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 W7170M

2015

Why buy it

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
✅More future proof: GCN 3.0 (2014−2019) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 5.0 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
❌100% higher power demand at 100W vs 50W.

Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire

2011

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.0 vs 0 G3D/$ ($699 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Draws 50W instead of 100W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2011-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

FirePro W7170M

2015

Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire

2011

Why buy it

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
✅More future proof: GCN 3.0 (2014−2019) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.0 vs 0 G3D/$ ($699 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Draws 50W instead of 100W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 5.0 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
❌100% higher power demand at 100W vs 50W.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2011-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

Quick Answers

So, is FirePro W7170M better than Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 3,605 vs 3,500 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer FirePro W7170M is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

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

FirePro W7170M is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2015 generation instead of 2011, more VRAM at 4 GB instead of 2 GB, the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling, 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 W7170M is the smarter buy by a wide margin. FirePro W7170M is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $699 MSRP, and you are getting 3.0% higher G3D Mark. Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire is 2011 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM, 3,500 in G3D Mark, and FSR upscaling. 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 W7170M Benchmark Check

Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	FirePro W7170M	Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire
1080p
low	104 FPS	37 FPS
medium	89 FPS	30 FPS
high	73 FPS	21 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	13 FPS
1440p
low	91 FPS	29 FPS
medium	80 FPS	21 FPS
high	58 FPS	13 FPS
ultra	33 FPS	8 FPS
4K
low	29 FPS	11 FPS
medium	27 FPS	9 FPS
high	18 FPS	6 FPS
ultra	16 FPS	5 FPS

Open FirePro W7170M Open Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	FirePro W7170M	Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire
1080p
low	96 FPS	66 FPS
medium	74 FPS	44 FPS
high	60 FPS	32 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	21 FPS
1440p
low	57 FPS	37 FPS
medium	40 FPS	21 FPS
high	31 FPS	15 FPS
ultra	23 FPS	11 FPS
4K
low	24 FPS	13 FPS
medium	17 FPS	8 FPS
high	13 FPS	6 FPS
ultra	10 FPS	5 FPS

Open FirePro W7170M Open Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	FirePro W7170M	Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire
1080p
low	162 FPS	158 FPS
medium	130 FPS	126 FPS
high	108 FPS	105 FPS
ultra	81 FPS	79 FPS
1440p
low	122 FPS	118 FPS
medium	97 FPS	94 FPS
high	81 FPS	79 FPS
ultra	61 FPS	59 FPS
4K
low	81 FPS	79 FPS
medium	65 FPS	63 FPS
high	54 FPS	52 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	39 FPS

Open FirePro W7170M Open Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	FirePro W7170M	Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire
1080p
low	162 FPS	118 FPS
medium	130 FPS	90 FPS
high	108 FPS	61 FPS
ultra	81 FPS	40 FPS
1440p
low	122 FPS	71 FPS
medium	97 FPS	51 FPS
high	81 FPS	37 FPS
ultra	61 FPS	26 FPS
4K
low	75 FPS	38 FPS
medium	58 FPS	26 FPS
high	47 FPS	19 FPS
ultra	31 FPS	13 FPS

Open FirePro W7170M Open Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of FirePro W7170M and Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire

FirePro W7170M

The FirePro W7170M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 2 2015. It features the GCN 3.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 723 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,605 points.

Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire

The Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire is manufactured by AMD. It was released in July 12 2011. It features the Terascale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 715 MHz. It has 2240 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,500 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The FirePro W7170M scores 3,605 and the Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire reaches 3,500 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FirePro W7170M is built on GCN 3.0 while the Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire uses Terascale 2, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 2,048 (FirePro W7170M) vs 2,240 (Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire).

Feature	FirePro W7170M	Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire
G3D Mark Score	3,605+3%	3,500
Architecture	GCN 3.0	Terascale 2
Process Node	28 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	2048	2240+9%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	FirePro W7170M	Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire
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 W7170M comes with 4 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire has 2 GB. The FirePro W7170M offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 64-bit vs 128-bit.

Feature	FirePro W7170M	Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire
VRAM Capacity	4 GB+100%	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	64-bit	128-bit+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FirePro W7170M) vs 11.0 (Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire). Vulkan: 1.2 vs N/A. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 6.

Feature	FirePro W7170M	Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire
DirectX	12+9%	11.0
Vulkan	1.2	N/A
OpenGL	4.6+5%	4.4
Max Displays	3	6+100%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 3.1 (FirePro W7170M) vs None (Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire). Decoder: UVD 6.0 vs UVD 3.0. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,HEVC (FirePro W7170M) vs MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,MPEG-4,MVC (Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire).

Feature	FirePro W7170M	Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire
Encoder	VCE 3.1	None
Decoder	UVD 6.0	UVD 3.0
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,HEVC	MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,MPEG-4,MVC

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro W7170M draws 100W versus the Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire's 50W — a 66.7% difference. The Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro W7170M) vs 350W (Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 0mm, occupying 1 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 90.

Feature	FirePro W7170M	Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire
TDP	100W	50W-50%
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	1x 6-pin
Length	0mm	0mm
Height	0mm	0mm
Slots	1	0-100%
Temp (Load)	85°C-6%	90
Perf/Watt	36.0	70.0+94%