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FirePro S10000 vs Radeon HD 7870

CPUCPUGPUGPU

FirePro S10000

2012Core: 825 MHzBoost: 950 MHz
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 7870

2012Core: 1000 MHz
Buy on Amazon

FirePro S10000 vs Radeon HD 7870 Performance Spectrum

FirePro S10000
4 GB 375
4,537
0.0%
brand logoRadeon HD 6850 X2
brand logoRadeon R9 360
brand logoRadeon RX 550 (móvel)
brand logoRadeon HD 7800-serie
brand logoRadeon RX 580
brand logoRadeon RX 6600S
brand logoRadeon RX 7600 XT
brand logoRadeon RX 6800
Radeon HD 7870
2 GB 200
4,568
+0.7%
brand logoRadeon HD 6850 X2
brand logoRadeon R9 260
brand logoRadeon RX 550 (móvel)
brand logoRadeon HD 7800-serie
brand logoRadeon RX 580
brand logoRadeon RX 6600S
brand logoRadeon RX 7600 XT
brand logoRadeon RX 6800

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 S10000 vs Radeon HD 7870: 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 S10000

2012

Why buy it

  • ✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
  • ✅More future proof: GCN 1.0 (2012−2020) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • ❌2012 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • ❌
    931.2% HIGHER MSRP
    $3,599 MSRPvs$349 MSRP
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.3 vs 13.1 G3D/$ ($3,599 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
  • ❌87.5% higher power demand at 375W vs 200W.
  • ❌26.6% longer card at 305mm vs 241mm.

Radeon HD 7870

2012

Why buy it

  • ✅Costs $3,250 less on MSRP ($349 MSRP vs $3,599 MSRP).
  • ✅Delivers 938.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 13.1 vs 1.3 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs $3,599 MSRP).
  • ✅Draws 200W instead of 375W, a 175W reduction.
  • ✅Measures 241mm instead of 305mm, a 64mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • ❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • ❌2012 hardware with 2 GB 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?
Radeon HD 7870 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 0.7% in PassMark G3D (4,568 vs 4,537), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
FirePro S10000 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 4 GB vs 2 GB of VRAM. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon HD 7870 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $3,250 cheaper on MSRP at $349 vs $3,599, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 938.3% (13.1 vs 1.3), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 7870 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, FirePro S10000 has the stronger long-term case.

FirePro S10000 vs Radeon HD 7870 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

FirePro S10000

The FirePro S10000 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 12 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 825 MHz to 950 MHz. It has 4096 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 375W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,537 points. Launch price was $3,599.

AMD

Radeon HD 7870

The Radeon HD 7870 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 5 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,568 points. Launch price was $349.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The FirePro S10000 scores 4,537 and the Radeon HD 7870 reaches 4,568 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FirePro S10000 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon HD 7870 uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 4,096 (FirePro S10000) vs 1,280 (Radeon HD 7870). Raw compute: 3.405 TFLOPS ×2 (FirePro S10000) vs 2.56 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7870).

FeatureFirePro S10000Radeon HD 7870
G3D Mark Score
4,537
4,568
Architecture
GCN 1.0
GCN 1.0
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
4096 ×2+220%
1280
Compute (TFLOPS)
3.405 TFLOPS ×2+33%
2.56 TFLOPS
ROPs
32 ×2
32
TMUs
112 ×2+40%
80
L1 Cache
448 KB+40%
320 KB
L2 Cache
768 KB+50%
512 KB
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureFirePro S10000Radeon HD 7870
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 S10000 has 4 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 7870 carries 2 GB. FirePro S10000 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 S10000 and 256-bit on the Radeon HD 7870. L2 Cache: 768 KB (FirePro S10000) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 7870) — the FirePro S10000 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureFirePro S10000Radeon HD 7870
VRAM Capacity
4 GB+100%
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
256-bit+300%
L2 Cache
768 KB+50%
512 KB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FirePro S10000) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon HD 7870). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 6.

FeatureFirePro S10000Radeon HD 7870
DirectX
12
12 (11_1)
Vulkan
1.2
1.2
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
6
6
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 1.0 (FirePro S10000) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7870). Decoder: UVD 3.2 vs UVD 4.0. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (FirePro S10000) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Radeon HD 7870).

FeatureFirePro S10000Radeon HD 7870
Encoder
VCE 1.0
VCE 1.0
Decoder
UVD 3.2
UVD 4.0
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro S10000 draws 375W versus the Radeon HD 7870's 200W — a 60.9% difference. The Radeon HD 7870 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro S10000) vs 500W (Radeon HD 7870). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 305mm vs 241mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 80°C.

FeatureFirePro S10000Radeon HD 7870
TDP
375W
200W-47%
Recommended PSU
350W-30%
500W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
2x 6-pin
Length
305mm
241mm
Height
111mm
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
85°C
80°C-6%
Perf/Watt
12.1
22.8+88%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro S10000 came in at $3599, while the Radeon HD 7870 launched at $349. On MSRP, Radeon HD 7870 was 90.3% cheaper ($3250 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.3 (FirePro S10000) vs 13.1 (Radeon HD 7870) — the Radeon HD 7870 offers 907.7% better value.

FeatureFirePro S10000Radeon HD 7870
MSRP
$3599
$349-90%
Performance per Dollar
1.3
13.1+908%
Codename
Tahiti
Pitcairn
Release
November 12 2012
March 5 2012
Ranking
#461
#460
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