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FirePro W9000 vs GeForce GTX 960

CPUCPUGPUGPU

FirePro W9000

2012Core: 975 MHz
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VS
NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 960

2015Core: 1127 MHzBoost: 1178 MHz
Buy on Amazon

FirePro W9000 vs GeForce GTX 960 Performance Spectrum

FirePro W9000
6 GB 274
6,157
+0.4%
brand logoRadeon HD8970M
brand logoRadeon RX 460 (móvel)
brand logoRadeon RX 560X (móvel)
brand logoRadeon 760M
brand logoRadeon RX 7600M
brand logoRadeon RX 5700
brand logoRadeon RX 7650 GRE
brand logoRadeon RX 7900M
GeForce GTX 960
4 GB 100
6,133
0.0%
brand logoGeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST
brand logoGeForce GTX 880M SLI
brand logoGeForce GTX 580
brand logoGeForce GTX 670
brand logoGeForce GTX 1650 SUPER
brand logoGeForce RTX 4050 Mobile
brand logoGeForce GTX 1080 Ti
brand logoGeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB

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 W9000 vs GeForce GTX 960: 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 W9000

2012

Why buy it

  • ✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).

Trade-offs

  • ❌2012 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • ❌
    1909.5% HIGHER MSRP
    $3,999 MSRPvs$199 MSRP
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.5 vs 30.8 G3D/$ ($3,999 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
  • ❌174% higher power demand at 274W vs 100W.
  • ❌15.8% longer card at 279mm vs 241mm.

GeForce GTX 960

2015

Why buy it

  • ✅Costs $3,800 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $3,999 MSRP).
  • ✅Delivers 1901.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 30.8 vs 1.5 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $3,999 MSRP).
  • ✅Draws 100W instead of 274W, a 174W reduction.
  • ✅Measures 241mm instead of 279mm, a 38mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • ❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • ❌2015 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
FirePro W9000 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 0.4% in PassMark G3D (6,157 vs 6,133), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
FirePro W9000 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 6 GB vs 4 GB of VRAM. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce GTX 960 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $3,800 cheaper on MSRP at $199 vs $3,999, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 1901.7% (30.8 vs 1.5), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, GeForce GTX 960 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, FirePro W9000 has the stronger long-term case.

FirePro W9000 vs GeForce GTX 960 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

FirePro W9000

The FirePro W9000 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 14 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 975 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 274W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,157 points. Launch price was $3,999.

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 960

The GeForce GTX 960 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 22 2015. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1127 MHz to 1178 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,133 points. Launch price was $199.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The FirePro W9000 scores 6,157 and the GeForce GTX 960 reaches 6,133 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FirePro W9000 is built on GCN 1.0 while the GeForce GTX 960 uses Maxwell 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,048 (FirePro W9000) vs 1,024 (GeForce GTX 960). Raw compute: 3.994 TFLOPS (FirePro W9000) vs 2.413 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 960).

FeatureFirePro W9000GeForce GTX 960
G3D Mark Score
6,157
6,133
Architecture
GCN 1.0
Maxwell 2.0
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
2048+100%
1024
Compute (TFLOPS)
3.994 TFLOPS+66%
2.413 TFLOPS
ROPs
32
32
TMUs
128+100%
64
L1 Cache
512 KB+33%
384 KB
L2 Cache
0.75 MB
1 MB+33%
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 960 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The FirePro W9000 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureFirePro W9000GeForce GTX 960
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 W9000 has 6 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce GTX 960 carries 4 GB. FirePro W9000 gives you 50% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the FirePro W9000 and 128-bit on the GeForce GTX 960. L2 Cache: 0.75 MB (FirePro W9000) vs 1 MB (GeForce GTX 960) — the GeForce GTX 960 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureFirePro W9000GeForce GTX 960
VRAM Capacity
6 GB+50%
4 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR5
Bus Width
256-bit+100%
128-bit
L2 Cache
0.75 MB
1 MB+33%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FirePro W9000) vs 12 (12_1) (GeForce GTX 960). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.

FeatureFirePro W9000GeForce GTX 960
DirectX
12
12 (12_1)
Vulkan
1.2
1.3+8%
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
6+50%
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 1.0 (FirePro W9000) vs NVENC (5th Gen) (GeForce GTX 960). Decoder: UVD 3.2 vs NVDEC (2nd Gen). Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (FirePro W9000) vs HEVC,H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,VP8 (GeForce GTX 960).

FeatureFirePro W9000GeForce GTX 960
Encoder
VCE 1.0
NVENC (5th Gen)
Decoder
UVD 3.2
NVDEC (2nd Gen)
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
HEVC,H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,VP8
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro W9000 draws 274W versus the GeForce GTX 960's 100W — a 93% difference. The GeForce GTX 960 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro W9000) vs 400W (GeForce GTX 960). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 6-pin. Card length: 279mm vs 241mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 93°C vs 75 C.

FeatureFirePro W9000GeForce GTX 960
TDP
274W
100W-64%
Recommended PSU
350W-13%
400W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
6-pin
Length
279mm
241mm
Height
111mm
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
93°C
75 C-19%
Perf/Watt
22.5
61.3+172%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro W9000 came in at $3999, while the GeForce GTX 960 launched at $199. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 960 was 95% cheaper ($3800 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.5 (FirePro W9000) vs 30.8 (GeForce GTX 960) — the GeForce GTX 960 offers 1953.3% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 960 (2015 vs 2012).

FeatureFirePro W9000GeForce GTX 960
MSRP
$3999
$199-95%
Performance per Dollar
1.5
30.8+1953%
Codename
Tahiti
GM206
Release
June 14 2012
January 22 2015
Ranking
#390
#393
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