FirePro M5950 vs GeForce RTX 3070

FirePro M5950

2011Core: 725 MHz
VS
NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3070

2020Core: 1500 MHzBoost: 1725 MHz
RTX family
·······

FirePro M5950 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 M5950 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 M5950

2011

Why buy it

  • Costs $299 less on MSRP ($200 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
  • Draws 35W instead of 220W, a 185W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (1,314 vs 22,172).
  • 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 44.4 G3D/$ ($200 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3070

2020

Why buy it

  • +1587.4% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • Delivers 576.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 6.6 G3D/$ ($499 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

  • 528.6% higher power demand at 220W vs 35W.

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 1587.4% in PassMark G3D (22,172 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 3070 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 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 $299 more expensive on MSRP at $499 vs $200, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 576.3% (44.4 vs 6.6), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

FirePro M5950 vs GeForce RTX 3070 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 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 M5950 scores 1,314 versus the GeForce RTX 3070's 22,172 — the GeForce RTX 3070 leads by 1587.4%. The FirePro M5950 is built on TeraScale 2 while the GeForce RTX 3070 uses Ampere, both on 40 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 480 (FirePro M5950) vs 5,888 (GeForce RTX 3070). Raw compute: 0.696 TFLOPS (FirePro M5950) vs 20.31 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3070).

FeatureFirePro M5950GeForce RTX 3070
G3D Mark Score
1,314
22,172+1587%
Architecture
TeraScale 2
Ampere
Process Node
40 nm
8 nm
Shading Units
480
5888+1127%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.696 TFLOPS
20.31 TFLOPS+2818%
ROPs
8
96+1100%
TMUs
24
184+667%
L1 Cache
0.05 MB
5.8 MB+11500%
L2 Cache
0.25 MB
4 MB+1500%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3070 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 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 M5950 has 1 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 3070 carries 8 GB. GeForce RTX 3070 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 3070. L2 Cache: 0.25 MB (FirePro M5950) vs 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3070) — the GeForce RTX 3070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureFirePro M5950GeForce RTX 3070
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 (GeForce RTX 3070). Vulkan: None vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.1 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 5 vs 4.

FeatureFirePro M5950GeForce RTX 3070
DirectX
11.2
12 Ultimate+7%
Vulkan
None
1.4
OpenGL
4.1
4.6+12%
Max Displays
5+25%
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (FirePro M5950) vs NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3070). Decoder: UVD 3 vs NVDEC 5th gen. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 Part 2 (FirePro M5950) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3070).

FeatureFirePro M5950GeForce RTX 3070
Encoder
None
NVENC 7th gen
Decoder
UVD 3
NVDEC 5th gen
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 Part 2
H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro M5950 draws 35W versus the GeForce RTX 3070's 220W — a 145.1% difference. The FirePro M5950 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro M5950) vs 650W (GeForce RTX 3070). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 8-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 242mm, occupying 1 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 75°C.

FeatureFirePro M5950GeForce RTX 3070
TDP
35W-84%
220W
Recommended PSU
350W-46%
650W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
8-pin
Length
0mm
242mm
Height
0mm
112mm
Slots
1-50%
2
Temp (Load)
75°C
75°C
Perf/Watt
37.5
100.8+169%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro M5950 came in at $200, while the GeForce RTX 3070 launched at $499. On MSRP, FirePro M5950 was 59.9% cheaper ($299 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 6.6 (FirePro M5950) vs 44.4 (GeForce RTX 3070) — the GeForce RTX 3070 offers 572.7% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3070 (2020 vs 2011).

FeatureFirePro M5950GeForce RTX 3070
MSRP
$200-60%
$499
Performance per Dollar
6.6
44.4+573%
Codename
Whistler
GA104
Release
January 4 2011
September 1 2020
Ranking
#795
#63

Affiliate Disclosure

ChipVERSUS is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through our links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support our work in providing comprehensive PC building guides and tools.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.