AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits these two mobile-class GPUs almost perfectly down the middle. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 takes the Vulkan workload decisively, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M takes the OpenCL workload. Each card wins exactly one head-to-head test, so the choice depends entirely on which API and workload profile matters more.

In the Geekbench Vulkan test, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 scores 10,770 against the GTX 950M's 6,525. That is a 65.1% advantage for AMD, a massive gap that suggests the Radeon Pro WX 2100 is the stronger choice for modern Vulkan-based applications and games. The AMD card also supports Vulkan 1.3, while the NVIDIA card supports Vulkan 1.4, so the API version advantage actually sits with NVIDIA, yet the AMD card still dominates the actual benchmark result.

In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M scores 9,745 against the Radeon Pro WX 2100's 8,536. That is a 12.4% deficit for the AMD card, making the GTX 950M the better OpenCL performer. The GTX 950M also benefits from a larger memory pool of 4 GB versus 2 GB, which may help in memory-heavy OpenCL workloads even though its memory bandwidth is lower.

Looking at average benchmark scores, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 posts an average of 9,653, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M averages 8,135. That means the AMD card holds a roughly 18.7% higher average score across both tests, driven almost entirely by its massive Vulkan win. The AMD card also ranks in the 46th percentile among all GPUs, versus the 42nd percentile for the NVIDIA card, so the aggregate database position favors AMD.

Use-case split: if the workload is Vulkan-based, the Radeon Pro WX 2100 is the clear pick. If the workload is OpenCL-based, the GTX 950M wins. For mixed workloads, the higher average score and better percentile of the AMD card give it the overall edge in the database.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations and process nodes. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 uses the Lexa chip built on GCN 4.0 architecture, fabricated by GlobalFoundries on a 14 nm process. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M uses the GM107 chip built on Maxwell architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process. The 14 nm node is substantially denser, which shows in the transistor counts: AMD packs 2,200 million transistors into a 103 mm² die, while NVIDIA fits 1,870 million transistors into a 148 mm² die. The result is a transistor density of 21.4 million per mm² for AMD versus 12.6 million per mm² for NVIDIA.

Core configuration also differs. The NVIDIA card has 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The AMD card has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. Despite having fewer shading units and TMUs, the AMD card achieves a higher pixel rate of 19.50 GPixel/s versus 17.98 GPixel/s, but the NVIDIA card achieves a higher texture rate of 44.96 GTexel/s versus 39.01 GTexel/s. In raw FP32 throughput, the NVIDIA card outputs 1,438.7 GFLOPS versus 1,248.3 GFLOPS for AMD. The AMD card also supports FP16 at the same 1:1 rate of 1,248.3 GFLOPS, while the NVIDIA card lists no FP16 capability.

Memory architecture is a major differentiator. The AMD card uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 64-bit bus with 48.00 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA card uses 4 GB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus with only 28.80 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD card has nearly 67% more memory bandwidth despite having half the bus width, because GDDR5 is far faster than DDR3. The NVIDIA card has double the capacity.

Clock speeds also differ. The AMD card has a base clock of 925 MHz and a boost clock of 1,219 MHz. The NVIDIA card has a base clock of 993 MHz and a boost clock of 1,124 MHz. Memory clocks diverge: AMD runs at 1,500 MHz with 6 Gbps effective, while NVIDIA runs at 900 MHz with 1,800 Mbps effective.

Power characteristics are notable. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 has a TDP of 35 W, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M has a TDP of 75 W. The AMD card is a single-slot design with no power connectors and a suggested PSU of 200 W. The NVIDIA card is an integrated GPU (IGP) with no power connectors and no suggested PSU listed. The NVIDIA card is also portable-device dependent for display outputs, while AMD provides 1x DisplayPort 1.4a and 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two recorded head-to-head tests show opposite winners with dramatically different margins.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M scores 9,745 versus the AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 at 8,536. The NVIDIA card wins by 12.4%, which is a meaningful but not overwhelming gap. That aligns with the NVIDIA card's higher shading unit count (640 vs 512), higher FP32 throughput (1,438.7 vs 1,248.3 GFLOPS), and higher texture rate (44.96 vs 39.01 GTexel/s). The NVIDIA card has more compute hardware capable of feeding OpenCL kernels, so the result is consistent with its specification sheet.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 scores 10,770 versus the GTX 950M's 6,525. The delta is 65.1% in AMD's favor, which is a dominant result. The AMD card's GCN 4.0 architecture supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3, while the NVIDIA Maxwell card supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.4. Despite the newer API version on NVIDIA, the AMD architecture delivers far better Vulkan performance in this test. The AMD card's higher memory bandwidth (48.00 GB/s vs 28.80 GB/s) and higher pixel rate (19.50 vs 17.98 GPixel/s) may contribute to this Vulkan lead.

The aggregate numbers confirm the split. The AMD card's average benchmark score is 9,653, while the NVIDIA card's average is 8,135. The AMD card's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro P4000 at 9,665 (0.1% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M at 9,645 (0.1% lower), the NVIDIA Quadro K5000 at 9,637 (0.2% lower), and the NVIDIA Tesla C2070 at 9,716 (0.6% lower). The NVIDIA GTX 950M's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 at 8,167 (0.4% higher) and the AMD Radeon R9 M360 at 8,129 (0.1% lower). These nearest-rival relationships show that the AMD card sits in a performance class roughly 18% above the GTX 950M on average.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 has an average benchmark score of 9,653, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M averages 8,135. The AMD card is about 18.7% higher on average.

Q: How do the two compare in Vulkan performance?

A: In Geekbench Vulkan, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 scores 10,770 versus the GTX 950M's 6,525. That is a 65.1% lead for AMD, making it the clear winner for Vulkan-based workloads.

Q: How do the two compare in OpenCL performance?

A: In Geekbench OpenCL, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M scores 9,745 versus the AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100's 8,536. The NVIDIA card leads by 12.4%, so OpenCL favors the GTX 950M.

Q: What are the memory differences?

A: The AMD card has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 64-bit bus with 48.00 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA card has 4 GB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus with 28.80 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD card has much higher bandwidth, while the NVIDIA card has double the capacity.

Q: Which GPU has the lower power draw?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 has a TDP of 35 W, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M has a TDP of 75 W. The AMD card draws less than half the power of the NVIDIA card.

Q: What is the process node difference?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 is built on a 14 nm process by GlobalFoundries, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M is built on a 28 nm process by TSMC. The smaller node gives AMD a higher transistor density: 21.4 million per mm² versus 12.6 million per mm².

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M |

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

| Architecture | GCN 4.0 | Maxwell |

| Process Node | 14 nm | 28 nm |

| Foundry | GlobalFoundries | TSMC |

| Transistors | 2,200 million | 1,870 million |

| Die Size | 103 mm² | 148 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 21.4M / mm² | 12.6M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 925 MHz | 993 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1,219 MHz | 1,124 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1500 MHz, 6 Gbps effective | 900 MHz, 1800 Mbps effective |

| Memory Size | 2 GB | 4 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | DDR3 |

| Memory Bus Width | 64 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 48.00 GB/s | 28.80 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 512 | 640 |

| TMUs | 32 | 40 |

| ROPs | 16 | 16 |

| Pixel Rate | 19.50 GPixel/s | 17.98 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 39.01 GTexel/s | 44.96 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 1,248.3 GFLOPS | 1,438.7 GFLOPS |

| FP16 | 1,248.3 GFLOPS (1:1) | null |

| TDP | 35 W | 75 W |

| Slot Width | Single-slot | IGP |

| Power Connectors | None | None |

| Suggested PSU | 200 W | null |

| Display Outputs | 1x DisplayPort 1.4a, 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a | Portable Device Dependent |

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

| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |

| Vulkan | 1.3 | 1.4 |

| Dimensions | 168 mm (6.6 inches) x 69 mm (2.7 inches) | null |

| Release Date | 2017-06-03 | 2015-03-12 |

| Predecessor | Radeon Pro GCN | GeForce 800M |

| Successor | Radeon Pro Vega | GeForce 10 Mobile |

The Verdict

The data supports a clear split decision. For Vulkan-centric workloads, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 is the superior choice. Its 65.1% lead in the Geekbench Vulkan test is decisive, and its average benchmark score of 9,653 places it in the 46th percentile of all GPUs, notably higher than the GTX 950M's 42nd percentile. The AMD card also offers a much higher memory bandwidth (48.00 GB/s vs 28.80 GB/s), a smaller process node (14 nm vs 28 nm), and a dramatically lower TDP (35 W vs 75 W), making it the more efficient and modern design. It also has a discrete single-slot form factor with DisplayPort outputs, which suits professional workstation use.

For OpenCL-centric workloads, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M is the better option. Its 12.4% lead in the Geekbench OpenCL test, combined with double the memory capacity (4 GB vs 2 GB), makes it appropriate for memory-hungry compute tasks that are not fully optimized for the AMD architecture. The NVIDIA card also has more shading units (640 vs 512) and higher FP32 (1,438.7 GFLOPS vs 1,248.3 GFLOPS), which helps in raw compute throughput.

The overall database average favors the AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100. With an average score of 9,653 versus 8,135, the AMD card sits about 18.7% ahead on aggregate. The AMD card also has a higher pixel rate (19.50 vs 17.98 GPixel/s) and a much higher memory bandwidth, which aids modern graphics APIs.

In the verdict, the data says: pick the AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 for Vulkan, efficiency, and overall average performance. Pick the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M for OpenCL and scenarios that require 4 GB of memory capacity. For a general-purpose pick, the AMD card's higher average score and better percentile make it the safer default.