AMD Radeon 890M vs AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 Comparison

The AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 and the AMD Radeon 890M represent two completely different eras of GPU design, and the benchmark data reflects that chasm. The WX 2100 is a legacy 14nm discrete workstation card from 2017, while the 890M is a modern 4nm integrated graphics processor (IGP) from 2024. Across the two shared head-to-head benchmarks, the 890M wins decisively, but the WX 2100 still holds relevance in specific legacy workstation contexts due to its dedicated memory and established driver ecosystem.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 has a higher average benchmark score of 9653 compared to the AMD Radeon 890M's 9210. This is despite the 890M winning both head-to-head tests, showing that the average includes a wider set of workloads where the WX 2100's dedicated memory helps.

Q: How much faster is the 890M in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The 890M scores 37254 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 77.1% higher than the WX 2100's score of 8536. This is the largest performance gap between the two in any shared test.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same DirectX version?

A: No. The Radeon Pro WX 2100 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the Radeon 890M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). The 890M also adds hardware ray tracing cores, which the WX 2100 lacks entirely.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The WX 2100 has 2 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory on a 64-bit bus with 48.00 GB/s bandwidth. The 890M uses System Shared memory, meaning its bandwidth and capacity are "System Dependent" and vary with the host system's RAM.

Q: Which GPU has a higher transistor density?

A: The 890M has a transistor density of 145.9M per mm², which is significantly higher than the WX 2100's 21.4M per mm². This reflects the jump from a 14nm GlobalFoundries process to a 4nm TSMC process.

Q: What is the production status of each GPU?

A: The Radeon Pro WX 2100 is marked as "End-of-life" with a release date of 2017-06-03, while the Radeon 890M is "Active" with a release date of 2024-07-14.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is immense, spanning three major generations of AMD design. The Radeon Pro WX 2100 is built on the GCN 4.0 architecture using the Lexa chip, manufactured on a 14nm process at GlobalFoundries. In contrast, the Radeon 890M uses the RDNA 3.5 architecture with the Strix Point chip, built on a 4nm process at TSMC. This process shrink allows the 890M to pack 34,000 million transistors onto a 233 mm² die, versus 2,200 million transistors on the WX 2100's 103 mm² die. The transistor density jumps from 21.4M per mm² to 145.9M per mm², a massive leap in integration efficiency.

The compute configuration diverges sharply as well. The WX 2100 has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The 890M doubles those counts to 1024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The 890M also introduces 16 dedicated ray tracing cores, a feature completely absent from the GCN 4.0-based WX 2100. Clock speeds tell a story of their own: the WX 2100 runs at a 925 MHz base and 1219 MHz boost, while the 890M has a much lower 400 MHz base but a 2900 MHz boost, indicating aggressive power management and a wide dynamic range.

Memory architecture is a fundamental point of separation. The WX 2100 uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 64-bit bus, delivering a fixed 48.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The 890M uses System Shared memory, where capacity, bus width, and bandwidth are all "System Dependent" and determined by the host laptop's RAM configuration. This makes the 890M's memory performance variable, while the WX 2100 offers predictable, dedicated bandwidth. The WX 2100 also has a 35W TDP with a single-slot design and no power connectors, while the 890M is an IGP with a 15W TDP and no slot footprint, integrated directly into the processor package.

API support shows the generational leap. The WX 2100 caps out at DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The 890M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The bus interface also advances from PCIe 3.0 x8 on the WX 2100 to PCIe 4.0 x8 on the 890M, doubling the potential data transfer rate to the host system.

The Verdict

The data clearly favors the AMD Radeon 890M for any modern workload, particularly compute and graphics tasks that leverage current API features. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks decisively, with a 77.1% lead in Geekbench OpenCL and a 73.6% lead in Geekbench Vulkan. Its 16 ray tracing cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support make it the only choice for ray-traced content or games requiring modern feature sets. The 890M's 5.939 TFLOPS FP32 performance dwarfs the WX 2100's 1,248.3 GFLOPS, and its pixel rate of 92.80 GPixel/s is nearly five times higher.

However, the Radeon Pro WX 2100 retains a niche for legacy professional use. Its dedicated 2 GB GDDR5 memory with fixed 48.00 GB/s bandwidth provides deterministic performance that does not depend on system RAM configuration. This matters in older workstation software that was optimized for discrete memory and GCN architecture. The WX 2100 also has a higher average benchmark score (9653 vs 9210) and sits at the 46th percentile versus the 890M's 45th, indicating that across a broader benchmark suite, the older card holds its own. The WX 2100's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro P4000 (deltaPct -0.1) and GTX 960M (deltaPct 0.1), showing it sits in a competitive range for its era, whereas the 890M's nearest rivals are the GTX 960 (deltaPct -0.7) and GTX 850M (deltaPct -1).

Specification Differences

The specification sheets diverge on nearly every measurable field. The WX 2100 uses a 14nm process and the Lexa chip, while the 890M uses a 4nm process and the Strix Point chip. Transistor count jumps from 2,200 million to 34,000 million, and die size from 103 mm² to 233 mm². The WX 2100 has a fixed 925 MHz base clock and 1219 MHz boost, whereas the 890M runs at 400 MHz base and 2900 MHz boost. Memory differs fundamentally: 2 GB GDDR5 with 48.00 GB/s bandwidth versus System Shared memory with System Dependent bandwidth.

Compute resources double across the board: 512 vs 1024 shading units, 32 vs 64 TMUs, 16 vs 32 ROPs. The 890M adds 16 RT cores; the WX 2100 has none. FP32 performance is 1,248.3 GFLOPS versus 5.939 TFLOPS. Pixel rate is 19.50 GPixel/s versus 92.80 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 39.01 GTexel/s versus 185.6 GTexel/s. TDP drops from 35W to 15W. The WX 2100 is a single-slot card with 168 mm length and 69 mm height, while the 890M is an IGP with no dimensions listed.

Bus interface advances from PCIe 3.0 x8 to PCIe 4.0 x8. Display outputs on the WX 2100 are 1x DisplayPort 1.4a and 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a, whereas the 890M's outputs are "Portable Device Dependent." The WX 2100 supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3, while the 890M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4. The WX 2100 has a launch MSRP of 149 USD; the 890M has no launch MSRP listed. The WX 2100 is end-of-life with a 2017 release date, while the 890M is active with a 2024 release date.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two shared benchmark results show a complete sweep for the AMD Radeon 890M, but the margins tell different stories about workload characteristics. In Geekbench OpenCL, the 890M scores 37254 against the WX 2100's 8536, a deltaPct of -77.1% from the 890M's perspective. This is a massive compute win, driven by the 890M's 5.939 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput versus 1,248.3 GFLOPS on the WX 2100. The 890M's 1024 shading units and 64 TMUs provide nearly four times the raw arithmetic throughput, and the 2900 MHz boost clock allows it to sustain high utilization in compute-heavy workloads.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the gap narrows slightly but remains decisive. The 890M scores 40808 versus the WX 2100's 10770, a deltaPct of -73.6%. Vulkan's lower-level API overhead benefits the newer architecture more, but the WX 2100's GCN 4.0 design still manages to close a few percentage points of the gap compared to OpenCL. This suggests the WX 2100's driver and hardware handle Vulkan's explicit command model relatively well for its era, but it cannot overcome the fundamental 4x shading unit deficit.

The 890M's win count is 2 out of 2 head-to-head tests. The WX 2100 wins 0 tests. However, the average benchmark scores complicate the picture: the WX 2100 averages 9653 across all its benchmarks, while the 890M averages 9210. This indicates that in the WX 2100's full benchmark suite, which likely includes older DirectX and compute tests suited to GCN, it performs competitively. The 890M's Passmark scores show its nature as an IGP: DirectX 9 scores 97, DirectX 10 scores 33, DirectX 11 scores 73, DirectX 12 scores 37, with a G3D score of 8076 and G2D score of 979.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon 890M wins decisively in raw compute and modern graphics. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 37254 is 77.1% higher than the WX 2100, and its Vulkan score of 40808 is 73.6% higher. The 890M's 5.939 TFLOPS FP32 performance, 92.80 GPixel/s pixel rate, and 185.6 GTexel/s texture rate make it the clear choice for any modern rendering workload, including ray tracing with its 16 RT cores. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, making it future-proof for current game APIs. Its 15W TDP also makes it far more power-efficient for mobile platforms, as it is an IGP with no separate card footprint.

The Radeon Pro WX 2100 wins in legacy workstation compatibility and deterministic memory performance. Its dedicated 2 GB GDDR5 with 48.00 GB/s bandwidth does not depend on host system RAM, unlike the 890M's System Shared memory. For older professional applications written for GCN 4.0 and discrete memory pools, the WX 2100 provides stable and predictable performance. Its higher average benchmark score of 9653 versus 9210 indicates that in a broader suite of tests, it outperforms the 890M. The WX 2100 also has established display outputs (1x DisplayPort 1.4a, 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a) that are fixed and known, whereas the 890M's outputs are device-dependent. The WX 2100's nearest rival cluster includes the NVIDIA Quadro P4000 and GTX 960M, placing it in a proven professional performance tier, while the 890M's rivals are consumer cards like the GTX 960 and GTX 850M.