GPU Comparison

FAQ

Q: How does the AMD FirePro M4000 compare to the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server in raw benchmark scores?

A: The AMD FirePro M4000 scores 5537 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server scores 5996 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. These are different benchmark suites, so the head-to-head data shows no direct wins for either card.

Q: What is the performance percentile ranking for each GPU?

A: The AMD FirePro M4000 sits at the 32nd percentile of all GPUs, while the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server sits at the 34th percentile. Both cards are near the lower-middle range of the database, which is notable given their vastly different specifications.

Q: Which card has more memory and bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server has 96 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. The AMD FirePro M4000 has 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, providing 64.00 GB/s. That is a 28x difference in memory capacity and a roughly 28x difference in bandwidth.

Q: What are the closest rivals for each card according to benchmark data?

A: The FirePro M4000's nearest rival is the NVIDIA Quadro M500M (5604, 1.2% ahead), followed by the GeForce MX130 (5508, 0.5% behind). The RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server's closest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 6400 (6001, 0.1% behind), with the GeForce GTX 770M (6000, 0.1% behind) nearly tied.

Q: Are these cards comparable in terms of production status?

A: No. The AMD FirePro M4000 is marked as end-of-life, released in 2012, while the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server is active, released in 2025. The FirePro M4000's predecessor is the FirePro Mobility and its successor is the Radeon Pro Mobile; the RTX PRO 6000's predecessor is Server Hopper and successor is Server Rubin.

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

A: The FirePro M4000's Chelsea chip packs 1,500 million transistors into 123 mm² on a 28 nm node, yielding 12.2M transistors per mm². The RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server's GB202 chip packs 92,200 million transistors into 750 mm² on a 5 nm node, yielding 122.9M transistors per mm², roughly a 10x density advantage.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs spans more than a decade of silicon evolution. The AMD FirePro M4000 is built on GCN 1.0, a first-generation Graphics Core Next design from AMD, fabricated on a 28 nm TSMC process. Its Chelsea chip contains 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server uses the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, built on a 5 nm TSMC process, with the GB202 chip containing 92,200 million transistors across a 750 mm² die.

Process technology is the most fundamental divider. The 28 nm node used by the FirePro M4000 achieves a transistor density of 12.2M per mm², while the 5 nm node used by the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server achieves 122.9M per mm². That tenfold density increase enables the NVIDIA chip to house over 60 times more transistors in a die that is only about six times larger.

Compute resources differ by orders of magnitude. The FirePro M4000 has 512 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 raster output units. The RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server has 24,064 shading units, 752 TMUs, and 192 ROPs. The NVIDIA card also includes 188 RT cores and 752 tensor cores, while the AMD card has none of either. These are not incremental improvements; they represent entirely different classes of processing capability.

Memory architecture is equally divergent. The FirePro M4000 uses 1024 MB of GDDR5 with a 128-bit bus, delivering 64.00 GB/s. The RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server uses 96 GB of GDDR7 with a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s. Clock behavior also differs: the AMD card has no listed base or boost clock, only a memory clock of 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective), while the NVIDIA card has a 1590 MHz base clock and a 2617 MHz boost clock, with memory at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective).

API support reflects the generational leap. The FirePro M4000 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The NVIDIA card also advances the bus interface to PCIe 5.0 x16, whereas the AMD card uses MXM-A (3.0). Display outputs differ too: the FirePro M4000 is "portable device dependent," while the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server offers 4x DisplayPort 2.1b.

The Verdict

The data presents a strange pairing. The AMD FirePro M4000 is a 2012 mobile workstation part, end-of-life, designed for laptops with a 33 W TDP and MXM module form factor. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server is a 2025 active server GPU with a 600 W TDP, dual-slot design, and a 1000 W suggested PSU.

Benchmark percentiles tell a surprising story. Both cards land near the lower-middle of the database: the FirePro M4000 at the 32nd percentile and the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server at the 34th percentile. The NVIDIA card's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5996 places it in the company of laptop GPUs like the GeForce GTX 770M (6000) and mobile workstation parts like the Quadro K4000M (5986). This is not the profile of a flagship server accelerator; it reflects the specific benchmark's weighting rather than absolute capability.

For users choosing between these two, the decision is straightforward from the data alone. The FirePro M4000 is a legacy part for old mobile workstations. The RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server is a current-generation server GPU with massive memory capacity, modern API support, and the only card with RT and tensor cores. Anyone building a new system should pick the NVIDIA card without hesitation. The FirePro M4000 only makes sense for someone maintaining or repairing hardware from the early 2010s.

Specification Differences

The specification tables reveal stark contrasts across nearly every measurable field.

• Process Node: 28 nm (AMD) vs 5 nm (NVIDIA)
• Transistors: 1,500 million vs 92,200 million
• Die Size: 123 mm² vs 750 mm²
• Transistor Density: 12.2M / mm² vs 122.9M / mm²
• Memory Size: 1024 MB vs 96 GB
• Memory Type: GDDR5 vs GDDR7
• Memory Bus Width: 128 bit vs 512 bit
• Memory Bandwidth: 64.00 GB/s vs 1.79 TB/s
• Shading Units: 512 vs 24,064
• TMUs: 32 vs 752
• ROPs: 16 vs 192
• RT Cores: None vs 188
• Tensor Cores: None vs 752
• Pixel Rate: 10.80 GPixel/s vs 502.5 GPixel/s
• Texture Rate: 21.60 GTexel/s vs 1,968.0 GTexel/s
• FP32 Performance: 691.2 GFLOPS vs 126.0 TFLOPS
• FP16 Performance: Not listed vs 126.0 TFLOPS (1:1)
• TDP: 33 W vs 600 W
• Slot Width: MXM Module vs Dual-slot
• Power Connectors: None vs 1x 16-pin
• Suggested PSU: Not listed vs 1000 W
• Bus Interface: MXM-A (3.0) vs PCIe 5.0 x16
• Display Outputs: Portable Device Dependent vs 4x DisplayPort 2.1b
• DirectX Support: 12 (11_1) vs 12 Ultimate (12_2)
• Vulkan Support: 1.2.170 vs 1.4
• Dimensions: Not listed vs 267 mm x 111 mm x 40 mm
• Production Status: End-of-life vs Active
• Release Date: 2012-06-26 vs 2025-03-17

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark table is empty, meaning there are no direct comparative test results between these two specific cards. Each card has only one benchmark entry in its respective suite: the AMD FirePro M4000 scored 5537 in Geekbench OpenCL, and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server scored 5996 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12.

Looking at nearest rivals provides some context. The FirePro M4000's 5537 Geekbench score is 0.5% ahead of the GeForce MX130 (5508) and 0.7% ahead of the GeForce GTX 765M (5501), but 1.2% behind the Quadro M500M (5604). The RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server's 5996 Steel Nomad score is 0.2% ahead of the FirePro W4100 (5987) and also 0.2% ahead of the Quadro K4000M (5986), while sitting 0.1% behind both the GeForce GTX 770M (6000) and Radeon RX 6400 (6001).

The notable observation is that the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server's score places it in a cluster with older mobile GPUs, despite its modern architecture and enormous compute resources. The FirePro M4000's score similarly groups it with entry-level mobile parts. Neither card distinguishes itself dramatically from its nearest rivals in these specific benchmark tests, the largest delta for either card is 1.2%, and the smallest is 0.1%.

Without direct head-to-head results, the benchmark data cannot establish a winner between these two cards. The scores come from different test suites with different workloads, making cross-comparison unreliable. What the data does show is that both cards cluster near the 32-34th percentile range, indicating that in their respective benchmark contexts, both perform at a similar relative level despite their vastly different hardware.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD FirePro M4000 wins in power efficiency and form factor. Its 33 W TDP is a fraction of the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server's 600 W. It requires no power connectors and no suggested PSU, while the NVIDIA card needs a 1x 16-pin connector and a 1000 W power supply. The MXM module form factor suits thin mobile workstations, whereas the NVIDIA card is a dual-slot, 267 mm long server part. For legacy laptop repairs or battery-conscious mobile workstation use, the FirePro M4000 is the only viable choice.

The NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server wins in every compute-heavy category. Its 126.0 TFLOPS FP32 performance dwarfs the FirePro M4000's 691.2 GFLOPS, a difference of over 180x. The 96 GB GDDR7 memory capacity and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth enable workloads that would be impossible on a 1 GB GDDR5 card. The presence of 188 RT cores and 752 tensor cores opens up ray tracing and AI acceleration, capabilities entirely absent from the AMD part.

The RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server also wins on connectivity and modern standards. PCIe 5.0 x16 versus MXM-A (3.0), four DisplayPort 2.1b outputs versus portable-device-dependent outputs, DirectX 12 Ultimate versus DirectX 12 (11_1), and Vulkan 1.4 versus 1.2.170. The NVIDIA card's active production status and 2025 release date mean it will receive ongoing support, while the FirePro M4000's end-of-life status from 2012 leaves it in legacy territory.

For use-case split: the FirePro M4000 wins any scenario involving existing MXM-based mobile workstations, low-power environments, or systems where the 33 W TDP is a hard constraint. The RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server wins everything else, server deployment, high-performance computing, ray-traced workloads, AI inference with tensor cores, and any application needing more than 1 GB of memory. The benchmark percentiles suggest both cards perform similarly relative to their contemporaries, but the specification gap is so wide that the intended use cases barely overlap. Choose the FirePro M4000 only for legacy hardware maintenance; choose the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server for any new build or upgrade path.