 4x the memory bandwidth and 32% more shading units. The 947.2 GFLOPS FP32 figure represents a meaningful advantage over the R7 M360's 864.0 GFLOPS.

For general-purpose use and newer API support, the AMD Radeon R7 M360 has arguments in its favor. Its GCN 3.0 architecture supports DirectX 12 (12_0) versus the FirePro W5130M's DirectX 12 (11_1), which can matter for compatibility with newer titles. The higher clock speeds (1100 MHz base vs 900 MHz) help close the gap in scenarios that are latency-bound rather than bandwidth-bound. The R7 M360's average benchmark score of 4931 edges out the FirePro W5130M's 4904, indicating slightly better all-around performance in aggregate.

Both cards sit in the 29th percentile of all GPUs, so neither is a high-performance part by modern standards. The choice depends on workload: pick the FirePro W5130M if memory bandwidth and raw compute matter most, pick the R7 M360 for newer architecture features and slightly better average scores. The 0.6% difference in average scores is negligible in real-world terms.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon R7 M360 | AMD FirePro W5130M |

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

| Architecture | GCN 3.0 | GCN 1.0 |

| Chip | Meso | Tropo |

| Transistors | 1,550 million | 1,500 million |

| Die Size | 125 mm² | 123 mm² |

| Base Clock | 1100 MHz | 900 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1125 MHz | 925 MHz |

| Memory Type | DDR3 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus Width | 64 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 14.40 GB/s | 64.00 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 384 | 512 |

| TMUs | 24 | 32 |

| ROPs | 8 | 16 |

| Pixel Rate | 9.000 GPixel/s | 14.80 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 27.00 GTexel/s | 29.60 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 864.0 GFLOPS | 947.2 GFLOPS |

| DirectX Support | 12 (12_0) | 12 (11_1) |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x8 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Release Date | 2015-05-04 | 2015-10-01 |

Where Each One Wins

AMD FirePro W5130M wins in:

• Memory bandwidth: 64.00 GB/s vs 14.40 GB/s, a 4.4x advantage that dominates bandwidth-sensitive workloads.
• Compute throughput: 947.2 GFLOPS FP32 vs 864.0 GFLOPS, a 9.6% lead in raw math capability.
• Pixel and texture processing: 14.80 GPixel/s vs 9.000 GPixel/s and 29.60 GTexel/s vs 27.00 GTexel/s.
• The only head-to-head benchmark: Geekbench OpenCL score of 4904 vs 4638.
• Wider PCIe interface: x16 vs x8, which can reduce data transfer bottlenecks.

AMD Radeon R7 M360 wins in:

• Average benchmark score: 4931 vs 4904, a 0.6% overall edge.
• Clock speeds: 1100 MHz base and 1125 MHz boost vs 900 MHz and 925 MHz, a 22% clock advantage.
• DirectX 12 feature level: 12_0 vs 11_1, enabling newer rendering features.
• FP16 support: 864.0 GFLOPS at 1:1 ratio, which is absent on the FirePro W5130M.
• Transistor count: 1,550 million vs 1,500 million, though the practical impact is minimal.