AMD FirePro D700 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data presents a split decision between these two cards, with each claiming one benchmark victory by a substantial margin. In Geekbench OpenCL, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB posts a score of 32,322, which is 26.6% higher than the AMD FirePro D700's 23,716. This is not a marginal difference; it represents a clear generational efficiency advantage in compute workloads measured through OpenCL. The NVIDIA card's result places it about 1% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 and 2.2% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile in the wider database, showing that its OpenCL showing is competitive even against much newer professional hardware.

The Vulkan results flip the narrative completely. The AMD FirePro D700 scores 27,968 in Geekbench Vulkan, which is 49.9% higher than the GTX 1060's 18,659. A nearly 50% swing in the opposite direction is a striking outcome, and it suggests that architectural maturity in certain API paths can outweigh raw specifications. The FirePro D700's Vulkan score is notable because the card was released earlier and uses an older architecture, yet it outperforms its newer rival by a wide margin in this specific workload.

When looking at average benchmark scores across all recorded tests, the AMD FirePro D700 averages 25,842, while the GTX 1060 averages 21,856. That is a difference of roughly 18% in favor of the AMD card, driven almost entirely by its massive Vulkan advantage. However, the GTX 1060's average places it just 0.4% behind the AMD Radeon R9 M395X and 0.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W5700, indicating it sits in a tightly packed cluster of mid-range performers. The FirePro D700, by contrast, sits within 0.1% of the AMD FirePro W7100 and 0.2% of the AMD Radeon R9 M395X, meaning its average score is nearly identical to those two cards despite their different specifications.

The percentile rankings tell a nuanced story. The FirePro D700 sits at the 71st percentile among all GPUs in the database, while the GTX 1060 sits at the 67th percentile. This four-point gap in percentile ranking aligns with the FirePro's higher average score, but it also masks the fact that the GTX 1060 wins the OpenCL head-to-head head-to-head test by a wide margin. The data implies that the choice between these two depends heavily on which API the target workload uses.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD FirePro D700 has an average benchmark score of 25,842, compared to 21,856 for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB.

Q: How large is the Vulkan performance gap?

A: The AMD FirePro D700 scores 27,968 in Geekbench Vulkan, which is 49.9% higher than the GTX 1060's 18,659.

Q: Does the GTX 1060 win any benchmark?

A: Yes, it wins Geekbench OpenCL with a score of 32,322, beating the FirePro D700's 23,716 by 26.6%.

Q: How do these cards compare to their nearest rivals?

A: The FirePro D700 is 0.1% behind the AMD FirePro W7100 and 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile. The GTX 1060 is 1% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 and 2.2% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile.

Q: Which card ranks higher among all GPUs?

A: The AMD FirePro D700 sits at the 71st percentile, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB sits at the 67th percentile.

Q: Do both cards support Vulkan?

A: Yes, both support Vulkan. The FirePro D700 supports Vulkan 1.2.170, while the GTX 1060 supports Vulkan 1.4.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two cards is substantial and helps explain the benchmark results. The AMD FirePro D700 uses the Tahiti chip built on GCN 1.0 architecture, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. This is a first-generation Graphics Core Next design, and it packs 4,313 million transistors onto a 352 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 12.3 million transistors per square millimeter. The GTX 1060, by contrast, uses the GP106 chip with Pascal architecture, fabricated on a 16 nm process, also at TSMC. It contains 4,400 million transistors on a much smaller 200 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 22.0 million per square millimeter.

The node advantage is stark. The 16 nm process allows nearly double the transistor density compared to 28 nm, which explains how the GTX 1060 achieves higher clock speeds and better efficiency. The FirePro D700 lists no base or boost clock in the database, only a memory clock of 1370 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective). The GTX 1060 lists a base clock of 1506 MHz and a boost clock of 1709 MHz, with memory at 2002 MHz (8 Gbps effective). These clock differences are reflected in the compute throughput figures: the GTX 1060 delivers 4.375 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the FirePro D700 delivers 3.482 TFLOPS.

The GTX 1060 also supports FP16 at 68.36 GFLOPS with a 1:64 ratio, while the FirePro D700 has no recorded FP16 capability. On the API front, the GTX 1060 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while the FirePro D700 supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both cards support OpenGL 4.6. The GTX 1060's newer API support aligns with its Pascal generation, but the Vulkan benchmark results show that API version alone does not determine performance.

The FirePro D700 belongs to the FirePro Data Center (Dx00) generation and lists its predecessor as FirePro Terascale with the successor being Radeon Instinct. The GTX 1060 belongs to the GeForce 10-series, with predecessor GeForce 900 and successor GeForce 20. These lineage differences reflect the diverging product strategies: one aimed at professional data center workloads, the other at consumer gaming.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every major specification category. The FirePro D700 has 2,048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The GTX 1060 has 1,280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. While the AMD card has more shading units and TMUs, the NVIDIA card has more ROPs, which contributes to its higher pixel rate of 82.03 GPixel/s compared to the FirePro's 27.20 GPixel/s. The texture rates also favor the GTX 1060 at 136.7 GTexel/s versus 108.8 GTexel/s.

Memory configurations are similar in capacity but differ in bus width and bandwidth. Both cards have 6 GB of GDDR5 memory. The FirePro D700 uses a 384-bit bus with 263.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the GTX 1060 uses a 192-bit bus with 192.2 GB/s bandwidth. The FirePro's wider bus gives it 36.8% more memory bandwidth, which may contribute to its Vulkan advantage.

Power consumption differs dramatically. The FirePro D700 has a TDP of 274 W and a suggested power supply of 600 W, while the GTX 1060 has a TDP of 120 W and a suggested power supply of 300 W. The GTX 1060 uses a single 6-pin power connector, while the FirePro D700 lists no power connector details. Both are dual-slot cards. The FirePro D700 is longer at 279 mm (11 inches) compared to the GTX 1060's 250 mm (9.8 inches), and the GTX 1060 also lists a height of 111 mm (4.4 inches) while the FirePro does not record a height.

Display outputs differ significantly. The FirePro D700 offers 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 and 1x SDI, while the GTX 1060 offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. The GTX 1060 has a launch MSRP of 299 USD. The FirePro D700 was released on January 17, 2014, while the GTX 1060 was released on July 18, 2016. Both are marked as end-of-life products.

Where Each One Wins

The data points to a clear API-based split. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB is the stronger choice for OpenCL workloads. Its 26.6% lead in Geekbench OpenCL aligns with its higher FP32 throughput, higher clock speeds, and more recent architecture. The GTX 1060 also offers DirectX 12 (12_1) support, which gives it a feature-level advantage for modern gaming and consumer applications. Its lower TDP of 120 W and suggested 300 W power supply make it far more suitable for systems with modest power budgets.

The AMD FirePro D700 wins decisively in Vulkan, with a 49.9% lead over the GTX 1060. This is the largest single benchmark gap between the two cards. The FirePro's higher memory bandwidth of 263.0 GB/s and its wider 384-bit bus may explain part of this advantage, as Vulkan workloads often stress memory throughput. The FirePro's professional display outputs, including 6x mini-DisplayPort and SDI, make it a more versatile option for multi-display or broadcast environments.

The average benchmark score favors the FirePro D700 by about 18%, and its 71st percentile ranking versus the GTX 1060's 67th percentile reinforces that overall, the FirePro performs better in the recorded database. However, the GTX 1060 is closer to its nearest rivals in average score, with a delta of 1% to the Quadro RTX 5000 and 2.2% to the RTX A4000 Mobile, whereas the FirePro's nearest rival deltas are within 0.5%. This suggests the FirePro sits in a tighter competitive cluster.

The Verdict

The benchmark data presents two distinct profiles. The AMD FirePro D700 is the better choice for Vulkan-centric workloads and applications that benefit from higher memory bandwidth. Its 49.9% Vulkan lead is the standout result in this comparison, and its higher average score and percentile ranking give it the edge in overall database performance. It also offers professional display features and a wider memory bus, which may matter for specific workstation use cases.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB is the better choice for OpenCL workloads and for users who prioritize efficiency. Its 26.6% OpenCL lead, combined with a 120 W TDP and 300 W suggested power supply, makes it dramatically easier to integrate into existing systems. Its smaller 250 mm length and available height specification also make it more flexible for compact builds. The GTX 1060 supports newer DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4 APIs, and its 4.375 TFLOPS FP32 performance is higher than the FirePro's 3.482 TFLOPS.

There is no universal winner. The FirePro D700 wins in Vulkan and on average score, while the GTX 1060 wins in OpenCL and on power efficiency. Users whose workloads rely on Vulkan should look to the FirePro D700, while those whose workloads are OpenCL-heavy or who need a low-power solution should consider the GTX 1060. The recorded data does not support a single recommendation, only a workload-dependent one.