GPU Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 570 and AMD FirePro S7150 are two very different products that happen to share the same 150 W TDP and 256-bit memory bus. The RX 570 is a consumer gaming card built on a 14 nm process, while the FirePro S7150 is a server-oriented compute accelerator using an older, larger 28 nm die. Benchmark data shows the RX 570 winning both shared tests by significant margins, but the FirePro S7150 offers twice the memory and a faster FP16 rate for specific workloads. This analysis breaks down where each card stands based strictly on the available numbers.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 570 scores 28,766 on average, which is 2.3% higher than the AMD FirePro S7150’s 28,117. The RX 570 also sits at the 74th percentile of all GPUs, one point above the S7150’s 73rd percentile.

Q: How much faster is the RX 570 in Vulkan compute?

A: The RX 570 scores 42,752 in Geekbench Vulkan, which is 44% higher than the FirePro S7150’s 29,690. This is the largest performance gap between the two in any shared test.

Q: Does the FirePro S7150 have any memory advantage?

A: Yes, the FirePro S7150 has 8 GB of GDDR5, while the RX 570 has 4 GB. However, the RX 570 has higher memory bandwidth at 224.0 GB/s versus 160.0 GB/s, despite the S7150’s larger capacity.

Q: What are the architectural differences between the two?

A: The RX 570 uses the GCN 4.0 architecture on a 14 nm node from GlobalFoundries, while the FirePro S7150 uses GCN 3.0 on a 28 nm node from TSMC. The RX 570’s chip is smaller (232 mm² vs 366 mm²) but packs more transistors per area (24.6M / mm² vs 13.7M / mm²).

Q: Which card has better FP32 and FP16 performance?

A: The RX 570 delivers 5.095 TFLOPS FP32, which is 35% higher than the S7150’s 3.768 TFLOPS. For FP16, the S7150 leads at 7.537 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), while the RX 570 offers 5.095 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio).

Q: Can the FirePro S7150 output to displays?

A: No, the FirePro S7150 has no display outputs. It is a server accelerator with a single-slot form factor, whereas the RX 570 is a dual-slot card with 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs.

Architecture Differences

The RX 570 is built on the Polaris 20 chip using GCN 4.0, manufactured on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. This newer node allows for 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 24.6M / mm². In contrast, the FirePro S7150 uses the Tonga chip with GCN 3.0, made on TSMC’s 28 nm process. It packs 5,000 million transistors onto a much larger 366 mm² die, yielding a lower density of 13.7M / mm².

Both cards have identical core counts: 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The key architectural difference lies in clock speeds and memory configuration. The RX 570 runs at a base clock of 1168 MHz and boost of 1244 MHz, while the S7150’s clocks are not listed in the data. This clock advantage gives the RX 570 higher pixel and texture rates: 39.81 GPixel/s and 159.2 GTexel/s, respectively, versus 29.44 GPixel/s and 117.8 GTexel/s for the S7150.

Memory differs significantly. The RX 570 uses 4 GB of GDDR5 at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) for 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. The S7150 doubles capacity to 8 GB but runs at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective), reducing bandwidth to 160.0 GB/s. Both use a 256-bit bus. The FP16 capability also diverges: the S7150 supports 2:1 FP16 throughput (7.537 TFLOPS), while the RX 570 is 1:1 (5.095 TFLOPS). This suggests the S7150 was designed with compute workloads that benefit from half-precision math.

API support is similar, with both offering DirectX 12 (12_0) and OpenGL 4.6. Vulkan support differs slightly: the RX 570 supports Vulkan 1.3, while the S7150 supports 1.2.170. The S7150’s single-slot design and lack of display outputs confirm its server role, whereas the RX 570’s dual-slot consumer layout includes multiple display connectors.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data includes only two shared tests, and the RX 570 wins both outright. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 570 scores 32,084 against the S7150’s 26,543, a 20.9% advantage. This aligns with the RX 570’s higher FP32 throughput (5.095 vs 3.768 TFLOPS) and faster memory bandwidth. The gap widens dramatically in Geekbench Vulkan, where the RX 570 scores 42,752 versus 29,690, a 44% lead. This suggests the RX 570’s newer GCN 4.0 architecture and higher clocks translate to better compute efficiency in the Vulkan API.

Looking at the broader benchmark context, the RX 570’s average score of 28,766 puts it within 0.4% of the AMD Radeon RX 6800M and 0.8% behind the AMD Radeon RX 470. It also edges out the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 by 1.2%. The S7150’s average score of 28,117 places it just 0.3% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti and 0.5% behind the AMD Radeon Pro W5500X. These rival comparisons show that despite the RX 570’s clear win in direct head-to-head tests, both cards sit in a similar overall performance tier among their peers.

The RX 570 also has a 3dmark_3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 880 and a Geekbench Metal score of 39,349, tests that the S7150 lacks. The S7150 has no unique benchmark entries in the data, meaning every measured result favors the RX 570. With 2 wins for the RX 570 and 0 for the S7150 in head-to-head tests, the performance picture is unambiguous.

The Verdict

From the data, the AMD Radeon RX 570 is the clear performance winner. It leads by 20.9% in OpenCL and 44% in Vulkan, has higher average scores, and achieves a higher percentile ranking. Its advantages stem from a newer architecture, higher clocks, and faster memory bandwidth. The only areas where the S7150 exceeds are memory capacity (8 GB vs 4 GB) and FP16 throughput (7.537 vs 5.095 TFLOPS).

The FirePro S7150 is not a gaming or consumer card. It has no display outputs, uses a server-oriented single-slot design, and launched at a much higher MSRP (2,399 USD vs 169 USD). Its 8 GB memory capacity and 2:1 FP16 ratio suggest it was built for specific compute tasks that prioritize large datasets or half-precision math. However, in the tests available, it cannot match the RX 570’s raw performance.

The verdict depends on use case. For general compute, gaming, or any workload requiring display output, the RX 570 is the only sensible choice from this data. For server deployments needing 8 GB memory in a single slot with FP16 acceleration, the S7150 has a niche role, but it will deliver slower results in the measured benchmarks.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 570 | AMD FirePro S7150 |

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

| Architecture | GCN 4.0 | GCN 3.0 |

| Process Node | 14 nm | 28 nm |

| Foundry | GlobalFoundries | TSMC |

| Transistors | 5,700 million | 5,000 million |

| Die Size | 232 mm² | 366 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 24.6M / mm² | 13.7M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1168 MHz | Not listed |

| Boost Clock | 1244 MHz | Not listed |

| Memory Clock | 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) | 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 8 GB |

| Memory Bandwidth | 224.0 GB/s | 160.0 GB/s |

| Pixel Rate | 39.81 GPixel/s | 29.44 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 159.2 GTexel/s | 117.8 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 5.095 TFLOPS | 3.768 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 5.095 TFLOPS (1:1) | 7.537 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | Single-slot |

| Display Outputs | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a | No outputs |

| Vulkan Version | 1.3 | 1.2.170 |

| Dimensions | 241 mm length | 241 mm length, 111 mm height |

| Release Date | 2017-04-17 | 2016-01-31 |

Where Each One Wins

The RX 570 wins in every measured benchmark category. Its 44% Vulkan lead is the most decisive, indicating superior driver overhead and compute efficiency in that API. The 20.9% OpenCL advantage reinforces that the RX 570’s higher clocks and bandwidth translate directly to faster compute. For users running games, OpenCL workloads, or any task needing display output, the RX 570 is the data-backed pick.

The S7150’s wins are not in benchmarks but in specifications. Its 8 GB memory capacity doubles the RX 570’s 4 GB, which is critical for workloads that exceed 4 GB of framebuffer. Its FP16 throughput of 7.537 TFLOPS is 47.9% higher than the RX 570’s 5.095 TFLOPS, making it potentially faster for half-precision inferencing or scientific compute. The single-slot form factor and no-output design also suit dense server environments where space is at a premium.

For a PC builder or workstation user, the RX 570 is the obvious choice given its benchmark dominance and consumer-friendly features. For a data center architect needing 8 GB memory in a single slot with FP16 acceleration, the S7150 offers capabilities the RX 570 lacks, despite its lower raw scores. The data shows a performance king and a capacity specialist, with the RX 570 winning on speed and the S7150 winning on memory and half-precision compute.