AMD FirePro S10000 vs AMD Radeon RX 6800M Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits cleanly along generational lines. The AMD Radeon RX 6800M wins both recorded head-to-head tests, and it does so by a commanding margin. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 6800M scores 87,621 against the FirePro S10000's 30,631, a 65% advantage. In Geekbench Vulkan, the gap is nearly identical: 94,766 versus 34,145, a 64% lead. The FirePro S10000 records zero wins in the shared benchmark suite, meaning its case rests entirely on its historical positioning rather than any measured victory.

Looking at the broader database, the FirePro S10000 actually holds a higher average benchmark score of 32,388 compared to the RX 6800M's 28,874. That is a curious inversion. The FirePro's average is buoyed by its two strong OpenCL and Vulkan results, while the RX 6800M's average pulls in several lower-scoring DirectX and Passmark tests. This tells you that the RX 6800M is not uniformly faster; it is dramatically faster in compute-oriented workloads but loses ground in some legacy API tests where the older card's architecture holds up better.

The RX 6800M's percentile rank sits at 74, one point below the FirePro's 77. So while the newer card crushes the older one in the two shared tests, the overall database position suggests the FirePro is a more consistent performer across a wider spread of benchmarks. The RX 6800M is a specialist, the FirePro is a generalist, and the data rewards the generalist with a slightly better overall standing.

Architecture Differences

The gap between these two is not incremental, it is generational. The FirePro S10000 uses the Tahiti chip on GCN 1.0 architecture, built on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The RX 6800M uses the Navi 22 chip on RDNA 2.0, built on a 7 nm process, also at TSMC. That process shrink is massive: 28 nm to 7 nm allows the RX 6800M to pack 17,200 million transistors into a 335 mm² die, versus 4,313 million transistors into a 352 mm² die for the FirePro. Transistor density jumps from 12.3 million per mm² to 51.3 million per mm², a 4x improvement.

Clock speeds tell the same story. The FirePro runs at a base of 825 MHz and boosts to 950 MHz. The RX 6800M starts at 2,116 MHz base and boosts to 2,390 MHz, with a game clock of 2,300 MHz. That is over 2.5x the boost frequency. Memory also advances: the FirePro uses 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 384 bit bus at 5 Gbps effective, delivering 240 GB/s. The RX 6800M uses 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192 bit bus at 16 Gbps effective, delivering 384 GB/s. The bus is narrower but the memory is faster and larger, resulting in 60% more bandwidth.

The RX 6800M adds hardware features the FirePro cannot match. It has 40 ray tracing cores, which the FirePro lacks entirely. It also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the FirePro only reaches DirectX 12 (11_1). Vulkan support differs as well: 1.4 on the RX 6800M versus 1.2.170 on the FirePro. The RX 6800M also lists FP16 at 24.47 TFLOPS (2:1), while the FirePro has no FP16 data. The RX 6800M is a modern mobile chip designed for portable devices, while the FirePro is a dual-slot server card from 2012.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two shared tests are Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan. Both are decisive wins for the RX 6800M. In OpenCL, the RX 6800M scores 87,621 versus 30,631 for the FirePro, a 65% delta. In Vulkan, the RX 6800M scores 94,766 versus 34,145, a 64% delta. These are not close calls. The RX 6800M is roughly two and a half times faster in both tests. The FirePro's FP32 is 3.405 TFLOPS, while the RX 6800M reaches 12.24 TFLOPS, a 3.6x raw compute advantage. The RX 6800M also has higher pixel rate (153.0 GPixel/s) and texture rate (382.4 GTexel/s) versus the FirePro's 30.40 GPixel/s and 106.4 GTexel/s.

The only tests where the FirePro could compete are ones not shared in the head-to-head. Looking at the broader database, the FirePro's Geekbench scores are its only entries, averaging 32,388. The RX 6800M has 11 benchmark entries, with scores ranging from 65 in Passmark DirectX 12 to 113,721 in Geekbench Metal. The RX 6800M's Metal score is particularly notable, as it is significantly higher than any other recorded score. However, in Passmark DirectX 10, the RX 6800M scores only 101, and in DirectX 12 it scores 65, which are low values compared to its compute results. This suggests the RX 6800M's architecture is optimized for modern compute APIs but struggles with older DirectX rasterization workloads.

The FirePro's average benchmark score of 32,388 is higher than the RX 6800M's 28,874, but that is misleading because the RX 6800M has more data points, including several low-scoring legacy tests. The two head-to-head tests show the RX 6800M is clearly superior in compute and modern graphics APIs. The FirePro's only advantage would be in the absence of those legacy tests, which are not part of the head-to-head comparison.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in almost every specification field. Here are the key differences:

| Field | AMD FirePro S10000 | AMD Radeon RX 6800M |

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

| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | RDNA 2.0 |

| Process node | 28 nm | 7 nm |

| Transistors | 4,313 million | 17,200 million |

| Die size | 352 mm² | 335 mm² |

| Transistor density | 12.3M / mm² | 51.3M / mm² |

| Base clock | 825 MHz | 2,116 MHz |

| Boost clock | 950 MHz | 2,390 MHz |

| Game clock | None | 2,300 MHz |

| Memory clock | 5 Gbps effective | 16 Gbps effective |

| Memory size | 3 GB | 12 GB |

| Memory type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |

| Memory bus | 384 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory bandwidth | 240.0 GB/s | 384.0 GB/s |

| Shading units | 1,792 | 2,560 |

| TMUs | 112 | 160 |

| ROPs | 32 | 64 |

| Ray cores | None | 40 |

| Pixel rate | 30.40 GPixel/s | 153.0 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 106.4 GTexel/s | 382.4 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 3.405 TFLOPS | 12.24 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | None | 24.47 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 375 W | 145 W |

| Slot width | Dual-slot | IGP |

| Power connectors | 2x 8-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 750 W | None |

| Bus interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| Display outputs | 1x DVI, 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 | Portable Device Dependent |

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

| Vulkan | 1.2.170 | 1.4 |

| Release date | 2012-11-11 | 2021-05-30 |

The FirePro also has a launch MSRP of 3,599 USD, while the RX 6800M has no recorded launch MSRP. The FirePro is 305 mm long, 111 mm tall, while the RX 6800M has no recorded dimensions. The FirePro is end-of-life, and the RX 6800M is also end-of-life.

FAQ

Q: Which card has more memory bandwidth?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6800M has 384.0 GB/s, versus 240.0 GB/s for the AMD FirePro S10000.

Q: Does the FirePro S10000 support ray tracing?

A: No, the FirePro S10000 has no ray cores. The RX 6800M has 40 ray cores.

Q: What is the FP32 performance difference?

A: The RX 6800M delivers 12.24 TFLOPS, while the FirePro S10000 delivers 3.405 TFLOPS, a 3.6x advantage for the RX 6800M.

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The FirePro S10000 has an average benchmark score of 32,388, while the RX 6800M has 28,874. However, the RX 6800M wins both head-to-head tests.

Q: What is the TDP difference?

A: The FirePro S10000 has a TDP of 375 W, while the RX 6800M has a TDP of 145 W. The RX 6800M is far more power efficient.

Q: Which card has newer graphics APIs?

A: The RX 6800M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the FirePro S10000 supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous in the head-to-head tests: the AMD Radeon RX 6800M is the faster card in every shared benchmark. It wins Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan by 65% and 64% respectively. It also leads in the underlying specifications that matter for modern workloads: higher clock speeds, more shading units, more TMUs, more ROPs, higher pixel and texture rates, and 3.6x the FP32 throughput. It has 4x the memory capacity, 60% more bandwidth, and a much larger transistor budget on a more advanced process.

The FirePro S10000, however, holds a higher average benchmark score (32,388 vs 28,874) and a higher percentile rank (77th vs 74th). This is because the FirePro's limited benchmark data shows only two strong compute results, while the RX 6800M's diverse benchmark suite includes several low-scoring Passmark tests, dragging its average down. If you are judging purely on the shared tests, the RX 6800M wins outright.

For a user focused on modern compute workloads, particularly Vulkan or OpenCL, the RX 6800M is the clear choice. Its 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and 40 ray cores make it suitable for contemporary gaming and compute tasks. The FirePro S10000, with its 3 GB of GDDR5, is a relic from 2012, but it still holds its own in the database's average score, suggesting it may be adequate for legacy applications or compute tasks that do not require modern features. The data says: pick the RX 6800M for performance, pick the FirePro only if you need a dual-slot server card with a 375 W TDP and no ray tracing. The RX 6800M is the better card for almost any use case.