AMD FirePro D700 vs AMD Radeon RX 6700S Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score in the database?

A: The AMD FirePro D700 records an average score of 25842, placing it in the 71st percentile of all GPUs. The AMD Radeon RX 6700S records an average of 22154, placing it in the 67th percentile.

Q: How do the two cards compare in compute workloads like OpenCL?

A: In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RX 6700S scores 70965 versus the FirePro D700's 23716. That is a 66.6% higher score for the RX 6700S, a substantial gap in raw compute throughput.

Q: What about graphics API performance, specifically Vulkan?

A: The RX 6700S again leads decisively in Geekbench Vulkan with a score of 76150 compared to the FirePro D700's 27968. The RX 6700S is 63.3% ahead in that test.

Q: Which card has a higher pixel fill rate?

A: The RX 6700S has a pixel rate of 128.0 GPixel/s, while the FirePro D700 has a pixel rate of 27.20 GPixel/s. The RX 6700S is more than four times faster in this specific metric.

Q: Are there any differences in memory technology and bandwidth?

A: Yes. The FirePro D700 uses 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 263.0 GB/s. The RX 6700S uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 224.0 GB/s. The older card has higher bandwidth, but the newer card has more capacity.

Q: What does the transistor density comparison indicate?

A: The FirePro D700, built on a 28 nm process, packs 4,313 million transistors into a 352 mm² die, giving a density of 12.3M / mm². The RX 6700S, on a 7 nm process, crams 11,060 million transistors into a 237 mm² die, reaching 46.7M / mm². The newer process is dramatically denser.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark database presents a clear split: the AMD Radeon RX 6700S wins every head-to-head benchmark recorded. It takes both tests, Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan, with zero wins for the FirePro D700. The data shows a 2-0 sweep in favor of the RX 6700S.

However, the wins are not just about quantity; they are about magnitude. In OpenCL, the RX 6700S leads by 66.6%. In Vulkan, it leads by 63.3%. These are not marginal victories. The RX 6700S is the clear winner for compute and modern graphics API workloads.

The FirePro D700 does not win any benchmark in the head-to-head set. Its only advantage lies in specific specification categories, not in measured performance. It has higher memory bandwidth at 263.0 GB/s versus 224.0 GB/s, and a wider bus at 384-bit versus 128-bit. It also has a lower average benchmark score than the RX 6700S, but it sits in a higher percentile ranking. The FirePro D700 is in the 71st percentile, while the RX 6700S is in the 67th. This suggests the D700's score distribution is competitive with a different set of GPUs, even if its absolute score is lower.

For users prioritizing raw compute throughput in OpenCL or Vulkan, the RX 6700S is the only choice. For users who need legacy display outputs like 6x mini-DisplayPort and SDI, the FirePro D700 has a unique feature set that the mobile card cannot match.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from completely different architectural generations. The FirePro D700 uses the Tahiti chip, built on GCN 1.0 architecture. The RX 6700S uses the Navi 23 chip, built on RDNA 2.0. This is a generational leap, not just a minor revision.

The process node tells the story. The FirePro D700 is fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The RX 6700S is fabricated on a 7 nm process, also at TSMC. This process shrink allows the RX 6700S to pack 11,060 million transistors into a 237 mm² die, while the FirePro D700 fits only 4,313 million transistors into a much larger 352 mm² die. The transistor density jumps from 12.3M / mm² to 46.7M / mm², a nearly fourfold increase.

The shading units differ as well. The FirePro D700 has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The RX 6700S has 1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The RX 6700S has fewer shading units and TMUs, but double the ROPs. It also introduces 28 ray accelerators, which the FirePro D700 lacks entirely.

The RX 6700S supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the FirePro D700 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. This means the RX 6700S supports newer rendering features and API extensions. The FirePro D700 does support OpenGL 4.6, matching the RX 6700S in that regard.

Memory architecture is also fundamentally different. The FirePro D700 uses GDDR5 with a 384-bit bus, while the RX 6700S uses GDDR6 with a 128-bit bus. The older card compensates for its slower memory with a wider interface, achieving higher bandwidth. The newer card uses faster memory but a narrower bus, trading bandwidth for capacity and efficiency.

Specification Differences

The specification sheet highlights several key differences between the two cards.

Process and Transistors: The FirePro D700 uses a 28 nm process with 4,313 million transistors on a 352 mm² die. The RX 6700S uses a 7 nm process with 11,060 million transistors on a 237 mm² die. Transistor density is 12.3M / mm² for the D700 and 46.7M / mm² for the RX 6700S.

Clock Speeds: The FirePro D700 has no listed base or boost clock, but its memory runs at 1370 MHz, which translates to 5.5 Gbps effective. The RX 6700S has a base clock of 1700 MHz, a boost clock of 2000 MHz, and a game clock of 1890 MHz. Its memory runs at 1750 MHz, or 14 Gbps effective.

Memory: The FirePro D700 has 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, with 263.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 6700S has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Compute Rates: The FirePro D700 has a pixel rate of 27.20 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 108.8 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 3.482 TFLOPS. The RX 6700S has a pixel rate of 128.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 224.0 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 7.168 TFLOPS and FP16 performance of 14.34 TFLOPS (2:1).

Power and Cooling: The FirePro D700 has a TDP of 274 W and requires a 600 W suggested PSU. It is a dual-slot card. The RX 6700S has a TDP of 80 W, is an IGP, and requires no power connectors. It is a mobile part.

Bus and Display: The FirePro D700 uses PCIe 3.0 x16 and outputs 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 plus 1x SDI. The RX 6700S uses PCIe 4.0 x8 and has display outputs that are portable device dependent.

APIs: The FirePro D700 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The RX 6700S supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records only two head-to-head benchmarks between these cards, and the RX 6700S wins both decisively.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 6700S scores 70965 against the FirePro D700's 23716. The delta is 66.6% in favor of the RX 6700S. This is a massive gap, indicating the RDNA 2.0 architecture is far more efficient at general-purpose compute than the older GCN 1.0 design. The RX 6700S achieves this with fewer shading units and TMUs, relying on higher clocks and architectural improvements.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the RX 6700S scores 76150 against the FirePro D700's 27968. The delta is 63.3% in favor of the RX 6700S. Vulkan is a low-level API that benefits from modern hardware features, and the RX 6700S's support for newer API versions and ray accelerators likely contributes to this advantage.

The FirePro D700's closest rivals in the database include the AMD FirePro W7100 (average score 25856, only 0.1% higher), the AMD Radeon R9 M395X (25891, 0.2% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile (25740, 0.4% lower), and the AMD Radeon Pro W5700 (25726, 0.5% lower). This places the D700 in a tight cluster of similarly performing cards.

The RX 6700S's rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 5700 (22170, 0.1% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile (22435, 1.3% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB (21856, 1.4% lower), and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (22549, 1.7% higher). The RX 6700S sits in a similar tight cluster, but at a lower absolute score level.

The data implies that while the RX 6700S crushes the FirePro D700 in these two specific tests, the D700's average score across all benchmarks is higher. This is because the D700's benchmark set includes different tests, and its average is buoyed by those results. The RX 6700S has a wider benchmark suite, including Passmark tests and 3DMark, which drag its average down.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon RX 6700S is the faster card in every recorded head-to-head benchmark. It wins OpenCL by 66.6% and Vulkan by 63.3%. Anyone looking for raw compute performance should choose the RX 6700S.

The FirePro D700 does have redeeming qualities, but they are not in the benchmark results. It offers higher memory bandwidth at 263.0 GB/s versus 224.0 GB/s, and it has a wider 384-bit bus. It also provides professional display outputs with 6x mini-DisplayPort and SDI, which the RX 6700S cannot match. The D700 also sits in a higher percentile ranking, 71st versus 67th, though its average score is lower.

The RX 6700S is a modern mobile GPU with a 7 nm process, 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4. It has a much lower TDP of 80 W versus the D700's 274 W, making it far more power-efficient. It also has 28 ray accelerators, which the D700 lacks.

For a workstation that needs professional display outputs and higher memory bandwidth, the FirePro D700 has a niche. For any compute or gaming workload, the RX 6700S is the clear winner. The database shows a 2-0 sweep, and the margins are not close. The verdict is simple: pick the RX 6700S for performance, pick the FirePro D700 only if specific legacy features are required.