AMD FirePro W5170M vs AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits cleanly by workload type. In OpenCL compute, the AMD FirePro W5170M records a 9.5% lead over the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile, scoring 8140 points against 7435 points. That is a solid edge for general GPU compute tasks. The FirePro W5170M’s 44th percentile across all GPUs places it just above the Vega 8 Mobile’s 39th percentile, indicating the database average benchmark score of 8595 lands in a higher overall standing than the Vega 8 Mobile’s 7203 average.

Vulkan graphics favor the FirePro W5170M even more decisively. The FirePro W5170M posts 9050 points in Vulkan, while the Vega 8 Mobile reaches 6970 points, a difference of 29.8%. This suggests the FirePro W5170M is notably stronger in modern graphics API workloads that stress geometry throughput and shader throughput. The Vega 8 Mobile wins no benchmark in the head-to-head comparison, losing both of the recorded tests, so its wins count stands at zero. The data does not show a single area where the Vega 8 Mobile pulls ahead in raw performance scores.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different eras of AMD design. The FirePro W5170M uses the Tropo chip built on GCN 1.0 architecture, produced on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die size, giving a transistor density of 12.2 million per square millimeter. The Vega 8 Mobile relies on the Raven-M chip, a GCN 5.0 design, manufactured on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries with 4,940 million transistors on a 210 mm² die, resulting in 23.5 million per square millimeter density.

The Vega 8 Mobile integrates the GPU logic into a full Raven Ridge-M IGP with a 25 W TDP, meaning the whole processor package includes the GPU. Its base clock sits at 300 MHz, boosting to 1101 MHz. The FirePro W5170M runs at a 900 MHz base and 925 MHz boost clock, a higher sustained clock but with no TDP figure listed in the database. The FirePro uses dedicated GDDR5 memory: 2 GB capacity on a 128 bit bus, delivering 72.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The Vega 8 Mobile instead shares system memory, with its memory size, type, bus width, and bandwidth all listed as system dependent. That architectural split drives much of the performance gap: the FirePro has fast dedicated memory for texture reads and framebuffer writes, while the Vega 8 Mobile must rely on the host system’s memory subsystem.

Shader resources differ as well. The FirePro W5170M carries 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 render output units. The Vega 8 Mobile has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and only 8 ROPs. The FirePro’s pixel rate of 14.80 GPixel/s versus the Vega 8 Mobile’s 8.808 GPixel/s reflects that doubled ROP count, which matters for fill-rate-bound scenes. Texture rate is closer: 37.00 GTexel/s for the FirePro versus 35.23 GTexel/s for the Vega 8 Mobile. FP32 compute is also close, with the FirePro at 1,184.0 GFLOPS and the Vega 8 Mobile at 1,127.4 GFLOPS. The Vega 8 Mobile does have a notable feature: FP16 support at 2.255 TFLOPS (2:1), a capability the FirePro lacks entirely in the database.

API support differs. The FirePro W5170M supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The Vega 8 Mobile supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The Vega 8 Mobile’s newer Vulkan version and higher DirectX feature level could matter for compatibility with newer titles, but the recorded Vulkan benchmark shows the FirePro winning by a wide margin anyway.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records two direct comparisons between these GPUs. In Geekbench OpenCL, the FirePro W5170M scores 8140 points against the Vega 8 Mobile’s 7435 points, a 9.5% advantage. Both figures sit in the same general performance tier: the FirePro’s average benchmark score of 8595 is only 0.4% above the Intel Arc A380’s 8558, while the Vega 8 Mobile’s 7203 average is 0.3% below the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750’s 7222. In that context, the FirePro’s OpenCL win is a modest but consistent lead, not a generational jump.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the gap widens sharply. The FirePro W5170M hits 9050 points, the Vega 8 Mobile only 6970 points, a 29.8% difference. This is the headline result: in Vulkan workloads, the FirePro W5170M is nearly a third faster. The nearest rivals list reinforces the FirePro’s position: its average sits 1.6% above the AMD Radeon HD 8870M’s 8462 and 1.6% above the NVIDIA GeForce MX330’s 8458, with a 1.1% deficit to the NVIDIA Quadro P2200’s 8686. The Vega 8 Mobile’s rivals cluster lower: it is 0.4% above the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE’s 7171 and 0.5% above the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580’s 7170.

The dual wins for the FirePro paint a clear picture. Compute tasks favor it by a moderate margin, and graphics API tasks favor it by a large margin. The Vega 8 Mobile’s higher boost clock of 1101 MHz compared to the FirePro’s 925 MHz does not translate into a benchmark victory in either recorded test. The architecture’s lower shader count and reduced ROP count likely cap its throughput despite the clock advantage.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every core specification. The FirePro W5170M uses a 28 nm TSMC process, while the Vega 8 Mobile uses a 14 nm GlobalFoundries process, so the Vega 8 Mobile is manufactured on a newer node. Transistors differ greatly: 1,500 million for the FirePro versus 4,940 million for the Vega 8 Mobile, which includes the CPU complex in the IGP design. Die size also differs, 123 mm² for the FirePro versus 210 mm² for the Vega 8 Mobile, and transistor density is 12.2 million per square millimeter versus 23.5 million per square millimeter respectively.

Clock speeds are reversed in character. The FirePro has a 900 MHz base and 925 MHz boost, while the Vega 8 Mobile has a 300 MHz base and 1101 MHz boost. Memory is the largest split: the FirePro has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128 bit bus with 72.00 GB/s bandwidth, while the Vega 8 Mobile has system shared memory with system dependent bandwidth. The memory clock also differs: 1125 MHz with 4.5 Gbps effective for the FirePro, versus no dedicated memory clock for the Vega 8 Mobile.

Compute resources differ: 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs for the FirePro, versus 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 8 ROPs for the Vega 8 Mobile. Pixel rate is 14.80 GPixel/s versus 8.808 GPixel/s, texture rate is 37.00 GTexel/s versus 35.23 GTexel/s, and FP32 is 1,184.0 GFLOPS versus 1,127.4 GFLOPS. The Vega 8 Mobile adds FP16 at 2.255 TFLOPS (2:1), which the FirePro does not list. The FirePro uses an MXM-A (3.0) bus interface and MXM module slot, while the Vega 8 Mobile is an IGP with no external interface. The FirePro’s TDP is not recorded, while the Vega 8 Mobile has a 25 W TDP. The Vega 8 Mobile supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3, while the FirePro supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both use OpenGL 4.6, neither has ray tracing cores or tensor cores, and both have portable device dependent display outputs.

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 Vega 8 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 7203.

Q: How large is the Vulkan performance gap between the two?

A: The FirePro W5170M scores 9050 in Geekbench Vulkan, compared to 6970 for the Vega 8 Mobile, a 29.8% advantage for the FirePro.

Q: Does the Vega 8 Mobile win any benchmark?

A: No, the head-to-head results show the FirePro W5170M winning both the OpenCL and Vulkan tests, with a wins count of 2 for the FirePro and 0 for the Vega 8 Mobile.

Q: What memory configuration does each GPU use?

A: The FirePro W5170M uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128 bit bus with 72.00 GB/s bandwidth. The Vega 8 Mobile uses system shared memory with system dependent bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The FirePro W5170M has 640 shading units, while the Vega 8 Mobile has 512 shading units.

Q: What is the difference in FP32 compute performance?

A: The FirePro W5170M delivers 1,184.0 GFLOPS FP32, while the Vega 8 Mobile delivers 1,127.4 GFLOPS FP32, a difference of about 5% in favor of the FirePro.

The Verdict

The data points to the AMD FirePro W5170M as the stronger GPU in every recorded benchmark. It wins OpenCL by 9.5% and Vulkan by 29.8%, and it holds a higher average benchmark score of 8595 versus 7203. Its dedicated 2 GB GDDR5 memory with 72.00 GB/s bandwidth provides a clear advantage over system shared memory, and its 16 ROPs versus 8 ROPs explains the large pixel rate difference of 14.80 GPixel/s versus 8.808 GPixel/s.

The Vega 8 Mobile is not without merits. It supports FP16 at 2.255 TFLOPS, has a newer architecture in GCN 5.0, and runs on a more advanced 14 nm process. Its 25 W TDP makes it suitable for integrated designs where a discrete MXM module is not an option. The FirePro W5170M, as an MXM module, requires a slot and dedicated memory, so it targets a different physical form factor.

For users choosing between these two in a database comparison, the FirePro W5170M is the clear performance pick. Its 44th percentile versus the Vega 8 Mobile’s 39th percentile reinforces the benchmark data. The Vega 8 Mobile’s nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 at 7222, sit below the FirePro’s nearest rivals, like the NVIDIA Quadro P2200 at 8686. The FirePro’s only recorded weakness is the lack of FP16 support and a lower Vulkan API version, but neither appears in the benchmark scores. The verdict from the measurements is straightforward: the FirePro W5170M for raw performance, the Vega 8 Mobile for an integrated, system-shared memory design with modern API support.