AMD Radeon HD 7970 vs AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 Comparison

The AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 and the AMD Radeon HD 7970 represent two distinct eras of graphics hardware, separated by nearly five years of architectural evolution. The benchmark data from the database shows a clear generational shift in compute capability, with the newer Polaris-based card holding a significant advantage in raw performance metrics. The recorded measurements indicate that the WX 7100 outperforms the older HD 7970 by a substantial margin, though the latter retains its own historical significance in the GPU landscape.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains a single direct head-to-head benchmark comparison between these two cards, using the Geekbench OpenCL test. In this compute workload, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 scores 40148, while the AMD Radeon HD 7970 scores 34541. This represents a 16.2% advantage for the WX 7100, a decisive win that underscores the architectural improvements implemented over the intervening years.

This 16.2% delta is particularly telling when placed in context with each card's nearest rivals. The WX 7100's average benchmark score sits at 40063, placing it in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its closest competitor, the AMD Radeon Pro 580, averages 40318, a mere 1.3% difference from the WX 7100's score. The WX 7100 also trades blows with NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5070, which posts an average score of 40377, only 0.8% higher than the AMD card. This places the Polaris-based card in a competitive position against much newer hardware, suggesting its compute architecture remains efficient for modern workloads.

The HD 7970, by contrast, averages 34541 and sits in the 79th percentile, a lower standing but still respectable for a card from its era. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA T1000 8 GB at 34561, which trails by only 0.1%, and the NVIDIA A2 at 34690, which leads by 0.4%. The HD 7970 also edges out the NVIDIA TITAN V by 0.5% and the NVIDIA RTX A1000 by 1.0%. These tight margins show that the Tahiti GPU, despite its age, still holds its own in compute benchmarks against entry-level and mid-range modern professional cards.

The single head-to-head result shows the WX 7100 winning the only contested benchmark, giving it a 1-0 record in the database's direct comparison. The Geekbench OpenCL test exercises general-purpose compute, including floating-point math and memory access patterns, so the WX 7100's 16.2% lead reflects both its higher shader count and its more efficient memory subsystem.

Architecture Differences

The two cards belong to entirely different architectural generations. The Radeon Pro WX 7100 uses the Ellesmere chip based on Graphics Core Next (GCN) 4.0 architecture, while the Radeon HD 7970 uses the Tahiti chip based on GCN 1.0. This generational gap manifests in nearly every aspect of the design.

Manufacturing processes differ dramatically. The WX 7100 is built on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries, while the HD 7970 uses a 28 nm process at TSMC. This process shrink allows the newer card to pack significantly more transistors into a smaller area. The Ellesmere chip contains 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 24.6 million per square millimeter. The Tahiti chip, by contrast, houses 4,313 million transistors on a much larger 352 mm² die, resulting in a density of just 12.3 million per square millimeter. The WX 7100's transistor density is exactly double that of the HD 7970, a clear illustration of process technology advancement.

Compute resources also differ. The WX 7100 features 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operation units. The HD 7970 has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. While the ROP count matches, the newer card enjoys 256 additional shading units and 16 extra TMUs, contributing to its higher throughput.

Raw throughput numbers reflect these resource differences. The WX 7100 achieves a pixel rate of 39.78 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 179.0 GTexel/s, while the HD 7970 manages 29.60 GPixel/s and 118.4 GTexel/s. Floating-point performance tells a similar story: the WX 7100 delivers 5.728 TFLOPS in FP32, while the HD 7970 produces 3.789 TFLOPS. Notably, the WX 7100 also supports FP16 at the same 5.728 TFLOPS rate with a 1:1 ratio, a feature absent from the HD 7970's specification sheet.

Memory architecture presents a more nuanced comparison. The WX 7100 uses 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, achieving a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. The HD 7970 uses 3 GB of GDDR5 on a wider 384-bit bus, achieving 264.0 GB/s. Despite having a narrower memory bus, the newer card benefits from faster memory clocks, with the WX 7100 running at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) compared to the HD 7970's 1375 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective). The HD 7970 retains a bandwidth advantage of 40 GB/s, but the WX 7100's larger capacity and higher per-pin efficiency compensate in practical workloads.

API support also separates the two. The WX 7100 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The HD 7970 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The newer card's Vulkan 1.3 support enables more advanced graphics features and better driver optimization paths.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data clearly favors the Radeon Pro WX 7100 in compute-heavy workloads. Its 16.2% lead in Geekbench OpenCL, combined with its higher FP32 throughput and FP16 support, makes it the superior choice for tasks involving machine learning inference, scientific computing, and general-purpose GPU acceleration. The 8 GB memory capacity also provides a significant advantage in workloads that require large datasets or high-resolution textures, as the HD 7970's 3 GB frame buffer would become a bottleneck in such scenarios.

The WX 7100's newer display outputs, 4x DisplayPort 1.4a, offer modern connectivity and support for higher resolutions and refresh rates compared to the HD 7970's mixed output set of 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2. Professionals driving multiple high-resolution monitors would find the WX 7100's uniform DisplayPort configuration more practical.

The HD 7970, despite its age, retains theoretical advantages in memory bandwidth. Its 264.0 GB/s bandwidth exceeds the WX 7100's 224.0 GB/s by 17.9%, which could benefit memory-bound workloads that fit within its 3 GB capacity. However, the database's single benchmark result shows that this bandwidth advantage does not translate into a compute win, as the WX 7100's higher shader count and clock speeds dominate.

Power efficiency is another area where the WX 7100 clearly wins. The newer card has a TDP of 130 W and requires a single 6-pin power connector with a suggested 300 W power supply. The HD 7970 has a TDP of 250 W, needs both a 6-pin and an 8-pin connector, and requires a 600 W power supply. The WX 7100 delivers 51.2% higher FP32 performance while consuming 48% less power, a compelling efficiency improvement that reflects the benefits of the 14 nm process node.

Specification Differences

The specification differences between the two cards are extensive and can be summarized across several key categories.

| Specification | AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 | AMD Radeon HD 7970 |

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

| Chip | Ellesmere | Tahiti |

| Architecture | GCN 4.0 | GCN 1.0 |

| Process Node | 14 nm | 28 nm |

| Foundry | GlobalFoundries | TSMC |

| Transistors | 5,700 million | 4,313 million |

| Die Size | 232 mm² | 352 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 24.6M / mm² | 12.3M / mm² |

| Memory | 8 GB GDDR5 | 3 GB GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus | 256 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 224.0 GB/s | 264.0 GB/s |

| Memory Clock | 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) | 1375 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective) |

| Shading Units | 2304 | 2048 |

| TMUs | 144 | 128 |

| ROPs | 32 | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 39.78 GPixel/s | 29.60 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 179.0 GTexel/s | 118.4 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 5.728 TFLOPS | 3.789 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 5.728 TFLOPS (1:1) | Not specified |

| TDP | 130 W | 250 W |

| Slot Width | Single-slot | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 300 W | 600 W |

| Display Outputs | 4x DisplayPort 1.4a | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 |

| DirectX Support | 12 (12_0) | 12 (11_1) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.3 | 1.2.170 |

| Length | 241 mm | 275 mm |

| Width | Not specified | 38 mm |

| Release Date | 2016-11-09 | 2012-01-08 |

Both cards share the same PCIe 3.0 x16 bus interface and GDDR5 memory type, but nearly everything else differs according to their respective design generations.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the Radeon Pro WX 7100 than the Radeon HD 7970 in compute benchmarks?

A: The WX 7100 scores 40148 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 16.2% higher than the HD 7970's score of 34541.

Q: Does the Radeon HD 7970 have any advantage over the Radeon Pro WX 7100?

A: Yes, the HD 7970 has higher memory bandwidth at 264.0 GB/s compared to the WX 7100's 224.0 GB/s, due to its wider 384-bit memory bus.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference between these two cards?

A: The WX 7100 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the HD 7970 has 3 GB of GDDR5 memory.

Q: How do their power requirements compare?

A: The WX 7100 has a TDP of 130 W and requires a 300 W power supply, while the HD 7970 has a TDP of 250 W and requires a 600 W power supply.

Q: Which card supports newer display outputs?

A: The WX 7100 features 4x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, while the HD 7970 offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2.

Q: What is the manufacturing process difference between the two cards?

A: The WX 7100 uses a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries, while the HD 7970 uses a 28 nm process at TSMC, resulting in the WX 7100 having double the transistor density (24.6M / mm² versus 12.3M / mm²).