FirePro W5100 vs GeForce RTX 3060

FirePro W5100

2014Core: 930 MHz
VS
NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060

2021Core: 1320 MHzBoost: 1777 MHz
RTX family
·······

FirePro W5100 vs GeForce RTX 3060 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 W5100 vs GeForce RTX 3060: 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 W5100

2014

Why buy it

  • Draws 50W instead of 170W, a 120W reduction.
  • Measures 173mm instead of 242mm, a 69mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (2,987 vs 16,995).
  • Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
  • 2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 21.3% HIGHER MSRP
    $399 MSRPvs$329 MSRP

GeForce RTX 3060

2021

Why buy it

  • +469% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • Costs $70 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
  • Delivers 590% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 7.5 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • 200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 4 GB).

Trade-offs

  • 240% higher power demand at 170W vs 50W.
  • 39.9% longer card at 242mm vs 173mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce RTX 3060 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 469% in PassMark G3D (16,995 vs 2,987), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 3060 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 12 GB vs 4 GB of VRAM, the newer upscaling stack, DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 8nm process instead of 28nm, and 28 vs 0 ray-tracing units. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce RTX 3060 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $70 cheaper on MSRP at $329 vs $399, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 590% (51.7 vs 7.5), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

FirePro W5100 vs GeForce RTX 3060 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

FirePro W5100

The FirePro W5100 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 31 2014. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 930 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,987 points.

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060

The GeForce RTX 3060 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 12 2021. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1320 MHz to 1777 MHz. It has 3584 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 170W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 28 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 16,995 points. Launch price was $329.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the FirePro W5100 scores 2,987 versus the GeForce RTX 3060's 16,995 — the GeForce RTX 3060 leads by 469%. The FirePro W5100 is built on GCN 2.0 while the GeForce RTX 3060 uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 768 (FirePro W5100) vs 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060). Raw compute: 1.428 TFLOPS (FirePro W5100) vs 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060).

FeatureFirePro W5100GeForce RTX 3060
G3D Mark Score
2,987
16,995+469%
Architecture
GCN 2.0
Ampere
Process Node
28 nm
8 nm
Shading Units
768
3584+367%
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.428 TFLOPS
12.74 TFLOPS+792%
ROPs
16
48+200%
TMUs
48
112+133%
L1 Cache
0.19 MB
3.5 MB+1742%
L2 Cache
0.25 MB
3 MB+1100%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3060 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The FirePro W5100 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureFirePro W5100GeForce RTX 3060
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The FirePro W5100 has 4 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 3060 carries 12 GB. GeForce RTX 3060 gives you 200% 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 W5100 and 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060. L2 Cache: 0.25 MB (FirePro W5100) vs 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) — the GeForce RTX 3060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureFirePro W5100GeForce RTX 3060
VRAM Capacity
4 GB
12 GB+200%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Bus Width
64-bit
192-bit+200%
L2 Cache
0.25 MB
3 MB+1100%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FirePro W5100) vs 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060). Vulkan: 1.2.170 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.

FeatureFirePro W5100GeForce RTX 3060
DirectX
12
12 Ultimate
Vulkan
1.2.170
1.3+8%
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
6+50%
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 2.0 (FirePro W5100) vs NVENC 7th Gen (GeForce RTX 3060). Decoder: UVD 4.2 vs NVDEC 5th Gen. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (FirePro W5100) vs AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060).

FeatureFirePro W5100GeForce RTX 3060
Encoder
VCE 2.0
NVENC 7th Gen
Decoder
UVD 4.2
NVDEC 5th Gen
Codecs
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1
AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro W5100 draws 50W versus the GeForce RTX 3060's 170W — a 109.1% difference. The FirePro W5100 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro W5100) vs 550W (GeForce RTX 3060). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 8-pin. Card length: 173mm vs 242mm, occupying 1 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 70°C vs 75.

FeatureFirePro W5100GeForce RTX 3060
TDP
50W-71%
170W
Recommended PSU
350W-36%
550W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
8-pin
Length
173mm
242mm
Height
111mm
112mm
Slots
1-50%
2
Temp (Load)
70°C-7%
75
Perf/Watt
59.7
100.0+68%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro W5100 came in at $399, while the GeForce RTX 3060 launched at $329. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 3060 was 17.5% cheaper ($70 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 7.5 (FirePro W5100) vs 51.7 (GeForce RTX 3060) — the GeForce RTX 3060 offers 589.3% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3060 (2021 vs 2014).

FeatureFirePro W5100GeForce RTX 3060
MSRP
$399
$329-18%
Performance per Dollar
7.5
51.7+589%
Codename
Bonaire
GA106
Release
March 31 2014
January 12 2021
Ranking
#582
#114

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