FirePro V9800 vs Radeon RX 550

FirePro V9800

2011Core: 725 MHz
VS
AMD

Radeon RX 550

2017Core: 1100 MHzBoost: 1183 MHz

FirePro V9800 vs Radeon RX 550 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 V9800 vs Radeon RX 550: 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 V9800

2011

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
  • 2011 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 4329.1% HIGHER MSRP
    $3,499 MSRPvs$79 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0.8 vs 33.8 G3D/$ ($3,499 MSRP vs $79 MSRP).
  • 200% higher power demand at 150W vs 50W.

Radeon RX 550

2017

Why buy it

  • Costs $3,420 less on MSRP ($79 MSRP vs $3,499 MSRP).
  • Delivers 4243% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 33.8 vs 0.8 G3D/$ ($79 MSRP vs $3,499 MSRP).
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
  • FirePro V9800 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so Radeon RX 550 is the less risky modern option long term.
  • Draws 50W instead of 150W, a 100W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • 2017 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 V9800 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 2% in PassMark G3D (2,727 vs 2,674), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon RX 550 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer feature stack, with FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) and FSR Frame Generation (2023), while FirePro V9800 is limited to no meaningful modern upscaling stack and no comparable frame-generation support, a 14nm process instead of 40nm, and a newer 2017 generation instead of 2011. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon RX 550 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $3,420 cheaper on MSRP at $79 vs $3,499, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 4243% (33.8 vs 0.8), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. FirePro V9800 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

FirePro V9800 vs Radeon RX 550 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

FirePro V9800

The FirePro V9800 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: 2,727 points.

AMD

Radeon RX 550

The Radeon RX 550 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 20 2017. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1100 MHz to 1183 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,674 points. Launch price was $79.

Graphics Performance

The FirePro V9800 scores 2,727 and the Radeon RX 550 reaches 2,674 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FirePro V9800 is built on TeraScale 3 while the Radeon RX 550 uses GCN 4.0, both on 40 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 1,280 (FirePro V9800) vs 512 (Radeon RX 550). Raw compute: 1.856 TFLOPS (FirePro V9800) vs 1.211 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 550).

FeatureFirePro V9800Radeon RX 550
G3D Mark Score
2,727+2%
2,674
Architecture
TeraScale 3
GCN 4.0
Process Node
40 nm
14 nm
Shading Units
1280+150%
512
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.856 TFLOPS+53%
1.211 TFLOPS
ROPs
32+100%
16
TMUs
80+150%
32
L1 Cache
320 KB+150%
128 KB
L2 Cache
512 KB
512 KB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 550 is support for FSR Frame Generation. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The FirePro V9800 does not have comparable native support in the same tier.

FeatureFirePro V9800Radeon RX 550
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
FSR Frame Generation
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 V9800 and 128-bit on the Radeon RX 550.

FeatureFirePro V9800Radeon RX 550
VRAM Capacity
4 GB
4 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
128-bit+100%
L2 Cache
512 KB
512 KB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.2 (FirePro V9800) vs 12_0 (Radeon RX 550). Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 3.

FeatureFirePro V9800Radeon RX 550
DirectX
11.2
12_0+7%
Max Displays
6+100%
3
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (FirePro V9800) vs VCE 3.4 (Radeon RX 550). Decoder: UVD 2.3 vs UVD 6.3. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (FirePro V9800) vs H.264,H.265 (Radeon RX 550).

FeatureFirePro V9800Radeon RX 550
Encoder
None
VCE 3.4
Decoder
UVD 2.3
UVD 6.3
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
H.264,H.265
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro V9800 draws 150W versus the Radeon RX 550's 50W — a 100% difference. The Radeon RX 550 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro V9800) vs 300W (Radeon RX 550). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs None. Card length: 267mm vs 155mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

FeatureFirePro V9800Radeon RX 550
TDP
150W
50W-67%
Recommended PSU
350W
300W-14%
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
None
Length
267mm
155mm
Height
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
85°C
Perf/Watt
18.2
53.5+194%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro V9800 came in at $3499, while the Radeon RX 550 launched at $79. On MSRP, Radeon RX 550 was 97.7% cheaper ($3420 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 0.8 (FirePro V9800) vs 33.8 (Radeon RX 550) — the Radeon RX 550 offers 4125% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX 550 (2017 vs 2011).

FeatureFirePro V9800Radeon RX 550
MSRP
$3499
$79-98%
Performance per Dollar
0.8
33.8+4125%
Codename
Cayman
Lexa
Release
May 24 2011
April 20 2017
Ranking
#656
#617

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