AMD FirePro S10000 vs NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a decisive victory for the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile across both benchmark tests. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX A500 Mobile scores 41,263, while the AMD FirePro S10000 trails at 30,631. That is a 34.7% advantage for the NVIDIA part, a substantial margin that places it well clear of the older AMD server card in compute-heavy workloads.

The gap narrows considerably in the Geekbench Vulkan test, but the outcome remains the same. The RTX A500 Mobile posts 37,873, against 34,145 for the FirePro S10000, a 10.9% lead. This suggests that while the NVIDIA part retains its edge in modern API performance, the AMD card is relatively closer when running through Vulkan, likely reflecting the architectural differences in how each GPU handles the workload.

Looking at the broader database context, the RTX A500 Mobile sits at the 82nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 39,568. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 575 at 39,555 (0% delta), the AMD Radeon Pro 575X at 39,116 (1.2% behind), and the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 at 40,063 (1.2% ahead). The FirePro S10000, by contrast, lands at the 77th percentile with an average score of 32,388. Its closest competitors are the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE at 32,456 (0.2% ahead), the AMD FirePro S9300 X2 at 32,540 (0.5% ahead), and the AMD Radeon Pro 570X at 32,176 (0.7% behind).

The win count is unambiguous: the RTX A500 Mobile takes 2 wins, the FirePro S10000 takes 0. The OpenCL delta of 34.7% is the single largest performance gap between the two, and it is worth emphasizing that this is not a marginal difference; it is a decisive generational leap. The Vulkan result, while smaller, still confirms the same ordering.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from entirely different eras and design philosophies. The NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile is built on the Ampere architecture, using the GA107S chip, fabricated on Samsung's 8 nm process. It packs 8,700 million transistors onto a 200 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 43.5 million per square millimeter. The AMD FirePro S10000, in contrast, uses the Tahiti chip based on GCN 1.0, manufactured on TSMC's 28 nm process. It contains 4,313 million transistors across a 352 mm² die, with a transistor density of just 12.3 million per square millimeter. The density gap is stark: the NVIDIA chip crams over three times as many transistors into a smaller area.

The memory subsystems diverge sharply as well. The RTX A500 Mobile uses 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus, delivering 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The FirePro S10000 ships with 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, achieving 240.0 GB/s. The AMD card has the wider bus and higher raw bandwidth, but the NVIDIA part makes up for it with a much higher memory clock: 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective) versus 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective). The RTX A500 Mobile also supports PCIe 4.0 x8, while the FirePro S10000 uses PCIe 3.0 x16.

Feature-wise, the differences are fundamental. The RTX A500 Mobile includes 16 RT cores and 64 tensor cores, enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI workloads. The FirePro S10000 has none of these; its shading units number 1,792, compared to 2,048 on the NVIDIA part, and it lacks any dedicated ray tracing or tensor hardware. The RTX A500 Mobile also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the FirePro S10000 only reaches DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170.

Power consumption is another chasm. The RTX A500 Mobile draws just 30 W and is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no power connectors. The FirePro S10000 consumes 375 W, requires a dual-slot cooler, and needs two 8-pin power connectors plus a 750 W suggested PSU. The NVIDIA part is designed for mobility and efficiency; the AMD card is a server-oriented brute that demands serious power infrastructure.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear recommendation for most users. The NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile outperforms the AMD FirePro S10000 in both recorded benchmarks, and it does so while consuming a fraction of the power. In OpenCL, the RTX A500 Mobile is 34.7% faster; in Vulkan, it is 10.9% faster. That is a consistent, across-the-board margin.

The RTX A500 Mobile also brings modern features that the FirePro S10000 cannot match: RT cores for ray tracing, tensor cores for AI acceleration, and support for newer graphics APIs. Its 82nd percentile standing among all GPUs is higher than the FirePro S10000's 77th percentile, and its average benchmark score of 39,568 versus 32,388 puts it roughly 22% ahead on aggregate.

Who should pick the FirePro S10000? The only scenario where it makes sense is if the workload absolutely requires the 240.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth or the 384-bit bus, and if the software stack is old enough not to benefit from the NVIDIA part's newer architecture. The FirePro S10000 also has a higher texture rate (106.4 GTexel/s versus 98.37 GTexel/s), so texture-bound tasks might see a slight advantage there. But those are narrow niches.

For virtually every other case, the RTX A500 Mobile is the superior choice. It wins the benchmarks, draws 30 W instead of 375 W, fits as an IGP, and supports modern APIs. The FirePro S10000 is a relic from 2012, end-of-life, and its only real strengths are memory bandwidth and raw texture throughput. The verdict is straightforward: the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile is the better GPU by every measurable performance metric in this database.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every major specification. The RTX A500 Mobile uses an 8 nm process from Samsung, while the FirePro S10000 uses a 28 nm process from TSMC. Transistor counts are 8,700 million versus 4,313 million, with die sizes of 200 mm² and 352 mm² respectively. The NVIDIA part has a transistor density of 43.5M / mm², the AMD part 12.3M / mm².

Clock speeds: the RTX A500 Mobile runs at 832 MHz base and 1537 MHz boost, with memory at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective). The FirePro S10000 runs at 825 MHz base and 950 MHz boost, with memory at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective). The NVIDIA card's boost clock is over 60% higher.

Memory configuration: 4 GB GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth, versus 3 GB GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus with 240.0 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD card has 112 TMUs against 64 for the NVIDIA card, but both have 32 ROPs. Shading units: 2,048 for NVIDIA, 1,792 for AMD. The RTX A500 Mobile includes 16 RT cores and 64 tensor cores; the FirePro S10000 has none.

Pixel and texture rates: the RTX A500 Mobile achieves 49.18 GPixel/s and 98.37 GTexel/s; the FirePro S10000 achieves 30.40 GPixel/s and 106.4 GTexel/s. FP32 compute: 6.296 TFLOPS for NVIDIA, 3.405 TFLOPS for AMD. The NVIDIA card also supports FP16 at 6.296 TFLOPS (1:1), while the AMD card has no recorded FP16 capability.

Power and physical specs: the RTX A500 Mobile is 30 W, IGP, no connectors. The FirePro S10000 is 375 W, dual-slot, 2x 8-pin power, 750 W suggested PSU. The FirePro S10000 is 305 mm long and 111 mm tall; the RTX A500 Mobile has no recorded dimensions. Bus interface: PCIe 4.0 x8 versus PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs: portable device dependent for NVIDIA, versus 1x DVI and 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 for AMD.

APIs: NVIDIA supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.4. AMD supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.2.170. Release dates: NVIDIA on 2022-03-21, AMD on 2012-11-11. Both are end-of-life.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile scores 41,263, versus 30,631 for the AMD FirePro S10000, a 34.7% advantage.

Q: How does the RTX A500 Mobile compare in Vulkan performance?

A: The RTX A500 Mobile scores 37,873, while the FirePro S10000 scores 34,145, giving the NVIDIA part a 10.9% lead.

Q: Does the AMD FirePro S10000 have any advantage in specifications?

A: Yes, the FirePro S10000 has a wider 384-bit memory bus, higher memory bandwidth (240.0 GB/s versus 96.00 GB/s), more TMUs (112 versus 64), and a higher texture rate (106.4 GTexel/s versus 98.37 GTexel/s).

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The RTX A500 Mobile draws 30 W and requires no power connectors, while the FirePro S10000 consumes 375 W and needs two 8-pin connectors with a 750 W suggested PSU.

Q: Are there any modern features on the RTX A500 Mobile that the FirePro S10000 lacks?

A: The RTX A500 Mobile includes 16 RT cores and 64 tensor cores, supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), and Vulkan 1.4. The FirePro S10000 has no RT or tensor cores, and only supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170.

Q: What are the percentile rankings of each GPU?

A: The RTX A500 Mobile is at the 82nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 39,568. The FirePro S10000 is at the 77th percentile, with an average score of 32,388.