FirePro W5000 vs Radeon Pro WX 4170

FirePro W5000

2012Core: 825 MHz
VS
AMD

Radeon Pro WX 4170

2016Core: 1125 MHzBoost: 1201 MHz

FirePro W5000 vs Radeon Pro WX 4170 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 W5000 vs Radeon Pro WX 4170: 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 W5000

2012

Why buy it

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

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.
  • 49.8% HIGHER MSRP
    $599 MSRPvs$400 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.0 vs 7.2 G3D/$ ($599 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
  • 50% higher power demand at 75W vs 50W.

Radeon Pro WX 4170

2016

Why buy it

  • Costs $199 less on MSRP ($400 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).
  • Delivers 44.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 7.2 vs 5.0 G3D/$ ($400 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
  • Draws 50W instead of 75W, a 25W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • 2016 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 W5000 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 3.4% in PassMark G3D (2,967 vs 2,870), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
FirePro W5000 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?
Radeon Pro WX 4170 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $199 cheaper on MSRP at $400 vs $599, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 44.9% (7.2 vs 5.0), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon Pro WX 4170 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, FirePro W5000 has the stronger long-term case.

FirePro W5000 vs Radeon Pro WX 4170 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

FirePro W5000

The FirePro W5000 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in August 7 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 825 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,967 points. Launch price was $599.

AMD

Radeon Pro WX 4170

The Radeon Pro WX 4170 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 10 2016. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1125 MHz to 1201 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,870 points. Launch price was $399.

Graphics Performance

The FirePro W5000 scores 2,967 and the Radeon Pro WX 4170 reaches 2,870 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FirePro W5000 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon Pro WX 4170 uses GCN 4.0, both on 28 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 768 (FirePro W5000) vs 1,024 (Radeon Pro WX 4170). Raw compute: 1.267 TFLOPS (FirePro W5000) vs 2.46 TFLOPS (Radeon Pro WX 4170).

FeatureFirePro W5000Radeon Pro WX 4170
G3D Mark Score
2,967+3%
2,870
Architecture
GCN 1.0
GCN 4.0
Process Node
28 nm
14 nm
Shading Units
768
1024+33%
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.267 TFLOPS
2.46 TFLOPS+94%
ROPs
32+100%
16
TMUs
48
64+33%
L1 Cache
192 KB
256 KB+33%
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
1 MB+100%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureFirePro W5000Radeon Pro WX 4170
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 W5000 has 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon Pro WX 4170 carries 4 GB. Radeon Pro WX 4170 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 W5000 and 64-bit on the Radeon Pro WX 4170. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (FirePro W5000) vs 1 MB (Radeon Pro WX 4170) — the Radeon Pro WX 4170 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureFirePro W5000Radeon Pro WX 4170
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
4 GB+100%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
64-bit
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
1 MB+100%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FirePro W5000) vs 12 (12_0) (Radeon Pro WX 4170). Vulkan: 1.2.170 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.

FeatureFirePro W5000Radeon Pro WX 4170
DirectX
12
12 (12_0)
Vulkan
1.2.170
1.3+8%
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
6+50%
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 1.0 (FirePro W5000) vs VCE 3.4 (Polaris) (Radeon Pro WX 4170). Decoder: UVD 4.0 vs UVD 6.3. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (FirePro W5000) vs H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Decode Only),AV1 (Decode Only) (Radeon Pro WX 4170).

FeatureFirePro W5000Radeon Pro WX 4170
Encoder
VCE 1.0
VCE 3.4 (Polaris)
Decoder
UVD 4.0
UVD 6.3
Codecs
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1
H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Decode Only),AV1 (Decode Only)
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro W5000 draws 75W versus the Radeon Pro WX 4170's 50W — a 40% difference. The Radeon Pro WX 4170 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro W5000) vs 350W (Radeon Pro WX 4170). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 80°C.

FeatureFirePro W5000Radeon Pro WX 4170
TDP
75W
50W-33%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
PCIe-powered
Length
183mm
Height
111mm
Slots
1
0-100%
Temp (Load)
75°C-6%
80°C
Perf/Watt
39.6
57.4+45%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro W5000 came in at $599, while the Radeon Pro WX 4170 launched at $400. On MSRP, Radeon Pro WX 4170 was 33.2% cheaper ($199 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 5.0 (FirePro W5000) vs 7.2 (Radeon Pro WX 4170) — the Radeon Pro WX 4170 offers 44% better value. The newer card here is Radeon Pro WX 4170 (2016 vs 2012).

FeatureFirePro W5000Radeon Pro WX 4170
MSRP
$599
$400-33%
Performance per Dollar
5.0
7.2+44%
Codename
Pitcairn
Baffin
Release
August 7 2012
November 10 2016
Ranking
#585
#526

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