AMD FirePro S9300 X2 vs AMD Radeon Pro 570X Comparison

The AMD FirePro S9300 X2 and the AMD Radeon Pro 570X represent two distinctly different approaches to professional graphics, separated by three years of architectural evolution and targeting entirely different system form factors. The data shows a dual-GPU server behemoth from 2016 squaring off against a mobile workstation GPU from 2019. While their average benchmark scores are remarkably close, the nature of their workloads and the context of their deployment could not be more different.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark data contains exactly two shared tests, and the FirePro S9300 X2 wins both. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the FirePro S9300 X2 scores 27,971 against the Radeon Pro 570X’s 27,604, a narrow 1.3% margin. This is a statistical tie in practical terms, and it is telling that two GPUs with such disparate specifications land so close together in raw compute throughput. The FirePro’s 4096 shading units operating at a modest memory clock of 1000 Mbps effective deliver 7.987 TFLOPS, while the Radeon Pro 570X’s 1792 shading units boosted to 1105 MHz achieve 3.960 TFLOPS. The fact that the dual-GPU card only edges out the single-GPU mobile part by 1.3% in OpenCL suggests that the FirePro is not scaling its dual-chip design efficiently in this particular workload.

The second test tells a completely different story. In Geekbench Vulkan, the FirePro S9300 X2 scores 37,109 against the Radeon Pro 570X’s 28,859, a decisive 28.6% victory. This is a substantial gap that highlights the FirePro’s raw throughput advantage when the API is able to leverage its full hardware resources. The 4096 shading units and 256 texture mapping units on the FirePro provide 249.6 GTexel/s of texture rate and 62.40 GPixel/s of pixel rate, compared to the Radeon Pro 570X’s 112 TMUs, 123.8 GTexel/s, and 35.36 GPixel/s. Vulkan appears to be a workload where the FirePro’s dual-GPU architecture can stretch its legs, delivering more than a quarter more performance than its younger rival.

The average benchmark scores from the broader database tell a similar story of near-parity. The FirePro S9300 X2 averages 32,540 across all recorded benchmarks, while the Radeon Pro 570X averages 32,176. That is a 1.1% difference in favor of the FirePro, according to the nearestRivals data where the Radeon Pro 570X lists the FirePro S9300 X2 with a deltaPct of -1.1. The FirePro’s percentile ranking is 77 against all GPUs, while the Radeon Pro 570X sits at 76, meaning both cards outperform roughly three-quarters of all GPUs ever tested. The nearest rivals for the FirePro include the AMD Radeon RX 590 GME at 32,601 (0.2% ahead), the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE at 32,456 (0.3% behind), and the AMD FirePro S10000 at 32,388 (0.5% behind). The Radeon Pro 570X’s nearest rivals include the AMD FirePro S10000 at 32,388 (0.7% ahead), the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE at 32,456 (0.9% ahead), and the Intel Arc Pro A30M at 31,894 (0.9% behind). Both cards occupy a dense performance cluster where a few percent separates a dozen different products.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is generational and profound. The FirePro S9300 X2 uses the Capsaicin chip built on GCN 3.0 architecture, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The chip contains 8,900 million transistors on a 596 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 14.9M per mm². The Radeon Pro 570X uses the Ellesmere chip on GCN 4.0 architecture, built on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. This chip contains 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die, achieving a much higher density of 24.6M per mm². The process node shrink from 28 nm to 14 nm allowed AMD to pack significantly more transistors per square millimeter, though the total transistor count is substantially lower on the newer chip.

Memory architecture is where the two diverge most sharply. The FirePro S9300 X2 uses 4 GB of HBM memory on a 4096-bit bus, delivering 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Radeon Pro 570X uses 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 217.0 GB/s. The FirePro’s memory bandwidth is more than double that of the Radeon Pro, a direct consequence of the wide HBM interface. The memory clock figures reflect this: the FirePro runs at 500 MHz (1000 Mbps effective) while the Radeon Pro runs at 1695 MHz (6.8 Gbps effective). The higher clock speed on the Radeon Pro cannot compensate for the much narrower bus.

Compute resources show a similar disparity. The FirePro S9300 X2 packs 4096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The Radeon Pro 570X has 1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. In every category, the FirePro has exactly double or more the resources of the Radeon Pro. This is consistent with the FirePro being a dual-GPU card, where each GPU die contributes half of the total resources. The Radeon Pro 570X’s FP16 throughput is listed at 3.960 TFLOPS (1:1), while the FirePro’s FP16 figure is null in the data, suggesting it may not support accelerated FP16 in the same manner.

The power and physical characteristics are starkly contrasted. The FirePro S9300 X2 is rated at 300 W TDP, requires a dual-slot cooler, and needs 2x 8-pin power connectors with a suggested 700 W power supply. It measures 267 mm in length and 111 mm in height. The Radeon Pro 570X is rated at 150 W TDP, is classified as an IGP (integrated graphics processor) form factor, requires no power connectors, and has no listed dimensions. The FirePro has no display outputs, while the Radeon Pro 570X’s display outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent," reflecting its intended use in Apple Mac laptops.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The AMD FirePro S9300 X2 has 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth thanks to its 4096-bit HBM interface, while the AMD Radeon Pro 570X delivers 217.0 GB/s over a 256-bit GDDR5 bus. The FirePro offers more than twice the memory bandwidth.

Q: How do the two cards compare in Vulkan performance?

A: The FirePro S9300 X2 scores 37,109 in Geekbench Vulkan, which is 28.6% higher than the Radeon Pro 570X’s score of 28,859. This is the largest performance gap between the two in any shared benchmark.

Q: Are these two GPUs close in overall performance?

A: Yes, the average benchmark scores are very close. The FirePro S9300 X2 averages 32,540 against the Radeon Pro 570X’s 32,176, a difference of about 1.1%. The FirePro’s percentile rank is 77 versus 76 for the Radeon Pro 570X.

Q: What is the transistor density difference between these chips?

A: The Radeon Pro 570X’s Ellesmere chip on 14 nm achieves 24.6M transistors per mm², while the FirePro S9300 X2’s Capsaicin chip on 28 nm achieves 14.9M per mm². The newer process node gives the Radeon Pro a density advantage despite having fewer total transistors (5,700 million vs 8,900 million).

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The FirePro S9300 X2 has 4096 shading units, which is more than double the Radeon Pro 570X’s 1792 shading units. This resource advantage translates to higher FP32 throughput: 7.987 TFLOPS versus 3.960 TFLOPS.

Q: How do their OpenCL scores compare?

A: The FirePro S9300 X2 scores 27,971 in Geekbench OpenCL, narrowly beating the Radeon Pro 570X’s 27,604 by 1.3%. Despite the significant hardware differences, the OpenCL performance is nearly identical.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD FirePro S9300 X2 | AMD Radeon Pro 570X |

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

| Architecture | GCN 3.0 | GCN 4.0 |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 14 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | GlobalFoundries |

| Transistors | 8,900 million | 5,700 million |

| Die Size | 596 mm² | 232 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 14.9M / mm² | 24.6M / mm² |

| Base Clock | null | 1000 MHz |

| Boost Clock | null | 1105 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 500 MHz (1000 Mbps effective) | 1695 MHz (6.8 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Type | HBM | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus Width | 4096 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 512.0 GB/s | 217.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 4096 | 1792 |

| TMUs | 256 | 112 |

| ROPs | 64 | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 62.40 GPixel/s | 35.36 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 249.6 GTexel/s | 123.8 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 7.987 TFLOPS | 3.960 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | null | 3.960 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 300 W | 150 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | IGP |

| Power Connectors | 2x 8-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 700 W | null |

| Display Outputs | No outputs | Portable Device Dependent |

| Vulkan API | 1.2.170 | 1.3 |

| Dimensions | 267 mm x 111 mm | null |

| Release Date | 2016-03-30 | 2019-03-17 |

| Geekbench OpenCL | 27,971 | 27,604 |

| Geekbench Vulkan | 37,109 | 28,859 |

The Verdict

The data presents a clear choice based on use case rather than raw performance. The AMD FirePro S9300 X2 is a server-class compute card with no display outputs, a 300 W TDP, dual-slot footprint, and dual 8-pin power connectors. It is designed for rack-mounted compute environments where its dual-GPU configuration and 512.0 GB/s of HBM bandwidth can be fed with sustained workloads. Its 28.6% Vulkan advantage over the Radeon Pro 570X demonstrates that, in the right API and workload, its 4096 shading units and 7.987 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput deliver a substantial performance lead. The FirePro’s launch MSRP was 5,999 USD, positioning it as a high-end professional compute investment.

The AMD Radeon Pro 570X is an entirely different product. As an IGP with no power connectors and a 150 W TDP, it is built for integration into portable Mac systems. Its 14 nm process node, 24.6M / mm² transistor density, and GCN 4.0 architecture represent a newer design generation that achieves competitive performance with far fewer resources. The Radeon Pro 570X matches the FirePro in OpenCL within 1.3% and supports FP16 at 1:1 ratio, a feature the FirePro does not list. It also supports Vulkan 1.3 versus the FirePro’s 1.2.170. For users who need a GPU that can be embedded in a laptop with portable-device-dependent display outputs, the Radeon Pro 570X is the only viable choice between these two.

The verdict from the benchmark data is straightforward: the FirePro S9300 X2 wins in raw compute capability, particularly in Vulkan, and offers double the memory bandwidth and more than double the shading units, TMUs, and ROPs. The Radeon Pro 570X wins in efficiency, requiring half the power, using a smaller and denser chip, and delivering near-parity OpenCL performance. The FirePro’s average benchmark score is 32,540 versus 32,176 for the Radeon Pro 570X, a 1.1% margin that belies the massive hardware differences. Users should select the FirePro S9300 X2 for server-side compute tasks where its dual-GPU design and high memory bandwidth can be fully utilized. Users should select the Radeon Pro 570X for portable workstations where power constraints, physical size, and display output requirements are paramount. The data shows two GPUs that achieve similar benchmark results through completely different means, and the correct choice depends entirely on the deployment environment.