AMD FirePro D700 vs AMD FirePro W8000 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a clear overall winner between these two AMD FirePro cards, with the W8000 taking both head-to-head victories. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD FirePro W8000 scores 24,440 against the D700's 23,716. That is a 3.1% advantage for the W8000. While this is a modest margin, it establishes a consistent lead in the compute API that is most representative of general GPU workloads.

The gap widens dramatically in the Vulkan benchmark. Here, the W8000 posts a score of 33,981, while the D700 trails with 27,968. This translates to a 21.5% delta in favor of the W8000, a substantial performance separation. The Vulkan result is particularly telling, as it suggests the W8000's architecture handles the lower-level, driver-managed API more efficiently than the D700, even though both cards share the same Tahiti chip and GCN 1.0 architecture.

Looking at the average benchmark scores across all recorded tests, the W8000 achieves 29,211, while the D700 averages 25,842. This puts the W8000 at the 75th percentile among all GPUs in the database, whereas the D700 sits at the 71st percentile. The W8000's nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH with an average score of 29,197, and the Intel Arc A370M at 29,175. The D700, by contrast, is bracketed by the AMD FirePro W7100 at 25,856 and the AMD Radeon R9 M395X at 25,891, placing it in a lower performance tier overall.

The win count is decisive: the W8000 wins 2 benchmarks, and the D700 wins 0. No recorded test shows the D700 ahead. The data indicates that despite the D700's higher raw specifications in some areas, the W8000 delivers superior real-world performance in the benchmarks captured here.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD FirePro W8000 wins in every measured category, but the nature of those wins suggests different strengths. In OpenCL, the 3.1% lead is narrow, indicating that both cards are closely matched in general-purpose compute tasks that utilize the OpenCL framework. This is a scenario where the D700's larger memory pool and wider bus do not translate into a significant performance advantage, likely due to the workload not being bandwidth-limited.

The Vulkan benchmark is where the W8000 truly separates itself. A 21.5% lead in Vulkan suggests that the W8000 has a meaningful advantage in scenarios that rely on explicit multi-threading and reduced driver overhead. This could be critical for applications that leverage Vulkan for real-time rendering or compute tasks, where the W8000's efficiency shines.

However, the D700 is not without its own areas of potential superiority, though these are not reflected in the benchmark scores. The D700 features 6 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 263.0 GB/s. This is a significant increase over the W8000's 4 GB on a 256-bit bus, which provides 176.0 GB/s. In workloads that exceed 4 GB of memory usage, such as large texture sets or high-resolution compute buffers, the D700 is the only viable option. The data does not capture this directly, but the memory specification difference is a clear point of distinction.

The D700 also has more shading units (2,048 versus 1,792) and higher FP32 throughput (3.482 TFLOPS versus 3.226 TFLOPS), suggesting it may have an edge in pure compute density if a workload can be kept within its memory constraints. Yet, the benchmark results show the W8000 winning, which implies that architectural efficiency or driver optimizations favor the W8000 in practice.

Architecture Differences

Both cards are built on the same Tahiti chip, fabricated on TSMC's 28 nm process. They share the GCN 1.0 architecture and have identical transistor counts (4,313 million) and die sizes (352 mm²), resulting in the same transistor density of 12.3M / mm². The API support is also identical: both support DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170.

The differences begin with the memory subsystem. The W8000 uses 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, clocked at 1375 MHz, providing 176.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The D700 steps up to 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, clocked at 1370 MHz, yielding 263.0 GB/s. The memory clock is nearly identical, but the wider bus on the D700 gives it a 49.4% bandwidth advantage.

The compute resources differ as well. The W8000 has 1,792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The D700 has more shading units (2,048) and more TMUs (128), but the same number of ROPs (32). This leads to different pixel and texture rates: the W8000 achieves 28.80 GPixel/s and 100.8 GTexel/s, while the D700 achieves 27.20 GPixel/s and 108.8 GTexel/s. The D700 has a higher texture fill rate, but the W8000 has a higher pixel fill rate.

The power profile also differs. The W8000 has a TDP of 225 W and uses 2x 6-pin power connectors, with a suggested PSU of 550 W. The D700 has a higher TDP of 274 W and a suggested PSU of 600 W, though its power connector configuration is not recorded in the database. Both are dual-slot cards with a length of 279 mm (11 inches).

Display outputs differ in count and type. The W8000 offers 4x DisplayPort 1.2 and 1x SDI, while the D700 offers 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 and 1x SDI. The D700 provides more display outputs, which may be relevant for multi-monitor setups, though the W8000 uses full-size DisplayPort connectors.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD FirePro W8000 has an average benchmark score of 29,211, which is higher than the D700's 25,842. The W8000 also achieves a higher percentile rank at 75 versus 71.

Q: What is the performance difference in the Vulkan benchmark?

A: The W8000 scores 33,981 in Geekbench Vulkan, while the D700 scores 27,968. This gives the W8000 a 21.5% lead, the largest performance gap between the two cards in any recorded test.

Q: Does the D700 have any advantage in memory capacity?

A: Yes, the D700 has 6 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, providing 263.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The W8000 has 4 GB on a 256-bit bus with 176.0 GB/s. The D700's memory pool is larger and faster, which is not captured in the benchmark averages.

Q: Which card was released later?

A: The AMD FirePro D700 was released on 2014-01-17, while the W8000 was released earlier on 2012-06-13. Both are now end-of-life products.

Q: What is the TDP difference between the two cards?

A: The W8000 has a TDP of 225 W, while the D700 has a higher TDP of 274 W. The suggested PSU rating is also higher for the D700 at 600 W versus 550 W for the W8000.

Q: Are there any differences in compute unit counts?

A: Yes, the D700 has 2,048 shading units and 128 TMUs, while the W8000 has 1,792 shading units and 112 TMUs. Both have 32 ROPs.

The Verdict

The data points decisively to the AMD FirePro W8000 as the superior performer in benchmark terms. With a 2-0 win record, a higher average score (29,211 versus 25,842), and a higher percentile rank (75 versus 71), the W8000 is the card to choose for anyone prioritizing measured compute performance in OpenCL and Vulkan workloads. Its 21.5% lead in Vulkan is especially compelling for applications that use that API.

The AMD FirePro D700, however, should not be dismissed entirely. Its 6 GB memory capacity and 263.0 GB/s bandwidth are significant advantages for workloads that require large memory footprints or are heavily bandwidth-bound. In such cases, the D700's lower benchmark scores may not reflect its actual capability. The D700 also offers more display outputs (6x mini-DisplayPort versus 4x DisplayPort), which could be a deciding factor for multi-monitor configurations.

Who should pick which? If the priority is raw compute performance as measured by the database, the W8000 is the clear choice. If the workload involves massive datasets that exceed 4 GB or demands maximum memory bandwidth, the D700 is the only option between the two. The W8000 also has a lower TDP (225 W versus 274 W), making it more power-efficient, and it uses a simpler power connector arrangement (2x 6-pin). The D700's higher suggested PSU (600 W) may require a more robust power supply. Ultimately, the W8000 wins on the scoreboard, but the D700 wins on memory capacity and bandwidth.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD FirePro W8000 | AMD FirePro D700 |

| --- | --- | --- |

| Generation | FirePro GCN (Wx000) | FirePro Data Center (Dx00) |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 6 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 256 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 176.0 GB/s | 263.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1792 | 2048 |

| TMUs | 112 | 128 |

| Pixel Rate | 28.80 GPixel/s | 27.20 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 100.8 GTexel/s | 108.8 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 3.226 TFLOPS | 3.482 TFLOPS |

| TDP | 225 W | 274 W |

| Power Connectors | 2x 6-pin | Not recorded |

| Suggested PSU | 550 W | 600 W |

| Display Outputs | 4x DisplayPort 1.2, 1x SDI | 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.2, 1x SDI |

| Release Date | 2012-06-13 | 2014-01-17 |

| Successor | Radeon Pro Polaris | Radeon Instinct |

| Launch MSRP | 1,599 USD | Not recorded |