GPU Comparison

The AMD FirePro S10000 and AMD Radeon RX 6800 are from different eras, and the benchmark data reflects a clear generational split in their strengths. The FirePro S10000, a 2012 server card, dominates in the Geekbench OpenCL test, while the Radeon RX 6800, a 2020 consumer GPU, crushes it in Vulkan compute. The data shows a 25% win for the FirePro in OpenCL, but a massive 70.3% deficit in Vulkan. The average benchmark score for the FirePro is 32,388, while the RX 6800 sits at 30,095, a difference driven by the FirePro’s exceptional OpenCL showing. However, the RX 6800’s performance in Vulkan is so dominant that it reveals the FirePro’s lack of modern API optimization. The choice between them depends entirely on the workload: legacy compute or modern graphics and compute APIs.

The Verdict

From the data, the AMD FirePro S10000 is the pick for a niche, specific workload: OpenCL compute. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 30,631 is 25% higher than the RX 6800’s 24,508. This is a head-to-head win that cannot be ignored. Its average benchmark score of 32,388 places it in the 77th percentile of all GPUs, slightly ahead of rivals like the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE (average score 32,456, delta -0.2%) and the AMD FirePro S9300 X2 (average score 32,540, delta -0.5%). For a card from 2012, this score is a testament to its raw compute capability in that specific API.

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 is the clear winner for everything modern. Its Geekbench Vulkan score of 115,107 is 70.3% higher than the FirePro’s 34,145. This is a decisive victory that shows the RX 6800 is fully optimized for current graphics interfaces. Its average benchmark score of 30,095 places it in the 75th percentile, with its nearest rivals being the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti (average score 29,945, delta 0.5%) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (average score 29,783, delta 1%). The RX 6800 is also the only one of the two with a PassMark G3D score of 22,067, indicating a comprehensive set of modern benchmarks.

In practical terms, the data suggests the RX 6800 is the card to buy for any current application. The FirePro S10000 is a specialist tool. The data shows the RX 6800 has a much higher boost clock of 2105 MHz versus 950 MHz, and a significantly higher base clock of 1700 MHz versus 825 MHz. It also has a larger memory size of 16 GB versus 3 GB, and a higher memory bandwidth of 512.0 GB/s versus 240.0 GB/s. These specification differences directly translate to the performance gap seen in the Vulkan benchmark. The FirePro’s only saving grace is its OpenCL score, which might appeal to someone running a legacy compute stack.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD FirePro S10000 wins exclusively in the Geekbench OpenCL test. The data shows a score of 30,631 versus the RX 6800’s 24,508, a 25% advantage. This is a significant lead in a compute-oriented benchmark. This suggests the FirePro, with its GCN 1.0 architecture, was designed for raw compute throughput in a server environment. Its 1,792 shading units and 112 texture mapping units, while lower than the RX 6800, apparently work more efficiently in this specific workload. The FirePro’s win here is its entire case.

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 wins everywhere else. Its Geekbench Vulkan score of 115,107 is 70.3% higher than the FirePro’s. This is a massive gap. The RX 6800 also has a PassMark G3D score of 22,067, which is a strong indicator of overall graphics performance. It also scores 10,864 in PassMark GPU Compute. The RX 6800’s wins are in modern, standardized benchmarks that reflect current gaming and compute workloads. Its RDNA 2.0 architecture, with 3,840 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, provides a much higher pixel rate of 202.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 505.2 GTexel/s, compared to the FirePro’s 30.40 GPixel/s and 106.4 GTexel/s. The RX 6800 also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the FirePro only supports DirectX 12 (11_1). This indicates a clear advantage in modern game support.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on completely different architectures. The FirePro S10000 uses the Tahiti chip with the GCN 1.0 architecture, while the RX 6800 uses the Navi 21 chip with the RDNA 2.0 architecture. The manufacturing process is a major differentiator: the FirePro is on a 28 nm process, while the RX 6800 is on a 7 nm process. This is a key reason for the performance and efficiency gap.

The transistor count tells the story of the generational leap. The FirePro has 4,313 million transistors on a 352 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 12.3M / mm². The RX 6800 has 26,800 million transistors on a 520 mm² die, giving it a density of 51.5M / mm². The RX 6800 packs over six times the transistors into a die that is only about 1.5 times larger. This explains the higher clock speeds and increased core counts.

The core configurations are also vastly different. The FirePro has 1,792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The RX 6800 has 3,840 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The RX 6800 has more than double the shading units and TMUs, and triple the ROPs. The RX 6800 also has 60 ray tracing cores, a feature the FirePro lacks entirely. This is a fundamental architectural difference that makes the RX 6800 capable of hardware-accelerated ray tracing, which the older card cannot do.

Memory architecture is another major divergence. The FirePro uses 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, achieving 240.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 6800 uses 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, achieving 512.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 6800 has a narrower bus but much faster memory, resulting in over double the bandwidth. The RX 6800’s memory clock is 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective), while the FirePro’s is 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective). The RX 6800 also supports PCIe 4.0 x16, while the FirePro is limited to PCIe 3.0 x16. The RX 6800’s API support is superior, including Vulkan 1.4 and DirectX 12 Ultimate, compared to the FirePro’s Vulkan 1.2.170 and DirectX 12 (11_1).

FAQ

Q: Which card is better for running modern games?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6800 is the only viable option. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, and its Vulkan benchmark score of 115,107 is 70.3% higher than the FirePro’s. The FirePro S10000 only supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and lacks ray tracing cores entirely.

Q: Is the AMD FirePro S10000 faster in any benchmark?

A: Yes. The data shows it wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 30,631, which is 25% higher than the RX 6800’s score of 24,508. This is its only benchmark victory in the head-to-head data.

Q: Why is the FirePro’s average benchmark score higher than the RX 6800’s?

A: The FirePro S10000’s average benchmark score is 32,388, while the RX 6800’s is 30,095. This is driven by the FirePro’s very high Geekbench OpenCL score, which pulls its average up. The RX 6800 has a more balanced profile across its many benchmarks, including a Vulkan score of 115,107 and a PassMark G3D score of 22,067.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6800 has 512.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth, which is more than double the FirePro S10000’s 240.0 GB/s. This is due to the RX 6800’s faster GDDR6 memory, despite its narrower 256-bit bus compared to the FirePro’s 384-bit bus.

Q: Does the Radeon RX 6800 support ray tracing?

A: Yes. The RX 6800 has 60 ray tracing cores, a feature that is entirely absent from the FirePro S10000. This is a fundamental architectural difference that makes the RX 6800 compatible with modern rendering techniques.

Q: Which card has a higher power consumption?

A: The AMD FirePro S10000 has a TDP of 375 W, which is higher than the RX 6800’s 250 W. The FirePro also requires a larger suggested power supply of 750 W, while the RX 6800 only suggests a 600 W PSU.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data is stark and simple. There are only two benchmark comparisons, and each card wins one. The AMD FirePro S10000 wins the Geekbench OpenCL test. Its score of 30,631 is 25% higher than the RX 6800’s 24,508. This is a substantial victory in a pure compute workload. The FirePro’s architecture, while old, appears to be highly optimized for OpenCL. This single result is enough to give the FirePro a higher average benchmark score of 32,388, compared to the RX 6800’s 30,095.

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 wins the Geekbench Vulkan test with a score of 115,107, which is 70.3% higher than the FirePro’s 34,145. This is a decisive defeat for the older card. The delta of -70.3% from the FirePro’s perspective shows just how far behind it is in this modern API. The RX 6800’s score is more than triple that of the FirePro. This result is the clearest indicator of the generational gap between the two cards. The RX 6800’s RDNA 2.0 architecture is designed for Vulkan, and the data proves it.

Beyond these two direct comparisons, the RX 6800 has a much broader benchmark footprint. It has a PassMark G3D score of 22,067 and a PassMark GPU Compute score of 10,864. The FirePro S10000 has no such scores in the fact pack. The RX 6800’s performance in these additional tests highlights its versatility. The FirePro, by contrast, is a one-trick pony with a single strong OpenCL result.

Specification Differences

The specification differences are extensive and directly explain the benchmark results. The most fundamental difference is the process node: the FirePro S10000 uses a 28 nm process, while the Radeon RX 6800 uses a 7 nm process. This allows the RX 6800 to have a base clock of 1700 MHz and a boost clock of 2105 MHz, compared to the FirePro’s 825 MHz base and 950 MHz boost. The RX 6800 also has a game clock of 1815 MHz.

The core counts are dramatically different. The FirePro has 1,792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The RX 6800 has 3,840 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The RX 6800 also has 60 ray tracing cores, which the FirePro does not have. This results in a pixel rate of 202.1 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 505.2 GTexel/s for the RX 6800, versus 30.40 GPixel/s and 106.4 GTexel/s for the FirePro. The FP32 performance is 16.17 TFLOPS for the RX 6800, compared to 3.405 TFLOPS for the FirePro. The RX 6800 also has an FP16 performance of 32.33 TFLOPS (2:1), which the FirePro lacks.

Memory configuration is a major separator. The FirePro has 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, with 240.0 GB/s bandwidth and a memory clock of 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective). The RX 6800 has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, with 512.0 GB/s bandwidth and a memory clock of 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective). The bus interface differs as well: the FirePro uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the RX 6800 uses PCIe 4.0 x16. The TDP is also different, with the FirePro at 375 W and the RX 6800 at 250 W. The suggested PSU is 750 W for the FirePro and 600 W for the RX 6800. The FirePro’s launch MSRP was 3,599 USD, while the RX 6800’s was 579 USD.