FirePro M5950 vs GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

FirePro M5950

2011Core: 725 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

2020Core: 1410 MHzBoost: 1665 MHz
RTX family
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FirePro M5950 vs GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 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 M5950 vs GeForce RTX 3060 Ti: 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 M5950

2011

Why buy it

  • Costs $199 less on MSRP ($200 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
  • Draws 35W instead of 200W, a 165W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (1,314 vs 20,312).
  • Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
  • 2011 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 6.6 vs 50.9 G3D/$ ($200 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

2020

Why buy it

  • +1445.8% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • Delivers 674.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.9 vs 6.6 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $200 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • 700% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 1 GB).
  • Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 471.4% higher power demand at 200W vs 35W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 1445.8% in PassMark G3D (20,312 vs 1,314), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 8 GB vs 1 GB of VRAM, the newer upscaling stack, DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 8nm process instead of 40nm, and 38 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 3060 Ti makes the most sense to buy today. It is $199 more expensive on MSRP at $399 vs $200, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 674.8% (50.9 vs 6.6), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

FirePro M5950 vs GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Technical Specifications

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

AMD

FirePro M5950

The FirePro M5950 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 4 2011. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 725 MHz. It has 480 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 35W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,314 points.

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in December 1 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1410 MHz to 1665 MHz. It has 4864 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 38 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 20,312 points. Launch price was $399.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the FirePro M5950 scores 1,314 versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti's 20,312 — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti leads by 1445.8%. The FirePro M5950 is built on TeraScale 2 while the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti uses Ampere, both on 40 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 480 (FirePro M5950) vs 4,864 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Raw compute: 0.696 TFLOPS (FirePro M5950) vs 16.2 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti).

FeatureFirePro M5950GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
G3D Mark Score
1,314
20,312+1446%
Architecture
TeraScale 2
Ampere
Process Node
40 nm
8 nm
Shading Units
480
4864+913%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.696 TFLOPS
16.2 TFLOPS+2228%
ROPs
8
80+900%
TMUs
24
152+533%
L1 Cache
0.05 MB
4.8 MB+9500%
L2 Cache
0.25 MB
4 MB+1500%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The FirePro M5950 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureFirePro M5950GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
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 M5950 has 1 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti carries 8 GB. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti gives you 700% 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 M5950 and 256-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. L2 Cache: 0.25 MB (FirePro M5950) vs 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureFirePro M5950GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
VRAM Capacity
1 GB
8 GB+700%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Bus Width
64-bit
256-bit+300%
L2 Cache
0.25 MB
4 MB+1500%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.2 (FirePro M5950) vs 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Vulkan: None vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.1 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 5 vs 4.

FeatureFirePro M5950GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
DirectX
11.2
12 Ultimate (12_2)+7%
Vulkan
None
1.3
OpenGL
4.1
4.6+12%
Max Displays
5+25%
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (FirePro M5950) vs NVENC (Ampere) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Decoder: UVD 3 vs NVDEC (Ampere). Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 Part 2 (FirePro M5950) vs H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti).

FeatureFirePro M5950GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
Encoder
None
NVENC (Ampere)
Decoder
UVD 3
NVDEC (Ampere)
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 Part 2
H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro M5950 draws 35W versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti's 200W — a 140.4% difference. The FirePro M5950 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro M5950) vs 600W (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 8-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 242mm, occupying 1 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 75.

FeatureFirePro M5950GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
TDP
35W-83%
200W
Recommended PSU
350W-42%
600W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
8-pin
Length
0mm
242mm
Height
0mm
112mm
Slots
1-50%
2
Temp (Load)
75°C
75
Perf/Watt
37.5
101.6+171%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro M5950 came in at $200, while the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti launched at $399. On MSRP, FirePro M5950 was 49.9% cheaper ($199 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 6.6 (FirePro M5950) vs 50.9 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti offers 671.2% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (2020 vs 2011).

FeatureFirePro M5950GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
MSRP
$200-50%
$399
Performance per Dollar
6.6
50.9+671%
Codename
Whistler
GA104
Release
January 4 2011
December 1 2020
Ranking
#795
#73

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