AMD FirePro W5000 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Comparison

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 than the AMD FirePro W5000 in the shared benchmark?

A: In the only head-to-head benchmark available, Geekbench OpenCL, the GTX 1080 scores 51,204 versus 9,803 for the FirePro W5000, a delta of 422.3% in favor of the NVIDIA card.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card?

A: The GTX 1080 has an average benchmark score of 11,960 across all recorded tests, while the FirePro W5000 has an average score of 9,803 based on a single OpenCL result.

Q: How do these cards rank among all GPUs in the database?

A: The GTX 1080 sits at the 51st percentile of all GPUs, while the FirePro W5000 is at the 47th percentile, placing both in the middle of the overall distribution.

Q: What are the closest rivals to the GTX 1080 in the database?

A: The nearest rivals include the GeForce GTX 960A (average score 11,998, 0.3% ahead), the Radeon RX 6500 XT (11,842, 1% behind), the GeForce GTX 1660 (11,680, 2.4% behind), and the Radeon RX 7800 XT (11,627, 2.9% behind).

Q: What are the closest rivals to the FirePro W5000?

A: The nearest rivals include the GeForce GTX 1070 (average score 9,780, 0.2% behind), the Quadro M2000M (9,832, 0.3% ahead), the Quadro 6000 (9,846, 0.4% ahead), and the Tesla M10 (9,724, 0.8% behind).

Q: What are the launch MSRP values for both cards?

A: Both the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 and the AMD FirePro W5000 carry a launch MSRP of 599 USD.

Architecture Differences

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 is built on the GP104 chip using the Pascal architecture on a 16 nm process at TSMC. It packs 7,200 million transistors into a 314 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 22.9M per mm². The FirePro W5000 uses the Pitcairn chip with the GCN 1.0 architecture on a 28 nm process, also at TSMC, with 2,800 million transistors on a 212 mm² die for a density of 13.2M per mm².

The compute configurations differ dramatically. The GTX 1080 has 2,560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. The FirePro W5000 has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. That means the Pascal card has more than three times the shader count and more than three times the texture units, while doubling the ROP count.

Memory architecture is where the gulf widens further. The GTX 1080 uses 8 GB of GDDR5X on a 256-bit bus, producing 320.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The FirePro W5000 has 2 GB of GDDR5 on the same 256-bit bus, but bandwidth drops to 102.4 GB/s. Even though the bus width is identical, the newer GDDR5X standard and higher effective memory clock (10 Gbps versus 3.2 Gbps) give the NVIDIA card a threefold bandwidth advantage.

Process technology explains part of the story. The 16 nm node versus 28 nm means the GTX 1080 fits 7,200 million transistors in a die only 48% larger by area, while the older FirePro uses a larger process with fewer transistors. The GTX 1080 also supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, whereas the FirePro W5000 supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both cards support OpenGL 4.6. Neither card has ray tracing or tensor cores.

The GTX 1080 draws 180 W and requires a dual-slot cooler with a single 8-pin power connector, while the FirePro W5000 draws only 75 W with no power connector and a single-slot design. The NVIDIA card is 267 mm long, the AMD card 183 mm. Both are 112 mm tall, and the GTX 1080 is 40 mm wide while the FirePro's width is not recorded.

Where Each One Wins

The data shows a clear split. The GTX 1080 wins in every recorded benchmark category where both have data. Its 8,873 TFLOPS FP32 performance dwarfs the FirePro's 1,267.2 GFLOPS. Pixel throughput is 110.9 GPixel/s versus 26.40 GPixel/s, and texture throughput is 277.3 GTexel/s versus 39.60 GTexel/s.

The FirePro W5000 wins on power efficiency metrics, at least in raw terms: 75 W TDP with no external power connector versus 180 W with a single 8-pin. It also fits in a single-slot form factor at 183 mm length, compared to the GTX 1080's dual-slot 267 mm footprint. For constrained chassis or multi-card workstation builds, the FirePro's physical profile is the practical advantage.

However, in terms of raw compute, the GTX 1080 wins the only direct head-to-head test by 422.3%. Across the broader benchmark suite, the GTX 1080 has multiple recorded results: 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 at 1,560, Geekbench Metal at 23,824, Geekbench OpenCL at 51,204, Geekbench Vulkan at 30,398, Passmark DX10 at 93, DX11 at 124, DX12 at 55, DX9 at 211, G2D at 888, G3D at 15,586, and GPU Compute at 7,614. The FirePro has only one recorded result: Geekbench OpenCL at 9,803.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 | AMD FirePro W5000 |

|---|---|---|

| Chip | GP104 | Pitcairn |

| Architecture | Pascal | GCN 1.0 |

| Process node | 16 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 7,200 million | 2,800 million |

| Die size | 314 mm² | 212 mm² |

| Transistor density | 22.9M / mm² | 13.2M / mm² |

| Memory size | 8 GB GDDR5X | 2 GB GDDR5 |

| Memory bus | 256 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory bandwidth | 320.3 GB/s | 102.4 GB/s |

| Effective memory clock | 10 Gbps | 3.2 Gbps |

| Shading units | 2560 | 768 |

| TMUs | 160 | 48 |

| ROPs | 64 | 32 |

| Pixel rate | 110.9 GPixel/s | 26.40 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 277.3 GTexel/s | 39.60 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 8.873 TFLOPS | 1,267.2 GFLOPS |

| FP16 | 138.6 GFLOPS (1:64) | Not recorded |

| TDP | 180 W | 75 W |

| Slot width | Dual-slot | Single-slot |

| Power connectors | 1x 8-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | 250 W |

| Length | 267 mm | 183 mm |

| Height | 112 mm | 112 mm |

| Width | 40 mm | Not recorded |

| DirectX | 12 (12_1) | 12 (11_1) |

| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | 1.2.170 |

| Display outputs | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a | 1x DVI, 2x DisplayPort 1.2 |

| Release date | 2016-05-26 | 2012-08-06 |

| Predecessor | GeForce 900 | FirePro Terascale |

| Successor | GeForce 20 | Radeon Pro Polaris |

| Launch MSRP | 599 USD | 599 USD |

The base clock for the GTX 1080 is 1607 MHz with a boost of 1733 MHz; the FirePro W5000 has no base or boost clocks recorded. The GTX 1080's memory clock is 1251 MHz, the FirePro's is 800 MHz.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison in the database is Geekbench OpenCL. The GTX 1080 scores 51,204 against the FirePro W5000's 9,803, a 422.3% advantage. That single result dominates the head-to-head tally, with the NVIDIA card winning 1 test and the AMD card winning 0.

Looking at the broader benchmark set for the GTX 1080, the scores show a card with strong compute characteristics across multiple APIs. The Passmark G3D score of 15,586 is far above the GPU Compute score of 7,614, suggesting geometry and rasterization performance outpace pure compute in that suite. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 51,204 is the highest single result, exceeding the Vulkan score of 30,398 and Metal score of 23,824. That ordering hints at OpenCL being the most favorable API for this architecture.

The FirePro W5000's only recorded score is 9,803 in Geekbench OpenCL. Its nearest rivals in the database cluster tightly: the Quadro 6000 at 9,846 is 0.4% ahead, the Quadro M2000M at 9,832 is 0.3% ahead, the GTX 1070 at 9,780 is 0.2% behind, and the Tesla M10 at 9,724 is 0.8% behind. The FirePro sits almost exactly in the middle of that pack, within 1% of all four rivals. This suggests the W5000's compute performance is representative of a specific performance tier, not an outlier.

The GTX 1080's rivals are similarly tight: the GTX 960A at 11,998 is 0.3% ahead, the RX 6500 XT at 11,842 is 1% behind, the GTX 1660 at 11,680 is 2.4% behind, and the RX 7800 XT at 11,627 is 2.9% behind. The 1080's average of 11,960 places it near the top of this group, just barely trailing the 960A. The gap between the two cards' averages (11,960 versus 9,803) is roughly 22%, but the single head-to-head result shows a much larger 422.3% delta, which reflects the specific nature of the OpenCL workload.

The Verdict

The data points to an unambiguous conclusion for compute-heavy workloads. The GTX 1080 outperforms the FirePro W5000 in the single shared benchmark by 422.3%, and its average benchmark score of 11,960 versus 9,803 confirms a substantial overall advantage. The Pascal architecture's 16 nm process, 8 GB of GDDR5X, and 2,560 shading units provide a generational leap over the GCN 1.0 part.

For users needing maximum compute throughput, the GTX 1080 is the clear choice. Its 8.873 TFLOPS FP32 and 320.3 GB/s bandwidth make it suitable for demanding GPU compute tasks, and its 51st percentile ranking among all GPUs places it above the FirePro's 47th percentile.

The FirePro W5000 retains relevance only in scenarios where power and physical constraints matter more than performance. Its 75 W TDP with no power connector, single-slot design, and 183 mm length make it easier to install in compact or densely populated systems. The suggested PSU requirement of 250 W versus 450 W further reduces system power demands.

Both cards launched at the same 599 USD MSRP, but the performance gap is enormous. The GTX 1080's nearest rivals are all within 3% of its average score, while the FirePro's rivals are within 1%, so both cards are competitive within their respective performance brackets. The real story is the distance between those brackets: the GTX 1080 sits in a tier roughly 22% higher on average, and the head-to-head result shows the gap can be much larger depending on the workload.

For a workstation needing professional-grade compute with minimal power draw, the FirePro W5000 offers a measured, low-footprint option. For anyone prioritizing raw performance, the GTX 1080 is the only defensible pick from this data. The 422.3% OpenCL delta is not a marginal difference; it is a categorical one.