AMD FirePro W8000 vs AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 Comparison

AMD FirePro W8000 and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 are two professional GPUs from different eras of AMD’s GCN architecture, with the former built on 28 nm Tahiti silicon and the latter on 14 nm Vega 12. The benchmark data shows a split decision: the FirePro W8000 wins the Geekbench Vulkan test by a wide margin, while the Radeon Pro Vega 20 takes the Geekbench OpenCL test, making this a comparison where the intended workload dictates the better choice.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD FirePro W8000 has an average benchmark score of 29211, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 scores 27839. The FirePro W8000 sits at the 75th percentile of all GPUs, compared to the Vega 20’s 73rd percentile.

Q: How big is the gap in the Vulkan test?

A: In Geekbench Vulkan, the FirePro W8000 scores 33981 versus the Vega 20’s 26410, giving the FirePro a 28.7% lead. This is the largest performance delta between the two cards in any benchmark.

Q: Which card wins in OpenCL performance?

A: The Radeon Pro Vega 20 wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 26679, beating the FirePro W8000’s 24440 by 8.4%. The Vega 20 also has a Geekbench Metal score of 30427, which the FirePro cannot match.

Q: What are the memory configurations?

A: Both cards have 4 GB of memory, but they use different types. The FirePro W8000 uses GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 176.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the Radeon Pro Vega 20 uses HBM2 on a 1024-bit bus with 189.4 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Do they share the same API support?

A: No. The FirePro W8000 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The Radeon Pro Vega 20 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3, giving it newer API versions.

Q: Which card is more power-efficient based on the data?

A: The Radeon Pro Vega 20 has a TDP of 100 W and is listed as an IGP (integrated graphics processor), whereas the FirePro W8000 has a TDP of 225 W, is dual-slot, and requires 2x 6-pin power connectors with a 550 W suggested PSU.

Architecture Differences

The FirePro W8000 is built on GCN 1.0 architecture with the Tahiti chip, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 4,313 million transistors into a 352 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 12.3M per mm². The Radeon Pro Vega 20 uses GCN 5.0 architecture with the Vega 12 chip, fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries; its transistor count, die size, and density are not listed in the data.

Shader resources differ significantly between the two. The FirePro W8000 has 1792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The Radeon Pro Vega 20 has 1280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Despite fewer cores, the Vega 20 achieves higher pixel and texture rates: 41.06 GPixel/s and 102.6 GTexel/s, versus 28.80 GPixel/s and 100.8 GTexel/s for the FirePro. The Vega 20 also has a higher FP32 throughput at 3.284 TFLOPS compared to 3.226 TFLOPS, and it adds FP16 support at 6.569 TFLOPS (2:1), which the FirePro lacks entirely.

Clock behavior differs too. The FirePro W8000 has no listed base or boost clock, only a memory clock of 1375 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective). The Vega 20 has a base clock of 815 MHz and a boost clock of 1283 MHz, with memory at 740 MHz (1480 Mbps effective). The Vega 20 also supports newer API versions, including Vulkan 1.3 and DirectX 12 (12_1), while the FirePro tops out at Vulkan 1.2.170 and DirectX 12 (11_1).

Where Each One Wins

The FirePro W8000 is the clear winner for Vulkan-based workloads. Its Geekbench Vulkan score of 33981 dwarfs the Vega 20’s 26410, a 28.7% advantage. This suggests that applications leveraging Vulkan’s low-level GPU access will perform substantially better on the older card, likely due to its higher shading unit count and raw compute configuration.

The Radeon Pro Vega 20 wins in OpenCL and Metal scenarios. Its OpenCL score of 26679 beats the FirePro’s 24440 by 8.4%, and it has a dedicated Metal score of 30427, which is relevant for macOS environments where Metal is the primary API. The Vega 20’s higher boost clock (1283 MHz) and newer architecture likely contribute to this edge.

For overall compute, the Vega 20 has a slight FP32 advantage (3.284 vs 3.226 TFLOPS) and a massive FP16 advantage (6.569 TFLOPS vs none). However, the FirePro’s higher average benchmark score (29211 vs 27839) and better percentile ranking (75th vs 73rd) indicate it performs better across the aggregate of tested workloads.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD FirePro W8000 | AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 |

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

| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | GCN 5.0 |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 14 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | GlobalFoundries |

| Transistors | 4,313 million | Not listed |

| Die Size | 352 mm² | Not listed |

| Transistor Density | 12.3M / mm² | Not listed |

| Base Clock | Not listed | 815 MHz |

| Boost Clock | Not listed | 1283 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1375 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective) | 740 MHz (1480 Mbps effective) |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | HBM2 |

| Memory Bus Width | 256 bit | 1024 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 176.0 GB/s | 189.4 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1792 | 1280 |

| TMUs | 112 | 80 |

| ROPs | 32 | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 28.80 GPixel/s | 41.06 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 100.8 GTexel/s | 102.6 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 3.226 TFLOPS | 3.284 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | Not listed | 6.569 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 225 W | 100 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | IGP |

| Power Connectors | 2x 6-pin | Not listed |

| Suggested PSU | 550 W | Not listed |

| Display Outputs | 4x DisplayPort 1.2, 1x SDI | Portable Device Dependent |

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

| Vulkan | 1.2.170 | 1.3 |

| Dimensions | 279 mm (11 inches) long, 111 mm (4.4 inches) high | Not listed |

| Release Date | 2012-06-13 | 2018-11-13 |

| Launch MSRP | 1,599 USD | Not listed |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two GPUs are directly compared in two Geekbench tests, and they split the results exactly one win each. In Geekbench OpenCL, the Radeon Pro Vega 20 scores 26679 against the FirePro W8000’s 24440, a delta of -8.4% from the perspective of the FirePro. This means the Vega 20 is roughly 8.4% faster in this compute-oriented test, which aligns with its higher FP32 throughput and more modern architecture.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the FirePro W8000 delivers a decisive counterpunch. It scores 33981, while the Vega 20 trails at 26410, giving the FirePro a 28.7% lead. This is a substantial margin that outweighs the OpenCL deficit in raw percentage terms. The FirePro’s Vulkan advantage likely stems from its larger shader array (1792 vs 1280 units), which can be more fully utilized in Vulkan’s explicit multi-threaded model.

To contextualize these scores, the FirePro W8000’s average benchmark score of 29211 places it near the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH (29197, 0% delta) and Intel Arc A370M (29175, 0.1% delta), showing it performs competitively with much newer mobile GPUs. The Radeon Pro Vega 20’s average of 27839 sits close to the AMD Radeon RX 7800M (27883, -0.2% delta) and AMD Radeon Pro W5500X (27973, -0.5% delta), indicating it is similarly positioned against contemporary parts. Notably, the Vega 20 is within 1% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 (27565, 1% delta), which is a remarkable result for a 100 W IGP.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split based on workload. If your primary applications use Vulkan, the AMD FirePro W8000 is the stronger choice by a 28.7% margin in Geekbench Vulkan, and its higher average benchmark score (29211 vs 27839) plus better percentile ranking (75th vs 73rd) suggest it is the more capable overall GPU in this comparison. It also offers a full dual-slot form factor with 4x DisplayPort 1.2 and 1x SDI outputs, making it suitable for multi-display workstation setups.

If your work relies on OpenCL or Metal, the Radeon Pro Vega 20 is the better pick. It wins OpenCL by 8.4%, offers a Metal score of 30427, and does so with a dramatically lower TDP of 100 W versus 225 W. Its HBM2 memory provides higher bandwidth (189.4 GB/s vs 176.0 GB/s) despite a smaller shader count, and its newer GCN 5.0 architecture supports newer API versions including Vulkan 1.3 and DirectX 12 (12_1). The Vega 20’s IGP form factor and portable-device-dependent outputs indicate it was designed for integrated use cases, likely in notebooks or all-in-one systems, rather than discrete expansion slots.

The FirePro W8000 is a legacy card from 2012 with a launch MSRP of 1,599 USD, while the Vega 20 arrived in 2018 with no listed MSRP. For a builder choosing between them today, the decision hinges on API support and power constraints: the FirePro for Vulkan-heavy workloads and raw compute density, the Vega 20 for OpenCL/Metal environments and energy-efficient operation. Neither card is a universal winner, and the 28.7% Vulkan gap is the single largest performance difference in this head-to-head.