AMD FirePro D700 vs AMD Radeon R9 M395X Comparison

The AMD Radeon R9 M395X and AMD FirePro D700 are both end-of-life AMD graphics cards built on a 28 nm TSMC process, yet they serve very different purposes and deliver nearly identical average benchmark scores. The R9 M395X is a mobile-oriented MXM module with a GCN 3.0 architecture, while the FirePro D700 is a dual-slot workstation card based on the older GCN 1.0 architecture. The data shows a razor-thin margin between them: the R9 M395X holds an average benchmark score of 25891, just 0.2% ahead of the FirePro D700's 25842. Both cards sit at the 71st percentile among all GPUs, placing them in the same performance tier despite their architectural and physical differences. The head-to-head comparison is sparse—only one shared benchmark exists—but it reveals a clear winner in that specific test, and the nearest rival data confirms these two cards are effectively peers in overall compute performance.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark shared between these two cards is Geekbench OpenCL, and the results are decisively in favor of the AMD FirePro D700. The FirePro D700 scores 23716, while the Radeon R9 M395X manages 17829. That is a 24.8% deficit for the R9 M395X, a substantial gap in raw compute throughput. This makes sense when examining the specifications: the FirePro D700 delivers 3.482 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the R9 M395X is rated at 2.961 TFLOPS. The FirePro D700 also leads in texture and pixel fill rates, with 108.8 GTexel/s and 27.20 GPixel/s, respectively, versus 92.54 GTexel/s and 23.14 GPixel/s for the R9 M395X. The memory subsystem further favors the FirePro D700, which has a 384-bit bus and 263.0 GB/s of bandwidth, compared to the R9 M395X's 256-bit bus and 160.0 GB/s. In this single compute-heavy workload, the FirePro D700's higher clocked memory (1370 MHz vs 1250 MHz) and wider bus deliver a commanding win.

However, the broader picture is more nuanced. The average benchmark scores—which incorporate additional tests beyond OpenCL—show the R9 M395X actually edges out the FirePro D700 by 0.2%. The R9 M395X's average score of 25891 comes from a Geekbench Metal result of 33953 and an OpenCL score of 17829. The FirePro D700's average of 25842 is derived from its OpenCL score of 23716 and a Vulkan score of 27968. The R9 M395X's strong Metal showing suggests it excels in Apple-centric compute environments, while the FirePro D700's balanced OpenCL and Vulkan results indicate broader API compatibility. The nearest rival data reinforces this near-tie: the AMD FirePro W7100 sits between them with an average score of 25856, just 0.1% from the R9 M395X and -0.1% from the FirePro D700. Even the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile, at 25740, is only 0.6% behind the R9 M395X and 0.4% ahead of the FirePro D700. This is a dead heat in aggregate terms.

The Verdict

The benchmark data presents a clear split: the AMD FirePro D700 is the superior card for raw OpenCL compute workloads, beating the Radeon R9 M395X by 24.8% in that specific test. Its higher FP32 throughput (3.482 TFLOPS vs 2.961 TFLOPS), larger memory bandwidth (263.0 GB/s vs 160.0 GB/s), and faster pixel/texture rates make it the better choice for compute-heavy tasks such as rendering, simulation, or data processing. The FirePro D700 also offers a broader display output configuration with 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 and 1x SDI, making it suited for multi-monitor professional setups. Its 6 GB of GDDR5 memory, while smaller than the R9 M395X's 8 GB, is paired with a wider 384-bit bus that provides superior throughput.

On the other hand, the Radeon R9 M395X wins on aggregate average score, holding a 0.2% lead over the FirePro D700. This is driven by its exceptional Geekbench Metal score of 33953, which suggests it is the stronger choice for Metal-accelerated applications. The R9 M395X also has a significantly lower TDP of 75 W compared to the FirePro D700's 274 W, and it requires no power connectors, whereas the FirePro D700 suggests a 600 W PSU. The R9 M395X comes in an MXM Module form factor, making it a mobile solution, while the FirePro D700 is a 279 mm dual-slot card for desktop workstations. The data indicates the R9 M395X is the pick for low-power or mobile systems with Metal-based workloads, while the FirePro D700 is the pick for desktop compute tasks that leverage OpenCL and demand higher memory bandwidth.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD FirePro D700 wins decisively in OpenCL compute. Its 23716 score in Geekbench OpenCL versus the R9 M395X's 17829 represents a 24.8% advantage. This card is built for professional compute tasks: the 3.482 TFLOPS FP32 rating, 108.8 GTexel/s texture rate, and 263.0 GB/s memory bandwidth all point to a card that handles heavy data-parallel workloads with ease. The 384-bit memory bus is particularly advantageous for large datasets, and the 27.20 GPixel/s pixel rate aids in high-resolution rendering. The FirePro D700's 6 GB of GDDR5 memory, while smaller in capacity, is faster in effective throughput, and its dual-slot design with 6x mini-DisplayPort outputs makes it a natural fit for multi-display professional environments.

The AMD Radeon R9 M395X wins in the aggregate and in Metal-specific performance. Its Geekbench Metal score of 33953 is exceptionally high, indicating strong performance in Apple's Metal API, which is common in creative and scientific applications on macOS. The 8 GB of GDDR5 memory provides more capacity for large textures or datasets, even if the 256-bit bus limits bandwidth to 160.0 GB/s. The R9 M395X's 75 W TDP and MXM Module form factor make it a low-power, space-efficient solution for laptops or compact systems. Its 2.961 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 92.54 GTexel/s texture rate are respectable, and the 23.14 GPixel/s pixel rate is sufficient for most workloads. The R9 M395X also supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the FirePro D700 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1), giving the R9 M395X an edge in newer Windows-based gaming or compute applications that leverage DX12 features.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M395X has a higher average benchmark score of 25891, compared to the AMD FirePro D700's 25842. This is a 0.2% difference in favor of the R9 M395X.

Q: How much faster is the FirePro D700 in OpenCL?

A: The FirePro D700 scores 23716 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the R9 M395X scores 17829. This gives the FirePro D700 a 24.8% advantage in that specific test.

Q: What are the memory specifications of each card?

A: The R9 M395X has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 160.0 GB/s bandwidth, running at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective). The FirePro D700 has 6 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus with 263.0 GB/s bandwidth, running at 1370 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective).

Q: Which card has a lower power consumption?

A: The R9 M395X has a TDP of 75 W and requires no power connectors, while the FirePro D700 has a TDP of 274 W and suggests a 600 W PSU.

Q: Do both cards support the same APIs?

A: Both cards support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.2.170. However, the R9 M395X supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the FirePro D700 supports DirectX 12 (11_1). The R9 M395X also has a Geekbench Metal score of 33953, indicating Metal support, while the FirePro D700 has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 27968.

Q: What are the physical form factors of these cards?

A: The R9 M395X is an MXM Module with a "Portable Device Dependent" display output, while the FirePro D700 is a dual-slot card measuring 279 mm (11 inches) in length, with 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 and 1x SDI outputs.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon R9 M395X is built on the GCN 3.0 architecture with the Amethyst chip, while the AMD FirePro D700 uses the older GCN 1.0 architecture with the Tahiti chip. Both are manufactured on a 28 nm TSMC process, but the R9 M395X has a larger transistor count of 5,000 million on a 366 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 13.7M per mm². The FirePro D700 has 4,313 million transistors on a 352 mm² die, giving a density of 12.3M per mm². The newer GCN 3.0 architecture in the R9 M395X brings improvements in feature support, including DirectX 12 (12_0) versus the FirePro D700's DirectX 12 (11_1).

Both cards share the same core configuration of 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operation pipelines. However, the FirePro D700 compensates with higher clock speeds, delivering 3.482 TFLOPS of FP32 performance versus the R9 M395X's 2.961 TFLOPS. The memory architecture differs significantly: the R9 M395X uses a 256-bit bus with 8 GB of GDDR5 at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective), while the FirePro D700 uses a 384-bit bus with 6 GB of GDDR5 at 1370 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective). This gives the FirePro D700 a 64% bandwidth advantage at 263.0 GB/s versus 160.0 GB/s.

The R9 M395X belongs to the Gem System (R9 M300) generation, succeeding the Solar System and preceding Polaris Mobile. The FirePro D700 is part of the FirePro Data Center (Dx00) generation, succeeding FirePro Terascale and preceding Radeon Instinct. The R9 M395X was released on May 4, 2015, while the FirePro D700 came earlier on January 17, 2014. The R9 M395X also supports FP16 at 2.961 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), while the FirePro D700 has no listed FP16 capability. Both cards use a PCIe 3.0 x16 bus interface. The FirePro D700's display output of 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 and 1x SDI is professional-grade, whereas the R9 M395X's output is described as "Portable Device Dependent," reflecting its mobile MXM form factor.