AMD FirePro S10000 vs NVIDIA T1000 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data presents a clear, if nuanced, picture of performance between the NVIDIA T1000 and the AMD FirePro S10000. Across the two benchmark suites in the database, the NVIDIA T1000 secures a decisive victory, winning both tests. The magnitude of its wins, however, varies significantly between workloads, which suggests that the performance gap is not uniform across all types of compute tasks.

In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the NVIDIA T1000 posts a score of 37704 against the AMD FirePro S10000's 30631. This represents a substantial 23.1% advantage for the T1000. This is the headline result of the comparison and indicates a major generational leap in compute efficiency and raw throughput for general-purpose GPU workloads. The T1000's score here is not just higher; it is in a different performance class relative to the older FirePro card. The data shows the T1000 delivering a performance delta that would be immediately noticeable in any OpenCL-accelerated application.

The second test, Geekbench Vulkan, tells a different story. Here, the NVIDIA T1000 scores 34874, while the AMD FirePro S10000 achieves a close 34145. The delta narrows dramatically to just 2.1% in favor of the T1000. This result is critical for a balanced analysis. It demonstrates that while the T1000 is the faster card, the FirePro S10000 remains competitive in Vulkan-based workloads, likely due to its high raw shader count and memory bandwidth. The 2.1% difference is within a margin that could be considered a statistical tie in some scenarios, but the recorded data still awards the win to the NVIDIA part.

The overall average benchmark score further reinforces the T1000's position. The NVIDIA card holds an average score of 36289 across both tests, while the AMD card trails with an average of 32388. This 3901-point gap in the average is driven almost entirely by the T1000's dominant OpenCL performance. The database's percentile ranking also reflects this hierarchy, with the T1000 sitting in the 80th percentile of all GPUs, four points higher than the FirePro S10000's 77th percentile. This indicates that the T1000 not only outperforms this specific rival but also places higher in the broader performance distribution of all recorded graphics cards.

When we look at the nearest rivals for each card, the performance context becomes even clearer. The NVIDIA T1000's average score of 36289 places it just 0.7% below the AMD Radeon RX 5300M and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN X, both of which average around 36530. It also sits 1.2% above the AMD Radeon Pro Duo and 2.2% above the NVIDIA Quadro GV100. This suggests the T1000 is a well-rounded performer, slotting into a competitive tier alongside much larger and more power-hungry cards. The AMD FirePro S10000, with its average of 32388, is remarkably close to its own rivals. It is a mere 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE and 0.5% behind the AMD FirePro S9300 X2, while sitting 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 570X. This clustering indicates that the S10000's performance level, while lower than the T1000's, is still competitive within its own contemporary peer group as recorded in the database.

In summary, the head-to-head benchmarks show a dual-faced performance story. On one hand, the NVIDIA T1000 crushes the AMD FirePro S10000 in OpenCL with a 23.1% lead, establishing a significant performance advantage for compute-heavy tasks. On the other hand, the two cards are nearly inseparable in Vulkan, with the T1000 holding a slim 2.1% edge. The overall average and percentile scores, however, unambiguously rank the NVIDIA T1000 as the superior performer in this comparison.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the benchmark data, the choice between these two cards is straightforward for most users. The NVIDIA T1000 is the faster GPU. It wins both recorded tests, holds a higher average benchmark score of 36289 versus 32388, and achieves a higher percentile ranking at 80 compared to 77. For any application that leverages OpenCL, the T1000's 23.1% performance advantage makes it the definitive choice. The data shows no scenario where the AMD FirePro S10000 emerges as the winner.

The only area where the FirePro S10000 can be said to hold its own is in Vulkan performance, where the 2.1% gap is minimal. However, a marginal advantage in one API does not offset a comprehensive defeat in another. Therefore, a user prioritizing raw compute performance, particularly in OpenCL environments, should select the NVIDIA T1000. The T1000 also offers a more modern feature set and a significantly lower power draw, both of which are detailed in the specification differences below, making it the more sensible choice for a modern workstation.

The AMD FirePro S10000, while an end-of-life product from 2012, is not without merit in this comparison. Its Vulkan score of 34145 shows that it can still hang with much newer hardware in certain scenarios. For a user with a legacy application that is heavily optimized for the GCN 1.0 architecture and Vulkan, the S10000 might still be functional. However, the data does not support recommending it as a primary choice over the T1000. The performance ceiling is lower, and its specifications, such as the 375 W TDP, present significant deployment challenges. In short, the NVIDIA T1000 is the winner based on all recorded performance metrics.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA T1000 has a significantly higher average benchmark score of 36289, compared to the AMD FirePro S10000's 32388.

Q: How large is the performance gap in OpenCL workloads?

A: The NVIDIA T1000 leads in the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 37704, which is a 23.1% advantage over the AMD FirePro S10000's score of 30631.

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

A: Yes. In the Geekbench Vulkan test, the AMD FirePro S10000 scores 34145, which is only 2.1% behind the NVIDIA T1000's score of 34874.

Q: What are the percentile rankings for both cards?

A: The NVIDIA T1000 ranks in the 80th percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the AMD FirePro S10000 ranks in the 77th percentile.

Q: Does the AMD FirePro S10000 have a higher memory bandwidth?

A: Yes, the AMD FirePro S10000 has a memory bandwidth of 240.0 GB/s, which is higher than the NVIDIA T1000's 160.0 GB/s.

Q: How many benchmark wins does each card have in the head-to-head tests?

A: The NVIDIA T1000 has 2 wins, and the AMD FirePro S10000 has 0 wins in the recorded head-to-head benchmarks.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ substantially across nearly every core specification, reflecting their different design eras and market targets. The NVIDIA T1000 is built on a 12 nm process at TSMC, while the AMD FirePro S10000 uses a much older 28 nm process, also from TSMC. This process difference is a major factor in the efficiency and clock speed disparities between them.

The NVIDIA T1000 has a base clock of 1065 MHz and a boost clock of 1395 MHz. In contrast, the AMD FirePro S10000 operates at a lower base clock of 825 MHz and a boost clock of 950 MHz. The T1000's higher clocks are a direct result of its more advanced manufacturing node.

Memory configurations also differ significantly. The NVIDIA T1000 comes with 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 160.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The AMD FirePro S10000 is equipped with 3 GB of GDDR5 memory on a wider 384-bit bus, achieving a higher bandwidth of 240.0 GB/s. This means the S10000 has a bandwidth advantage, but the T1000 has a capacity and memory technology advantage.

The compute unit configurations are inverted in a surprising way. The AMD FirePro S10000 has 1792 shading units and 112 texture mapping units, while the NVIDIA T1000 has only 896 shading units and 56 TMUs. Despite having half the shading units, the T1000 achieves a higher pixel rate of 44.64 GPixel/s compared to the S10000's 30.40 GPixel/s. However, the S10000 has a higher texture rate of 106.4 GTexel/s versus the T1000's 78.12 GTexel/s. The FP32 compute performance favors the AMD card, with 3.405 TFLOPS versus the T1000's 2.500 TFLOPS. The T1000 also supports FP16 compute at 5.000 TFLOPS, a feature the FirePro S10000 lacks.

Power and physical specifications are starkly different. The NVIDIA T1000 has a TDP of 50 W, requires no power connectors, and is a single-slot card. The AMD FirePro S10000 has a TDP of 375 W, requires two 8-pin power connectors, and is a dual-slot card. The T1000 is also much smaller, measuring 156 mm in length versus the S10000's 305 mm. The suggested power supply for the T1000 is 250 W, while the S10000 requires a 750 W unit.

The display outputs also differ. The NVIDIA T1000 provides 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The AMD FirePro S10000 offers 1x DVI and 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 outputs. The API support shows the T1000 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the S10000 supports DirectX 12 (11_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6, but the T1000 supports Vulkan 1.4, whereas the S10000 supports Vulkan 1.2.170.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is fundamental. The NVIDIA T1000 is based on the Turing architecture, using the TU117 chip, and belongs to the Quadro Turing (Tx000) generation. The AMD FirePro S10000 is based on the GCN 1.0 architecture, using the Tahiti chip, and belongs to the FirePro Server (Sx000) generation. This represents a generational chasm, with the T1000's architecture being roughly nine years newer.

The transistor counts are similar, with the T1000 packing 4,700 million transistors and the S10000 having 4,313 million. However, the die sizes and densities are vastly different due to the process node. The T1000 has a die size of 200 mm², resulting in a transistor density of 23.5M per mm². The S10000 has a much larger die size of 352 mm², with a lower density of 12.3M per mm². This highlights the efficiency of the 12 nm process over the 28 nm process.

The core architecture philosophies differ as well. The AMD FirePro S10000 is built on GCN 1.0, which is a scalar-based design focused on raw throughput with a massive number of shaders. The NVIDIA T1000's Turing architecture is a more modern, unified design that emphasizes efficiency and features. The T1000's shading unit count is lower, but its architecture allows for higher clocks and better instruction-level parallelism, which is reflected in its superior OpenCL performance despite lower theoretical FP32 throughput.

Neither card features dedicated ray tracing cores or tensor cores, as these fields are null in the database for both. The T1000's support for FP16 compute at a 2:1 ratio is a feature absent from the S10000, noting a key architectural capability for accelerated machine learning inference and certain graphics workloads. The T1000 is the successor to Quadro Volta and is followed by Workstation Ampere. The S10000 is the successor to FirePro Terascale and is followed by Radeon Pro GCN. These lineage paths confirm that the T1000 is a more recent product, released on 2021-05-05, while the S10000 was released on 2012-11-11.