AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data contains a single direct head-to-head comparison between the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE and the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100, and the result is decisive. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 scores 17,642 points against the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE's 7,171 points. The delta is -59.4% for the NVIDIA card, meaning the AMD card outperforms it by a substantial margin. This is not a close contest; the Radeon Pro WX 4100 delivers more than double the raw compute performance in this workload.

Looking at the broader database context, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE's OpenCL score of 7,171 places it in the 39th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 at 7,170 points (0% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 at 7,157 points (0.2% ahead), the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile at 7,203 points (0.4% behind), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 at 7,222 points (0.7% behind). This clustering indicates that the GTX 560 SE sits squarely in a mid-range performance band for compute workloads, essentially trading blows with integrated graphics and older mainstream discrete GPUs.

The AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100, despite having a lower overall percentile ranking of 37%, achieves a much stronger OpenCL score. Its average benchmark score across all tests is 6,330, which is lower than its OpenCL score due to several weaker DirectX and compute results. However, in the direct comparison, the WX 4100 is clearly superior in pure compute throughput. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon R7 M350 at 6,327 points (0.1% ahead), the NVIDIA Quadro K620 at 6,282 points (0.8% ahead), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE at 6,389 points (0.9% behind), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M at 6,389 points (0.9% behind). These rivals are all close to the WX 4100's average, but the OpenCL score of 17,642 is in a different tier entirely.

The data shows that the WX 4100 wins the only head-to-head test, and it does so decisively. The GTX 560 SE has zero wins, while the WX 4100 has one win. For any workload that relies on OpenCL compute acceleration, the AMD card is clearly the stronger option.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on fundamentally different architectures from different eras. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE uses the GF114 chip, based on the Fermi 2.0 architecture, belonging to the GeForce 500 generation. It is fabricated on a 40 nm process at TSMC, with 1,950 million transistors on a 332 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 5.9 million per mm². The AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 uses the Baffin chip, based on GCN 4.0 architecture, from the Radeon Pro Polaris (WX x100) generation. It is built on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries, with 3,000 million transistors on a much smaller 123 mm² die, giving a far higher transistor density of 24.4 million per mm².

These architectural differences translate into notable feature gaps. The NVIDIA card has 288 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation pipelines. Its pixel rate is 8.832 GPixel/s, texture rate is 35.33 GTexel/s, and FP32 compute is 847.9 GFLOPS. The AMD card has 1,024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, with a pixel rate of 19.22 GPixel/s, texture rate of 76.86 GTexel/s, and FP32 compute of 2.460 TFLOPS. The AMD also supports FP16 at 2.460 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), which the NVIDIA card lacks entirely.

In terms of process technology, the 14 nm node is a major advantage, allowing roughly four times the transistor density. The AMD has 54% more transistors but a 63% smaller die size, which explains its much higher density. The memory subsystems also differ: the NVIDIA card uses 1,024 MB of GDDR5 with a 192-bit bus, yielding 91.87 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD uses 4 GB of GDDR5 with a 128-bit bus, achieving 96.00 GB/s bandwidth. Despite a narrower bus, the AMD's higher memory clock (effective 6 Gbps versus 3.8 Gbps) provides slightly more bandwidth.

The API support shows the AMD card is more modern: it supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3, while the NVIDIA only reaches DirectX 12 (11_0) and has no Vulkan support. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The AMD card also has a boost clock of 1201 MHz and a base clock of 1125 MHz, while the NVIDIA card has no listed base or boost clocks, only a memory clock.

The power and physical profile differ sharply. The NVIDIA card has a TDP of 150 W, requires a dual-slot cooler, two 6-pin power connectors, and a 450 W suggested PSU. It is 210 mm long. The AMD card has a TDP of 50 W, needs no power connectors, requires a 250 W PSU, and is a single-slot design at 168 mm long. The AMD card also supports a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface, while the NVIDIA uses PCIe 2.0 x16. Display outputs are also different: the NVIDIA has 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a, while the AMD has 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a.

The Verdict

The benchmark data shows a clear performance hierarchy in OpenCL compute, but the two cards are not direct competitors in most respects. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 is overwhelmingly faster in the head-to-head test, scoring 176.42 versus 7,171, a 59.4% lead over the NVIDIA card. This is a massive gap in raw compute throughput. The AMD card also has 4 GB of VRAM versus 1 GB, a modern 14nm node, and a much lower power draw of 50 W versus 150 W.

However, the NVIDIA card has a higher percentile ranking at 39 versus 37, and its average benchmark score of 7,171 is higher than the AMD's average of 6,330. The NVIDIA's nearest rivals cluster around the same score, meaning it is a consistent performer in its class. The AMD's average is dragged down by its weaker DirectX and PassMark results, such as 16 in DirectX 10, 24 in DirectX 11, 22 in DirectX 12, and 56 in DirectX 9, as well as a 1,475 GPU compute score. These are not the metrics that define a strong card for the AMD's intended use.

The WX 4100 is a workstation-focused card, as evidenced by its Radeon Pro branding and its 4x DisplayPort output. Its strength is clearly in compute and modern API support. The GTX 560 SE is an old consumer gaming card with a legacy interface. For anyone needing modern feature support, the AMD is the only reasonable choice. For a retro system or a specific legacy driver requirement, the NVIDIA could still serve, but its data does not support it as a compute or modern gaming option.

Specification Differences

The specification differences between the two cards are extensive:

• Process node: 40 nm (NVIDIA) vs 14 nm (AMD)
• Transistors: 1,950 million vs 3,000 million
• Die size: 342 mm² vs 123 mm²
• Transistor density: 5.9M/mm² vs 24.4M/mm²
• Memory size: 1,024 MB vs 4 GB
• Memory bus: 192-bit vs 128-bit
• Memory bandwidth: 91.87 GB/s vs 96.00 GB/s
• Shading units: 288 vs 1,024
• Texture mapping units: 48 vs 64
• Raster operation pipelines: 24 vs 16
• Pixel rate: 8.832 GPixel/s vs 19.22 GPixel/s
• Texture rate: 35.33 GTexel/s vs 76.86 GTexel/s
• FP32 compute: 847.9 GFLOPS vs 2.460 TFLOPS
• FP16 compute: none vs 2.460 TFLOPS
• TDP: 150 W vs 50 W
• Slot width: Dual-slot vs Single-slot
• Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs None
• Suggested PSU: 450 W vs 250 W
• Bus interface: PCIe 2.0 x16 vs PCIe 3.0 x8
• Display outputs: 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI vs 4x mini-DisplayPort
• DirectX: 12 (11_0) vs 12 (12_0)
• Vulkan: none vs 1.3
• Release date: 2012-02-19 vs 2016-11-09

The AMD card offers a much more efficient architecture, higher compute, and more VRAM, though it has fewer ROPs and a narrower memory bus.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 scores 17,642, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE scores 7,171, giving the AMD a 59.4% lead in that test.

Q: What is the power consumption of the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100?

A: The AMD card has a TDP of 50 W and requires no additional power connectors, with a suggested power supply of 250 W.

Q: How much memory does each card have?

A: The NVIDIA card has 1,024 MB (1 GB) of GDDR5, while the AMD card has 4 GB of GDDR5. The AMD also has a slightly higher memory bandwidth at 96.00 GB/s versus 91.87 GB/s.

Q: Does the NVIDIA card support Vulkan?

A: No, the NVIDIA card has no Vulkan support listed. The AMD card supports Vulkan 1.3.

Q: What is the process node of the NVIDIA card?

A: The NVIDIA card uses a 40 nm process, while the AMD card uses a 14 nm process.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The AMD card has a transistor density of 24.4 million per mm², much higher than the NVIDIA's 5.9 million per mm².

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 wins in all compute-heavy and modern API workloads based on the data. Its OpenCL score is 17,642 versus 7,171, a 59.4% improvement. It also wins in memory capacity (4 GB vs 1 GB), memory bandwidth (96.00 GB/s vs 91.87 GB/s), FP32 compute (2.460 TFLOPS vs 847.9 GFLOPS), FP16 compute (2.460 TFLOPS vs none), pixel rate (19.22 GPixel/s vs 8.832 GPixel/s), texture rate (76.86 GTexel/s vs 35.33 GTexel/s), shading units (1,024 vs 288), and TMUs (64 vs 48). It also has a 14 nm process, lower power draw (50 W vs 150 W), and a newer release date (2016 vs 2012). It supports Vulkan 1.3 and DirectX 12 (12_0), while the NVIDIA only supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and no Vulkan.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE wins in a few specific specification areas. It has a higher ROP count (24 vs 16), a wider memory bus (192-bit vs 128-bit), and a higher PCIe interface version (PCIe 3.0 x8 vs PCIe 2.0 x16). It also shows a higher percentile of 39% vs 37%, meaning its single OpenCL score is a stronger result relative to all other GPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score of 7,171 is also higher than the AMD's 6,330 average, though this is because the AMD has multiple weaker results in other tests. The NVIDIA card also has a smaller transistor count (1,950 million vs 3,000 million) but a larger die size (342 mm² vs 123 mm²), which is not an advantage.

In terms of use cases, the AMD card is clearly the choice for OpenCL compute, modern API support, and multi-monitor setups with its 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The NVIDIA card could be considered for a legacy system that requires DVI outputs or a PCIe 2.0 interface, but the data shows no performance advantage in any measured workload. For a desktop user needing a compact, single-slot, low-power card with 4 GB VRAM and modern features, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 is the only viable option based on the recorded benchmarks.