AMD FirePro W6170M
AMD graphics card specifications and benchmark scores
At a Glance
AMDAMD FirePro W6170M Specifications
GPU Core
Shader units and compute resources
The AMD FirePro W6170M GPU core specifications define its raw processing power for graphics and compute workloads. Shading units (also called CUDA cores, stream processors, or execution units depending on manufacturer) handle the parallel calculations required for rendering. TMUs (Texture Mapping Units) process texture data, while ROPs (Render Output Units) handle final pixel output. Higher shader counts generally translate to better GPU benchmark performance, especially in demanding games and 3D applications.
FirePro W6170M Clock Speeds
GPU and memory frequencies
Clock speeds directly impact the FirePro W6170M's performance in GPU benchmarks and real-world gaming. The base clock represents the minimum guaranteed frequency, while the boost clock indicates peak performance under optimal thermal conditions. Memory clock speed affects texture loading and frame buffer operations. The FirePro W6170M by AMD dynamically adjusts frequencies based on workload, temperature, and power limits to maximize performance while maintaining stability.
AMD's FirePro W6170M Memory
VRAM capacity and bandwidth
VRAM (Video RAM) is dedicated memory for storing textures, frame buffers, and shader data. The FirePro W6170M's memory capacity determines how well it handles high-resolution textures and multiple displays. Memory bandwidth, measured in GB/s, affects how quickly data moves between the GPU and VRAM. Higher bandwidth improves performance in memory-intensive scenarios like 4K gaming. The memory bus width and type (GDDR6, GDDR6X, HBM) significantly influence overall GPU benchmark scores.
FirePro W6170M by AMD Cache
On-chip cache hierarchy
On-chip cache provides ultra-fast data access for the FirePro W6170M, reducing the need to fetch data from slower VRAM. L1 and L2 caches store frequently accessed data close to the compute units. AMD's Infinity Cache (L3) dramatically increases effective bandwidth, improving GPU benchmark performance without requiring wider memory buses. Larger cache sizes help maintain high frame rates in memory-bound scenarios and reduce power consumption by minimizing VRAM accesses.
FirePro W6170M Theoretical Performance
Compute and fill rates
Theoretical performance metrics provide a baseline for comparing the AMD FirePro W6170M against other graphics cards. FP32 (single-precision) performance, measured in TFLOPS, indicates compute capability for gaming and general GPU workloads. FP64 (double-precision) matters for scientific computing. Pixel and texture fill rates determine how quickly the GPU can render complex scenes. While real-world GPU benchmark results depend on many factors, these specifications help predict relative performance levels.
GCN 2.0 Architecture & Process
Manufacturing and design details
The AMD FirePro W6170M is built on AMD's GCN 2.0 architecture, which defines how the GPU processes graphics and compute workloads. The manufacturing process node affects power efficiency, thermal characteristics, and maximum clock speeds. Smaller process nodes pack more transistors into the same die area, enabling higher performance per watt. Understanding the architecture helps predict how the FirePro W6170M will perform in GPU benchmarks compared to previous generations.
Power & Thermal
TDP and power requirements
Power specifications for the AMD FirePro W6170M determine PSU requirements and thermal management needs. TDP (Thermal Design Power) indicates the heat output under typical loads, guiding cooler selection. Power connector requirements ensure adequate power delivery for stable operation during demanding GPU benchmarks. The suggested PSU wattage accounts for the entire system, not just the graphics card. Efficient power delivery enables the FirePro W6170M to maintain boost clocks without throttling.
FirePro W6170M by AMD Physical & Connectivity
Dimensions and outputs
Physical dimensions of the AMD FirePro W6170M are critical for case compatibility. Card length, height, and slot width determine whether it fits in your chassis. The PCIe interface version affects bandwidth for communication with the CPU. Display outputs define monitor connectivity options, with modern cards supporting multiple high-resolution displays simultaneously. Verify these specifications against your case and motherboard before purchasing to ensure a proper fit.
AMD API Support
Graphics and compute APIs
API support determines which games and applications can fully utilize the AMD FirePro W6170M. DirectX 12 Ultimate enables advanced features like ray tracing and variable rate shading. Vulkan provides cross-platform graphics capabilities with low-level hardware access. OpenGL remains important for professional applications and older games. CUDA (NVIDIA) and OpenCL enable GPU compute for video editing, 3D rendering, and scientific applications. Higher API versions unlock newer graphical features in GPU benchmarks and games.
FirePro W6170M Product Information
Release and pricing details
The AMD FirePro W6170M is manufactured by AMD as part of their graphics card lineup. Release date and launch pricing provide context for comparing GPU benchmark results with competing products from the same era. Understanding the product lifecycle helps evaluate whether the FirePro W6170M by AMD represents good value at current market prices. Predecessor and successor information aids in tracking generational improvements and planning future upgrades.
About AMD FirePro W6170M
Benchmark Performance
The AMD FirePro W6170M occupies a distinctly mid-pack position in the database, holding a 50th percentile ranking against all GPUs tracked. Its average benchmark score of 0, however, indicates that no standardized test results are currently recorded for this mobile workstation part, making percentile placement a structural rather than performance-based metric. The raw compute specifications nonetheless provide a basis for analytical comparison.
The chip delivers 1.971 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput, a figure that places it firmly in the professional mobile segment of its era. With 896 shading units operating across the GCN 2.0 architecture, the FirePro W6170M achieves a pixel rate of 17.60 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 61.60 GTexel/s. These numbers suggest a GPU designed for CAD visualization and professional rendering workloads rather than high-frame-rate gaming, given the modest 16 ROPs and 56 TMUs. The FP32 figure represents the ceiling for single-precision compute; no FP16 performance is listed, indicating the architecture did not emphasize half-precision throughput for machine learning tasks.
The nearestRivals array is empty, meaning no direct comparative scores and deltaPct values are available within this dataset. Consequently, percentage-based comparisons against specific competitors cannot be derived from the FACT PACK. What can be stated is that the 50th percentile placement places this GPU at the median of all GPUs in the benchmark database, meaning roughly half of all tracked graphics processors score higher and half score lower. For a mobile workstation part from 2014, that median position reflects a design aimed at balanced professional performance rather than top-tier compute density.
Architecturally, the GCN 2.0 design with 2,080 million transistors on a 160 mm² die yields a transistor density of 13.0 million per square millimeter, fabricated on TSMC's 28 nm process. The density figure is modest by modern standards but was consistent with the process generation. The 28 nm node limited clock headroom, yet the memory clock of 1500 MHz with 6 Gbps effective data rate indicates the engineers prioritized memory bandwidth efficiency over raw core clocks. The absence of listed base and boost clocks in the FACT PACK prevents direct clock-speed analysis, but the compute throughput and texture rates allow for architectural positioning.
Ray Tracing and Feature Set
The FirePro W6170M does not include dedicated ray tracing cores or tensor cores, as these fields are null in the specifications. This absence is expected for a GCN 2.0 architecture GPU from the 2014 timeframe, predating hardware-accelerated ray tracing by several generations. The feature set instead centers on traditional rasterization and compute APIs. DirectX support reaches 12 (12_0), which includes the feature level typically associated with modern rendering pipelines, though without ray tracing or variable rate shading extensions. OpenGL 4.6 is fully supported, providing compatibility with professional OpenGL applications common in CAD and DCC workflows.
Vulkan API support is listed at version 1.2.170, which is a relatively mature implementation for a GPU of this vintage. This allows access to modern Vulkan extensions for compute and rendering, though the underlying hardware lacks the specialized units found in contemporary architectures. The absence of tensor cores means no dedicated AI acceleration, and the null RT core count confirms no hardware traversal or bounding volume hierarchy processing. For professional workloads that rely on these features, the FirePro W6170M would rely entirely on software fallbacks or compute shaders.
The GCN 2.0 architecture does support asynchronous compute, which is implicit in the design but not explicitly listed in the FACT PACK. The mobile FirePro positioning suggests driver optimizations for stability and certification rather than gaming-oriented features. Display outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent," meaning the laptop manufacturer determines the actual video connectors, which is typical for MXM modules. The bus interface is MXM-B (3.0), a standardized mobile PCIe form factor that allows for field replacement in supported workstations.
Power and Cooling
The FACT PACK lists no TDP value for the FirePro W6170M, which is an unusual omission for a mobile GPU. The slot width is specified as "MXM Module," indicating the card uses the standard mobile PCIe module form factor rather than a desktop expansion slot. Power connectors are listed as "None," which suggests the module draws all power through the MXM connector itself, avoiding supplemental power cables. This is typical for mobile workstation GPUs in the 45W to 75W range, though the exact figure is not provided.
No suggested PSU is listed, which aligns with the mobile nature of the product—end users do not typically select power supplies for MXM-equipped laptops. The absence of a TDP figure in the FACT PACK means thermal design power cannot be quantified, but the 28 nm process and 128-bit memory interface imply a moderate power envelope. The 2 GB GDDR5 memory with 1500 MHz clock would contribute a measurable portion of total board power, though exact wattage remains unspecified.
Cooling considerations for the FirePro W6170M are entirely dependent on the host laptop's thermal solution. MXM modules are designed to work with the chassis-specific cooling system, whether that involves heat pipes, vapor chambers, or blower fans. The 160 mm² die size provides a reasonable surface area for heat spreading, and the 2,080 million transistor count suggests a power density that a well-designed laptop cooling system could handle. Without a TDP figure, the data cannot confirm whether this GPU requires enhanced cooling or operates within standard mobile thermal budgets.
How It Compares
The nearestRivals array is empty, so no direct competitor names, scores, or deltaPct values are available for analysis. This absence means the FirePro W6170M cannot be positioned against specific NVIDIA Quadro or AMD FirePro contemporaries using quantitative data from the FACT PACK. The 50th percentile ranking against all GPUs provides a broad reference point, but without rival entries, a granular comparison is impossible.
What the data does reveal is the FirePro W6170M's placement within the broader GPU landscape. The 50th percentile means the GPU sits exactly at the median of all GPUs in the benchmark database. In practical terms, this suggests the card would handle professional 1080p workloads competently but would not excel at high-resolution rendering or compute-heavy tasks. The 1.971 TFLOPS FP32 figure, while not exceptional, is sufficient for many CAD and 3D modeling applications of its generation.
The absence of benchmark scores and rival data limits the depth of comparative analysis. The GPU's architectural specifications—896 shading units, 56 TMUs, 16 ROPs—paint a picture of a balanced mid-range mobile part. The 96.00 GB/s memory bandwidth further positions it as a workstation-oriented GPU where texture throughput and rasterization efficiency matter more than raw compute density. Without deltaPct values, any percentage-based comparative statements would violate data integrity, so the analysis must remain at the architectural level.
Memory Subsystem
The FirePro W6170M features 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding a memory bandwidth of 96.00 GB/s. The memory clock is listed at 1500 MHz with 6 Gbps effective data rate, which is the standard quad-pumped GDDR5 signaling. This configuration provides moderate bandwidth that is appropriate for the GPU's compute capabilities. The 128-bit bus width is narrower than many desktop workstation cards of the same era, but the mobile form factor and 2 GB capacity align with the target workload profile.
For high-resolution professional applications, 96.00 GB/s presents a limiting factor. At 4K resolutions, texture-heavy workloads would likely experience bandwidth constraints, though the GPU's 17.60 GPixel/s pixel rate suggests it can handle moderate resolution rendering without stalling on pixel throughput. The 2 GB VRAM capacity is adequate for 1080p CAD models and moderate texture sizes, but large assemblies or 4K textures could exceed the memory allocation, forcing data swapping. The 6 Gbps effective memory speed partially compensates for the narrow bus, but the overall bandwidth figure remains the key constraint for memory-intensive tasks.
The 128-bit bus width also affects the GPU's ability to scale with resolution. Each bit of the bus transfers data at the same clock rate, so the total bandwidth is fixed at 96.00 GB/s regardless of workload. This means that as resolution increases, the per-pixel bandwidth available decreases, leading to potential frame rate drops in demanding applications. The GDDR5 type is standard for the era, offering better power efficiency than DDR3 but lower bandwidth than GDDR5X or HBM. The 2 GB capacity, while modest by today's standards, was appropriate for a 2014 mobile workstation part targeting professional applications rather than gaming or compute research.
FAQ
Q: What is the FP32 compute performance of the AMD FirePro W6170M?
A: The GPU delivers 1.971 TFLOPS of single-precision compute throughput, based on its 896 shading units operating across the GCN 2.0 architecture.
Q: Does this GPU support hardware ray tracing?
A: No. The FACT PACK lists no ray tracing cores and no tensor cores, indicating the hardware lacks dedicated ray tracing or AI acceleration units. The feature set relies on traditional rasterization and compute APIs.
Q: What is the memory configuration and bandwidth?
A: The FirePro W6170M has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock runs at 1500 MHz with 6 Gbps effective data rate.
Q: Which APIs are supported?
A: The GPU supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. This provides modern API compatibility for professional and compute workloads.
Q: What is the production status and release date?
A: The FirePro W6170M is end-of-life, with a release date of August 24, 2014. Its predecessor is FirePro Mobility and its successor is Radeon Pro Mobile.
Q: How many transistors are on the chip and what is the die size?
A: The chip contains 2,080 million transistors on a 160 mm² die, fabricated on TSMC's 28 nm process. This yields a transistor density of 13.0 million per square millimeter.
Detailed benchmark scores and charts for the AMD FirePro W6170M are below.
Benchmark Scores
No benchmark data available for this GPU.
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