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FirePro D500 vs Radeon HD 5970

CPUCPUGPUGPU

FirePro D500

2014Core: 725 MHz
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 5970

2009Core: 725 MHz
Buy on Amazon

FirePro D500 vs Radeon HD 5970 Performance Spectrum

FirePro D500
4 GB 274
2,272
0.0%
brand logoRadeon HD 6770
brand logoRadeon Vega 10
brand logoRadeon HD 5830
brand logoRadeon R9 350
brand logoRadeon 780M
brand logoRadeon RX 7400
brand logoRadeon RX 6800S
brand logoRadeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB
Radeon HD 5970
2 GB 294
2,297
+1.1%
brand logoRadeon R7 A370
brand logoRadeon Vega 10
brand logoRadeon R7 M465X
brand logoRadeon R9 350
brand logoRadeon 780M
brand logoRadeon RX 7400
brand logoRadeon RX 6800S
brand logoRadeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB

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 Radeon HD 5970: 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

  • ✅Costs $199 less on MSRP ($500 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
  • ✅Delivers 38.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 4.5 vs 3.3 G3D/$ ($500 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
  • ✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).

Trade-offs

  • ❌2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon HD 5970

2009

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

  • ❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • ❌2009 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • ❌
    39.8% HIGHER MSRP
    $699 MSRPvs$500 MSRP
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 3.3 vs 4.5 G3D/$ ($699 MSRP vs $500 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD 5970 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 1.1% in PassMark G3D (2,297 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?
FirePro D500 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 4 GB vs 2 GB of VRAM, a 28nm process instead of 40nm, and a newer 2014 generation instead of 2009. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
FirePro D500 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $199 cheaper on MSRP at $500 vs $699, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 38.3% (4.5 vs 3.3), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon HD 5970 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

FirePro D500 vs Radeon HD 5970 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.

AMD

Radeon HD 5970

The Radeon HD 5970 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 18 2009. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 725 MHz. It has 1600 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 294W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,297 points. Launch price was $699.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The FirePro D500 scores 2,272 and the Radeon HD 5970 reaches 2,297 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FirePro D500 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon HD 5970 uses TeraScale 2, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 1,536 (FirePro D500) vs 1,600 (Radeon HD 5970). Raw compute: 2.227 TFLOPS (FirePro D500) vs 2.32 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 5970).

FeatureFirePro D500Radeon HD 5970
G3D Mark Score
2,272
2,297+1%
Architecture
GCN 1.0
TeraScale 2
Process Node
28 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
1536
1600 ×2+4%
Compute (TFLOPS)
2.227 TFLOPS
2.32 TFLOPS ×2+4%
ROPs
32
32 ×2
TMUs
96+20%
80 ×2
L1 Cache
384 KB+20%
320 KB
L2 Cache
768 KB+50%
512 KB
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureFirePro D500Radeon HD 5970
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The FirePro D500 has 4 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 5970 carries 2 GB. FirePro D500 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 128-bit on the Radeon HD 5970. L2 Cache: 768 KB (FirePro D500) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 5970) — the FirePro D500 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureFirePro D500Radeon HD 5970
VRAM Capacity
4 GB+100%
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
128-bit+100%
L2 Cache
768 KB+50%
512 KB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FirePro D500) vs 11.2 (Radeon HD 5970). Vulkan: 1.2 vs N/A. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 3.

FeatureFirePro D500Radeon HD 5970
DirectX
12+7%
11.2
Vulkan
1.2
N/A
OpenGL
4.6+5%
4.4
Max Displays
6+100%
3
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 1.0 (FirePro D500) vs None (Radeon HD 5970). Decoder: UVD 3.2 vs UVD 2.2. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (FirePro D500) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 5970).

FeatureFirePro D500Radeon HD 5970
Encoder
VCE 1.0
None
Decoder
UVD 3.2
UVD 2.2
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro D500 draws 274W versus the Radeon HD 5970's 294W — a 7% difference. The FirePro D500 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro D500) vs 650W (Radeon HD 5970). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 279mm vs 305mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 90.

FeatureFirePro D500Radeon HD 5970
TDP
274W-7%
294W
Recommended PSU
350W-46%
650W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
6-pin + 8-pin
Length
279mm
305mm
Height
—
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
75°C-17%
90
Perf/Watt
8.3+6%
7.8
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro D500 came in at $500, while the Radeon HD 5970 launched at $699. On MSRP, FirePro D500 was 28.5% cheaper ($199 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 4.5 (FirePro D500) vs 3.3 (Radeon HD 5970) — the FirePro D500 offers 36.4% better value. The newer card here is FirePro D500 (2014 vs 2009).

FeatureFirePro D500Radeon HD 5970
MSRP
$500-28%
$699
Performance per Dollar
4.5+36%
3.3
Codename
Tahiti
Hemlock
Release
January 18 2014
November 18 2009
Ranking
#484
#651
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