ATI FirePro M7820

The ATI FirePro M7820 is an end-of-life mobile workstation GPU from AMD, built on the TeraScale 2 architecture with the Broadway chip. Fabricated on a 40 nm process at TSMC, it integrates 1,040 million transistors on a 166 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 6.3M per square millimeter. Released in April 2010, this MXM module occupies the 50th percentile of all GPUs tracked in the benchmark database, though its recorded average benchmark score is 0, indicating an absence of logged synthetic or game tests rather than a functional null. The part succeeds the Mobility FireGL and is itself succeeded by the FirePro Mobile line, with display outputs designated as Portable Device Dependent.

Benchmark Performance

The FirePro M7820’s compute profile is defined by 800 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 raster operation units. These feed a peak FP32 throughput of 1,120.0 GFLOPS, a figure that anchors its position at the exact median of the database’s historical records. The pixel fill rate of 11.20 GPixel/s and texture fill rate of 28.00 GTexel/s suggest a balanced raster pipeline for its era, with the 16 ROPs limiting fill-bound workloads. Memory bandwidth is supplied by 1024 MB of GDDR5 across a 128-bit bus, delivering 64.00 GB/s; the memory clock is 1000 MHz, translating to 4 Gbps effective. This bandwidth is modest by modern standards but aligns with the 50th percentile standing.

The absence of nearestRivals data in the database means no direct delta percentages can be computed against competing parts; the percentile field is the sole relative metric. The internal ratios of the hardware provide further characterization: the 800 shading units divided by 40 TMUs yields 20 shaders per texture unit, while the 40 TMUs against 16 ROPs gives a 2.5:1 texture-to-ROP ratio. The FP32 throughput per transistor is 1,120.0 GFLOPS divided by 1,040 million transistors, or approximately 1.08 GFLOPS per million transistors, a figure typical of the TeraScale 2 generation. The memory bandwidth per shading unit is 64.00 GB/s divided by 800, or 0.08 GB/s per shader, indicating that the compute array is not heavily bandwidth-starved for its era. The pixel rate per ROP is 11.20 GPixel/s divided by 16, or 0.70 GPixel/s per ROP, which is a moderate fill rate per output unit. The texture rate per TMU is 28.00 GTexel/s divided by 40, or 0.70 GTexel/s per TMU, showing a symmetrical design between pixel and texture throughput. These ratios, combined with the 50th percentile ranking, suggest a card that was designed for balanced 1080p-class workloads rather than extreme fill or compute tasks.

Power and Cooling

The FirePro M7820 carries a TDP of 50 W, a figure that dictates its thermal and power delivery requirements. As an MXM Module, it relies on the host laptop’s cooling solution rather than a standalone heatsink; the slot width is explicitly listed as MXM Module, meaning it fits into standard mobile graphics slots. Power connectors are listed as None, so the module draws all power from the MXM interface itself, and no supplementary PCIe power cables are required. The suggested PSU field is null, consistent with a mobile component that has no standalone power supply; the host system’s power brick and internal regulators handle delivery. The 50 W TDP is a critical design constraint for chassis designers, as it must be dissipated within the thermal envelope of a portable workstation. The 40 nm process and 1,040 million transistor count contribute to the 50 W power budget, and the 166 mm² die size allows for a moderate thermal density of approximately 0.30 W per square millimeter. The bus interface is PCIe 2.0 x16, which provides sufficient bandwidth for the 64.00 GB/s memory throughput without bottlenecking the interface. The absence of a suggested PSU figure implies that the module does not mandate a specific wattage for a desktop power supply, as it is not a desktop card. The 6.3M / mm² transistor density is a direct result of the 40 nm process, and this density influences the power leakage characteristics that contribute to the 50 W TDP.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

This GPU does not include dedicated ray tracing cores or tensor cores; both fields are null. Consequently, all rendering is performed through the traditional TeraScale 2 shader array of 800 units. The API support is limited to DirectX 11.2 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.4. Vulkan is not supported, as indicated by the null field. This API set places the card in the pre-Vulkan era, and it lacks the hardware acceleration for ray-traced effects found in later architectures. The absence of tensor cores means no AI-accelerated features such as DLSS or similar upscaling are available. For workstation use, the OpenGL 4.4 support enables professional CAD and DCC applications from that era, but modern versions requiring higher OpenGL or Vulkan will not function. The DirectX 11.2 (11_0) feature level caps the card at DirectX 11-class games and applications. The pixel rate of 11.20 GPixel/s and texture rate of 28.00 GTexel/s are the primary throughput limits for these APIs. The memory interface of 128-bit with 64.00 GB/s bandwidth also constrains feature-heavy workloads, particularly those that require large texture caches or high-resolution render targets. The 16 ROPs further limit the ability to perform deferred shading or multi-sample anti-aliasing at higher resolutions. The lack of Vulkan support is a significant limitation for any modern cross-platform engine, as most contemporary titles require Vulkan or DirectX 12. The card’s feature set is firmly rooted in the early 2010s, with no path forward for hardware-accelerated ray tracing or tensor-based inference.

FAQ

Q: What is the memory configuration of the ATI FirePro M7820?

A: It has 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 64.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock is 1000 MHz, equivalent to 4 Gbps effective.

Q: Does the FirePro M7820 support ray tracing or tensor operations?

A: No. The RT cores and tensor cores fields are null, indicating no dedicated hardware for ray tracing or tensor/AI workloads.

Q: What are the power requirements for this module?

A: The TDP is 50 W. It is an MXM Module with no power connectors, and no suggested PSU is listed, meaning it draws power entirely from the MXM slot.

Q: Which graphics APIs does it support?

A: It supports DirectX 11.2 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.4. Vulkan is not supported.

Q: What is the manufacturing process and die size?

A: It is fabricated on a 40 nm process at TSMC, with 1,040 million transistors on a 166 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 6.3M per square millimeter.

Q: What is the bus interface and compute throughput?

A: It uses a PCIe 2.0 x16 interface. The FP32 throughput is 1,120.0 GFLOPS, with a pixel rate of 11.20 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 28.00 GTexel/s.

Who Should Consider It

The FirePro M7820, given its 50th percentile ranking, is positioned for users who require a median-performing mobile GPU from the early 2010s. With 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory and 64.00 GB/s bandwidth, it is suitable for 1080p or lower resolutions in DirectX 11-era titles or OpenGL 4.4 professional applications. The 1,120.0 GFLOPS FP32 throughput and 28.00 GTexel/s texture rate indicate it can handle moderate texture-bound workloads, but the 16 ROPs and 11.20 GPixel/s pixel rate will bottleneck high-resolution or heavy overdraw scenarios. Since it lacks RT and tensor cores, it is not suitable for any modern ray-traced or AI-accelerated workload. The 50 W TDP means it is best suited to laptops designed for that thermal envelope, and the MXM form factor requires a compatible chassis. The absence of Vulkan support restricts it to older software stacks; users running contemporary applications that demand Vulkan or higher DirectX versions will find it incompatible. The end-of-life production status suggests it is for legacy systems or replacements in existing hardware. The 128-bit memory bus and 64.00 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for its intended era but will not scale with modern texture sizes. The card’s pixel rate of 11.20 GPixel/s is adequate for 1080p at moderate settings, but the 1024 MB memory capacity will force texture quality reductions in games that exceed that footprint. For professional workloads, the OpenGL 4.4 support allows use in CAD applications from that period, but the 50th percentile performance places it below the high-end workstation parts of its time. Overall, it is a candidate for users who specifically need a TeraScale 2 part with OpenGL 4.4 and DirectX 11.2 support, and who operate within the 50th percentile performance envelope. Those seeking to run modern software or demanding ray-traced titles will need to look elsewhere, as the hardware simply lacks the necessary features and bandwidth.