Chipversus Index
Jump to Section

FirePro S9050 vs Radeon R9 270X

CPUCPUGPUGPU

FirePro S9050

2014Core: 900 MHz
Similar parts
·······
Buy on Amazon
VS
AMD

Radeon R9 270X

2013Boost: 1050 MHz
Similar parts
·······
Buy on Amazon

FirePro S9050 vs Radeon R9 270X Performance Spectrum

FirePro S9050
4 GB 225
4,901
+0.6%
brand logoRadeon RX 550
brand logoRadeon HD 6990M
brand logoRadeon 840M
brand logoRadeon R9 270
brand logoRadeon R9 390X
brand logoRadeon RX 6800M
brand logoRadeon 8060S
brand logoRadeon RX 6800
Radeon R9 270X
4 GB 180
4,874
0.0%
brand logoRadeon RX 550
brand logoRadeon HD 6990M
brand logoRadeon R9 M485X
brand logoRadeon R9 270
brand logoRadeon RX 5500 XT
brand logoRadeon RX 6800M
brand logoRadeon 8060S
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 S9050 vs Radeon R9 270X: 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 S9050

2014

Why buy it

  • ✅More future proof: GCN 1.0 (2012−2020) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

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.
  • ❌
    904.5% HIGHER MSRP
    $1,999 MSRPvs$199 MSRP
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.5 vs 24.5 G3D/$ ($1,999 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
  • ❌25% higher power demand at 225W vs 180W.

Radeon R9 270X

2013

Why buy it

  • ✅Costs $1,800 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $1,999 MSRP).
  • ✅Delivers 899% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 24.5 vs 2.5 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $1,999 MSRP).
  • ✅Draws 180W instead of 225W, a 45W reduction.
  • ✅Measures 241mm instead of 254mm, a 13mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • ❌2013 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?
FirePro S9050 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 0.6% in PassMark G3D (4,901 vs 4,874), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
FirePro S9050 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a newer 2014 generation instead of 2013. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon R9 270X makes the most sense to buy today. It is $1,800 cheaper on MSRP at $199 vs $1,999, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 899% (24.5 vs 2.5), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R9 270X is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, FirePro S9050 has the stronger long-term case.

FirePro S9050 vs Radeon R9 270X Technical Specifications

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

AMD

FirePro S9050

The FirePro S9050 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in August 7 2014. 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: 4,901 points.

AMD

Radeon R9 270X

The Radeon R9 270X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 8 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1050 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 180W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,874 points. Launch price was $199.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The FirePro S9050 scores 4,901 and the Radeon R9 270X reaches 4,874 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FirePro S9050 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon R9 270X uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,792 (FirePro S9050) vs 1,280 (Radeon R9 270X). Raw compute: 3.226 TFLOPS (FirePro S9050) vs 2.688 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 270X).

FeatureFirePro S9050Radeon R9 270X
G3D Mark Score
4,901
4,874
Architecture
GCN 1.0
GCN 1.0
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
1792+40%
1280
Compute (TFLOPS)
3.226 TFLOPS+20%
2.688 TFLOPS
ROPs
32
32
TMUs
112+40%
80
L1 Cache
448 KB+40%
320 KB
L2 Cache
768 KB+50%
512 KB
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureFirePro S9050Radeon R9 270X
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)

Both cards ship with 4 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the FirePro S9050 and 256-bit on the Radeon R9 270X. L2 Cache: 768 KB (FirePro S9050) vs 512 KB (Radeon R9 270X) — the FirePro S9050 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureFirePro S9050Radeon R9 270X
VRAM Capacity
4 GB
4 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 S9050) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon R9 270X). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 1 vs 4.

FeatureFirePro S9050Radeon R9 270X
DirectX
12
12 (11_1)
Vulkan
1.2
1.2
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
1
4+300%
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 1.0 (FirePro S9050) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon R9 270X). Decoder: UVD 3.2 vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (FirePro S9050) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MPEG-4 (Radeon R9 270X).

FeatureFirePro S9050Radeon R9 270X
Encoder
VCE 1.0
VCE 1.0
Decoder
UVD 3.2
UVD 4.2
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MPEG-4
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro S9050 draws 225W versus the Radeon R9 270X's 180W — a 22.2% difference. The Radeon R9 270X is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro S9050) vs 500W (Radeon R9 270X). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 254mm vs 241mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 90°C vs 80 C.

FeatureFirePro S9050Radeon R9 270X
TDP
225W
180W-20%
Recommended PSU
350W-30%
500W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
2x 6-pin
Length
254mm
241mm
Height
111mm
109mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
90°C
80 C-11%
Perf/Watt
21.8
27.1+24%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro S9050 came in at $1999, while the Radeon R9 270X launched at $199. On MSRP, Radeon R9 270X was 90% cheaper ($1800 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.5 (FirePro S9050) vs 24.5 (Radeon R9 270X) — the Radeon R9 270X offers 880% better value. The newer card here is FirePro S9050 (2014 vs 2013).

FeatureFirePro S9050Radeon R9 270X
MSRP
$1999
$199-90%
Performance per Dollar
2.5
24.5+880%
Codename
Tahiti
Curacao
Release
August 7 2014
October 8 2013
Ranking
#446
#448
Search FirePro S9050 on AmazonSearch Radeon R9 270X on Amazon

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.