FirePro D500 vs GeForce RTX 3070

FirePro D500

2014Core: 725 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3070

2020Core: 1500 MHzBoost: 1725 MHz
RTX family
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FirePro D500 vs GeForce RTX 3070 Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

FirePro D500 vs GeForce RTX 3070: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

FirePro D500

2014

Why buy it

  • Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (2,272 vs 22,172).
  • Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
  • 2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 0.2% HIGHER MSRP
    $500 MSRPvs$499 MSRP

GeForce RTX 3070

2020

Why buy it

  • +875.9% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • Costs $1 less on MSRP ($499 MSRP vs $500 MSRP).
  • Delivers 877.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 4.5 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $500 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).

Trade-offs

  • Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce RTX 3070 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 875.9% in PassMark G3D (22,172 vs 2,272), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 3070 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 8 GB vs 4 GB of VRAM, the newer upscaling stack, DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 8nm process instead of 28nm, and 46 vs 0 ray-tracing units. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce RTX 3070 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $1 cheaper on MSRP at $499 vs $500, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 877.8% (44.4 vs 4.5), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

FirePro D500 vs GeForce RTX 3070 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

AMD

FirePro D500

The FirePro D500 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 18 2014. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 725 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 274W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,272 points.

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3070

The GeForce RTX 3070 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 1 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1500 MHz to 1725 MHz. It has 5888 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 220W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 46 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 22,172 points. Launch price was $499.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the FirePro D500 scores 2,272 versus the GeForce RTX 3070's 22,172 — the GeForce RTX 3070 leads by 875.9%. The FirePro D500 is built on GCN 1.0 while the GeForce RTX 3070 uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 1,536 (FirePro D500) vs 5,888 (GeForce RTX 3070). Raw compute: 2.227 TFLOPS (FirePro D500) vs 20.31 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3070).

FeatureFirePro D500GeForce RTX 3070
G3D Mark Score
2,272
22,172+876%
Architecture
GCN 1.0
Ampere
Process Node
28 nm
8 nm
Shading Units
1536
5888+283%
Compute (TFLOPS)
2.227 TFLOPS
20.31 TFLOPS+812%
ROPs
32
96+200%
TMUs
96
184+92%
L1 Cache
0.38 MB
5.8 MB+1426%
L2 Cache
0.75 MB
4 MB+433%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3070 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The FirePro D500 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureFirePro D500GeForce RTX 3070
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The FirePro D500 has 4 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 3070 carries 8 GB. GeForce RTX 3070 gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the FirePro D500 and 256-bit on the GeForce RTX 3070. L2 Cache: 0.75 MB (FirePro D500) vs 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3070) — the GeForce RTX 3070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureFirePro D500GeForce RTX 3070
VRAM Capacity
4 GB
8 GB+100%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Bus Width
64-bit
256-bit+300%
L2 Cache
0.75 MB
4 MB+433%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FirePro D500) vs 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3070). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.

FeatureFirePro D500GeForce RTX 3070
DirectX
12
12 Ultimate
Vulkan
1.2
1.4+17%
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
6+50%
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 1.0 (FirePro D500) vs NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3070). Decoder: UVD 3.2 vs NVDEC 5th gen. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (FirePro D500) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3070).

FeatureFirePro D500GeForce RTX 3070
Encoder
VCE 1.0
NVENC 7th gen
Decoder
UVD 3.2
NVDEC 5th gen
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro D500 draws 274W versus the GeForce RTX 3070's 220W — a 21.9% difference. The GeForce RTX 3070 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro D500) vs 650W (GeForce RTX 3070). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 8-pin. Card length: 279mm vs 242mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 75°C.

FeatureFirePro D500GeForce RTX 3070
TDP
274W
220W-20%
Recommended PSU
350W-46%
650W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
8-pin
Length
279mm
242mm
Height
112mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
75°C
75°C
Perf/Watt
8.3
100.8+1114%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro D500 came in at $500, while the GeForce RTX 3070 launched at $499. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 3070 was 0.2% cheaper ($1 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 4.5 (FirePro D500) vs 44.4 (GeForce RTX 3070) — the GeForce RTX 3070 offers 886.7% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3070 (2020 vs 2014).

FeatureFirePro D500GeForce RTX 3070
MSRP
$500
$499
Performance per Dollar
4.5
44.4+887%
Codename
Tahiti
GA104
Release
January 18 2014
September 1 2020
Ranking
#484
#63

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