AMD FirePro D700 vs AMD Radeon R9 M290X Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD FirePro D700 records an average benchmark score of 25842, which is 11.0% higher than the AMD Radeon R9 M290X's 23276. The FirePro D700 sits in the 71st percentile of all GPUs, while the R9 M290X sits in the 68th percentile.

Q: How do the two cards compare in the only shared benchmark test?

A: In Geekbench OpenCL, the FirePro D700 scores 23716 versus 22028 for the R9 M290X, a 7.7% advantage for the FirePro. The R9 M290X does have a separate Geekbench Metal score of 24524, but the FirePro D700 has no Metal result recorded.

Q: Are these GPUs based on the same architecture?

A: Yes, both use GCN 1.0 architecture and are built on TSMC's 28 nm process. However, they use different chips: the FirePro D700 uses Tahiti (4,313 million transistors on a 352 mm² die), while the R9 M290X uses Neptune (2,800 million transistors on a 212 mm² die).

Q: What memory configurations do they offer?

A: The FirePro D700 has 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus with 263.0 GB/s bandwidth. The R9 M290X has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 153.6 GB/s bandwidth. The FirePro's memory clock is 1370 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective), while the R9 M290X runs at 1200 MHz (4.8 Gbps effective).

Q: Which card has higher compute throughput?

A: The FirePro D700 delivers 3.482 TFLOPS FP32 with 2048 shading units, while the R9 M290X delivers 2.304 TFLOPS FP32 with 1280 shading units. The FirePro also leads in texture rate (108.8 GTexel/s vs 72.00 GTexel/s), though the R9 M290X has a slightly higher pixel rate (28.80 GPixel/s vs 27.20 GPixel/s).

Q: What are the power requirements?

A: The FirePro D700 has a TDP of 274 W and a suggested PSU of 600 W. The R9 M290X has a TDP of 100 W and no suggested PSU listed. The R9 M290X is an MXM module with no power connectors, while the FirePro D700 is a dual-slot card.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs share the same GCN 1.0 architecture and 28 nm TSMC manufacturing process, but they diverge significantly in chip design and scale. The FirePro D700 is built on the Tahiti chip, a large die measuring 352 mm² with 4,313 million transistors, resulting in a transistor density of 12.3 million per mm². The R9 M290X uses the Neptune chip, which is substantially smaller at 212 mm² with 2,800 million transistors, yielding a slightly higher density of 13.2 million per mm².

The compute resource allocation differs markedly. The FirePro D700 packs 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The R9 M290X has 1280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. This means the FirePro has 60% more shading units and 60% more texture units, while both maintain the same ROP count. The FirePro's larger configuration directly translates into higher theoretical throughput: 3.482 TFLOPS FP32 versus 2.304 TFLOPS, and 108.8 GTexel/s versus 72.00 GTexel/s.

Memory architecture is another major differentiator. The FirePro D700 uses a 384-bit memory bus with 6 GB of GDDR5, delivering 263.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The R9 M290X uses a narrower 256-bit bus with 4 GB of GDDR5, providing 153.6 GB/s. The FirePro also runs its memory faster at 1370 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective) compared to 1200 MHz (4.8 Gbps effective) on the R9 M290X. This gives the FirePro a 71% bandwidth advantage, which is critical for memory-intensive workloads.

Clock speeds tell a different story. The R9 M290X has a base clock of 850 MHz and a boost clock of 900 MHz, while the FirePro D700 has no listed base or boost clock. Despite the R9 M290X's higher clocks, the FirePro's superior core count and memory subsystem more than compensate, as reflected in the benchmark results.

The physical form factors are entirely different. The FirePro D700 is a dual-slot card measuring 279 mm (11 inches) with 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 and 1x SDI outputs. The R9 M290X is an MXM module with no power connectors and "Portable Device Dependent" display outputs, indicating it is designed for laptops or compact systems. The FirePro has a TDP of 274 W and suggests a 600 W PSU, while the R9 M290X sips power at 100 W.

Both cards support DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The R9 M290X has a Geekbench Metal score of 24524, while no Metal score is recorded for the FirePro D700, suggesting the mobile card may have stronger Metal support or testing coverage.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark in the database is Geekbench OpenCL, where the FirePro D700 wins decisively. The FirePro scores 23716 against 22028 for the R9 M290X, a 7.7% margin. This win is consistent with the hardware disparity: the FirePro has 60% more shading units, 60% more TMUs, and 71% more memory bandwidth, though the R9 M290X's higher clocks (900 MHz boost) and slightly better pixel rate (28.80 vs 27.20 GPixel/s) narrow the gap.

The R9 M290X does have a Geekbench Metal score of 24524, which is higher than the FirePro's OpenCL score, but since no Metal result exists for the FirePro, this cannot be compared directly. The R9 M290X's Metal score does indicate that in Apple-centric compute environments, the mobile card may perform competitively with the desktop FirePro.

Looking at the broader benchmark context, the FirePro D700's average score of 25842 places it in the 71st percentile. Its nearest rivals are the AMD FirePro W7100 (25856, delta -0.1%), AMD Radeon R9 M395X (25891, delta -0.2%), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile (25740, delta 0.4%), and AMD Radeon Pro W5700 (25726, delta 0.5%). These deltas are all within 0.5%, meaning the FirePro D700 is essentially tied with these cards.

The R9 M290X's average score of 23276 places it in the 68th percentile. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (23273, delta 0%), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 (23250, delta 0.1%), NVIDIA P106-100 (23249, delta 0.1%), and AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 (23315, delta -0.2%). Again, these are all within 0.2%, showing the R9 M290X is tightly clustered with these GPUs.

The head-to-head record is 1-0 in favor of the FirePro D700. In the only shared test, the FirePro outperforms the R9 M290X by 7.7%. This gap, while not enormous, is consistent across the architectural advantages the FirePro holds. The R9 M290X's higher clocks and slightly better pixel fill rate help it close some distance, but the FirePro's massive advantages in shading units, texture units, and memory bandwidth prove decisive.

The Verdict

The data clearly favors the AMD FirePro D700 in raw compute performance. Its 7.7% lead in OpenCL, combined with a 11.0% higher average benchmark score, makes it the stronger GPU for general compute workloads. The FirePro's 3.482 TFLOPS FP32, 263.0 GB/s memory bandwidth, and 6 GB frame buffer give it substantial headroom for demanding tasks like rendering, simulation, and large dataset processing.

However, the R9 M290X is not without merit. Its 100 W TDP, MXM form factor, and lack of power connectors make it suitable for mobile or compact systems where power and space are constrained. Its Geekbench Metal score of 24524 suggests it may be competitive in Metal-based workflows, though this cannot be directly compared to the FirePro without a matching test.

For users prioritizing pure compute throughput in a desktop workstation, the FirePro D700 is the clear choice. Its 71st percentile ranking among all GPUs, versus the R9 M290X's 68th percentile, confirms its higher standing. The FirePro's 6 GB memory and 384-bit bus also make it better suited for memory-hungry applications.

For users needing a low-power, mobile-compatible solution, the R9 M290X is the only option of the two, given its MXM module design. But the performance data shows it trails the FirePro by a meaningful margin in OpenCL compute, and its 4 GB memory cap may limit larger workloads.

The specification differences reinforce the verdict. The FirePro has more transistors (4,313 vs 2,800 million), a larger die (352 vs 212 mm²), more shading units (2048 vs 1280), more TMUs (128 vs 80), wider memory bus (384 vs 256 bit), and more memory bandwidth (263.0 vs 153.6 GB/s). The R9 M290X counters with higher clocks (850/900 MHz vs none listed), a slightly better pixel rate (28.80 vs 27.20 GPixel/s), and a much lower TDP (100 vs 274 W).

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD FirePro D700 | AMD Radeon R9 M290X |

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

| Chip | Tahiti | Neptune |

| Generation | FirePro Data Center (Dx00) | Gem System (R9 M200) |

| Transistors | 4,313 million | 2,800 million |

| Die Size | 352 mm² | 212 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.3M / mm² | 13.2M / mm² |

| Base Clock | Not listed | 850 MHz |

| Boost Clock | Not listed | 900 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1370 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective) | 1200 MHz (4.8 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 6 GB | 4 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 384 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 263.0 GB/s | 153.6 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2048 | 1280 |

| TMUs | 128 | 80 |

| ROPs | 32 | 32 |

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

| Texture Rate | 108.8 GTexel/s | 72.00 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 3.482 TFLOPS | 2.304 TFLOPS |

| TDP | 274 W | 100 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | MXM Module |

| Power Connectors | Not listed | None |

| Suggested PSU | 600 W | Not listed |

| Display Outputs | 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.2, 1x SDI | Portable Device Dependent |

| Dimensions | 279 mm (11 inches) | Not listed |

| Release Date | 2014-01-17 | 2014-01-08 |

| Predecessor | FirePro Terascale | Solar System |

| Successor | Radeon Instinct | Polaris Mobile |

| Geekbench OpenCL | 23716 | 22028 |

| Geekbench Vulkan | 27968 | Not listed |

| Geekbench Metal | Not listed | 24524 |

| Avg Benchmark Score | 25842 | 23276 |

| Percentile | 71 | 68 |

Where Each One Wins

The FirePro D700 wins in every directly comparable compute metric. It dominates OpenCL with a 7.7% margin, and its average benchmark score is 11.0% higher. The FirePro's advantages in shading units (2048 vs 1280), texture units (128 vs 80), memory bandwidth (263.0 vs 153.6 GB/s), and FP32 throughput (3.482 vs 2.304 TFLOPS) make it the superior choice for parallel compute tasks, large textures, and high-resolution framebuffers. Its 6 GB memory capacity also accommodates larger datasets than the R9 M290X's 4 GB.

The R9 M290X wins in power efficiency and form factor. Its 100 W TDP is less than half the FirePro's 274 W, and its MXM module design with no power connectors makes it suitable for portable systems. The R9 M290X also has a higher pixel rate (28.80 vs 27.20 GPixel/s), which could give it a slight edge in pure fill-rate-limited scenarios, though this is offset by its lower texture rate. Its Geekbench Metal score of 24524 is the only test where it posts a number higher than the FirePro's OpenCL result, suggesting potential strength in Metal-based workloads.

In practical terms, the FirePro D700 is the choice for workstation tasks like 3D rendering, scientific computing, and video processing where compute throughput and memory bandwidth are paramount. The R9 M290X is the choice for mobile or compact systems where power draw and physical size are the primary constraints, accepting lower compute performance in exchange. The database shows one clear overall winner in performance, but the R9 M290X remains viable in its specific niche.