AMD FirePro D700 vs AMD Radeon RX 5700 Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD FirePro D700 has a higher average benchmark score of 25,842 compared to the AMD Radeon RX 5700's 22,170. However, the database's percentile ranking places the FirePro D700 at 71st percentile and the RX 5700 at 67th percentile, indicating both sit in a similar performance tier overall.

Q: How do the two cards compare in OpenCL performance?

A: In the geekbench_opencl test, the RX 5700 scores 69,603 while the FirePro D700 scores 23,716. The RX 5700 wins by 65.9%, a decisive margin that reflects its newer architecture and higher compute throughput.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The FirePro D700 uses 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus with 263.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 5700 uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 5700 delivers significantly higher bandwidth despite a narrower bus.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The RX 5700 has a transistor density of 41.0M per mm², while the FirePro D700 has 12.3M per mm². The RX 5700's 7 nm process node allows this density on a smaller die (251 mm²) compared to the FirePro's 28 nm node and 352 mm² die.

Q: What are the power requirements?

A: The FirePro D700 has a TDP of 274 W with a suggested PSU of 600 W. The RX 5700 has a TDP of 180 W with a suggested PSU of 450 W. The RX 5700 is substantially more power-efficient.

Q: Which card was released more recently?

A: The RX 5700 was released on July 6, 2019, while the FirePro D700 was released on January 17, 2014. Both are now end-of-life products.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 is the clear winner in all recorded head-to-head benchmark comparisons. In geekbench_opencl, the RX 5700 leads by 65.9%, and in geekbench_vulkan, it leads by 56.4%. These are substantial margins that indicate the RX 5700 is superior in both compute and graphics workloads that leverage these APIs.

The FirePro D700, despite its lower average score, holds a higher percentile ranking (71 vs 67). This suggests that within the broader GPU landscape, the FirePro D700 benefits from its professional positioning and optimized drivers in certain legacy or specialized workloads. Its nearest rivals include the AMD FirePro W7100 (0.1% behind), AMD Radeon R9 M395X (0.2% behind), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile (0.4% ahead), and AMD Radeon Pro W5700 (0.5% ahead), placing it in a tightly contested performance band.

For users seeking maximum raw performance in OpenCL and Vulkan tasks, the RX 5700 is the obvious choice. For those dealing with professional-grade applications that favor the FirePro lineage, the D700 holds its ground relative to its contemporaries, though it cannot match the RX 5700's modern compute capabilities.

Architecture Differences

The two cards represent distinct architectural generations from AMD. The FirePro D700 is built on GCN 1.0 architecture using the Tahiti chip, a design that debuted in the early 2010s. The RX 5700 uses RDNA 1.0 architecture with the Navi 10 chip, which is a complete redesign of AMD's GPU architecture.

The manufacturing process differs significantly. The FirePro D700 uses a 28 nm process at TSMC, while the RX 5700 uses a 7 nm process, also at TSMC. This process shrink enables the RX 5700 to pack 10,300 million transistors into a 251 mm² die, whereas the FirePro packs 4,313 million transistors into a larger 352 mm² die. The transistor density jumps from 12.3M per mm² to 41.0M per mm², representing a 3.3x improvement in packing efficiency.

The memory subsystem reflects the architectural leap. The FirePro D700 uses GDDR5 with a 384-bit bus, while the RX 5700 uses GDDR6 with a 256-bit bus. Despite the narrower bus, the newer memory type delivers significantly higher bandwidth. The RX 5700 also supports PCIe 4.0 x16, while the FirePro D700 is limited to PCIe 3.0 x16.

API support shows the generational gap. The FirePro D700 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The RX 5700 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The RX 5700 also supports FP16 compute at 15.90 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, a feature absent from the FirePro D700's specifications.

Specification Differences

The clock speeds differ substantially. The FirePro D700 has no listed base or boost clock, only a memory clock of 1370 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective). The RX 5700 has a base clock of 1465 MHz, a game clock of 1625 MHz, a boost clock of 1725 MHz, and a memory clock of 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective).

The compute units differ in count. The FirePro D700 has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The RX 5700 has 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The ROP count doubling is particularly notable for fill-rate-bound workloads.

Pixel and texture rates reflect these differences. The FirePro D700 achieves 27.20 GPixel/s and 108.8 GTexel/s. The RX 5700 achieves 110.4 GPixel/s and 248.4 GTexel/s. The RX 5700 is 4x faster in pixel rate and 2.3x faster in texture rate.

FP32 performance also favors the RX 5700. The FirePro D700 delivers 3.482 TFLOPS, while the RX 5700 delivers 7.949 TFLOPS, more than double. The RX 5700 also lists FP16 at 15.90 TFLOPS (2:1), while the FirePro D700 has no FP16 specification.

Power consumption and physical dimensions differ. The FirePro D700 has a TDP of 274 W and requires a 600 W PSU, while the RX 5700 has a TDP of 180 W and requires a 450 W PSU. Both are dual-slot cards, but the FirePro D700 is longer at 279 mm (11 inches) versus 268 mm (10.6 inches) for the RX 5700. The RX 5700 also has specified height (111 mm) and width (36 mm) dimensions, while the FirePro D700 lacks those measurements.

Memory capacity and type differ: 6 GB GDDR5 for the FirePro, 8 GB GDDR6 for the RX 5700. Display outputs also differ: the FirePro D700 offers 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 and 1x SDI for professional multi-display setups, while the RX 5700 offers 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records two direct benchmark comparisons between these cards. In both, the AMD Radeon RX 5700 emerges victorious by significant margins.

In geekbench_opencl, the RX 5700 scores 69,603 against the FirePro D700's 23,716. The delta of 65.9% in favor of the RX 5700 is substantial. This test measures general-purpose compute performance, and the RX 5700's advantage stems from its higher FP32 throughput (7.949 TFLOPS vs 3.482 TFLOPS), doubled ROP count, and faster memory bandwidth (448.0 GB/s vs 263.0 GB/s). The 7 nm process and RDNA architecture deliver a generational leap in compute efficiency.

In geekbench_vulkan, the RX 5700 scores 64,166 against the FirePro D700's 27,968. The delta is 56.4% in favor of the RX 5700. Vulkan performance benefits from the RX 5700's newer API support (Vulkan 1.4 vs 1.2.170), higher shading unit count (2304 vs 2048), and more efficient RDNA instruction scheduling. The FirePro D700's GCN 1.0 architecture, while capable, cannot match the modern design's per-clock efficiency.

The wins count confirms the RX 5700's dominance: it secures 2 wins out of 2 head-to-head tests, while the FirePro D700 secures none. This is a decisive outcome. The RX 5700's nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon RX 6700S (0.1% ahead), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile (1.2% behind), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB (1.4% ahead), and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (1.7% behind). The FirePro D700's nearest rivals are all within 0.5% of its average score, indicating it sits in a very tight competitive cluster.

The data indicates that the RX 5700's performance lead in these specific tests is not marginal but substantial, making it the stronger choice for any workload that leverages OpenCL or Vulkan. The FirePro D700's higher percentile ranking (71 vs 67) may reflect its niche positioning in professional environments, but the raw benchmark numbers do not support it as a general-purpose performance leader against the RX 5700.