AMD FirePro W7000 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB Comparison

The AMD FirePro W7000 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB represent two distinct design philosophies separated by four years of GPU architecture evolution. The data shows a 1-1 split in benchmark wins, with each card claiming victory in a different API workload. The FirePro W7000, a GCN 1.0 professional card from 2012, dominates in Vulkan compute performance, while the GTX 1060 3 GB, a Pascal-based consumer card from 2016, takes OpenCL by a significant margin. Their average benchmark scores are remarkably close — 19905 for the FirePro versus 19334 for the GTX 1060 — placing them within 3% of each other overall, despite their differing strengths. This near-parity in aggregate performance makes the choice between them highly dependent on the specific workload and API in question.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD FirePro W7000 is the clear winner in Vulkan-based workloads. Its Geekbench Vulkan score of 22001 versus the GTX 1060's 17475 represents a 25.9% advantage, a substantial lead that indicates the GCN 1.0 architecture's Vulkan driver maturity and compute scheduling are particularly well-suited to this modern API. For any application leveraging Vulkan for compute or rendering, the FirePro W7000 holds a decisive edge.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB, conversely, dominates in OpenCL. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 27001 crushes the FirePro's 17808, a 34% deficit for the AMD card. This is a massive gap that suggests Pascal's compute efficiency and driver optimization for OpenCL are far superior. The GTX 1060 also has the advantage of a Metal benchmark score of 13527, which the FirePro lacks entirely, indicating broader API coverage for Apple ecosystem users. The GTX 1060's 3.935 TFLOPS FP32 throughput versus the FirePro's 2.432 TFLOPS gives it a raw compute advantage that shows up clearly in this workload.

In terms of overall position, the FirePro W7000 sits in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, while the GTX 1060 is at the 64th percentile. These are essentially equivalent standings. The FirePro's average benchmark score of 19905 places it just 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla K40m, 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT, and 1.5% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro K5200. The GTX 1060's 19334 average puts it 0.4% behind the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX, 0.8% ahead of the NVIDIA TITAN Xp, and 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla K20m. Both cards are clustered tightly among mid-range and professional rivals, but their individual benchmark profiles diverge sharply by API.

Architecture Differences

The FirePro W7000 is built on AMD's GCN 1.0 architecture using the Pitcairn chip, fabricated on TSMC's 28 nm process. It packs 2,800 million transistors into a 212 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 13.2M per mm². The GTX 1060 3 GB uses NVIDIA's Pascal architecture with the GP106 chip, manufactured on TSMC's 16 nm process. It contains 4,400 million transistors on a 200 mm² die, achieving a density of 22.0M per mm² — a 67% improvement in density that reflects the more advanced manufacturing node.

Clock speeds differ fundamentally. The GTX 1060 has explicit base and boost clocks of 1506 MHz and 1708 MHz, respectively, while the FirePro W7000's clocks are not listed in the data. The GTX 1060's memory runs at 2002 MHz (8 Gbps effective), whereas the FirePro's memory is rated at 1200 MHz (4.8 Gbps effective). These clock differences translate into significant bandwidth advantages for the NVIDIA card.

The GTX 1060 features 1152 shading units, 72 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs. The FirePro W7000 counters with 1280 shading units, 80 TMUs, but only 32 ROPs. Despite having fewer shaders, the GTX 1060 achieves higher pixel and texture rates: 81.98 GPixel/s and 123.0 GTexel/s versus the FirePro's 30.40 GPixel/s and 76.00 GTexel/s. Neither card has ray tracing or tensor cores. The GTX 1060 supports FP16 at 61.49 GFLOPS (1:64 ratio), a feature absent from the FirePro's specifications.

API support also diverges. The GTX 1060 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while the FirePro is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The GTX 1060's newer API versions provide better forward compatibility with modern software.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench OpenCL test delivers the most lopsided result in this comparison. The GTX 1060 3 GB scores 27001 against the FirePro W7000's 17808, a 34% delta in NVIDIA's favor. This is a crushing victory that aligns with the raw spec sheet differences: the GTX 1060 has 3.935 TFLOPS FP32 versus 2.432 TFLOPS, 192.2 GB/s memory bandwidth versus 153.6 GB/s, and a 16 nm process versus 28 nm. The OpenCL workload appears to scale almost linearly with these hardware advantages, making it a clear case of newer architecture winning on raw compute throughput.

The Geekbench Vulkan test reverses the outcome entirely. The FirePro W7000 scores 22001, beating the GTX 1060's 17475 by 25.9%. This result is counterintuitive given the GTX 1060's hardware superiority, but it demonstrates that Vulkan performance is not purely a function of compute resources. The FirePro's GCN 1.0 architecture, designed for professional workloads with different scheduling priorities, apparently handles Vulkan's asynchronous compute and command buffer management more efficiently. The 25.9% win is substantial and suggests that any Vulkan-based application — whether gaming, rendering, or compute — would perform noticeably better on the older AMD card.

With one win apiece, the head-to-head record is perfectly balanced. The aggregate average benchmark scores reflect this equilibrium: 19905 for the FirePro versus 19334 for the GTX 1060, a mere 2.9% difference. The data indicates that no single card is universally faster; rather, the winner depends entirely on which API the workload uses.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD FirePro W7000 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB |

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

| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | Pascal |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 16 nm |

| Transistors | 2,800 million | 4,400 million |

| Die Size | 212 mm² | 200 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 13.2M / mm² | 22.0M / mm² |

| Base Clock | Not listed | 1506 MHz |

| Boost Clock | Not listed | 1708 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1200 MHz (4.8 Gbps) | 2002 MHz (8 Gbps) |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 3 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 256 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 153.6 GB/s | 192.2 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1280 | 1152 |

| TMUs | 80 | 72 |

| ROPs | 32 | 48 |

| Pixel Rate | 30.40 GPixel/s | 81.98 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 76.00 GTexel/s | 123.0 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 2.432 TFLOPS | 3.935 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | Not listed | 61.49 GFLOPS (1:64) |

| TDP | 150 W | 120 W |

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

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | 300 W |

| Display Outputs | 4x DisplayPort 1.2 | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |

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

| Vulkan | 1.2.170 | 1.4 |

| Release Date | 2012-06-12 | 2016-08-17 |

| Launch MSRP | 899 USD | 199 USD |

The FirePro W7000 has a 256-bit memory bus with 4 GB of VRAM versus the GTX 1060's 192-bit bus with 3 GB, giving the AMD card more capacity but less bandwidth. The GTX 1060 compensates with higher effective memory speed, achieving 192.2 GB/s versus 153.6 GB/s. The FirePro is single-slot with a 150 W TDP, while the GTX 1060 is dual-slot at 120 W. Both use a single 6-pin power connector.

FAQ

Q: Which card has better overall benchmark performance?

A: The AMD FirePro W7000 has an average benchmark score of 19905, which is 2.9% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB's 19334. However, their percentile rankings are nearly identical at 65 and 64, respectively.

Q: Why does the GTX 1060 win OpenCL but lose Vulkan?

A: The GTX 1060's OpenCL win of 27001 versus 17808 reflects its superior raw compute resources — 3.935 TFLOPS FP32 and 192.2 GB/s bandwidth. The FirePro's Vulkan win of 22001 versus 17475 suggests its GCN 1.0 architecture handles Vulkan's workload scheduling more efficiently despite lower hardware specifications.

Q: Does the FirePro W7000 have more memory bandwidth than the GTX 1060?

A: No. Despite having a wider 256-bit bus, the FirePro's bandwidth is 153.6 GB/s, which is lower than the GTX 1060's 192.2 GB/s due to the NVIDIA card's much higher memory clock of 2002 MHz versus 1200 MHz.

Q: Which card supports a newer version of Vulkan?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB supports Vulkan 1.4, while the AMD FirePro W7000 is limited to Vulkan 1.2.170. The GTX 1060 also supports DirectX 12 (12_1) compared to the FirePro's DirectX 12 (11_1).

Q: How do their power requirements compare?

A: The FirePro W7000 has a TDP of 150 W and requires a 450 W suggested PSU, while the GTX 1060 has a lower TDP of 120 W with a 300 W suggested PSU. Both use a single 6-pin power connector, but the FirePro is single-slot while the GTX 1060 is dual-slot.

Q: Which card is positioned closer to high-end rivals?

A: The FirePro W7000 is 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla K40m and 1.5% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro K5200. The GTX 1060 is 0.4% behind the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX and 0.9% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780, showing both cards compete in similar mid-range territory.