AMD FirePro D300 vs AMD Radeon RX 5700 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data includes two direct benchmark comparisons between the AMD Radeon RX 5700 and the AMD FirePro D300. In both tests, the Radeon RX 5700 takes a decisive lead. The first test, Geekbench OpenCL, shows the RX 5700 scoring 69,603 against the FirePro D300's 19,515. This is a 256.7% advantage for the newer card. The second test, Geekbench Vulkan, shows the RX 5700 scoring 64,166 against the FirePro D300's 19,759, which is a 224.7% advantage. In both head-to-head matchups, the RX 5700 is the winner, with the database recording 2 wins for the RX 5700 and 0 wins for the FirePro D300.

These are massive performance gaps. The RX 5700 more than triples the FirePro D300's OpenCL score, and it more than triples the Vulkan score as well. The data indicates that across these two API workloads, the RX 5700 is not just slightly faster; it is in a different performance class entirely. The FirePro D300's scores are closer to a fraction of the RX 5700's output, suggesting that the architectural and generational differences between these two cards translate into a dominant performance advantage for the newer product.

Looking at the average benchmark scores, the RX 5700 holds an average of 22,170 across all recorded tests, while the FirePro D300 averages 19,637. The RX 5700's percentile ranking among all GPUs is 67, while the FirePro D300 sits at 64. While the head-to-head delta is enormous, the overall average scores are much closer. This is because the RX 5700 has a much larger set of benchmark results, including many older DirectX tests where its scores are relatively lower, while the FirePro D300 has only two recorded benchmarks, both of which are the same ones used in the head-to-head comparison. Therefore, the average score comparison is somewhat misleading, as it mixes different test suites. The direct comparison on identical tests is the more reliable indicator of relative performance.

Where Each One Wins

Based on the available data, the AMD Radeon RX 5700 wins in every recorded category. It outperforms the FirePro D300 in both OpenCL and Vulkan compute workloads. The RX 5700 also has a broader benchmark footprint, with results for 3DMark Steel Nomad, Geekbench Metal, multiple Passmark tests (DirectX 9, 10, 11, 12, G2D, G3D, and GPU Compute), in addition to the OpenCL and Vulkan tests. The FirePro D300 has no recorded wins in any test, and its benchmark history is limited to just the two Geekbench tests.

For users specifically interested in OpenCL or Vulkan performance, the RX 5700 is the clear choice. The data shows a 256.7% advantage in OpenCL and a 224.7% advantage in Vulkan. For any other workload, the RX 5700's wider range of benchmark scores suggests it is a more versatile card, but the direct comparison data is limited to these two APIs. The FirePro D300, being an older workstation-oriented card, has no recorded wins to speak of, and its performance in the two tests it does have is far behind the RX 5700. The data does not support any scenario where the FirePro D300 comes out ahead.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on fundamentally different architectures and manufacturing processes. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 uses the Navi 10 chip, based on the RDNA 1.0 architecture, and is manufactured on a 7 nm process at TSMC. The AMD FirePro D300 uses the Pitcairn chip, based on the older GCN 1.0 architecture, and is manufactured on a 28 nm process, also at TSMC. This process node difference is significant: the RX 5700's 7 nm node allows for a much higher transistor density of 41.0 million transistors per square millimeter, compared to the FirePro D300's 13.2 million per square millimeter. The RX 5700 packs 10,300 million transistors on a 251 mm² die, while the FirePro D300 has 2,800 million transistors on a 212 mm² die.

The memory subsystems are also quite different. The RX 5700 comes with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The FirePro D300 has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 162.6 GB/s. The RX 5700's memory clock is listed as 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), while the FirePro D300's memory runs at 1270 MHz (5.1 Gbps effective). The RX 5700 also has a much larger compute configuration: 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units, versus the FirePro D300's 1280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs.

The clock speeds also differ substantially. The RX 5700 has a base clock of 1465 MHz, a game clock of 1625 MHz, and a boost clock of 1725 MHz. The FirePro D300 has no recorded base, game, or boost clock speeds. The resulting pixel rate for the RX 5700 is 110.4 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 248.4 GTexel/s. The FirePro D300's pixel rate is 27.20 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 68.00 GTexel/s. Floating point performance shows a similar gap: the RX 5700 delivers 7.949 TFLOPS FP32, while the FirePro D300 delivers 2.176 TFLOPS FP32. The RX 5700 also supports FP16 at 15.90 TFLOPS (2:1), while the FirePro D300 has no recorded FP16 performance. The RX 5700 supports PCIe 4.0 x16, while the FirePro D300 uses the older PCIe 3.0 x16 interface. Display outputs differ as well, with the RX 5700 offering 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the FirePro D300 offers 4x DisplayPort 1.2. The RX 5700 also supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while the FirePro D300 supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the AMD Radeon RX 5700 in OpenCL compared to the AMD FirePro D300?

A: The RX 5700 scores 69,603 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the FirePro D300 scores 19,515. This represents a 256.7% higher score for the RX 5700.

Q: What is the difference in Vulkan performance between the two cards?

A: In Geekbench Vulkan, the RX 5700 scores 64,166, which is 224.7% higher than the FirePro D300's score of 19,759.

Q: Which card has more memory, and what type is it?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 5700 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the AMD FirePro D300 has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory.

Q: What is the transistor count for each GPU?

A: The RX 5700 has 10,300 million transistors on a 7 nm process, while the FirePro D300 has 2,800 million transistors on a 28 nm process.

Q: Do both cards support the same version of Vulkan?

A: No. The RX 5700 supports Vulkan 1.4, while the FirePro D300 supports Vulkan 1.2.170.

Q: What is the thermal design power (TDP) for each card?

A: The RX 5700 has a TDP of 180 W, and the FirePro D300 has a TDP of 150 W.

The Verdict

The data clearly indicates that the AMD Radeon RX 5700 is the superior performer in every recorded benchmark. In the two direct head-to-head tests, the RX 5700 leads by margins of 256.7% and 224.7%, which are overwhelming advantages. The architectural differences support this result: the RX 5700 is built on a newer 7 nm process with RDNA 1.0 architecture, has more than three times the transistor count, more than double the shading units, a significantly higher memory bandwidth, and a much higher FP32 throughput. The FirePro D300, based on the older GCN 1.0 architecture and 28 nm process, simply cannot compete with the RX 5700's raw computational power. The FirePro D300's only advantages are its lower TDP of 150 W versus 180 W, its single-slot form factor, and its 4x DisplayPort 1.2 outputs. For any user prioritizing compute performance, gaming, or general GPU acceleration, the RX 5700 is the definitive choice. The FirePro D300, while a capable card in its time, is outclassed by the RX 5700 in all measured metrics. The database's percentile ranking puts the RX 5700 at 67, above the FirePro D300's 64, further reinforcing the performance hierarchy.

Specification Differences

The following table summarizes the key differences between the AMD Radeon RX 5700 and the AMD FirePro D300, based on the recorded data.

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 5700 | AMD FirePro D300 |

| :--- | :--- | :--- |

| Architecture | RDNA 1.0 | GCN 1.0 |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 28 nm |

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

| Die Size | 251 mm² | 212 mm² |

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

| Base Clock | 1465 MHz | None |

| Boost Clock | 1725 MHz | None |

| Game Clock | 1625 MHz | None |

| Memory Clock | 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) | 1270 MHz (5.1 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 8 GB | 2 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bandwidth | 448.0 GB/s | 162.6 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2304 | 1280 |

| TMUs | 144 | 80 |

| ROPs | 64 | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 110.4 GPixel/s | 27.20 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 248.4 GTexel/s | 68.00 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 7.949 TFLOPS | 2.176 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 15.90 TFLOPS (2:1) | None |

| TDP | 180 W | 150 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | Single-slot |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | None |

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

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.0b, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a | 4x DisplayPort 1.2 |

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

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | 1.2.170 |

| Release Date | 2019-07-06 | 2014-01-17 |

| Predecessor | Vega | FirePro Terascale |

| Successor | Navi II | Radeon Instinct |