GPU Comparison

The AMD FirePro W5130M and NVIDIA GeForce 940MX are both end-of-life mobile graphics solutions from the 28 nm era, targeting different market segments. The data shows two very closely matched parts, with the GeForce 940MX holding a single benchmark win over the FirePro W5130M. The following analysis breaks down their architectural differences, benchmark results, and the specific scenarios where each GPU holds an advantage.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD FirePro W5130M has an average benchmark score of 4904, while the NVIDIA GeForce 940MX has an average score of 4844. The FirePro W5130M holds a 60-point lead in this aggregate metric.

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

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 940MX wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 4939, compared to the AMD FirePro W5130M's score of 4904. This represents a delta of -0.7% in favor of the NVIDIA part.

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

A: The AMD FirePro W5130M has a memory bandwidth of 64.00 GB/s, while the NVIDIA GeForce 940MX has a bandwidth of 40.10 GB/s. The AMD part offers a 23.90 GB/s advantage in this specification.

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock speed?

A: The AMD FirePro W5130M has a boost clock of 925 MHz, while the NVIDIA GeForce 940MX has a boost clock of 861 MHz. The FirePro W5130M's boost clock is 64 MHz higher.

Q: What is the transistor count for each chip?

A: The AMD FirePro W5130M uses the Tropo chip with 1,500 million transistors, while the NVIDIA GeForce 940MX uses the GM107 chip with 1,870 million transistors. The NVIDIA chip contains 370 million more transistors.

Q: Which GPU supports the Vulkan API version 1.4?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 940MX supports Vulkan 1.4, while the AMD FirePro W5130M supports Vulkan 1.2.170. The NVIDIA part has a newer Vulkan API version.

Architecture Differences

The AMD FirePro W5130M is built on the GCN 1.0 architecture using the Tropo chip, manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The die size is 123 mm², housing 1,500 million transistors at a density of 12.2M per mm². This chip belongs to the FirePro Mobile (Wx100M) generation, and its predecessor is FirePro Mobility, with the successor being Radeon Pro Mobile.

The NVIDIA GeForce 940MX is built on the Maxwell architecture using the GM107 chip, also manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The die size is 148 mm², containing 1,870 million transistors at a density of 12.6M per mm². This chip belongs to the GeForce 900M generation, with the predecessor being GeForce 800M and the successor being GeForce 10 Mobile.

Both GPUs feature 512 shading units and 32 texture mapping units. The key architectural difference lies in the render output units: the AMD FirePro W5130M has 16 ROPs, while the NVIDIA GeForce 940MX has only 8 ROPs. This directly impacts pixel fill rates, where the AMD part achieves 14.80 GPixel/s compared to the NVIDIA's 6.888 GPixel/s.

The memory subsystems differ significantly. The AMD FirePro W5130M uses a 128-bit memory bus with GDDR5 memory running at 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective), yielding 64.00 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA GeForce 940MX uses a narrower 64-bit bus with GDDR5 memory at 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective), producing 40.10 GB/s bandwidth. Both have 2 GB of video memory.

Clock speeds favor the AMD part. The FirePro W5130M has a base clock of 900 MHz and a boost clock of 925 MHz, while the GeForce 940MX has a base clock of 795 MHz and a boost clock of 861 MHz. This contributes to the AMD part's higher FP32 throughput of 947.2 GFLOPS versus 881.7 GFLOPS for the NVIDIA part.

The bus interface differs as well: the AMD FirePro W5130M uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the NVIDIA GeForce 940MX uses PCIe 3.0 x8. The NVIDIA part has a TDP of 23 W, while the FirePro W5130M has no TDP listed in the data.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test. The NVIDIA GeForce 940MX scores 4939, while the AMD FirePro W5130M scores 4904. This gives the NVIDIA part a 35-point advantage, represented as a delta of -0.7% from the perspective of the AMD card. This is a narrow margin, well within typical run-to-run variance for synthetic benchmarks.

The average benchmark scores tell a slightly different story. The AMD FirePro W5130M has an average of 4904, while the NVIDIA GeForce 940MX averages 4844. This discrepancy arises because the NVIDIA part has two benchmark entries in its dataset (4939 for OpenCL and 4749 for Vulkan), while the AMD part only has one (4904 for OpenCL). The NVIDIA's Vulkan score of 4749 drags down its average, despite winning the OpenCL test.

Looking at the nearest rivals provides context for these scores. The AMD FirePro W5130M sits at the 29th percentile of all GPUs, with nearest rivals including the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB at 4901 (0.1% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 at 4893 (0.2% delta), and the AMD Radeon R7 M265 at 4929 (-0.5% delta). The NVIDIA GeForce 940MX sits at the 28th percentile, with nearest rivals including the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M at 4855 (-0.2% delta), the AMD Radeon R6 M255DX at 4867 (-0.5% delta), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 at 4893 (-1% delta).

The data shows that both GPUs occupy a similar performance tier, with the FirePro W5130M having a slightly higher percentile rank. The GeForce 940MX's nearest rivals are generally lower-scoring, while the FirePro W5130M's rivals are slightly higher-scoring, reinforcing the marginal performance edge of the AMD part in aggregate terms.

The Verdict

The benchmark results indicate a near-tie between these two mobile GPUs. The NVIDIA GeForce 940MX wins the single head-to-head OpenCL test by 0.7%, but the AMD FirePro W5130M holds a higher average benchmark score (4904 vs 4844) and a better percentile ranking (29th vs 28th).

For users prioritizing raw compute in OpenCL workloads, the GeForce 940MX has a slight edge. However, the FirePro W5130M offers superior memory bandwidth at 64.00 GB/s versus 40.10 GB/s, which can matter in bandwidth-sensitive tasks. The AMD part also has double the ROPs (16 vs 8), giving it a significantly higher pixel fill rate of 14.80 GPixel/s versus 6.888 GPixel/s.

The NVIDIA GeForce 940MX belongs to the GeForce 900M generation and is positioned as a consumer notebook GPU, while the FirePro W5130M is part of the FirePro Mobile (Wx100M) professional lineup. This distinction suggests different intended use cases, with the FirePro targeting professional applications and the GeForce targeting general consumer use.

Given the data, the AMD FirePro W5130M appears the better choice for users who need higher memory bandwidth, more ROPs, and better aggregate benchmark performance. The NVIDIA GeForce 940MX is preferable for those who want the higher OpenCL score and the newer Vulkan API support (1.4 versus 1.2.170).

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in several key specifications. The AMD FirePro W5130M uses the Tropo chip with 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, while the NVIDIA GeForce 940MX uses the GM107 chip with 1,870 million transistors on a 148 mm² die. The transistor density is slightly higher on the NVIDIA part at 12.6M per mm² versus 12.2M per mm².

Clock speeds differ notably: the FirePro W5130M has a base clock of 900 MHz and a boost of 925 MHz, while the GeForce 940MX has a base of 795 MHz and a boost of 861 MHz. Memory clocks also differ, with the AMD part running at 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective) and the NVIDIA part at 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective).

The memory bus width is a major differentiator: the FirePro W5130M has a 128-bit bus, while the GeForce 940MX has a 64-bit bus. This results in bandwidth of 64.00 GB/s for the AMD part versus 40.10 GB/s for the NVIDIA part. Both have 2 GB of GDDR5 memory.

The ROP count differs, with the AMD part having 16 ROPs versus 8 on the NVIDIA part. Pixel rate is 14.80 GPixel/s versus 6.888 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 29.60 GTexel/s versus 27.55 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 947.2 GFLOPS versus 881.7 GFLOPS.

The bus interface differs: PCIe 3.0 x16 for the AMD part versus PCIe 3.0 x8 for the NVIDIA part. The NVIDIA GeForce 940MX has a TDP of 23 W, uses an MXM Module slot width, has no power connectors, and lists display outputs as "Portable Device Dependent." The AMD FirePro W5130M has no TDP, slot width, power connector, or display output information in the data.

API support differs slightly: the FirePro W5130M supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170, while the GeForce 940MX supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD FirePro W5130M wins in several specification categories. It has higher base and boost clocks (900/925 MHz versus 795/861 MHz), double the ROPs (16 versus 8), a wider memory bus (128-bit versus 64-bit), and significantly higher memory bandwidth (64.00 GB/s versus 40.10 GB/s). It also achieves higher pixel rate (14.80 GPixel/s versus 6.888 GPixel/s), higher texture rate (29.60 GTexel/s versus 27.55 GTexel/s), and higher FP32 throughput (947.2 GFLOPS versus 881.7 GFLOPS). The FirePro W5130M also uses a wider PCIe 3.0 x16 interface compared to the x8 on the GeForce 940MX.

The NVIDIA GeForce 940MX wins in the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 4939 versus 4904. It also has a higher transistor count (1,870 million versus 1,500 million), a larger die size (148 mm² versus 123 mm²), higher memory clock (1253 MHz versus 1000 MHz), and supports a newer Vulkan API version (1.4 versus 1.2.170). The GeForce 940MX also has a documented TDP of 23 W, which the FirePro W5130M lacks.

For use-case selection, the FirePro W5130M is the better option for workloads that are sensitive to memory bandwidth and pixel fill rate, such as high-resolution texture processing or multi-sample anti-aliasing. Its higher ROP count and wider memory bus give it a structural advantage in these scenarios. The GeForce 940MX, with its OpenCL benchmark victory and newer Vulkan support, is better suited for compute tasks that leverage these APIs, particularly Vulkan-based applications that can take advantage of version 1.4 features.

The data supports a clear split: the AMD FirePro W5130M excels in raw specification throughput, while the NVIDIA GeForce 940MX edges ahead in the actual OpenCL benchmark and offers more modern API support. Users should weigh these factors based on their specific application requirements.