AMD FirePro D500 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only shared benchmark between the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 and the AMD FirePro D500 is Geekbench Vulkan, and the result is decisive. The RTX 5050 scores 89,381 points against the FirePro D500's 18,533 points. That is a 382.3% advantage for the NVIDIA card, meaning it delivers nearly five times the Vulkan performance of the older AMD workstation part. No other direct comparison exists in the database, so this single metric carries the entire head-to-head analysis.

Looking at the broader database context, the RTX 5050's average benchmark score sits at 21,035, placing it in the 66th percentile of all GPUs tracked. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (average score 20,713, which is 1.6% lower), the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (21,153, or 0.6% higher), the AMD Radeon HD 8970M (21,237, or 1% higher), and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile (21,379, or 1.6% higher). The RTX 5050 is effectively in a tight cluster with these cards, trailing the fastest of them by less than 2% while leading the slowest by a similar margin.

The FirePro D500, by contrast, averages 18,533 across its recorded benchmarks and lands in the 62nd percentile. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 560X (18,626, or 0.5% higher), the Intel Arc A770M (18,383, or 0.8% lower), the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT (18,685, or 0.8% higher), and the AMD Radeon RX 460 (18,373, or 0.9% lower). The FirePro D500 sits comfortably within that group, trading places with its neighbors by less than a percentage point in either direction.

The RTX 5050 also shows strength across other benchmark categories not shared with the FirePro D500. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it records 2,502 points. Passmark G3D gives it 17,326, while Passmark GPU Compute reaches 9,184. Geekbench OpenCL scores 90,334, nearly matching its Vulkan result. These numbers confirm that the NVIDIA card performs consistently across different API and workload types, from DirectX 12 to OpenCL to Vulkan.

The FirePro D500's single recorded benchmark, Geekbench Vulkan at 18,533, is its only data point. Without additional tests, the database cannot show how it fares in DirectX or OpenCL workloads. That limitation itself is telling: the RTX 5050 has ten recorded benchmark entries spanning multiple generations of DirectX, OpenCL, and Vulkan, while the FirePro D500 has just one. The data coverage reflects the production status of each card, with the RTX 5050 listed as Active and the FirePro D500 as End-of-life.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 wins the only direct comparison by 382.3%, and its average benchmark score of 21,035 is 13.5% higher than the FirePro D500's 18,533. The percentile ranking reinforces this: the RTX 5050 sits at the 66th percentile of all GPUs, while the FirePro D500 sits at the 62nd. The NVIDIA card should be the choice for anyone prioritizing raw performance, modern API support, or longevity, as it is still in active production.

The FirePro D500, however, is not without a rationale for specific buyers. Its 3 GB memory configuration and 384-bit bus width might appeal to niche legacy workflows, but the database does not include benchmarks that demonstrate any advantage. Its single Vulkan score is the only evidence available, and that score is far below the RTX 5050. The FirePro D500 is end-of-life, which means no further driver optimization or performance updates are expected.

For users deciding between these two, the verdict is straightforward: the RTX 5050 outperforms the FirePro D500 in every measurable way recorded in the database. The only reason to select the FirePro D500 would be a specific requirement for its 6x mini-DisplayPort and 1x SDI output configuration, which the RTX 5050 does not offer. Beyond that niche I/O need, the NVIDIA card is the superior choice across all recorded metrics.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different eras and design philosophies. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 uses the GB207 chip built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It packs 16,900 million transistors into a 149 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 113.4 million per mm². The AMD FirePro D500 uses the Tahiti chip based on GCN 1.0, also from TSMC but on a much older 28 nm node. It contains 4,313 million transistors spread across a 352 mm² die, for a density of just 12.3 million per mm². The RTX 5050 achieves roughly nine times the transistor density of the FirePro D500.

The RTX 5050 features 2,560 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output pipelines. It also includes 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores, enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI workloads. The FirePro D500 has 1,536 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, but it has no RT cores or tensor cores at all. That architectural gap explains the massive Vulkan performance difference, as the RTX 5050 can offload ray tracing and tensor operations to dedicated hardware.

Clock speeds differ substantially. The RTX 5050 runs at a base clock of 2317 MHz and boosts to 2572 MHz, with memory clocked at 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective). The FirePro D500's core clocks are not recorded in the database, but its memory runs at 1270 MHz (5.1 Gbps effective). The RTX 5050's memory bandwidth reaches 320.0 GB/s over a 128-bit bus, while the FirePro D500 delivers 243.8 GB/s over a wider 384-bit bus. The NVIDIA card achieves higher bandwidth with a narrower bus thanks to faster memory.

Pixel and texture rates follow the same pattern. The RTX 5050 outputs 82.30 GPixel/s and 205.8 GTexel/s, while the FirePro D500 manages 23.20 GPixel/s and 69.60 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 13.17 TFLOPS for the RTX 5050 versus 2.227 TFLOPS for the FirePro D500. The RTX 5050 also supports FP16 at 13.17 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), while the FirePro D500 has no recorded FP16 capability.

API support favors the newer card. The RTX 5050 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The FirePro D500 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The RTX 5050 also connects via PCIe 5.0 x8, while the FirePro D500 uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Both cards are dual-slot designs, but the RTX 5050 draws 130 W with a suggested 300 W PSU, while the FirePro D500 draws 274 W with a suggested 600 W PSU.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 averages 21,035 across all recorded benchmarks, while the AMD FirePro D500 averages 18,533. That is a 13.5% difference in favor of the RTX 5050.

Q: How large is the Vulkan performance gap between the two cards?

A: In Geekbench Vulkan, the RTX 5050 scores 89,381 against the FirePro D500's 18,533, giving the NVIDIA card a 382.3% lead.

Q: Does the FirePro D500 have any ray tracing or tensor cores?

A: No. The FirePro D500's architecture (GCN 1.0) has no RT cores or tensor cores. The RTX 5050 includes 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores.

Q: What is the memory configuration of each card?

A: The RTX 5050 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 320.0 GB/s bandwidth. The FirePro D500 has 3 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus with 243.8 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card supports newer API versions?

A: The RTX 5050 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4. The FirePro D500 supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170.

Q: What are the production statuses of these GPUs?

A: The RTX 5050 is listed as Active, while the FirePro D500 is End-of-life.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 wins every recorded benchmark comparison. In the sole head-to-head test, Geekbench Vulkan, it leads by 382.3%. Its 13.17 TFLOPS FP32 compute versus the FirePro D500's 2.227 TFLOPS means the RTX 5050 is suited for compute-heavy workloads like rendering, simulation, and AI inference. The 20 RT cores enable hardware ray tracing, which the FirePro D500 cannot do at all. The 80 tensor cores further accelerate machine learning tasks. The RTX 5050 also draws less power (130 W versus 274 W) and requires a smaller PSU (300 W versus 600 W), making it more efficient for the same or better performance.

The AMD FirePro D500's advantages are limited to its output configuration and memory bus. It offers 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 and 1x SDI outputs, which is a specialized I/O layout for professional video environments. The 384-bit memory bus is wider than the RTX 5050's 128-bit bus, though the RTX 5050 still achieves higher bandwidth. The FirePro D500's 3 GB memory is smaller than the RTX 5050's 8 GB, but some legacy applications may be tuned for GCN 1.0 hardware. The FirePro D500 also has more TMUs (96 versus 80), though this does not translate into a win in any recorded benchmark.

For gaming, DirectX 12 Ultimate support on the RTX 5050 provides modern features like mesh shaders and variable rate shading. For professional workloads, the RTX 5050's Vulkan 1.4 support and higher compute throughput make it the stronger choice. The FirePro D500 remains relevant only for users who specifically need its SDI output or who are locked into a legacy software stack that predates the RTX 5050's release.

Specification Differences

The following specifications differ between the two cards, based on recorded data:

• Chip and architecture: GB207 on Blackwell 2.0 (RTX 5050) versus Tahiti on GCN 1.0 (FirePro D500)
• Process node: 5 nm (RTX 5050) versus 28 nm (FirePro D500)
• Transistors: 16,900 million (RTX 5050) versus 4,313 million (FirePro D500)
• Die size: 149 mm² (RTX 5050) versus 352 mm² (FirePro D500)
• Transistor density: 113.4M / mm² (RTX 5050) versus 12.3M / mm² (FirePro D500)
• Memory size: 8 GB (RTX 5050) versus 3 GB (FirePro D500)
• Memory type: GDDR6 (RTX 5050) versus GDDR5 (FirePro D500)
• Memory clock: 2500 MHz, 20 Gbps effective (RTX 5050) versus 1270 MHz, 5.1 Gbps effective (FirePro D500)
• Bus width: 128 bit (RTX 5050) versus 384 bit (FirePro D500)
• Bandwidth: 320.0 GB/s (RTX 5050) versus 243.8 GB/s (FirePro D500)
• Shading units: 2560 (RTX 5050) versus 1536 (FirePro D500)
• TMUs: 80 (RTX 5050) versus 96 (FirePro D500)
• RT cores: 20 (RTX 5050) versus none (FirePro D500)
• Tensor cores: 80 (RTX 5050) versus none (FirePro D500)
• Pixel rate: 82.30 GPixel/s (RTX 5050) versus 23.20 GPixel/s (FirePro D500)
• Texture rate: 205.8 GTexel/s (RTX 5050) versus 69.60 GTexel/s (FirePro D500)
• FP32: 13.17 TFLOPS (RTX 5050) versus 2.227 TFLOPS (FirePro D500)
• FP16: 13.17 TFLOPS (RTX 5050) versus not recorded (FirePro D500)
• TDP: 130 W (RTX 5050) versus 274 W (FirePro D500)
• Power connectors: 1x 8-pin (RTX 5050) versus not recorded (FirePro D500)
• Suggested PSU: 300 W (RTX 5050) versus 600 W (FirePro D500)
• Bus interface: PCIe 5.0 x8 (RTX 5050) versus PCIe 3.0 x16 (FirePro D500)
• Display outputs: 1x HDMI 2.1b, 3x DisplayPort 2.1b (RTX 5050) versus 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.2, 1x SDI (FirePro D500)
• DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (12_2) (RTX 5050) versus 12 (11_1) (FirePro D500)
• Vulkan support: 1.4 (RTX 5050) versus 1.2.170 (FirePro D500)
• Production status: Active (RTX 5050) versus End-of-life (FirePro D500)
• Release date: 2025-06-30 (RTX 5050) versus 2014-01-17 (FirePro D500)
• Predecessor: GeForce 40 (RTX 5050) versus FirePro Terascale (FirePro D500)
• Successor: GeForce 60 (RTX 5050) versus Radeon Instinct (FirePro D500)
• Launch MSRP: 249 USD (RTX 5050); no MSRP recorded for the FirePro D500