AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 vs NVIDIA Quadro GV100 Comparison

The AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 and NVIDIA Quadro GV100 represent two very different generations of professional graphics solutions. The data shows a decisive performance gap between them, with the Quadro GV100 dominating in every shared benchmark. However, the WX 7100 maintains relevance in specific legacy or API-constrained workloads, making the choice between them largely dependent on the software environment and performance requirements. The benchmark results, sourced from Geekbench compute tests, reveal a stark contrast in raw compute capabilities, while the architecture and memory configurations further differentiate their use cases.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head comparison is brief but conclusive, featuring only two compute-focused tests. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the NVIDIA Quadro GV100 scores 150,004, while the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 scores 40,148. This yields a delta of -73.2% for the AMD card, indicating the NVIDIA card is approximately 3.7 times faster. The gap is nearly as large in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the GV100 achieves 139,526 against the WX 7100’s 39,683, a delta of -71.6%. These results are not marginal differences; they represent a full performance tier separation.

The only other comparable metric comes from the average benchmark score, though this is skewed by the different test sets. The WX 7100 has a higher average score of 40,063 across its three Geekbench tests, while the GV100 averages 35,520 across nine tests, including several Passmark legacy benchmarks. The GV100’s Passmark scores are notably low for DirectX 10 (140), DirectX 11 (168), and DirectX 12 (84), which drag down its average. In contrast, the WX 7100’s average is based solely on modern compute workloads, where it is consistent (40,357 Metal, 40,148 OpenCL, 39,683 Vulkan). Therefore, the average benchmark score is not an apples-to-apples comparison of compute capability; it reflects the inclusion of older API tests for the GV100.

Looking at the nearest rivals for each card provides additional context. The WX 7100’s average score of 40,063 places it within 1.3% of the AMD Radeon Pro 575 (39,555) and 1.3% above the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile (39,568). It is also within 0.8% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 (40,377). This indicates the WX 7100 is squarely in the mid-range compute tier. The GV100, with an average of 35,520, is actually below the WX 7100 in this metric, but this is misleading. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile (35,435) and AMD Radeon Pro Duo (35,860), showing it is in a similar average band. The GV100’s raw compute wins are unambiguous, but its average is depressed by legacy DirectX tests.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA Quadro GV100 wins decisively in modern compute-heavy workloads. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 150,004 is 273% higher than the WX 7100’s 40,148. Similarly, its Vulkan score of 139,526 is 251% higher than the WX 7100’s 39,683. These results indicate that for GPU-accelerated rendering, scientific simulation, or AI inference using OpenCL or Vulkan, the GV100 is in a different league. The 640 Tensor Cores, while not directly benchmarked here, are a hardware feature that the WX 7100 lacks entirely, suggesting additional advantages in workloads that utilize them.

The AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 does not win any of the head-to-head benchmarks, with a win count of zero versus two for the GV100. However, the data shows it wins in the specific area of legacy API compatibility, based on the GV100’s Passmark scores. The GV100’s DirectX 10 score is 140, DirectX 11 is 168, and DirectX 12 is 84. These are extremely low numbers, indicating poor performance in older DirectX applications. The WX 7100 does not have Passmark DirectX scores in the data, but its architecture (GCN 4.0) supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the GV100 supports DirectX 12 (12_1). The absence of low scores for the WX 7100 in these tests means it likely does not suffer from the same performance regression. For users running legacy CAD or simulation software that relies on DirectX 10/11, the WX 7100 may be the more reliable choice.

The GV100 also wins on memory capacity and bandwidth. It has 32 GB of HBM2 memory with an 868.4 GB/s bandwidth, compared to the WX 7100’s 8 GB of GDDR5 with 224.0 GB/s. This makes the GV100 capable of handling datasets that would completely saturate the WX 7100’s memory. The WX 7100’s 5.728 TFLOPS FP32 performance is also far below the GV100’s 16.66 TFLOPS, a 2.9x difference. For FP16 workloads, the GV100’s 33.32 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio) is even more dominant, while the WX 7100 is limited to 5.728 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio).

The Verdict

Based strictly on the benchmark data, the NVIDIA Quadro GV100 is the superior choice for any workload that leverages OpenCL or Vulkan compute. Its scores are consistently above 139,000 in these tests, while the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 cannot break past 40,357. If the task involves large datasets, the GV100’s 32 GB memory and 868.4 GB/s bandwidth are also decisive advantages over the WX 7100’s 8 GB and 224.0 GB/s. The GV100 is also the only card with Tensor Cores, providing a hardware path for AI workloads that the WX 7100 lacks.

The AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 is the safer pick for environments that depend on older DirectX versions. The GV100’s Passmark DirectX 10, 11, and 12 scores are all below 210, which is an outlier compared to its compute performance. This suggests a potential driver or architectural incompatibility with legacy graphics APIs. The WX 7100, with its older GCN architecture and no such low scores in the data, is likely to provide more stable performance in legacy professional applications. Its 4x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs match the GV100’s, and its single-slot design and 130 W TDP are significantly more manageable than the GV100’s dual-slot 250 W requirement.

For new deployments focusing on modern compute, the GV100 is the clear winner. For maintenance of legacy workstations or software that is sensitive to DirectX 10/11 performance, the WX 7100 is the more rational choice. The 73.2% delta in OpenCL is too large to ignore for any compute-centric buyer.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the NVIDIA Quadro GV100 in OpenCL compute?

A: The GV100 scores 150,004 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 73.2% higher than the WX 7100’s 40,148.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 win any benchmark against the GV100?

A: No. In the head-to-head benchmarks, the WX 7100 has 0 wins, while the GV100 wins both the OpenCL and Vulkan tests.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference between the two cards?

A: The GV100 has 32 GB of HBM2 memory, while the WX 7100 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory.

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The WX 7100 has a higher average score of 40,063, compared to the GV100’s 35,520. This is because the GV100’s average includes low Passmark DirectX scores.

Q: Does the GV100 support DirectX 12 better than the WX 7100?

A: The GV100 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and has a Passmark DirectX 12 score of 84, while the WX 7100 supports DirectX 12 (12_0) but has no Passmark score listed.

Q: What is the transistor count for each GPU?

A: The GV100 has 21,100 million transistors on a 815 mm² die, while the WX 7100 has 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two cards is fundamental. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 uses the Ellesmere chip based on GCN 4.0 architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It contains 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 24.6M per mm². The NVIDIA Quadro GV100 uses the GV100 chip based on Volta architecture, built on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It packs 21,100 million transistors into an 815 mm² die, with a density of 25.9M per mm².

The compute resource allocation differs significantly. The WX 7100 has 2,304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 32 raster operation units (ROPs). It offers a pixel rate of 39.78 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 179.0 GTexel/s. The GV100 has 5,120 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 128 ROPs, with a pixel rate of 208.3 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 520.6 GTexel/s. The GV100 also includes 640 Tensor Cores, which are absent from the WX 7100.

Clock speeds and power characteristics also differ. The WX 7100 has a base clock of 1188 MHz and a boost clock of 1243 MHz, with a TDP of 130 W and a single 6-pin power connector. The GV100 has a base clock of 1132 MHz and a boost clock of 1627 MHz, with a higher TDP of 250 W and a single 8-pin connector. The memory subsystems are completely different: the WX 7100 uses 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the GV100 uses 32 GB of HBM2 on a 4096-bit bus with 868.4 GB/s bandwidth. The WX 7100’s memory clock is 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective), while the GV100’s is 848 MHz (1696 Mbps effective).

Both cards support PCIe 3.0 x16 and have four DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The WX 7100 is a single-slot card measuring 241 mm in length, while the GV100 is a dual-slot card measuring 267 mm. API support shows the GV100 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while the WX 7100 supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The production status for both is end-of-life, with the WX 7100 released on 2016-11-09 and the GV100 on 2018-03-26.