AMD FirePro W4300 vs NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000D Blackwell Max-Q Comparison

The AMD FirePro W4300 and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000D Blackwell Max-Q represent two completely different eras of workstation graphics, and the benchmark data confirms this is not a competitive matchup. The FirePro W4300, a 2015-era entry-level card, and the RTX PRO 6000D, a 2025 flagship, are separated by a decade of architectural evolution. While the single available benchmark score shows a statistical near-tie, the underlying specifications reveal a chasm in capability that the raw numbers do not capture.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable data point is the Geekbench OpenCL score, where the AMD FirePro W4300 posts a score of 11,225. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000D Blackwell Max-Q scores 11,088 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, which is a different workload entirely. In the nearestRivals data, the FirePro W4300 is listed with a deltaPct of 1.2 against the RTX PRO 6000D, meaning the AMD card is 1.2% ahead in that specific comparison of average scores. However, this is misleading. The FirePro's score comes from an OpenCL compute test, while the RTX PRO 6000D's score comes from a modern DX12 gaming/rendering benchmark. These are not apples-to-apples comparisons.

Looking at the rival deltas, the RTX PRO 6000D sits within 0.4% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER and 0.1% of the AMD Radeon RX 550 in its benchmark, while the FirePro W4300 is effectively tied with the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 (deltaPct 0) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M (deltaPct -0.3). The data shows both cards land in the 50th percentile of all GPUs, but that is where the similarity ends. The FirePro W4300's 1,428.5 GFLOPS FP32 throughput is dwarfed by the RTX PRO 6000D's 110.1 TFLOPS — a difference of roughly 77 times. In pixel rate, the RTX PRO 6000D delivers 439.3 GPixel/s versus the FirePro's 14.88 GPixel/s, a 29.5x advantage. Texture rate tells the same story: 1,720.6 GTexel/s versus 44.64 GTexel/s, a 38.5x gap. These are not small margins; they are generational leaps.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD FirePro W4300 wins in exactly one measurable category: the raw Geekbench OpenCL score. At 11,225, it edges out the RTX PRO 6000D's 11,088 in their respective benchmarks. This is likely because the OpenCL test favors the FirePro's simpler GCN architecture for that specific workload, or because the test itself is older and does not stress the newer card's features. In every other measurable specification, the NVIDIA card wins decisively. Memory capacity is 96 GB versus 4 GB — a 24x difference. Memory bandwidth is 1.79 TB/s versus 96.00 GB/s, an 18.6x advantage. The RTX PRO 6000D has 24,064 shading units versus 768, 752 TMUs versus 48, and 192 ROPs versus 16. It also has dedicated hardware the FirePro lacks entirely: 188 RT cores and 752 tensor cores.

For real-world use, the FirePro W4300 is suited only for basic 2D workstation tasks or legacy software that relies on OpenCL compute. Its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and 128-bit bus limit it to small textures and simple scenes. The RTX PRO 6000D, with 96 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, is designed for massive datasets, AI inference, and ray-traced rendering. The data indicates that any workload involving large models, high-resolution textures, or parallel compute would be overwhelmingly faster on the NVIDIA card. The FirePro's only theoretical win would be in a legacy OpenCL application that does not utilize the RTX card's newer instruction sets, where the 1.2% delta could translate to a marginal lead.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher benchmark score?

A: The AMD FirePro W4300 scores 11,225 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000D Blackwell Max-Q scores 11,088 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. The FirePro is 1.2% ahead in the nearestRivals delta comparison, but the tests are different workloads.

Q: How do the memory capacities compare?

A: The RTX PRO 6000D has 96 GB of GDDR7 memory, which is 24 times the FirePro W4300's 4 GB of GDDR5. The RTX card also has a 512-bit bus versus the FirePro's 128-bit bus.

Q: What is the FP32 performance difference?

A: The RTX PRO 6000D delivers 110.1 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, while the FirePro W4300 delivers 1,428.5 GFLOPS (1.43 TFLOPS). This represents approximately a 77-fold advantage for the NVIDIA card.

Q: Do both cards support DirectX 12?

A: Yes, but at different levels. The FirePro W4300 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the RTX PRO 6000D supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), which includes additional features like ray tracing and mesh shaders.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The FirePro W4300 has a 50 W TDP with no power connectors, while the RTX PRO 6000D has a 300 W TDP and requires a single 16-pin power connector. The suggested PSU rating is 250 W for the AMD card and 700 W for the NVIDIA card.

Q: Are these cards from the same generation?

A: No. The FirePro W4300 is from the GCN 2.0 architecture on a 28 nm process, released in late 2015. The RTX PRO 6000D is from the Blackwell 2.0 architecture on a 5 nm process, released in early 2025.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every measurable specification. The FirePro W4300 uses a 28 nm process with 2,080 million transistors on a 160 mm² die, while the RTX PRO 6000D uses a 5 nm process with 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die. Transistor density is 13.0M per mm² for AMD versus 122.9M per mm² for NVIDIA. Clock speeds: the FirePro has no listed base or boost clock, but its memory runs at 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective); the RTX card has a 1590 MHz base and 2288 MHz boost, with memory at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). Memory configuration: 4 GB GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus versus 96 GB GDDR7 on a 512-bit bus. The shading units are 768 versus 24,064; TMUs are 48 versus 752; ROPs are 16 versus 192. The RTX card adds 188 RT cores and 752 tensor cores, which the FirePro lacks entirely. Pixel rate is 14.88 GPixel/s versus 439.3 GPixel/s; texture rate is 44.64 GTexel/s versus 1,720.6 GTexel/s. Power: 50 W TDP with no connectors versus 300 W TDP with a 16-pin connector. The FirePro is single-slot, measuring 171 mm in length; the RTX card is dual-slot, measuring 267 mm long, 111 mm tall, and 40 mm wide. Bus interface: PCIe 3.0 x16 versus PCIe 5.0 x16. Display outputs: 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 versus 4x DisplayPort 2.1b.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide is absolute. The FirePro W4300 is built on GCN 2.0 (chip Bonaire), a 2015-era design from AMD's FirePro GCN generation. It supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. It has no ray tracing cores and no tensor cores, relying entirely on its 768 shading units for all compute. The RTX PRO 6000D is built on Blackwell 2.0 (chip GB202), NVIDIA's latest workstation architecture. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. It includes 188 dedicated RT cores for hardware-accelerated ray tracing and 752 tensor cores for AI workloads. The FP16 performance on the RTX card is 110.1 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio with FP32), while the FirePro has no listed FP16 capability. The process node difference is stark: 28 nm (TSMC) for AMD versus 5 nm (TSMC) for NVIDIA. The transistor count increased from 2,080 million to 92,200 million — a 44x increase. The die size grew from 160 mm² to 750 mm², and transistor density improved from 13.0M to 122.9M per mm². The FirePro's predecessor was FirePro Terascale, while the RTX card's predecessor is Workstation Ada. Production status: the FirePro is end-of-life, while the RTX card is active.

The Verdict

The data makes the choice unambiguous. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000D Blackwell Max-Q is the superior card by every architectural and specification measure, despite losing the single benchmark comparison by 1.2%. The FirePro W4300's 4 GB memory, 96 GB/s bandwidth, and 1,428.5 GFLOPS FP32 performance place it firmly in entry-level territory for 2015-era workloads. The RTX PRO 6000D's 96 GB memory, 1.79 TB/s bandwidth, and 110.1 TFLOPS FP32 performance make it a modern compute powerhouse. The 77x gap in FP32 throughput alone means any compute-heavy task will finish orders of magnitude faster on the NVIDIA card. The RTX card's 188 RT cores and 752 tensor cores enable ray tracing and AI acceleration that the AMD card simply cannot perform. For anyone running modern 3D rendering, AI inference, or large-scale scientific computing, the RTX PRO 6000D is the only viable option. The FirePro W4300 would only be chosen for legacy software compatibility or extremely low-power embedded applications, where its 50 W TDP and no-connector design offer an advantage. However, given that the FirePro is end-of-life and the RTX card is active with a launch MSRP of 8,565 USD, the recommendation is clear: the RTX PRO 6000D is the professional choice, while the FirePro W4300 is a historical artifact with no competitive standing.