AMD FirePro D300 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Comparison

The Verdict

The data presents a clear generational and architectural chasm between these two GPUs. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 is the definitive choice for any modern workload, dominating the AMD FirePro D300 in every recorded benchmark. The RTX 2080 wins 2 out of 2 head-to-head tests, with margins so large they redefine the comparison. For users seeking any semblance of contemporary performance, particularly in compute or modern API workloads, the RTX 2080 is the only rational option.

The AMD FirePro D300, while a respectable professional card in its era, is completely outclassed. Its average benchmark score of 19637 places it in the 64th percentile of all GPUs, which is respectable, but the RTX 2080 sits in the 68th percentile with an average score of 22895. The delta between their average scores is substantial, but the individual test deltas are staggering. The FirePro D300's nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA Quadro K5200 and the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX, show it operates in a different performance tier entirely. The RTX 2080, in contrast, trades blows with much newer cards like the Intel Arc B580 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, showing its age-defying strength.

This is not a contest of equals. The RTX 2080 is for anyone who needs real processing power today. The FirePro D300 is a legacy part, suitable only for vintage systems or tasks that specifically require its older feature set. The benchmark data is unambiguous: the RTX 2080 is faster, more capable, and better positioned for the future.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two cards is immense, spanning five years of development. The RTX 2080 is built on NVIDIA's Turing architecture, using the TU104 chip manufactured on a 12 nm process at TSMC. The FirePro D300 uses AMD's GCN 1.0 architecture, with the Pitcairn chip built on an older 28 nm process, also at TSMC. This node difference is reflected in the transistor counts: the TU104 packs 13,600 million transistors into a 545 mm² die, while the Pitcairn chip contains only 2,800 million transistors on a 212 mm² die. The resulting transistor density tells the story: 25.0M per mm² for the RTX 2080 versus 13.2M per mm² for the FirePro D300.

The compute resources are equally divergent. The RTX 2080 features 2944 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operations pipelines. It also introduces dedicated hardware absent from the older card: 46 RT cores for ray tracing and 368 tensor cores for AI acceleration. The FirePro D300, by contrast, has 1280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, with no RT or tensor core equivalents.

Memory configurations highlight the generational leap. The RTX 2080 comes with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The FirePro D300 has 2 GB of GDDR5 on the same 256-bit bus, yielding only 162.6 GB/s. Clock speeds also favor the newer card, with the RTX 2080 running at a 1515 MHz base and 1710 MHz boost, while the FirePro D300 has no recorded base or boost clock, only a memory clock of 1270 MHz (5.1 Gbps effective). The RTX 2080's memory runs at 1750 MHz, or 14 Gbps effective.

Feature support is a decisive differentiator. The RTX 2080 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The FirePro D300 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The newer API support on the RTX 2080 ensures compatibility with modern titles and applications that leverage the latest rendering techniques. The FirePro D300 also lacks the Tensor and RT cores, making it unsuitable for AI workloads or hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

Physical specifications differ as well. The RTX 2080 is a dual-slot card, 267 mm long, 116 mm high, and 35 mm wide, requiring a 550 W power supply and a 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin power connector. Its TDP is 215 W. The FirePro D300 is a single-slot card, 242 mm long, with a 150 W TDP and a 450 W suggested PSU. It has no listed power connectors, suggesting it draws power directly from the PCIe slot. The RTX 2080 offers a more diverse display output set, including HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4a, and USB Type-C, while the FirePro D300 provides four DisplayPort 1.2 outputs.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 2080 wins everywhere. Its dominance is not confined to a single workload; it is a comprehensive victory across all recorded metrics. In the two head-to-head benchmarks, the RTX 2080 wins both. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 91313 against the FirePro D300's 19515, a 367.9% advantage. In Geekbench Vulkan, it scores 107797 against 19759, a 445.6% lead. These are not marginal wins; they are multiples of performance.

In terms of raw compute, the RTX 2080 delivers 10.07 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the FirePro D300 manages 2.176 TFLOPS. The RTX 2080 also supports FP16 at 20.14 TFLOPS (2:1), a feature entirely absent from the FirePro D300, which has no recorded FP16 capability. The RTX 2080's pixel rate is 109.4 GPixel/s versus 27.20 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 314.6 GTexel/s versus 68.00 GTexel/s.

The FirePro D300's only potential advantage lies in its physical design. It is a single-slot card with a lower 150 W TDP, making it easier to integrate into dense or legacy systems. Its 4x DisplayPort 1.2 outputs might suit specific multi-display professional setups. However, these are niche considerations that do not offset its massive performance deficit. For any task that involves compute, modern graphics APIs, or high-resolution textures, the RTX 2080 is the clear winner. The data shows no scenario where the FirePro D300 outperforms the RTX 2080. The RTX 2080 is the card for gamers, content creators, and professionals who need performance. The FirePro D300 is for those who need a low-profile, low-power card for basic display output in older systems.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 than the AMD FirePro D300 in OpenCL?

A: The RTX 2080 scores 91313 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the FirePro D300 scores 19515. This is a 367.9% difference in favor of the RTX 2080.

Q: What is the biggest performance gap between the two cards?

A: The largest margin is in Geekbench Vulkan, where the RTX 2080 scores 107797 against the FirePro D300's 19759, a 445.6% lead.

Q: Which card has more memory?

A: The RTX 2080 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the FirePro D300 has 2 GB of GDDR5. The RTX 2080 also has a much higher memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s compared to 162.6 GB/s.

Q: Does the AMD FirePro D300 support ray tracing?

A: No. The FirePro D300 has no RT cores. The RTX 2080 includes 46 RT cores for hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

Q: Which card is better for modern DirectX games?

A: The RTX 2080 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the FirePro D300 only supports DirectX 12 (11_1). The newer API support makes the RTX 2080 the better choice for modern titles.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card?

A: The RTX 2080 has an average benchmark score of 22895, placing it in the 68th percentile of all GPUs. The FirePro D300 has an average score of 19637, placing it in the 64th percentile.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded head-to-head data is stark. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 2080 delivers a score of 91313, while the FirePro D300 manages only 19515. The delta is 367.9%. This is not a close contest. The OpenCL benchmark measures general-purpose compute performance, and the RTX 2080's Turing architecture with its 2944 shading units and 368 tensor cores simply overwhelms the older GCN 1.0 design with its 1280 shading units. The compute capability of the RTX 2080, at 10.07 TFLOPS FP32, is nearly five times that of the FirePro D300's 2.176 TFLOPS.

The second head-to-head test, Geekbench Vulkan, shows an even larger gap. The RTX 2080 scores 107797, while the FirePro D300 scores 19759, a 445.6% difference. Vulkan is a modern, low-level graphics API that benefits from modern hardware features and efficient scheduling. The RTX 2080's support for Vulkan 1.4, alongside its higher pixel and texture rates, allows it to excel in this test. The FirePro D300's support for Vulkan 1.2.170 is present, but its older hardware cannot compete with the RTX 2080's throughput.

While the RTX 2080 wins both head-to-head tests, its performance relative to other modern GPUs is also telling. The RTX 2080's average benchmark score of 22895 places it just 0.5% behind the Intel Arc B580 (23021) and 0.7% behind the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (23061). It is 0.7% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile (22729). This shows that the RTX 2080, despite being from an older generation, still competes with newer hardware. The FirePro D300, with its average score of 19637, is 0.2% behind the NVIDIA Quadro K5200 (19602) and 1.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX (19410). This is a strange grouping, but it confirms that the FirePro D300 is not in the same league as the RTX 2080. The data is clear: the RTX 2080 is the superior card in every measurable way.