AMD FirePro S7150 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Comparison

Opening

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti and AMD FirePro S7150 occupy vastly different corners of the GPU landscape. One is a consumer gaming powerhouse from 2021; the other is a server-oriented compute card from 2016. The data shows a chasm in performance, but also reveals interesting architectural divergences that explain why the FirePro still holds a respectable 73rd percentile ranking among all GPUs despite its age. This analysis dissects where each wins, why the architectures differ so fundamentally, and what the benchmark numbers actually mean for potential users.

Where Each One Wins

The performance split is lopsided, but not without nuance. The RTX 3070 Ti wins both head-to-head benchmarks decisively. However, the FirePro S7150’s strengths lie outside the tested metrics. The data shows the RTX 3070 Ti dominating in Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan, the only two tests both cards share. In OpenCL, the NVIDIA card scores 119,718 versus the AMD’s 26,543 — a 351% advantage. Vulkan is even more extreme, with 139,541 against 29,690, a 370% gap. These are not marginal wins; they represent generational leaps in raw compute throughput.

Yet the FirePro S7150 wins where the RTX 3070 Ti cannot compete: power efficiency and form factor. The AMD card draws 150 W TDP compared to the NVIDIA’s 290 W, and it fits in a single slot versus the RTX 3070 Ti’s dual-slot design. For server environments with dense chassis, the FirePro’s 241 mm length and single-slot profile are practical advantages. The RTX 3070 Ti’s 267 mm length and dual-slot footprint demand more physical space. The FirePro also requires only a 450 W suggested PSU, while the RTX 3070 Ti asks for 600 W. In headless compute racks, the FirePro’s "No outputs" display configuration is a feature, not a bug — it signals a pure compute workload design.

The RTX 3070 Ti wins on API support, featuring DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the FirePro tops out at DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.2.170. For modern gaming or ray-traced workloads, the NVIDIA card is the only option. For legacy server compute or specific GCN-optimized tasks, the FirePro’s 2:1 FP16 ratio (7.537 TFLOPS) versus the RTX 3070 Ti’s 1:1 FP16 (21.75 TFLOPS) suggests different optimization targets — the AMD card doubles its FP16 throughput per clock, a trait useful for certain AI inference workloads of its era.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap is stark. The RTX 3070 Ti uses the GA104 chip on Samsung’s 8 nm process, packing 17,400 million transistors into a 392 mm² die. The FirePro S7150 uses the older Tonga chip on TSMC’s 28 nm node, with just 5,000 million transistors across a slightly smaller 366 mm² die. The transistor density tells the story: 44.4 million transistors per mm² for NVIDIA versus 13.7 million for AMD. That 3.2x density advantage explains why the RTX 3070 Ti fits 6,144 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 96 ROPs onto a similar physical footprint, while the FirePro manages only 2,048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs.

The RTX 3070 Ti introduces dedicated hardware the FirePro lacks entirely: 48 RT cores for ray tracing and 192 tensor cores for AI acceleration. The FirePro’s GCN 3.0 architecture predates these specialized units, relying on general-purpose shaders. Clock speeds differ significantly — the NVIDIA card boosts to 1770 MHz from a 1575 MHz base, while the AMD card lists no base or boost clocks, only a memory clock of 1250 MHz. The memory subsystem is another chasm: GDDR6X at 19 Gbps effective with 608.3 GB/s bandwidth versus GDDR5 at 5 Gbps effective with 160.0 GB/s. Both use 8 GB on a 256-bit bus, but the RTX 3070 Ti’s memory bandwidth is 3.8x higher.

The RTX 3070 Ti supports PCIe 4.0 x16, doubling the FirePro’s PCIe 3.0 x16 bandwidth. Display outputs differ completely: the NVIDIA card has 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the FirePro has none. The FirePro’s FP16 ratio (2:1) versus the RTX 3070 Ti’s 1:1 ratio highlights a philosophical difference — AMD’s GCN was designed for compute where FP16 was a bonus, while Ampere treats FP32 and FP16 equally for gaming and general compute.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data is limited to two tests, but both are decisive. Geekbench OpenCL shows the RTX 3070 Ti scoring 119,718 against the FirePro’s 26,543 — a 351% delta. This measures general-purpose compute across a variety of workloads, and the NVIDIA card’s 21.75 TFLOPS FP32 versus the AMD’s 3.768 TFLOPS (a 5.8x raw throughput advantage) manifests directly in the score. The RTX 3070 Ti’s pixel rate of 169.9 GPixel/s versus 29.44 GPixel/s (5.8x) and texture rate of 339.8 GTexel/s versus 117.8 GTexel/s (2.9x) further explain the gap.

Geekbench Vulkan is even more lopsided: 139,541 versus 29,690, a 370% delta. Vulkan’s low-overhead API benefits disproportionately from the modern architecture’s asynchronous compute and higher clock speeds. The RTX 3070 Ti’s 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores also offload work from the shader array, freeing resources for the Vulkan pipeline. The FirePro’s GCN 3.0 architecture, while capable in its day, lacks these accelerators and must handle everything with its 2,048 shading units.

The RTX 3070 Ti’s average benchmark score of 29,945 across all its tested workloads places it in the 75th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the RTX 5070 Mobile (29,928, delta 0.1%) and the RX 6800 (30,095, delta -0.5%). The FirePro’s average score of 28,117 sits at the 73rd percentile, with nearest rivals like the GTX 980 Ti (28,020, delta 0.3%) and Radeon Pro W5500X (27,973, delta 0.5%). Despite a 6% gap in average scores, the FirePro’s percentile ranking is only two points lower — evidence of how dense the mid-range GPU market is.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has better raw compute performance?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti is decisively ahead. Its FP32 throughput is 21.75 TFLOPS versus the FirePro’s 3.768 TFLOPS. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 351% higher, and in Vulkan, 370% higher.

Q: Does the FirePro S7150 have any advantage in memory bandwidth?

A: No. The RTX 3070 Ti’s GDDR6X memory delivers 608.3 GB/s, while the FirePro’s GDDR5 provides 160.0 GB/s. Both have 8 GB capacity on a 256-bit bus, but the NVIDIA card’s bandwidth is 3.8x higher.

Q: Why would anyone choose the FirePro S7150 over the RTX 3070 Ti?

A: The data shows power and form factor advantages. The FirePro draws 150 W TDP versus 290 W, fits in a single slot versus dual-slot, and requires a 450 W PSU versus 600 W. It also has no display outputs, making it suitable for headless server deployments where the RTX 3070 Ti’s display outputs are unnecessary.

Q: Are the architectures fundamentally different?

A: Yes. The RTX 3070 Ti uses Ampere on 8 nm with 17,400 million transistors, 48 RT cores, and 192 tensor cores. The FirePro uses GCN 3.0 on 28 nm with 5,000 million transistors and no dedicated RT or tensor hardware. The transistor density is 44.4M/mm² versus 13.7M/mm².

Q: How do the two compare in API support?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the FirePro supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Q: What is the performance percentile difference?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti sits at the 75th percentile of all GPUs, while the FirePro sits at the 73rd. Despite a 6% average score difference, their percentile rankings are nearly identical.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti | AMD FirePro S7150 |

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

| Process Node | 8 nm (Samsung) | 28 nm (TSMC) |

| Transistors | 17,400 million | 5,000 million |

| Die Size | 392 mm² | 366 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 44.4M / mm² | 13.7M / mm² |

| Shading Units | 6144 | 2048 |

| TMUs | 192 | 128 |

| ROPs | 96 | 32 |

| RT Cores | 48 | None |

| Tensor Cores | 192 | None |

| Memory Type | GDDR6X | GDDR5 |

| Memory Clock | 19 Gbps effective | 5 Gbps effective |

| Memory Bandwidth | 608.3 GB/s | 160.0 GB/s |

| Pixel Rate | 169.9 GPixel/s | 29.44 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 339.8 GTexel/s | 117.8 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 21.75 TFLOPS | 3.768 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 21.75 TFLOPS (1:1) | 7.537 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 290 W | 150 W |

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

| Power Connectors | 1x 12-pin | 1x 6-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 600 W | 450 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a | No outputs |

| DirectX | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (12_0) |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | 1.2.170 |

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

| Height | 112 mm (4.4 inches) | 111 mm (4.4 inches) |

| Release Date | 2021-05-30 | 2016-01-31 |

| Launch MSRP | 599 USD | 2,399 USD |

The Verdict

The data points to a clear conclusion for most users: the RTX 3070 Ti is the superior GPU for any workload that appears in the benchmark suite. Its 351-370% lead in head-to-head tests, combined with modern API support and dedicated RT/tensor cores, makes it the obvious choice for gaming, content creation, or general compute. The 75th percentile ranking and close competition with the RTX 5070 Mobile and RX 6800 indicate it still holds its own against newer hardware.

The FirePro S7150 is not without merit, but its advantages are purely operational. The 150 W TDP, single-slot design, and 450 W PSU requirement make it attractive for dense server racks where power and space are precious. The lack of display outputs is intentional for headless compute. However, its 73rd percentile ranking, 28 nm process, and GCN 3.0 architecture mean it cannot handle modern workloads that leverage ray tracing or tensor operations. The 2,399 USD launch MSRP versus the RTX 3070 Ti’s 599 USD further highlights the FirePro’s specialized — and expensive — server positioning.

For a gaming PC or workstation, the RTX 3070 Ti wins unambiguously. For a legacy server environment with GCN-optimized workloads and strict power budgets, the FirePro S7150 remains a functional, if dated, option. The benchmark data does not favor the FirePro in any tested metric, but its physical and power characteristics tell a different story — one of targeted design for a niche that no longer overlaps with consumer needs.