AMD FirePro D700 vs AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a decisive advantage for the AMD FirePro D700 in the two shared benchmark tests. In Geekbench OpenCL, the FirePro D700 scores 23,716 against the Radeon Pro Vega 16’s 18,268, a 29.8% lead. This is a substantial margin, placing the older card firmly ahead in raw compute workloads that rely on OpenCL acceleration.

The Vulkan results tell a similar story. The FirePro D700 posts 27,968, while the Radeon Pro Vega 16 manages 21,832. The delta here is 28.1%, again favoring the FirePro D700. Notably, the FirePro D700’s Vulkan score is higher than its OpenCL score, suggesting its architecture handles Vulkan’s low-level API efficiently. The Vega 16 also improves in Vulkan relative to its OpenCL score, but not enough to close the gap.

What does this mean in context? The FirePro D700’s average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 25,842, placing it in the 71st percentile of all GPUs. The Vega 16 averages 23,250, sitting in the 68th percentile. The difference in percentile rank is small, but the head-to-head deltas are not. The FirePro D700 wins both tests outright, and the data shows no scenario where the Vega 16 takes the lead in a shared workload.

It is worth remembering the Vega 16 has an additional benchmark result, Geekbench Metal, where it scores 29,650. This test is not available for the FirePro D700, so it cannot be compared directly. Still, that Metal score is higher than either of the FirePro D700’s recorded results, hinting that the Vega 16 may have strengths in Apple’s Metal API that the FirePro D700 cannot match due to the lack of a comparable data point.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The AMD FirePro D700 wins with a score of 23,716, which is 29.8% higher than the Radeon Pro Vega 16’s 18,268.

Q: Is the Vulkan performance difference as large as the OpenCL gap?

A: Yes, it is comparable. The FirePro D700 scores 27,968 in Vulkan, a 28.1% lead over the Vega 16’s 21,832.

Q: Does the Radeon Pro Vega 16 have any benchmark where it scores higher than the FirePro D700?

A: The Vega 16 has a Geekbench Metal score of 29,650, but the FirePro D700 has no Metal result recorded, so no direct comparison is possible.

Q: How do these GPUs rank against all other GPUs in the database?

A: The FirePro D700 sits in the 71st percentile with an average score of 25,842. The Vega 16 sits in the 68th percentile with an average score of 23,250.

Q: What are the closest rivals to the FirePro D700?

A: The nearest rivals include the AMD FirePro W7100 (average score 25,856, a 0.1% difference) and the AMD Radeon R9 M395X (25,891, a 0.2% difference). The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile and AMD Radeon Pro W5700 are also close, at 0.4% and 0.5% deltas respectively.

Q: What about the nearest rivals to the Vega 16?

A: The NVIDIA P106-100 matches it almost exactly at 23,249 (0.0% delta). The AMD Radeon RX 6600M and R9 M290X are 0.1% behind, and the AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 is 0.3% behind.

Architecture Differences

The FirePro D700 is built on GCN 1.0 architecture with the Tahiti chip, fabricated on a 28 nm process by TSMC. It packs 4,313 million transistors into a 352 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.3 million per square millimeter. This is a mature, power-hungry design from the early GCN era.

The Radeon Pro Vega 16 uses GCN 5.0 architecture with the Vega 12 chip, made on a 14 nm process by GlobalFoundries. The database does not record transistor count, die size, or density for this chip, so a direct transistor comparison is impossible. However, the architectural leap from GCN 1.0 to GCN 5.0 is significant, bringing improvements in instruction scheduling, memory compression, and power management.

The Vega 16 has 1,024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The FirePro D700 doubles the shading units to 2,048 and TMUs to 128, while keeping the same 32 ROPs. This explains the FirePro D700’s higher texture rate of 108.8 GTexel/s versus 76.16 GTexel/s for the Vega 16, though the Vega 16’s pixel rate is higher at 38.08 GPixel/s compared to 27.20 GPixel/s.

Compute throughput tells a nuanced story. The FirePro D700 delivers 3.482 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the Vega 16 manages 2.437 TFLOPS. However, the Vega 16 supports FP16 math at 4.874 TFLOPS (2:1 rate), a feature the FirePro D700 lacks entirely. This makes the Vega 16 potentially better suited for workloads that leverage half-precision arithmetic.

Memory architecture diverges sharply. The FirePro D700 uses 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 263.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Vega 16 uses 4 GB of HBM2 on a 1024-bit bus, achieving 307.2 GB/s. Despite having less capacity, the Vega 16’s HBM2 provides higher bandwidth, which can benefit memory-intensive tasks.

The Vega 16 also supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3, while the FirePro D700 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The newer API compliance on the Vega 16 reflects its later release date.

Specification Differences

The most obvious difference is power. The FirePro D700 has a TDP of 274 W and requires a 600 W power supply, while the Vega 16 draws only 75 W and lists no suggested PSU. This makes the Vega 16 far more efficient per watt, a critical factor for mobile or compact systems.

Clock speeds differ notably. The Vega 16 has a base clock of 815 MHz and a boost clock of 1190 MHz. The FirePro D700 has no base or boost clock recorded, so comparison is limited to memory clocks. The FirePro D700’s memory runs at 1370 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective), while the Vega 16’s memory runs at 1200 MHz (2.4 Gbps effective). The higher effective speed on the FirePro D700 does not translate to higher bandwidth due to the narrower 384-bit bus.

Physical form factors are polar opposites. The FirePro D700 is a dual-slot, 279 mm (11 inch) card with 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 and 1x SDI outputs. The Vega 16 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with no dimensions recorded and display outputs described as "Portable Device Dependent." This reflects their intended markets: a workstation card versus a mobile or embedded solution.

Memory capacity and type differ: 6 GB GDDR5 versus 4 GB HBM2. The bus widths are 384-bit and 1024-bit, respectively. Release dates are nearly five years apart, with the FirePro D700 launching on January 17, 2014, and the Vega 16 on November 13, 2018. The FirePro D700’s predecessor is FirePro Terascale and its successor is Radeon Instinct, while the Vega 16 has no recorded predecessor or successor.

Where Each One Wins

The FirePro D700 wins in any scenario that relies on OpenCL or Vulkan compute, based on its 29.8% and 28.1% leads respectively. Its higher FP32 throughput (3.482 TFLOPS) and larger shading unit count make it a strong choice for traditional compute workloads that use single-precision math. The dual-slot design and 6 GB of GDDR5 also suggest it was built for sustained, high-power workstation tasks.

The Radeon Pro Vega 16 wins in efficiency and API modernity. Its 75 W TDP is a fraction of the FirePro D700’s 274 W, making it suitable for laptops or compact all-in-one systems. The HBM2 memory provides higher bandwidth (307.2 GB/s) despite lower capacity, which could benefit workloads that are bandwidth-bound rather than compute-bound. The FP16 support at 4.874 TFLOPS is a clear advantage for AI inference or graphics tasks that use half precision.

The Vega 16 also holds a lead in pixel rate, 38.08 GPixel/s versus 27.20 GPixel/s, which could translate to better performance in certain rasterization-heavy tasks. Its support for Vulkan 1.3 and DirectX 12_1 gives it access to newer rendering features that the FirePro D700 cannot utilize.

The Verdict

The data clearly favors the AMD FirePro D700 in raw compute benchmarks. It wins both shared tests by nearly 30%, and its average score of 25,842 places it in the 71st percentile, ahead of the Vega 16’s 68th percentile. For users who prioritize OpenCL or Vulkan performance, the FirePro D700 is the obvious choice.

The Radeon Pro Vega 16 is not without merit. Its Metal score of 29,650 suggests strong performance in Apple-centric workflows, though no direct comparison exists. Its 75 W power draw and HBM2 bandwidth make it a compelling option for portable systems where power efficiency is paramount. The FP16 capability and newer API support also point to a more modern feature set.

The choice ultimately depends on the workload. If the task is heavy FP32 compute, the FirePro D700 wins outright. If the task is power-constrained, bandwidth-sensitive, or benefits from FP16, the Vega 16 offers advantages that the benchmark scores do not fully capture. The FirePro D700 is the stronger performer in shared tests, but the Vega 16 is the more versatile, modern chip for specific environments.