AMD FirePro W5000 vs AMD Radeon RX 550 Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 550 and the AMD FirePro W5000 are both end-of-life graphics cards from AMD, but they target very different eras and use cases. The RX 550, built on the modern 14nm GCN 4.0 architecture, outperforms the older, 28nm FirePro W5000 in the only benchmark they share, achieving an average score of 11,075 compared to 9,803. The data suggests the RX 550 is the more practical choice for general users, while the FirePro W5000, with its workstation pedigree, may still hold relevance for specific legacy professional tasks.

The Verdict

The benchmark data clearly favors the AMD Radeon RX 550 for most buyers. Its average benchmark score of 11,075 places it in the 50th percentile of all GPUs, which is higher than the FirePro W5000's 47th percentile. In the sole head-to-head benchmark (Geekbench OpenCL), the RX 550 scores 11,063, a decisive 12.9% lead over the FirePro W5000's 9,803. If you need a card for modern gaming, media consumption, or general-purpose computing with current API support, the RX 550 is the superior choice. Its 50W power draw and lack of power connectors also make it a drop-in solution for almost any system.

The AMD FirePro W5000 is a tougher sell based purely on performance data. It is not just slower; it is also based on an older architecture with weaker API support. However, its single-slot design and 256-bit memory bus, which gives it 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth, might appeal to someone building a compact workstation with specific legacy software requirements. The data does not show it winning any benchmarks, so its selection would be based on form factor and historical software certification rather than raw score.

Pick the Radeon RX 550 if you want the faster card with better driver support for modern applications. Pick the FirePro W5000 only if you have a specific need for a single-slot professional card and can accept its performance deficit.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are separated by four years of GPU design, which explains most of their performance and feature gaps. The RX 550 uses the Lexa chip based on the GCN 4.0 architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. In contrast, the FirePro W5000 uses the Pitcairn chip based on the original GCN 1.0 architecture, built on a much larger 28 nm process at TSMC. This process difference is stark: the RX 550 packs 2,200 million transistors into a 103 mm² die, while the FirePro W5000 puts 2,800 million transistors into a significantly larger 212 mm² die.

Despite having fewer transistors, the RX 550 achieves a higher transistor density (21.4M / mm² versus 13.2M / mm²), highlighting the efficiency gains of the newer process node. The architectural generation gap also affects API support. The RX 550 supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3, while the FirePro W5000 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The RX 550 also features a 1:1 FP16 rate, whereas the FirePro W5000's FP16 capability is not listed, indicating it was not a focus for that older architecture.

Memory configurations are similar in size (2 GB GDDR5) but differ in implementation. The RX 550 has a 128-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 112.0 GB/s, while the FirePro W5000 has a wider 256-bit bus, resulting in a slightly lower bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. The newer card achieves higher bandwidth with a narrower bus because its memory runs at an effective speed of 7 Gbps, compared to the FirePro W5000's 3.2 Gbps. The RX 550 also supports newer display outputs, including HDMI 2.0b and DisplayPort 1.4a, while the FirePro W5000 is limited to DisplayPort 1.2.

Where Each One Wins

Based on the benchmark data, the AMD Radeon RX 550 wins in the only test they share: the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark. This is a significant win, as it demonstrates superior raw compute performance in a cross-vendor API. The RX 550's higher average benchmark score of 11,075 versus 9,803 also suggests it is the faster card overall across a broader set of workloads. This makes it the winner for any task that relies on general GPU compute, such as video encoding, photo editing, or running modern games that leverage OpenCL or Vulkan.

The AMD FirePro W5000 does not win any benchmark in the provided data. Its sole victory would be in a scenario where its physical characteristics are paramount. It is a single-slot card, while the RX 550 is dual-slot, which could be a critical factor in a densely populated rack or a small form factor chassis. Furthermore, its 256-bit bus, while slower in bandwidth than the RX 550, historically provided better performance in certain professional applications that are not reflected in the Geekbench OpenCL score. Its higher shading unit count (768 versus 512) and ROPS (32 versus 16) are not enough to overcome its lower clock speeds and older architecture in the data provided.

The use-case split is clear: the RX 550 is the winner for performance-oriented tasks, while the FirePro W5000 is only a candidate for projects that require a specific single-slot professional card and do not rely on the latest API features.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 550 is significantly faster, scoring 11,063 compared to the AMD FirePro W5000's 9,803. This represents a 12.9% performance advantage for the RX 550.

Q: Do these cards support the same version of DirectX?

A: No. The AMD Radeon RX 550 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the AMD FirePro W5000 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1). This means the RX 550 can leverage newer features in modern games and applications.

Q: Are there any differences in their power requirements?

A: Yes. The AMD Radeon RX 550 has a TDP of 50 W, while the AMD FirePro W5000 has a TDP of 75 W. Both cards do not require any external power connectors, and both have a suggested PSU rating of 250 W.

Q: How does the memory bandwidth compare between the two cards?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 550 has a higher memory bandwidth of 112.0 GB/s, despite using a 128-bit bus. The AMD FirePro W5000 uses a wider 256-bit bus but achieves a lower bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s due to its slower memory clock.

Q: Which card is a better fit for a modern gaming PC?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 550, based on its higher benchmark score, superior DirectX 12_0 support, and more recent architecture (GCN 4.0 versus GCN 1.0), is the better choice for modern gaming.

Q: Is the FirePro W5000's single-slot design an advantage?

A: Yes, it is a key differentiator. The AMD FirePro W5000 is a single-slot card, whereas the AMD Radeon RX 550 is a dual-slot card. This makes the FirePro W5000 easier to install in space-constrained systems, but this is its only clear advantage in the data.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data provides a single point of comparison, but it is a decisive one. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD Radeon RX 550 scores 11,063 points, while the AMD FirePro W5000 manages only 9,803 points. This 12.9% difference is substantial and reflects the generational leap in architecture. The RX 550's GCN 4.0 architecture, with its efficient 14nm process, allows it to outperform the older GCN 1.0 chip despite having fewer shading units (512 versus 768).

Looking at the broader benchmark context, the RX 550's average score of 11,075 places it just 0.1% behind the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000D Blackwell Max-Q and 0.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER. This shows that the RX 550 performs in a similar class to these more well-known cards. In contrast, the FirePro W5000's average score of 9,803 puts it on par with the NVIDIA Quadro 6000 (0.4% behind) and the NVIDIA Quadro M2000M (0.3% behind). This effectively places the FirePro W5000 in a lower performance tier than the RX 550.

The single head-to-head result is the only direct measurement available, but it aligns with the overall average scores. The RX 550 is consistently faster, and the data shows no benchmark where the FirePro W5000 comes out ahead. The victory in the OpenCL test is particularly important because OpenCL is a cross-platform, cross-vendor standard, meaning the RX 550's lead is not an artifact of a proprietary API.

Specification Differences

The specification sheet reveals a clear generational divide between these two cards. The most fundamental difference is the process node: the RX 550 uses a 14 nm process, while the FirePro W5000 uses a 28 nm process. This leads to differences in die size and transistor density. The RX 550's die is 103 mm², while the FirePro W5000's is 212 mm². Despite the smaller die, the RX 550 has a higher transistor density (21.4M / mm² versus 13.2M / mm²).

Clock speeds are also reported differently. The RX 550 has explicit base (1100 MHz) and boost (1183 MHz) clocks, while the FirePro W5000 has no listed base or boost clocks. The memory clock differs significantly, with the RX 550 running at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) and the FirePro W5000 at 800 MHz (3.2 Gbps effective). This explains the bandwidth reversal, where the narrower 128-bit bus of the RX 550 delivers more bandwidth (112.0 GB/s) than the 256-bit bus of the FirePro W5000 (102.4 GB/s).

The compute resources are distributed differently. The RX 550 has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The FirePro W5000 has more of each: 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. However, the RX 550 compensates with higher clock speeds and newer architecture, resulting in a higher texture rate (37.86 GTexel/s versus 39.60 GTexel/s is actually lower) but a lower pixel rate (18.93 GPixel/s versus 26.40 GPixel/s). The FP32 performance is close, with the RX 550 at 1,211.4 GFLOPS and the FirePro W5000 at 1,267.2 GFLOPS.

Physical and interface differences are notable. The RX 550 is a dual-slot card that is 145 mm long, while the FirePro W5000 is a single-slot card that is 183 mm long and 111 mm high. The RX 550 uses a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface, while the FirePro W5000 uses a full PCIe 3.0 x16 interface. Both have a TDP of 50 W and 75 W, respectively, and neither requires a power connector. The RX 550 offers more modern display outputs (1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, 1x DisplayPort 1.4a) compared to the FirePro W5000 (1x DVI, 2x DisplayPort 1.2).