AMD FirePro S10000 vs NVIDIA P104-100 Comparison

The benchmark data places the NVIDIA P104-100 and AMD FirePro S10000 in the same overall performance percentile, both sitting at the 77th percentile against all GPUs. Their average benchmark scores are close, with the P104-100 at 32,982 and the FirePro S10000 at 32,388, a difference of only 1.8%. However, the head-to-head results tell a more lopsided story, with the NVIDIA card winning both available tests by substantial margins.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two shared benchmarks are Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan, and the NVIDIA P104-100 wins both decisively. In Geekbench OpenCL, the P104-100 scores 52,368 against the FirePro S10000’s 30,631. That is a 71% advantage for the NVIDIA card. This is a massive gap, indicating the P104-100 delivers far higher compute throughput in this OpenCL workload. The FirePro’s score, while lower, still places it in the same overall percentile bracket, which suggests the S10000’s strengths lie elsewhere or that the average score metric pulls the two closer together than the head-to-head suggests.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the P104-100 again takes the lead, scoring 45,165 versus 34,145 for the FirePro S10000. The delta here is 32.3%, a smaller but still commanding margin. The Vulkan test typically reflects graphics and compute API efficiency, and the Pascal architecture’s newer feature set appears to handle this workload more effectively than GCN 1.0. Across both tests, the NVIDIA card wins 2 out of 2, while the AMD card has zero wins.

It is worth noting the context from the nearest rivals. The P104-100’s average score of 32,982 puts it 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA T600 Mobile (32,849) and 0.5% behind the NVIDIA T550 Mobile (33,161). The FirePro S10000’s average of 32,388 sits 0.2% below the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE (32,456) and 0.7% above the AMD Radeon Pro 570X (32,176). So while the head-to-head shows a clear winner, both cards are clustered with mid-range mobile and desktop parts in terms of overall average performance.

The Verdict

From the data, the NVIDIA P104-100 is the superior performer in every direct comparison available. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks, with a 71% lead in OpenCL and a 32.3% lead in Vulkan. If the choice is based purely on benchmark scores, the P104-100 is the logical pick. The FirePro S10000 does not win a single test in this dataset.

However, the verdict is not entirely one-sided when you consider the full context. The FirePro S10000 has a higher launch MSRP of 3,599 USD, but that figure is only a historical reference point. The P104-100 is a mining GPU with no display outputs, while the FirePro S10000 offers 1x DVI and 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 outputs. If the workload requires video output, the FirePro is the only option between the two, regardless of its lower scores.

For compute-heavy tasks where display output is irrelevant, the P104-100 is the clear choice. Its FP32 throughput of 6.655 TFLOPS is nearly double the FirePro’s 3.405 TFLOPS. The pixel rate difference is even more stark: 110.9 GPixel/s versus 30.40 GPixel/s. The texture rate also favors NVIDIA at 208.0 GTexel/s versus 106.4 GTexel/s. The benchmark data confirms these theoretical specs translate into real-world wins.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA P104-100 wins in raw compute performance. Its 71% OpenCL lead and 32.3% Vulkan lead are the defining statistics. The card’s 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, combined with a 1733 MHz boost clock, give it a decisive edge in parallel workloads. The 4 GB GDDR5X memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 320.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which supports its high fill rates. This card is built for throughput, and the numbers confirm it.

The AMD FirePro S10000 wins in the category of practical usability for display-centric environments. It has 1x DVI and 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 outputs, making it functional for workstation setups that require multiple monitors. The P104-100 has no outputs at all, so it cannot drive a display. The FirePro also has a wider 384-bit memory bus, though its 240.0 GB/s bandwidth is lower than the P104-100’s due to slower GDDR5 memory at 5 Gbps effective versus 10 Gbps effective for the GDDR5X.

The FirePro’s PCIe 3.0 x16 interface is also more standard than the P104-100’s PCIe 1.0 x4 interface. This means the FirePro can be installed in a wide range of systems without bottlenecking the host connection, while the P104-100’s older bus standard could limit data transfer in some configurations. For a dual-slot card with a 305 mm length, the FirePro is also longer than the P104-100’s 267 mm, which may affect case compatibility.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA P104-100 has an average benchmark score of 32,982, while the AMD FirePro S10000 has an average of 32,388. The difference is 1.8% in favor of the NVIDIA card.

Q: How much faster is the NVIDIA P104-100 in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The P104-100 scores 52,368 versus 30,631 for the FirePro S10000, which is a 71% advantage.

Q: Does the AMD FirePro S10000 support display outputs?

A: Yes, the FirePro S10000 has 1x DVI and 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 outputs. The NVIDIA P104-100 has no display outputs.

Q: What is the FP32 performance difference between the two cards?

A: The NVIDIA P104-100 delivers 6.655 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the AMD FirePro S10000 delivers 3.405 TFLOPS. The NVIDIA card has nearly double the FP32 throughput.

Q: Which card has a higher memory bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA P104-100 has a memory bandwidth of 320.3 GB/s, while the AMD FirePro S10000 has 240.0 GB/s. The P104-100 achieves this with 4 GB of GDDR5X on a 256-bit bus, while the FirePro uses 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus.

Q: What is the bus interface for each card?

A: The NVIDIA P104-100 uses PCIe 1.0 x4, while the AMD FirePro S10000 uses PCIe 3.0 x16.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different architectural generations. The NVIDIA P104-100 uses the GP104 chip built on the Pascal architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 16 nm process. The AMD FirePro S10000 uses the Tahiti chip on the GCN 1.0 architecture, also from TSMC but on a 28 nm process. The process node difference is significant: 16 nm versus 28 nm, which explains the transistor density gap. The P104-100 packs 7,200 million transistors into a 314 mm² die, yielding a density of 22.9 million transistors per square millimeter. The FirePro S10000 has 4,313 million transistors on a larger 352 mm² die, resulting in a density of only 12.3 million per square millimeter.

The memory subsystems differ in type and configuration. The P104-100 uses 4 GB of GDDR5X with a 256-bit bus and 10 Gbps effective memory speed, producing 320.3 GB/s bandwidth. The FirePro S10000 uses 3 GB of GDDR5 with a 384-bit bus and 5 Gbps effective speed, yielding 240.0 GB/s. The wider bus on the AMD card is offset by the slower memory type and lower clock speed.

API support also diverges. The P104-100 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The FirePro S10000 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The NVIDIA card has a higher DirectX feature level and a newer Vulkan version, which aligns with its better Vulkan benchmark performance.

The production status for both is end-of-life, but their release dates are far apart. The FirePro S10000 was released in November 2012, while the P104-100 came in December 2017. The FirePro’s predecessor is listed as FirePro Terascale, with a successor of Radeon Pro GCN. The P104-100 has no listed predecessor or successor.

Specification Differences

The most notable specification differences are in performance metrics. The NVIDIA P104-100 has a base clock of 1607 MHz and a boost clock of 1733 MHz, while the AMD FirePro S10000 runs at 825 MHz base and 950 MHz boost. This clock advantage contributes to the P104-100’s higher pixel rate of 110.9 GPixel/s versus 30.40 GPixel/s, and texture rate of 208.0 GTexel/s versus 106.4 GTexel/s.

The shading units differ: the P104-100 has 1920, while the FirePro S10000 has 1792. The TMU count is 120 versus 112, and the ROP count is 64 versus 32. These hardware differences compound with the clock speed advantage to produce the benchmark results seen above.

The FP32 performance is 6.655 TFLOPS for the P104-100 and 3.405 TFLOPS for the FirePro S10000. The NVIDIA card also lists FP16 performance at 104.0 GFLOPS (1:64), while the AMD card has no FP16 figure listed.

Power requirements differ substantially. The FirePro S10000 has a TDP of 375 W and requires a 750 W suggested PSU, using 2x 8-pin power connectors. The P104-100 has no listed TDP but suggests a 200 W PSU and uses a single 8-pin connector. Both are dual-slot cards, but the FirePro is longer at 305 mm versus 267 mm for the P104-100. The FirePro also has listed height dimensions of 111 mm, while the P104-100 has no height specification.

The memory size and type are different: 4 GB GDDR5X for the P104-100 versus 3 GB GDDR5 for the FirePro. The bus width is 256-bit for NVIDIA and 384-bit for AMD. The bus interface differs as well, with the P104-100 using PCIe 1.0 x4 and the FirePro using PCIe 3.0 x16. Finally, the display outputs are a clear differentiator: the P104-100 has none, while the FirePro S10000 provides 1x DVI and 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.2.