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 Radeon HD 6990 FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

FirePro W5100 vs Radeon HD 6990: 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

✅Costs $300 less on MSRP ($399 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅Delivers 73.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 7.5 vs 4.3 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Draws 50W instead of 375W, a 325W reduction.
✅Measures 173mm instead of 310mm, a 137mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

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.

Radeon HD 6990

2011

Why buy it

✅FirePro W5100 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so Radeon HD 6990 is the less risky modern option long term.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2011 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
75.2% HIGHER MSRP
$699 MSRPvs$399 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 4.3 vs 7.5 G3D/$ ($699 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
❌650% higher power demand at 375W vs 50W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 6990 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 0.9% in PassMark G3D (3,014 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?

Radeon HD 6990 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer upscaling stack, FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack. That still leaves it as the safer long-term option on hardware alone.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

FirePro W5100 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $300 cheaper on MSRP at $399 vs $699, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 73.6% (7.5 vs 4.3), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, FirePro W5100 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon HD 6990 has the stronger long-term case.

FirePro W5100 vs Radeon HD 6990 Technical Specifications

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

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.

Radeon HD 6990

The Radeon HD 6990 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 8 2011. It features the TeraScale 3 architecture. The core clock speed is 830 MHz. It has 1536 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 375W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,014 points. Launch price was $699.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The FirePro W5100 scores 2,987 and the Radeon HD 6990 reaches 3,014 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FirePro W5100 is built on GCN 2.0 while the Radeon HD 6990 uses TeraScale 3, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 768 (FirePro W5100) vs 1,536 (Radeon HD 6990). Raw compute: 1.428 TFLOPS (FirePro W5100) vs 2.55 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 6990).

Feature	FirePro W5100	Radeon HD 6990
G3D Mark Score	2,987	3,014
Architecture	GCN 2.0	TeraScale 3
Process Node	28 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	768	1536 ×2+100%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.428 TFLOPS	2.55 TFLOPS ×2+79%
ROPs	16	32 ×2+100%
TMUs	48	96 ×2+100%
L1 Cache	192 KB	384 KB+100%
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	FirePro W5100	Radeon HD 6990
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 W5100 has 4 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 6990 carries 2 GB. FirePro W5100 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 W5100 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 6990. L2 Cache: 256 KB (FirePro W5100) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 6990) — the Radeon HD 6990 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	FirePro W5100	Radeon HD 6990
VRAM Capacity	4 GB+100%	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	64-bit	128-bit+100%
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FirePro W5100) vs 11.2 (Radeon HD 6990). Vulkan: 1.2.170 vs None. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 5.

Feature	FirePro W5100	Radeon HD 6990
DirectX	12+7%	11.2
Vulkan	1.2.170	None
OpenGL	4.6+5%	4.4
Max Displays	6+20%	5

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 2.0 (FirePro W5100) vs None (Radeon HD 6990). Decoder: UVD 4.2 vs UVD 3.0. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (FirePro W5100) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon HD 6990).

Feature	FirePro W5100	Radeon HD 6990
Encoder	VCE 2.0	None
Decoder	UVD 4.2	UVD 3.0
Codecs	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro W5100 draws 50W versus the Radeon HD 6990's 375W — a 152.9% difference. The FirePro W5100 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro W5100) vs 750W (Radeon HD 6990). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 2x 8-pin. Card length: 173mm vs 310mm, occupying 1 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 70°C vs 85.

Feature	FirePro W5100	Radeon HD 6990
TDP	50W-87%	375W
Recommended PSU	350W-53%	750W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	2x 8-pin
Length	173mm	310mm
Height	111mm	115mm
Slots	1-50%	2
Temp (Load)	70°C-18%	85
Perf/Watt	59.7+646%	8.0

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro W5100 came in at $399, while the Radeon HD 6990 launched at $699. On MSRP, FirePro W5100 was 42.9% cheaper ($300 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 7.5 (FirePro W5100) vs 4.3 (Radeon HD 6990) — the FirePro W5100 offers 74.4% better value. The newer card here is FirePro W5100 (2014 vs 2011).

Feature	FirePro W5100	Radeon HD 6990
MSRP	$399-43%	$699
Performance per Dollar	7.5+74%	4.3
Codename	Bonaire	Antilles
Release	March 31 2014	March 8 2011
Ranking	#582	#583

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