FirePro V7800 vs Radeon R9 M385X

FirePro V7800

2011Core: 725 MHz
VS
AMD

Radeon R9 M385X

2015Core: 1000 MHzBoost: 1100 MHz

FirePro V7800 vs Radeon R9 M385X 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 V7800 vs Radeon R9 M385X: 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 V7800

2011

Why buy it

  • 700% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 512 MB).

Trade-offs

  • 2011 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 153% HIGHER MSRP
    $759 MSRPvs$300 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.7 vs 6.6 G3D/$ ($759 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
  • 100% higher power demand at 150W vs 75W.

Radeon R9 M385X

2015

Why buy it

  • Costs $459 less on MSRP ($300 MSRP vs $759 MSRP).
  • Delivers 148.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 6.6 vs 2.7 G3D/$ ($300 MSRP vs $759 MSRP).
  • Draws 75W instead of 150W, a 75W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 4 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?
FirePro V7800 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 1.7% in PassMark G3D (2,028 vs 1,994), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
FirePro V7800 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 4 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?
Radeon R9 M385X makes the most sense to buy today. It is $459 cheaper on MSRP at $300 vs $759, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 148.8% (6.6 vs 2.7), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R9 M385X is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, FirePro V7800 has the stronger long-term case.

FirePro V7800 vs Radeon R9 M385X Technical Specifications

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

AMD

FirePro V7800

The FirePro V7800 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 24 2011. It features the TeraScale 3 architecture. The core clock speed is 725 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,028 points.

AMD

Radeon R9 M385X

The Radeon R9 M385X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 5 2015. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1000 MHz to 1100 MHz. It has 896 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,994 points.

Graphics Performance

The FirePro V7800 scores 2,028 and the Radeon R9 M385X reaches 1,994 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FirePro V7800 is built on TeraScale 3 while the Radeon R9 M385X uses GCN 2.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,280 (FirePro V7800) vs 896 (Radeon R9 M385X). Raw compute: 1.856 TFLOPS (FirePro V7800) vs 1.971 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 M385X).

FeatureFirePro V7800Radeon R9 M385X
G3D Mark Score
2,028+2%
1,994
Architecture
TeraScale 3
GCN 2.0
Process Node
40 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
1280+43%
896
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.856 TFLOPS
1.971 TFLOPS+6%
ROPs
32+100%
16
TMUs
80+43%
56
L1 Cache
320 KB+43%
224 KB
L2 Cache
512 KB+100%
256 KB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureFirePro V7800Radeon R9 M385X
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 V7800 has 4 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 M385X carries 512 MB. FirePro V7800 gives you 700% 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 V7800 and 128-bit on the Radeon R9 M385X. L2 Cache: 512 KB (FirePro V7800) vs 256 KB (Radeon R9 M385X) — the FirePro V7800 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureFirePro V7800Radeon R9 M385X
VRAM Capacity
4 GB+700%
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
128-bit+100%
L2 Cache
512 KB+100%
256 KB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.2 (FirePro V7800) vs 12 (12_0) (Radeon R9 M385X). Vulkan: None vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.4 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 4.

FeatureFirePro V7800Radeon R9 M385X
DirectX
11.2
12 (12_0)+7%
Vulkan
None
1.2
OpenGL
4.4
4.6+5%
Max Displays
3
4+33%
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (FirePro V7800) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 M385X). Decoder: UVD 2.3 vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (FirePro V7800) vs H.264,MPEG-4,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon R9 M385X).

FeatureFirePro V7800Radeon R9 M385X
Encoder
None
VCE 2.0
Decoder
UVD 2.3
UVD 4.2
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
H.264,MPEG-4,VC-1,MPEG-2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro V7800 draws 150W versus the Radeon R9 M385X's 75W — a 66.7% difference. The Radeon R9 M385X is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro V7800) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M385X). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs Mobile. Card length: 254mm vs 0mm, occupying 1 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 85.

FeatureFirePro V7800Radeon R9 M385X
TDP
150W
75W-50%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
Mobile
Length
254mm
0mm
Height
111mm
0mm
Slots
1
0-100%
Temp (Load)
85°C
85
Perf/Watt
13.5
26.6+97%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro V7800 came in at $759, while the Radeon R9 M385X launched at $300. On MSRP, Radeon R9 M385X was 60.5% cheaper ($459 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.7 (FirePro V7800) vs 6.6 (Radeon R9 M385X) — the Radeon R9 M385X offers 144.4% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R9 M385X (2015 vs 2011).

FeatureFirePro V7800Radeon R9 M385X
MSRP
$759
$300-60%
Performance per Dollar
2.7
6.6+144%
Codename
Cayman
Strato
Release
May 24 2011
May 5 2015
Ranking
#656
#681

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