AMD FirePro S7150 vs AMD Radeon HD 7950 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded database contains no direct head-to-head benchmark runs between the AMD Radeon HD 7950 and the AMD FirePro S7150. Instead, the comparison relies on the aggregate benchmark scores and the nearest rival deltas for each card. The Radeon HD 7950 holds a single recorded benchmark result: a Geekbench Metal score of 33,951. The FirePro S7150 has two recorded results: a Geekbench OpenCL score of 26,543 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 29,690. Its average benchmark score across those tests is 28,117.

When placed against the broader database, the Radeon HD 7950 sits at the 78th percentile of all GPUs, while the FirePro S7150 sits at the 73rd percentile. That five-point percentile gap reflects a real, but not enormous, performance separation in the aggregate data. The Radeon HD 7950's average score of 33,951 is 20.7% higher than the FirePro S7150's average of 28,117. However, the two cards were not tested under the same benchmark suite, so the comparison is indicative rather than a direct apples-to-apples measurement.

The nearest rival data provides context for each card's standing. The Radeon HD 7950 is effectively tied with the AMD Radeon RX 480, which scores 33,997, a delta of -0.1%. It is also within 0.3% of the AMD Radeon RX 7700S (33,849) and 0.5% of the AMD Radeon RX 560 XT (34,133). The NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB posts 34,154, putting the HD 7950 0.6% behind that card. In short, the HD 7950's recorded Metal score places it in a tight cluster of modern mid-range GPUs, despite its much older architecture.

The FirePro S7150's nearest rivals tell a different story. Its average score of 28,117 is 0.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (28,020), 0.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W5500X (27,973), 0.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7800M (27,883), and 1.0% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 (27,839). This places the S7150 in a performance band roughly equivalent to a high-end 2015 consumer GPU, which is consistent with its server-oriented positioning.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different generations of AMD's Graphics Core Next design. The Radeon HD 7950 uses the Tahiti chip, built on GCN 1.0 architecture, and belongs to the Southern Islands generation (HD 7900 series). The FirePro S7150 uses the Tonga chip, built on GCN 3.0 architecture, and belongs to the FirePro Server (Sx100) generation. Both are fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process, but the transistor counts differ: Tahiti packs 4,313 million transistors on a 352 mm² die, while Tonga packs 5,000 million transistors on a 366 mm² die. That gives the S7150 a higher transistor density of 13.7M per mm² versus 12.3M per mm² for the HD 7950.

The shading resources follow the transistor advantage. The FirePro S7150 has 2,048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The Radeon HD 7950 has 1,792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The S7150 therefore holds a 14.3% advantage in shading unit count and a 14.3% advantage in TMU count, while ROP counts are identical. The resulting peak rates reflect that: the S7150 reaches 29.44 GPixel/s and 117.8 GTexel/s, versus 25.60 GPixel/s and 89.60 GTexel/s for the HD 7950. In FP32 compute, the S7150 delivers 3.768 TFLOPS versus 2.867 TFLOPS for the HD 7950, a 31.4% advantage. The S7150 also supports FP16 at 7.537 TFLOPS (2:1 rate), a capability the HD 7950 does not list.

Memory subsystems differ substantially. The HD 7950 uses 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, yielding 240.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The S7150 uses 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, yielding 160.0 GB/s. Both run memory at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective), but the wider bus on the HD 7950 gives it 50% more bandwidth. The S7150 compensates with more than double the capacity, which matters for workloads that need large working sets rather than raw streaming speed.

The FirePro S7150 is built for server deployment. It has no display outputs, uses a single-slot cooler, and draws 150 W with a single 6-pin power connector and a 450 W suggested PSU. The Radeon HD 7950 is a desktop card with 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 outputs. It is dual-slot, draws 200 W, requires 2x 6-pin connectors, and recommends a 550 W PSU. Both use PCIe 3.0 x16. The HD 7950 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), while the S7150 supports DirectX 12 (12_0); both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.2.170.

The release timeline is notable: the HD 7950 launched on 2012-01-30 with a launch MSRP of 449 USD. The FirePro S7150 launched on 2016-01-31 with a launch MSRP of 2,399 USD. Both are now end-of-life.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 7950 has an average benchmark score of 33,951, compared to 28,117 for the AMD FirePro S7150. That is a 20.7% advantage for the HD 7950 in the recorded database.

Q: How do these cards compare to their nearest rivals?

A: The HD 7950 is within 0.6% of the NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB and within 0.5% of the AMD Radeon RX 560 XT, sitting just below both. The FirePro S7150 is 0.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti and 1.0% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20.

Q: Which card has more memory bandwidth?

A: The Radeon HD 7950 has 240.0 GB/s of bandwidth, driven by a 384-bit bus. The FirePro S7150 has 160.0 GB/s on a 256-bit bus. The HD 7950 leads by 50% in raw bandwidth.

Q: Which card has more memory capacity?

A: The FirePro S7150 has 8 GB of GDDR5, while the Radeon HD 7950 has 3 GB. The S7150 offers over 2.6 times the capacity, which benefits large dataset workloads.

Q: Which card has higher compute throughput?

A: The FirePro S7150 delivers 3.768 TFLOPS FP32 and 7.537 TFLOPS FP16, versus 2.867 TFLOPS FP32 for the HD 7950. The S7150 leads in FP32 by 31.4% and is the only one of the two with FP16 capability.

Q: Do both cards support the same APIs?

A: Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.2.170. They differ in DirectX support: the HD 7950 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), while the S7150 supports DirectX 12 (12_0).

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every major specification category. The chip and architecture are different: Tahiti GCN 1.0 versus Tonga GCN 3.0. Transistor count is 4,313 million versus 5,000 million. Die size is 352 mm² versus 366 mm². Transistor density is 12.3M per mm² versus 13.7M per mm².

Shading units: 1,792 versus 2,048. TMUs: 112 versus 128. ROPs are identical at 32. Pixel rate: 25.60 GPixel/s versus 29.44 GPixel/s. Texture rate: 89.60 GTexel/s versus 117.8 GTexel/s. FP32: 2.867 TFLOPS versus 3.768 TFLOPS. FP16 is listed only for the S7150 at 7.537 TFLOPS.

Memory size: 3 GB versus 8 GB. Bus width: 384 bit versus 256 bit. Bandwidth: 240.0 GB/s versus 160.0 GB/s. Memory clock is the same at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective).

TDP: 200 W versus 150 W. Slot width: dual-slot versus single-slot. Power connectors: 2x 6-pin versus 1x 6-pin. Suggested PSU: 550 W versus 450 W. Display outputs: the HD 7950 has 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2; the S7150 has none. Dimensions: the HD 7950 is 278 mm long and 38 mm wide; the S7150 is 241 mm long, with no recorded width. Both are 111 mm high.

DirectX support: 12 (11_1) versus 12 (12_0). Release dates: 2012-01-30 versus 2016-01-31. Launch MSRP: 449 USD versus 2,399 USD. The HD 7950's predecessor is Northern Islands and its successor is Sea Islands. The S7150's predecessor is FirePro Terascale and its successor is Radeon Pro GCN.

Where Each One Wins

The Radeon HD 7950 wins in scenarios that depend on memory bandwidth and consumer-facing features. Its 240.0 GB/s bandwidth, a 50% advantage over the S7150, makes it stronger for workloads with large streaming data sets that fit within 3 GB. Its display outputs (DVI, HDMI 1.4a, dual mini-DisplayPort) allow direct connection to monitors, which the S7150 cannot do. Its higher average benchmark score of 33,951 versus 28,117 and its 78th percentile ranking versus 73rd indicate that, in the recorded database, it is the faster card overall. Its lower launch MSRP of 449 USD also places it in a different market segment than the S7150's 2,399 USD.

The FirePro S7150 wins in compute-heavy and capacity-sensitive environments. Its 3.768 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is 31.4% higher than the HD 7950, and its FP16 capability at 7.537 TFLOPS opens up workloads that the HD 7950 cannot handle at all. The 8 GB memory capacity is more than double the HD 7950's 3 GB, which is critical for deep learning inference, large rendering scenes, or scientific datasets that exceed 3 GB. Its 150 W TDP and single-slot design make it far easier to pack into dense server chassis, and its single 6-pin power requirement and 450 W suggested PSU reduce system-level power demands. The S7150 also supports DirectX 12 (12_0), a newer feature level than the HD 7950's 11_1.

The use cases split cleanly. The HD 7950 is the better choice for a desktop workstation or gaming system where bandwidth, display outputs, and overall benchmark score matter most. The FirePro S7150 is the better choice for a headless server or compute node where raw FP32/FP16 throughput, memory capacity, and power efficiency take priority over bandwidth and connectivity. In the database's percentile ranking, the HD 7950 sits higher, but the S7150's architectural advantages target a different class of workloads entirely. Neither card has a recorded head-to-head win, so the optimal pick depends entirely on the workload profile rather than a direct performance comparison.