AMD FirePro S7150 vs NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell Comparison

The AMD FirePro S7150 and NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell represent two distinct eras of professional graphics. The data shows a stark generational gap, with the RTX PRO 4000 delivering a dominant performance profile, though the FirePro S7150 retains specific legacy advantages. This analysis breaks down the benchmark results, architectural differences, and practical implications based solely on the provided facts.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark between the two cards is the Geekbench Vulkan test, and the results are decisively one-sided. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell scores 194,168 points, while the AMD FirePro S7150 manages 29,690 points. This represents an enormous 84.7% delta in favor of the NVIDIA card, meaning the RTX PRO 4000 delivers over six times the raw Vulkan performance of the older AMD part. This single data point frames the entire comparison: the RTX PRO 4000 is in a completely different performance class.

Looking at broader benchmark aggregates, the RTX PRO 4000 also shows its strength in DirectX workloads. It scores 4,648 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, and in Passmark tests it achieves 28,427 in G3D and 14,805 in GPU Compute. These figures are not directly comparable to the FirePro S7150, which only has Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan scores, but they indicate a well-rounded modern performer. The FirePro S7150's Geekbench OpenCL score of 26,543 is its strongest showing, yet it remains far below the RTX PRO 4000's Vulkan result.

The average benchmark scores tell a similar story, though with less dramatic separation. The FirePro S7150 averages 28,117 across its tests, placing it at the 73rd percentile of all GPUs. The RTX PRO 4000 averages 27,135, which puts it at the 72nd percentile. This near-identical percentile placement is misleading, however, because the two cards run different benchmark suites. The FirePro's average is buoyed by its two Geekbench results, while the RTX PRO 4000's average includes a wider range of tests, some of which (like Passmark DirectX 9 at 354 and DirectX 12 at 97) are lower-level legacy metrics that drag down its aggregate. The head-to-head Vulkan test remains the clearest indicator of relative capability, and it heavily favors NVIDIA.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell is the clear winner in virtually every measurable performance category. Its Vulkan score is 554% higher than the FirePro S7150's, and its architectural features—70 RT cores and 280 tensor cores—enable capabilities the AMD card simply does not possess. The RTX PRO 4000 also excels in modern API support, with DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, compared to the FirePro's DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.2.170. For any workload leveraging ray tracing, tensor operations, or the latest graphics APIs, the NVIDIA card is the only viable option based on this data.

The AMD FirePro S7150's wins are more circumstantial. In the nearest rival comparison, the FirePro S7150 sits just 0.3% above the GeForce GTX 980 Ti and 0.5% above the Radeon Pro W5500X, showing it remains competitive within its own generation. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 26,543 is respectable for a 2016 card, and its 150W TDP is only slightly higher than the RTX PRO 4000's 140W, despite being far less powerful. The FirePro also uses a standard 6-pin power connector, which may be more compatible with older power supplies, whereas the RTX PRO 4000 requires a 16-pin connector. For legacy applications that rely on OpenCL and do not need modern features, the FirePro S7150 can still function adequately, but it offers no performance advantage over the NVIDIA card.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is vast. The AMD FirePro S7150 uses the Tonga chip built on GCN 3.0 architecture, manufactured on a 28nm process at TSMC. It contains 5,000 million transistors on a 366 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 13.7 million per mm². The NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell uses the GB203 chip on Blackwell 2.0 architecture, built on a 5nm process, also at TSMC. It packs 45,600 million transistors into a 378 mm² die, achieving a density of 120.6 million per mm². This represents a 9.1x increase in transistor count and an 8.8x increase in density, explaining the massive performance disparity.

Core configurations differ dramatically. The FirePro S7150 has 2,048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 32 raster output units (ROPs). The RTX PRO 4000 has 8,960 shading units, 280 TMUs, and 96 ROPs—roughly 4.4x, 2.2x, and 3x more, respectively. The NVIDIA card also introduces dedicated hardware absent from the AMD part: 70 RT cores for ray tracing and 280 tensor cores for AI acceleration. These features enable the RTX PRO 4000 to excel in modern workloads like real-time ray tracing and deep learning inference, which the FirePro S7150 cannot accelerate at all.

Memory subsystems also reflect the generational leap. The FirePro S7150 uses 8GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 160.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX PRO 4000 uses 24GB of GDDR7 on a 192-bit bus, providing 672.0 GB/s—a 4.2x increase in bandwidth despite a narrower bus. Clock speeds tell a similar story: the FirePro's memory runs at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective), while the RTX PRO 4000's memory runs at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The NVIDIA card also has explicit base and boost clocks of 1230 MHz and 2055 MHz, respectively, while the FirePro's core clocks are not listed in the data. Compute throughput figures are equally lopsided: the RTX PRO 4000 delivers 36.83 TFLOPS FP32, versus the FirePro's 3.768 TFLOPS—a 9.8x difference. The NVIDIA card also offers 36.83 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1 ratio), while the FirePro offers 7.537 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1 ratio), indicating the RTX PRO 4000 maintains full FP16 throughput without the 2:1 penalty.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the data, the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell is the superior GPU for virtually any modern professional workload. Its Vulkan score is 554% higher than the FirePro S7150, its FP32 compute is 9.8x higher, its memory bandwidth is 4.2x higher, and it has dedicated RT and tensor cores. The RTX PRO 4000 also supports newer APIs (DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4) and has 24GB of GDDR7 memory compared to the FirePro's 8GB of GDDR5. For tasks involving ray tracing, AI inference, large datasets, or the latest graphics features, the RTX PRO 4000 is the clear choice. It is also more power-efficient in terms of performance per watt, delivering 36.83 TFLOPS at 140W versus 3.768 TFLOPS at 150W.

The AMD FirePro S7150 is only relevant in narrow, legacy-specific scenarios. If a system requires OpenCL 2.0-level compute without needing modern APIs, and if power delivery is limited to a 6-pin connector, the FirePro S7150 can still serve as a functional compute device. Its 73rd percentile ranking versus the RTX PRO 4000's 72nd percentile is a statistical artifact of different benchmark suites, not an indication of parity. The FirePro's nearest rivals (GTX 980 Ti, Radeon Pro W5500X) are all similarly aged or lower-tier parts, confirming its position as an outdated solution. For any new deployment or upgrade, the RTX PRO 4000's performance and feature set make it the only rational choice from this data.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 in Vulkan compared to the AMD FirePro S7150?

A: The RTX PRO 4000 scores 194,168 in Geekbench Vulkan, while the FirePro S7150 scores 29,690, a delta of 84.7% in favor of NVIDIA.

Q: Does the AMD FirePro S7150 support ray tracing or tensor operations?

A: No. The FirePro S7150 has no RT cores or tensor cores listed, while the RTX PRO 4000 has 70 RT cores and 280 tensor cores.

Q: What are the memory capacities and types for each card?

A: The FirePro S7150 has 8GB of GDDR5 with 160.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX PRO 4000 has 24GB of GDDR7 with 672.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card has a higher FP32 compute throughput?

A: The RTX PRO 4000 delivers 36.83 TFLOPS FP32, compared to the FirePro S7150's 3.768 TFLOPS, making NVIDIA approximately 9.8x faster.

Q: What is the power connector requirement for each card?

A: The FirePro S7150 uses a single 6-pin connector with a 450W suggested PSU. The RTX PRO 4000 uses a single 16-pin connector with a 300W suggested PSU.

Q: Are both cards single-slot designs?

A: Yes, both are single-slot, but the RTX PRO 4000 has a specified width of 20 mm, while the FirePro's width is not listed. Both have the same length (241 mm) and height (111 mm).

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD FirePro S7150 | NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell |

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

| Architecture | GCN 3.0 | Blackwell 2.0 |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 5 nm |

| Transistors | 5,000 million | 45,600 million |

| Die Size | 366 mm² | 378 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 13.7M / mm² | 120.6M / mm² |

| Shading Units | 2048 | 8960 |

| TMUs | 128 | 280 |

| ROPs | 32 | 96 |

| RT Cores | None | 70 |

| Tensor Cores | None | 280 |

| Base Clock | Not listed | 1230 MHz |

| Boost Clock | Not listed | 2055 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1250 MHz (5 Gbps) | 1750 MHz (28 Gbps) |

| Memory Size | 8 GB | 24 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR7 |

| Memory Bus | 256 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 160.0 GB/s | 672.0 GB/s |

| Pixel Rate | 29.44 GPixel/s | 197.3 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 117.8 GTexel/s | 575.4 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 3.768 TFLOPS | 36.83 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 7.537 TFLOPS (2:1) | 36.83 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 150 W | 140 W |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin | 1x 16-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | 300 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 5.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | No outputs | 4x DisplayPort 2.1b |

| DirectX | 12 (12_0) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| Vulkan | 1.2.170 | 1.4 |

| Production Status | End-of-life | Active |

| Release Date | 2016-01-31 | 2025-03-17 |

| Launch MSRP | 2,399 USD | Not listed |