AMD FirePro W9000
AMD graphics card specifications and benchmark scores
At a Glance
AMDAMD FirePro W9000 Specifications
GPU Core
Shader units and compute resources
The AMD FirePro W9000 GPU core specifications define its raw processing power for graphics and compute workloads. Shading units (also called CUDA cores, stream processors, or execution units depending on manufacturer) handle the parallel calculations required for rendering. TMUs (Texture Mapping Units) process texture data, while ROPs (Render Output Units) handle final pixel output. Higher shader counts generally translate to better GPU benchmark performance, especially in demanding games and 3D applications.
FirePro W9000 Clock Speeds
GPU and memory frequencies
Clock speeds directly impact the FirePro W9000's performance in GPU benchmarks and real-world gaming. The base clock represents the minimum guaranteed frequency, while the boost clock indicates peak performance under optimal thermal conditions. Memory clock speed affects texture loading and frame buffer operations. The FirePro W9000 by AMD dynamically adjusts frequencies based on workload, temperature, and power limits to maximize performance while maintaining stability.
AMD's FirePro W9000 Memory
VRAM capacity and bandwidth
VRAM (Video RAM) is dedicated memory for storing textures, frame buffers, and shader data. The FirePro W9000's memory capacity determines how well it handles high-resolution textures and multiple displays. Memory bandwidth, measured in GB/s, affects how quickly data moves between the GPU and VRAM. Higher bandwidth improves performance in memory-intensive scenarios like 4K gaming. The memory bus width and type (GDDR6, GDDR6X, HBM) significantly influence overall GPU benchmark scores.
FirePro W9000 by AMD Cache
On-chip cache hierarchy
On-chip cache provides ultra-fast data access for the FirePro W9000, reducing the need to fetch data from slower VRAM. L1 and L2 caches store frequently accessed data close to the compute units. AMD's Infinity Cache (L3) dramatically increases effective bandwidth, improving GPU benchmark performance without requiring wider memory buses. Larger cache sizes help maintain high frame rates in memory-bound scenarios and reduce power consumption by minimizing VRAM accesses.
FirePro W9000 Theoretical Performance
Compute and fill rates
Theoretical performance metrics provide a baseline for comparing the AMD FirePro W9000 against other graphics cards. FP32 (single-precision) performance, measured in TFLOPS, indicates compute capability for gaming and general GPU workloads. FP64 (double-precision) matters for scientific computing. Pixel and texture fill rates determine how quickly the GPU can render complex scenes. While real-world GPU benchmark results depend on many factors, these specifications help predict relative performance levels.
GCN 1.0 Architecture & Process
Manufacturing and design details
The AMD FirePro W9000 is built on AMD's GCN 1.0 architecture, which defines how the GPU processes graphics and compute workloads. The manufacturing process node affects power efficiency, thermal characteristics, and maximum clock speeds. Smaller process nodes pack more transistors into the same die area, enabling higher performance per watt. Understanding the architecture helps predict how the FirePro W9000 will perform in GPU benchmarks compared to previous generations.
Power & Thermal
TDP and power requirements
Power specifications for the AMD FirePro W9000 determine PSU requirements and thermal management needs. TDP (Thermal Design Power) indicates the heat output under typical loads, guiding cooler selection. Power connector requirements ensure adequate power delivery for stable operation during demanding GPU benchmarks. The suggested PSU wattage accounts for the entire system, not just the graphics card. Efficient power delivery enables the FirePro W9000 to maintain boost clocks without throttling.
FirePro W9000 by AMD Physical & Connectivity
Dimensions and outputs
Physical dimensions of the AMD FirePro W9000 are critical for case compatibility. Card length, height, and slot width determine whether it fits in your chassis. The PCIe interface version affects bandwidth for communication with the CPU. Display outputs define monitor connectivity options, with modern cards supporting multiple high-resolution displays simultaneously. Verify these specifications against your case and motherboard before purchasing to ensure a proper fit.
AMD API Support
Graphics and compute APIs
API support determines which games and applications can fully utilize the AMD FirePro W9000. DirectX 12 Ultimate enables advanced features like ray tracing and variable rate shading. Vulkan provides cross-platform graphics capabilities with low-level hardware access. OpenGL remains important for professional applications and older games. CUDA (NVIDIA) and OpenCL enable GPU compute for video editing, 3D rendering, and scientific applications. Higher API versions unlock newer graphical features in GPU benchmarks and games.
FirePro W9000 Product Information
Release and pricing details
The AMD FirePro W9000 is manufactured by AMD as part of their graphics card lineup. Release date and launch pricing provide context for comparing GPU benchmark results with competing products from the same era. Understanding the product lifecycle helps evaluate whether the FirePro W9000 by AMD represents good value at current market prices. Predecessor and successor information aids in tracking generational improvements and planning future upgrades.
About AMD FirePro W9000
AMD FirePro W9000 is a professional workstation graphics card built on the GCN 1.0 architecture, utilizing the Tahiti chip fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 4,313 million transistors on a 352 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 12.3M per mm². The card ships with 6 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 264.0 GB/s of bandwidth, and its 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs produce a pixel rate of 31.20 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 124.8 GTexel/s. Floating-point performance is rated at 3.994 TFLOPS for FP32 operations. This card occupies a dual-slot profile, measures 279 mm in length and 111 mm in height, and was released on June 13, 2012, with a launch MSRP of 3,999 USD. It is now end-of-life, positioned between the FirePro Terascale generation that preceded it and the Radeon Pro Polaris series that followed.
How It Compares
The FACT PACK provides no nearest rival data for this GPU, so a direct positional comparison against specific competing models cannot be quantified here. However, the card’s overall percentile rank against all GPUs is 50, placing it exactly at the median of the entire GPU landscape in the database. This suggests that while it is not a top-tier performer by modern standards, it remains firmly in the middle of the pack, neither an outlier on the low end nor a chart-topper. The absence of a benchmark score (avgBenchmarkScore is 0) further indicates that no standardized performance metric has been recorded for this unit in the current dataset.
Without nearestRivals entries, the analysis must rely on architectural context instead. The FirePro W9000’s 2048 shading units and 3.994 TFLOPS FP32 throughput place it in a professional tier where raw compute is prioritized over gaming-specific features. Its 6 GB frame buffer is substantial for its era, and the 264.0 GB/s bandwidth supports high-resolution textures and large datasets typical of CAD and DCC workloads. The 50th percentile standing implies that roughly half of all GPUs in the database outperform it and half underperform it, which is a reasonable expectation for a 2012-era workstation part that has long since been superseded.
The lack of rival comparisons means no deltaPct values can be cited. Instead, the card’s position is best understood through its internal specifications: the 32 ROPs cap pixel throughput at 31.20 GPixel/s, which may bottleneck fill-rate-heavy tasks, while the 128 TMUs enable 124.8 GTexel/s of texture filtering. These figures, when weighed against the 50th percentile rank, indicate a balanced but aging design that holds its own in compute-centric scenarios but lags in modern graphics workloads that rely on newer features.
Ray Tracing and Feature Set
The FirePro W9000 has no dedicated ray tracing cores and no tensor cores, as these fields are null in the specification. This is consistent with its GCN 1.0 architecture, which predates the hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI tensor operations that appear in much later GPU generations. Consequently, any ray tracing workloads would have to be handled through compute shaders or CPU fallbacks, which is inefficient compared to dedicated hardware. The API support does provide a partial mitigation: the card supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The DirectX 12 (11_1) level means it can run DX12 titles but only with feature level 11_1, lacking the higher-tier features like bindless resources or conservative rasterization that newer GPUs offer.
Vulkan 1.2.170 support is notably strong for a card of this vintage, enabling modern compute and graphics pipelines through that API. OpenGL 4.6 is also current, which is critical for professional applications like CAD, simulation, and content creation tools that rely heavily on OpenGL. However, the absence of RT and tensor cores means the card cannot accelerate ray-traced effects or AI-based denoising, super-resolution, or DLSS-type features. For professional workflows that involve photorealistic rendering with ray tracing, this card would rely entirely on traditional rasterization and compute, limiting its utility in modern animation or architectural visualization pipelines. The 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 outputs plus 1x SDI connector provide extensive display connectivity, supporting multi-monitor setups up to six displays, which is advantageous for data visualization or digital signage but does not compensate for the lack of hardware ray tracing.
Benchmark Performance
No benchmark scores are recorded in the FACT PACK for the FirePro W9000, and the nearestRivals array is empty, so there are no percentage deltas to analyze against competitors. The avgBenchmarkScore is 0, which means the database has no standardized performance metric for this card. This absence of data prevents any quantitative comparison of its speed in synthetic or real-world tests. However, the hardware specifications provide a basis for estimating relative performance. The 3.994 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 264.0 GB/s memory bandwidth are the key compute and memory metrics, respectively. For context, a card with 2048 shading units at this clock configuration would typically perform strongly in compute-heavy tasks like scientific simulation or financial modeling, but the lack of a benchmark score means no exact figures can be cited.
The 50th percentile rank against all GPUs offers a qualitative anchor: this card is average relative to every GPU ever tested in the database. Given its 2012 release date, this suggests that while it was a high-end professional part at launch, subsequent generations have caught up and passed it in raw performance. The pixel rate of 31.20 GPixel/s and texture rate of 124.8 GTexel/s are modest by modern standards, likely capping performance in fill-rate-limited scenarios. For gaming, the card would struggle with modern titles at high resolutions, but for professional workloads that are compute-bound, it may still deliver acceptable results. Since no rival deltas exist, this section cannot provide the exact percentage comparisons typically expected, but the data does indicate that the card’s performance profile is dated and lacks the headroom of contemporary parts.
FAQ
Q: What is the memory configuration of the AMD FirePro W9000?
A: The card has 6 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, with a memory clock of 1375 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective) and a bandwidth of 264.0 GB/s.
Q: Does the FirePro W9000 support hardware ray tracing or tensor operations?
A: No. The specifications list null values for both RT cores and tensor cores, indicating no dedicated hardware for ray tracing or AI tensor operations.
Q: What APIs are supported by this GPU?
A: It supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170.
Q: What is the power consumption and required power supply for the FirePro W9000?
A: The TDP is 274 W, and the suggested PSU is 600 W. It requires one 6-pin and one 8-pin power connector.
Q: What is the production status of this card?
A: It is end-of-life, with a release date of June 13, 2012, and a launch MSRP of 3,999 USD.
Q: How many displays can the FirePro W9000 support?
A: It has 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 outputs and 1x SDI connector, allowing up to six displays via the mini-DisplayPort outputs.
Power and Cooling
The AMD FirePro W9000 has a thermal design power (TDP) of 274 W, which is a substantial draw for a dual-slot card. The suggested power supply is 600 W, indicating that a robust PSU is necessary to handle the card’s power spikes and sustained load. Power delivery requires one 6-pin and one 8-pin PCIe power connector, so users must ensure their power supply has both connectors available. The dual-slot form factor, combined with a length of 279 mm (11 inches) and height of 111 mm (4.4 inches), means the card will occupy two expansion slots and requires adequate clearance in the chassis. Cooling is handled by a dual-slot design, which typically includes a blower-style fan that exhausts heat out of the case, but the FACT PACK does not specify the exact cooler type. Given the 274 W TDP, a capable air cooler is essential to maintain stable operation under sustained professional workloads. The card’s power draw is significant, so system builders should verify that their power supply has sufficient headroom beyond the 600 W recommendation, especially if the system includes multiple drives or a high-end CPU. The 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin connector requirement is standard for high-end GPUs of its generation, and users with older power supplies may need adapters or upgrades. The 28 nm process from TSMC, with 4,313 million transistors, contributes to the power profile, but the 274 W TDP is within the expected range for a professional card of this class.
Who Should Consider It
The FirePro W9000 is best suited for professionals who require a high level of compute performance in legacy applications that do not leverage ray tracing or tensor cores. With 3.994 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput and 6 GB of memory, this card can handle moderate to heavy compute workloads such as finite element analysis, computational fluid dynamics, or large-scale data processing in OpenCL or Vulkan environments. Its OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.2.170 support make it compatible with modern professional software that relies on these APIs, though DirectX 12 (11_1) limitations may hinder some newer DX12-based applications. The 50th percentile rank suggests that for tasks that are not fill-rate or ray-tracing dependent, the card can still deliver usable performance, but it is not recommended for high-resolution gaming or real-time ray-traced rendering. At 1080p or lower resolution, with reduced settings, it may run older games acceptably, but the 31.20 GPixel/s pixel rate and 124.8 GTexel/s texture rate are bottlenecks for modern titles. For professional use, the card’s 6x mini-DisplayPort outputs support multi-monitor setups, making it suitable for financial trading floors, control rooms, or any environment requiring multiple high-resolution displays. The 264.0 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for 1080p and 1440p textures but will struggle with 4K assets in texture-heavy scenarios. Users with legacy professional applications that are optimized for GCN 1.0 architecture and do not require newer features may find this card viable, but its end-of-life status means driver support and replacements are limited. Given its launch MSRP of 3,999 USD, it was positioned for high-end workstations, but today, its performance relative to the 50th percentile of all GPUs means it is a budget-conscious choice for compute-only tasks rather than a primary graphics solution.
Detailed benchmark scores and charts for the AMD FirePro W9000 are below.
Benchmark Scores
No benchmark data available for this GPU.
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