AMD FirePro S10000 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti and the AMD FirePro S10000 represent two vastly different eras of GPU design, separated by six years of architectural evolution. The data shows a clear generational chasm, with the RTX 2080 Ti delivering dominant performance in shared workloads, yet the FirePro S10000 still holds a surprisingly high percentile ranking among all GPUs. This comparison is less about a close contest and more about quantifying how far GPU technology has advanced, while acknowledging the enduring legacy of a once-flagship server part.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti than the AMD FirePro S10000 in the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark?

A: The RTX 2080 Ti scores 128,171 points, which is 318.4% higher than the FirePro S10000's 30,631 points.

Q: What is the difference in their average benchmark scores?

A: The AMD FirePro S10000 has a higher average benchmark score of 32,388, compared to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti's 29,783. This puts the FirePro in the 77th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 2080 Ti sits in the 75th percentile.

Q: Which card has a larger memory bus width?

A: The AMD FirePro S10000 features a 384-bit memory bus, which is wider than the 352-bit bus on the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti.

Q: What is the launch MSRP difference between the two cards?

A: The AMD FirePro S10000 had a launch MSRP of 3,599 USD, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti had a launch MSRP of 999 USD.

Q: Do both cards support the DirectX 12 Ultimate API?

A: No, only the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). The AMD FirePro S10000 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1).

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density on its die?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti has a transistor density of 24.7M / mm², which is significantly higher than the 12.3M / mm² found on the AMD FirePro S10000.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gulf between these two cards is immense, as they are built on fundamentally different design philosophies from different decades. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti is built on the Turing architecture using a 12 nm process at TSMC, packing a massive 18,600 million transistors onto a 754 mm² die. In contrast, the AMD FirePro S10000 uses the older GCN 1.0 architecture on a 28 nm process, with only 4,313 million transistors on a much smaller 352 mm² die. The RTX 2080 Ti's transistor density of 24.7M / mm² more than doubles the FirePro's 12.3M / mm², highlighting the immense manufacturing advantage of the newer process node.

The most significant feature divergence is in compute capabilities. The RTX 2080 Ti is equipped with 68 dedicated RT cores for ray tracing and 544 tensor cores for AI workloads, while the FirePro S10000 has neither of these hardware blocks. This makes the RTX 2080 Ti a purpose-built card for modern rendering techniques and machine learning inference, whereas the FirePro S10000 is purely a rasterization and compute workhorse. The shading unit count also tells a story: the RTX 2080 Ti has 4,352 shading units, 272 texture mapping units, and 88 ROPs, compared to the FirePro's 1,792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 32 ROPs.

Memory technology is another stark differentiator. The RTX 2080 Ti uses 11 GB of GDDR6 memory running at 14 Gbps effective, delivering 616.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The FirePro S10000 uses 3 GB of GDDR5 memory at 5 Gbps effective, yielding 240.0 GB/s. Even though the FirePro has a wider 384-bit bus, the newer GDDR6 standard on the RTX 2080 Ti's 352-bit bus provides over 2.5 times the bandwidth. This memory advantage is critical for high-resolution textures and compute workloads that are bandwidth-bound.

The API support also reflects their generations. The RTX 2080 Ti supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The FirePro S10000 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. This means the RTX 2080 Ti can leverage the latest graphics features like mesh shaders and variable rate shading, while the FirePro is confined to older rendering pathways. The display outputs also differ: the RTX 2080 Ti offers modern connectivity with 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C, while the FirePro provides legacy options with 1x DVI and 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.2.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data available paints a clear picture of where each card excels, though the comparison is limited to only two shared tests. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti wins decisively in both compute-oriented workloads, dominating the AMD FirePro S10000 in Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan. This makes the RTX 2080 Ti the obvious choice for applications that rely on general-purpose GPU computing, such as rendering, physics simulation, and modern game engines that leverage Vulkan. The massive FP32 throughput of 13.45 TFLOPS versus the FirePro's 3.405 TFLOPS, combined with higher memory bandwidth, gives it a significant edge in any data-parallel task.

The AMD FirePro S10000, despite its losses, has a niche where its data suggests it might still be relevant. Its higher average benchmark score of 32,388 and 77th percentile ranking indicate that in some aggregated metrics, it competes with much newer cards. The card's 3 GB of memory and 384-bit bus, while small by modern standards, could still serve in legacy compute environments or specialized scientific workloads that are not bandwidth-hungry. Its 375 W TDP and server-oriented FirePro lineage suggest it was designed for sustained, reliable operation in datacenter racks, a use case where raw single-threaded performance is less critical than stability and compatibility with older software stacks.

Looking at the nearest rivals for each card provides additional context. The RTX 2080 Ti's average score is within 1% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti and AMD Radeon RX 6800, placing it firmly in the mid-range performance tier of modern GPUs. The FirePro S10000's average score sits within 0.7% of the AMD Radeon RX 590 GME, a much more recent consumer card. This suggests the FirePro's strength lies in its aggregate compute capability rather than any single modern workload, making it a potential sleeper pick for specific legacy compute tasks where it outperforms its apparent specs.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets for these two cards diverge on nearly every major component. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti uses a TU102 chip on a 12 nm process, while the AMD FirePro S10000 uses a Tahiti chip on a 28 nm process. The RTX 2080 Ti has a base clock of 1350 MHz and a boost clock of 1545 MHz, whereas the FirePro runs at 825 MHz base and 950 MHz boost. This clock speed difference, combined with the shader count, explains the massive FP32 performance gap.

Memory specifications differ significantly. The RTX 2080 Ti offers 11 GB of GDDR6 with a 352-bit bus and 616.0 GB/s bandwidth. The FirePro S10000 has 3 GB of GDDR5 with a 384-bit bus and 240.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 2080 Ti's memory runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), while the FirePro's runs at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective).

Power requirements and physical dimensions also set them apart. The RTX 2080 Ti has a TDP of 250 W with a suggested PSU of 600 W, while the FirePro S10000 demands 375 W and a 750 W suggested PSU. The RTX 2080 Ti is shorter at 267 mm (10.5 inches) compared to the FirePro's 305 mm (12 inches). Both are dual-slot cards with 2x 8-pin power connectors. The RTX 2080 Ti also includes RT cores (68) and tensor cores (544), which are entirely absent from the FirePro S10000's spec list.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark results are lopsided, with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti winning both recorded tests by massive margins. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 2080 Ti scores 128,171 points versus the FirePro S10000's 30,631 points, a delta of 318.4%. This is not a marginal victory but a generational obliteration, reflecting the RTX 2080 Ti's superiority in raw compute throughput, memory bandwidth, and driver optimization for modern APIs.

The Geekbench Vulkan test shows a similar story. The RTX 2080 Ti scores 132,930 points, which is 289.3% higher than the FirePro's 34,145 points. Vulkan is a modern cross-platform API, and the RTX 2080 Ti's architecture is designed to extract maximum performance from it, with hardware features that the GCN 1.0 architecture simply cannot match. The FirePro's Vulkan support is present but clearly not optimized for the low-level access that this API provides.

These results are consistent with the rest of the data. The RTX 2080 Ti's FP32 throughput of 13.45 TFLOPS is nearly four times the FirePro's 3.405 TFLOPS. Its texture rate of 420.2 GTexel/s dwarfs the FirePro's 106.4 GTexel/s, and its pixel rate of 136.0 GPixel/s is over four times the FirePro's 30.40 GPixel/s. The only area where the FirePro shows any comparative strength is in its average benchmark score, which is higher due to the inclusion of different tests, but in the shared head-to-head tests, it is decisively beaten.

The Verdict

The data unequivocally favors the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti for any modern workload, particularly those that leverage OpenCL or Vulkan. Its 318.4% lead in OpenCL and 289.3% lead in Vulkan make it a superior choice for gaming, content creation, and general-purpose compute. The presence of RT cores and tensor cores further extends its utility into ray-traced rendering and AI inference, areas where the FirePro S10000 has no capability whatsoever. Anyone building a system for current applications should choose the RTX 2080 Ti without hesitation.

The AMD FirePro S10000 is a relic of an earlier era, but its 77th percentile ranking and higher average benchmark score than the RTX 2080 Ti suggest it still has life in specific, narrow use cases. Its 3 GB of GDDR5 memory and 384-bit bus might be sufficient for legacy scientific simulations or older compute frameworks that are not available in the modern test suite. For a system that requires compatibility with outdated software or specialized server environments where its 375 W TDP is acceptable, the FirePro S10000 could still serve a purpose. However, for any forward-looking application, the RTX 2080 Ti is the only rational pick based on the benchmark evidence.