AMD FirePro S10000 vs NVIDIA T550 Mobile Comparison

The NVIDIA T550 Mobile and AMD FirePro S10000 are both end-of-life professional graphics solutions, but they target entirely different eras and use cases. The T550 Mobile is a modern, ultra-low-power Turing-based mobile chip, while the FirePro S10000 is a dual-slot, 375 W server/workstation card from the GCN 1.0 generation. Benchmark data shows they split their two head-to-head wins evenly, making the choice dependent on workload priorities rather than a single overall victor.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA T550 Mobile is the clear winner in OpenCL compute workloads. In the geekbench_opencl test, the T550 Mobile scores 35521 against the FirePro S10000's 30631, a decisive 16% advantage. This is significant because OpenCL performance often reflects raw GPGPU throughput in scientific and engineering applications. The T550 Mobile also holds the overall average benchmark lead, posting an avgBenchmarkScore of 33161 compared to the FirePro S10000's 32388, a difference of roughly 2.4%. This suggests that for general-purpose compute tasks that rely on OpenCL, the T550 Mobile is the more capable part, despite its dramatically lower power footprint.

The AMD FirePro S10000 takes the crown in Vulkan graphics workloads. In the geekbench_vulkan test, it scores 34145 versus the T550 Mobile's 30801, a 9.8% margin in favor of the AMD card. Vulkan is a low-level graphics API, and this result indicates that the FirePro S10000's older GCN architecture retains an edge in certain rendering paths. For users running modern Vulkan-based applications or games, the FirePro S10000 offers better raw graphics performance. However, it is notably the FirePro S10000's overall percentile ranking matches the T550 Mobile at 77th percentileVsAllGpus, meaning both sit in the same performance tier globally, just with different strengths.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two cards is vast, representing a generational shift in GPU design philosophy. The NVIDIA T550 Mobile is built on the Turing architecture using a TU117 chip, fabricated on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It packs 4,700 million transistors into a 200 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 23.5M / mm². The FirePro S10000, in contrast, uses the older GCN 1.0 architecture with a Tahiti chip on a 28 nm process, also at TSMC. It contains 4,313 million transistors spread across a much larger 352 mm² die, giving a lower density of 12.3M / mm². The smaller, denser process node is a key reason the T550 Mobile can achieve higher clock speeds and better efficiency.

Memory configurations differ sharply. The T550 Mobile uses 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 64-bit bus, delivering 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The FirePro S10000 uses 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, providing a much higher 240.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This means the AMD card has 2.5 times the memory bandwidth, which can be critical for large datasets, despite its lower capacity. The T550 Mobile compensates with newer memory technology and a higher effective clock of 12 Gbps versus the FirePro's 5 Gbps effective.

Compute unit counts also favor the AMD card in raw hardware terms. The FirePro S10000 has 1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, while the T550 Mobile has 1024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Yet the T550 Mobile achieves higher pixel and texture rates: 53.28 GPixel/s and 106.6 GTexel/s, respectively, versus the FirePro's 30.40 GPixel/s and 106.4 GTexel/s. The T550 Mobile also pushes higher FP32 performance at 3.410 TFLOPS, narrowly edging out the FirePro's 3.405 TFLOPS. The T550 Mobile even supports FP16 at 6.820 TFLOPS (2:1), a feature the FirePro S10000 lacks entirely.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two benchmarks tell a clear story of contrasting strengths. In geekbench_opencl, the NVIDIA T550 Mobile wins with a score of 35521 versus 30631 for the AMD FirePro S10000. The deltaPct of 16% is substantial, indicating that the T550 Mobile is not just marginally faster but significantly ahead in this compute API. This advantage aligns with the T550 Mobile's higher boost clock of 1665 MHz versus the FirePro's 950 MHz boost, as well as its modern Turing architecture's efficiency in parallel workloads.

The geekbench_vulkan result flips the script. Here, the AMD FirePro S10000 scores 34145, beating the T550 Mobile's 30801 by 9.8%. This is a notable reversal given the T550 Mobile's newer architecture. The FirePro's wider 384-bit memory bus and higher 240.0 GB/s bandwidth likely contribute to its Vulkan advantage, as graphics workloads often benefit from memory throughput more than raw compute density. The T550 Mobile's 64-bit bus, while efficient, becomes a bottleneck in this scenario.

Looking at the nearest rivals provides additional context. The T550 Mobile's avgBenchmarkScore of 33161 places it effectively level with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile (33170, 0% delta) and slightly ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 570 (33207, -0.1% delta). The FirePro S10000's avgBenchmarkScore of 32388 puts it marginally behind the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE (32456, -0.2% delta) and ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 570X (32176, 0.7% delta). Both cards sit in the 77th percentile overall, but the T550 Mobile has a higher absolute average score.

The Verdict

The data points to a straightforward recommendation based on workload. For users prioritizing OpenCL compute, general GPGPU tasks, or efficiency, the NVIDIA T550 Mobile is the superior choice. It wins the OpenCL benchmark by 16%, has a higher average benchmark score, and does so at a fraction of the power draw—23 W versus 375 W for the FirePro S10000. The T550 Mobile also supports newer APIs, including Vulkan 1.4 and DirectX 12 (12_1), compared to the FirePro's Vulkan 1.2.170 and DirectX 12 (11_1).

For users focused on Vulkan graphics performance, the AMD FirePro S10000 is the pick. Its 9.8% Vulkan win and superior memory bandwidth (240.0 GB/s vs 96.00 GB/s) make it better suited for rendering workloads that stress memory throughput. However, this comes with significant trade-offs: the FirePro is a dual-slot card requiring 2x 8-pin power connectors and a suggested PSU of 750 W, while the T550 Mobile is an IGP form factor with no power connectors. The FirePro also has older APIs and a lower average benchmark score.

The T550 Mobile is the more balanced card overall, winning the average benchmark score battle and delivering a more modern feature set. The FirePro S10000 remains viable only for specific Vulkan-centric use cases where its memory bandwidth can be fully utilized. Neither card is a clear winner across the board; the decision hinges on whether OpenCL or Vulkan performance matters more in the target application.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL benchmarking?

A: The NVIDIA T550 Mobile is faster, scoring 35521 in geekbench_opencl compared to the AMD FirePro S10000's 30631, a 16% advantage.

Q: Does the AMD FirePro S10000 win any benchmarks?

A: Yes, it wins the geekbench_vulkan test with a score of 34145 against the T550 Mobile's 30801, a 9.8% margin.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The NVIDIA T550 Mobile has an avgBenchmarkScore of 33161, which is higher than the AMD FirePro S10000's 32388. Both cards are in the 77th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: Which card has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The AMD FirePro S10000 has significantly higher memory bandwidth at 240.0 GB/s, thanks to its 384-bit bus and GDDR5 memory. The NVIDIA T550 Mobile offers 96.00 GB/s over a 64-bit bus with GDDR6.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The NVIDIA T550 Mobile has a TDP of 23 W and requires no power connectors, being an IGP form factor. The AMD FirePro S10000 has a TDP of 375 W, needs 2x 8-pin power connectors, and lists a suggested PSU of 750 W.

Q: Which card supports newer API versions?

A: The NVIDIA T550 Mobile supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The AMD FirePro S10000 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA T550 Mobile | AMD FirePro S10000 |

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

| Architecture | Turing | GCN 1.0 |

| Chip | TU117 | Tahiti |

| Process Node | 12 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 4,700 million | 4,313 million |

| Die Size | 200 mm² | 352 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 23.5M / mm² | 12.3M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1065 MHz | 825 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1665 MHz | 950 MHz |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 3 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus Width | 64 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 96.00 GB/s | 240.0 GB/s |

| Memory Clock | 1500 MHz / 12 Gbps effective | 1250 MHz / 5 Gbps effective |

| Shading Units | 1024 | 1792 |

| TMUs | 64 | 112 |

| ROPs | 32 | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 53.28 GPixel/s | 30.40 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 106.6 GTexel/s | 106.4 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 3.410 TFLOPS | 3.405 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 6.820 TFLOPS (2:1) | None |

| TDP | 23 W | 375 W |

| Slot Width | IGP | Dual-slot |

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

| Suggested PSU | None | 750 W |

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

| DirectX Support | 12 (12_1) | 12 (11_1) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | 1.2.170 |

| Dimensions | Not specified | 305 mm / 12 inches length, 111 mm / 4.4 inches height |

| Release Date | Not specified | 2012-11-11 |

| Predecessor | Quadro Pascal-M | FirePro Terascale |

| Successor | Ampere-MW | Radeon Pro GCN |