AMD FirePro W5170M vs AMD Radeon HD 8850M Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD FirePro W5170M has an average benchmark score of 8595, while the AMD Radeon HD 8850M scores 7447. The FirePro sits at the 44th percentile of all GPUs, compared to the 40th percentile for the HD 8850M.

Q: How do the two compare in the OpenCL benchmark?

A: In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the FirePro W5170M scores 8140 versus 7447 for the HD 8850M, a 9.3% advantage for the FirePro. This is the only benchmark where both were measured head-to-head.

Q: What is the difference in memory bandwidth?

A: The FirePro W5170M delivers 72.00 GB/s of bandwidth, while the HD 8850M provides 64.00 GB/s. Both use 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same APIs?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. Their API feature sets are identical.

Q: Which GPU has higher clock speeds?

A: The FirePro W5170M runs at a base clock of 900 MHz and a boost of 925 MHz. The HD 8850M operates at 575 MHz base and 625 MHz boost. The FirePro also uses faster memory at 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective) versus 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective).

Q: How does the FirePro W5170M compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The database places the FirePro W5170M within 1.6% of the AMD Radeon HD 8870M and NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (both listed at a 1.6% delta), 0.4% ahead of the Intel Arc A380, and 1.1% behind the NVIDIA Quadro P2200.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs are built on AMD's GCN 1.0 architecture and manufactured by TSMC on a 28 nm process. The silicon is identical in scale: each packs 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 12.2M per mm². The internal compute configuration matches as well: 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 raster output units.

The fundamental difference lies in the chip identity and the clock behavior. The FirePro W5170M uses the Tropo chip, while the HD 8850M uses Venus. The FirePro runs at 900 MHz base and 925 MHz boost, substantially higher than the HD 8850M's 575 MHz base and 625 MHz boost. This clock gap propagates through every throughput metric.

The FirePro W5170M is designed as a mobile workstation part in the FirePro Mobile (Wx100M) generation, packaged as an MXM module with an MXM-A (3.0) bus interface. The HD 8850M belongs to the Solar System (HD 8800M) generation and uses a standard PCIe 3.0 x16 interface. The FirePro has no power connectors and uses a slot width described as MXM Module, while the HD 8850M has no listed slot width or power connector data. Display outputs for the FirePro are listed as portable device dependent, and no display output information is recorded for the HD 8850M.

The FirePro's predecessor is FirePro Mobility and its successor is Radeon Pro Mobile. The HD 8850M's predecessor is London and its successor is Gem System. Both are marked end-of-life.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains one directly comparable measurement: Geekbench OpenCL. The FirePro W5170M scores 8140 against 7447 for the HD 8850M. That is a 9.3% difference, and it is the only benchmark win recorded in the head-to-head table, giving the FirePro one win and the HD 8850M zero.

The raw throughput figures explain the margin. The FirePro's pixel rate is 14.80 GPixel/s versus 10.00 GPixel/s for the HD 8850M, a 48% advantage. Texture rate is 37.00 GTexel/s versus 25.00 GTexel/s, a 48% gap. FP32 compute is 1,184.0 GFLOPS versus 800.0 GFLOPS, a 48% difference. Memory bandwidth is 72.00 GB/s versus 64.00 GB/s, a 12.5% advantage.

The benchmark delta of 9.3% is smaller than the raw compute delta of 48%. This suggests the OpenCL workload is not purely compute-bound, or that the HD 8850M's lower clocks are partially compensated elsewhere. Still, the direction is consistent across every measured metric: the FirePro leads.

The FirePro also has a Vulkan score of 9050 in its individual benchmark list. The HD 8850M has no Vulkan score recorded, so no comparison is possible on that test.

Looking at the wider field, the FirePro's average score of 8595 places it just above the Intel Arc A380 (8558, 0.4% ahead) and just below the NVIDIA Quadro P2200 (8686, 1.1% behind). The HD 8850M's 7447 average sits 0.1% above the Intel UHD Graphics 750 (7441), 0.3% above the AMD Radeon R7 350 (7425), 0.3% below the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 (7472), and 1.4% below the Intel Arc A310 (7550). The FirePro competes in a higher performance tier, while the HD 8850M is clustered near entry-level integrated graphics.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous on performance: the FirePro W5170M beats the HD 8850M in the only shared benchmark, with a 9.3% higher OpenCL score. It also holds advantages in every raw throughput metric, from pixel rate to FP32 compute. The FirePro's 44th percentile placement versus the HD 8850M's 40th percentile reflects this gap.

The HD 8850M is the older part, released in 2013 compared to 2014 for the FirePro. It uses the same transistor count, die size, and core configuration, so the performance difference comes almost entirely from clock speeds and memory speed.

For a workstation-oriented mobile GPU, the FirePro W5170M offers the higher compute ceiling and faster memory. The MXM form factor and lack of power connectors align with a professional mobile workstation design.

For a consumer mobile GPU from the HD 8800M generation, the HD 8850M delivers lower absolute performance but sits in a much more crowded performance neighborhood, trading places with Intel integrated graphics and low-end discrete parts.

The choice is straightforward from the recorded data: the FirePro W5170M is the stronger GPU. The HD 8850M only makes sense if the MXM form factor is not an option and a standard PCIe 3.0 x16 interface is required.

Specification Differences

| Field | AMD FirePro W5170M | AMD Radeon HD 8850M |

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

| Chip | Tropo | Venus |

| Generation | FirePro Mobile (Wx100M) | Solar System (HD 8800M) |

| Base clock | 900 MHz | 575 MHz |

| Boost clock | 925 MHz | 625 MHz |

| Memory clock | 1125 MHz, 4.5 Gbps effective | 1000 MHz, 4 Gbps effective |

| Bandwidth | 72.00 GB/s | 64.00 GB/s |

| Pixel rate | 14.80 GPixel/s | 10.00 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 37.00 GTexel/s | 25.00 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 1,184.0 GFLOPS | 800.0 GFLOPS |

| Bus interface | MXM-A (3.0) | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Slot width | MXM Module | Not listed |

| Power connectors | None | Not listed |

| Display outputs | Portable Device Dependent | Not listed |

| Release date | 2014-08-24 | 2013-03-31 |

| Predecessor | FirePro Mobility | London |

| Successor | Radeon Pro Mobile | Gem System |

| OpenCL score | 8140 | 7447 |

| Vulkan score | 9050 | Not listed |

| Average score | 8595 | 7447 |

| Percentile | 44 | 40 |

Identical fields include: manufacturer (AMD), architecture (GCN 1.0), process node (28 nm), foundry (TSMC), transistors (1,500 million), die size (123 mm²), transistor density (12.2M per mm²), memory size (2 GB), memory type (GDDR5), bus width (128 bit), shading units (640), TMUs (40), ROPs (16), DirectX support (12, 11_1), OpenGL support (4.6), Vulkan support (1.2.170), and production status (end-of-life).

Where Each One Wins

The FirePro W5170M wins in every category where data exists. Its higher clocks produce a 48% advantage in pixel rate, texture rate, and FP32 compute. The 12.5% bandwidth advantage comes from faster memory clock and effective data rate. The OpenCL benchmark shows a 9.3% lead, and the FirePro alone has a Vulkan score of 9050.

The HD 8850M has no recorded wins in the head-to-head table. Its only distinguishing feature is the bus interface: PCIe 3.0 x16, which is a standard slot format. In a system that requires a conventional PCIe card rather than an MXM module, the HD 8850M is the only one of the two that fits that interface.

For compute-heavy workloads, the FirePro W5170M is the clear pick. For systems built around the MXM-A form factor, the FirePro is the only option. For a standard PCIe 3.0 x16 slot, the HD 8850M is the available choice, though it delivers lower performance across every measured metric.

The FirePro's nearest rivals are desktop and professional parts like the Intel Arc A380 and NVIDIA Quadro P2200, indicating it lands in the mid-range segment. The HD 8850M's nearest rivals include Intel UHD Graphics 750 and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650, a mix of integrated and low-end discrete GPUs. This placement reinforces the performance hierarchy: the FirePro competes one tier above the HD 8850M.