AMD FirePro W5170M vs NVIDIA Quadro 6000 Comparison

The Verdict

The NVIDIA Quadro 6000 and AMD FirePro W5170M represent two very different eras of professional graphics, and the data reflects that clearly. In the single recorded OpenCL benchmark, the Quadro 6000 scores 9,846 versus the FirePro W5170M's 8,140, a 21% advantage for the older NVIDIA card. The Quadro 6000 also holds a higher overall benchmark percentile at 47, compared to 44 for the AMD part.

For users prioritizing raw compute throughput in legacy OpenCL workloads, the Quadro 6000 is the stronger pick. Its 1,027.7 GFLOPS FP32 performance and 6 GB GDDR5 frame buffer give it a decisive edge in memory-heavy tasks. However, the FirePro W5170M counters with superior architectural efficiency: it delivers 1,184.0 GFLOPS from just 1,500 million transistors on a 28 nm node, while the Quadro uses 3,100 million transistors on 40 nm. The AMD card also supports Vulkan 1.2.170, something the Quadro lacks entirely.

The choice ultimately depends on workload compatibility. The Quadro 6000 wins on raw OpenCL score and memory capacity, but the FirePro W5170M is the more modern, feature-complete part for API support and power efficiency. Neither card is current production; both are end-of-life. Professionals with legacy Fermi-era software stacks will find the Quadro 6000 more familiar, while those needing Vulkan support or a mobile MXM form factor must choose the FirePro W5170M.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is generational. The Quadro 6000 uses the GF100 chip, built on the Fermi architecture, manufactured by TSMC on a 40 nm process. It packs 3,100 million transistors into a 529 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 5.9 million per mm². The FirePro W5170M, by contrast, uses the Tropo chip based on GCN 1.0, also fabricated by TSMC but on a much more advanced 28 nm node. It contains 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, achieving 12.2 million transistors per mm², more than double the density of the Fermi part.

The compute layouts differ significantly. The Quadro 6000 features 448 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs. The FirePro W5170M has 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and only 16 ROPs. This means the AMD card has 43% more shading units but 29% fewer texture units and 67% fewer ROPs. The FirePro compensates with higher clocks, running at 900 MHz base and 925 MHz boost, while the Quadro's core clocks are not recorded in the database. The memory subsystems also diverge: the Quadro uses a 384-bit bus with 6 GB GDDR5 at 747 MHz (3 Gbps effective), delivering 143.4 GB/s bandwidth. The FirePro uses a 128-bit bus with 2 GB GDDR5 at 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective), yielding only 72.00 GB/s, roughly half the bandwidth.

The FirePro W5170M belongs to the FirePro Mobile Wx100M generation, released in 2014, while the Quadro 6000 is from the Quadro Fermi x000 line, released in 2010. The Quadro's predecessor is Quadro FX Tesla, and its successor is Quadro Kepler. The FirePro's predecessor is FirePro Mobility, and its successor is Radeon Pro Mobile. Both cards are end-of-life production status.

DirectX support is nominally similar: the Quadro supports DirectX 12 (11_0), while the FirePro supports DirectX 12 (11_1). OpenGL is identical at 4.6 for both. The critical differentiator is Vulkan: the FirePro W5170M supports Vulkan 1.2.170, whereas the Quadro 6000 has no Vulkan support recorded.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records a single head-to-head benchmark between these two cards: Geekbench OpenCL. In this test, the NVIDIA Quadro 6000 scores 9,846 against the AMD FirePro W5170M's 8,140, a 21% delta in favor of NVIDIA. This is the only benchmark where both cards were measured under identical conditions, and it gives the Quadro a clear win in the wins tally, 1 to 0.

Contextualizing the Quadro's OpenCL score against its nearest rivals shows how tightly grouped this segment is. The Quadro 6000 sits just 0.1% above the NVIDIA Quadro M2000M (9,832), 0.4% above the AMD FirePro W5000 (9,803), and 0.7% above the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (9,780). It trails the GeForce GTX 870M (9,959) by 1.1%. This means the Quadro 6000 is effectively mid-pack among its contemporaries, neither dominating nor being dominated.

The FirePro W5170M's OpenCL score of 8,140 positions it differently. Its average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 8,595, reflecting an additional Vulkan score of 9,050. Against its nearest rivals, the FirePro is 0.4% above the Intel Arc A380 (8,558), 1.6% above both the AMD Radeon HD 8870M (8,462) and the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (8,458), and 1.1% below the NVIDIA Quadro P2200 (8,686). The FirePro's Vulkan score of 9,050 is notably higher than its OpenCL score, suggesting the GCN architecture is better optimized for that API, though no direct Vulkan comparison with the Quadro is possible since the Quadro has no Vulkan score.

The 21% OpenCL deficit for the FirePro is significant, but it must be weighed against the fact that the FirePro achieves this with half the memory bandwidth and a much smaller die. The Quadro's 143.4 GB/s bandwidth is nearly double the FirePro's 72.00 GB/s, and its 6 GB frame buffer is triple the FirePro's 2 GB. For OpenCL workloads that are memory-bound, the Quadro's advantage is structural. For compute-bound tasks that scale with shading units and clock speed, the FirePro's 640 units at 925 MHz boost could theoretically close the gap, but the recorded OpenCL benchmark does not reflect that.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA Quadro 6000 | AMD FirePro W5170M |

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

| Architecture | Fermi | GCN 1.0 |

| Process Node | 40 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 3,100 million | 1,500 million |

| Die Size | 529 mm² | 123 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 5.9M / mm² | 12.2M / mm² |

| Base Clock | Not recorded | 900 MHz |

| Boost Clock | Not recorded | 925 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 747 MHz (3 Gbps effective) | 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 6 GB | 2 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus Width | 384 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 143.4 GB/s | 72.00 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 448 | 640 |

| TMUs | 56 | 40 |

| ROPs | 48 | 16 |

| Pixel Rate | 16.07 GPixel/s | 14.80 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 32.14 GTexel/s | 37.00 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 1,027.7 GFLOPS | 1,184.0 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 204 W | Not recorded |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | MXM Module |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 550 W | Not recorded |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 2.0 x16 | MXM-A (3.0) |

| Display Outputs | 1x DVI, 2x DisplayPort, 1x S-Video | Portable Device Dependent |

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

| Vulkan | Not supported | 1.2.170 |

| Release Date | 2010-12-09 | 2014-08-24 |

| Launch MSRP | 4,399 USD | Not recorded |

The specification table reveals a clear generational split. The Quadro 6000 is a desktop workstation card with dual-slot cooling, a 204 W TDP, and external power requirements. The FirePro W5170M is a mobile MXM module with no power connectors and no recorded TDP, drawing power through the laptop's MXM-A interface. The Quadro's 248 mm length and 111 mm height are irrelevant to the mobile FirePro, which has no recorded dimensions.

Performance-per-watt favors the FirePro heavily. The AMD card delivers 1,184.0 GFLOPS from a 123 mm² die, while the Quadro manages 1,027.7 GFLOPS from a 529 mm² die. The FirePro also has higher texture rate (37.00 GTexel/s versus 32.14 GTexel/s) despite fewer TMUs, thanks to its higher clock speeds. The Quadro counters with higher pixel rate (16.07 GPixel/s versus 14.80 GPixel/s) due to its 48 ROPs versus the FirePro's 16.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro 6000 scores 9,846 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the AMD FirePro W5170M scores 8,140. The Quadro leads by 21%.

Q: Does the AMD FirePro W5170M support Vulkan?

A: Yes, the FirePro W5170M supports Vulkan 1.2.170. The NVIDIA Quadro 6000 has no Vulkan support recorded in the database.

Q: How much memory does each card have, and what is the bandwidth difference?

A: The Quadro 6000 has 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus with 143.4 GB/s bandwidth. The FirePro W5170M has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 72.00 GB/s bandwidth. The Quadro has triple the memory capacity and nearly double the bandwidth.

Q: What are the FP32 compute performances of these two GPUs?

A: The AMD FirePro W5170M delivers 1,184.0 GFLOPS FP32 performance, which is higher than the NVIDIA Quadro 6000's 1,027.7 GFLOPS, despite the Quadro winning the OpenCL benchmark.

Q: What form factors do these cards use?

A: The Quadro 6000 is a dual-slot desktop card requiring 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin power connectors, with a suggested PSU of 550 W. The FirePro W5170M is an MXM Module with no power connectors, designed for portable devices.

Q: How does the Quadro 6000 compare to its nearest rivals in OpenCL?

A: The Quadro 6000's 9,846 score is 0.1% above the Quadro M2000M (9,832), 0.4% above the FirePro W5000 (9,803), and 0.7% above the GeForce GTX 1070 (9,780). It trails the GeForce GTX 870M (9,959) by 1.1%.