ATI Mobility FireGL V5200

The ATI Mobility FireGL V5200 is a mobile workstation graphics solution from AMD, built on the 90 nm process at TSMC. It utilizes the M56 chip with the Ultra-Threaded SE architecture, placing it in the Mobility FireGL (V5xxx) generation. With a production status of end-of-life and a release date in early 2006, this part targets a specific legacy segment of professional mobile computing, where its feature set and performance profile defined its era.

Benchmark Performance

The benchmark data for the Mobility FireGL V5200 shows a percentile rank of 50 among all GPUs, placing it exactly at the median of the database’s historical performance distribution. Its average benchmark score is recorded as 0, which indicates that no standardized benchmark submissions exist for this part in the current dataset; consequently, the percentile rank is derived from its architectural class and specifications rather than direct testing. The pixel rate is 5.100 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 5.100 GTexel/s, both figures being identical, which is characteristic of a balanced rasterization pipeline where pixel and texture throughput are matched.

The nearestRivals array is empty, meaning no direct comparative scores or deltaPct values are available for this GPU. In the absence of rival benchmarks, the performance assessment must rely on the raw throughput numbers. A 5.100 GPixel/s fill rate suggests that at the time of release, this GPU could handle moderate resolutions with reasonable complexity, but it would struggle with high-resolution textures or heavy anti-aliasing. The texture rate of 5.100 GTexel/s, combined with 12 texture mapping units (TMUs) and 12 render output units (ROPs), indicates a symmetrical design that does not bottleneck one stage over another. This symmetry is typical for professional workstation GPUs of that generation, where consistent output is prioritized over peak gaming performance.

The memory clock runs at 475 MHz, translating to 950 Mbps effective, which pairs with a 128-bit bus to yield 15.20 GB/s of bandwidth. This bandwidth figure is modest by modern standards but was adequate for the 256 MB GDDR3 frame buffer. The effective memory speed suggests the card was designed for sustained throughput rather than burst performance, a trait beneficial for CAD or DCC applications that access large datasets sequentially. Overall, the data shows a GPU that sits in the middle of the pack historically, with no direct rivals to benchmark against, making its exact competitive standing indeterminate from the provided metrics.

Who Should Consider It

Given the absence of benchmark scores and rival comparisons, recommendations must be grounded in the fixed specifications. The Mobility FireGL V5200 is suited for users running legacy professional software that relies on OpenGL 2.1 or DirectX 9.0c (9_3) APIs. The 256 MB memory capacity is the primary constraint; this limits texture-heavy workloads and high-resolution framebuffers. For 3D modeling or engineering simulations at 1024x768 or 1280x1024 resolutions, the GPU’s 5.100 GPixel/s fill rate and 15.20 GB/s bandwidth can handle wireframe views, basic shading, and moderate polygon counts without excessive stutter.

The 12 ROPs and 12 TMUs provide a balanced architecture for viewport manipulation, where the GPU must continuously redraw scenes as the user rotates or pans. The 128-bit memory bus, while narrow, is paired with GDDR3 memory that runs at an effective 950 Mbps, offering sufficient throughput for non-texture-bound operations like geometry transformation. Users working with 2D drafting, schematic capture, or light 3D visualization in older software versions will find the V5200 adequate. However, for modern applications that demand Shader Model 3.0 or higher, the DirectX 9.0c support caps the feature set, making it unsuitable for recent releases or games that require newer API features. The effective memory bandwidth of 15.20 GB/s will become a bottleneck at 1600x1200 or higher, where the framebuffer demands outstrip the available data transfer rate.

Power and Cooling

The FACT PACK does not list a TDP, slot width, power connector requirement, or suggested PSU for the Mobility FireGL V5200. This absence of data is notable; it indicates that the card was designed for mobile workstations, where power delivery is managed by the laptop’s internal power supply and motherboard rather than a discrete PSU. The lack of a TDP figure suggests that thermal management is handled by the laptop’s chassis cooling solution, not an aftermarket cooler. The bus interface is PCIe 1.0 x16, which is standard for the era and provides up to 75W from the slot, though the actual consumption of the V5200 is unspecified.

For system integrators or users upgrading a legacy mobile workstation, the absence of a suggested PSU means any existing laptop power adapter that meets the original system requirements will suffice. The 90 nm process node, with 157 million transistors on a 150 mm² die, implies a moderate power draw relative to desktop parts of the same generation, but no exact wattage can be stated. The transistor density of 1.0M / mm² is consistent with the manufacturing technology of the time. Cooling recommendations cannot be made from the data; the user must rely on the laptop’s original thermal solution, which was designed to dissipate heat from the M56 chip. The end-of-life status suggests that replacement cooling parts may be hard to source, so users should verify that the existing thermal pads and fans are functional before relying on this GPU for extended workloads.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum API level supported by the Mobility FireGL V5200?

A: The GPU supports DirectX 9.0c (9_3) and OpenGL 2.1. It does not support Vulkan, as indicated by the null value in the FACT PACK.

Q: How much memory does the card have, and what type is it?

A: It has 256 MB of GDDR3 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 15.20 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: What is the effective memory clock speed?

A: The memory clock is 475 MHz, which translates to 950 Mbps effective due to the double data rate nature of GDDR3.

Q: Is this GPU still in production?

A: No, the production status is listed as end-of-life, with a release date of January 31, 2006.

Q: What is the successor to this GPU?

A: The successor is listed as the FirePro Mobility, which is the next generation of mobile workstation graphics from AMD.

Q: What is the transistor count and die size?

A: The chip contains 157 million transistors on a die size of 150 mm², fabricated on a 90 nm process at TSMC.

How It Compares

The nearestRivals array is empty, so no direct comparison to specific competitor models can be made from the FACT PACK data. This absence means the V5200 cannot be positioned against its contemporaries in terms of percentage deltas or score differences. In a broader historical context, its percentile rank of 50 suggests it sits at the median of all GPUs in the database, implying that half of all recorded GPUs perform better and half perform worse. This median placement is notable for a professional mobile part, as workstation GPUs often lag gaming GPUs in raw benchmarks but excel in driver certification and stability.

Without rival data, the V5200’s position is defined by its own specifications: 12 TMUs, 12 ROPs, and a 5.100 GPixel/s fill rate. Compared to typical gaming GPUs of the same era, this professional card would likely have lower peak fill rates but more consistent driver support for CAD applications. The 256 MB memory is smaller than some gaming counterparts of the time, but the GDDR3 type and 128-bit bus are standard. The 90 nm process and 157 million transistors are typical for a mid-range mobile chip of the 2006 timeframe. The lack of direct rivals underscores its niche status; it is a specialized tool, not a general-purpose part, and its value lies in certified performance for specific professional workloads rather than broad competitive benchmarks.

Memory Subsystem

The memory subsystem of the Mobility FireGL V5200 consists of 256 MB of GDDR3 memory connected via a 128-bit bus. The memory clock is 475 MHz, which yields an effective data rate of 950 Mbps. Multiplying the bus width (128 bits) by the effective clock rate and dividing by 8 gives a bandwidth of 15.20 GB/s. This bandwidth figure is the critical constraint for high-resolution work. At a 1280x1024 resolution with 32-bit color, the framebuffer alone consumes roughly 5.24 MB per frame, which is manageable within the 256 MB capacity. However, with double buffering and depth/stencil buffers, the effective available memory for textures shrinks considerably.

The 15.20 GB/s bandwidth means that texture reads will be the limiting factor in most scenes. For a 1024x1024 texture with 32-bit color, a single texture fetch of 4 MB would take approximately 0.26 milliseconds to transfer, which is acceptable for single-textured surfaces. But modern shaders that sample multiple textures per pixel will saturate the bus quickly. The 128-bit bus width is half of what many desktop GPUs of the era used, so the V5200 is inherently bandwidth-limited. This makes it suitable for applications with low texture complexity, such as wireframe modeling or simple Gouraud shading, but inadequate for high-detail rendering or large texture atlases common in contemporary 3D applications. The GDDR3 type offers better latency characteristics than DDR2, but the capacity ceiling of 256 MB is the hard limit; any workload exceeding this will force texture thrashing, drastically reducing performance. For users running legacy software with small texture sets, the memory subsystem is sufficient; for anything else, it is the primary bottleneck.