AMD FirePro W5130M vs NVIDIA GeForce MX130 Comparison

The Verdict

The NVIDIA GeForce MX130 is the stronger option for compute workloads based on the recorded data. It wins the only head-to-head benchmark available, Geekbench OpenCL, by a significant 24.4% margin. Its average benchmark score of 5508 places it at the 32nd percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the AMD FirePro W5130M sits at the 29th percentile with an average score of 4904. If you need a mobile GPU for general OpenCL acceleration, the MX130 is the clear pick.

The AMD FirePro W5130M, however, is not without merit. It has a wider memory bus (128 bit vs 64 bit) and double the ROPs (16 vs 8), which gives it a higher pixel fill rate. For tasks that are heavily fill-rate bound, such as certain types of 2D compositing or display output work, it could hold its own. But in the synthetic compute test recorded, it trails the MX130 decisively. Choose the FirePro W5130M only if your specific application is known to favor memory bandwidth or pixel throughput over raw shader compute, as its 64.00 GB/s bandwidth is substantially higher than the MX130's 40.10 GB/s. For everything else, the data points to the MX130.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs are built on the same 28 nm TSMC process, but their internal designs diverge sharply. The NVIDIA GeForce MX130 uses the GM108S chip based on the Maxwell architecture, packing 1,020 million transistors into a 77 mm² die. The AMD FirePro W5130M uses the Tropo chip based on GCN 1.0, which is physically larger at 123 mm² and contains 1,500 million transistors. The transistor density tells the story: the MX130 achieves 13.2 million transistors per mm², while the FirePro W5130M manages 12.2 million per mm², indicating a more efficient layout for the NVIDIA chip.

The compute resources are allocated differently. The FirePro W5130M has more shading units (512 vs 384), more texture mapping units (32 vs 24), and more ROPs (16 vs 8). This gives it a theoretical peak FP32 performance of 947.2 GFLOPS, slightly ahead of the MX130's 913.2 GFLOPS. In pixel rate, the FirePro W5130M is clearly ahead at 14.80 GPixel/s versus 9.512 GPixel/s for the MX130. Texture rates are close, with the FirePro W5130M at 29.60 GTexel/s and the MX130 at 28.54 GTexel/s.

Memory configurations also differ. Both have 2 GB of GDDR5, but the bus width is the key differentiator: the FirePro W5130M uses a 128 bit bus delivering 64.00 GB/s of bandwidth, while the MX130 is limited to a 64 bit bus at 40.10 GB/s. Clock speeds favor the NVIDIA chip, with a base of 1109 MHz and boost of 1189 MHz, versus the AMD part's 900 MHz base and 925 MHz boost. The MX130 also runs its memory at 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective) compared to the FirePro W5130M's 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective).

API support shows a slight edge for the AMD part in DirectX version (12 (11_1) vs 12 (11_0)), but the MX130 supports Vulkan 1.4, a newer version than the FirePro W5130M's Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The MX130 is an integrated GPU (IGP) with a 30 W TDP and no power connectors, while the FirePro W5130M has no TDP figure recorded in the database.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains one direct comparison between these two GPUs: the Geekbench OpenCL test. This measures general-purpose compute performance using the GPU as an OpenCL device. The NVIDIA GeForce MX130 scores 6102, while the AMD FirePro W5130M scores 4904. The MX130 wins by 24.4%, a substantial margin that places it firmly ahead in raw compute throughput.

This result is somewhat counterintuitive given the spec sheet. The FirePro W5130M has more shading units (512 vs 384) and a higher theoretical FP32 rate (947.2 GFLOPS vs 913.2 GFLOPS). Yet the MX130 still wins decisively. This suggests that the Maxwell architecture's efficiency, combined with the MX130's higher clock speeds, translates into better real-world OpenCL execution. The MX130's boost clock of 1189 MHz versus the FirePro W5130M's 925 MHz likely plays a significant role, allowing the NVIDIA chip to maintain higher sustained throughput despite fewer cores.

The average benchmark score in the database reinforces this picture. The MX130 has an average score of 5508 across its recorded tests, while the FirePro W5130M averages 4904. The MX130's percentile rank of 32 versus the FirePro W5130M's 29 confirms that the NVIDIA part sits slightly higher in the overall GPU distribution. It is worth remembering the MX130 has two recorded benchmarks (Geekbench OpenCL at 6102 and Geekbench Vulkan at 4914), while the FirePro W5130M has only one (Geekbench OpenCL at 4904). The Vulkan score for the MX130 is close to the AMD part's OpenCL score, indicating that the NVIDIA GPU maintains competitive performance across different compute APIs.

The nearest rivals listed in the database provide context. The MX130 sits in a cluster with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M (average score 5501, delta 0.1%), the AMD Radeon R7 M440 (5483, delta 0.5%), the AMD FirePro M4000 (5537, delta -0.5%), and the NVIDIA Quadro M4000 (5467, delta 0.7%). All of these are within 1% of the MX130, showing that it is a mid-pack mobile GPU. The FirePro W5130M, by contrast, is grouped with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB (4901, delta 0.1%), the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 (4893, delta 0.2%), the AMD Radeon R7 M265 (4929, delta -0.5%), and the AMD Radeon R7 M360 (4931, delta -0.5%). Its score of 4904 is notably lower than the MX130's 6102 in the direct head-to-head.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher raw compute performance in OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce MX130 scores 6102 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the AMD FirePro W5130M scores 4904. That is a 24.4% advantage for the MX130.

Q: Does the AMD FirePro W5130M have any specification advantage over the MX130?

A: Yes. The FirePro W5130M has a 128 bit memory bus with 64.00 GB/s bandwidth, versus the MX130's 64 bit bus at 40.10 GB/s. It also has 16 ROPs compared to 8, giving it a pixel rate of 14.80 GPixel/s versus 9.512 GPixel/s.

Q: How do their theoretical FP32 performances compare?

A: The AMD FirePro W5130M has a slightly higher FP32 rating at 947.2 GFLOPS, compared to 913.2 GFLOPS for the NVIDIA GeForce MX130. Despite this, the MX130 wins the recorded OpenCL benchmark.

Q: What are the clock speed differences between the two?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce MX130 has a base clock of 1109 MHz and a boost clock of 1189 MHz. The AMD FirePro W5130M runs at 900 MHz base and 925 MHz boost. The MX130's memory clock is 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective), while the FirePro W5130M's memory clock is 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective).

Q: Which GPU has better API support?

A: The AMD FirePro W5130M supports DirectX 12 (11_1), while the MX130 supports DirectX 12 (11_0). The MX130 supports Vulkan 1.4, which is newer than the FirePro W5130M's Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores rank them globally?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce MX130 has an average benchmark score of 5508, placing it at the 32nd percentile of all GPUs. The AMD FirePro W5130M averages 4904, at the 29th percentile.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce MX130 wins in compute-bound scenarios. Its 24.4% lead in Geekbench OpenCL makes it the better choice for any workload that relies on general-purpose GPU compute, such as OpenCL-based rendering, physics simulation, or data processing. The MX130's higher clocks (1109 MHz base, 1189 MHz boost) and newer Maxwell architecture give it an efficiency edge that shows up in the benchmark results. Its Vulkan 1.4 support also makes it more future-proof for applications using that API. The MX130 is also the lower-power part at 30 W TDP, which matters in thin-and-light laptops where thermal headroom is limited.

The AMD FirePro W5130M wins in memory-bandwidth-bound and fill-rate-bound scenarios. Its 128 bit memory bus delivers 64.00 GB/s, which is 60% higher than the MX130's 40.10 GB/s. If your application streams large textures or relies on frequent memory access, the FirePro W5130M's wider bus could reduce bottlenecks. Its 16 ROPs and 14.80 GPixel/s pixel rate are also significantly higher than the MX130's 8 ROPs and 9.512 GPixel/s, which benefits tasks like anti-aliased rendering, high-resolution compositing, or any operation that writes many pixels quickly. The FirePro W5130M also has a slight edge in theoretical FP32 (947.2 GFLOPS) and texture rate (29.60 GTexel/s), though the recorded benchmark does not reflect this advantage.

For gaming, the data is less clear. The MX130's higher OpenCL score suggests better general compute, but the FirePro W5130M's memory bandwidth and fill rate could help in certain game engines. The MX130's DirectX 12 (11_0) support is slightly older than the FirePro W5130M's DirectX 12 (11_1), which may matter for a handful of titles. Overall, the MX130 is the safer recommendation for mixed workloads, while the FirePro W5130M is a specialist pick for bandwidth-intensive tasks.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce MX130 | AMD FirePro W5130M |

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

| Manufacturer | NVIDIA | AMD |

| Chip | GM108S | Tropo |

| Architecture | Maxwell | GCN 1.0 |

| Generation | GeForce MX (1xx) | FirePro Mobile (Wx100M) |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 28 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | TSMC |

| Transistors | 1,020 million | 1,500 million |

| Die Size | 77 mm² | 123 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 13.2M / mm² | 12.2M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1109 MHz | 900 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1189 MHz | 925 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective) | 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 2 GB | 2 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus Width | 64 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 40.10 GB/s | 64.00 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 384 | 512 |

| TMUs | 24 | 32 |

| ROPs | 8 | 16 |

| Pixel Rate | 9.512 GPixel/s | 14.80 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 28.54 GTexel/s | 29.60 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 913.2 GFLOPS | 947.2 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 30 W | Not recorded |

| Slot Width | IGP | Not recorded |

| Power Connectors | None | Not recorded |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x4 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | Not recorded |

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

| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | 1.2.170 |

| Production Status | End-of-life | End-of-life |

| Release Date | 2017-11-16 | 2015-10-01 |

| Predecessor | Not recorded | FirePro Mobility |

| Successor | Not recorded | Radeon Pro Mobile |

| Benchmark Scores | OpenCL 6102, Vulkan 4914 | OpenCL 4904 |

| Average Benchmark Score | 5508 | 4904 |

| Percentile vs All GPUs | 32 | 29 |