AMD FirePro W5170M vs NVIDIA Tesla C2070 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records a single direct comparison between the NVIDIA Tesla C2070 and the AMD FirePro W5170M in the Geekbench OpenCL test. The results show a decisive victory for the NVIDIA part. The Tesla C2070 posted a score of 9,716, while the FirePro W5170M achieved 8,140. This represents a 19.4% advantage for the NVIDIA card in this compute-focused workload.

The OpenCL result is telling for both architectures. The Tesla C2070, despite being a larger and older design, demonstrates substantially higher raw compute throughput in this test. Its score of 9,716 places it in the 47th percentile among all GPUs in the database. The FirePro W5170M, scoring 8,140, sits in the 44th percentile. The gap between the 47th and 44th percentiles is modest, but the raw score delta of 1,576 points is significant.

Context from the nearest rivals helps frame these numbers. The Tesla C2070's closest competitor in the database is the NVIDIA Tesla M10, which averages 9,724, a mere 0.1% difference. The Quadro P4000 trails by 0.5% at 9,665, and the AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 is 0.7% behind at 9,653. The Tesla C2070 also sits within 0.7% of the GeForce GTX 1070, a much newer consumer card. This suggests the C2070's OpenCL performance remains competitive with a wide range of hardware, even a decade after its release.

The FirePro W5170M's rivals cluster closer to its own score. The Intel Arc A380 averages 8,558, just 0.4% ahead. The NVIDIA Quadro P2200 sits 1.1% higher at 8,686. The AMD Radeon HD 8870M and NVIDIA GeForce MX330 are 1.6% behind at 8,462 and 8,458 respectively. The W5170M's position in this cluster indicates it delivers typical performance for a mid-range mobile GPU of its era, but it cannot match the desktop-class compute output of the Tesla.

The head-to-head data contains no reversal. The Tesla C2070 wins the only benchmark recorded, and the FirePro W5170M has no counter-victory in any other test. The delta of 19.4% is substantial, but it reflects a single workload. OpenCL compute is a strong suit for the Tesla's Fermi architecture, which was designed for general-purpose GPU computing. The FirePro's GCN 1.0 architecture also supports OpenCL well, but its mobile-class implementation with fewer resources simply cannot keep pace.

The average benchmark score in the database further confirms the hierarchy. The Tesla C2070 averages 9,716 across all recorded tests, while the FirePro W5170M averages 8,595. The 1,121-point difference in average scores mirrors the OpenCL result, reinforcing that the NVIDIA part holds a consistent edge in the database's measurements.

The Verdict

From the recorded data, the choice is clear for compute-bound workloads. The NVIDIA Tesla C2070 outperforms the AMD FirePro W5170M by 19.4% in OpenCL and holds a higher average benchmark score of 9,716 versus 8,595. The Tesla also ranks higher in the overall percentile distribution, sitting at 47% versus the FirePro's 44%. Any user prioritizing raw OpenCL compute performance should select the Tesla C2070 based on these measurements.

The FirePro W5170M, however, is not without its merits in the database. It supports Vulkan 1.2.170, a feature the Tesla C2070 lacks entirely. The database records a Vulkan score of 9,050 for the AMD part, which is higher than its OpenCL score of 8,140. This indicates the FirePro's newer architecture handles modern graphics APIs more efficiently. The Tesla C2070 has no recorded Vulkan result, so users requiring that API have only one option between these two.

Physical form factor is another differentiator. The Tesla C2070 is a dual-slot desktop card with a 248 mm length and requires both a 6-pin and an 8-pin power connector. The FirePro W5170M is an MXM Module with no external power connectors, designed for portable devices. The data shows the Tesla has a 238 W TDP, while the FirePro's TDP is not recorded. The choice between these cards may ultimately depend on the chassis. A desktop workstation can accommodate the Tesla; a laptop or compact mobile workstation requires the MXM form factor of the FirePro.

For users constrained to a mobile platform, the FirePro W5170M is the only viable option. For those building or upgrading a desktop system with compute in mind, the Tesla C2070 offers superior OpenCL performance and a higher benchmark percentile. The data does not record any price information, so no cost analysis is possible here. The verdict rests solely on measured performance and hardware compatibility.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla C2070 scores 9,716 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the AMD FirePro W5170M scores 8,140. The Tesla leads by 19.4% in this test.

Q: Does the AMD FirePro W5170M support Vulkan?

A: Yes. The database records a Vulkan score of 9,050 for the FirePro W5170M, and its API support includes Vulkan 1.2.170. The NVIDIA Tesla C2070 has no recorded Vulkan support in the database.

Q: What are the memory capacities of these two GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla C2070 has 6 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 143.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The AMD FirePro W5170M has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, with 72.00 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: How do these GPUs compare in terms of transistor density?

A: The AMD FirePro W5170M has a transistor density of 12.2M per mm², significantly higher than the Tesla C2070's 5.9M per mm². The Tesla uses a 40 nm process with 3,100 million transistors on a 529 mm² die, while the FirePro uses a 28 nm process with 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die.

Q: Which GPU has a higher FP32 compute throughput?

A: The AMD FirePro W5170M delivers 1,184.0 GFLOPS of FP32 performance, exceeding the NVIDIA Tesla C2070's 1,027.7 GFLOPS. Despite this, the Tesla scores higher in the OpenCL benchmark.

Q: What form factor does each GPU use?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla C2070 is a dual-slot desktop card measuring 248 mm (9.8 inches) in length, requiring a 6-pin and an 8-pin power connector. The AMD FirePro W5170M is an MXM Module with no external power connectors, designed for portable device integration.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every recorded specification. The NVIDIA Tesla C2070 uses 448 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 48 render output units. The AMD FirePro W5170M uses 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The AMD part has more shaders but fewer texture and pixel units.

Memory configurations diverge sharply. The Tesla C2070 offers 6 GB of GDDR5 across a 384-bit bus, achieving 143.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The FirePro W5170M provides 2 GB of GDDR5 across a 128-bit bus, yielding 72.00 GB/s. The Tesla has triple the memory capacity and nearly double the bandwidth.

Clock behavior also differs. The Tesla C2070 has no recorded base or boost clock, only a memory clock of 747 MHz (3 Gbps effective). The FirePro W5170M is recorded with a 900 MHz base clock and a 925 MHz boost clock, with memory at 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective). The AMD part runs at higher frequencies on both the GPU and memory.

Rates and throughput numbers favor each card in different areas. The Tesla C2070 achieves a pixel rate of 16.07 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 32.14 GTexel/s. The FirePro W5170M records a pixel rate of 14.80 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 37.00 GTexel/s. The Tesla leads in pixel fill, while the AMD part leads in texture fill. The FirePro also leads in FP32 compute with 1,184.0 GFLOPS versus the Tesla's 1,027.7 GFLOPS.

Power and physical requirements set them apart completely. The Tesla C2070 has a 238 W TDP, requires a 550 W suggested power supply, uses a dual-slot cooler, and needs 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin power connectors. The FirePro W5170M has no recorded TDP, no power connectors, and no suggested PSU, instead using an MXM Module slot width with an MXM-A (3.0) bus interface. The Tesla uses PCIe 2.0 x16; the FirePro uses MXM-A (3.0).

Display outputs differ. The Tesla C2070 provides 1x DVI. The FirePro W5170M's outputs are described as "Portable Device Dependent," meaning they vary by the host laptop. The Tesla's dimensions are recorded at 248 mm length; the FirePro has no recorded dimensions.

Architecture Differences

The NVIDIA Tesla C2070 is built on the GF100 chip using the Fermi architecture, manufactured on a 40 nm process at TSMC. The AMD FirePro W5170M uses the Tropo chip with the GCN 1.0 architecture, also from TSMC but on a 28 nm process. The process shrink gives the AMD part a significant density advantage: 12.2M transistors per mm² versus the Tesla's 5.9M per mm².

Transistor counts and die sizes tell the story of design philosophy. The Tesla C2070 packs 3,100 million transistors onto a 529 mm² die. The FirePro W5170M contains 1,500 million transistors on a much smaller 123 mm² die. The Tesla is a large, power-hungry desktop compute card; the FirePro is a compact mobile part.

API support reveals generational differences. The Tesla C2070 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but no Vulkan. The FirePro W5170M supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The Vulkan support on the AMD part reflects its newer architecture and later release.

The generation labels in the database place them in different product families. The Tesla C2070 belongs to the "Tesla Fermi (x20xx)" generation, released in 2011. The FirePro W5170M belongs to the "FirePro Mobile (Wx100M)" generation, released in 2014. The Tesla's predecessor is listed as "Tesla" and its successor as "Tesla Kepler." The FirePro's predecessor is "FirePro Mobility" and its successor is "Radeon Pro Mobile."

Shader architecture differs fundamentally. Fermi, as implemented in GF100, uses 448 CUDA cores organized in a different arrangement than GCN 1.0's 640 stream processors. The GCN design is optimized for higher clock speeds and better compute utilization per watt, while Fermi prioritized raw throughput at higher power. The benchmark data shows the Tesla still wins OpenCL despite the architectural differences, likely due to its wider memory bus and larger memory pool. The FirePro's Vulkan capability demonstrates a more modern feature set, while the Tesla's older design lacks that API entirely.