AMD FirePro D300 vs AMD Radeon Pro 5700 Comparison

The AMD FirePro D300 and AMD Radeon Pro 5700 represent two distinct eras of AMD professional graphics. The data shows a generational chasm in compute capability, with the Radeon Pro 5700 delivering roughly 2.6 times the OpenCL throughput of the older FirePro D300. While the FirePro D300 holds a slight edge in the 64th percentile of all GPUs compared to the Radeon Pro 5700’s 62nd percentile, that ranking belies the sheer performance delta in raw benchmark scores. This analysis breaks down the head-to-head results, architectural shifts, and specification differences that define this matchup.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark results are unequivocal. In Geekbench OpenCL, the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 scores 52,787 against the FirePro D300’s 19,515, a delta of -63% for the older card. That is not a marginal improvement; it is a 170% performance advantage for the Radeon Pro 5700 in raw compute throughput. Similarly, in Geekbench Vulkan, the Radeon Pro 5700 posts 51,289 versus 19,759 for the FirePro D300, a delta of -61.5%. The newer architecture simply overwhelms the older one in every measured compute workload.

The FirePro D300’s average benchmark score of 19,637 places it within 0.2% of the NVIDIA Quadro K5200 (19,602) and 1.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX (19,410). This suggests that while the D300 is old, it was a solid performer in its era, trading blows with professional and even high-end consumer cards of its time. However, the Radeon Pro 5700’s average score of 18,189 is dragged down by its Passmark results, which include low DirectX scores (71 in DX10, 78 in DX11, 48 in DX12) alongside a strong Passmark G3D score of 11,583. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile (18,159, delta 0.2%) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER (18,093, delta 0.5%), showing that the Radeon Pro 5700 competes with mainstream gaming GPUs from a few generations back in aggregate metrics.

In the head-to-head comparison, the Radeon Pro 5700 wins both available tests. The FirePro D300 wins zero. The most striking takeaway is the Vulkan result: the Radeon Pro 5700’s 51,289 score is more than 2.5 times the FirePro’s 19,759, indicating that the newer card’s driver support and hardware design are far better suited to modern compute APIs. The OpenCL result reinforces this, with the Radeon Pro 5700 achieving nearly three times the score. For any workload relying on GPGPU acceleration, the Radeon Pro 5700 is the only rational choice based on this data.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is vast. The FirePro D300 is built on GCN 1.0 architecture using the Pitcairn chip, fabricated on TSMC’s 28 nm process. It packs 2,800 million transistors into a 212 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 13.2 million per square millimeter. In contrast, the Radeon Pro 5700 uses the RDNA 1.0 architecture with the Navi 10 chip, built on TSMC’s 7 nm process. This newer node allows 10,300 million transistors in a 251 mm² die, achieving a density of 41.0 million per square millimeter — more than three times the transistor density of the older chip.

The compute resources differ dramatically. The FirePro D300 has 1,280 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operations pipelines. The Radeon Pro 5700 more than doubles the shading units to 2,304, increases TMUs to 144, and doubles ROPs to 64. Pixel rate jumps from 27.20 GPixel/s on the FirePro to 86.40 GPixel/s on the Radeon Pro 5700, while texture rate leaps from 68.00 GTexel/s to 194.4 GTexel/s. Floating-point performance tells a similar story: the Radeon Pro 5700 delivers 6.221 TFLOPS FP32 versus 2.176 TFLOPS for the FirePro D300. The Radeon Pro 5700 also supports FP16 at 12.44 TFLOPS (2:1 rate), a feature entirely absent from the FirePro D300’s spec sheet.

Memory architecture also diverges. The FirePro D300 uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 162.6 GB/s bandwidth. The Radeon Pro 5700 uses 8 GB of GDDR6, also on a 256-bit bus, but achieves 384.0 GB/s — more than double the bandwidth. The Radeon Pro 5700’s memory clock is listed at 1500 MHz with 12 Gbps effective, while the FirePro D300 runs at 1270 MHz with 5.1 Gbps effective. The Radeon Pro 5700 also supports PCIe 4.0 x16, whereas the FirePro D300 is limited to PCIe 3.0 x16.

API support reflects the newer architecture. The Radeon Pro 5700 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while the FirePro D300 is capped at DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The Radeon Pro 5700 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with no display outputs, while the FirePro D300 is a single-slot card with four DisplayPort 1.2 outputs. Power requirements also drop: the Radeon Pro 5700 has a 130 W TDP and suggests a 300 W PSU, versus 150 W TDP and 450 W suggested PSU for the FirePro D300.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher raw compute performance in OpenCL?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 scores 52,787 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 63% higher than the AMD FirePro D300’s 19,515. This translates to roughly 2.7 times the compute throughput.

Q: Does the FirePro D300 win any benchmark comparison?

A: In the head-to-head data, the FirePro D300 wins zero tests. The Radeon Pro 5700 wins both the Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan benchmarks with deltas of -63% and -61.5%, respectively.

Q: How do their transistor counts and process nodes compare?

A: The Radeon Pro 5700 uses a 7 nm process with 10,300 million transistors, while the FirePro D300 uses a 28 nm process with 2,800 million transistors. The newer node allows a transistor density of 41.0M / mm² versus 13.2M / mm².

Q: What are the memory specifications for each card?

A: The FirePro D300 has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 162.6 GB/s bandwidth. The Radeon Pro 5700 has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 384.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card has better Vulkan API support?

A: The Radeon Pro 5700 supports Vulkan 1.4, while the FirePro D300 supports Vulkan 1.2.170. The Radeon Pro 5700 also scores 51,289 in Geekbench Vulkan versus 19,759 for the FirePro D300.

Q: Are there any workload categories where the FirePro D300 remains competitive?

A: In average benchmark score, the FirePro D300 sits at 19,637, which is within 0.2% of the NVIDIA Quadro K5200 (19,602) and 1.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX (19,410). However, the Radeon Pro 5700’s average of 18,189 is lower due to its Passmark DirectX scores, which are very low (48 in DX12).

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD FirePro D300 | AMD Radeon Pro 5700 |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | RDNA 1.0 |

| Chip | Pitcairn | Navi 10 |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 7 nm |

| Transistors | 2,800 million | 10,300 million |

| Die Size | 212 mm² | 251 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 13.2M / mm² | 41.0M / mm² |

| Base Clock | Not listed | 1243 MHz |

| Boost Clock | Not listed | 1350 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1270 MHz / 5.1 Gbps effective | 1500 MHz / 12 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 2 GB | 8 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bandwidth | 162.6 GB/s | 384.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1280 | 2304 |

| TMUs | 80 | 144 |

| ROPs | 32 | 64 |

| Pixel Rate | 27.20 GPixel/s | 86.40 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 68.00 GTexel/s | 194.4 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 2.176 TFLOPS | 6.221 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | Not listed | 12.44 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 150 W | 130 W |

| Slot Width | Single-slot | IGP |

| Power Connectors | Not listed | None |

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | 300 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 4x DisplayPort 1.2 | No outputs |

| DirectX Support | 12 (11_1) | 12 (12_1) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.2.170 | 1.4 |

| Release Date | 2014-01-17 | 2020-08-03 |

The Verdict

The data points to a clear winner for anyone prioritizing compute performance: the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 dominates the AMD FirePro D300 in every head-to-head benchmark. It delivers 63% higher OpenCL scores and 61.5% higher Vulkan scores, with more than double the shading units, TMUs, ROPs, and memory bandwidth. The Radeon Pro 5700 also offers 8 GB of GDDR6 versus 2 GB of GDDR5, a crucial advantage for modern workloads that exceed the FirePro D300’s tiny frame buffer. Its lower TDP (130 W vs 150 W) and support for PCIe 4.0 further cement its position as the technically superior product.

However, the FirePro D300 is not without merit in specific contexts. It is a single-slot card with four DisplayPort 1.2 outputs, making it a viable choice for multi-display setups where the Radeon Pro 5700, being an IGP with no outputs, cannot function. The FirePro D300 also holds a slightly higher percentile ranking (64th vs 62nd) and an average benchmark score that is within 0.2% of the NVIDIA Quadro K5200, showing it was a capable professional card in its time. Its 28 nm process and older GCN architecture are dated, but for legacy applications that require its specific display capabilities, it remains functional.

For users who need raw GPGPU compute, the Radeon Pro 5700 is the only logical choice. The benchmark scores are not close; the Radeon Pro 5700 is in a different performance class. For users who need a physical card with display outputs, the FirePro D300 is the only option of the two, but its 2 GB memory and lower compute throughput will limit its usefulness in modern applications. The Radeon Pro 5700’s nearest rivals — the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile and RTX 2060 SUPER — show it competes with mainstream gaming GPUs, whereas the FirePro D300’s rivals include the Quadro K5200 and Tesla K40m, indicating a much older performance tier. The verdict is straightforward: the Radeon Pro 5700 wins on performance, while the FirePro D300 wins only on legacy connectivity.