AMD FirePro D700 vs AMD Radeon RX 590 Comparison

The AMD FirePro D700 and AMD Radeon RX 590 are both end-of-life AMD graphics cards, but they serve very different purposes and come from different eras of GPU design. The FirePro D700 is a professional workstation card from 2014, built on the older GCN 1.0 architecture with a 28 nm process, while the RX 590 is a consumer gaming card from 2018, built on the newer GCN 4.0 architecture with a 12 nm process. The data shows a clear split: the RX 590 offers significantly higher raw compute performance, while the D700 holds its own in specific professional contexts with a higher average benchmark score in the available tests.

The Verdict

From the benchmark data, the AMD Radeon RX 590 is the better choice for anyone prioritizing raw compute throughput and modern API support. Its FP32 performance of 7.119 TFLOPS is more than double the FirePro D700's 3.482 TFLOPS, and its texture rate of 222.5 GTexel/s dwarfs the D700's 108.8 GTexel/s. The RX 590 also has a higher pixel rate of 49.44 GPixel/s versus 27.20 GPixel/s on the D700. For gaming or general compute tasks that leverage these raw specifications, the RX 590 is the clear winner.

However, the FirePro D700 is not without merit. Its average benchmark score of 25842 is higher than the RX 590's 24744, a difference of about 4.4%. This is driven by its Geekbench OpenCL score of 23716 and Vulkan score of 27968, which are the only benchmarks available for the D700. The D700 also has a wider 384-bit memory bus, which provides a slight bandwidth advantage of 263.0 GB/s compared to the RX 590's 256.0 GB/s. For users running OpenCL or Vulkan workloads that are sensitive to memory bandwidth, the D700 could be the better pick, despite its age.

The percentile rankings are nearly identical, with the D700 at the 71st percentile and the RX 590 at the 70th percentile among all GPUs. This suggests that, in the grand scheme of GPU performance, these two cards are roughly equivalent overall, but they achieve that status through very different strengths. The RX 590 wins on sheer compute power and efficiency, while the D700 wins on specific professional benchmark scores and memory bandwidth. There is no head-to-head benchmark data available, so the verdict rests on the individual benchmark results and architectural differences.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD FirePro D700 has a higher average benchmark score of 25842, compared to the AMD Radeon RX 590's 24744. This places the D700 at the 71st percentile versus the RX 590's 70th percentile.

Q: How do the FP32 performance figures compare?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 590 offers 7.119 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, which is more than double the AMD FirePro D700's 3.482 TFLOPS. This is a significant advantage for the RX 590 in compute-heavy tasks.

Q: What are the memory specifications for each card?

A: The FirePro D700 has 6 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, yielding 263.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 590 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The D700 has a slight bandwidth edge despite less capacity.

Q: Which card supports newer API versions?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 590 supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3, while the AMD FirePro D700 supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the RX 590?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 590 had a launch MSRP of 279 USD. The FirePro D700 has no listed launch MSRP in the data.

Q: How do the power requirements differ?

A: The FirePro D700 has a TDP of 274 W and a suggested PSU of 600 W, while the RX 590 has a TDP of 175 W and a suggested PSU of 450 W. The RX 590 is substantially more power-efficient.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on fundamentally different architectures, which explains most of their performance divergence. The AMD FirePro D700 uses the Tahiti chip based on GCN 1.0, manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. This is the first generation of AMD's Graphics Core Next architecture, designed for professional workloads. The chip contains 4,313 million transistors on a 352 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 12.3 million per square millimeter. The architecture supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170, which are older API revisions.

In contrast, the AMD Radeon RX 590 uses the Polaris 30 chip based on GCN 4.0, manufactured on a 12 nm process at GlobalFoundries. This is a much more refined iteration of the same fundamental architecture, optimized for consumer gaming. The chip contains 5,700 million transistors on a much smaller 232 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 24.6 million per square millimeter—exactly double the D700's density. The RX 590 supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3, indicating broader and more modern API coverage.

The architectural differences also manifest in the compute capabilities. The RX 590 has 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs, while the D700 has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. This gives the RX 590 a clear advantage in raw shader throughput. However, the D700's memory system is configured differently, with a 384-bit bus versus the RX 590's 256-bit bus. This wider bus is a hallmark of professional cards, which often prioritize memory bandwidth for large datasets. The RX 590 also supports FP16 computing at a 1:1 ratio, offering 7.119 TFLOPS in half precision, while the D700 has no listed FP16 performance.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets for the two cards show several key differences. The FirePro D700 has a memory clock of 1370 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective), while the RX 590 has a memory clock of 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective). Despite the higher memory clock on the RX 590, the D700's wider 384-bit bus gives it a slight bandwidth advantage of 263.0 GB/s versus 256.0 GB/s. Memory capacity also differs, with the D700 offering 6 GB and the RX 590 offering 8 GB.

Clock speeds are another differentiator. The D700 has no listed base or boost clock, while the RX 590 has a base clock of 1469 MHz and a boost clock of 1545 MHz. This directly contributes to the RX 590's higher pixel rate of 49.44 GPixel/s and texture rate of 222.5 GTexel/s, compared to the D700's 27.20 GPixel/s and 108.8 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance follows the same trend, with the RX 590 at 7.119 TFLOPS versus the D700's 3.482 TFLOPS.

Power consumption is a major differentiator. The D700 has a TDP of 274 W and a suggested PSU of 600 W, while the RX 590 has a TDP of 175 W and a suggested PSU of 450 W. The RX 590 also has a single 8-pin power connector, while the D700's power connectors are not listed. Physically, the D700 is longer at 279 mm (11 inches) with 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 and 1x SDI outputs, while the RX 590 is shorter at 241 mm (9.5 inches) with 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. Both are dual-slot cards with a PCIe 3.0 x16 bus interface.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

There is no direct head-to-head benchmark data available for these two cards, so the comparison relies on their individual benchmark results and the nearest rival analysis. The FirePro D700's average benchmark score of 25842 places it slightly above the RX 590's 24744, a margin of about 4.4%. In the nearest rivals data, the D700 is nearly tied with the AMD FirePro W7100 (25856, deltaPct -0.1) and the AMD Radeon R9 M395X (25891, deltaPct -0.2), while it sits slightly above the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile (25740, deltaPct 0.4) and the AMD Radeon Pro W5700 (25726, deltaPct 0.5). This suggests the D700 is competitive with a range of professional and high-end mobile GPUs.

The RX 590's average score of 24744 is closely matched with the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile (24763, deltaPct -0.1) and sits above the Intel Arc A350M (24647, deltaPct 0.4), the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT (24442, deltaPct 1.2), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 (24277, deltaPct 1.9). This indicates the RX 590 is positioned among mid-range consumer and mobile workstation cards.

Looking at individual benchmarks, the D700 scores 23716 in Geekbench OpenCL and 27968 in Geekbench Vulkan. The RX 590 scores 1081 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and 48407 in Geekbench Metal. These tests are not directly comparable, but the Geekbench scores show that the D700 performs well in OpenCL and Vulkan, while the RX 590 excels in Metal and DirectX 12. The RX 590's Metal score of 48407 is notably high, suggesting strong performance in Apple's ecosystem, while the D700's Vulkan score of 27968 indicates solid cross-platform compute capability.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 590 wins in all raw compute metrics. It offers more than double the FP32 performance (7.119 TFLOPS vs 3.482 TFLOPS), double the pixel rate (49.44 GPixel/s vs 27.20 GPixel/s), and more than double the texture rate (222.5 GTexel/s vs 108.8 GTexel/s). It also has a higher transistor count (5,700 million vs 4,313 million) and a more advanced 12 nm process node versus 28 nm. For gaming, DirectX 12 workloads, or any compute task that leverages FP32 or FP16 (which the D700 lacks), the RX 590 is the superior choice. Its lower TDP of 175 W versus 274 W also makes it more practical for consumer systems.

The AMD FirePro D700 wins in specific professional benchmarks. Its average benchmark score of 25842 is higher than the RX 590's 24744, and it has a slight memory bandwidth advantage of 263.0 GB/s versus 256.0 GB/s. Its Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan scores of 23716 and 27968, respectively, are the only data points available, and they suggest strong performance in professional compute environments. The wider 384-bit memory bus is a classic feature of workstation cards, designed for large data sets and memory-intensive tasks. For users running OpenCL-based professional applications or Vulkan compute workloads, the D700's higher average score and bandwidth could make it the better choice, despite its older architecture and higher power draw.

The display outputs also tell a story. The D700 offers 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 and 1x SDI, which is a configuration aimed at multi-display professional setups and broadcast environments. The RX 590 offers 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, which is more oriented toward consumer monitors and VR headsets. This reinforces the D700's professional positioning and the RX 590's consumer focus.