AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a lopsided contest. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 wins 8 of the 10 recorded head-to-head tests, while the AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 takes only 2. The margin of victory, however, tells a more nuanced story than the raw win count.

The GTX 1070's most decisive victory comes in PassMark GPU Compute, where it scores 6102 against the WX 5100's 2053, a staggering 197.2% advantage. This is the largest delta in the entire comparison and highlights a fundamental compute performance gap between the two cards. Similarly, in PassMark DirectX 10, the GTX 1070 scores 82 versus 29, a 182.8% lead, and in PassMark DirectX 11, it posts 100 against 36, a 177.8% advantage. The DirectX 12 test shows an 84.6% lead (48 vs 26), matching the exact same percentage advantage seen in Geekbench OpenCL, where the GTX 1070 scores 44700 to the WX 5100's 24217.

The PassMark G3D test, often considered a general gaming and 3D performance indicator, shows the GTX 1070 at 13498 versus 5496, a 145.6% lead. Even in the older DirectX 9 API, the NVIDIA card maintains a 123.9% advantage (197 vs 88). The smallest GTX 1070 victory is in PassMark G2D, a 2D graphics test, where it scores 846 versus 777, an 8.9% edge that suggests the gap narrows considerably in less demanding workloads.

The AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100's wins are concentrated in modern API tests. In Geekbench Metal, it scores 29003 against 18801, a 35.2% lead for AMD. This is notable because Metal is Apple's graphics API, and the WX 5100's strong showing here suggests particular optimization for that ecosystem. In Geekbench Vulkan, the AMD card scores 26909 versus 22121, a 17.8% advantage. These two wins indicate that in cross-platform, modern low-level APIs, the WX 5100 holds its own, even while trailing badly in legacy DirectX tests and OpenCL compute.

Looking at overall averages, the GTX 1070 posts an average benchmark score of 9780, while the WX 5100 averages 8863. The GTX 1070 sits at the 47th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals include the AMD FirePro W5000 (average 9803, delta -0.2%), the NVIDIA Quadro M2000M (9832, -0.5%), the NVIDIA Tesla M10 (9724, +0.6%), and the Tesla C2070 (9716, +0.7%). The WX 5100 sits at the 44th percentile, with nearest rivals being the AMD Radeon R9 M265X (8851, +0.1%), the AMD Radeon 550X (8918, -0.6%), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile (8746, +1.3%), and the GTX 460 v2 (8743, +1.4%). The data shows the GTX 1070 sits in a slightly higher performance tier overall, though both cards occupy the mid-range of the database.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two cards is substantial. The GTX 1070 uses NVIDIA's Pascal architecture, built on the GP104 chip at TSMC's 16 nm process. It integrates 7,200 million transistors on a 314 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 22.9M per mm². The WX 5100 employs AMD's GCN 4.0 architecture, using the Ellesmere chip manufactured by GlobalFoundries at 14 nm. It packs 5,700 million transistors onto a smaller 232 mm² die, achieving a higher transistor density of 24.6M per mm².

Clock speeds differ dramatically. The GTX 1070 runs at a 1506 MHz base clock with a 1683 MHz boost, while the WX 5100 operates at a much lower 713 MHz base and 1086 MHz boost. This clock advantage contributes heavily to the NVIDIA card's compute performance. The memory subsystems also diverge: both cards have 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, but the GTX 1070's memory runs at 2002 MHz (8 Gbps effective) delivering 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth, whereas the WX 5100's memory runs at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective) for 160.0 GB/s.

Shader and texture resources favor the GTX 1070 as well. It carries 1920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. The WX 5100 has 1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, but only 32 ROPs. This halving of ROPs is a critical differentiator, explaining the massive pixel rate gap: the GTX 1070 achieves 107.7 GPixel/s versus the WX 5100's 34.75 GPixel/s. Texture rates show a narrower but still significant gap, with the NVIDIA card at 202.0 GTexel/s against 121.6 GTexel/s.

Compute throughput tells a similar story. The GTX 1070 delivers 6.463 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the WX 5100 manages 3.892 TFLOPS. Interestingly, the FP16 capabilities are reversed in efficiency: the GTX 1070 offers only 101.0 GFLOPS FP16 (a 1:64 ratio to FP32), while the WX 5100 offers full-rate FP16 at 3.892 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio). This makes the AMD card notably better suited for workloads that leverage half-precision arithmetic.

Power requirements diverge sharply. The GTX 1070 has a 150 W TDP, requires a dual-slot cooler, uses a single 8-pin power connector, and recommends a 450 W PSU. The WX 5100 draws only 75 W, fits in a single slot, requires no external power connectors, and works with a 250 W PSU. Physical dimensions reflect this: the GTX 1070 measures 267 mm in length, while the WX 5100 is a compact 173 mm. Both use PCIe 3.0 x16 interfaces. Display outputs differ, with the GTX 1070 offering 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the WX 5100 provides 4x DisplayPort 1.4a only.

API support shows minor differences: both support DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.6, but the GTX 1070 reaches Vulkan 1.4 while the WX 5100 tops out at Vulkan 1.3. The DirectX 12 feature level also differs, with the NVIDIA card at 12_1 and the AMD card at 12_0.

FAQ

Q: Which card wins in Geekbench Metal performance?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 scores 29003 in Geekbench Metal, a 35.2% advantage over the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070's 18801.

Q: How large is the compute performance gap between the two cards?

A: In PassMark GPU Compute, the GTX 1070 scores 6102 versus the WX 5100's 2053, giving NVIDIA a 197.2% lead. The Geekbench OpenCL test shows a similar 84.6% advantage (44700 vs 24217).

Q: What are the power consumption differences?

A: The GTX 1070 has a 150 W TDP, requires a dual-slot cooler, and needs a 450 W PSU. The WX 5100 has a 75 W TDP, fits in a single slot, requires no external power connector, and works with a 250 W PSU.

Q: Do both cards have the same memory configuration?

A: Both have 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus. However, the GTX 1070's memory runs at 8 Gbps effective for 256.3 GB/s bandwidth, while the WX 5100 runs at 5 Gbps effective for 160.0 GB/s.

Q: Which card supports newer Vulkan versions?

A: The GTX 1070 supports Vulkan 1.4, while the WX 5100 supports Vulkan 1.3. Both cards support DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.6, though the GTX 1070 has a higher DirectX 12 feature level (12_1 vs 12_0).

Q: How do the cards compare in raw pixel throughput?

A: The GTX 1070 achieves 107.7 GPixel/s, while the WX 5100 manages only 34.75 GPixel/s. This is primarily due to the GTX 1070 having 64 ROPs versus the WX 5100's 32 ROPs.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split based on workload type. For general compute, legacy DirectX titles, and raw 3D performance, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is the dominant choice. Its 197.2% lead in GPU compute, 182.8% lead in DirectX 10, and 177.8% lead in DirectX 11 make it the obvious pick for OpenCL-heavy applications and older game engines. The 145.6% advantage in PassMark G3D further reinforces its strength in mainstream 3D rendering.

The AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100, however, shows its value in specific modern API scenarios. The 35.2% win in Geekbench Metal indicates strong macOS or Metal-based application performance, and the 17.8% edge in Vulkan suggests it handles modern cross-platform APIs well. Its full-rate FP16 capability (3.892 TFLOPS at 1:1 ratio versus the GTX 1070's 101.0 GFLOPS at 1:64) makes it superior for half-precision compute workloads, even though the GTX 1070 dominates in FP32.

Power and form factor considerations also favor the WX 5100 for certain deployments. Its 75 W TDP, single-slot design, and absence of power connectors make it suitable for compact or power-constrained systems where the GTX 1070's 150 W TDP and dual-slot footprint would be problematic. The WX 5100's 173 mm length also fits in smaller chassis than the GTX 1070's 267 mm.

Users prioritizing maximum compute throughput, legacy API performance, or raw pixel fill rates should choose the GTX 1070. Users requiring a low-power, single-slot card with strong Metal and Vulkan performance, or those needing efficient FP16 processing, should select the WX 5100. The GTX 1070's overall average benchmark score of 9780 versus 8863 for the WX 5100 confirms the NVIDIA card as the higher-performing all-rounder, but the AMD card's specialized strengths make it the better fit for niche professional workloads.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 | AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 |

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

| Architecture | Pascal | GCN 4.0 |

| Chip | GP104 | Ellesmere |

| Process Node | 16 nm (TSMC) | 14 nm (GlobalFoundries) |

| Transistors | 7,200 million | 5,700 million |

| Die Size | 314 mm² | 232 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 22.9M / mm² | 24.6M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1506 MHz | 713 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1683 MHz | 1086 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 2002 MHz (8 Gbps effective) | 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Bandwidth | 256.3 GB/s | 160.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1920 | 1792 |

| TMUs | 120 | 112 |

| ROPs | 64 | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 107.7 GPixel/s | 34.75 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 202.0 GTexel/s | 121.6 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 6.463 TFLOPS | 3.892 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 101.0 GFLOPS (1:64) | 3.892 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 150 W | 75 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | Single-slot |

| Power Connectors | 1x 8-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | 250 W |

| Length | 267 mm (10.5 inches) | 173 mm (6.8 inches) |

| Display Outputs | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a | 4x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | 1.3 |

| DirectX 12 Feature Level | 12_1 | 12_0 |

| Launch MSRP | 379 USD | 499 USD |