FirePro M5950 vs Radeon HD 5770

FirePro M5950

2011Core: 725 MHz
VS
AMD

Radeon HD 5770

2009Core: 850 MHz

FirePro M5950 vs Radeon HD 5770 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 Radeon HD 5770: 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

  • Draws 35W instead of 108W, a 73W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2011 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 25.8% HIGHER MSRP
    $200 MSRPvs$159 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 6.6 vs 8.5 G3D/$ ($200 MSRP vs $159 MSRP).

Radeon HD 5770

2009

Why buy it

  • Costs $41 less on MSRP ($159 MSRP vs $200 MSRP).
  • Delivers 29% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 8.5 vs 6.6 G3D/$ ($159 MSRP vs $200 MSRP).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 1 GB).

Trade-offs

  • 2009 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 208.6% higher power demand at 108W vs 35W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD 5770 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 2.6% in PassMark G3D (1,348 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?
FirePro M5950 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a newer 2011 generation instead of 2009. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon HD 5770 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $41 cheaper on MSRP at $159 vs $200, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 29% (8.5 vs 6.6), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 5770 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, FirePro M5950 has the stronger long-term case.

FirePro M5950 vs Radeon HD 5770 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.

AMD

Radeon HD 5770

The Radeon HD 5770 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 13 2009. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 108W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,348 points. Launch price was $159.

Graphics Performance

The FirePro M5950 scores 1,314 and the Radeon HD 5770 reaches 1,348 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FirePro M5950 is built on TeraScale 2 while the Radeon HD 5770 uses TeraScale 2, both on a 40 nm process. Shader units: 480 (FirePro M5950) vs 800 (Radeon HD 5770). Raw compute: 0.696 TFLOPS (FirePro M5950) vs 1.36 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 5770).

FeatureFirePro M5950Radeon HD 5770
G3D Mark Score
1,314
1,348+3%
Architecture
TeraScale 2
TeraScale 2
Process Node
40 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
480
800+67%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.696 TFLOPS
1.36 TFLOPS+95%
ROPs
8
16+100%
TMUs
24
40+67%
L1 Cache
48 KB
80 KB+67%
L2 Cache
256 KB
256 KB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureFirePro M5950Radeon HD 5770
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 M5950 has 1 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 5770 carries 2 GB. Radeon HD 5770 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 M5950 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 5770.

FeatureFirePro M5950Radeon HD 5770
VRAM Capacity
1 GB
2 GB+100%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
128-bit+100%
L2 Cache
256 KB
256 KB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.2 (FirePro M5950) vs 11.2 (Radeon HD 5770). Maximum simultaneous displays: 5 vs 3.

FeatureFirePro M5950Radeon HD 5770
DirectX
11.2
11.2
Max Displays
5+67%
3
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (FirePro M5950) vs UVD 2.2 (Radeon HD 5770). Decoder: UVD 3 vs UVD 2.2. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 Part 2 (FirePro M5950) vs H.264 (Radeon HD 5770).

FeatureFirePro M5950Radeon HD 5770
Encoder
None
UVD 2.2
Decoder
UVD 3
UVD 2.2
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 Part 2
H.264
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro M5950 draws 35W versus the Radeon HD 5770's 108W — a 102.1% difference. The FirePro M5950 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro M5950) vs 450W (Radeon HD 5770). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 208mm, occupying 1 vs 2 slots.

FeatureFirePro M5950Radeon HD 5770
TDP
35W-68%
108W
Recommended PSU
350W-22%
450W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
1x 6-pin
Length
0mm
208mm
Height
0mm
Slots
1-50%
2
Temp (Load)
75°C
Perf/Watt
37.5+200%
12.5
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro M5950 came in at $200, while the Radeon HD 5770 launched at $159. On MSRP, Radeon HD 5770 was 20.5% cheaper ($41 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 6.6 (FirePro M5950) vs 8.5 (Radeon HD 5770) — the Radeon HD 5770 offers 28.8% better value. The newer card here is FirePro M5950 (2011 vs 2009).

FeatureFirePro M5950Radeon HD 5770
MSRP
$200
$159-21%
Performance per Dollar
6.6
8.5+29%
Codename
Whistler
Juniper
Release
January 4 2011
October 13 2009
Ranking
#795
#730

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