AMD FirePro D700 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER Comparison

The AMD FirePro D700 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER represent two very different eras of GPU design. The FirePro D700 is a workstation-oriented card from 2014 built on AMD’s GCN 1.0 architecture, while the RTX 2080 SUPER is a consumer gaming flagship from 2019 based on NVIDIA’s Turing architecture. Benchmark data shows a massive performance gap between them, but the FirePro D700 still holds relevance in specific legacy workstation contexts. This analysis compares the two strictly on the numbers provided.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD FirePro D700 posts an average benchmark score of 25842, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER scores 24170. Despite being older and slower in raw compute, the FirePro D700's average is 1672 points higher, placing it at the 71st percentile versus the RTX 2080 SUPER's 69th percentile.

Q: How large is the performance gap in the shared benchmark tests?

A: In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 2080 SUPER scores 99226 versus the FirePro D700's 23716, a delta of -76.1% for the AMD card. In Geekbench Vulkan, the RTX 2080 SUPER scores 111284 versus 27968, a delta of -74.9%. The NVIDIA card wins both head-to-head tests.

Q: What are the memory specifications of each card?

A: The FirePro D700 has 6 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 263.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 2080 SUPER has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 495.9 GB/s bandwidth — nearly double the bandwidth despite a narrower bus.

Q: Which card supports newer graphics APIs?

A: The RTX 2080 SUPER supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the FirePro D700 supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Q: What is the transistor density difference between the two chips?

A: The RTX 2080 SUPER's TU104 chip has a transistor density of 25.0M per mm², while the FirePro D700's Tahiti chip has 12.3M per mm². The NVIDIA chip is built on a 12 nm process versus 28 nm for AMD.

Q: Does the RTX 2080 SUPER have dedicated ray tracing hardware?

A: Yes, the RTX 2080 SUPER includes 48 RT cores and 384 tensor cores. The FirePro D700 has no such dedicated hardware, as it predates ray tracing acceleration.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is generational. The FirePro D700 uses AMD's GCN 1.0 architecture on a 28 nm process at TSMC, packing 4,313 million transistors into a 352 mm² die. The RTX 2080 SUPER uses NVIDIA's Turing architecture on a 12 nm process, also at TSMC, with 13,600 million transistors in a 545 mm² die. That is over three times the transistor count on a die that is only 55% larger, thanks to the denser 25.0M / mm² versus 12.3M / mm².

Core configuration differs significantly. The FirePro D700 has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The RTX 2080 SUPER has 3072 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. More importantly, the Turing card adds 48 RT cores for ray tracing and 384 tensor cores for AI workloads — features entirely absent from the GCN 1.0 architecture.

Clock speeds tell a similar story. The FirePro D700's base and boost clocks are not specified in the data, but its memory runs at 1370 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective). The RTX 2080 SUPER has a base clock of 1650 MHz, a boost clock of 1815 MHz, and memory at 1937 MHz (15.5 Gbps effective). The memory technology shift from GDDR5 to GDDR6, combined with higher clocks, explains the bandwidth advantage.

The FirePro D700 is built for professional display output, featuring 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 and 1x SDI. The RTX 2080 SUPER offers 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C. Both cards are dual-slot and use PCIe 3.0 x16, but the RTX 2080 SUPER is slightly shorter at 267 mm versus 279 mm for the AMD card.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the RTX 2080 SUPER is the far more capable card for modern workloads. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks by wide margins, offers newer API support, and has dedicated hardware for ray tracing and tensor operations. The FirePro D700's only statistical advantage is its higher average benchmark score (25842 vs 24170), which is driven by a different benchmark suite that includes legacy tests.

For gaming, content creation, or any modern compute workload, the RTX 2080 SUPER is the clear choice. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 99226 is 4.2 times higher than the FirePro D700's 23716. The Vulkan score of 111284 is 4.0 times higher than 27968. This is not a close competition.

The FirePro D700 remains relevant only for legacy professional environments that require its specific 6x mini-DisplayPort and SDI outputs, or for systems locked into older software that benefits from GCN 1.0 compatibility. Its 71st percentile standing versus the RTX 2080 SUPER's 69th percentile reflects the different benchmark pools, not real-world parity. Anyone choosing between these two should pick based on workload: modern performance demands the NVIDIA card, while specialized legacy display setups might justify the AMD option.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD FirePro D700 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | Turing |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 12 nm |

| Transistors | 4,313 million | 13,600 million |

| Die Size | 352 mm² | 545 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.3M / mm² | 25.0M / mm² |

| Base Clock | Not specified | 1650 MHz |

| Boost Clock | Not specified | 1815 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1370 MHz (5.5 Gbps) | 1937 MHz (15.5 Gbps) |

| Memory Size | 6 GB | 8 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus | 384 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 263.0 GB/s | 495.9 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2048 | 3072 |

| TMUs | 128 | 192 |

| ROPs | 32 | 64 |

| RT Cores | None | 48 |

| Tensor Cores | None | 384 |

| Pixel Rate | 27.20 GPixel/s | 116.2 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 108.8 GTexel/s | 348.5 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 3.482 TFLOPS | 11.15 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | Not specified | 22.30 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 274 W | 250 W |

| Power Connectors | Not specified | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin |

| Display Outputs | 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.2, 1x SDI | 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1x USB Type-C |

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

| Vulkan | 1.2.170 | 1.4 |

| Length | 279 mm (11 inches) | 267 mm (10.5 inches) |

| Release Date | 2014-01-17 | 2019-07-22 |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two shared benchmarks paint a stark picture. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 2080 SUPER scores 99226 against the FirePro D700's 23716. That is a 75510-point difference, translating to a -76.1% delta for the AMD card. The RTX 2080 SUPER delivers roughly 4.2 times the OpenCL performance.

Geekbench Vulkan shows a similar pattern. The RTX 2080 SUPER scores 111284 versus 27968 for the FirePro D700, a delta of -74.9%. The NVIDIA card is 4.0 times faster in this API. Notably, the FirePro D700's Vulkan score is higher than its OpenCL score (27968 vs 23716), suggesting its GCN 1.0 architecture handles Vulkan relatively better than OpenCL. The RTX 2080 SUPER also improves in Vulkan over OpenCL (111284 vs 99226), but the relative gain is smaller.

The RTX 2080 SUPER's dominance comes from multiple factors visible in the specs. Its 11.15 TFLOPS FP32 performance is 3.2 times the FirePro D700's 3.482 TFLOPS. The texture rate of 348.5 GTexel/s is 3.2 times higher than 108.8 GTexel/s. The pixel rate of 116.2 GPixel/s is 4.3 times higher than 27.20 GPixel/s. Memory bandwidth of 495.9 GB/s is 1.9 times higher than 263.0 GB/s. Every measurable compute metric favors the newer card.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 2080 SUPER wins every benchmark where both cards were tested. Its advantages extend to all modern workloads: gaming, ray tracing, AI inference via tensor cores, and high-throughput compute tasks. The 8 GB GDDR6 memory with 495.9 GB/s bandwidth supports larger textures and datasets than the 6 GB GDDR5 configuration. DirectX 12 Ultimate support ensures compatibility with the latest graphics features, while Vulkan 1.4 offers broader API coverage than 1.2.170.

The FirePro D700's wins are narrower and context-specific. Its average benchmark score of 25842 exceeds the RTX 2080 SUPER's 24170, though this reflects different test suites rather than real-world superiority. The 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 plus SDI output configuration is unique — no consumer card offers SDI connectivity, making it valuable for broadcast or video wall installations. Its 279 mm length is slightly longer but still dual-slot. The 274 W TDP is higher than the RTX 2080 SUPER's 250 W, but both recommend a 600 W power supply.

The FirePro D700 also holds a higher percentile ranking at 71 versus 69, but this is a function of the benchmark pool. Its nearest rivals include the FirePro W7100 and Radeon R9 M395X, while the RTX 2080 SUPER's rivals include the GTX 780 Ti and RX 6600 XT. These are different competitive landscapes. For legacy software that requires GCN 1.0 or specific professional driver support, the FirePro D700 remains functional. For anything else, the RTX 2080 SUPER is the only rational choice based on the data.