AMD FirePro W600 vs AMD Radeon HD 7730M Comparison

The AMD Radeon HD 7730M and AMD FirePro W600 are both built on the same GCN 1.0 architecture and 28 nm process node, but they target fundamentally different use cases. The data shows a single head-to-head benchmark, with the mobile-oriented Radeon HD 7730M edging out the professional workstation FirePro W600 by a margin of 5.8%, scoring 6581 versus 6223 in Geekbench OpenCL. This narrow gap is surprising given the significant differences in their memory subsystems and power envelopes, suggesting that raw compute throughput is more closely matched than the specifications might imply.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, where the AMD Radeon HD 7730M achieves a score of 6581 against the AMD FirePro W600's 6223. That translates to a 5.8% advantage for the mobile part, a result that flips expectations when considering the FirePro's workstation pedigree. Looking at the nearest rivals for each card provides context: the Radeon HD 7730M sits just 0.4% above the Intel UHD Graphics P750 (6554) and 1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M (6513), while trailing the AMD Radeon R7 M460 (6612) by 0.5%. The FirePro W600, meanwhile, is 0.2% above the AMD Radeon HD 6950 (6210) but 0.7% below both the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER AD102 and RTX 5070 Ti SUPER (both at 6270), and 0.9% below the NVIDIA Quadro K620 (6282).

The 5.8% delta between the two contestant cards is modest, but it is consistent across the entire benchmark run. The Radeon HD 7730M's win is not a blowout; rather, it represents a consistent edge in OpenCL compute workloads. Notably, the FirePro W600's closest rival list includes modern high-end NVIDIA parts like the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER AD102, which shows that its score of 6223 is competitive in a broad field, even if it loses to the older mobile chip here. The data suggests that in pure compute terms, the architecture does most of the heavy lifting, with clock speeds and memory bandwidth playing a secondary, though still measurable, role.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs share the same fundamental DNA: GCN 1.0 architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process, with 1,500 million transistors packed into a 123 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.2M per mm². They also have identical core configurations—512 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 raster operation pipelines. This means the raw compute pipelines are structurally identical, and the differences come down to how those pipelines are fed and clocked.

The first major divergence is memory. The Radeon HD 7730M uses 2 GB of DDR3 memory on a 128-bit bus, running at 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective), which produces a bandwidth of 28.80 GB/s. The FirePro W600 steps up to 2 GB of GDDR5 on the same 128-bit bus, but at 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective), delivering 64.00 GB/s—more than double the bandwidth. This is a critical architectural difference: the FirePro has far more memory throughput available to feed its compute units, yet it still loses the OpenCL benchmark, indicating that the Radeon's higher clock speeds compensate for the bandwidth deficit.

Clock behavior also differs. The Radeon HD 7730M has defined base and boost clocks of 575 MHz and 675 MHz, respectively, while the FirePro W600 lists no base or boost clock in the data. However, the resulting throughput numbers tell the story: the Radeon achieves a pixel rate of 10.80 GPixel/s, a texture rate of 21.60 GTexel/s, and 691.2 GFLOPS FP32, while the FirePro posts 12.00 GPixel/s, 24.00 GTexel/s, and 768.0 GFLOPS FP32. The FirePro is roughly 11% faster in each of these metrics, which aligns with its higher memory bandwidth allowing the cores to operate more efficiently. Yet the benchmark score does not reflect this theoretical advantage, suggesting that Geekbench OpenCL may be sensitive to factors like driver optimization or memory latency rather than just raw throughput.

Where Each One Wins

The Radeon HD 7730M wins the only benchmark tested, so on paper it takes the compute crown. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 6581 places it in the 38th percentile of all GPUs, while the FirePro W600 sits at the 36th percentile with 6223. The Radeon's win is notable because it is a mobile part with a 25 W TDP, designed for laptops and portable devices, where power efficiency is paramount. The data shows that this efficiency does not come at the cost of compute performance in this specific test, as it outperforms a professional workstation card with triple the TDP.

The FirePro W600, however, wins in every throughput metric that matters for sustained professional workloads. Its FP32 performance of 768.0 GFLOPS is 11.1% higher than the Radeon's 691.2 GFLOPS, and its texture rate of 24.00 GTexel/s exceeds the Radeon's 21.60 GTexel/s by the same margin. The pixel rate difference follows suit: 12.00 GPixel/s versus 10.80 GPixel/s. The FirePro also has a massive bandwidth advantage at 64.00 GB/s versus 28.80 GB/s, which is 122% higher. For workloads that are bandwidth-bound—such as large texture fetches, multi-display output, or certain compute kernels—the FirePro's architecture is clearly superior, even if the synthetic OpenCL score does not reflect it.

The use-case split is stark. The Radeon HD 7730M is the better choice for mobile computing, where its 25 W TDP and portable-device-dependent display outputs make it feasible for thin-and-light laptops. The FirePro W600, with its 75 W TDP, single-slot design, 168 mm length, and six mini-DisplayPort 1.2 outputs, is built for fixed workstations that need to drive multiple monitors or handle professional visualization tasks. The FirePro also supports PCIe 3.0 x16, while the Radeon is limited to PCIe 2.0 x16, which could affect data transfer speeds in bandwidth-intensive applications.

The Verdict

The benchmark data delivers a clear, if counterintuitive, verdict: the AMD Radeon HD 7730M is the faster GPU in Geekbench OpenCL, scoring 5.8% higher than the AMD FirePro W600. For anyone prioritizing raw compute performance in this specific test, the Radeon is the winner, and it achieves this at a fraction of the power draw (25 W versus 75 W). The Radeon's percentile rank of 38 versus the FirePro's 36 reinforces this, showing that the mobile chip outperforms a significant portion of the GPU landscape, including its professional sibling.

However, the data also suggests that the FirePro W600 is not obsolete. Its superior memory bandwidth (64.00 GB/s), higher FP32 throughput (768.0 GFLOPS), and faster pixel and texture rates make it the more capable card for bandwidth-hungry and throughput-intensive tasks. The FirePro's 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 outputs and single-slot form factor are features the Radeon simply cannot match, given its portable-device-dependent outputs. The Radeon's PCIe 2.0 interface is also a generation behind the FirePro's PCIe 3.0, which could bottleneck data-heavy workloads.

In practical terms, the Radeon HD 7730M wins the compute benchmark but loses the professional feature war. The FirePro W600 is the card for a workstation that needs multiple display outputs and sustained throughput, while the Radeon is the chip for a laptop that needs decent OpenCL performance without melting the chassis. The 5.8% benchmark delta is real, but it is small enough that other factors—drivers, cooling, and specific workload characteristics—could easily reverse the outcome in real-world scenarios.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 7730M scores 6581, which is 5.8% higher than the AMD FirePro W600's 6223.

Q: How does the Radeon HD 7730M compare to its nearest rivals?

A: It is 0.4% above the Intel UHD Graphics P750 (6554), 1% above the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M (6513), and 1.4% above the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M (6493), but 0.5% below the AMD Radeon R7 M460 (6612).

Q: What memory bandwidth does each card offer?

A: The Radeon HD 7730M has 28.80 GB/s from 2 GB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus, while the FirePro W600 has 64.00 GB/s from 2 GB of GDDR5 on the same 128-bit bus.

Q: Are the core configurations identical?

A: Yes, both have 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, built on the same GCN 1.0 architecture with 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die.

Q: What is the TDP difference between the two?

A: The Radeon HD 7730M has a 25 W TDP, while the FirePro W600 has a 75 W TDP, and the FirePro also lists a suggested PSU of 250 W.

Q: Which card has more display outputs?

A: The FirePro W600 features 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 outputs, whereas the Radeon HD 7730M's display outputs are listed as portable device dependent.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon HD 7730M | AMD FirePro W600 |

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

| Chip | Chelsea | Cape Verde |

| Generation | London (HD 7700M) | FirePro GCN (Wx000) |

| Base Clock | 575 MHz | Not listed |

| Boost Clock | 675 MHz | Not listed |

| Memory Clock | 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective) | 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Type | DDR3 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bandwidth | 28.80 GB/s | 64.00 GB/s |

| Pixel Rate | 10.80 GPixel/s | 12.00 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 21.60 GTexel/s | 24.00 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 691.2 GFLOPS | 768.0 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 25 W | 75 W |

| Slot Width | Not listed | Single-slot |

| Power Connectors | Not listed | None |

| Suggested PSU | Not listed | 250 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 2.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 |

| Dimensions | Not listed | 168 mm x 111 mm x 20 mm |

| Release Date | 2012-04-23 | 2012-06-12 |

| Predecessor | Vancouver | FirePro Terascale |

| Successor | Solar System | Radeon Pro Polaris |

| Launch MSRP | Not listed | 599 USD |