AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 and AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 represent two distinct eras of GPU design, separated by five years of architectural evolution. The data shows a decisive overall victory for the AMD card, which wins the sole head-to-head benchmark by a substantial margin. However, the comparison is more nuanced than a simple performance gap, as the two cards target different workloads and operating environments. The GeForce GTX 560, launched in 2011, is a product of the Fermi 2.0 architecture, while the Radeon Pro WX 5100, launched in 2016, employs GCN 4.0. Their benchmark scores place them within 1 percentile point of each other in the global database, at 45 and 44 respectively, yet their average scores differ significantly due to the nature of the tests run. This analysis will dissect the benchmark results, architectural differences, and specification gaps to provide a clear verdict based solely on the provided data.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the results are stark. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 scores 24,217, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 scores 9,058. This represents a delta of -62.6% for the NVIDIA card, meaning the AMD card is approximately 167% faster in this specific test. The AMD card’s score is not only higher but places it in a different performance tier, as evidenced by its nearest rivals. The WX 5100’s score is 0.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon R9 M265X (8,851) and 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile (8,746), showing it competes with much newer hardware in compute tasks.

In contrast, the GTX 560’s score of 9,058 puts it in a cluster of older and lower-end parts. It is 0.2% ahead of the NVIDIA TITAN V CEO Edition (9,037) and 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 (9,022), but it is 1.6% behind the AMD Radeon 550X (8,918) and 1.7% behind the AMD Radeon 890M (9,210). The deltaPct values here are small, indicating that the GTX 560 is essentially at parity with its immediate rivals in this test, none of which approach the WX 5100’s output. The single head-to-head result is unambiguous: the Radeon Pro WX 5100 is the clear winner in raw compute performance, with a lead that dwarfs the small margins seen among the GTX 560’s peers.

The WX 5100 also has a broader benchmark suite, including a Geekbench Metal score of 29,003 and a Vulkan score of 26,909, though no comparable data exists for the GTX 560. Its Passmark scores further illustrate its profile: a G3D score of 5,496 and a GPU Compute score of 2,053, with notably lower DirectX scores (29 for DX10, 36 for DX11, 26 for DX12, and 88 for DX9). These figures suggest the WX 5100 is optimized for compute and professional workloads rather than legacy DirectX gaming, a point reinforced by its high OpenCL and Metal results. The GTX 560, lacking these additional benchmarks, cannot be directly compared in those areas, but its single OpenCL score provides enough evidence to conclude that the AMD card is in a different performance class for general-purpose compute.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 has an average benchmark score of 8,863, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 has an average score of 9,058. Despite the GTX 560 having a higher average, this is misleading because the WX 5100’s average is pulled down by its low Passmark DirectX scores (e.g., 26 for DX12), whereas its OpenCL and Metal scores are much higher. The GTX 560’s average is based solely on its single OpenCL test.

Q: How do the two cards compare in raw compute performance?

A: The Radeon Pro WX 5100 is decisively ahead, scoring 24,217 in Geekbench OpenCL versus 9,058 for the GTX 560. This is a 62.6% delta in favor of the AMD card. The WX 5100’s OpenCL score is over 2.5 times higher, indicating a massive advantage in compute-heavy tasks like rendering or scientific calculations.

Q: Are these cards considered high-performance relative to all other GPUs?

A: No, neither is in the top tier. The GTX 560 sits at the 45th percentile, and the WX 5100 sits at the 44th percentile among all GPUs. Their nearest rivals include mid-range parts like the AMD Radeon 550X and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660, indicating they are both mid-to-low performers in the current database.

Q: What does the GTX 560’s nearest rival data suggest about its performance?

A: The GTX 560 is extremely close to its nearest rivals, with deltas of 0.2% to 1.7%. It is slightly faster than the NVIDIA TITAN V CEO Edition and GeForce GTX 660, but slightly slower than the AMD Radeon 890M. This suggests its performance is tightly clustered with those parts, with no significant advantage or disadvantage.

Q: Does the WX 5100 show strength in any specific benchmark type?

A: Yes, the WX 5100 performs exceptionally well in Apple’s Metal API, scoring 29,003 in Geekbench Metal. It also scores 26,909 in Vulkan. These results are far higher than its OpenCL score, indicating that its architecture is particularly well-suited to modern, low-level graphics APIs, which is common for professional workstation cards.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 has a much higher transistor density at 24.6 million transistors per square millimeter, compared to 5.9 million for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560. This is a direct result of the manufacturing process differences, with the WX 5100 using a 14nm node versus 40nm for the GTX 560.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the benchmark data, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 is the superior performer in compute tasks. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 24,217 far exceeds the GTX 560’s 9,058, and its additional Metal and Vulkan scores demonstrate a versatility that the NVIDIA card cannot match. The WX 5100 is the clear choice for users prioritizing raw compute power, particularly in applications that leverage OpenCL, Metal, or Vulkan. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon R9 M265X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile, are all within 1.3% of its score, indicating it remains competitive with newer hardware.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560, however, has a higher average benchmark score (9,058 vs. 8,863) due to the WX 5100’s poor Passmark DirectX results. If the workload involves legacy DirectX 9 or 11 applications, the GTX 560’s average suggests it may not be as disadvantaged as the OpenCL test implies, though no direct comparison exists for those tests. The GTX 560’s nearest rivals are all older or lower-end cards, and its 45th percentile ranking shows it is not a high performer by modern standards. For a user with a specific need for older DirectX support, the GTX 560 might be sufficient, but for any modern compute or professional workload, the WX 5100 is the only rational choice based on the data. The WX 5100’s single-slot design and lack of power connectors also suggest it is easier to integrate into a professional workstation, though these are physical attributes rather than performance metrics.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ significantly across nearly every specification. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 features 8 GB of GDDR5 memory, compared to 1 GB on the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560. Memory bandwidth is also higher on the AMD card at 160.0 GB/s versus 128.0 GB/s, despite both using a 256-bit bus. The WX 5100 has 1,792 shading units and 112 texture mapping units, while the GTX 560 has 336 shading units and 56 TMUs, though both have 32 ROPs. Pixel and texture rates favor the AMD card significantly: 34.75 GPixel/s and 121.6 GTexel/s for the WX 5100, versus 11.34 GPixel/s and 45.36 GTexel/s for the GTX 560. The AMD card’s FP32 performance is 3.892 TFLOPS, while the NVIDIA card is only 1,088.6 GFLOPS.

The WX 5100 also has a lower TDP of 75 W with no power connectors, while the GTX 560 has a 150 W TDP and requires 2x 6-pin connectors. The suggested PSU is 250 W for the AMD card and 450 W for the NVIDIA card. The bus interfaces differ, with the WX 5100 using PCIe 3.0 x16 and the GTX 560 using PCIe 2.0 x16. Display outputs are also different: the WX 5100 offers 4x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the GTX 560 has 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a. Physically, the WX 5100 is shorter at 173 mm (6.8 inches) versus 210 mm (8.3 inches) for the GTX 560, and it is a single-slot card versus dual-slot. The launch MSRP for the GTX 560 was 199 USD, while the WX 5100 launched at 499 USD.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between the two GPUs is profound. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 is built on the Fermi 2.0 architecture, using the GF114 chip, and is fabricated on a 40nm process at TSMC. It packs 1,950 million transistors on a 332 mm² die. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 uses the GCN 4.0 architecture with the Ellesmere chip, built on a 14nm process at GlobalFoundries. It integrates 5,700 million transistors on a smaller 232 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 24.6 million per mm² compared to 5.9 million for the GTX 560. This density difference is a direct consequence of the process node shrink.

The AMD card’s GCN 4.0 architecture provides native support for DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3, whereas the GTX 560 only supports DirectX 12 (11_0) with no Vulkan support. The WX 5100 also supports FP16 compute at a 1:1 ratio, while the GTX 560 has no FP16 capability. The AMD card’s clock behavior differs as well, with a base clock of 713 MHz and a boost clock of 1,086 MHz, while the GTX 560 has no listed base or boost clocks, only a memory clock of 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective). The WX 5100’s memory clock is 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective). The Radeon Pro WX 5100 is from the Radeon Pro Polaris (WX x100) generation and lists its predecessor as Radeon Pro GCN and successor as Radeon Pro Vega, while the GTX 560 is from the GeForce 500 series, with the GeForce 400 as predecessor and GeForce 600 as successor. These differences highlight not just a performance gap, but a fundamental evolution in GPU design, from a power-hungry, older-process chip to a more efficient, modern compute-focused workstation card.