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FirePro M6000 vs GeForce 945A

CPUCPUGPUGPU

FirePro M6000

2012Core: 800 MHz
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VS
NVIDIA

GeForce 945A

2015Core: 1006 MHzBoost: 1189 MHz
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FirePro M6000 vs GeForce 945A Performance Spectrum

FirePro M6000
2 GB 43
1,820
0.0%
brand logoRadeon HD 6700M
brand logoRadeon R9 M270X
brand logoRadeon R7 M370
brand logoRadeon Vega 9
brand logoRadeon RX 6300M
brand logoRadeon RX 7600M
brand logoRadeon RX 7700S
brand logoRadeon RX 9060 XT 16GB
GeForce 945A
0.5 GB 33
1,852
+1.8%
brand logoGeForce 930M
brand logoGeForce GT 745A
brand logoGeForce GT 740
brand logoGeForce GTX 555
brand logoGeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2
brand logoGeForce GTX 980
brand logoGeForce GTX 1080
brand logoTITAN V

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 M6000 vs GeForce 945A: 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 M6000

2012

Why buy it

  • ✅300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 512 MB).

Trade-offs

  • ❌2012 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • ❌
    200% HIGHER MSRP
    $300 MSRPvs$100 MSRP
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 6.1 vs 18.5 G3D/$ ($300 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).
  • ❌30.3% higher power demand at 43W vs 33W.

GeForce 945A

2015

Why buy it

  • ✅Costs $200 less on MSRP ($100 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
  • ✅Delivers 205.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 18.5 vs 6.1 G3D/$ ($100 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
  • ✅Draws 33W instead of 43W, a 10W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • ❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • ❌2015 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce 945A is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 1.8% in PassMark G3D (1,852 vs 1,820), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
FirePro M6000 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 2 GB vs 512 MB of VRAM. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce 945A makes the most sense to buy today. It is $200 cheaper on MSRP at $100 vs $300, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 205.3% (18.5 vs 6.1), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, GeForce 945A is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, FirePro M6000 has the stronger long-term case.

FirePro M6000 vs GeForce 945A Technical Specifications

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

AMD

FirePro M6000

The FirePro M6000 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in July 1 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 800 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 43W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,820 points.

NVIDIA

GeForce 945A

The GeForce 945A is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 13 2015. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 1006 MHz to 1189 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 33W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,852 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The FirePro M6000 scores 1,820 and the GeForce 945A reaches 1,852 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FirePro M6000 is built on GCN 1.0 while the GeForce 945A uses Maxwell, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 640 (FirePro M6000) vs 384 (GeForce 945A). Raw compute: 1.024 TFLOPS (FirePro M6000) vs 0.9132 TFLOPS (GeForce 945A).

FeatureFirePro M6000GeForce 945A
G3D Mark Score
1,820
1,852+2%
Architecture
GCN 1.0
Maxwell
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
640+67%
384
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.024 TFLOPS+12%
0.9132 TFLOPS
ROPs
16+100%
8
TMUs
40+67%
24
L1 Cache
160 KB
192 KB+20%
L2 Cache
0.25 MB
1 MB+300%
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 945A gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The FirePro M6000 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureFirePro M6000GeForce 945A
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The FirePro M6000 has 2 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce 945A carries 512 MB. FirePro M6000 gives you 300% 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 M6000 and 128-bit on the GeForce 945A. L2 Cache: 0.25 MB (FirePro M6000) vs 1 MB (GeForce 945A) — the GeForce 945A has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureFirePro M6000GeForce 945A
VRAM Capacity
2 GB+300%
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
128-bit+100%
L2 Cache
0.25 MB
1 MB+300%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.1 (FirePro M6000) vs 12 (11_0) (GeForce 945A). Vulkan: N/A vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 2.

FeatureFirePro M6000GeForce 945A
DirectX
11.1
12 (11_0)+8%
Vulkan
N/A
1.3
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
6+200%
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 1.0 (FirePro M6000) vs 4th Gen NVENC (Maxwell) (GeForce 945A). Decoder: UVD 4.0 vs PureVideo HD VP6. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,MPEG-4 (FirePro M6000) vs H.264,HEVC (GeForce 945A).

FeatureFirePro M6000GeForce 945A
Encoder
VCE 1.0
4th Gen NVENC (Maxwell)
Decoder
UVD 4.0
PureVideo HD VP6
Codecs
MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,MPEG-4
H.264,HEVC
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro M6000 draws 43W versus the GeForce 945A's 33W — a 26.3% difference. The GeForce 945A is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro M6000) vs 350W (GeForce 945A). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs Legacy. Typical load temperature: 85 vs 80°C.

FeatureFirePro M6000GeForce 945A
TDP
43W
33W-23%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
Legacy
Length
0mm
—
Height
0mm
—
Slots
0
0
Temp (Load)
85
80°C-6%
Perf/Watt
42.3
56.1+33%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro M6000 came in at $300, while the GeForce 945A launched at $100. On MSRP, GeForce 945A was 66.7% cheaper ($200 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 6.1 (FirePro M6000) vs 18.5 (GeForce 945A) — the GeForce 945A offers 203.3% better value. The newer card here is GeForce 945A (2015 vs 2012).

FeatureFirePro M6000GeForce 945A
MSRP
$300
$100-67%
Performance per Dollar
6.1
18.5+203%
Codename
Heathrow
GM108
Release
July 1 2012
March 13 2015
Ranking
#710
#705
Search FirePro M6000 on AmazonSearch GeForce 945A on Amazon

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