Firepro W5170M vs GeForce MX230

Firepro W5170M

2014Core: 900 MHzBoost: 925 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
NVIDIA

GeForce MX230

2019Core: 1519 MHzBoost: 1582 MHz
Similar parts
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Firepro W5170M vs GeForce MX230 Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

Firepro W5170M vs GeForce MX230: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

Firepro W5170M

2014

Why buy it

  • Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

  • 2014 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 12.2 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
  • 200% higher power demand at 30W vs 10W.

GeForce MX230

2019

Why buy it

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 12.2 vs 0 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • Firepro W5170M is already obsolete for modern gaming, so GeForce MX230 is the less risky modern option long term.
  • Draws 10W instead of 30W, a 20W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • 2019 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce MX230 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 2.9% in PassMark G3D (1,826 vs 1,774), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce MX230 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 14nm process instead of 28nm and a newer 2019 generation instead of 2014. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce MX230 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup.

Firepro W5170M vs GeForce MX230 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

Firepro W5170M

The Firepro W5170M is manufactured by an unknown manufacturer. It was released in August 25 2014. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 900 MHz to 925 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,774 points.

NVIDIA

GeForce MX230

The GeForce MX230 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in February 21 2019. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1519 MHz to 1582 MHz. It has 256 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 10W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,826 points.

Graphics Performance

The Firepro W5170M scores 1,774 and the GeForce MX230 reaches 1,826 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Firepro W5170M is built on GCN 1.0 while the GeForce MX230 uses Pascal, both on 28 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 640 (Firepro W5170M) vs 256 (GeForce MX230). Raw compute: 1.184 TFLOPS (Firepro W5170M) vs 0.81 TFLOPS (GeForce MX230). Boost clocks: 925 MHz vs 1582 MHz.

FeatureFirepro W5170MGeForce MX230
G3D Mark Score
1,774
1,826+3%
Architecture
GCN 1.0
Pascal
Process Node
28 nm
14 nm
Shading Units
640+150%
256
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.184 TFLOPS+46%
0.81 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
925 MHz
1582 MHz+71%
ROPs
16
16
TMUs
40+150%
16
L1 Cache
160 KB+67%
96 KB
L2 Cache
256 KB
512 KB+100%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce MX230 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Firepro W5170M leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureFirepro W5170MGeForce MX230
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 2 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the Firepro W5170M and 64-bit on the GeForce MX230. L2 Cache: 256 KB (Firepro W5170M) vs 512 KB (GeForce MX230) — the GeForce MX230 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureFirepro W5170MGeForce MX230
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
64-bit
L2 Cache
256 KB
512 KB+100%
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Firepro W5170M draws 30W versus the GeForce MX230's 10W — a 100% difference. The GeForce MX230 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Firepro W5170M) vs 350W (GeForce MX230). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs Mobile.

FeatureFirepro W5170MGeForce MX230
TDP
30W
10W-67%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
Mobile
Length
0mm
Height
0mm
Slots
1
Temp (Load)
80°C
Perf/Watt
59.1
182.6+209%
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce MX230 (2019 vs 2014).

FeatureFirepro W5170MGeForce MX230
MSRP
$150
Codename
Tropo
GP108
Release
August 25 2014
February 21 2019
Ranking
#662
#708

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