AMD FirePro S7150 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti Comparison

# AMD FirePro S7150 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti

The AMD FirePro S7150 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti occupy the same performance tier in the aggregate benchmark database, with average scores of 28,117 and 28,020 respectively — a gap of just 0.3% in favor of the FirePro. Both cards sit at the 73rd percentile among all GPUs, meaning they deliver comparable overall compute output. Yet beneath that near-identical average lies a stark divergence in individual workloads, thermal envelopes, and intended deployment scenarios. The GTX 980 Ti crushes the FirePro in OpenCL and Vulkan compute by roughly 39% and 38% respectively, while the FirePro counters with a dramatically lower power draw, half the memory bus width but more capacity, and a server-oriented design with zero display outputs. The data suggests these are not true competitors but rather two very different tools that happen to land on the same aggregate benchmark number.

The Verdict

The GTX 980 Ti is the clear compute winner in raw performance terms. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 43,513 versus the FirePro’s 26,543 represents a 39% advantage, and its Vulkan score of 47,724 versus 29,690 is 37.8% higher. In any workload that scales with shading units, texture units, or memory bandwidth, the GTX 980 Ti’s 2,816 shading units, 176 TMUs, 96 ROPs, and 336.6 GB/s bandwidth will outperform the FirePro’s 2,048 shading units, 128 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and 160.0 GB/s. The GTX 980 Ti also delivers 6.060 TFLOPS FP32 versus 3.768 TFLOPS, and 103.3 GPixel/s versus 29.44 GPixel/s. For anyone running general-purpose GPU compute, machine learning inference, or graphics rendering that leverages OpenCL or Vulkan, the GTX 980 Ti is the superior choice by a substantial margin.

The FirePro S7150, however, wins on efficiency and form factor. Its 150 W TDP is 100 W lower than the GTX 980 Ti’s 250 W, and it requires only a single 6-pin power connector versus the GTX 980 Ti’s 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin. The FirePro is single-slot and 241 mm long, while the GTX 980 Ti is dual-slot and 267 mm long. The FirePro also carries 8 GB of GDDR5 memory versus 6 GB, which matters for large datasets that exceed 6 GB. Its launch MSRP was 2,399 USD, while the GTX 980 Ti launched at 649 USD — but that price difference must be weighed against the FirePro’s server-oriented features, such as no display outputs and a lower suggested PSU of 450 W versus 600 W. For a dense server chassis where power, heat, and space are constrained, the FirePro is the rational pick. For a workstation or desktop where raw compute throughput is paramount, the GTX 980 Ti wins outright.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD FirePro S7150 edges out the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti by 0.3% in average benchmark score, with 28,117 versus 28,020. Both cards sit at the 73rd percentile among all GPUs.

Q: How much faster is the GTX 980 Ti in OpenCL compute?

A: The GTX 980 Ti scores 43,513 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 39% higher than the FirePro S7150’s 26,543. This is the largest single-test margin between the two cards.

Q: Does the FirePro S7150 have any memory advantage?

A: Yes, the FirePro S7150 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory versus 6 GB on the GTX 980 Ti. However, the GTX 980 Ti’s 384-bit bus provides 336.6 GB/s bandwidth, more than double the FirePro’s 160.0 GB/s from its 256-bit bus.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The FirePro S7150 has a 150 W TDP and needs a 450 W suggested PSU with a single 6-pin connector. The GTX 980 Ti has a 250 W TDP, requires a 600 W suggested PSU, and needs both a 6-pin and an 8-pin connector.

Q: Can either card output video to a display?

A: The FirePro S7150 has no display outputs at all, making it exclusively a compute or server card. The GTX 980 Ti has 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.2 outputs, so it can drive multiple displays.

Q: Which card has higher FP32 throughput?

A: The GTX 980 Ti delivers 6.060 TFLOPS FP32, which is 61% higher than the FirePro S7150’s 3.768 TFLOPS. The FirePro does offer FP16 at 7.537 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), while the GTX 980 Ti has no listed FP16 capability.

Architecture Differences

The two cards represent fundamentally different architectural generations from their respective manufacturers. The FirePro S7150 uses the Tonga chip built on GCN 3.0 architecture, fabricated on TSMC’s 28 nm process with 5,000 million transistors on a 366 mm² die. The GTX 980 Ti uses the GM200 chip based on Maxwell 2.0 architecture, also on TSMC’s 28 nm process but with 8,000 million transistors on a much larger 601 mm² die. Transistor density is nearly identical — 13.7M per mm² for the FirePro versus 13.3M per mm² for the GTX 980 Ti — but the GTX 980 Ti packs 60% more transistors overall.

The architectural differences manifest in core counts and memory hierarchy. The GTX 980 Ti has 2,816 shading units, 176 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs, compared to the FirePro’s 2,048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. This 3x difference in ROPs is particularly notable, explaining the GTX 980 Ti’s 103.3 GPixel/s pixel rate versus 29.44 GPixel/s. The GTX 980 Ti also carries a 384-bit memory bus with 6 GB GDDR5, while the FirePro uses a 256-bit bus with 8 GB GDDR5. Neither card has ray tracing cores or tensor cores, as both predate those technologies. The FirePro supports FP16 compute at a 2:1 ratio, a feature absent from the GTX 980 Ti’s spec sheet. DirectX support differs slightly: the GTX 980 Ti supports 12 (12_1) while the FirePro supports 12 (12_0). Vulkan support is newer on the GTX 980 Ti (1.4) versus the FirePro (1.2.170).

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD FirePro S7150 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti |

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

| Chip | Tonga | GM200 |

| Architecture | GCN 3.0 | Maxwell 2.0 |

| Transistors | 5,000 million | 8,000 million |

| Die Size | 366 mm² | 601 mm² |

| Base Clock | — | 1000 MHz |

| Boost Clock | — | 1076 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective) | 1753 MHz (7 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 8 GB | 6 GB |

| Memory Bus | 256 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 160.0 GB/s | 336.6 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2048 | 2816 |

| TMUs | 128 | 176 |

| ROPs | 32 | 96 |

| Pixel Rate | 29.44 GPixel/s | 103.3 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 117.8 GTexel/s | 189.4 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 3.768 TFLOPS | 6.060 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 7.537 TFLOPS (2:1) | — |

| TDP | 150 W | 250 W |

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

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | 600 W |

| Display Outputs | No outputs | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.2 |

| DirectX | 12 (12_0) | 12 (12_1) |

| Vulkan | 1.2.170 | 1.4 |

| Length | 241 mm (9.5 inches) | 267 mm (10.5 inches) |

| Height | 111 mm (4.4 inches) | 111 mm (4.4 inches) |

| Width | — | 40 mm (1.6 inches) |

| Release Date | 2016-01-31 | 2015-06-01 |

| Launch MSRP | 2,399 USD | 649 USD |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two available head-to-head benchmarks tell a consistent story. In Geekbench OpenCL, the GTX 980 Ti scores 43,513 against the FirePro’s 26,543, yielding a delta of -39% for the FirePro. In Geekbench Vulkan, the GTX 980 Ti scores 47,724 versus 29,690, a -37.8% gap. The GTX 980 Ti wins both head-to-head tests, giving it a 2-0 record in direct comparisons.

These margins align closely with the raw hardware differences. The GTX 980 Ti’s FP32 throughput of 6.060 TFLOPS is 61% higher than the FirePro’s 3.768 TFLOPS, and its texture rate of 189.4 GTexel/s exceeds the FirePro’s 117.8 GTexel/s by 61%. Memory bandwidth is the most extreme divergence: 336.6 GB/s versus 160.0 GB/s, a 110% advantage for the GTX 980 Ti. The fact that the OpenCL score gap (39%) is smaller than the bandwidth gap suggests that memory bandwidth is not the sole bottleneck in these workloads, but it remains a major contributor. The Vulkan gap (37.8%) is nearly identical, indicating consistent compute behavior across API boundaries.

The FirePro’s 8 GB memory capacity is its one clear advantage in these benchmarks, but neither Geekbench OpenCL nor Vulkan appears to stress memory beyond 6 GB, so the capacity difference does not manifest in the scores. The FirePro’s FP16 capability at 7.537 TFLOPS could theoretically provide an advantage in mixed-precision workloads, but the benchmark data does not include FP16-specific tests. The aggregate benchmark score of 28,117 for the FirePro versus 28,020 for the GTX 980 Ti — a 0.3% difference — suggests that when averaged across all workloads in the database, the two cards are effectively equivalent. However, that average masks the GTX 980 Ti’s decisive wins in the two compute benchmarks where both cards were tested.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 980 Ti wins decisively in raw compute performance. Its OpenCL and Vulkan scores are 39% and 37.8% higher respectively, and its hardware specifications support these results across the board: more shading units, more TMUs, more ROPs, higher clocks, and more than double the memory bandwidth. Any workload that is compute-bound, bandwidth-bound, or pixel-bound will favor the GTX 980 Ti. This includes general-purpose GPU computing, scientific simulation, video encoding, and any graphics rendering that uses OpenCL or Vulkan acceleration. The GTX 980 Ti’s display outputs also make it suitable for workstation use where a monitor is required. Its 6 GB memory is sufficient for most datasets, though not for everything.

The FirePro S7150 wins on operational efficiency and memory capacity. Its 150 W TDP is 40% lower than the GTX 980 Ti’s 250 W, and its single-slot, 241 mm design occupies less space in a server chassis. The 450 W suggested PSU versus 600 W means simpler power delivery requirements. For server deployments where many GPUs run simultaneously — such as cloud compute, virtualized workloads, or render farms — the FirePro’s lower per-card power draw allows more cards per chassis and lower cooling demands. The 8 GB memory capacity exceeds the GTX 980 Ti’s 6 GB, which is valuable for workloads that hold large models or datasets in GPU memory. The absence of display outputs is a feature in this context, as it signals a pure compute card designed for headless operation. The FirePro’s FP16 support at 7.537 TFLOPS could also benefit certain AI inference workloads that use half precision, though the benchmark data does not directly measure this.

In aggregate, the data shows a clear performance winner (GTX 980 Ti) and a clear efficiency winner (FirePro S7150). The 0.3% average benchmark difference masks a 39% performance gap in compute tests, so the choice between these cards depends entirely on whether raw speed or power efficiency matters more for the intended deployment. The GTX 980 Ti’s 649 USD launch MSRP also makes it the more accessible option for individual users, while the FirePro’s 2,399 USD launch MSRP reflects its professional server positioning. Neither card is currently in production, but for used or refurbished deployments, the GTX 980 Ti is the compute champion while the FirePro S7150 is the server-optimized alternative.