AMD FirePro D700 vs AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT and AMD FirePro D700 occupy different eras and purposes, yet both are end-of-life products. The RX 6700 XT, a 2021 RDNA 2.0 part, is a mainstream gaming GPU with modern features, while the FirePro D700, a 2014 GCN 1.0 workstation card, targets professional visualization. Benchmark data shows the RX 6700 XT is decisively faster in the two shared tests, but the FirePro D700 holds a niche in its legacy display output configuration. The following analysis breaks down their performance, architecture, and specifications based solely on the provided data.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 6700 XT wins every benchmark where both cards have results. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, it scores 44,152 against the FirePro D700's 23,716, a 86.2% advantage. The Vulkan gap is even larger: 93,500 versus 27,968, a 234.3% lead. This makes the RX 6700 XT the clear choice for compute-heavy workloads that leverage modern APIs.

The FirePro D700 has no benchmark wins in this comparison. However, its design intent differs. Its display outputs are 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 and 1x SDI, which is a configuration suited for multi-display or broadcast environments. The RX 6700 XT offers 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, which is more conventional for consumer setups. The FirePro D700 also has a higher TDP of 274 W compared to the RX 6700 XT's 230 W, suggesting it was built for sustained professional workloads rather than efficiency.

In terms of overall standing, the RX 6700 XT has an average benchmark score of 27,425 and sits at the 72nd percentile of all GPUs. The FirePro D700 averages 25,842 and sits at the 71st percentile. Despite the massive per-test deltas, their percentile rankings are close, indicating that the FirePro D700's limited benchmark set (only two tests) masks its overall position.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are generations apart in design philosophy. The RX 6700 XT uses the Navi 22 chip on TSMC's 7 nm process, packing 17,200 million transistors into a 335 mm² die. The FirePro D700 uses the Tahiti chip on a 28 nm process, with 4,313 million transistors on a 352 mm² die. This means the RX 6700 XT has a transistor density of 51.3M / mm² versus 12.3M / mm² for the FirePro D700, reflecting the much newer manufacturing node.

Architecturally, the RX 6700 XT is based on RDNA 2.0, while the FirePro D700 uses GCN 1.0. This is a fundamental shift. The RX 6700 XT features 40 dedicated ray tracing cores, which the FirePro D700 lacks entirely. The RX 6700 XT also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), whereas the FirePro D700 only supports DirectX 12 (11_1). Vulkan support is also newer on the RX 6700 XT (1.4) versus the FirePro D700 (1.2.170).

Memory technology differs sharply. The RX 6700 XT uses 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, delivering 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The FirePro D700 has 6 GB of GDDR5 on a wider 384-bit bus, but only achieves 263.0 GB/s. The RX 6700 XT's memory clock is 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective), while the FirePro D700's is 1370 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective). The wider bus on the FirePro D700 cannot compensate for the older, slower memory standard.

The RX 6700 XT has 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The FirePro D700 has 2,048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and only 32 ROPs. The RX 6700 XT's pixel rate is 165.2 GPixel/s versus 27.20 GPixel/s for the FirePro D700, and its texture rate is 413.0 GTexel/s versus 108.8 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 13.21 TFLOPS for the RX 6700 XT and 3.482 TFLOPS for the FirePro D700. The RX 6700 XT also supports FP16 at 26.43 TFLOPS (2:1), while the FirePro D700 has no listed FP16 capability.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two shared benchmarks tell a clear story of generational superiority. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 6700 XT scores 44,152 against the FirePro D700's 23,716. This 86.2% delta is substantial, but it is not the largest gap. The same test suite's Vulkan benchmark shows the RX 6700 XT at 93,500 and the FirePro D700 at 27,968, a 234.3% difference. The RX 6700 XT is more than three times faster in Vulkan, which is a modern cross-platform API that the older GCN architecture handles poorly.

There are no other overlapping benchmarks in the data. The RX 6700 XT has results for 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 (2,435), Geekbench Metal (130,896), and several Passmark tests (DirectX 9: 242, DirectX 10: 124, DirectX 11: 173, DirectX 12: 77, G2D: 951, G3D: 19,786, GPU Compute: 9,336). The FirePro D700 has no results for these tests, so direct comparison is impossible. However, the RX 6700 XT's Passmark G3D score of 19,786 and GPU Compute score of 9,336 indicate strong legacy DirectX performance, which aligns with its higher overall average score.

The FirePro D700's nearest rival is the AMD FirePro W7100, with a delta of -0.1%, meaning the D700 is essentially tied with it. The RX 6700 XT's nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile, with a delta of 0%, followed by the RTX 3090 at -0.5%. This places the RX 6700 XT in the performance bracket of high-end laptop and desktop GPUs, while the FirePro D700 sits near older workstation cards like the Radeon R9 M395X and Radeon Pro W5700.

FAQ

Q: Which card has higher raw compute performance?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT. Its FP32 throughput is 13.21 TFLOPS, compared to 3.482 TFLOPS for the AMD FirePro D700. The RX 6700 XT also supports FP16 at 26.43 TFLOPS, which the FirePro D700 does not list.

Q: How do they compare in memory bandwidth?

A: The RX 6700 XT has 384.0 GB/s from 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus. The FirePro D700 has 263.0 GB/s from 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus. Despite the wider bus, the older memory technology results in lower bandwidth.

Q: Does the FirePro D700 support ray tracing?

A: No. The FirePro D700 has no ray tracing cores listed, while the RX 6700 XT has 40 dedicated RT cores.

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The RX 6700 XT averages 27,425, which is higher than the FirePro D700's 25,842. Both cards are near the 71st and 72nd percentiles respectively.

Q: What are the API differences?

A: The RX 6700 XT supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4. The FirePro D700 supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Q: Which card consumes more power?

A: The FirePro D700 has a higher TDP of 274 W, versus 230 W for the RX 6700 XT. The suggested PSU is also higher for the FirePro D700 at 600 W, compared to 550 W for the RX 6700 XT.

Specification Differences

The following table lists only the fields where the two cards differ, based on the provided data.

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT | AMD FirePro D700 |

| :--- | :--- | :--- |

| Architecture | RDNA 2.0 | GCN 1.0 |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 17,200 million | 4,313 million |

| Die Size | 335 mm² | 352 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 51.3M / mm² | 12.3M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 2321 MHz | null |

| Boost Clock | 2581 MHz | null |

| Game Clock | 2424 MHz | null |

| Memory Clock | 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) | 1370 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 12 GB | 6 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus Width | 192 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 384.0 GB/s | 263.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2560 | 2048 |

| TMUs | 160 | 128 |

| ROPs | 64 | 32 |

| RT Cores | 40 | null |

| Pixel Rate | 165.2 GPixel/s | 27.20 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 413.0 GTexel/s | 108.8 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 13.21 TFLOPS | 3.482 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 26.43 TFLOPS (2:1) | null |

| TDP | 230 W | 274 W |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | null |

| Suggested PSU | 550 W | 600 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a | 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.2, 1x SDI |

| DirectX | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (11_1) |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | 1.2.170 |

| Dimensions (LxWxH) | 267 mm x 110 mm x 40 mm | 279 mm x null x null |

| Release Date | 2021-03-02 | 2014-01-17 |

| Predecessor | Navi | FirePro Terascale |

| Successor | Navi III | Radeon Instinct |

| Launch MSRP | 479 USD | null |