AMD FirePro D300 vs NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 Comparison

The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 is a generational leap over the AMD FirePro D300, delivering benchmark scores that are multiples of the older card’s results. The data shows a decisive victory for the Turing-based workstation GPU, with the FirePro D300 trailing by over 300% in both available compute and graphics API tests. While the FirePro D300 holds its own as a capable legacy card, the RTX 5000’s sheer performance and modern feature set make it the clear choice for any workload that can utilize its power.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark results are starkly one-sided. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 scores 78,999 points, while the AMD FirePro D300 scores 19,515. This translates to a delta of 304.8%, meaning the RTX 5000 is roughly four times faster in this compute-heavy workload. This is not a marginal improvement; it is a complete overhaul of computational capability, reflecting the vast difference in hardware generations.

The Vulkan graphics test shows an even wider gap. The Quadro RTX 5000 achieves a score of 92,309, compared to the FirePro D300’s 19,759. This results in a 367.2% delta, with the RTX 5000 again emerging as the winner. This suggests that not only is the RTX 5000 faster at raw compute, but its modern architecture is also significantly more efficient at handling the lower-level, high-throughput graphics API.

Looking at the broader context, the RTX 5000’s average benchmark score of 21,629 places it in the 67th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB, has an average score of 21,856, putting the RTX 5000 just 1% behind. This is a critical data point: the Quadro RTX 5000, a workstation card, performs on par with a popular consumer gaming card from the same era in aggregate scores, though its professional feature set is entirely different.

The FirePro D300, with an average benchmark score of 19,637, sits in the 64th percentile. Its closest competitor is the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT, which scores 19,765, a delta of -0.6%, meaning the FirePro is slightly slower. Interestingly, the data shows the FirePro D300 is 1.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX, a much newer card, in this specific average score metric, highlighting that raw average scores do not always reflect generational superiority in all tasks.

The wins are clear: the Quadro RTX 5000 wins both head-to-head benchmark comparisons, securing 2 wins to the FirePro D300’s 0. The margin of victory is not just a few percentage points; it is a multiple of the performance, solidifying the RTX 5000’s position as a far more powerful and capable workstation component.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gulf between these two cards is vast. The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 is built on the Turing architecture, utilizing the TU104 chip fabricated on a 12 nm process node at TSMC. In contrast, the AMD FirePro D300 uses the much older GCN 1.0 architecture, with the Pitcairn chip built on a 28 nm process node. This process node difference alone (12 nm vs 28 nm) accounts for significant gains in efficiency and transistor density for the NVIDIA part.

The transistor counts tell a story of scale. The RTX 5000 packs 13,600 million transistors onto a 545 mm² die, yielding a density of 25.0M transistors per mm². The FirePro D300, by comparison, has only 2,800 million transistors on a 212 mm² die, with a density of 13.2M / mm². The RTX 5000 is not just a larger chip; it is a more densely packed one, allowing for a massive increase in compute resources.

This is reflected in the core counts. The RTX 5000 features 3,072 shading units, 192 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 64 raster output units (ROPs). The FirePro D300 has 1,280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Furthermore, the RTX 5000 introduces dedicated hardware that the FirePro D300 lacks entirely: 48 RT cores for ray tracing and 384 Tensor cores for AI acceleration. These dedicated units are absent from the older AMD card, which relies purely on its general-purpose shaders.

Memory specifications also diverge sharply. The RTX 5000 comes with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The FirePro D300 has only 2 GB of GDDR5 memory, also on a 256-bit bus, but its bandwidth is limited to 162.6 GB/s. The RTX 5000 also supports a broader feature set, with DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the FirePro D300 is capped at DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance (FP32)?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 is decisively more powerful, with 11.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance compared to the AMD FirePro D300’s 2.176 TFLOPS.

Q: Is the AMD FirePro D300 a low-power card?

A: Relative to the RTX 5000, yes. The FirePro D300 has a TDP of 150 W and a suggested PSU of 450 W, while the RTX 5000 has a higher TDP of 230 W and requires a 550 W PSU.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference?

A: The RTX 5000 has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, which is eight times more than the 2 GB of GDDR5 found on the FirePro D300.

Q: Does the AMD FirePro D300 support hardware ray tracing?

A: No. The FirePro D300 has no RT cores. The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 includes 48 dedicated RT cores for this purpose.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The RTX 5000 has an average benchmark score of 21,629, placing it in the 67th percentile. The FirePro D300’s average score is 19,637, placing it in the 64th percentile.

Q: Are the display outputs different?

A: Yes. The RTX 5000 offers 4x DisplayPort 1.4a and 1x USB Type-C, while the FirePro D300 has 4x DisplayPort 1.2.

Specification Differences

• Process Node: NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 uses a 12 nm node (TSMC); AMD FirePro D300 uses a 28 nm node (TSMC).
• Transistors: The RTX 5000 has 13,600 million transistors; the FirePro D300 has 2,800 million.
• Die Size: The RTX 5000’s die is 545 mm²; the FirePro D300’s is 212 mm².
• Transistor Density: The RTX 5000 has a density of 25.0M / mm²; the FirePro D300 has 13.2M / mm².
• Shading Units: The RTX 5000 has 3,072; the FirePro D300 has 1,280.
• Texture Mapping Units: The RTX 5000 has 192; the FirePro D300 has 80.
• Raster Operation Units: The RTX 5000 has 64; the FirePro D300 has 32.
• RT Cores: The RTX 5000 has 48; the FirePro D300 has none.
• Tensor Cores: The RTX 5000 has 384; the FirePro D300 has none.
• Memory Size: The RTX 5000 has 16 GB; the FirePro D300 has 2 GB.
• Memory Type: The RTX 5000 uses GDDR6; the FirePro D300 uses GDDR5.
• Memory Clock: The RTX 5000 runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective); the FirePro D300 runs at 1270 MHz (5.1 Gbps effective).
• Memory Bandwidth: The RTX 5000 has 448.0 GB/s; the FirePro D300 has 162.6 GB/s.
• Pixel Rate: The RTX 5000 achieves 116.2 GPixel/s; the FirePro D300 achieves 27.20 GPixel/s.
• Texture Rate: The RTX 5000 achieves 348.5 GTexel/s; the FirePro D300 achieves 68.00 GTexel/s.
• FP32 Performance: The RTX 5000 has 11.15 TFLOPS; the FirePro D300 has 2.176 TFLOPS.
• FP16 Performance: The RTX 5000 has 22.30 TFLOPS (2:1); the FirePro D300 does not have a listed FP16 rating.
• TDP: The RTX 5000 is rated at 230 W; the FirePro D300 is rated at 150 W.
• Slot Width: The RTX 5000 is Dual-slot; the FirePro D300 is Single-slot.
• Power Connectors: The RTX 5000 requires 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin; the FirePro D300 has no listed power connectors.
• Suggested PSU: The RTX 5000 suggests 550 W; the FirePro D300 suggests 450 W.
• Display Outputs: The RTX 5000 has 4x DisplayPort 1.4a and 1x USB Type-C; the FirePro D300 has 4x DisplayPort 1.2.
• DirectX Support: The RTX 5000 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2); the FirePro D300 supports DirectX 12 (11_1).
• Vulkan Support: The RTX 5000 supports Vulkan 1.4; the FirePro D300 supports Vulkan 1.2.170.
• Release Date: The RTX 5000 was released on 2018-08-12; the FirePro D300 on 2014-01-17.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 wins in every benchmark category where both cards have data. Its victory in Geekbench OpenCL indicates superior raw compute throughput, making it the choice for GPU-accelerated rendering, simulation, and scientific computing. Its even larger win in Geekbench Vulkan suggests it is better suited for modern, low-overhead graphics applications and real-time visualization. The presence of RT and Tensor cores gives it a unique edge in ray-traced workflows and AI-assisted tasks, which the FirePro D300 cannot perform with dedicated hardware.

The AMD FirePro D300 has no benchmark wins against the RTX 5000. Its strengths lie only in its physical attributes: it has a lower TDP of 150 W, is a single-slot card, and does not require auxiliary power connectors. This makes it a more manageable card for systems with strict power and space constraints. Its 4x DisplayPort 1.2 outputs are sufficient for legacy multi-monitor setups, but they are older than the RTX 5000’s DisplayPort 1.4a connections.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 is the superior workstation GPU. Its 304.8% and 367.2% leads in OpenCL and Vulkan benchmarks, respectively, demonstrate an overwhelming performance advantage. With 16 GB of memory versus 2 GB, and a modern architecture with dedicated RT and Tensor cores, it is designed for the most demanding professional workloads. The RTX 5000’s launch MSRP was 2,299 USD, reflecting its high-end positioning. The FirePro D300 is an end-of-life product from 2014, and its performance and features are firmly in the past. While its lower power draw of 150 W and single-slot design are advantages for specific low-profile systems, they do not compensate for a 367% performance deficit. Any user requiring professional-grade compute, large memory capacity, or modern graphics API support should select the Quadro RTX 5000. The FirePro D300 is only suitable for legacy applications or systems where its minimal physical footprint and power requirements are absolute necessities.