FirePro W9000 vs GeForce RTX 3050 6GB

FirePro W9000

2012Core: 975 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB

2024Core: 1042 MHzBoost: 1470 MHz
RTX family
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FirePro W9000 vs GeForce RTX 3050 6GB 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 W9000 vs GeForce RTX 3050 6GB: 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

  • Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (6,157 vs 10,749).
  • No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
  • 2012 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • 2266.3% HIGHER MSRP
    $3,999 MSRPvs$169 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.5 vs 63.6 G3D/$ ($3,999 MSRP vs $169 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB

2024

Why buy it

  • +74.6% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • Costs $3,830 less on MSRP ($169 MSRP vs $3,999 MSRP).
  • Delivers 4031.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 63.6 vs 1.5 G3D/$ ($169 MSRP vs $3,999 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 74.6% in PassMark G3D (10,749 vs 6,157), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer upscaling stack, DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 8nm process instead of 28nm, 18 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2024 generation instead of 2012. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB makes the most sense to buy today. It is $3,830 cheaper on MSRP at $169 vs $3,999, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 4031.1% (63.6 vs 1.5), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

FirePro W9000 vs GeForce RTX 3050 6GB 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 RTX 3050 6GB

The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in February 2 2024. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1042 MHz to 1470 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 70W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 18 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 10,749 points. Launch price was $179.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the FirePro W9000 scores 6,157 versus the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB's 10,749 — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB leads by 74.6%. The FirePro W9000 is built on GCN 1.0 while the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 2,048 (FirePro W9000) vs 2,304 (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB). Raw compute: 3.994 TFLOPS (FirePro W9000) vs 6.774 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB).

FeatureFirePro W9000GeForce RTX 3050 6GB
G3D Mark Score
6,157
10,749+75%
Architecture
GCN 1.0
Ampere
Process Node
28 nm
8 nm
Shading Units
2048
2304+13%
Compute (TFLOPS)
3.994 TFLOPS
6.774 TFLOPS+70%
ROPs
32
32
TMUs
128+78%
72
L1 Cache
0.5 MB
2.3 MB+360%
L2 Cache
0.75 MB
2 MB+167%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB 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 RTX 3050 6GB
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)

Both cards ship with 6 GB of GDDR6. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the FirePro W9000 and 96-bit on the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB. L2 Cache: 0.75 MB (FirePro W9000) vs 2 MB (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureFirePro W9000GeForce RTX 3050 6GB
VRAM Capacity
6 GB
6 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR6
Bus Width
256-bit+167%
96-bit
L2 Cache
0.75 MB
2 MB+167%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FirePro W9000) vs 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.

FeatureFirePro W9000GeForce RTX 3050 6GB
DirectX
12
12 Ultimate
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 RTX 3050 6GB). Decoder: UVD 3.2 vs NVDEC (7th Gen). Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (FirePro W9000) vs H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode Only) (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB).

FeatureFirePro W9000GeForce RTX 3050 6GB
Encoder
VCE 1.0
NVENC (5th Gen)
Decoder
UVD 3.2
NVDEC (7th Gen)
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode Only)
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro W9000 draws 274W versus the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB's 70W — a 118.6% difference. The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro W9000) vs 300W (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs None. Card length: 279mm vs 160mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 93°C vs 75°C.

FeatureFirePro W9000GeForce RTX 3050 6GB
TDP
274W
70W-74%
Recommended PSU
350W
300W-14%
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
None
Length
279mm
160mm
Height
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
93°C
75°C-19%
Perf/Watt
22.5
153.6+583%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro W9000 came in at $3999, while the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB launched at $169. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 3050 6GB was 95.8% cheaper ($3830 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.5 (FirePro W9000) vs 63.6 (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB offers 4140% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3050 6GB (2024 vs 2012).

FeatureFirePro W9000GeForce RTX 3050 6GB
MSRP
$3999
$169-96%
Performance per Dollar
1.5
63.6+4140%
Codename
Tahiti
GA107
Release
June 14 2012
February 2 2024
Ranking
#390
#252

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