FirePro W9000 vs GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU

FirePro W9000

2012Core: 975 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU

2022Core: 1320 MHzBoost: 1777 MHz
RTX family
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FirePro W9000 vs GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU 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 3060 Laptop GPU: 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

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 1.5 vs 0 G3D/$ ($3,999 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (6,157 vs 13,170).
  • No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
  • 2012 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • 61.2% higher power demand at 274W vs 170W.

GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU

2022

Why buy it

  • +113.9% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • 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.
  • Draws 170W instead of 274W, a 104W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 1.5 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $3,999 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 113.9% in PassMark G3D (13,170 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 3060 Laptop GPU 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, 28 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2022 generation instead of 2012. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
FirePro W9000 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, FirePro W9000 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and lighter 1440p headroom, GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU has the stronger long-term case.

FirePro W9000 vs GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU 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 3060 Laptop GPU

The GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in October 12 2022. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1320 MHz to 1777 MHz. It has 3584 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 170W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 28 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 13,170 points.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the FirePro W9000 scores 6,157 versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU's 13,170 — the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU leads by 113.9%. The FirePro W9000 is built on GCN 1.0 while the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 2,048 (FirePro W9000) vs 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU). Raw compute: 3.994 TFLOPS (FirePro W9000) vs 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU).

FeatureFirePro W9000GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
G3D Mark Score
6,157
13,170+114%
Architecture
GCN 1.0
Ampere
Process Node
28 nm
8 nm
Shading Units
2048
3584+75%
Compute (TFLOPS)
3.994 TFLOPS
12.74 TFLOPS+219%
ROPs
32
48+50%
TMUs
128+14%
112
L1 Cache
0.5 MB
3.5 MB+600%
L2 Cache
0.75 MB
3 MB+300%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU 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 3060 Laptop GPU
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 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU. L2 Cache: 0.75 MB (FirePro W9000) vs 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureFirePro W9000GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
VRAM Capacity
6 GB
6 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR6
Bus Width
256-bit+33%
192-bit
L2 Cache
0.75 MB
3 MB+300%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FirePro W9000) vs 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.

FeatureFirePro W9000GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
DirectX
12
12 Ultimate
Vulkan
1.2
1.4+17%
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
6+50%
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 1.0 (FirePro W9000) vs NVENC (7th Gen) (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU). Decoder: UVD 3.2 vs NVDEC (5th Gen). Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (FirePro W9000) vs H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode),VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU).

FeatureFirePro W9000GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
Encoder
VCE 1.0
NVENC (7th Gen)
Decoder
UVD 3.2
NVDEC (5th Gen)
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode),VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro W9000 draws 274W versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU's 170W — a 46.8% difference. The GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro W9000) vs 500W (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs Mobile. Typical load temperature: 93°C vs 75°C.

FeatureFirePro W9000GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
TDP
274W
170W-38%
Recommended PSU
350W-30%
500W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
Mobile
Length
279mm
Height
111mm
Slots
2
Temp (Load)
93°C
75°C-19%
Perf/Watt
22.5
77.5+244%
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU (2022 vs 2012).

FeatureFirePro W9000GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
MSRP
$3999
Codename
Tahiti
GA106
Release
June 14 2012
October 12 2022
Ranking
#390
#147

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