AMD FirePro W8000 vs AMD Radeon Pro 570 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data shows a split decision between these two AMD professional graphics cards. The AMD Radeon Pro 570 wins one test, and the AMD FirePro W8000 wins the other, making this a close contest that depends heavily on the workload in question.

In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the Radeon Pro 570 posts a score of 27,702, which is 13.3% ahead of the FirePro W8000's 24,440. This is the larger margin of the two head-to-head comparisons. The OpenCL advantage suggests the newer GCN 4.0 architecture extracts more performance from compute-heavy tasks that rely on this cross-platform API. The Radeon Pro 570's score of 27,702 puts it comfortably ahead, and the 13.3% delta represents a meaningful gap in raw compute throughput for OpenCL workloads.

The reverse happens in the Geekbench Vulkan test. Here, the FirePro W8000 comes out on top with a score of 33,981, which is 5.9% higher than the Radeon Pro 570's 31,974. While the margin is smaller than the OpenCL gap, it is still a clear victory for the older card. The Vulkan result indicates that the FirePro W8000 retains strong graphics-level performance in this modern API, despite its older GCN 1.0 architecture. The 5.9% advantage means that for Vulkan-based applications, the FirePro W8000 is the better performer.

The aggregate benchmark score tells the broader story. The Radeon Pro 570 has an average benchmark score of 33,207, which is roughly 13.7% higher than the FirePro W8000's 29,211. This overall average favors the Radeon Pro 570, but the individual test results recommend checking the specific API before choosing a card.

Looking at the wider competitive landscape, the Radeon Pro 570's average score of 33,207 places it just 0.1% above the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile (33,170) and 0.1% above the NVIDIA T550 Mobile (33,161). It is also 0.7% ahead of the NVIDIA P104-100 (32,982) and 1.1% ahead of the NVIDIA T600 Mobile (32,849). The FirePro W8000's average of 29,211, meanwhile, lands within 0.1% of the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH (29,197) and 0.1% of the Intel Arc A370M (29,175). This puts the FirePro W8000 in a different performance tier, slightly closer to mainstream mobile and entry-level desktop GPUs.

Where Each One Wins

The data points to the Radeon Pro 570 being the stronger choice for OpenCL compute tasks. With a 13.3% advantage in that benchmark, it clearly handles OpenCL workloads better. This is useful for applications that rely on OpenCL for GPU-accelerated compute, such as certain scientific simulations, video processing pipelines, or rendering engines that use this API extensively.

The FirePro W8000, by contrast, wins the Vulkan test by 5.9%. Vulkan is often used in game engines, real-time rendering, and some professional visualization tools. For anyone working with Vulkan-based applications, the FirePro W8000 offers better performance despite being the older card. The 5.9% lead is not massive, but it is consistent enough to matter in sustained workloads.

The architecture difference likely explains the split. The Radeon Pro 570 is built on GCN 4.0 with a 14 nm process, while the FirePro W8000 uses GCN 1.0 on a 28 nm process. The newer GCN 4.0 has better compute efficiency per clock, which shows in the OpenCL result. The FirePro W8000, despite its older design, still manages to outperform in Vulkan, suggesting that its memory subsystem or driver optimization gives it an edge in that API.

For users who mix OpenCL and Vulkan workloads, the average scores matter more. The Radeon Pro 570's aggregate advantage of about 13.7% over the FirePro W8000 makes it the more balanced card overall. However, for Vulkan-specific tasks, the FirePro W8000 is the one to pick.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 570, with an average score of 33,207 compared to the FirePro W8000's 29,211.

Q: Which card is faster in OpenCL?

A: The Radeon Pro 570 wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 27,702, which is 13.3% higher than the FirePro W8000's 24,440.

Q: Which card performs better in Vulkan?

A: The FirePro W8000 wins the Geekbench Vulkan test with a score of 33,981, which is 5.9% higher than the Radeon Pro 570's 31,974.

Q: How do the two cards' average scores compare to their nearest rivals?

A: The Radeon Pro 570's average of 33,207 is 0.1% above the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile and the NVIDIA T550 Mobile, 0.7% above the NVIDIA P104-100, and 1.1% above the NVIDIA T600 Mobile. The FirePro W8000's average of 29,211 is roughly equal to the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH (0% delta) and 0.1% above the Intel Arc A370M.

Q: Do both cards have the same amount of memory?

A: Yes, both have 4 GB of GDDR5 memory. The Radeon Pro 570 has a 256-bit bus with 217.0 GB/s bandwidth, and the FirePro W8000 also has a 256-bit bus but with 176.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card is better for compute-heavy tasks?

A: Based on the OpenCL result, the Radeon Pro 570 has the clear edge with a 13.3% lead. The FirePro W8000's Vulkan lead suggests it is better for Vulkan-based graphics workloads.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in several key specifications. The Radeon Pro 570 has a base clock of 1000 MHz and a boost clock of 1105 MHz, while the FirePro W8000 does not have base or boost clock values recorded in the database. Memory is another difference: the Radeon Pro 570 runs at 1695 MHz (6.8 Gbps effective), while the FirePro W8000's memory clock is 1375 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective). This translates to a memory bandwidth difference of 217.0 GB/s for the Radeon Pro 570 versus 176.0 GB/s for the FirePro W8000.

The pixel rate and texture rate also differ. The Radeon Pro 570 achieves 35.36 GPixel/s and 123.8 GTexel/s, while the FirePro W8000 manages 28.80 GPixel/s and 100.8 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance shows the Radeon Pro 570 at 3.960 TFLOPS, which is higher than the FirePro W8000's 3.226 TFLOPS. Notably, the Radeon Pro 570 has FP16 performance at 3.960 TFLOPS (1:1), while the FirePro W8000 does not list FP16 capabilities.

The form factor and power requirements are also different. The Radeon Pro 570 is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no power connectors and a 150 W TDP. The FirePro W8000 is a dual-slot card requiring 2x 6-pin power connectors, with a 225 W TDP and a suggested PSU of 550 W. The physical size is a large difference: the FirePro W8000 measures 279 mm (11 inches) in length and 111 mm (4.4 inches) in height, while the Radeon Pro 570 has no recorded dimensions as it is integrated.

Display outputs differ as well. The Radeon Pro 570's outputs are portable device dependent, while the FirePro W8000 offers 4x DisplayPort 1.2 and 1x SDI. The release dates are far apart: the Radeon Pro 570 launched on 2017-06-04, and the FirePro W8000 launched on 2012-06-13. The FirePro W8000 had a launch MSRP of 1,599 USD; the Radeon Pro 570 has no recorded launch MSRP.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two cards is substantial. The Radeon Pro 570 uses the Ellesmere chip built on the GCN 4.0 architecture, while the FirePro W8000 uses the Tahiti chip with GCN 1.0. The manufacturing process is a major divide: the Radeon Pro 570 is fabricated at 14 nm by GlobalFoundries, whereas the FirePro W8000 uses TSMC's 28 nm process.

The transistor counts and die sizes reflect this process difference. The Radeon Pro 570 packs 5,700 million transistors into a 232 mm² die, giving a density of 24.6 million transistors per mm². The FirePro W8000 has 4,313 million transistors on a much larger 352 mm² die, resulting in only 12.3 million transistors per mm². This means the Radeon Pro 570 fits nearly twice as many transistors per square millimeter, which explains its higher clock speeds and efficiency.

Both cards have the same number of shading units (1,792), TMUs (112), and ROPs (32). The Radeon Pro 570 belongs to the Radeon Pro Mac (500 Series) generation, while the FirePro W8000 is part of the FirePro GCN (Wx000) family. The Radeon Pro 570 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The FirePro W8000 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The lower DirectX feature level on the FirePro W8000 (11_1) indicates it lacks some newer features available on the Radeon Pro 570.

The FirePro W8000 lists a predecessor (FirePro Terascale) and a successor (Radeon Pro Polaris), while the Radeon Pro 570 has neither. The Radeon Pro 570's FP16 support at 1:1 ratio is a notable architectural feature absent from the FirePro W8000's specifications.

The Verdict

The data supports a clear conclusion: choose the AMD Radeon Pro 570 for OpenCL-based compute workloads. Its 13.3% OpenCL advantage over the FirePro W8000 is the most significant performance difference in the head-to-head results. The Radeon Pro 570 also has a higher average benchmark score (33,207 vs 29,211), higher memory bandwidth (217.0 GB/s vs 176.0 GB/s), higher FP32 throughput (3.960 TFLOPS vs 3.226 TFLOPS), and newer 14 nm process with 5,700 million transistors. It also supports FP16 (1:1), which the FirePro W8000 does not.

However, the AMD FirePro W8000 is the right pick for Vulkan-specific applications. It wins the Vulkan test by 5.9%, and it has the advantage of being a dual-slot discrete card with dedicated display outputs (4x DisplayPort 1.2 and 1x SDI), which may suit workstation setups that require multiple external monitors. Its 225 W TDP is higher than the Radeon Pro 570's 150 W, but it also offers a larger physical footprint with a 279 mm length.

The Radeon Pro 570 is the better all-around performer for modern compute tasks. The FirePro W8000's Vulkan win is noteworthy but narrow (5.9%), whereas the Radeon Pro 570's OpenCL win is larger (13.3%) and its aggregate score is about 13.7% higher. The Radeon Pro 570 also has a more modern architecture with better transistor density (24.6M / mm² vs 12.3M / mm²) and a 14 nm process, which supports higher clock speeds (1000 MHz base, 1105 MHz boost) versus the FirePro W8000's unlisted clocks.

For users needing the highest raw compute performance, the Radeon Pro 570 wins. For those relying exclusively on Vulkan and needing a full-size discrete card with multiple DisplayPort outputs, the FirePro W8000 is the data-backed choice. The Radeon Pro 570 is end-of-life, and the FirePro W8000 is also end-of-life, so both are legacy products, but the Radeon Pro 570 offers the better overall balance of current performance metrics.