FirePro S9000 vs Tesla K8

FirePro S9000

2012Core: 900 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
NVIDIA

Tesla K8

2014Core: 693 MHzBoost: 811 MHz
Similar parts
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FirePro S9000 vs Tesla K8 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 S9000 vs Tesla K8: 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 S9000

2012

Why buy it

  • Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

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.
  • 149.9% HIGHER MSRP
    $2,499 MSRPvs$1,000 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.0 vs 5.1 G3D/$ ($2,499 MSRP vs $1,000 MSRP).
  • 125% higher power demand at 225W vs 100W.

Tesla K8

2014

Why buy it

  • Costs $1,499 less on MSRP ($1,000 MSRP vs $2,499 MSRP).
  • Delivers 152.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.1 vs 2.0 G3D/$ ($1,000 MSRP vs $2,499 MSRP).
  • Draws 100W instead of 225W, a 125W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • 2014 hardware with 4 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?
Tesla K8 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 1% in PassMark G3D (5,111 vs 5,059), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
FirePro S9000 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Tesla K8 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $1,499 cheaper on MSRP at $1,000 vs $2,499, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 152.5% (5.1 vs 2.0), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Tesla K8 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, FirePro S9000 has the stronger long-term case.

FirePro S9000 vs Tesla K8 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

FirePro S9000

The FirePro S9000 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in August 24 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 900 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 225W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,059 points. Launch price was $2,499.

NVIDIA

Tesla K8

The Tesla K8 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 16 2014. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 693 MHz to 811 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,111 points.

Graphics Performance

The FirePro S9000 scores 5,059 and the Tesla K8 reaches 5,111 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FirePro S9000 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Tesla K8 uses Kepler, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,792 (FirePro S9000) vs 1,536 (Tesla K8). Raw compute: 3.226 TFLOPS (FirePro S9000) vs 2.491 TFLOPS (Tesla K8).

FeatureFirePro S9000Tesla K8
G3D Mark Score
5,059
5,111+1%
Architecture
GCN 1.0
Kepler
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
1792+17%
1536
Compute (TFLOPS)
3.226 TFLOPS+30%
2.491 TFLOPS
ROPs
32
32
TMUs
112
128+14%
L1 Cache
448 KB+250%
128 KB
L2 Cache
768 KB+50%
512 KB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureFirePro S9000Tesla K8
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
Standard
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 4 GB of GDDR6. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the FirePro S9000 and 128-bit on the Tesla K8. L2 Cache: 768 KB (FirePro S9000) vs 512 KB (Tesla K8) — the FirePro S9000 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureFirePro S9000Tesla K8
VRAM Capacity
4 GB
4 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR6
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
L2 Cache
768 KB+50%
512 KB
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro S9000 draws 225W versus the Tesla K8's 100W — a 76.9% difference. The Tesla K8 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro S9000) vs 350W (Tesla K8). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered.

FeatureFirePro S9000Tesla K8
TDP
225W
100W-56%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
PCIe-powered
Length
267mm
Height
111mm
Slots
2
Temp (Load)
90°C
Perf/Watt
22.5
51.1+127%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro S9000 came in at $2499, while the Tesla K8 launched at $1000. On MSRP, Tesla K8 was 60% cheaper ($1499 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.0 (FirePro S9000) vs 5.1 (Tesla K8) — the Tesla K8 offers 155% better value. The newer card here is Tesla K8 (2014 vs 2012).

FeatureFirePro S9000Tesla K8
MSRP
$2499
$1000-60%
Performance per Dollar
2.0
5.1+155%
Codename
Tahiti
GK104
Release
August 24 2012
September 16 2014
Ranking
#441
#515

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