Firepro W5170M vs GeForce RTX 3060

Firepro W5170M

2014Core: 900 MHzBoost: 925 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060

2021Core: 1320 MHzBoost: 1777 MHz
RTX family
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Firepro W5170M 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 W5170M 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 W5170M

2014

Why buy it

  • Draws 30W instead of 170W, a 140W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (1,774 vs 16,995).
  • Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
  • 2014 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 51.7 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3060

2021

Why buy it

  • +858% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 0 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • 500% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 2 GB).
  • Better long-term bet: Ampere on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 466.7% higher power demand at 170W vs 30W.

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 858% in PassMark G3D (16,995 vs 1,774), 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 2 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 today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup.

Firepro W5170M vs GeForce RTX 3060 Technical Specifications

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

Firepro W5170M

The Firepro W5170M is manufactured by an unknown manufacturer. It was released in August 25 2014. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 900 MHz to 925 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,774 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 W5170M scores 1,774 versus the GeForce RTX 3060's 16,995 — the GeForce RTX 3060 leads by 858%. The Firepro W5170M is built on GCN 1.0 while the GeForce RTX 3060 uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 640 (Firepro W5170M) vs 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060). Raw compute: 1.184 TFLOPS (Firepro W5170M) vs 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060). Boost clocks: 925 MHz vs 1777 MHz.

FeatureFirepro W5170MGeForce RTX 3060
G3D Mark Score
1,774
16,995+858%
Architecture
GCN 1.0
Ampere
Process Node
28 nm
8 nm
Shading Units
640
3584+460%
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.184 TFLOPS
12.74 TFLOPS+976%
Boost Clock
925 MHz
1777 MHz+92%
ROPs
16
48+200%
TMUs
40
112+180%
L1 Cache
0.16 MB
3.5 MB+2088%
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 W5170M leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureFirepro W5170MGeForce 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 W5170M has 2 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 3060 carries 12 GB. GeForce RTX 3060 gives you 500% 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 W5170M and 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060. L2 Cache: 0.25 MB (Firepro W5170M) vs 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) — the GeForce RTX 3060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureFirepro W5170MGeForce RTX 3060
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
12 GB+500%
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 W5170M) vs 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 4.

FeatureFirepro W5170MGeForce RTX 3060
DirectX
12
12 Ultimate
Vulkan
1.2
1.3+8%
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
3
4+33%
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 1.0 (Firepro W5170M) vs NVENC 7th Gen (GeForce RTX 3060). Decoder: UVD vs NVDEC 5th Gen. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Firepro W5170M) vs AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060).

FeatureFirepro W5170MGeForce RTX 3060
Encoder
VCE 1.0
NVENC 7th Gen
Decoder
UVD
NVDEC 5th Gen
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Firepro W5170M draws 30W versus the GeForce RTX 3060's 170W — a 140% difference. The Firepro W5170M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Firepro W5170M) vs 550W (GeForce RTX 3060). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 8-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 242mm, occupying 1 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 75.

FeatureFirepro W5170MGeForce RTX 3060
TDP
30W-82%
170W
Recommended PSU
350W-36%
550W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
8-pin
Length
0mm
242mm
Height
0mm
112mm
Slots
1-50%
2
Temp (Load)
80°C
75-6%
Perf/Watt
59.1
100.0+69%
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3060 (2021 vs 2014).

FeatureFirepro W5170MGeForce RTX 3060
MSRP
$329
Codename
Tropo
GA106
Release
August 25 2014
January 12 2021
Ranking
#662
#114

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