AMD FirePro W8000 vs NVIDIA T550 Mobile Comparison

Architecture Differences: The NVIDIA T550 Mobile: "Total rows "Total Total Total Total Total Total "Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total: Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total

The NVIDIA T550 Mobile and AMD FirePro W8000 represent two very different architectural eras. The T550 Mobile is built on NVIDIA’s Turing architecture, using the TU117 chip fabricated on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It packs 4,700 million transistors into a 200 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 23.5M / mm². In contrast, the FirePro W8000 uses AMD’s GCN 1.0 architecture with the Tahiti chip, produced on an older 28 nm process, also at TSMC. That chip contains 4,313 million transistors spread across a much larger 352 mm² die, resulting in a lower density of 12.3M / mm². The process node gap is significant, and it directly impacts power efficiency and thermal characteristics.

The T550 Mobile is a mobile-oriented part with a 23 W TDP, while the FirePro W8000 is a desktop workstation card with a 225 W TDP. The FirePro W8000 requires a dual-slot cooler, two 6-pin power connectors, and a suggested 550 W power supply. The T550 Mobile, by contrast, is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) form factor with no power connectors, designed for portable devices. The FirePro W8000 measures 279 mm in length and 111 mm in height, while the T550 Mobile has no listed dimensions, reflecting its mobile integration. The FirePro W8000 launched in June 2012, whereas the T550 Mobile belongs to the Quadro Turing-M generation, with no release date recorded. Both are end-of-life products.

Memory configurations differ markedly. The T550 Mobile uses 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus, delivering 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth and 12 Gbps effective memory speed. The FirePro W8000 also has 4 GB, but it is GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, yielding 176.0 GB/s of bandwidth at 5.5 Gbps effective. The FirePro W8000 has nearly double the memory bus width and 83% more bandwidth. The T550 Mobile compensates with newer memory technology, but the raw throughput advantage lies with AMD. The T550 Mobile’s memory clock is 1500 MHz, while the FirePro W8000’s is 1375 MHz.

Compute resources are distributed differently. The T550 Mobile has 1024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The FirePro W8000 has 1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The AMD part has 75% more shaders and 75% more TMUs, but the same ROP count. The T550 Mobile’s boost clock is 1665 MHz with a base of 1065 MHz, while the FirePro W8000 has no listed base or boost clocks. The T550 Mobile achieves a pixel rate of 53.28 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 106.6 GTexel/s. The FirePro W8000 posts a pixel rate of 28.80 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 100.8 GTexel/s. Despite fewer shaders, the T550 Mobile’s higher clocks push its pixel rate nearly 85% higher. The FP32 compute is close: 3.410 TFLOPS for NVIDIA versus 3.226 TFLOPS for AMD. The T550 Mobile also supports FP16 at 6.820 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, while the FirePro W8000 has no FP16 capability listed.

Both cards support PCIe 3.0 x16. The T550 Mobile’s display outputs are "Portable Device Dependent," while the FirePro W8000 has 4x DisplayPort 1.2 and 1x SDI. API support shows the T550 Mobile with DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The FirePro W8000 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The NVIDIA part has a newer DirectX feature level and a newer Vulkan version.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data reveals a split decision. The NVIDIA T550 Mobile wins the Geekbench OpenCL test decisively, scoring 35,521 against the FirePro W8000’s 24,440. That is a 45.3% advantage for NVIDIA in OpenCL compute workloads. The AMD FirePro W8000, however, wins the Geekbench Vulkan test, scoring 33,981 versus NVIDIA’s 30,801, a 9.4% margin. Each card claims one benchmark victory, making the overall comparison a draw in terms of wins.

For OpenCL-based workflows, which are common in professional rendering, scientific simulation, and cross-platform compute, the T550 Mobile is the stronger choice. Its higher FP32 throughput (3.410 TFLOPS versus 3.226 TFLOPS) likely contributes to this lead. The T550 Mobile also benefits from its Turing architecture’s modern features, including FP16 support, which can accelerate certain workloads. The FirePro W8000’s older GCN 1.0 design lacks that FP16 path entirely.

For Vulkan-based applications, particularly modern game engines or Vulkan-native compute, the FirePro W8000 takes the lead. The 9.4% gap in Vulkan suggests that the FirePro W8000’s larger shader count and memory bandwidth (176.0 GB/s versus 96.00 GB/s) provide an edge in certain rendering paths. The FirePro W8000’s 256-bit memory bus is a substantial asset in bandwidth-sensitive scenarios.

The T550 Mobile’s overall average benchmark score is 33,161, placing it at the 77th percentile among all GPUs. The FirePro W8000’s average is 29,211, at the 75th percentile. The percentile difference is small, but the average score difference is 13.5% in favor of NVIDIA. The T550 Mobile’s nearest rivals include the GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile (average score 33,170, 0% delta), the Radeon Pro 570 (33,207, -0.1%), and the P104-100 (32,982, 0.5%). The FirePro W8000’s nearest rivals are the Radeon RX Vega M GH (29,197, 0%), Intel Arc A370M (29,175, 0.1%), and Radeon RX 470 (28,996, 0.7%). These rival lists show that the T550 Mobile competes in a higher performance tier, while the FirePro W8000 sits in a lower one.

The T550 Mobile is better suited for mobile workstations where power draw and heat are critical, given its 23 W TDP. The FirePro W8000 requires a desktop chassis with substantial cooling and power delivery. For users with legacy DisplayPort or SDI display needs, the FirePro W8000 offers direct connectivity, while the T550 Mobile relies on the host device’s outputs. The FirePro W8000’s 4x DisplayPort 1.2 and SDI output make it a candidate for multi-display broadcast environments.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench OpenCL test is the largest single victory for either card. The T550 Mobile scores 35,521, while the FirePro W8000 scores 24,440. The delta is 45.3%, meaning the T550 Mobile is nearly half again as fast in this workload. This is a substantial margin, and it suggests that the T550 Mobile’s Turing architecture handles OpenCL compute more efficiently than the FirePro W8000’s GCN 1.0 design. The T550 Mobile’s higher pixel rate (53.28 GPixel/s versus 28.80 GPixel/s) and FP32 output likely drive this result.

The Geekbench Vulkan test flips the result. The FirePro W8000 scores 33,981, outperforming the T550 Mobile’s 30,801 by 9.4%. While the margin is smaller than NVIDIA’s OpenCL win, it is still a clear victory for AMD. The FirePro W8000’s 1792 shading units and 176.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth appear to give it an advantage in Vulkan’s rendering and compute paths. The T550 Mobile’s 64-bit memory bus may bottleneck it in this test, despite its newer architecture.

In terms of average benchmark score, the T550 Mobile’s 33,161 exceeds the FirePro W8000’s 29,211 by 3,950 points, or about 13.5%. This aggregate metric favors NVIDIA, but the individual test results show that neither card is universally superior. The T550 Mobile’s OpenCL lead of 45.3% is more than four times larger than the FirePro W8000’s Vulkan lead of 9.4%. That asymmetry means the T550 Mobile’s wins are more decisive, even though the win count is tied at one each.

The T550 Mobile’s percentile ranking (77th) is only two points above the FirePro W8000’s (75th), indicating that both cards are in a similar overall performance band. However, the T550 Mobile’s average score is closer to its nearest rival, the GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile (33,170, 0% delta), than the FirePro W8000 is to its nearest rival, the Radeon RX Vega M GH (29,197, 0% delta). The FirePro W8000’s delta to its nearest rival is 0%, while the T550 Mobile’s is also 0%, showing tight clustering in both cases.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA T550 Mobile | AMD FirePro W8000 |

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

| Architecture | Turing | GCN 1.0 |

| Chip | TU117 | Tahiti |

| Process Node | 12 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 4,700 million | 4,313 million |

| Die Size | 200 mm² | 352 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 23.5M / mm² | 12.3M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1065 MHz | Not listed |

| Boost Clock | 1665 MHz | Not listed |

| Memory Clock | 1500 MHz, 12 Gbps effective | 1375 MHz, 5.5 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 4 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus | 64 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 96.00 GB/s | 176.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1024 | 1792 |

| TMUs | 64 | 112 |

| ROPs | 32 | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 53.28 GPixel/s | 28.80 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 106.6 GTexel/s | 100.8 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 3.410 TFLOPS | 3.226 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 6.820 TFLOPS (2:1) | Not listed |

| TDP | 23 W | 225 W |

| Slot Width | IGP | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | None | 2x 6-pin |

| Suggested PSU | Not listed | 550 W |

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

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

| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | 1.2.170 |

| Dimensions | Not listed | 279 mm x 111 mm |

| Release Date | Not listed | 2012-06-13 |

| Predecessor | Quadro Pascal-M | FirePro Terascale |

| Successor | Ampere-MW | Radeon Pro Polaris |

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

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher FP32 compute throughput?

A: The NVIDIA T550 Mobile leads with 3.410 TFLOPS, while the AMD FirePro W8000 delivers 3.226 TFLOPS. The difference is about 5.7% in NVIDIA’s favor.

Q: How do the two cards compare in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The T550 Mobile scores 35,521, versus the FirePro W8000’s 24,440. That is a 45.3% advantage for NVIDIA, making it the largest benchmark gap between the two.

Q: Which card wins in Geekbench Vulkan?

A: The AMD FirePro W8000 scores 33,981, beating the T550 Mobile’s 30,801 by 9.4%. This is the FirePro W8000’s only benchmark win in the recorded data.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The FirePro W8000 has 176.0 GB/s of bandwidth on a 256-bit bus, while the T550 Mobile has 96.00 GB/s on a 64-bit bus. The FirePro W8000 provides about 83% more bandwidth.

Q: How do their power requirements differ?

A: The T550 Mobile has a 23 W TDP and needs no power connectors, while the FirePro W8000 has a 225 W TDP, requires two 6-pin connectors, and suggests a 550 W power supply.

Q: What is the percentile ranking for each card?

A: The T550 Mobile sits at the 77th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 33,161. The FirePro W8000 is at the 75th percentile, with an average score of 29,211.