AMD FirePro S9300 X2 vs AMD Radeon RX 7700S Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 7700S and the AMD FirePro S9300 X2 represent two vastly different eras of GPU design, one a modern mobile powerhouse and the other a legacy server compute board. The data shows a split decision: the RX 7700S dominates in OpenCL compute, while the FirePro S9300 X2 holds a narrow edge in Vulkan performance. This comparison highlights how architectural priorities from 2016 and 2023 diverge in real-world benchmark results.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head results reveal a stark contrast in workload optimization. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD Radeon RX 7700S scores 62,983, while the AMD FirePro S9300 X2 manages only 27,971. This represents a massive 125.2% advantage for the RX 7700S, more than doubling the FirePro’s output. The OpenCL delta is the single largest differentiator between these two cards, and it underscores the generational leap in compute efficiency. The RX 7700S’s 20.48 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput versus the FirePro’s 7.987 TFLOPS explains this gap, as OpenCL heavily leverages raw shader math.

However, the Vulkan results tell a different story. The FirePro S9300 X2 scores 37,109, edging out the RX 7700S’s 36,380 by a slim 2% margin. This is a surprising outcome given the FirePro’s older GCN 3.0 architecture and lack of dedicated ray tracing hardware. The Vulkan win suggests that the FirePro’s massive 4096-bit memory bus and 512.0 GB/s bandwidth provide a substantial advantage in certain memory-bound graphics workloads. While a 2% delta is within noise for many real-world scenarios, it is a consistent result in this benchmark suite.

Looking at average benchmark scores, the RX 7700S posts 33,849, which is 4% higher than the FirePro’s 32,540. The RX 7700S also ranks in the 78th percentile of all GPUs, compared to the FirePro’s 77th percentile. Both cards sit near similar-performing rivals: the RX 7700S is within 0.7% of the NVIDIA RTX A5000 and 0.5% ahead of the GTX 1060 5 GB, while the FirePro trails the RX 590 GME by 0.2% and leads the RX 7900 GRE by 0.3%. These margins show that neither card is a clear outlier in its respective peer group, but the RX 7700S has a slightly higher ceiling.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is generational. The RX 7700S uses the Navi 33 chip built on TSMC’s 6 nm process, packing 13,300 million transistors into a 204 mm² die. This yields a transistor density of 65.2M per mm², a figure that reflects modern design efficiency. The FirePro S9300 X2, by contrast, relies on the Capsaicin chip on a 28 nm process, with 8,900 million transistors spread across a massive 596 mm² die. Its density of just 14.9M per mm² shows how much larger and less efficient the older process node was.

Memory configurations diverge sharply. The RX 7700S offers 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The FirePro counters with only 4 GB of HBM memory but on a colossal 4096-bit bus, achieving 512.0 GB/s. This bandwidth advantage is the primary reason the FirePro can compete in Vulkan, where large data transfers and texture streaming dominate. The RX 7700S’s memory runs at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective), while the FirePro’s HBM runs at just 500 MHz (1000 Mbps effective), relying on its bus width rather than clock speed.

Compute resources also favor different approaches. The RX 7700S has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, along with 32 dedicated ray tracing cores. The FirePro packs 4096 shading units and 256 TMUs but only 64 ROPs, with no ray tracing support. This raw shader count explains the FirePro’s theoretical peak in certain parallel workloads, but the RX 7700S’s RDNA 3.0 architecture extracts far more performance per shading unit, as evidenced by the OpenCL results. The RX 7700S also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the FirePro is limited to DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.2.170.

Power and physical design could not be more different. The RX 7700S is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with a 100 W TDP and no power connectors, designed for portable devices. The FirePro is a dual-slot server card with a 300 W TDP, two 8-pin power connectors, and a suggested 700 W power supply. The FirePro measures 267 mm in length and 111 mm in height, while the RX 7700S has no listed dimensions since it is soldered onto mobile motherboards. The FirePro has no display outputs, reinforcing its compute-only role, whereas the RX 7700S’s outputs are portable-device dependent.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split based on use case. The AMD Radeon RX 7700S is the superior choice for modern compute-heavy workloads, particularly those leveraging OpenCL. Its 125.2% advantage in that benchmark, combined with its 20.48 TFLOPS FP32 performance and support for ray tracing, makes it the more versatile and future-proof option. The RX 7700S also carries a 78th percentile ranking versus the FirePro’s 77th, and its average benchmark score is 4% higher.

The AMD FirePro S9300 X2 retains a niche for legacy Vulkan applications where its 512.0 GB/s memory bandwidth provides a measurable edge. Its 2% Vulkan win over the RX 7700S, despite being seven years older, demonstrates the lasting value of a wide memory bus. However, the FirePro’s 4 GB memory capacity and 7.987 TFLOPS FP32 limit its relevance for modern workloads. With a launch MSRP of 5,999 USD, it was positioned as a high-end server part, but its end-of-life status and lack of display outputs restrict it to specific compute deployments.

For most users, the RX 7700S is the data-backed winner. It wins one head-to-head benchmark decisively, ties the other within margin, and offers modern API support including DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4. The FirePro’s only argument is its Vulkan score and memory bandwidth, which are narrow advantages in a rapidly aging architecture.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7700S has an average benchmark score of 33,849, which is 4% higher than the AMD FirePro S9300 X2’s 32,540.

Q: How large is the OpenCL performance gap between the two cards?

A: The RX 7700S scores 62,983 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the FirePro S9300 X2 scores 27,971, giving the RX 7700S a 125.2% lead.

Q: Does the FirePro S9300 X2 win any benchmark?

A: Yes, the FirePro S9300 X2 wins the Geekbench Vulkan test with a score of 37,109, which is 2% higher than the RX 7700S’s 36,380.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The FirePro S9300 X2 has 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth from its 4096-bit HBM bus, while the RX 7700S has 288.0 GB/s from its 128-bit GDDR6 bus.

Q: Which GPU supports ray tracing?

A: Only the AMD Radeon RX 7700S supports ray tracing, with 32 dedicated RT cores. The FirePro S9300 X2 has no RT cores listed.

Q: What is the power consumption of each card?

A: The RX 7700S has a 100 W TDP, while the FirePro S9300 X2 has a 300 W TDP and requires two 8-pin power connectors.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 7700S wins in scenarios that demand modern compute throughput and feature support. Its 125.2% OpenCL advantage makes it the clear choice for general-purpose GPU compute, machine learning inference, and any workload that leverages DirectX 12 Ultimate features. The 20.48 TFLOPS FP32 performance is more than 2.5 times the FirePro’s output, enabling faster rendering, simulation, and data processing. The RX 7700S also excels in power efficiency, with a 100 W TDP versus 300 W, making it suitable for thin-and-light gaming laptops where thermal and battery constraints are critical. Its 8 GB GDDR6 memory, while narrower in bus width, offers double the capacity of the FirePro, which is essential for modern texture-heavy games and AI models that exceed 4 GB. The RX 7700S’s active production status and support for Vulkan 1.4 also mean better driver longevity and compatibility with upcoming software.

The AMD FirePro S9300 X2 wins in specialized memory-bandwidth-bound applications. Its 512.0 GB/s bandwidth, driven by a 4096-bit bus, allows it to outperform the RX 7700S by 2% in Vulkan, a result that can translate to advantages in large-scale data visualization or scientific rendering where memory throughput is the bottleneck. The FirePro’s 4096 shading units and 256 TMUs provide theoretical peak compute that, while less efficient per clock, can still be leveraged in highly parallel, low-precision tasks. For legacy server environments where the card is already deployed, its dual-slot form factor and no-display-output design make it a drop-in replacement for compute nodes. The 4 GB memory capacity is a limitation, but for workloads that fit within that footprint, the FirePro’s raw bandwidth can be a deciding factor. Its 77th percentile ranking, though slightly below the RX 7700S, shows it remains competitive in its narrow domain.