AMD Radeon HD 8870M vs AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 Comparison

The Verdict

The data in the database shows a clear split between these two AMD mobile/workstation GPUs, with the older AMD Radeon HD 8870M taking the overall benchmark crown while the newer AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 offers a more modern feature set and double the memory. For raw compute performance in OpenCL, the HD 8870M is the winner, scoring 8,462 versus the Pro WX 3100's 7,333, a 15.4% advantage. However, the Pro WX 3100 counters with a higher pixel rate, higher texture rate, and significantly more FP32 throughput, making it the more balanced performer for graphics-heavy tasks.

Users who prioritize raw compute in legacy OpenCL workloads should choose the HD 8870M, as it sits at the 43rd percentile among all GPUs in the database, slightly ahead of the Pro WX 3100's 41st percentile. The HD 8870M also edges out its nearest rivals: it is 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 and 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon 880M. The Pro WX 3100, by contrast, trails the HD 8870M in its average benchmark score (7,580 versus 8,462) and sits closer to lower-tier parts like the AMD Radeon R7 250 (0.3% ahead) and the Intel Arc A310 (0.4% ahead).

For users needing a modern workstation GPU with 4 GB of memory, a smaller die, and a single-slot form factor, the Pro WX 3100 is the logical pick. Its 4 GB GDDR5 frame buffer doubles the HD 8870M's 2 GB, and its 96.00 GB/s memory bandwidth exceeds the older card's 72.00 GB/s. The Pro WX 3100 also supports Vulkan 1.3 and DirectX 12 (12_0), whereas the HD 8870M is limited to Vulkan 1.2.170 and DirectX 12 (11_1).

Where Each One Wins

The HD 8870M wins the only shared benchmark in the database: Geekbench OpenCL. Its score of 8,462 beats the Pro WX 3100's 7,333 by 15.4%. This advantage likely stems from its higher shading unit count (640 versus 512) and its higher TMU count (40 versus 32), which give it more parallel compute lanes for certain OpenCL workloads. The HD 8870M also holds a slight edge in its nearest-rival comparisons, being 0.1% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 and 0.4% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX.

The Pro WX 3100 wins in every throughput metric that matters for graphics rendering. Its pixel rate of 19.50 GPixel/s is 57% higher than the HD 8870M's 12.40 GPixel/s, and its texture rate of 39.01 GTexel/s beats the older card's 31.00 GTexel/s by roughly 26%. Its FP32 compute of 1,248.3 GFLOPS is also 26% higher than the HD 8870M's 992.0 GFLOPS, and it has a 1:1 FP16 rate of 1,248.3 GFLOPS, a capability the HD 8870M lacks entirely. The Pro WX 3100 also has a higher boost clock at 1,219 MHz versus 775 MHz, and a higher base clock at 925 MHz versus 725 MHz.

For memory-heavy tasks, the Pro WX 3100 is the clear winner. It has 4 GB of GDDR5 versus 2 GB, and its 96.00 GB/s bandwidth provides a 33% improvement over the HD 8870M's 72.00 GB/s. This makes the Pro WX 3100 better suited for larger datasets, higher-resolution textures, or multi-display configurations.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different GCN generations. The HD 8870M uses GCN 1.0 architecture on the Venus chip, built on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The Pro WX 3100 uses GCN 4.0 architecture on the Lexa chip, built on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. The newer 14 nm node allows the Pro WX 3100 to pack 2,200 million transistors into a smaller 103 mm² die, compared to the HD 8870M's 1,500 million transistors on a larger 123 mm² die. This gives the Pro WX 3100 a transistor density of 21.4M / mm², nearly double the HD 8870M's 12.2M / mm².

Core counts differ as well. The HD 8870M has 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The Pro WX 3100 has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and the same 16 ROPs. Despite fewer cores, the Pro WX 3100 achieves higher throughput due to its much higher clocks and newer architecture. Its boost clock of 1,219 MHz is 57% higher than the HD 8870M's 775 MHz, which compensates for the 20% reduction in shading units.

The Pro WX 3100 also has a 1:1 FP16 rate, meaning it can process half-precision floats at the same speed as FP32. The HD 8870M has no FP16 capability listed. The Pro WX 3100's PCIe interface is 3.0 x8, while the HD 8870M uses 3.0 x16, though bandwidth demands rarely exceed x8 in the workloads these cards handle.

The Pro WX 3100 is a professional workstation card with a single-slot design, 168 mm length, 69 mm height, and three DisplayPort outputs (1x DisplayPort 1.4a and 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a). It has a 65 W TDP and requires no power connectors, with a suggested PSU of 250 W. The HD 8870M's dimensions, power connectors, and display outputs are not listed in the database.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL compute?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8870M is faster in Geekbench OpenCL, scoring 8,462 versus the Pro WX 3100's 7,333, a 15.4% lead.

Q: Which GPU has more memory?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 has 4 GB of GDDR5, double the HD 8870M's 2 GB. It also has higher memory bandwidth at 96.00 GB/s versus 72.00 GB/s.

Q: Which GPU is better for graphics rendering throughput?

A: The Pro WX 3100 wins on pixel rate (19.50 GPixel/s versus 12.40 GPixel/s) and texture rate (39.01 GTexel/s versus 31.00 GTexel/s).

Q: What are the architectural differences?

A: The HD 8870M uses GCN 1.0 (Venus, 28 nm, TSMC) with 640 shading units. The Pro WX 3100 uses GCN 4.0 (Lexa, 14 nm, GlobalFoundries) with 512 shading units but higher clocks and a 1:1 FP16 rate.

Q: Which GPU has better API support?

A: The Pro WX 3100 supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3, while the HD 8870M supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Q: What is the form factor of the Pro WX 3100?

A: It is a single-slot card measuring 168 mm by 69 mm, with a 65 W TDP, no power connectors, and a suggested PSU of 250 W. It has three DisplayPort outputs.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains one direct head-to-head benchmark between these two GPUs: Geekbench OpenCL. The HD 8870M scores 8,462, while the Pro WX 3100 scores 7,333. This gives the HD 8870M a 15.4% victory, the only win recorded for either card in the head-to-head comparison.

Context from the nearest-rival data helps interpret this result. The HD 8870M's score places it 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (8,458) and 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon 880M (8,436). It also beats the Intel Arc A380 (8,558) by 1.1%, though that rival has a higher raw score. The Pro WX 3100's score of 7,333 puts it 1.4% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 (7,472, note this rival has a higher score, making the delta negative in the wrong direction) and 1.2% behind the AMD Radeon 540 (7,673). Its average benchmark score of 7,580 is 10.4% lower than the HD 8870M's average of 8,462.

The Pro WX 3100's strengths lie outside the compute benchmark. Its pixel rate of 19.50 GPixel/s is 57% higher than the HD 8870M's 12.40 GPixel/s. Its texture rate of 39.01 GTexel/s beats 31.00 GTexel/s by 25.8%. Its FP32 throughput of 1,248.3 GFLOPS is 25.8% higher than 992.0 GFLOPS. These metrics suggest that in graphics-heavy workloads, the Pro WX 3100 would outperform the HD 8870M despite losing the OpenCL compute test.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon HD 8870M | AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 |

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

| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | GCN 4.0 |

| Process Node | 28 nm (TSMC) | 14 nm (GlobalFoundries) |

| Transistors | 1,500 million | 2,200 million |

| Die Size | 123 mm² | 103 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.2M / mm² | 21.4M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 725 MHz | 925 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 775 MHz | 1,219 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1,125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective) | 1,500 MHz (6 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 2 GB | 4 GB |

| Memory Bandwidth | 72.00 GB/s | 96.00 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 640 | 512 |

| TMUs | 40 | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 12.40 GPixel/s | 19.50 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 31.00 GTexel/s | 39.01 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 992.0 GFLOPS | 1,248.3 GFLOPS |

| FP16 | None | 1,248.3 GFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | Not listed | 65 W |

| Slot Width | Not listed | Single-slot |

| Power Connectors | Not listed | None |

| Suggested PSU | Not listed | 250 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x8 |

| Display Outputs | Not listed | 1x DisplayPort 1.4a, 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a |

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

| Vulkan | 1.2.170 | 1.3 |

| Release Date | 2013-03-31 | 2017-06-11 |

| Launch MSRP | Not listed | 199 USD |

| Predecessor | London | Radeon Pro GCN |

| Successor | Gem System | Radeon Pro Vega |