AMD FirePro S9300 X2 vs AMD Radeon RX 6700 Comparison

The AMD FirePro S9300 X2 and the AMD Radeon RX 6700 represent two distinct eras of AMD GPU design, separated by five years of architectural evolution. The FirePro S9300 X2, a dual-GPU server card from 2016 built on 28nm GCN 3.0, was designed for compute workloads with its 4GB of HBM memory and 4096 shading units. The Radeon RX 6700, a 2021 consumer GPU on 7nm RDNA 2.0, offers a more modern feature set with 10GB GDDR6, 36 ray tracing cores, and significantly higher clock speeds. Benchmark data shows the RX 6700 dominates in every head-to-head test, achieving a 71.4% higher OpenCL score and a 55.8% higher Vulkan score. However, the FirePro maintains a higher percentile ranking among all GPUs at 77% versus 75%, reflecting its specialized positioning in the database’s broader performance distribution.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear performance hierarchy between these two cards. In the only two directly comparable benchmark tests, the AMD Radeon RX 6700 wins decisively. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 6700 scores 97,841 against the FirePro’s 27,971, a delta of -71.4% from the FirePro’s perspective. In Geekbench Vulkan, the RX 6700 scores 83,974 versus 37,109, a -55.8% delta. These are not marginal differences; the RX 6700 delivers roughly 3.5x the OpenCL performance and 2.3x the Vulkan performance of the FirePro S9300 X2.

The FirePro S9300 X2’s average benchmark score of 32,540 places it slightly above the RX 6700’s 30,433, but this is misleading. The FirePro’s average is derived from only two benchmark runs, while the RX 6700’s average draws from eleven tests including DirectX and PassMark suites. The RX 6700’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti (deltaPct 1.6) and AMD Radeon RX 6800 (deltaPct 1.1), indicating it sits in upper-midrange territory. The FirePro’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE (deltaPct 0.3) and NVIDIA T600 Mobile (deltaPct -0.9), showing it clusters with different performance tiers.

For buyers, the choice depends on workload context. The Radeon RX 6700 is the superior choice for any general-purpose or graphics-oriented task, offering higher raw compute, modern API support including DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, and display outputs for direct video connectivity. The FirePro S9300 X2, with no display outputs and a 300W TDP, is strictly a compute accelerator. Its 4096-bit memory bus and 512.0 GB/s bandwidth suggest it was designed for memory-bandwidth-sensitive server workloads, but the benchmark data does not support any performance advantage. The RX 6700 also offers better power efficiency on paper, with a 175W TDP versus 300W, and requires a 450W suggested PSU versus 700W. There is no metric in the FACT PACK where the FirePro wins; the RX 6700 is the recommended pick across all measured criteria.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD FirePro S9300 X2 has a higher average benchmark score of 32,540 compared to the AMD Radeon RX 6700’s 30,433. However, this average is based on only two benchmarks for the FirePro versus eleven for the RX 6700, making the comparison uneven.

Q: What do the head-to-head benchmark results show?

A: The Radeon RX 6700 wins both head-to-head tests. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 97,841 versus 27,971, a -71.4% delta for the FirePro. In Geekbench Vulkan, it scores 83,974 versus 37,109, a -55.8% delta. The RX 6700 has 2 wins and 0 losses.

Q: How do the memory configurations differ?

A: The FirePro S9300 X2 uses 4GB of HBM memory with a 4096-bit bus and 512.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Radeon RX 6700 uses 10GB of GDDR6 memory with a 160-bit bus and 320.0 GB/s bandwidth. The FirePro has a wider bus and higher bandwidth, but less total capacity.

Q: What are the architectural differences between the two GPUs?

A: The FirePro S9300 X2 uses GCN 3.0 architecture on a 28nm process with 8,900 million transistors on a 596 mm² die. The Radeon RX 6700 uses RDNA 2.0 on a 7nm process with 17,200 million transistors on a 335 mm² die, and includes 36 ray tracing cores.

Q: Which card has better API support?

A: The Radeon RX 6700 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the FirePro S9300 X2 supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The FirePro S9300 X2 has a TDP of 300W and requires a 700W suggested PSU with 2x 8-pin power connectors. The Radeon RX 6700 has a TDP of 175W, requires a 450W suggested PSU, and uses a single 8-pin connector.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures. The FirePro S9300 X2 uses GCN 3.0, codenamed Capsaicin, fabricated on a 28nm process at TSMC. This older architecture packs 8,900 million transistors into a 596 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 14.9M per mm². The Radeon RX 6700 uses RDNA 2.0 with the Navi 22 chip, built on a 7nm process at TSMC. This newer node allows 17,200 million transistors in a smaller 335 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 51.3M per mm²—more than three times higher.

The compute configuration differs substantially. The FirePro S9300 X2 features 4096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The Radeon RX 6700 has fewer shading units at 2304, fewer TMUs at 144, but the same 64 ROPs. Critically, the RX 6700 adds 36 ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the FirePro. The RX 6700 also supports FP16 compute at 22.58 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, while the FirePro’s FP16 capability is not specified in the data.

Clock behavior also reflects the architectural gap. The FirePro S9300 X2 has no listed base or boost clock, while the RX 6700 runs at a 1941 MHz base, 2174 MHz game clock, and 2450 MHz boost. This clock advantage, combined with RDNA 2.0’s efficiency, explains the RX 6700’s higher FP32 throughput of 11.29 TFLOPS versus the FirePro’s 7.987 TFLOPS, despite the FirePro having nearly double the shading units.

Memory architecture diverges significantly. The FirePro uses 4GB of HBM with a 4096-bit bus, delivering 512.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 6700 uses 10GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus, delivering 320.0 GB/s. The FirePro’s memory clock is listed at 500 MHz with 1000 Mbps effective, while the RX 6700 runs at 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective. The generation gap is visible in API support: the FirePro caps at DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.2.170, while the RX 6700 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4.

Specification Differences

The following fields differ between the two cards. The FirePro S9300 X2 has 4GB HBM memory; the RX 6700 has 10GB GDDR6. Memory bus width is 4096-bit versus 160-bit. Bandwidth is 512.0 GB/s versus 320.0 GB/s. Shading units are 4096 versus 2304. TMUs are 256 versus 144. ROPs are identical at 64. Ray tracing cores exist only on the RX 6700 (36). Pixel rate is 62.40 GPixel/s on the FirePro versus 156.8 GPixel/s on the RX 6700. Texture rate is 249.6 GTexel/s versus 352.8 GTexel/s. FP32 is 7.987 TFLOPS versus 11.29 TFLOPS. FP16 is unspecified on the FirePro versus 22.58 TFLOPS (2:1) on the RX 6700.

TDP differs at 300W versus 175W. Power connectors are 2x 8-pin versus 1x 8-pin. Suggested PSU is 700W versus 450W. Bus interface is PCIe 3.0 x16 versus PCIe 4.0 x16. Display outputs are absent on the FirePro versus 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a on the RX 6700. DirectX support is 12 (12_0) versus 12 Ultimate (12_2); Vulkan is 1.2.170 versus 1.4. Dimensions are nearly identical in length (267mm), height (111mm versus 110mm), with width only listed for the RX 6700 at 40mm. Release dates are 2016-03-30 versus 2021-06-08. Process node is 28nm versus 7nm. Transistor count is 8,900 million versus 17,200 million. Die size is 596 mm² versus 335 mm². Transistor density is 14.9M/mm² versus 51.3M/mm². The FirePro has a launch MSRP of 5,999 USD; the RX 6700 has no listed launch MSRP. The FirePro’s predecessor is FirePro Terascale with successor Radeon Pro GCN; the RX 6700’s predecessor is Navi with successor Navi III.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only two directly comparable benchmark tests are Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan. In Geekbench OpenCL, the Radeon RX 6700 scores 97,841 against the FirePro S9300 X2’s 27,971. This represents a delta of -71.4% relative to the FirePro, meaning the RX 6700 is approximately 3.5 times faster. This massive margin highlights the combined effect of architectural improvements and higher clock speeds. The RX 6700’s FP32 output of 11.29 TFLOPS versus 7.987 TFLOPS explains part of the gap, but OpenCL performance also benefits from the RX 6700’s newer driver stack and RDNA 2.0’s compute efficiency.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the RX 6700 scores 83,974 versus the FirePro’s 37,109, a -55.8% delta. The RX 6700 is over 2.2 times faster here. Vulkan performance particularly favors the RX 6700’s modern architecture, which supports Vulkan 1.4 versus the FirePro’s 1.2.170. The RX 6700 also has ray tracing hardware that can offload certain workloads, though the benchmark itself is not ray-tracing specific. The FirePro’s higher memory bandwidth (512.0 GB/s versus 320.0 GB/s) does not translate into a win in either test, indicating that bandwidth alone cannot compensate for the RX 6700’s superior compute throughput.

Beyond these head-to-head tests, the broader benchmark suites reinforce the RX 6700’s advantage. The RX 6700 achieves a PassMark G3D score of 18,931 and a GPU compute score of 8,240. Its Geekbench Metal score is 122,223. The FirePro has no equivalent scores in the FACT PACK. The RX 6700 also shows strong DirectX performance with PassMark scores of 250 in DirectX 9, 166 in DirectX 11, and 115 in DirectX 10, plus 71 in DirectX 12. These additional metrics, while not directly comparable to the FirePro, demonstrate that the RX 6700’s performance is well-rounded across multiple API generations.

The percentile rankings provide context. The FirePro S9300 X2 sits at the 77th percentile among all GPUs, while the RX 6700 sits at the 75th percentile. Despite the RX 6700 winning every head-to-head test, its percentile is slightly lower, likely because the FirePro’s two benchmark scores skew its average upward relative to the broader GPU population. The RX 6700’s nearest rival is the NVIDIA CMP 70HX with a deltaPct of -0.1%, followed by the NVIDIA Tesla M60 at -0.2%, the AMD Radeon RX 6800 at 1.1%, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti at 1.6%. The FirePro’s nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 590 GME at -0.2%, then the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE at 0.3%, the AMD FirePro S10000 at 0.5%, and the NVIDIA T600 Mobile at -0.9%. These rival clusters confirm that while the two cards occupy similar average-score territory, the RX 6700 achieves its position through superior performance in a wider range of tests, whereas the FirePro relies on a narrower compute-focused profile.