AMD FirePro S7150 vs AMD Radeon Pro 570X Comparison

# AMD Radeon Pro 570X vs AMD FirePro S7150: A Tale of Two GCN Eras

The database comparison between the AMD Radeon Pro 570X and the AMD FirePro S7150 presents a fascinating split decision. Each card claims one benchmark victory, with the Radeon Pro 570X taking the OpenCL test and the FirePro S7150 countering in Vulkan. The overall average scores differ notably, with the Radeon Pro 570X posting 32,176 against the FirePro S7150's 28,117, a gap of roughly 14%. This places the two cards in different performance percentiles: the Radeon Pro 570X sits at the 76th percentile of all GPUs, while the FirePro S7150 occupies the 73rd. The architectural divide between GCN 4.0 on 14 nm and GCN 3.0 on 28 nm explains much of this behavior, but the FirePro's larger memory pool and higher shader count complicate the story.

Where Each One Wins

The Radeon Pro 570X establishes its advantage in OpenCL workloads, a domain where its GCN 4.0 architecture and higher clock speeds pay dividends. Its score of 27,604 in geekbench_opencl outpaces the FirePro S7150's 26,543 by 4%. This margin, while modest, reflects the 570X's superior pixel rate of 35.36 GPixel/s versus the FirePro's 29.44 GPixel/s, as well as its higher texture rate of 123.8 GTexel/s against 117.8 GTexel/s. The 570X also benefits from a memory bandwidth of 217.0 GB/s, which is 36% higher than the FirePro's 160.0 GB/s. For applications that hammer memory bandwidth, such as image processing or scientific simulation, the Radeon Pro 570X's data suggests a clear edge.

The FirePro S7150, however, claims victory in Vulkan, scoring 29,690 against the 570X's 28,859, a delta of -2.8% from the 570X's perspective. This reversal is intriguing because the FirePro operates with significantly lower memory bandwidth and pixel rate. The Vulkan result may reflect the FirePro's larger shader count: 2048 shading units versus 1792 on the 570X. In compute-heavy Vulkan workloads that scale with shader throughput, the FirePro's extra 256 units appear to compensate for its architectural age. The FirePro also doubles the frame buffer at 8 GB versus 4 GB, which could matter in memory-intensive scenes where capacity trumps speed.

The average benchmark scores reinforce the overall picture. The Radeon Pro 570X's 32,176 average places it just below the AMD FirePro S10000 (32,388, -0.7%) and the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE (32,456, -0.9%), while slightly above the Intel Arc Pro A30M (31,894, +0.9%). The FirePro S7150's 28,117 average sits remarkably close to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (28,020, +0.3%) and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500X (27,973, +0.5%). These proximity scores indicate that both cards occupy competitive positions within their respective performance tiers, though the 570X operates in a higher stratum.

The Verdict

For users prioritizing OpenCL compute, the AMD Radeon Pro 570X is the data-backed choice. Its 4% lead in the OpenCL benchmark, superior bandwidth, and faster pixel throughput make it the stronger candidate for workloads that leverage those characteristics. The 570X's GCN 4.0 architecture, built on a 14 nm process, delivers modern efficiency that shows in its higher transistor density of 24.6M per mm² versus the FirePro's 13.7M per mm². The 570X also supports Vulkan 1.3, a newer API revision than the FirePro's 1.2.170, which may future-proof it for evolving software stacks.

Conversely, the AMD FirePro S7150 appeals to users whose workloads favor Vulkan performance or demand larger memory capacity. Its 8 GB frame buffer doubles the 570X's 4 GB, and its higher shading unit count provides raw compute throughput that the Vulkan benchmark reflects. The FirePro's 7.537 TFLOPS in FP16 (2:1) dwarfs the 570X's 3.960 TFLOPS (1:1), making it the obvious pick for half-precision compute tasks. The FirePro's single-slot form factor and 1x 6-pin power connector also distinguish it as a server-oriented card, with no display outputs, whereas the 570X is an integrated graphics processor with portable-device-dependent outputs.

The verdict depends entirely on the workload. OpenCL-centric environments favor the Radeon Pro 570X; Vulkan-centric or high-capacity memory environments favor the FirePro S7150. The 570X's higher percentile ranking (76 vs 73) and superior average score suggest it is the better all-rounder, but the FirePro's specific strengths are not negligible.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench OpenCL test delivers a narrow but decisive win for the Radeon Pro 570X. Its score of 27,604 beats the FirePro S7150's 26,543 by 4%. This result aligns with the 570X's higher memory bandwidth (217.0 GB/s vs 160.0 GB/s) and faster pixel rate (35.36 GPixel/s vs 29.44 GPixel/s). The 570X also runs at a base clock of 1000 MHz with a boost of 1105 MHz, while the FirePro's clocks are not recorded in the database, suggesting the 570X's frequency advantage contributes to its OpenCL showing.

The Vulkan benchmark flips the script. The FirePro S7150 scores 29,690 against the 570X's 28,859, a 2.8% margin. This is the more surprising result given the FirePro's lower bandwidth and pixel rate. The likely explanation lies in the FirePro's 2048 shading units and 128 texture mapping units, both exceeding the 570X's 1792 and 112 respectively. Vulkan's low-level API can exploit these additional execution resources more effectively than OpenCL, which may explain why the FirePro outperforms despite its older GCN 3.0 architecture.

The aggregate data shows a near-even split: one win apiece. However, the magnitude of the OpenCL victory (4%) exceeds the Vulkan margin (2.8%), suggesting the 570X's advantage in its stronger test is slightly more pronounced. The FirePro's average score of 28,117 also trails the 570X's 32,176, reinforcing the 570X's overall superiority despite the Vulkan upset.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 570X posts an average benchmark score of 32,176, compared to the AMD FirePro S7150's 28,117. The 570X also ranks higher at the 76th percentile of all GPUs versus the FirePro's 73rd.

Q: How does the FirePro S7150 compare to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti?

A: The FirePro S7150's average score of 28,117 is within 0.3% of the GeForce GTX 980 Ti's 28,020, indicating near-identical overall performance. The FirePro edges slightly ahead in this comparison.

Q: What memory advantages does the FirePro S7150 offer?

A: The FirePro S7150 doubles the frame buffer with 8 GB of GDDR5 memory versus the Radeon Pro 570X's 4 GB. However, the 570X has higher memory bandwidth at 217.0 GB/s compared to the FirePro's 160.0 GB/s.

Q: Which card wins in Vulkan performance?

A: The AMD FirePro S7150 wins the Geekbench Vulkan test with a score of 29,690, beating the Radeon Pro 570X's 28,859 by 2.8%. The FirePro's higher shading unit count (2048 vs 1792) likely contributes to this result.

Q: What is the FP16 performance difference?

A: The FirePro S7150 delivers 7.537 TFLOPS in FP16 with a 2:1 ratio, whereas the Radeon Pro 570X provides 3.960 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio. The FirePro is substantially stronger in half-precision compute.

Q: Are both cards still in production?

A: No, both are end-of-life products. The Radeon Pro 570X released in March 2019, while the FirePro S7150 launched in January 2016.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two cards is stark. The Radeon Pro 570X uses the Ellesmere chip built on GCN 4.0 architecture, manufactured by GlobalFoundries on a 14 nm process. This newer node allows for a transistor density of 24.6M per mm², packing 5,700 million transistors into a 232 mm² die. The FirePro S7150, in contrast, uses the Tonga chip on GCN 3.0 architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process. Its transistor density is just 13.7M per mm², with 5,000 million transistors spread across a larger 366 mm² die. The density difference reflects the process node advancement, not necessarily architectural efficiency.

The 570X's GCN 4.0 supports Vulkan 1.3, while the FirePro's GCN 3.0 is limited to Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support DirectX 12 (12_0) and OpenGL 4.6. The 570X's FP32 performance of 3.960 TFLOPS slightly exceeds the FirePro's 3.768 TFLOPS, but the FirePro's FP16 output of 7.537 TFLOPS (2:1) more than doubles the 570X's 3.960 TFLOPS (1:1). This suggests the FirePro was designed with compute-heavy, half-precision workloads in mind, a common requirement in server environments.

The Radeon Pro 570X belongs to the "Radeon Pro Mac (500X Series)" generation, indicating its integration into portable devices. The FirePro S7150 comes from the "FirePro Server (Sx100)" line, explicitly targeting server deployments with no display outputs. The 570X has an integrated graphics processor (IGP) slot width with no power connectors, while the FirePro is a single-slot card with a 1x 6-pin power connector and a suggested PSU of 450 W.

Specification Differences

The Radeon Pro 570X and FirePro S7150 diverge across nearly every measurable specification. The 570X's process node is 14 nm versus the FirePro's 28 nm, with corresponding differences in die size (232 mm² vs 366 mm²), transistor count (5,700M vs 5,000M), and density (24.6M/mm² vs 13.7M/mm²). The 570X's base clock is 1000 MHz with a boost of 1105 MHz, while the FirePro's clocks are not recorded. Memory clocks also differ: the 570X runs at 1695 MHz (6.8 Gbps effective), the FirePro at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective).

Memory capacity favors the FirePro at 8 GB versus 4 GB, but bandwidth favors the 570X at 217.0 GB/s versus 160.0 GB/s. Both use GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus. Shading units favor the FirePro (2048 vs 1792), as do TMUs (128 vs 112), while ROPs are equal at 32. Pixel rate favors the 570X (35.36 GPixel/s vs 29.44 GPixel/s), as does texture rate (123.8 GTexel/s vs 117.8 GTexel/s). FP32 is slightly higher on the 570X (3.960 vs 3.768 TFLOPS), but FP16 massively favors the FirePro (7.537 vs 3.960 TFLOPS).

Power consumption is identical at 150 W TDP, but physical design differs: the 570X is an IGP with no power connectors and portable-device-dependent outputs, while the FirePro is a single-slot card measuring 241 mm (9.5 inches) in length and 111 mm (4.4 inches) in height, with a 1x 6-pin connector, a 450 W suggested PSU, and no display outputs. The FirePro lists a launch MSRP of 2,399 USD. Release dates differ by over three years: the 570X arrived in March 2019, the FirePro in January 2016. The FirePro's predecessor is FirePro Terascale and its successor is Radeon Pro GCN, while the 570X lists no predecessor or successor.