AMD FirePro W8000 vs NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded benchmark data shows a decisive performance gap between the AMD FirePro W8000 and the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile, with the NVIDIA part winning both recorded head-to-head tests. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX A5000 Mobile scores 110,877 against the FirePro W8000's 24,440, a delta of 78% in favor of the NVIDIA card. That is not a marginal lead; it is a near-total dominance in compute workloads measured through OpenCL. The FirePro W8000, by comparison, delivers less than a quarter of the RTX A5000 Mobile's throughput in this test.

The Vulkan result narrows the gap slightly but still leaves no ambiguity. The RTX A5000 Mobile posts 88,144 in Geekbench Vulkan, while the FirePro W8000 manages 33,981. The delta here is 61.4% in NVIDIA's favor. While the FirePro W8000 closes some distance relative to its OpenCL deficit, it remains far behind in absolute terms. The Vulkan score difference reflects not only raw compute capability but also architectural maturity in supporting modern graphics APIs, a factor that becomes more relevant in the context of the two products' respective release dates.

Looking at the broader database averages, the picture is more nuanced. The FirePro W8000 holds an average benchmark score of 29,211 across all recorded tests, placing it at the 75th percentile of all GPUs in the database. The RTX A5000 Mobile, despite winning both head-to-head tests decisively, has an average score of 24,763 and sits at the 70th percentile. This apparent contradiction stems from the different test sets: the RTX A5000 Mobile's average includes several Passmark tests where its scores are low relative to its Geekbench results, such as a Passmark DirectX 12 score of 72 and a DirectX 10 score of 115. The FirePro W8000 only has two recorded benchmarks, both Geekbench tests, which skew its average upward.

The nearest rivals for each card place them in different performance tiers. The FirePro W8000's closest competitor is the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH at 29,197, a delta of 0%, followed by the Intel Arc A370M at 29,175 (0.1% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX 470 at 28,996 (0.7% delta). The RTX A5000 Mobile's nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 590 at 24,744 (0.1% delta), with the Intel Arc A350M at 24,647 (0.5% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT at 24,442 (1.3% delta) close behind. These rival clusters suggest that while the NVIDIA card wins the direct comparison, both cards operate in different performance neighborhoods when measured against the broader market.

The RTX A5000 Mobile also records a Passmark G3D score of 15,779 and a GPU compute score of 6,945, figures that have no direct counterpart in the FirePro W8000's sparse benchmark history. The FirePro W8000's two Geekbench results, 24,440 in OpenCL and 33,981 in Vulkan, are its only data points, which limits the depth of comparison possible from the database alone.

The Verdict

The data points to one clear conclusion: the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile is the superior performer in every recorded head-to-head test. The 78% lead in OpenCL and 61.4% lead in Vulkan are not close margins, and any workload that relies on compute performance through these APIs will favor the NVIDIA card overwhelmingly. The FirePro W8000, despite its higher percentile ranking (75th versus 70th), does not have a single benchmark win against the RTX A5000 Mobile in the database.

However, the verdict is not purely about raw speed. The FirePro W8000 was released on June 13, 2012, while the RTX A5000 Mobile arrived on April 11, 2021, a gap of nearly nine years. The database shows the FirePro W8000 as end-of-life, as is the RTX A5000 Mobile, but the architectural gulf between GCN 1.0 and Ampere is vast. For users working with modern APIs, particularly Vulkan and DirectX 12 Ultimate, the RTX A5000 Mobile is the only sensible choice based on recorded data. The FirePro W8000's DirectX support tops out at 12 (11_1), while the RTX A5000 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2).

For those constrained to older software stacks or legacy compute workloads, the FirePro W8000 remains functional, but the benchmark data offers no scenario where it outperforms the RTX A5000 Mobile. The NVIDIA card's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory versus 4 GB of GDDR5, its 19.35 TFLOPS FP32 versus 3.226 TFLOPS, and its 448.0 GB/s bandwidth versus 176.0 GB/s all reinforce the same story: the RTX A5000 Mobile is in a different class. The verdict, strictly from the data, is that the RTX A5000 Mobile wins outright.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from fundamentally different eras and design philosophies. The AMD FirePro W8000 uses the Tahiti chip built on GCN 1.0 architecture, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 4,313 million transistors into a 352 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.3 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile uses the GA104 chip on Ampere architecture, fabricated on an 8 nm process at Samsung. It contains 17,400 million transistors in a 392 mm² die, a density of 44.4 million per square millimeter. The density difference, roughly 3.6 times, reflects both the process node advantage and the architectural complexity of Ampere.

Core counts differ dramatically. The FirePro W8000 has 1,792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The RTX A5000 Mobile has 6,144 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. Additionally, the RTX A5000 Mobile includes 48 ray tracing cores and 192 tensor cores, features entirely absent from the FirePro W8000. These specialized cores enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI-accelerated workloads, capabilities that the GCN 1.0 architecture cannot offer.

Memory subsystems also diverge. The FirePro W8000 uses 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 176.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX A5000 Mobile uses 16 GB of GDDR6 on the same 256-bit bus width but achieves 448.0 GB/s, a 2.5 times increase. The memory clock on the NVIDIA card is 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) versus 1375 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective) on the AMD card.

Process technology is a major differentiator: 28 nm versus 8 nm, TSMC versus Samsung. The FirePro W8000's power draw is 225 W with a dual-slot cooler and two 6-pin power connectors, while the RTX A5000 Mobile is a mobile part drawing 150 W with no power connectors, as it is designed for portable devices. The bus interface also differs: PCIe 3.0 x16 for the AMD card versus PCIe 4.0 x16 for the NVIDIA card.

API support shows the generational gap clearly. The FirePro W8000 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The RTX A5000 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The NVIDIA card's Vulkan support is newer, and its DirectX 12 Ultimate designation includes features like ray tracing and mesh shaders that the older card cannot handle.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute throughput in FP32?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile delivers 19.35 TFLOPS FP32, while the AMD FirePro W8000 delivers 3.226 TFLOPS. The NVIDIA card also supports FP16 at 19.35 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, a feature not recorded for the FirePro W8000.

Q: How do the memory configurations compare?

A: The FirePro W8000 has 4 GB of GDDR5 with 176.0 GB/s bandwidth on a 256-bit bus. The RTX A5000 Mobile has 16 GB of GDDR6 with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, also on a 256-bit bus. The NVIDIA card has four times the capacity and roughly 2.5 times the bandwidth.

Q: Do both cards support ray tracing?

A: No. The RTX A5000 Mobile includes 48 ray tracing cores and 192 tensor cores. The FirePro W8000 has no ray tracing or tensor core support, as its GCN 1.0 architecture predates these features.

Q: What is the percentile ranking of each card in the database?

A: The FirePro W8000 sits at the 75th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX A5000 Mobile sits at the 70th percentile. The FirePro W8000's higher percentile reflects its higher average benchmark score of 29,211 versus 24,763 for the NVIDIA card.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The RTX A5000 Mobile has 6,144 shading units, compared to 1,792 on the FirePro W8000. The NVIDIA card also has 192 TMUs and 96 ROPs, versus 112 TMUs and 32 ROPs on the AMD card.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The FirePro W8000 has a 225 W TDP, requires a dual-slot cooler, and uses two 6-pin power connectors with a suggested PSU of 550 W. The RTX A5000 Mobile has a 150 W TDP and uses no power connectors, as it is designed for portable devices.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX A5000 Mobile wins every recorded benchmark against the FirePro W8000, so the use-case split is not about performance categories where the AMD card leads. Instead, the split reflects the contexts in which each card's characteristics matter. The RTX A5000 Mobile is the clear choice for modern compute workloads, ray tracing, AI inference (thanks to tensor cores), and any application that leverages DirectX 12 Ultimate or newer Vulkan APIs. Its 16 GB memory capacity suits large datasets, and its 448.0 GB/s bandwidth supports demanding texture-heavy workloads.

The FirePro W8000, while losing every head-to-head test, still holds relevance in legacy environments. Its 4 GB GDDR5 memory and GCN 1.0 architecture are sufficient for older OpenGL applications, and its four DisplayPort 1.2 outputs plus SDI make it suitable for multi-display professional setups. The card's dual-slot design and 225 W TDP are acceptable for desktop workstations of its era. Its PCIe 3.0 x16 interface is backward compatible with older systems.

For portability, the RTX A5000 Mobile is the only option, as it is a mobile part with no power connectors and a 150 W TDP, while the FirePro W8000 is a desktop-only dual-slot card. The NVIDIA card's PCIe 4.0 x16 interface also provides double the bandwidth of the older standard, benefiting data transfer in modern systems.

The FirePro W8000's higher average benchmark score (29,211 versus 24,763) and percentile ranking (75th versus 70th) could matter in comparisons against the broader GPU market, but within this direct head-to-head, the RTX A5000 Mobile's wins are absolute.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every measurable specification. The FirePro W8000 uses a Tahiti chip on GCN 1.0 architecture, while the RTX A5000 Mobile uses GA104 on Ampere. Process nodes are 28 nm (TSMC) versus 8 nm (Samsung), with transistor counts of 4,313 million versus 17,400 million and die sizes of 352 mm² versus 392 mm². Transistor density is 12.3M per mm² versus 44.4M per mm².

Core configuration: 1,792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 32 ROPs for AMD; 6,144 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 96 ROPs for NVIDIA. The RTX A5000 Mobile adds 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores. Clock speeds: the FirePro W8000 has no base or boost clock recorded, with memory at 1375 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective); the RTX A5000 Mobile has a 900 MHz base and 1575 MHz boost, with memory at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective).

Memory: 4 GB GDDR5 versus 16 GB GDDR6, both on 256-bit buses, with bandwidth of 176.0 GB/s versus 448.0 GB/s. Pixel rate is 28.80 GPixel/s versus 151.2 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 100.8 GTexel/s versus 302.4 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 3.226 TFLOPS versus 19.35 TFLOPS, with FP16 only recorded for the NVIDIA card (19.35 TFLOPS).

Power: 225 W TDP, dual-slot, two 6-pin connectors, and 550 W suggested PSU for the AMD card; 150 W TDP and no power connectors for the NVIDIA card. Bus interface: PCIe 3.0 x16 versus PCIe 4.0 x16. Display outputs: four DisplayPort 1.2 and one SDI for the FirePro W8000, versus portable device dependent outputs for the RTX A5000 Mobile. API support: DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.2.170 for AMD; DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.4 for NVIDIA. The FirePro W8000 has a launch MSRP of 1,599 USD; no launch MSRP is recorded for the RTX A5000 Mobile.