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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

FirePro W7000

2012

Why buy it

✅166.7% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Draws 150W instead of 250W, a 100W reduction.
✅Measures 242mm instead of 267mm, a 25mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
80.2% HIGHER MSRP
$899 MSRPvs$499 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 4.8 vs 8.2 G3D/$ ($899 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 480

2010

Why buy it

✅Costs $400 less on MSRP ($499 MSRP vs $899 MSRP).
✅Delivers 70.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 8.2 vs 4.8 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $899 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2010-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌66.7% higher power demand at 250W vs 150W.
❌10.3% longer card at 267mm vs 242mm.

FirePro W7000

2012

GeForce GTX 480

2010

Why buy it

✅166.7% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Draws 150W instead of 250W, a 100W reduction.
✅Measures 242mm instead of 267mm, a 25mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Why buy it

✅Costs $400 less on MSRP ($499 MSRP vs $899 MSRP).
✅Delivers 70.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 8.2 vs 4.8 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $899 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
80.2% HIGHER MSRP
$899 MSRPvs$499 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 4.8 vs 8.2 G3D/$ ($899 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2010-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌66.7% higher power demand at 250W vs 150W.
❌10.3% longer card at 267mm vs 242mm.

Quick Answers

So, is FirePro W7000 better than GeForce GTX 480?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 4,304 vs 4,075 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer FirePro W7000 is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, no meaningful modern upscaling stack, plus much lower power draw (150W vs 250W).

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

FirePro W7000 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2012 generation instead of 2010, more VRAM at 4 GB instead of 2 GB, and a 28nm process instead of 40nm. That extra memory headroom makes it the safer pick for newer games, heavier textures, and higher settings over time.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

FirePro W7000 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. FirePro W7000 is about 80.2% more expensive on MSRP at $899 MSRP versus $499 MSRP, and you are getting 5.6% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 480 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is GeForce GTX 480 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. GeForce GTX 480 is 2010 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM, 4,075 in G3D Mark, and no meaningful modern upscaling stack. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

FirePro W7000 Benchmark Check

GeForce GTX 480 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	FirePro W7000	GeForce GTX 480
1080p
low	103 FPS	80 FPS
medium	88 FPS	65 FPS
high	71 FPS	52 FPS
ultra	42 FPS	34 FPS
1440p
low	90 FPS	67 FPS
medium	77 FPS	55 FPS
high	56 FPS	39 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	25 FPS
4K
low	28 FPS	24 FPS
medium	27 FPS	23 FPS
high	18 FPS	15 FPS
ultra	15 FPS	13 FPS

Open FirePro W7000 Open GeForce GTX 480

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	FirePro W7000	GeForce GTX 480
1080p
low	134 FPS	129 FPS
medium	101 FPS	93 FPS
high	80 FPS	72 FPS
ultra	51 FPS	55 FPS
1440p
low	77 FPS	86 FPS
medium	52 FPS	56 FPS
high	38 FPS	40 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	31 FPS
4K
low	28 FPS	38 FPS
medium	19 FPS	26 FPS
high	15 FPS	23 FPS
ultra	11 FPS	18 FPS

Open FirePro W7000 Open GeForce GTX 480

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	FirePro W7000	GeForce GTX 480
1080p
low	194 FPS	183 FPS
medium	155 FPS	147 FPS
high	129 FPS	122 FPS
ultra	97 FPS	92 FPS
1440p
low	145 FPS	138 FPS
medium	116 FPS	110 FPS
high	97 FPS	92 FPS
ultra	73 FPS	69 FPS
4K
low	97 FPS	92 FPS
medium	77 FPS	73 FPS
high	65 FPS	61 FPS
ultra	48 FPS	46 FPS

Open FirePro W7000 Open GeForce GTX 480

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	FirePro W7000	GeForce GTX 480
1080p
low	181 FPS	121 FPS
medium	146 FPS	96 FPS
high	128 FPS	86 FPS
ultra	97 FPS	71 FPS
1440p
low	127 FPS	93 FPS
medium	104 FPS	74 FPS
high	92 FPS	69 FPS
ultra	67 FPS	55 FPS
4K
low	73 FPS	64 FPS
medium	57 FPS	48 FPS
high	45 FPS	39 FPS
ultra	31 FPS	29 FPS

Open FirePro W7000 Open GeForce GTX 480

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of FirePro W7000 and GeForce GTX 480

FirePro W7000

The FirePro W7000 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 13 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 950 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,304 points. Launch price was $899.

GeForce GTX 480

The GeForce GTX 480 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 26 2010. It features the Fermi architecture. The core clock speed is 700 MHz. It has 480 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,075 points. Launch price was $499.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the FirePro W7000 scores 4,304 versus the GeForce GTX 480's 4,075 — the FirePro W7000 leads by 5.6%. The FirePro W7000 is built on GCN 1.0 while the GeForce GTX 480 uses Fermi, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 1,280 (FirePro W7000) vs 480 (GeForce GTX 480). Raw compute: 2.432 TFLOPS (FirePro W7000) vs 1.345 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 480).

Feature	FirePro W7000	GeForce GTX 480
G3D Mark Score	4,304+6%	4,075
Architecture	GCN 1.0	Fermi
Process Node	28 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	1280+167%	480
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.432 TFLOPS+81%	1.345 TFLOPS
ROPs	32	48+50%
TMUs	80+33%	60
L1 Cache	320 KB	960 KB+200%
L2 Cache	512 KB	768 KB+50%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 480 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The FirePro W7000 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	FirePro W7000	GeForce GTX 480
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	Standard	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The FirePro W7000 comes with 4 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce GTX 480 has 2 GB. The FirePro W7000 offers 166.7% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 64-bit vs 384-bit. L2 Cache: 512 KB (FirePro W7000) vs 768 KB (GeForce GTX 480) — the GeForce GTX 480 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	FirePro W7000	GeForce GTX 480
VRAM Capacity	4 GB+167%	1.5 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	64-bit	384-bit+500%
L2 Cache	512 KB	768 KB+50%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FirePro W7000) vs 12 (11_0) (GeForce GTX 480). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 2.

Feature	FirePro W7000	GeForce GTX 480
DirectX	12	12 (11_0)
Vulkan	1.2	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	6+200%	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 1.0 (FirePro W7000) vs PureVideo HD VP4 (GeForce GTX 480). Decoder: UVD vs PureVideo HD VP4. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (FirePro W7000) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 ASP (GeForce GTX 480).

Feature	FirePro W7000	GeForce GTX 480
Encoder	VCE 1.0	PureVideo HD VP4
Decoder	UVD	PureVideo HD VP4
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 ASP

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro W7000 draws 150W versus the GeForce GTX 480's 250W — a 50% difference. The FirePro W7000 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro W7000) vs 600W (GeForce GTX 480). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 267mm, occupying 1 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 90°C vs 90°C.

Feature	FirePro W7000	GeForce GTX 480
TDP	150W-40%	250W
Recommended PSU	350W-42%	600W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	242mm	267mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	1-50%	2
Temp (Load)	90°C	90°C
Perf/Watt	28.7+76%	16.3

💰

Value Analysis

The FirePro W7000 launched at $899 MSRP, while the GeForce GTX 480 launched at $499. The GeForce GTX 480 costs 44.5% less ($400 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 4.8 (FirePro W7000) vs 8.2 (GeForce GTX 480) — the GeForce GTX 480 offers 70.8% better value. The FirePro W7000 is the newer GPU (2012 vs 2010).