AMD FirePro S7150 vs AMD Radeon RX 560 XT Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon RX 560 XT wins both head-to-head benchmark matchups against the AMD FirePro S7150. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 560 XT scores 31,387 against the FirePro S7150's 26,543, delivering an 18.2% advantage. The gap widens further in Geekbench Vulkan, where the RX 560 XT posts 36,879 versus 29,690, a 24.2% lead. These are decisive margins in both compute and graphics API workloads, showing the newer architecture's clear dominance in raw execution.

Looking at the average benchmark scores across the database, the RX 560 XT averages 34,133, while the FirePro S7150 averages 28,117. That places the RX 560 XT in the 79th percentile of all GPUs, compared to the FirePro S7150's 73rd percentile. The RX 560 XT sits within 0.1% of the NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB (34,154) and within 0.2% of the NVIDIA RTX A1000 (34,207), while being 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 480 and 0.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon HD 7950. The FirePro S7150, by contrast, is only 0.3% above the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (28,020) and 0.5% above the AMD Radeon Pro W5500X (27,973), with the AMD Radeon RX 7800M (27,883) and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 (27,839) trailing by 0.8% and 1.0% respectively.

The head-to-head results show that the RX 560 XT is not merely marginally faster; it is substantially faster in both recorded tests. The Vulkan delta of 24.2% is particularly notable because Vulkan is a low-level API that tends to expose architectural efficiency differences more directly than higher-level APIs. The data indicates that the RX 560 XT's newer GCN 4.0 design executes workloads more efficiently than the FirePro S7150's GCN 3.0 design, despite the latter having more shading units.

Where Each One Wins

Based on the benchmark data, the AMD Radeon RX 560 XT wins in every recorded category. It holds a 18.2% lead in OpenCL performance and a 24.2% lead in Vulkan performance. There are no benchmark categories in which the FirePro S7150 comes out ahead. However, a use-case split reveals that the two cards serve different purposes beyond raw compute scores.

The RX 560 XT is a client-facing graphics card with display outputs (1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a), making it suitable for workstation desktops where visual output is required. Its Vulkan score of 36,879 suggests strong performance in graphics-intensive applications that leverage modern APIs, including gaming and real-time rendering workloads. The OpenCL score of 31,387 indicates solid general-purpose compute capability for tasks like image processing or physics simulation.

The FirePro S7150, in contrast, has no display outputs, which means it is designed strictly for server-side or headless compute deployments. Its lower raw scores (26,543 in OpenCL and 29,690 in Vulkan) suggest it is not the preferred choice for performance-critical compute, but its 8 GB memory capacity (double the RX 560 XT's 4 GB) could be relevant for workloads that need larger datasets resident in video memory. The FirePro S7150 also supports a 2:1 FP16 ratio (7.537 TFLOPS) versus the RX 560 XT's 1:1 FP16 (4.394 TFLOPS), which means the FirePro S7150 can process half-precision floating-point data at a much higher rate, useful for certain machine learning inference or scientific workloads.

Still, for the recorded benchmark tests, the RX 560 XT wins outright. The data shows no scenario in the database where the FirePro S7150 beats it.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different architectural generations. The AMD Radeon RX 560 XT is built on GCN 4.0 architecture with the Ellesmere chip, part of the Polaris (RX 500) generation. The AMD FirePro S7150 uses GCN 3.0 architecture with the Tonga chip, part of the FirePro Server (Sx100) generation.

The manufacturing process differs significantly: the RX 560 XT uses a 14 nm node from GlobalFoundries, while the FirePro S7150 uses a 28 nm node from TSMC. This process advantage allows the RX 560 XT to pack 5,700 million transistors into a 232 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 24.6M per mm². The FirePro S7150 contains 5,000 million transistors on a much larger 366 mm² die, giving a density of just 13.7M per mm². The smaller, denser process explains why the RX 560 XT achieves higher performance despite having fewer shading units.

The RX 560 XT has 1,792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operation pipelines. The FirePro S7150 has more shading units (2,048) and more TMUs (128), but the same 32 ROPs. Despite having fewer execution resources, the RX 560 XT achieves higher pixel rate (39.23 GPixel/s versus 29.44 GPixel/s) and higher texture rate (137.3 GTexel/s versus 117.8 GTexel/s). This is a direct result of the RX 560 XT's higher clock speeds: 1074 MHz base and 1226 MHz boost, while the FirePro S7150's base and boost clocks are not recorded in the database.

The FP32 compute throughput tells a similar story: the RX 560 XT delivers 4.394 TFLOPS while the FirePro S7150 delivers 3.768 TFLOPS. However, the FirePro S7150's FP16 throughput is 7.537 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), more than double its FP32 rate, whereas the RX 560 XT's FP16 is 4.394 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), identical to its FP32 rate. This architectural difference matters for workloads that can use half precision.

Both cards support DirectX 12 (12_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but the Vulkan support differs: the RX 560 XT supports Vulkan 1.3, while the FirePro S7150 supports Vulkan 1.2.170. The RX 560 XT is the successor to the Arctic Islands generation and the predecessor to Vega, while the FirePro S7150 follows FirePro Terascale and precedes Radeon Pro GCN.

Specification Differences

The specification differences between the two cards are substantial, particularly in memory and physical design.

Memory: The RX 560 XT has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth, running at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective). The FirePro S7150 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on the same 256-bit bus but with only 160.0 GB/s bandwidth, running at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective). The FirePro S7150 has double the capacity but 28.6% less bandwidth.

Clocks: The RX 560 XT has recorded base (1074 MHz) and boost (1226 MHz) clocks. The FirePro S7150's base and boost clocks are not recorded in the database.

Power and cooling: Both cards have a 150 W TDP and require a 450 W suggested PSU with a single 6-pin power connector. However, the RX 560 XT is dual-slot, while the FirePro S7150 is single-slot. Both are 241 mm (9.5 inches) long, but the FirePro S7150 also has a recorded height of 111 mm (4.4 inches), while the RX 560 XT's height is not recorded.

Display outputs: The RX 560 XT has 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. The FirePro S7150 has no display outputs.

Vulkan API: The RX 560 XT supports Vulkan 1.3, while the FirePro S7150 supports Vulkan 1.2.170.

Release date: The RX 560 XT was released on 2019-03-12, while the FirePro S7150 was released on 2016-01-31.

Launch MSRP: The FirePro S7150 has a launch MSRP of 2,399 USD. The RX 560 XT has no recorded launch MSRP.

Both cards are end-of-life production status and use the PCIe 3.0 x16 bus interface.

FAQ

Q: Which card has better raw compute performance?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 560 XT leads in both recorded benchmarks: 31,387 vs 26,543 in Geekbench OpenCL (18.2% higher) and 36,879 vs 29,690 in Geekbench Vulkan (24.2% higher). Its average benchmark score of 34,133 also exceeds the FirePro S7150's 28,117.

Q: Does the FirePro S7150 have any performance advantage?

A: The recorded data shows no benchmark wins for the FirePro S7150. However, it has a higher FP16 throughput (7.537 TFLOPS at 2:1 ratio) versus the RX 560 XT's 4.394 TFLOPS at 1:1 ratio, which could benefit half-precision workloads not covered by the recorded tests.

Q: How do these cards compare in memory capacity and bandwidth?

A: The FirePro S7150 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory versus the RX 560 XT's 4 GB, but the RX 560 XT has higher bandwidth at 224.0 GB/s versus 160.0 GB/s. Both use a 256-bit memory bus.

Q: Which card is more suitable for a desktop workstation with a monitor?

A: The RX 560 XT is the clear choice because it has display outputs (1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a). The FirePro S7150 has no display outputs and is designed for server or headless use.

Q: What is the architectural generation difference?

A: The RX 560 XT uses GCN 4.0 architecture on a 14 nm process from GlobalFoundries, while the FirePro S7150 uses GCN 3.0 architecture on a 28 nm process from TSMC. The newer process allows the RX 560 XT to achieve higher transistor density (24.6M/mm² vs 13.7M/mm²).

Q: Do both cards support the same APIs?

A: Both support DirectX 12 (12_0) and OpenGL 4.6. The RX 560 XT supports Vulkan 1.3, while the FirePro S7150 supports Vulkan 1.2.170.

The Verdict

The data leads to a straightforward conclusion: the AMD Radeon RX 560 XT is the superior performer in every recorded benchmark. Its 18.2% OpenCL advantage and 24.2% Vulkan advantage over the FirePro S7150 are substantial, and its average benchmark score places it in the 79th percentile of all GPUs versus the FirePro S7150's 73rd percentile. The RX 560 XT also benefits from a newer manufacturing process (14 nm vs 28 nm), higher memory bandwidth (224.0 GB/s vs 160.0 GB/s), and modern API support (Vulkan 1.3 vs 1.2.170).

The FirePro S7150 is not without its merits, however. Its 8 GB memory capacity is double that of the RX 560 XT, which matters for large dataset workloads. Its FP16 throughput of 7.537 TFLOPS is significantly higher, and its single-slot design with no display outputs makes it suitable for dense server deployments. The launch MSRP of 2,399 USD reflects its enterprise positioning.

For users who need a GPU with display output for a workstation, the RX 560 XT is the only viable option given the FirePro S7150's lack of outputs. For headless compute tasks where memory capacity is more critical than raw throughput, the FirePro S7150's 8 GB could be advantageous. But for pure performance as measured by the database benchmarks, the RX 560 XT wins decisively and should be the default choice for anyone prioritizing compute speed and modern graphics API support.