AMD FirePro W8000 vs NVIDIA RTX A1000 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a decisive victory for the NVIDIA RTX A1000 across every shared benchmark. In the two tests where both cards appear in the database, the RTX A1000 wins both, with a 2-0 sweep. The most dramatic gap appears in Geekbench OpenCL, where the RTX A1000 scores 52,078 against the FirePro W8000's 24,440. That is a 113.1% delta, meaning the NVIDIA card more than doubles the AMD card's output in this compute-oriented test. The margin is so wide that it suggests architectural generation, not just clock speed, is the deciding factor.

The second shared test, Geekbench Vulkan, narrows the gap but still favors the RTX A1000. The NVIDIA card scores 49,574, while the FirePro W8000 manages 33,981. The delta here is 45.9%, still a substantial lead but far less lopsided than the OpenCL result. This indicates that the FirePro W8000's GCN architecture retains some relevance in API-level workloads, though it cannot match the raw throughput of the Ampere-based RTX A1000.

Looking at the broader database context, the RTX A1000 sits at the 79th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 34,207. Its nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB at 34,154 (a 0.2% difference) and the NVIDIA TITAN V at 34,355 (a -0.4% delta, meaning the TITAN V is slightly ahead). The RTX A1000 also edges out the AMD Radeon RX 560 XT (34,133, 0.2% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX 480 (33,997, 0.6% delta). These close margins place the RTX A1000 in a competitive mid-range tier, not at the top of the database but firmly above the median.

The FirePro W8000, by contrast, sits at the 75th percentile with an average score of 29,211. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH at 29,197 (0% delta), the Intel Arc A370M at 29,175 (0.1% delta), the AMD Radeon RX 470 at 28,996 (0.7% delta), and the AMD Radeon RX 6800M at 28,874 (1.2% delta). The W8000 is effectively tied with these cards, all hovering within a 1.2% band. This tells a clear story: the FirePro W8000 lands in a crowded mid-pack, while the RTX A1000 sits in a noticeably higher performance stratum.

When comparing the two cards directly, the RTX A1000's average score of 34,207 is 4,996 points higher than the FirePro W8000's 29,211, a 17.1% advantage on average. That difference is consistent with the head-to-head deltas, reinforcing that the NVIDIA card is the stronger performer across the board.

FAQ

Q: Which card wins more benchmarks in the shared test suite?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A1000 wins both shared benchmarks. It takes Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan, giving it a 2-0 record against the AMD FirePro W8000, which has zero wins.

Q: How large is the performance gap in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The RTX A1000 scores 52,078 versus the FirePro W8000's 24,440. That is a 113.1% delta, meaning the NVIDIA card is more than twice as fast in this test.

Q: Does the FirePro W8000 close the gap in any benchmark?

A: The gap narrows in Geekbench Vulkan, where the RTX A1000 leads by 45.9% (49,574 vs 33,981). However, the FirePro W8000 never overtakes the NVIDIA card in any recorded test.

Q: How do the two cards compare to their own nearest rivals?

A: The RTX A1000 is within 0.6% of its nearest rivals, with the NVIDIA TITAN V slightly ahead at -0.4% delta. The FirePro W8000 is essentially tied with its closest rivals, with the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH at 0% delta and the Intel Arc A370M at 0.1% delta.

Q: What percentile ranking does each card hold?

A: The RTX A1000 ranks at the 79th percentile among all GPUs in the database, while the FirePro W8000 ranks at the 75th percentile.

Q: What is the average benchmark score difference?

A: The RTX A1000 averages 34,207 points, while the FirePro W8000 averages 29,211 points. The NVIDIA card leads by 4,996 points, a 17.1% advantage.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX A1000 wins in every measurable category from the recorded data. In compute-heavy OpenCL workloads, it more than doubles the FirePro W8000's score, making it the clear choice for tasks that rely on general-purpose GPU compute, such as rendering, simulation, or data processing. The 113.1% delta in OpenCL is the strongest single indicator of where the NVIDIA card excels.

The Vulkan test shows a narrower but still decisive win for the RTX A1000. A 45.9% lead in Vulkan suggests the NVIDIA card also handles graphics API workloads better, though the margin is less extreme than in OpenCL. For users running Vulkan-based applications, the RTX A1000 remains the faster option, but the FirePro W8000 is comparatively less far behind.

The FirePro W8000 does not win any benchmark in the shared suite. However, its nearest-rival data shows it performing in line with cards like the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH and the Intel Arc A370M, all within a 1.2% band. This suggests the W8000 is not a weak card in absolute terms; it is simply outclassed by the newer RTX A1000. For workloads that do not require the RTX A1000's compute headroom, the FirePro W8000 could still handle moderate tasks, but the database shows no scenario where it outperforms the NVIDIA card.

For users prioritizing raw compute throughput, the RTX A1000 is the only choice between these two. For those working with Vulkan-based graphics pipelines, the RTX A1000 still leads, though the smaller delta means the FirePro W8000 is less decisively beaten. The data does not support any use case where the FirePro W8000 comes out ahead.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every specification field. The RTX A1000 uses 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The FirePro W8000 uses 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 176.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The NVIDIA card has double the memory capacity, while the AMD card has a wider bus, but the RTX A1000 still achieves higher bandwidth.

Clock speeds differ significantly. The RTX A1000 has a base clock of 727 MHz and a boost clock of 1462 MHz, with memory running at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective). The FirePro W8000 has no recorded base or boost clock, only a memory clock of 1375 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective). This means the RTX A1000's memory runs at more than double the effective speed.

The RTX A1000 has 2304 shading units, 72 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, along with 18 ray tracing cores and 72 tensor cores. The FirePro W8000 has 1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, with no ray tracing or tensor cores listed. The NVIDIA card has more shading units and adds dedicated RT and tensor hardware, while the AMD card has more TMUs.

Pixel and texture rates also differ. The RTX A1000 achieves 46.78 GPixel/s and 105.3 GTexel/s, while the FirePro W8000 achieves 28.80 GPixel/s and 100.8 GTexel/s. The NVIDIA card leads in both, though the texture rate gap is smaller.

Power and physical specifications diverge sharply. The RTX A1000 has a TDP of 50 W, is single-slot, requires no power connectors, and suggests a 250 W PSU. The FirePro W8000 has a TDP of 225 W, is dual-slot, requires 2x 6-pin power connectors, and suggests a 550 W PSU. The RTX A1000 is also much smaller: 163 mm (6.4 inches) long and 69 mm (2.7 inches) high, versus the FirePro W8000's 279 mm (11 inches) long and 111 mm (4.4 inches) high.

The bus interface differs as well. The RTX A1000 uses PCIe 4.0 x8, while the FirePro W8000 uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs also differ: the RTX A1000 has 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a, while the FirePro W8000 has 4x DisplayPort 1.2 plus 1x SDI.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two cards is generational. The RTX A1000 is built on NVIDIA's Ampere architecture using the GA107 chip, fabricated on Samsung's 8 nm process. The FirePro W8000 uses AMD's GCN 1.0 architecture with the Tahiti chip, fabricated on TSMC's 28 nm process. This process node difference is stark: 8 nm versus 28 nm, representing multiple generations of manufacturing advancement.

Transistor counts reflect the architectural leap. The RTX A1000 packs 8,700 million transistors on a 200 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 43.5 million per mm². The FirePro W8000 has 4,313 million transistors on a 352 mm² die, yielding 12.3 million per mm². The NVIDIA chip achieves more than triple the transistor density, which explains its superior performance per watt and per square millimeter.

The RTX A1000 belongs to the Workstation Ampere (Ax000) generation and is listed as Active in production. Its predecessor is Quadro Turing and its successor is Workstation Ada. The FirePro W8000 belongs to the FirePro GCN (Wx000) generation, is End-of-life, with a predecessor of FirePro Terascale and a successor of Radeon Pro Polaris. The RTX A1000 was released on April 15, 2024, while the FirePro W8000 was released on June 13, 2012, a gap of nearly 12 years.

API support also differs. The RTX A1000 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The FirePro W8000 supports only DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The NVIDIA card has a more modern DirectX feature set and a newer Vulkan version, which aligns with its newer architecture.

The RTX A1000 includes 18 ray tracing cores and 72 tensor cores, features entirely absent from the FirePro W8000. These dedicated units enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI workloads, which the GCN 1.0 architecture cannot handle. The RTX A1000 also supports FP16 at a 1:1 ratio with FP32, both rated at 6.737 TFLOPS, while the FirePro W8000 lists no FP16 capability and has FP32 at 3.226 TFLOPS. The NVIDIA card delivers more than double the single-precision floating-point throughput.

The manufacturing differences also impact power efficiency. The RTX A1000 achieves its higher performance at 50 W, while the FirePro W8000 requires 225 W. This is a direct consequence of the process node advantage and architectural efficiency of Ampere over GCN 1.0. The database shows the RTX A1000 as the newer, denser, more capable design in every architectural metric.