AMD FirePro W4300 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 Comparison

The Verdict

The benchmark data splits these two cards cleanly by workload and physical requirements. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 is the pick for raw compute throughput in OpenCL: it scores 15,662 versus 11,225 for the AMD FirePro W4300, a 39.5% lead in the only head-to-head test recorded. That is a decisive margin, not a rounding error. The GTX 950 also has a higher overall standing in the database, sitting at the 53rd percentile of all GPUs with an average score of 13,189, while the FirePro W4300 sits at the 50th percentile with an average of 11,225.

The AMD FirePro W4300 is the pick when physical footprint, power draw, and memory capacity dominate the decision. Its 50 W TDP is 40 W lower than the GTX 950's 90 W, it is a single-slot card with no power connectors, and it carries 4 GB of VRAM versus 2 GB on the GTX 950. If the machine is a compact workstation with a constrained power budget and the workload needs more framebuffer than raw OpenCL speed, the FirePro W4300 is the sensible choice. If the priority is pure compute performance in OpenCL, the GTX 950 wins outright.

Architecture Differences

Both cards are built on the same 28 nm TSMC process, but the underlying designs diverge sharply. The GTX 950 uses the GM206 chip with NVIDIA's Maxwell 2.0 architecture, while the FirePro W4300 uses the Bonaire chip with AMD's GCN 2.0 architecture. The transistor counts differ: the GTX 950 packs 2,940 million transistors on a 228 mm² die, yielding a density of 12.9M per mm², while the FirePro W4300 has 2,080 million transistors on a 160 mm² die, yielding 13.0M per mm². The two dies are nearly identical in transistor density despite the size difference.

The shading and texture hardware is identical in count: both have 768 shading units and 48 texture mapping units. The ROP count is not equal, the GTX 950 has 32 ROPs while the FirePro W4300 has 16. That difference is a major factor in pixel throughput: the GTX 950 delivers 38.02 GPixel/s versus 14.88 GPixel/s for the FirePro W4300. Texture rate also favors the GTX 950 at 57.02 GTexel/s against 44.64 GTexel/s. In raw FP32 compute, the GTX 950 outputs 1.825 TFLOPS, while the FirePro W4300 outputs 1,428.5 GFLOPS (1.4285 TFLOPS).

The memory subsystems share a 128-bit bus and GDDR5 type, but capacities and bandwidth differ. The GTX 950 has 2 GB at 105.8 GB/s, while the FirePro W4300 has 4 GB at 96.00 GB/s. The FirePro W4300 gives up a little bandwidth for double the capacity. On the software side, both support DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.6, but the GTX 950 reaches DirectX 12 feature level 12_1 and Vulkan 1.4, while the FirePro W4300 is at feature level 12_0 and Vulkan 1.2.170.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded head-to-head benchmark is a single test: Geekbench OpenCL. The GTX 950 scores 15,662, the FirePro W4300 scores 11,225, and the delta is 39.5% in favor of NVIDIA. That is the entire direct comparison in the database, so the verdict for OpenCL workloads is unambiguous. The GTX 950 is not just marginally faster; it is nearly 40% ahead in raw compute throughput.

The broader benchmark data reinforces the gap. The GTX 950 has three recorded benchmark scores: Geekbench Metal at 7,172, Geekbench OpenCL at 15,662, and Geekbench Vulkan at 16,734. Its average benchmark score is 13,189. The FirePro W4300 has a single recorded score, Geekbench OpenCL at 11,225, which is also its average. The GTX 950's average sits 17.5% above the FirePro W4300's entire benchmark record. The percentile ranking reflects the same story: 53rd percentile for the GTX 950 versus 50th for the FirePro W4300. The GTX 950 also has more benchmark breadth, with results across three APIs, while the FirePro W4300 only has OpenCL on record.

The nearest rivals in the database provide context. The GTX 950's average of 13,189 places it within 1.2% of the AMD FirePro M6100 (13,354), 1% behind the AMD Radeon Pro 555X (13,321), 0.8% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 (13,300), and 0.9% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla M2090 (13,075). The FirePro W4300's average of 11,225 is essentially tied with the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 (11,228), 0.3% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M (11,261), and 1.2% ahead of both the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q and RTX PRO 6000D Blackwell Max-Q (both 11,088). The GTX 950 competes in a higher performance tier than the FirePro W4300, whose closest rivals are a mix of mobile and professional parts with similar scores.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every physical and performance spec, so the list below covers only the fields where they do not match.

• Chip and architecture: GM206 with Maxwell 2.0 on the GTX 950; Bonaire with GCN 2.0 on the FirePro W4300.
• Transistors: 2,940 million versus 2,080 million.
• Die size: 228 mm² versus 160 mm².
• Transistor density: 12.9M per mm² versus 13.0M per mm².
• Memory size: 2 GB versus 4 GB.
• Memory bandwidth: 105.8 GB/s versus 96.00 GB/s.
• Memory clock: 1653 MHz with 6.6 Gbps effective versus 1500 MHz with 6 Gbps effective.
• ROPs: 32 versus 16.
• Pixel rate: 38.02 GPixel/s versus 14.88 GPixel/s.
• Texture rate: 57.02 GTexel/s versus 44.64 GTexel/s.
• FP32: 1.825 TFLOPS versus 1,428.5 GFLOPS.
• TDP: 90 W versus 50 W.
• Slot width: Dual-slot versus single-slot.
• Power connectors: 1x 6-pin versus none.
• Display outputs: 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.2 versus 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.2.
• DirectX support: 12 (12_1) versus 12 (12_0).
• Vulkan support: 1.4 versus 1.2.170.
• Dimensions: 202 mm (8 inches) long versus 171 mm (6.7 inches) long and 69 mm (2.7 inches) high.
• Release date: 2015-08-19 versus 2015-11-30.
• Launch MSRP: The GTX 950 has a recorded launch MSRP of 159 USD; the FirePro W4300 has no recorded launch MSRP.

The cards share the same 28 nm process, foundry (TSMC), shading unit count (768), TMU count (48), memory type (GDDR5), memory bus width (128 bit), suggested PSU (250 W), bus interface (PCIe 3.0 x16), and OpenGL support (4.6). Both are end-of-life products.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in OpenCL?

A: The GTX 950. It scores 15,662 in Geekbench OpenCL versus 11,225 for the FirePro W4300, a 39.5% advantage.

Q: Does the FirePro W4300 have more memory?

A: Yes. The FirePro W4300 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth, while the GTX 950 has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 105.8 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card uses less power?

A: The FirePro W4300. It has a 50 W TDP and requires no power connectors, while the GTX 950 has a 90 W TDP and needs a 1x 6-pin connector. Both recommend a 250 W PSU.

Q: Do both cards support DirectX 12?

A: Yes, but at different feature levels. The GTX 950 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the FirePro W4300 supports DirectX 12 (12_0).

Q: How do the cards compare in overall database ranking?

A: The GTX 950 sits at the 53rd percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 13,189. The FirePro W4300 sits at the 50th percentile with an average score of 11,225.

Q: Which card is smaller physically?

A: The FirePro W4300. It is 171 mm (6.7 inches) long and 69 mm (2.7 inches) high, and it is a single-slot card. The GTX 950 is 202 mm (8 inches) long and dual-slot.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 950 wins in every compute and rendering throughput category recorded. It is 39.5% ahead in OpenCL, the only direct head-to-head benchmark. Its FP32 output of 1.825 TFLOPS exceeds the FirePro W4300's 1,428.5 GFLOPS. Its pixel rate is more than double the FirePro W4300's: 38.02 GPixel/s versus 14.88 GPixel/s, a direct consequence of having 32 ROPs versus 16. Texture rate favors it as well at 57.02 GTexel/s versus 44.64 GTexel/s. The GTX 950 also has broader API coverage with Vulkan 1.4 and DirectX 12_1, plus three recorded benchmark scores spanning Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan. It is the card to choose when OpenCL compute, pixel fill, or raw FP32 throughput is the bottleneck.

The FirePro W4300 wins in the physical and capacity categories. It draws 50 W versus 90 W, fits in a single slot instead of two, needs no power connector, and is shorter at 171 mm versus 202 mm. It doubles the VRAM to 4 GB, which matters for workloads that exceed a 2 GB framebuffer, even if its bandwidth is slightly lower at 96.00 GB/s versus 105.8 GB/s. Its four mini-DisplayPort 1.2 outputs give it a multi-display edge over the GTX 950's single DVI, single HDMI, and three DisplayPort outputs, depending on the monitor setup. It is the card to choose when power draw, slot space, and memory capacity are more important than raw throughput. The data is clear: the GTX 950 is the faster card by a wide margin, but the FirePro W4300 is the more efficient and compact option with twice the memory.