AMD FirePro W7100 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile Comparison

The AMD FirePro W7100 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile represent two vastly different eras of GPU design, and the benchmark data confirms a decisive performance gap. While the FirePro W7100 holds its own in the entry-level workstation space, the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile is in a different league entirely, delivering scores that are multiples of the older card. The data shows a clear hierarchy, with the NVIDIA part winning both head-to-head tests by margins of 74-80%, making it the obvious choice for any compute-heavy workload.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark results are unambiguous. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile scores 117,866, while the AMD FirePro W7100 manages 24,182. This represents a 79.5% advantage for the NVIDIA card, meaning it delivers roughly five times the compute performance in this particular workload. The gap is slightly narrower but still massive in Geekbench Vulkan, where the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile scores 107,502 against the FirePro's 27,529, a 74.4% lead.

These are not marginal differences. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile's OpenCL score is nearly five times higher than the FirePro W7100's, and its Vulkan score is nearly four times higher. When looking at the average benchmark scores, the picture is more nuanced: the FirePro W7100 averages 25,856, while the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile averages 25,740. The delta between them is a mere 0.4% in favor of the AMD card, which places them as near-exact rivals in the aggregate. However, this average is heavily influenced by the FirePro's two benchmark entries, while the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile has a much broader test suite, including multiple Passmark tests where it scores far higher.

The individual head-to-head results tell the real story: the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile wins 2 out of 2 direct comparisons, with no wins for the FirePro W7100. The deltas of -79.5% and -74.4% indicate that the FirePro is not just behind, but catastrophically outmatched in modern compute benchmarks. This is not a situation where one card edges out the other in specific tasks; it is a generational chasm.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is stark. The AMD FirePro W7100 is built on the Tonga chip using the GCN 3.0 architecture, manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 5,000 million transistors on a 366 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 13.7 million per mm². In contrast, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile uses the GA103 chip with the Ampere architecture, built on Samsung's 8 nm process. It contains 22,000 million transistors on a 496 mm² die, for a density of 44.4 million per mm² — over three times the density of the FirePro.

Memory configurations are equally divergent. The FirePro W7100 uses 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 160.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile doubles the capacity to 16 GB of GDDR6, also on a 256-bit bus, but achieves 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth — exactly three times the FirePro's throughput. The memory clock speeds reflect this: the FirePro runs at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective), while the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile runs at 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective).

The compute resources are where the NVIDIA card pulls away decisively. The FirePro W7100 has 1,792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile has 7,424 shading units, 232 TMUs, and 96 ROPs — roughly 4.1x, 2.1x, and 3x the respective counts. The NVIDIA card also features 58 RT cores and 232 tensor cores, hardware that the FirePro lacks entirely. This translates to a pixel rate of 121.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 292.3 GTexel/s for the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile, versus 29.44 GPixel/s and 103.0 GTexel/s for the FirePro. FP32 performance is 18.71 TFLOPS for the NVIDIA card versus 3.297 TFLOPS for the AMD card, a 5.7x difference. Both cards offer FP16 at a 1:1 ratio with FP32.

The Verdict

The data is clear: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile is the superior GPU for virtually any task involving modern compute loads. Its 18.71 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is over five times that of the FirePro W7100's 3.297 TFLOPS. The 16 GB of GDDR6 memory with 512.0 GB/s bandwidth provides a massive advantage over the 8 GB GDDR5 at 160.0 GB/s. The inclusion of RT and tensor cores makes the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile future-proof for ray tracing and AI workloads, while the FirePro's GCN 3.0 architecture is dated.

The FirePro W7100's sole advantage is its age: it was released in 2014 and targets a different era of workstation software. Its 28 nm process and 150 W TDP make it a simpler, less power-hungry card that requires only a 1x 6-pin connector and a 450 W PSU. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile, by contrast, is a mobile part with a 115 W TDP, no power connectors, and no suggested PSU rating — it is designed to be soldered into laptops.

For someone building a new system or upgrading from an older workstation, the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile is the only rational choice based on the benchmark results. Its average benchmark score of 25,740 places it in the 71st percentile of all GPUs, identical to the FirePro W7100's percentile, but the raw performance in OpenCL and Vulkan is transformative. The FirePro W7100 should only be considered if you have a specific legacy application that requires GCN 3.0, or if you need a single-slot, 150 W card with four DisplayPort outputs. Otherwise, the data overwhelmingly favors the NVIDIA part.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance in OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile scores 117,866 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 79.5% higher than the AMD FirePro W7100's score of 24,182.

Q: How do the memory bandwidths compare?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile offers 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth from 16 GB of GDDR6, while the FirePro W7100 provides 160.0 GB/s from 8 GB of GDDR5. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile has exactly three times the bandwidth.

Q: Does the FirePro W7100 support ray tracing or tensor cores?

A: No. The FirePro W7100 has no RT cores or tensor cores. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile includes 58 RT cores and 232 tensor cores.

Q: What is the process node difference?

A: The FirePro W7100 is manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC, while the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile uses Samsung's 8 nm process. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile has a transistor density of 44.4M per mm² versus 13.7M per mm² for the FirePro.

Q: Which GPU has a higher pixel rate?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile achieves 121.0 GPixel/s, which is significantly higher than the FirePro W7100's 29.44 GPixel/s.

Q: Are these two GPUs comparable in average benchmark scores?

A: Yes, they are near-identical on average. The FirePro W7100 has an average score of 25,856, while the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile averages 25,740, a difference of only 0.4%.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile wins decisively in every direct benchmark comparison. It dominates Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan, with scores 79.5% and 74.4% higher, respectively. Its architectural advantages — 7,424 shading units versus 1,792, 232 TMUs versus 112, 96 ROPs versus 32 — make it the clear winner for modern gaming, 3D rendering, and compute-intensive tasks. The 16 GB of GDDR6 memory also makes it suitable for large datasets and high-resolution textures, where the FirePro's 8 GB GDDR5 would be a bottleneck.

The AMD FirePro W7100's only "wins" are in areas not covered by benchmark scores. It is a single-slot card with a 150 W TDP and a 1x 6-pin power connector, making it easier to install in certain workstation chassis. It has four DisplayPort 1.2 outputs, which is useful for multi-monitor setups, and it requires a 450 W PSU, which is a lower system requirement than many modern cards. Its 28 nm process and older GCN 3.0 architecture might also be preferable for legacy software compatibility, though this is not reflected in the benchmark data. For any performance metric, the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile is the undisputed winner.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every specification. The AMD FirePro W7100 uses a 28 nm process with 5,000 million transistors on a 366 mm² die, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile uses an 8 nm process with 22,000 million transistors on a 496 mm² die. The FirePro has no base or boost clock listed, while the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile has a base clock of 810 MHz and boost clock of 1260 MHz. Memory clocks are 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective) for the AMD card versus 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) for the NVIDIA card.

Memory capacity differs: 8 GB GDDR5 for the FirePro versus 16 GB GDDR6 for the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile. Both use a 256-bit bus, but bandwidth is 160.0 GB/s versus 512.0 GB/s. Shading units are 1,792 versus 7,424; TMUs are 112 versus 232; ROPs are 32 versus 96. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile adds 58 RT cores and 232 tensor cores, which the FirePro lacks entirely. Pixel rates are 29.44 GPixel/s versus 121.0 GPixel/s, and texture rates are 103.0 GTexel/s versus 292.3 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 3.297 TFLOPS versus 18.71 TFLOPS.

Power requirements are reversed in an interesting way: the FirePro W7100 has a 150 W TDP, while the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile has a 115 W TDP. The FirePro is single-slot with a 1x 6-pin connector and a 450 W suggested PSU, while the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile has no power connectors and no suggested PSU. The FirePro uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile uses PCIe 4.0 x16. Display outputs are 4x DisplayPort 1.2 for the AMD card, versus "Portable Device Dependent" for the NVIDIA mobile part. API support differs: DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.2.170 for the FirePro, versus DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4 for the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile. Both support OpenGL 4.6. Release dates are August 2014 for the FirePro and January 2022 for the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile.