AMD FirePro W5100 vs NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000D Blackwell Max-Q Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no overlapping benchmark tests for these two cards, which makes a direct numerical comparison impossible. The AMD FirePro W5100 has recorded scores in Geekbench OpenCL (11,888) and Geekbench Vulkan (13,805), producing an average benchmark score of 12,847. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000D Blackwell Max-Q has a single recorded benchmark, 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, with a score of 11,088. These tests measure different workloads, so no head-to-head deltas exist in the dataset. The wins tally sits at zero for both cards.

What the data does show is how each card positions itself among its nearest rivals. The FirePro W5100 sits at the 52nd percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its average score of 12,847 places it within 0.1% of the AMD Radeon Pro 455 (12,831) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 (12,830). It trails the AMD Radeon 740M (12,870) by 0.2% and leads the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 (12,773) by 0.6%. These are tight margins, indicating that the FirePro W5100 performs in a cluster of mid-range cards from its era.

The RTX PRO 6000D Blackwell Max-Q sits at the 50th percentile of all GPUs, with its 11,088 Steel Nomad score nearly matching the AMD Radeon RX 550 (11,075, a 0.1% lead) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER (11,047, a 0.4% lead). It trails the AMD FirePro W4300 (11,225) by 1.2%. The identical score to the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q (11,088, 0% delta) confirms they are effectively the same performer in this test.

The absence of shared benchmarks means the database cannot quantify which card is faster in aggregate. What is clear is that both cards cluster near their respective peers, with the FirePro W5100 slightly above the 50th percentile and the RTX PRO 6000D exactly at it. The recorded data offers no crossover point where the two can be ranked against each other.

Architecture Differences

The two cards represent opposite ends of the GPU design spectrum, separated by roughly a decade of silicon evolution. The FirePro W5100 uses the Bonaire chip on GCN 2.0 architecture, built on a 28 nm TSMC process. It packs 2,080 million transistors into a 160 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 13.0 million per square millimeter. The RTX PRO 6000D uses the GB202 chip on Blackwell 2.0 architecture, built on a 5 nm TSMC process. It contains 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die, achieving 122.9 million transistors per square millimeter. That is a density roughly 9.5 times higher, the data implies.

Memory configurations diverge sharply. The FirePro W5100 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth at 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective). The RTX PRO 6000D has 96 GB of GDDR7 on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The newer card offers 24 times the capacity and roughly 18.6 times the bandwidth, though the database notes these are raw specs, not performance guarantees.

Compute resources scale similarly. The FirePro W5100 has 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 16 raster output units. The RTX PRO 6000D has 24,064 shading units, 752 TMUs, and 192 ROPs. It also adds 188 ray tracing cores and 752 tensor cores, features absent from the older card. Pixel rate jumps from 14.88 GPixel/s to 439.3 GPixel/s, and texture rate from 44.64 GTexel/s to 1,720.6 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput rises from 1,428.5 GFLOPS to 110.1 TFLOPS, with the newer card also offering FP16 at 110.1 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio) where the older card has no recorded FP16 capability.

Power and physical design differ as expected. The FirePro W5100 draws 50 W, is single-slot, needs no power connectors, and suggests a 250 W PSU. The RTX PRO 6000D draws 300 W, is dual-slot, requires a single 16-pin connector, and suggests a 700 W PSU. The newer card is longer (267 mm versus 173 mm) but the same height (111 mm for both). The FirePro W5100 uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the RTX PRO 6000D uses PCIe 5.0 x16. Display outputs are 4x DisplayPort 1.2 versus 4x DisplayPort 2.1b.

API support reflects the generational gap. The FirePro W5100 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The RTX PRO 6000D supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The newer card also has a noted predecessor, Workstation Ada, while the FirePro W5100 succeeded FirePro Terascale and was itself succeeded by Radeon Pro Polaris.

Where Each One Wins

The FirePro W5100 wins in scenarios defined by modest power envelopes and established software ecosystems. Its 50 W TDP means it can run in systems with a 250 W suggested PSU, and its single-slot design with no power connectors allows installation in compact workstations. The 4 GB GDDR5 memory is sufficient for legacy professional workloads, and the 4x DisplayPort 1.2 outputs support multi-monitor setups from that era. The recorded Geekbench scores, 11,888 in OpenCL and 13,805 in Vulkan, show it handles compute and graphics APIs of its generation competently. Its position at the 52nd percentile, slightly above half of all GPUs in the database, suggests it remains relevant for older software stacks.

The RTX PRO 6000D wins in scenarios demanding maximum compute throughput and modern feature support. Its 96 GB GDDR7 memory with 1.79 TB/s bandwidth is designed for large datasets, and the 188 ray tracing cores plus 752 tensor cores enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI workloads. The 110.1 TFLOPS FP32 and FP16 performance, the PCIe 5.0 interface, and DisplayPort 2.1b outputs all point to current-generation professional tasks. The single Steel Nomad score of 11,088, while not directly comparable to the FirePro W5100's Geekbench results, indicates solid DirectX 12 Ultimate performance. The 300 W TDP and 700 W suggested PSU reflect the power demands of that capability.

The data also implies a temperature and noise split. The FirePro W5100's 50 W draw likely allows passive or low-speed cooling, though the database does not specify fan configurations. The RTX PRO 6000D's 300 W draw requires active cooling in a dual-slot form factor. Neither card has recorded thermal measurements, so this remains qualitative inference from the power figures.

The Verdict

The database shows two cards that do not compete in the same market segment. The AMD FirePro W5100, released in 2014 and now end-of-life, delivers 1,428.5 GFLOPS FP32 with 4 GB memory and a 50 W TDP. Its nearest rivals are mid-range cards like the Radeon Pro 455 and GeForce GTX 590, all within 0.6% of its average score. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000D Blackwell Max-Q, released in 2025 and active, delivers 110.1 TFLOPS FP32 with 96 GB memory and a 300 W TDP. Its nearest rivals include the Radeon RX 550 and GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER, all within 1.2% of its Steel Nomad score. The launch MSRP for the RTX PRO 6000D is 8,565 USD.

Who should pick which depends entirely on workload era and requirements. The FirePro W5100 suits legacy professional applications that need a low-power, single-slot card with four DisplayPort 1.2 outputs and support for DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.2.170. It cannot run modern ray tracing or tensor workloads, as it has no RT or tensor cores. The RTX PRO 6000D suits current-generation professional tasks that need massive memory capacity, hardware ray tracing, tensor acceleration, and PCIe 5.0 bandwidth. Its 96 GB GDDR7 and 752 tensor cores are the standout features, though its 300 W demand and dual-slot size require a correspondingly capable system.

The percentile data adds context. The FirePro W5100 at the 52nd percentile outperforms half the GPUs in the database, remarkable for a 2014 card. The RTX PRO 6000D at the 50th percentile sits exactly in the middle, but this is based on a single test, 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which may not reflect its full capability. The database records no overlapping benchmarks, so any direct comparison would be speculative. Users should choose based on the specific software they run and the hardware constraints of their systems.

FAQ

Q: Which card has more memory?

A: The NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000D Blackwell Max-Q has 96 GB of GDDR7, while the AMD FirePro W5100 has 4 GB of GDDR5.

Q: Do both cards support DirectX 12?

A: Yes, but at different levels. The FirePro W5100 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the RTX PRO 6000D supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2).

Q: What is the power draw difference?

A: The FirePro W5100 has a 50 W TDP and needs no power connectors, while the RTX PRO 6000D has a 300 W TDP and requires one 16-pin connector.

Q: Which card has ray tracing cores?

A: Only the RTX PRO 6000D has dedicated ray tracing hardware, with 188 RT cores. The FirePro W5100 has no RT cores recorded in the database.

Q: How do their benchmark scores compare?

A: The database has no overlapping tests. The FirePro W5100 averages 12,847 across Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan, while the RTX PRO 6000D scores 11,088 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. These tests are not directly comparable.

Q: Which card is currently in production?

A: The RTX PRO 6000D is active, while the FirePro W5100 is end-of-life. The FirePro W5100 was released in 2014, and the RTX PRO 6000D in 2025.

Specification Differences

| Field | AMD FirePro W5100 | NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000D Blackwell Max-Q |

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

| Chip | Bonaire | GB202 |

| Architecture | GCN 2.0 | Blackwell 2.0 |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 5 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | TSMC |

| Transistors | 2,080 million | 92,200 million |

| Die Size | 160 mm² | 750 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 13.0M / mm² | 122.9M / mm² |

| Base Clock | None recorded | 1590 MHz |

| Boost Clock | None recorded | 2288 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1500 MHz, 6 Gbps effective | 1750 MHz, 28 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 96 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR7 |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 512 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 96.00 GB/s | 1.79 TB/s |

| Shading Units | 768 | 24,064 |

| TMUs | 48 | 752 |

| ROPs | 16 | 192 |

| RT Cores | None | 188 |

| Tensor Cores | None | 752 |

| Pixel Rate | 14.88 GPixel/s | 439.3 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 44.64 GTexel/s | 1,720.6 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 1,428.5 GFLOPS | 110.1 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | None recorded | 110.1 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 50 W | 300 W |

| Slot Width | Single-slot | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | None | 1x 16-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 250 W | 700 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 5.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 4x DisplayPort 1.2 | 4x DisplayPort 2.1b |

| DirectX | 12 (12_0) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |

| Vulkan | 1.2.170 | 1.4 |

| Length | 173 mm (6.8 inches) | 267 mm (10.5 inches) |

| Height | 111 mm (4.4 inches) | 111 mm (4.4 inches) |

| Width | None recorded | 40 mm (1.6 inches) |

| Production Status | End-of-life | Active |

| Release Date | 2014-03-30 | 2025-03-17 |

| Predecessor | FirePro Terascale | Workstation Ada |

| Successor | Radeon Pro Polaris | None recorded |

| Launch MSRP | None recorded | 8,565 USD |