AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains one direct head-to-head comparison between these two GPUs, and it is decisive. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 scores 11,228 points against 9,821 for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M. That is a 14.3% victory for the AMD card, the only recorded benchmark where both devices appear. The result is not a marginal edge; it places the WX 3200 firmly ahead in raw compute throughput as measured by OpenCL.

Looking at the broader benchmark landscape, the WX 3200's average score of 11,228 sits at the 50th percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M at 11,261 (0.3% ahead of the AMD card) and the AMD FirePro W4300 at 11,225 (essentially tied). The WX 3200 also edges out the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q and RTX PRO 6000D Blackwell Max-Q, both scoring 11,088, giving the AMD card a 1.3% advantage over those workstation-class parts. This context matters: the WX 3200 is not merely beating an older mobile GPU, it is competitive with much newer and more expensive hardware in this specific workload.

The GTX 850M, by contrast, holds a 46th percentile position with an average score of 9,302 across its two recorded benchmarks (OpenCL and Vulkan). Its nearest rivals cluster tightly: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 scores 9,294 (0.1% behind), the AMD Radeon R7 M380 scores 9,313 (0.1% ahead), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 scores 9,273 (0.3% behind). The GTX 850M even leads the AMD Radeon Vega 8 by 0.9%, with that integrated part scoring 9,221. These small deltas suggest the GTX 850M sits in a crowded performance band, whereas the WX 3200 enjoys a clearer separation from the pack.

One additional data point favors the NVIDIA card, though it is not a direct comparison. The GTX 850M has a Vulkan score of 8,782, a workload for which the WX 3200 has no recorded result in the database. This absence prevents a full API-level comparison, but the OpenCL margin of 14.3% is substantial enough to establish the overall performance hierarchy. The data indicates that in the only shared test, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 is the faster GPU by a meaningful margin.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations and foundries, which explains much of the performance gap. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 uses the Polaris 23 chip built on GCN 4.0 architecture, fabricated by GlobalFoundries on a 14 nm process. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M uses the GM107 chip based on Maxwell architecture, built by TSMC on a 28 nm process. The process node difference is substantial: 14 nm versus 28 nm, which typically allows for higher transistor density and better power efficiency on the newer node.

Transistor counts tell an interesting story. The AMD chip contains 2,200 million transistors on a die size of 103 mm², yielding a transistor density of 21.4 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA chip contains 1,870 million transistors on a larger die of 148 mm², resulting in a density of only 12.6 million per square millimeter. The AMD GPU packs more transistors into a smaller area, a direct consequence of the more advanced 14 nm process.

Memory architecture diverges significantly. The WX 3200 pairs 4 GB of GDDR5 memory with a 128-bit bus, delivering 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth at a memory clock of 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective). The GTX 850M offers 2 GB of DDR3 memory on the same 128-bit bus, but bandwidth drops to 32.03 GB/s at a memory clock of 1001 MHz (2 Gbps effective). The AMD card provides three times the memory bandwidth, a critical advantage for compute workloads that saturate memory throughput.

Shader resources show both similarities and differences. Both GPUs feature 640 shading units, but the WX 3200 has 32 texture mapping units while the GTX 850M has 40. Both have 16 ROPs. The AMD card achieves a pixel rate of 20.72 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 41.44 GTexel/s, while the NVIDIA card manages 14.43 GPixel/s and 36.08 GTexel/s respectively. The AMD GPU leads in both fillrate metrics despite having fewer TMUs, likely due to its higher clock efficiency on the smaller process node.

Compute throughput tells a similar story. The WX 3200 delivers 1.658 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and matches that with 1.658 TFLOPS of FP16 performance (1:1 ratio). The GTX 850M offers 1,154.6 GFLOPS of FP32 and has no recorded FP16 capability. The AMD card's FP32 output is roughly 44% higher, and its FP16 support is a notable feature absent from the NVIDIA part. API support also differs: the WX 3200 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3, while the GTX 850M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The NVIDIA card has a newer Vulkan version, but the AMD card has a higher DirectX feature level.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins in the only direct benchmark comparison?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 11,228 against 9,821 for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M, a 14.3% margin.

Q: How does the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The WX 3200 is essentially tied with the AMD FirePro W4300 (11,225, 0% delta) and trails the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M by just 0.3% (11,261). It leads both the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q and RTX PRO 6000D Blackwell Max-Q by 1.3%, as those score 11,088.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between these two GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 has 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth from 4 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M has 32.03 GB/s from 2 GB of DDR3 memory. The AMD card offers exactly three times the bandwidth.

Q: Do both GPUs have the same number of shading units?

A: Yes, both have 640 shading units. However, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 has 32 texture mapping units, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M has 40. Both have 16 ROPs.

Q: Which GPU has better FP32 compute performance?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 delivers 1.658 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, compared to 1,154.6 GFLOPS for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M. The AMD card also offers FP16 performance at a 1:1 ratio, which the NVIDIA card lacks entirely.

Q: What is the process node difference and how does it affect density?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 is built on a 14 nm process by GlobalFoundries with 2,200 million transistors on a 103 mm² die (21.4M per mm²). The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M uses a 28 nm process by TSMC with 1,870 million transistors on a 148 mm² die (12.6M per mm²).

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every major specification category. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 uses the Polaris 23 chip with GCN 4.0 architecture, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M uses the GM107 chip with Maxwell architecture. Manufacturing differs by foundry and node: GlobalFoundries at 14 nm for AMD, TSMC at 28 nm for NVIDIA. The AMD die measures 103 mm² with 2,200 million transistors; the NVIDIA die measures 148 mm² with 1,870 million transistors.

Memory configuration is a key differentiator. The WX 3200 has 4 GB of GDDR5 with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth; the GTX 850M has 2 GB of DDR3 with 32.03 GB/s bandwidth. Both use a 128-bit bus, but the AMD memory clock runs at 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective) versus 1001 MHz (2 Gbps effective) for NVIDIA. The AMD card has 32 TMUs and achieves 20.72 GPixel/s and 41.44 GTexel/s; the NVIDIA card has 40 TMUs and achieves 14.43 GPixel/s and 36.08 GTexel/s.

Compute output favors AMD: 1.658 TFLOPS FP32 and 1.658 TFLOPS FP16 versus 1,154.6 GFLOPS FP32 and no FP16. Power draw differs, with the WX 3200 rated at 65 W TDP and the GTX 850M at 45 W TDP. The AMD card is single-slot with no power connectors and a suggested PSU of 250 W; the NVIDIA card is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no power connectors and no suggested PSU listed. Bus interfaces differ: PCIe 3.0 x8 for AMD versus PCIe 3.0 x16 for NVIDIA. Display outputs are 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a for the WX 3200, while the GTX 850M relies on portable-device-dependent outputs. Dimensions are only recorded for the AMD card: 167 mm (6.6 inches) long and 69 mm (2.7 inches) high. API support shows the AMD card with DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3, versus DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.4 for NVIDIA. Release dates are 2019-07-01 for the AMD card and 2014-03-11 for the NVIDIA card. The AMD card lists a launch MSRP of 199 USD; the NVIDIA card has no recorded launch MSRP.

The Verdict

The benchmark data points to a clear overall winner in the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200. The 14.3% OpenCL lead is substantial, and the supporting specifications reinforce that advantage. The AMD card offers more memory (4 GB versus 2 GB), dramatically higher bandwidth (96.00 GB/s versus 32.03 GB/s), greater FP32 compute (1.658 TFLOPS versus 1,154.6 GFLOPS), and FP16 capability that the NVIDIA card lacks entirely. Its 50th percentile ranking versus the GTX 850M's 46th percentile confirms that the AMD GPU occupies a higher position in the overall performance distribution.

The GTX 850M is not without merits. It draws less power (45 W versus 65 W), has more texture mapping units (40 versus 32), uses a wider PCIe interface (x16 versus x8), supports a newer Vulkan version (1.4 versus 1.3), and has a newer recorded Vulkan benchmark score of 8,782. Its release date is earlier, but the database marks both as end-of-life products. The launch MSRP of the WX 3200 is 199 USD, though the GTX 850M has no recorded price. For users prioritizing raw compute, memory capacity, and bandwidth, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 is the data-backed choice.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 wins in OpenCL compute performance, which is the only direct benchmark recorded. It excels in memory-heavy workloads thanks to its 96.00 GB/s bandwidth and 4 GB GDDR5 configuration. Its FP32 output of 1.658 TFLOPS and FP16 capability at 1:1 ratio make it better suited for compute tasks that leverage half-precision arithmetic. The AMD card also offers workstation-oriented display outputs with 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a, supporting multi-monitor professional setups. Its higher pixel rate (20.72 GPixel/s) and texture rate (41.44 GTexel/s) suggest better fillrate performance in rendering tasks.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M wins in power efficiency, with a 45 W TDP versus 65 W for the AMD card, making it the lower-power option for portable devices. It has more texture mapping units (40 versus 32), which could benefit texture-heavy workloads if clock speeds were equal, though its lower texture rate (36.08 GTexel/s) indicates that advantage does not materialize in practice. The GTX 850M supports Vulkan 1.4, a newer API version than the AMD card's 1.3, and it has a recorded Vulkan benchmark score of 8,782. Its PCIe 3.0 x16 interface provides double the lane width of the AMD card's x8 connection, which may matter for data transfer in systems capable of using the extra bandwidth. The NVIDIA card also has a higher transistor density advantage in terms of TMU count, though its larger die and older process node negate that benefit overall. For scenarios where power draw is the primary constraint and Vulkan performance is required, the GTX 850M holds the edge. For everything else in the recorded data, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 is the superior part.