AMD FirePro W5170M vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile Comparison

The data places the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile and AMD FirePro W5170M at the same overall percentile rank of 44 among all GPUs, yet their average benchmark scores tell different stories. The RTX 3050 A Mobile averages 8746 points, while the FirePro W5170M averages 8595 points, a difference of roughly 1.8%. However, this narrow aggregate gap masks a decisive split in the only common benchmark test. In Geekbench OpenCL, the NVIDIA part scores 52998 against the AMD part's 8140, a 551.1% advantage. The FirePro W5170M counters with a Geekbench Vulkan score of 9050, a test the RTX 3050 A Mobile does not appear in. For buyers, the choice hinges on workload: the RTX 3050 A Mobile is the compute-oriented part, while the FirePro W5170M offers a legacy compatibility path with its older architecture.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous in compute performance. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile wins the only head-to-head benchmark available, delivering 52998 in Geekbench OpenCL versus 8140 for the AMD FirePro W5170M. That 551.1% delta is not incremental; it represents a fundamentally different performance class. The RTX 3050 A Mobile also benefits from a significantly newer feature set, supporting DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), Vulkan 1.4, and hardware ray tracing, whereas the FirePro W5170M tops out at DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170.

The AMD FirePro W5170M is not without merit. Its average benchmark score of 8595 places it within 1.6% of the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 and 0.4% of the Intel Arc A380, indicating it remains competitive in its peer group. It also posts a Geekbench Vulkan score of 9050, a test where the RTX 3050 A Mobile has no recorded result. However, for any modern compute task measured by OpenCL, the RTX 3050 A Mobile is the clear pick. The verdict: choose the RTX 3050 A Mobile for raw performance and current API support; choose the FirePro W5170M only if Vulkan compatibility in this specific test matters more than the massive OpenCL gap.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different manufacturing eras and design philosophies. NVIDIA's RTX 3050 A Mobile uses the GA106 chip built on an 8 nm Samsung process, packing 12,000 million transistors into a 276 mm² die. This yields a transistor density of 43.5 million per mm². AMD's FirePro W5170M uses the Tropo chip on a 28 nm TSMC process, with 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, giving a density of 12.2 million per mm². The NVIDIA part is substantially larger and denser, which explains its higher transistor budget.

The microarchitectures diverge sharply. The RTX 3050 A Mobile is based on Ampere, the FirePro W5170M on GCN 1.0. This is a generational leap: Ampere includes dedicated RT cores (14 of them) and tensor cores (56 of them), neither of which exists on the GCN 1.0 part. The RTX 3050 A Mobile also has far more execution resources, with 1792 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The FirePro W5170M has 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The NVIDIA GPU's FP32 throughput is 4.813 TFLOPS, while the AMD part manages 1,184.0 GFLOPS (1.184 TFLOPS). The RTX 3050 A Mobile also supports FP16 at a 1:1 ratio (4.813 TFLOPS), a feature absent from the FirePro W5170M's spec sheet.

Memory systems also differ. The RTX 3050 A Mobile uses 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, achieving 192.0 GB/s bandwidth. The FirePro W5170M has 2 GB of GDDR5 on the same 128-bit bus, yielding 72.00 GB/s. Clock speeds are higher on the NVIDIA part as well: base 1065 MHz and boost 1343 MHz versus 900 MHz base and 925 MHz boost for AMD. The NVIDIA memory runs at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective), while AMD's runs at 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective).

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data shows a single clear win for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile: Geekbench OpenCL, with a 551.1% margin over the FirePro W5170M. This test is the only common benchmark in the head-to-head table, and the result is lopsided. The RTX 3050 A Mobile's advantage likely stems from its higher shading unit count, faster clocks, and much larger memory bandwidth, though the data does not isolate these factors.

The AMD FirePro W5170M wins in a different sense: it has a recorded Geekbench Vulkan score of 9050, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile has no Vulkan benchmark entry in the data. This absence does not mean the NVIDIA part is incapable of Vulkan — it supports the API up to version 1.4 — but it means the FirePro W5170M is the only one of the two with a verified score in that test. For users specifically targeting Vulkan workloads, the FirePro W5170M provides a known quantity.

The aggregate performance picture is close. The RTX 3050 A Mobile's average benchmark score of 8746 sits 0.7% above the NVIDIA Quadro P2200 (8686) and 1.2% below the AMD Radeon R9 M265X (8851). The FirePro W5170M's average of 8595 sits 1.1% below the Quadro P2200 and 1.6% above the GeForce MX330 (8458). Both parts occupy the same tier in the database, but the OpenCL result shows the RTX 3050 A Mobile has untapped headroom that the average does not capture.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has better OpenCL performance?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile scores 52998 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 551.1% higher than the AMD FirePro W5170M's 8140. This is the only common benchmark between the two.

Q: Does the AMD FirePro W5170M have any benchmark advantage?

A: The FirePro W5170M has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 9050, a test where the RTX 3050 A Mobile has no recorded score. This gives the AMD part a verified performance figure in Vulkan that the NVIDIA part lacks.

Q: How do their average scores compare?

A: The RTX 3050 A Mobile has an average benchmark score of 8746, while the FirePro W5170M averages 8595. The difference is approximately 1.8% in favor of the NVIDIA part.

Q: What are the memory specifications?

A: The RTX 3050 A Mobile has 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 192.0 GB/s bandwidth. The FirePro W5170M has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 72.00 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Do both GPUs support modern APIs?

A: No. The RTX 3050 A Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The FirePro W5170M supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170.

Q: What is their relative performance against common rivals?

A: The RTX 3050 A Mobile is 0.7% above the Quadro P2200 and 1.2% below the Radeon R9 M265X. The FirePro W5170M is 1.1% below the Quadro P2200 and 1.6% above the GeForce MX330.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is Geekbench OpenCL, and the results are stark. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile scores 52998, while the AMD FirePro W5170M scores 8140. The delta percentage is 551.1%, meaning the NVIDIA part outperforms the AMD part by a factor of roughly 6.5×. To put that in context, the RTX 3050 A Mobile's nearest rivals in the overall database — the GTX 460 v2 at 8743 and the Quadro P2200 at 8686 — are far closer to the FirePro W5170M's 8595 average than to the RTX 3050 A Mobile's OpenCL score. The RTX 3050 A Mobile's 52998 is more than six times its own average benchmark score of 8746, indicating that OpenCL is a particular strength for this architecture.

The FirePro W5170M's absence from other head-to-head tests means its Vulkan score of 9050 stands as its best documented result. This score is higher than its average of 8595, but it is still far below the RTX 3050 A Mobile's OpenCL figure. The data offers no other common tests, so the performance split is defined entirely by these two results: one OpenCL test where NVIDIA dominates, and one Vulkan test where AMD has the only entry. The RTX 3050 A Mobile's 4.813 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 75.21 GTexel/s texture rate provide a theoretical basis for its OpenCL lead, while the FirePro W5170M's 1,184.0 GFLOPS and 37.00 GTexel/s cap its compute ceiling.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every measured specification. The RTX 3050 A Mobile uses an 8 nm Samsung process with a 276 mm² die and 12,000 million transistors; the FirePro W5170M uses a 28 nm TSMC process with a 123 mm² die and 1,500 million transistors. Transistor density is 43.5M per mm² versus 12.2M per mm². Clock speeds favor NVIDIA: base 1065 MHz and boost 1343 MHz against AMD's 900 MHz and 925 MHz.

Memory differs in both capacity and type. The RTX 3050 A Mobile has 4 GB GDDR6 at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective) for 192.0 GB/s bandwidth. The FirePro W5170M has 2 GB GDDR5 at 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective) for 72.00 GB/s bandwidth. Both use a 128-bit bus. Compute resources are heavily skewed: the NVIDIA part has 1792 shading units, 56 TMUs, 32 ROPs, 14 RT cores, and 56 tensor cores. The AMD part has 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, 16 ROPs, and no RT or tensor cores. Pixel rate is 42.98 GPixel/s versus 14.80 GPixel/s; texture rate is 75.21 GTexel/s versus 37.00 GTexel/s. FP32 is 4.813 TFLOPS versus 1,184.0 GFLOPS; FP16 is 4.813 TFLOPS on NVIDIA and not specified on AMD.

API support diverges: NVIDIA offers DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while AMD offers DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6. Slot width and bus interface differ: the RTX 3050 A Mobile is an IGP with PCIe 4.0 x8, while the FirePro W5170M is an MXM Module with MXM-A (3.0). Both have no power connectors and portable-device-dependent display outputs. The RTX 3050 A Mobile has a 45 W TDP; the FirePro W5170M has no TDP listed. Release dates are far apart: the NVIDIA part launched in 2023, the AMD part in 2014. The NVIDIA part's predecessor is the GeForce 20 Mobile; the AMD part's predecessor is FirePro Mobility. The AMD part's successor is Radeon Pro Mobile, while the NVIDIA part has no listed successor.