AMD FirePro D500 vs NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 Comparison

Based on the available benchmark data, the comparison between the AMD FirePro D500 and the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 is stark and one-sided in the specific metric tested. The data reveals a generational chasm, with the NVIDIA card delivering a performance level that the older AMD workstation part cannot approach, despite both cards occupying a similar percentile ranking among all GPUs.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct head-to-head benchmark available is the Geekbench Vulkan test, and the results are decisive. The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 scores 78,844 points, while the AMD FirePro D500 manages only 18,533 points. This gives the NVIDIA card a massive delta of -76.5% relative to the AMD card, meaning the Quadro RTX 4000 is roughly 4.25 times faster in this specific workload. The margin is not a minor victory; it is a complete rout that speaks to the fundamental architectural and technological advantages of the newer GPU.

Looking at the broader context, the FirePro D500’s score of 18,533 places it in a performance tier with cards like the AMD Radeon RX 560X (18,626 points, a -0.5% delta) and the Intel Arc A770M (18,383 points, a 0.8% delta). This indicates that the FirePro is competitive with entry-level consumer and mobile graphics solutions from a much later era. In contrast, the Quadro RTX 4000’s score of 78,844 is in an entirely different league. While its nearest rivals listed are not from the same benchmark, its average benchmark score of 17,789 is derived from a broader suite of tests, including OpenCL and various Passmark tests, which highlights its versatility beyond a single Vulkan test.

The performance disparity is further illustrated by the two cards’ positions relative to all other GPUs. The FirePro D500 sits at the 62nd percentile, and the Quadro RTX 4000 sits at the 61st percentile. While these percentiles are nearly identical, they are misleading. The FirePro’s percentile is based on its single Vulkan score, while the Quadro’s is based on its average across ten different benchmarks, including demanding DirectX tests. The data implies that the NVIDIA card achieves a similar overall standing while being far more capable in modern graphics APIs, suggesting the AMD card’s ranking is inflated by its performance in a single, older-oriented test.

Where Each One Wins

The data clearly shows that the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 is the winner in the only direct comparison available, the Geekbench Vulkan test. This is significant because Vulkan is a modern, low-overhead graphics API used in contemporary professional applications and games. A win here indicates strong performance in current and future software workloads. The Quadro RTX 4000 also demonstrates wins across a wide range of other benchmarks, including Geekbench OpenCL (74,540 points), Passmark G3D (15,117 points), and Passmark GPU Compute (6,176 points), showing its strength in both graphics and general-purpose compute tasks.

There are no benchmark wins for the AMD FirePro D500 in the provided data. Its single score of 18,533 in Geekbench Vulkan is its only data point, and it loses that comparison decisively. However, the data does not show where the FirePro might have had strengths; it simply shows that in the modern Vulkan API, it is outclassed. The FirePro D500’s wins are absent from the dataset, making it impossible to identify a workload where it excels relative to the Quadro RTX 4000. The only conclusion is that based on the available benchmarks, the NVIDIA card is the superior choice for every tested scenario.

Architecture Differences

The two cards represent fundamentally different eras of GPU design. The AMD FirePro D500 is built on the GCN 1.0 architecture using the Tahiti chip, manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 4,313 million transistors onto a 352 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 12.3M / mm². In contrast, the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 uses the Turing architecture with the TU104 chip, built on a more advanced 12 nm process, also at TSMC. This newer process allows for a massive 13,600 million transistors on a 545 mm² die, achieving a density of 25.0M / mm². The differences are not just in scale but in capability.

The memory subsystems are also radically different. The FirePro D500 has 3 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 243.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The Quadro RTX 4000, on the other hand, has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, but achieves significantly higher bandwidth at 416.0 GB/s thanks to the faster memory clock (13 Gbps effective vs. 5.1 Gbps effective). This higher bandwidth is critical for large datasets and high-resolution textures. Furthermore, the Quadro RTX 4000 introduces dedicated hardware that the FirePro D500 completely lacks: 36 RT cores for ray tracing and 288 tensor cores for AI-accelerated workloads. These features are absent from the older AMD architecture.

The compute capabilities are starkly different. The FirePro D500 has 1,536 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, delivering 2.227 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The Quadro RTX 4000 has 2,304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, delivering 7.119 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. It also offers FP16 performance of 14.24 TFLOPS (2:1), a feature not listed for the AMD card. The NVIDIA card’s pixel rate (98.88 GPixel/s) and texture rate (222.5 GTexel/s) are also far higher than the AMD card’s (23.20 GPixel/s and 69.60 GTexel/s, respectively). These figures underscore the generational leap in raw processing power.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the Geekbench Vulkan benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 is significantly faster, scoring 78,844 points compared to the AMD FirePro D500’s 18,533 points. This represents a delta of -76.5% for the AMD card.

Q: What are the key architectural differences between the two cards?

A: The FirePro D500 uses the older GCN 1.0 architecture on a 28 nm process, while the Quadro RTX 4000 uses the Turing architecture on a 12 nm process. The NVIDIA card also includes dedicated RT cores (36) and Tensor cores (288), which the AMD card does not have.

Q: How do their memory configurations compare?

A: The FirePro D500 has 3 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus with 243.8 GB/s bandwidth. The Quadro RTX 4000 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus but with higher bandwidth of 416.0 GB/s.

Q: Which card has a higher FP32 performance?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 has a much higher FP32 performance at 7.119 TFLOPS, compared to the AMD FirePro D500’s 2.227 TFLOPS.

Q: What are the TDP requirements for each card?

A: The AMD FirePro D500 has a TDP of 274 W and a suggested PSU of 600 W. The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 has a lower TDP of 160 W and a suggested PSU of 450 W.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the NVIDIA card?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 has a launch MSRP of 899 USD.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every specification. The most striking differences are in the core architecture and process node: AMD uses a 28 nm GCN 1.0 design, while NVIDIA uses a 12 nm Turing design. This leads to a massive difference in transistor count (4,313 million vs. 13,600 million) and die size (352 mm² vs. 545 mm²). The memory is also different: 3 GB GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus vs. 8 GB GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, with the NVIDIA card having much higher bandwidth (416.0 GB/s vs. 243.8 GB/s).

The compute resources are also vastly different, with the NVIDIA card having more shading units (2,304 vs. 1,536), TMUs (144 vs. 96), and ROPs (64 vs. 32). The NVIDIA card uniquely features 36 RT cores and 288 tensor cores. Clock speeds are only listed for the NVIDIA card (1005 MHz base, 1545 MHz boost), while the AMD card’s base and boost clocks are not provided. The memory clock is also different (13 Gbps effective vs. 5.1 Gbps effective). The NVIDIA card is also more power-efficient, with a TDP of 160 W versus 274 W, and is a single-slot design versus a dual-slot design for the AMD card. The display outputs also differ: 3x DisplayPort 1.4a and 1x USB Type-C for NVIDIA, versus 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 and 1x SDI for AMD. The supported DirectX versions differ as well, with NVIDIA supporting 12 Ultimate (12_2) and AMD supporting 12 (11_1). The Vulkan version support also differs, with NVIDIA supporting 1.4 and AMD supporting 1.2.170.

The Verdict

The data points to an unequivocal recommendation: the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 is the superior GPU in nearly every measurable way. In the only head-to-head test, it is 76.5% faster. Its architecture is newer, its memory is faster and more capacious, and it offers features like ray tracing and tensor cores that the AMD FirePro D500 simply cannot provide. The Quadro RTX 4000 is the clear choice for anyone needing a professional GPU for modern workloads, including those that utilize Vulkan, DirectX 12 Ultimate, or AI-accelerated tasks.

The AMD FirePro D500, despite its similar percentile ranking, is an obsolete part. Its performance in the modern Vulkan API is on par with much lower-tier consumer GPUs from a later generation, as shown by its nearest rivals. Its only potential advantage is its unique display output configuration, which includes 6x mini-DisplayPort and 1x SDI, a feature set that might be relevant for specific legacy video I/O applications. The data suggests this card should be considered only for that niche use case, where its specific connectivity is more important than its computational performance. For all other scenarios, the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 is the definitive winner.