AMD FirePro W4100

The AMD FirePro W4100 is a professional workstation graphics card built on the GCN 1.0 architecture, featuring the Cape Verde chip manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It occupies the 34th percentile among all GPUs in the benchmark database, with an average benchmark score of 5972, placing it as a legacy entry-level solution that is now officially end-of-life.

Benchmark Performance

The FirePro W4100 delivers an average benchmark score of 5972, derived from a Geekbench OpenCL score of 5447 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 6496. These results place the card in a tightly contested performance band where the difference between it and its nearest rivals is measured in fractions of a percent rather than meaningful margins.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the card produces 645.1 GFLOPS of FP32 compute throughput from its 512 shading units. The Vulkan score of 6496 is notably higher than the OpenCL score, suggesting the GCN 1.0 architecture responds reasonably well to modern API overhead reduction, though the absolute performance level remains modest. The pixel rate of 10.08 GPixel/s and texture rate of 20.16 GTexel/s, derived from 16 ROPs and 32 TMUs respectively, indicate the card can handle basic 2D and light 3D workloads without strain.

The average score of 5972 sits almost exactly between the NVIDIA Quadro K620M at 5957 and the AMD Radeon HD 8730M at 5970. Against the Quadro K4000M, which scores 5986, the FirePro trails by 0.2%. The closest competitor is the AMD Radeon 610M, scoring 5992, which leads the FirePro by a mere 0.3%. These delta values are within measurement noise, meaning the FirePro W4100 offers effectively identical compute performance to all four rivals in real-world terms. This clustering suggests the card is not a performance outlier in either direction; it simply sits at a specific performance tier where many competing architectures converge.

Power and Cooling

The FirePro W4100 carries a TDP of 50 W, which is remarkably low for a workstation card of its era. This power envelope allows for a single-slot cooling solution, and the card requires no external power connectors, drawing all its power solely from the PCIe 3.0 x16 slot. The suggested PSU rating is 250 W, which is a conservative recommendation that accommodates the card's modest draw alongside typical system components.

The 50 W TDP directly influences the thermal design. A single-slot form factor with passive or low-profile active cooling is feasible at this power level, making the card suitable for compact workstation chassis where space is limited. The absence of power connectors simplifies installation in pre-built systems that may lack spare PCIe power cables. The low power draw also means the card generates minimal waste heat, reducing the burden on system cooling and allowing for quieter operation in acoustically sensitive environments.

The 28 nm process node from TSMC, containing 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, achieves a transistor density of 12.2M per mm². This density is unremarkable by modern standards but was appropriate for the 2014 release date. The combination of a small die and low TDP means the card operates well within thermal limits even under sustained load, provided the chassis has basic airflow. For systems with a 250 W power supply, this card represents a safe drop-in upgrade, as it will not stress the PSU's capacity on the 12 V rail.

Memory Subsystem

The FirePro W4100 is equipped with 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding a memory bandwidth of 64.00 GB/s. The memory operates at 1000 MHz, translating to 4 Gbps effective data rate. This configuration is adequate for 1080p workloads but becomes a limiting factor at higher resolutions.

At 1080p, the 2 GB frame buffer can accommodate typical professional application textures and geometry without spilling into system memory. The 64.00 GB/s bandwidth supports the 645.1 GFLOPS compute throughput without creating a bottleneck in most workloads, as the compute-to-bandwidth ratio is balanced for entry-level tasks. However, at 1440p or 4K resolutions, the 2 GB capacity becomes restrictive. High-resolution textures and multiple display outputs—the card supports four mini-DisplayPort 1.2 connections—can quickly exhaust the frame buffer, forcing the driver to manage memory more aggressively.

The 128-bit bus width is the primary constraint on memory bandwidth. At 64.00 GB/s, the card cannot sustain heavy texture streaming or large compute kernels that repeatedly access the frame buffer. This limitation manifests as reduced performance in applications that use high-resolution assets or multi-sample anti-aliasing. The GDDR5 type provides better efficiency than DDR3, but the narrow bus keeps total bandwidth modest. For dual-monitor setups at 1080p, the memory subsystem is sufficient; for four-monitor configurations or higher resolutions, users should expect performance degradation. The 2 GB capacity is also insufficient for modern large language model inference or GPU-accelerated rendering scenes that require several gigabytes of VRAM.

How It Compares

vs AMD Radeon HD 8730M: The FirePro W4100 scores 5972 against the mobile Radeon's 5970, a 0% delta that indicates identical performance. The desktop FirePro offers the advantage of a full PCIe 3.0 x16 interface and four display outputs, while the HD 8730M is a mobile part. In raw compute, both deliver the same results, so the choice comes down to form factor and connectivity rather than speed.

vs NVIDIA Quadro K4000M: The Quadro K4000M scores 5986, leading the FirePro by 0.2%. This margin is effectively zero in benchmark terms, but the K4000M is a mobile workstation GPU, whereas the FirePro is a desktop card. The FirePro's single-slot design and 50 W TDP make it easier to integrate into desktop systems, while the K4000M's advantage is purely nominal in the synthetic benchmark. Neither card offers a compelling performance lead over the other.

vs NVIDIA Quadro K620M: The K620M scores 5957, which is 0.3% lower than the FirePro's 5972. The FirePro leads this matchup by a hair, though again the comparison spans desktop versus mobile form factors. The FirePro's 64.00 GB/s memory bandwidth and 2 GB VRAM match the K620M's specifications closely, and the benchmark delta does not translate into perceptible real-world differences. The FirePro's four mini-DisplayPort outputs give it a connectivity advantage for multi-monitor setups.

vs AMD Radeon 610M: The Radeon 610M scores 5992, placing it 0.3% ahead of the FirePro. This is the largest gap among the rivals, yet it remains negligible. The 610M is a much newer integrated graphics solution, while the FirePro is a discrete card from 2014. The FirePro's dedicated memory and workstation driver support may offer better stability in professional applications, but pure compute performance is essentially tied. The 610M benefits from newer architecture features, but the benchmark scores do not reflect a meaningful generational leap.

Who Should Consider It

The FirePro W4100 is suitable for users who require a low-power, single-slot workstation card for basic professional tasks at 1080p resolution. The 645.1 GFLOPS FP32 performance and 64.00 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 2D CAD, spreadsheet-based data visualization, and light 3D modeling where scenes are not geometry-heavy. For 1080p office productivity and dual-monitor setups, the card delivers adequate performance without taxing a 250 W power supply.

Users working at 1440p or higher should look elsewhere. The 2 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus will bottleneck texture-heavy applications, and the 34th percentile ranking indicates the card is below average for all GPUs. The Vulkan score of 6496 suggests some modern API games may run at low settings, but the card is not designed for gaming. Professional users who need four display outputs from a single low-profile card will find the four mini-DisplayPort 1.2 connections valuable, provided their workloads stay within the memory limits.

The card is not suitable for machine learning, video editing with high-resolution timelines, or any workload requiring more than 2 GB of VRAM. Those workloads demand higher bandwidth and capacity. For legacy systems with limited power supplies and tight chassis space, the FirePro W4100 offers a functional path to multi-monitor professional output. Users with modern systems should consider newer alternatives, as the 28 nm process and GCN 1.0 architecture lack modern features like hardware ray tracing or dedicated AI accelerators. The 50 W TDP is the card's strongest attribute, enabling silent, cool operation in virtually any desktop.

FAQ

Q: What is the average benchmark score of the AMD FirePro W4100?

A: The average benchmark score is 5972, based on a Geekbench OpenCL score of 5447 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 6496.

Q: How does the FirePro W4100 compare to the NVIDIA Quadro K620M?

A: The FirePro W4100 scores 5972, which is 0.3% higher than the Quadro K620M's score of 5957.

Q: What power supply is recommended for this card?

A: The suggested PSU rating is 250 W, and the card requires no external power connectors, drawing power solely from the PCIe 3.0 x16 slot.

Q: How much memory bandwidth does the FirePro W4100 provide?

A: The card has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 64.00 GB/s of memory bandwidth.

Q: What is the TDP of the FirePro W4100?

A: The TDP is 50 W, which enables a single-slot cooling solution without additional power connectors.

Q: Is the FirePro W4100 suitable for 4K resolution workloads?

A: The 2 GB VRAM and 64.00 GB/s bandwidth are likely insufficient for 4K workloads, as the memory capacity and bandwidth will become limiting factors at that resolution.

Q: What display outputs does the card offer?

A: The FirePro W4100 provides four mini-DisplayPort 1.2 outputs, supporting multi-monitor configurations.