AMD FirePro S7150 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 Comparison

The Verdict

The data presents a clear split between these two cards. The AMD FirePro S7150 is the superior compute performer, winning both recorded benchmarks by a significant margin. Its average benchmark score of 28117 places it in the 73rd percentile of all GPUs, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 sits at 24277 and the 70th percentile. For users whose workload is dominated by OpenCL or Vulkan compute tasks, the FirePro S7150 is the obvious choice, as it delivers 6.8% higher OpenCL scores and a massive 25.3% higher Vulkan score.

However, the GeForce GTX 1630 is not without its own merits. It is built on a newer 12 nm process, has a smaller footprint, and is a far more practical card for a desktop system. It requires no auxiliary power connectors, has a lower 75 W TDP, and includes display outputs, making it a functional, low-profile solution for a standard PC. The FirePro S7150 is a server-focused card with no display outputs, a 150 W TDP, and requires a 6-pin power connector. The choice comes down to purpose: the FirePro S7150 for raw throughput in compute-heavy environments, the GTX 1630 for a simple, low-power, and functional desktop GPU.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two cards is substantial, reflecting their different design goals and release periods. The AMD FirePro S7150 is built on the GCN 3.0 architecture, using the Tonga chip, and was manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. This is an older, larger design, with a die size of 366 mm² and a transistor count of 5,000 million. Its transistor density is 13.7M per mm².

In contrast, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 uses the Turing architecture, specifically the TU117 chip, and is built on a much newer 12 nm process, also at TSMC. This results in a significantly smaller die size of 200 mm² while housing 4,700 million transistors, giving it a higher transistor density of 23.5M per mm². This newer process node and denser design are hallmarks of a more modern, power-efficient architecture.

The compute resources differ wildly. The FirePro S7150 is equipped with 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 32 raster operation units (ROPs). The GTX 1630 is a much smaller chip, with only 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. This disparity in core counts directly explains the FirePro's performance advantage in raw compute tasks. The FirePro also supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the GTX 1630 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), a more feature-complete version of the API. Both support OpenGL 4.6, but the GTX 1630 has a newer Vulkan version (1.4) compared to the FirePro's 1.2.170.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded benchmark data shows a dominant performance profile for the AMD FirePro S7150, but the magnitude of the victory varies significantly between tests.

In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the FirePro S7150 scores 26543, while the GTX 1630 scores 24858. This gives the AMD card a 6.8% lead. This is a notable advantage, indicating that the FirePro's larger compute core count translates into a solid, but not overwhelming, performance edge in this workload.

The story changes dramatically in the Geekbench Vulkan test. Here, the FirePro S7150 achieves a score of 29690, compared to the GTX 1630's 23695. This is a 25.3% win for the AMD card. This substantial gap suggests that the FirePro S7150's architecture is particularly well-suited to the Vulkan API, or that the GTX 1630's smaller core configuration struggles more with this particular workload. The data shows the FirePro is a much stronger compute card, with its Vulkan performance being a standout feature.

The average benchmark score further reinforces this. The FirePro S7150 has an average score of 28117, placing it in the 73rd percentile. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (28020, 0.3% lower) and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500X (27973, 0.5% lower), showing it is competitive with much higher-tier cards. The GTX 1630, with its average of 24277, sits in the 70th percentile, with its nearest rival being the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti (24236, 0.2% lower). This comparison underscores the tier difference between the two cards being analyzed here.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in compute workloads?

A: The AMD FirePro S7150 is faster. It wins the OpenCL benchmark by 6.8% and the Vulkan benchmark by 25.3%.

Q: Does the GeForce GTX 1630 have any advantage over the FirePro S7150?

A: Yes. It is built on a newer 12 nm manufacturing process, has a lower 75 W TDP, requires no auxiliary power connectors, and has display outputs, making it a more practical and efficient card for a standard desktop PC.

Q: Can I use the FirePro S7150 for display output?

A: No. The database records show it has no display outputs. It is designed for server use. The GTX 1630, in contrast, has 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 1x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs.

Q: How do these cards compare to their nearest rivals in the database?

A: The FirePro S7150's average score is just 0.3% behind the GeForce GTX 980 Ti and 0.5% ahead of the Radeon Pro W5500X. The GTX 1630's average score is 0.2% ahead of the GTX 780 Ti and 0.9% ahead of the Radeon RX 6800S.

Q: What are the memory specifications for each card?

A: The AMD FirePro S7150 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 160.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 has 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 64-bit bus, providing 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: Which card has a higher pixel fill rate?

A: The AMD FirePro S7150 has a pixel rate of 29.44 GPixel/s, which is slightly higher than the GTX 1630's 28.56 GPixel/s.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD FirePro S7150 is the clear winner for:

• Compute-intensive applications: It dominates in both OpenCL and Vulkan benchmarks, with a particularly strong lead in Vulkan.
• High-bandwidth memory workloads: Its 256-bit memory bus and 160.0 GB/s bandwidth are significantly larger than the GTX 1630's 64-bit bus and 96.00 GB/s bandwidth, which aids in data-heavy tasks.
• High-resolution texture work: With 128 TMUs and a texture rate of 117.8 GTexel/s, it can process texture information much faster than the GTX 1630's 57.12 GTexel/s.
• Server deployments: Its lack of display outputs and its 150 W TDP are consistent with a card designed for compute in a server chassis.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 is the clear winner for:

• Low-power and low-profile systems: Its 75 W TDP and lack of power connectors make it an easy drop-in upgrade for pre-built systems with weak power supplies.
• Standard desktop use: It is a functional card with display outputs, making it suitable as a primary display adapter for a basic PC.
• Space-constrained builds: Its physical dimensions are much smaller than the FirePro's, fitting into more compact cases.
• Newer API support: It supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, which are more feature-rich versions than those supported by the FirePro.

Specification Differences

The following specifications differ between the AMD FirePro S7150 and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630:

• Architecture: GCN 3.0 vs. Turing
• Process Node: 28 nm vs. 12 nm
• Transistors: 5,000 million vs. 4,700 million
• Die Size: 366 mm² vs. 200 mm²
• Transistor Density: 13.7M / mm² vs. 23.5M / mm²
• Base Clock: Not specified vs. 1740 MHz
• Boost Clock: Not specified vs. 1785 MHz
• Memory Clock: 1250 MHz, 5 Gbps effective vs. 1500 MHz, 12 Gbps effective
• Memory Size: 8 GB vs. 4 GB
• Memory Type: GDDR5 vs. GDDR6
• Memory Bus Width: 256 bit vs. 64 bit
• Memory Bandwidth: 160.0 GB/s vs. 96.00 GB/s
• Shading Units: 2048 vs. 512
• TMUs: 128 vs. 32
• ROPs: 32 vs. 16
• Pixel Rate: 29.44 GPixel/s vs. 28.56 GPixel/s
• Texture Rate: 117.8 GTexel/s vs. 57.12 GTexel/s
• FP32 Performance: 3.768 TFLOPS vs. 1.828 TFLOPS
• FP16 Performance: 7.537 TFLOPS (2:1) vs. 3.656 TFLOPS (2:1)
• TDP: 150 W vs. 75 W
• Power Connectors: 1x 6-pin vs. None
• Suggested PSU: 450 W vs. 250 W
• Display Outputs: No outputs vs. 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.4a
• DirectX Support: 12 (12_0) vs. 12 (12_1)
• Vulkan Support: 1.2.170 vs. 1.4
• Dimensions (LxHxW): 241 mm x 111 mm vs. 145 mm x 69 mm x 18 mm
• Release Date: 2016-01-31 vs. 2022-06-27
• Predecessor: FirePro Terascale vs. GeForce 10
• Successor: Radeon Pro GCN vs. GeForce 20