AMD FirePro W4300 vs AMD Radeon Vega 8 Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The AMD FirePro W4300 records a Geekbench OpenCL score of 11,225, while the AMD Radeon Vega 8 scores 8,822 in the same test. The FirePro W4300 leads by 27.2% in this head-to-head comparison.

Q: How does the Radeon Vega 8 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The database shows the Radeon Vega 8 has an average benchmark score of 9,221. It sits within 0.1% of the AMD Radeon 890M (9,210), and it trails the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 (9,273) by 0.6%, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 (9,294) by 0.8%, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M (9,302) by 0.9%.

Q: What is the FirePro W4300's position relative to other GPUs?

A: The FirePro W4300 achieves an average benchmark score of 11,225 and falls in the 50th percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200, scores nearly identically at 11,228, a delta of 0%.

Q: Which GPU has a higher transistor density?

A: The Radeon Vega 8, built on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries, has a transistor density of 23.5M per mm² with 4,940 million transistors on a 210 mm² die. The FirePro W4300, on TSMC's 28 nm node, has a density of 13.0M per mm² with 2,080 million transistors on a 160 mm² die.

Q: Do both GPUs support DirectX 12?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12, but at different feature levels. The FirePro W4300 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the Radeon Vega 8 supports DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6, and the Radeon Vega 8 supports Vulkan 1.3 compared to Vulkan 1.2.170 for the FirePro.

Q: What are the memory configurations of these two GPUs?

A: The FirePro W4300 has 4 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus with 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth and a 1500 MHz memory clock (6 Gbps effective). The Radeon Vega 8 uses System Shared memory, with its bus width, bandwidth, and memory type all listed as System Shared or System Dependent.

Architecture Differences

The FirePro W4300 is built on GCN 2.0 architecture using the Bonaire chip, manufactured on TSMC's 28 nm process. It belongs to the FirePro GCN (Wx300) generation and was released on 2015-11-30. The Radeon Vega 8 uses GCN 5.0 architecture with the Raven chip, fabricated by GlobalFoundries on a 14 nm node, and belongs to the Vega IGP (Raven Ridge) generation with a release date of 2018-02-11. The process node difference is significant: 28 nm versus 14 nm, which contributes to the Vega 8's higher transistor density despite its larger die.

The Vega 8 carries 4,940 million transistors across a 210 mm² die, whereas the FirePro W4300 has 2,080 million transistors on a 160 mm² die. This means the Vega 8 has roughly 2.4 times the transistor count of the FirePro, though the FirePro's smaller die and older node result in a lower density of 13.0M per mm² versus 23.5M per mm² for the Vega 8. The Vega 8 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP), as indicated by its bus interface and slot width fields, while the FirePro W4300 is a discrete, single-slot card with a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.

Shader resources differ meaningfully. The FirePro W4300 has 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The Radeon Vega 8 has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. The FirePro therefore has 50% more shading units, 50% more TMUs, and double the ROP count. Neither GPU has dedicated ray tracing cores or tensor cores. The Vega 8 supports FP16 at 2.253 TFLOPS (2:1) while the FirePro lists no FP16 capability, and the Vega 8 supports a higher DirectX feature level (12_1 versus 12_0) along with a newer Vulkan version.

The memory architecture is fundamentally different. The FirePro uses dedicated GDDR5 with a fixed 128-bit bus and 96.00 GB/s bandwidth. The Vega 8 relies on system memory, with its bandwidth described as System Dependent. This has direct implications for sustained throughput, as the FirePro's dedicated memory provides predictable bandwidth while the Vega 8's performance scales with the host system's memory configuration. The Vega 8 has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 1100 MHz, while the FirePro lists no base or boost clock in the database.

Where Each One Wins

The FirePro W4300 wins the only recorded head-to-head benchmark, the Geekbench OpenCL test, with a score of 11,225 against the Vega 8's 8,822, a 27.2% advantage. This makes the FirePro the stronger choice for compute workloads that rely on OpenCL acceleration, particularly given its dedicated 4 GB GDDR5 memory with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth. The discrete card's 16 ROPs and 48 TMUs also give it higher pixel rate (14.88 GPixel/s versus 8.800 GPixel/s) and texture rate (44.64 GTexel/s versus 35.20 GTexel/s), which suggests an advantage in fill-rate-bound scenarios.

The Radeon Vega 8 wins in areas not captured by the single head-to-head benchmark. It has a newer architecture (GCN 5.0 versus GCN 2.0), a smaller process node (14 nm versus 28 nm), and supports DirectX 12_1 and Vulkan 1.3, whereas the FirePro is limited to DirectX 12_0 and Vulkan 1.2.170. The Vega 8 also has FP16 support at 2.253 TFLOPS (2:1), which the FirePro lacks entirely. For applications that can leverage FP16 or the newer API feature levels, the Vega 8 has a functional edge. Its 25 W TDP is half the FirePro's 50 W TDP, and as an IGP it requires no power connectors and no separate card slot, making it suitable for compact systems where the FirePro's single-slot discrete form factor would not fit.

The Vega 8 also has a more favorable position among its nearest rivals in the database. Its average score of 9,221 places it within 0.1% of the AMD Radeon 890M and only 0.6% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, indicating it competes closely with those parts. The FirePro's average score of 11,225 places it at parity with the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 (0% delta) and 1.2% ahead of both the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000D Blackwell Max-Q. The FirePro's percentile rank of 50 versus the Vega 8's 45 reflects its higher absolute score.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every major specification category. The FirePro W4300 uses the Bonaire chip on GCN 2.0 architecture, while the Vega 8 uses the Raven chip on GCN 5.0. Process nodes differ: 28 nm TSMC for the FirePro versus 14 nm GlobalFoundries for the Vega 8. Transistor counts are 2,080 million versus 4,940 million, die sizes are 160 mm² versus 210 mm², and transistor densities are 13.0M per mm² versus 23.5M per mm².

Clock behavior differs. The FirePro lists no base or boost clock but has a memory clock of 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective). The Vega 8 has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 1100 MHz, with memory described as System Shared. Memory configurations are entirely different: the FirePro has 4 GB GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth, while the Vega 8 has System Shared memory with System Dependent bandwidth.

Compute resources differ as follows: the FirePro has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, while the Vega 8 has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. Pixel rates are 14.88 GPixel/s versus 8.800 GPixel/s, texture rates are 44.64 GTexel/s versus 35.20 GTexel/s, and FP32 performance is 1,428.5 GFLOPS versus 1,126.4 GFLOPS. The Vega 8 has FP16 at 2.253 TFLOPS (2:1); the FirePro has none listed.

Power and form factor differences are pronounced. The FirePro has a 50 W TDP, is single-slot, requires no power connectors, and has a suggested PSU of 250 W. The Vega 8 has a 25 W TDP, is an IGP with no slot width, no power connectors, and no suggested PSU. The FirePro measures 171 mm in length and 69 mm in height; the Vega 8 has no dimensions listed. Display outputs are 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 for the FirePro versus Motherboard Dependent for the Vega 8. API support differs: DirectX 12_0 versus 12_1, OpenGL 4.6 for both, and Vulkan 1.2.170 versus 1.3. Production status is End-of-life for both. Release dates are 2015-11-30 for the FirePro and 2018-02-11 for the Vega 8. Neither GPU has a launch MSRP in the database.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains a single recorded head-to-head benchmark between these two GPUs: Geekbench OpenCL. The FirePro W4300 scores 11,225, while the Radeon Vega 8 scores 8,822. This gives the FirePro a 27.2% advantage, a substantial margin that reflects the discrete card's dedicated memory and higher compute throughput. The FirePro's FP32 output of 1,428.5 GFLOPS versus the Vega 8's 1,126.4 GFLOPS provides a 26.8% raw compute advantage, closely matching the observed benchmark delta. The FirePro also has a 69.1% higher pixel rate (14.88 GPixel/s versus 8.800 GPixel/s) and a 26.8% higher texture rate (44.64 GTexel/s versus 35.20 GTexel/s), reinforcing its lead in fill-rate and texture-bound work.

The Vega 8's closest benchmark result to the FirePro comes from its Geekbench Metal score of 10,706, which is within 4.6% of the FirePro's OpenCL result. However, that Metal score cannot be compared directly to the head-to-head OpenCL test, and the Vulkan score of 8,134 is lower than the OpenCL score. The Vega 8's average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 9,221, versus 11,225 for the FirePro, a 21.7% gap in favor of the discrete card.

When placed against their respective nearest rivals, both GPUs show competitive positioning. The FirePro's 11,225 average score is within 0.3% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M (11,261) and essentially tied with the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 (11,228). The Vega 8's 9,221 average score is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon 890M (9,210) and within 1% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 (9,273), GTX 465 (9,294), and GTX 850M (9,302). The percentile ranks of 50 and 45, respectively, place both GPUs in the middle of the database distribution, but the FirePro's higher absolute score and larger head-to-head margin make it the clear winner in the recorded OpenCL workload.