FirePro W8000 vs Radeon R9 270 / R7 370

FirePro W8000

2012Core: 900 MHz
VS
AMD

Radeon R9 270 / R7 370

2015Core: 925 MHzBoost: 975 MHz

FirePro W8000 vs Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 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 W8000 vs Radeon R9 270 / R7 370: 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 W8000

2012

Why buy it

  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).

Trade-offs

  • 2012 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 973.2% HIGHER MSRP
    $1,599 MSRPvs$149 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.7 vs 28.6 G3D/$ ($1,599 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).
  • 104.5% higher power demand at 225W vs 110W.
  • 26.8% longer card at 279mm vs 220mm.

Radeon R9 270 / R7 370

2015

Why buy it

  • Costs $1,450 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $1,599 MSRP).
  • Delivers 973.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 28.6 vs 2.7 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs $1,599 MSRP).
  • Draws 110W instead of 225W, a 115W reduction.
  • Measures 220mm instead of 279mm, a 59mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2015 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 0% in PassMark G3D (4,260 vs 4,259), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
FirePro W8000 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 4 GB vs 2 GB of VRAM. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $1,450 cheaper on MSRP at $149 vs $1,599, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 973.4% (28.6 vs 2.7), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, FirePro W8000 has the stronger long-term case.

FirePro W8000 vs Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

FirePro W8000

The FirePro W8000 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 14 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 900 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 225W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,259 points. Launch price was $1,599.

AMD

Radeon R9 270 / R7 370

The Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 5 2015. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 925 MHz to 975 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 110W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,260 points.

Graphics Performance

The FirePro W8000 scores 4,259 and the Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 reaches 4,260 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FirePro W8000 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,792 (FirePro W8000) vs 1,280 (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370). Raw compute: 3.226 TFLOPS (FirePro W8000) vs 2.496 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370).

FeatureFirePro W8000Radeon R9 270 / R7 370
G3D Mark Score
4,259
4,260
Architecture
GCN 1.0
GCN 1.0
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
1792+40%
1280
Compute (TFLOPS)
3.226 TFLOPS+29%
2.496 TFLOPS
ROPs
32
32
TMUs
112+40%
80
L1 Cache
448 KB+17%
384 KB
L2 Cache
512 KB
512 KB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureFirePro W8000Radeon R9 270 / R7 370
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 W8000 has 4 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 carries 2 GB. FirePro W8000 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 W8000 and 256-bit on the Radeon R9 270 / R7 370.

FeatureFirePro W8000Radeon R9 270 / R7 370
VRAM Capacity
4 GB+100%
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
256-bit+300%
L2 Cache
512 KB
512 KB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FirePro W8000) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.

FeatureFirePro W8000Radeon R9 270 / R7 370
DirectX
12
12 (11_1)
Vulkan
1.2
1.2
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
6+50%
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 1.0 (FirePro W8000) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370). Decoder: UVD 3.2 vs UVD 4.0. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (FirePro W8000) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370).

FeatureFirePro W8000Radeon R9 270 / R7 370
Encoder
VCE 1.0
VCE 1.0
Decoder
UVD 3.2
UVD 4.0
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro W8000 draws 225W versus the Radeon R9 270 / R7 370's 110W — a 68.7% difference. The Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro W8000) vs 450W (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 279mm vs 220mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 58°C vs 70.

FeatureFirePro W8000Radeon R9 270 / R7 370
TDP
225W
110W-51%
Recommended PSU
350W-22%
450W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
1x 6-pin
Length
279mm
220mm
Height
111mm
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
58°C-17%
70
Perf/Watt
18.9
38.7+105%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro W8000 came in at $1599, while the Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 launched at $149. On MSRP, Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 was 90.7% cheaper ($1450 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.7 (FirePro W8000) vs 28.6 (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370) — the Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 offers 959.3% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 (2015 vs 2012).

FeatureFirePro W8000Radeon R9 270 / R7 370
MSRP
$1599
$149-91%
Performance per Dollar
2.7
28.6+959%
Codename
Tahiti
Trinidad
Release
June 14 2012
May 5 2015
Ranking
#481
#456

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