AMD FirePro W5130M vs AMD Radeon RX 560 Comparison

The AMD FirePro W5130M and AMD Radeon RX 560 represent two very different approaches to graphics hardware, separated by nearly two years of architectural evolution. The data shows a clear performance hierarchy, but the story is more nuanced than a simple comparison of benchmark scores. This analysis draws exclusively from the provided benchmark and specification data.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark in the dataset is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the result is decisive. The AMD Radeon RX 560 scores 16,472 points, while the AMD FirePro W5130M manages 4,904 points. This translates to a deltaPct of -70.2% for the FirePro, meaning the RX 560 is roughly 3.4 times faster in this compute-oriented workload. That is a massive generational gap, not an incremental improvement.

Looking at the broader benchmark landscape, the RX 560 also has a much richer set of results. It posts a Geekbench Metal score of 18,941, which is not available for the FirePro. In PassMark tests, the RX 560 achieves 3,671 in G3D, 1,437 in GPU Compute, and 485 in G2D. Its DirectX scores are 57 for DX9, 25 for DX11, 21 for DX12, and 16 for DX10. These numbers paint a picture of a card that is consistently capable across legacy and modern APIs.

The FirePro W5130M has only the single OpenCL score to its name, which limits direct comparison. However, its average benchmark score of 4,904 places it at the 29th percentile of all GPUs. The RX 560, despite its much higher OpenCL score, has a lower average of 4,569 and sits at the 26th percentile. This discrepancy is explained by the fact that the RX 560's average is dragged down by its PassMark results, which are weighted differently. The OpenCL head-to-head remains the most telling metric.

When placed against their nearest rivals, both cards show interesting positioning. The FirePro W5130M is nearly tied with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB, which scores 4,901 (deltaPct 0.1%). It is also within 0.2% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 (4,893). The AMD Radeon R7 M265 and R7 M360 score 4,929 and 4,931 respectively, putting them 0.5% ahead of the FirePro. This suggests the FirePro is competitive with a wide range of older and lower-tier hardware.

The RX 560's nearest rivals are a different story. The AMD Radeon R5 M230 scores 4,577, which is 0.2% behind the RX 560's average of 4,569. The Intel HD Graphics P530 is 0.2% behind at 4,560. The NVIDIA Quadro M3000M and GeForce GTX 970M are 1.1% and 1.3% ahead respectively. This indicates that while the RX 560 dominates the FirePro in raw compute, its average score places it in a tier where it is battling entry-level and mobile parts, not high-end desktop GPUs.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon RX 560 is the superior performer for any task that relies on raw compute throughput. Its 16,472 OpenCL score versus the FirePro's 4,904 is a 70.2% gap that cannot be overcome by driver optimizations or workload tuning. The RX 560 also offers double the memory at 4 GB versus 2 GB, and nearly double the memory bandwidth at 112.0 GB/s versus 64.00 GB/s.

The FirePro W5130M is an end-of-life mobile workstation part from 2015, built on a 28 nm process. The RX 560, released in 2017, uses a 14 nm process and is also end-of-life. The architectural difference is stark: the FirePro uses GCN 1.0 with 512 shading units, while the RX 560 uses GCN 4.0 with 1,024 shading units. The RX 560 also doubles the texture units (64 vs 32) and has a higher boost clock of 1275 MHz versus 925 MHz.

For a user choosing between these two today, the RX 560 is the only rational choice for gaming or general-purpose compute. Its PassMark G3D score of 3,671 indicates it can handle modern titles at modest settings, while its DirectX 12 support (12_0) is more future-proof than the FirePro's DirectX 12 (11_1). The FirePro's only potential advantage is its mobile form factor, which is not a factor if you are comparing desktop cards. The verdict is simple: the RX 560 wins on every measurable performance metric.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 560 wins in every single benchmark category where both cards have data. The Geekbench OpenCL result is the only direct comparison, and the RX 560 takes it by a 70.2% margin. Beyond that, the RX 560 has a comprehensive suite of PassMark scores that the FirePro lacks entirely. This includes a G3D score of 3,671, which suggests it can handle 3D gaming workloads, and a GPU Compute score of 1,437, indicating solid general-purpose compute performance.

The FirePro W5130M does not have a single benchmark win in this dataset. Its only score, 4,904 in OpenCL, is far below the RX 560's 16,472. However, it is importantly the FirePro's nearest rival comparisons show it is not a terrible performer in absolute terms. It is within 0.5% of the Radeon R7 M265 and M360, and essentially tied with the RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB in OpenCL. This suggests that for very light compute tasks or legacy applications, the FirePro is adequate.

The use-case split is therefore clear. The RX 560 is for anyone who needs real graphics performance: gaming, video editing, 3D rendering, or any compute-heavy workload. The FirePro W5130M is for a very narrow niche where its mobile, low-power nature is essential and performance is secondary. In a desktop comparison, the RX 560 is the overwhelming winner.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the AMD Radeon RX 560 than the AMD FirePro W5130M in OpenCL?

A: The RX 560 scores 16,472 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the FirePro W5130M scores 4,904. This gives the RX 560 a 70.2% advantage (deltaPct -70.2% from the FirePro's perspective).

Q: What are the memory specifications of each card?

A: The FirePro W5130M has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding 64.00 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 560 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding 112.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor count?

A: The RX 560 has 3,000 million transistors, double the FirePro W5130M's 1,500 million. Both have the same die size of 123 mm², resulting in a transistor density of 24.4M / mm² for the RX 560 versus 12.2M / mm² for the FirePro.

Q: What is the difference in DirectX support?

A: The RX 560 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the FirePro W5130M supports DirectX 12 (11_1). The RX 560 also has higher PassMark DirectX scores across all versions (57 in DX9, 25 in DX11, 21 in DX12, 16 in DX10).

Q: How does each card compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The FirePro W5130M is within 0.5% of the AMD Radeon R7 M265 and M360, and 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB. The RX 560 is 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon R5 M230 and Intel HD Graphics P530, and 1.3% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M.

Q: What is the process node and architecture for each GPU?

A: The FirePro W5130M uses a 28 nm process (TSMC) with GCN 1.0 architecture (chip Tropo). The RX 560 uses a 14 nm process (GlobalFoundries) with GCN 4.0 architecture (chip Polaris 21).

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is the root cause of their performance disparity. The FirePro W5130M is built on GCN 1.0, AMD's first-generation Graphics Core Next architecture, using the Tropo chip. It is manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC, with 1,500 million transistors packed into a 123 mm² die. The RX 560, in contrast, uses the newer GCN 4.0 architecture with the Polaris 21 chip, built on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It doubles the transistor count to 3,000 million, also on a 123 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 24.4M / mm² versus 12.2M / mm².

The compute resources are dramatically different. The FirePro has 512 shading units, 32 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 16 raster operation units (ROPs). The RX 560 doubles the shading units to 1,024 and the TMUs to 64, while keeping the same 16 ROPs. This directly translates to the performance numbers: the FirePro's pixel rate is 14.80 GPixel/s and texture rate is 29.60 GTexel/s, while the RX 560 achieves 20.40 GPixel/s and 81.60 GTexel/s respectively. The FP32 compute is 947.2 GFLOPS for the FirePro versus 2.611 TFLOPS for the RX 560.

Clock speeds also differ significantly. The FirePro has a base clock of 900 MHz and a boost of 925 MHz, with memory running at 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective). The RX 560 has a base clock of 1175 MHz and a boost of 1275 MHz, with memory at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective). The RX 560's memory bandwidth of 112.0 GB/s is nearly double the FirePro's 64.00 GB/s.

The API support reflects the generational difference. The FirePro supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The RX 560 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The RX 560 also has FP16 compute at 2.611 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), while the FirePro has no listed FP16 support.

Power and physical specifications also differ. The RX 560 has a TDP of 75 W, is a dual-slot card, requires no power connectors, and has a suggested PSU of 250 W. It measures 170 mm (6.7 inches) in length and has display outputs of 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, and 1x DisplayPort 1.4a. The FirePro W5130M has no listed TDP, slot width, power connectors, or display outputs, as it is a mobile part. The RX 560 uses a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface, while the FirePro uses PCIe 3.0 x16. The RX 560 was released on 2017-04-17 with a launch MSRP of 99 USD, while the FirePro was released on 2015-10-01 with no listed launch MSRP.