FirePro W9000 vs Radeon R9 380

FirePro W9000

2012Core: 975 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon R9 380

2015Boost: 970 MHz
Similar parts
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FirePro W9000 vs Radeon R9 380 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 Radeon R9 380: 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$199 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.5 vs 30.2 G3D/$ ($3,999 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
  • 24.5% higher power demand at 274W vs 220W.

Radeon R9 380

2015

Why buy it

  • Costs $3,800 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $3,999 MSRP).
  • Delivers 1858.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 30.2 vs 1.5 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $3,999 MSRP).
  • Draws 220W instead of 274W, a 54W reduction.

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 2.6% in PassMark G3D (6,157 vs 6,000), 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?
Radeon R9 380 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 1858.3% (30.2 vs 1.5), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R9 380 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 Radeon R9 380 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.

AMD

Radeon R9 380

The Radeon R9 380 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 18 2015. It features the GCN 3.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 970 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 220W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,000 points. Launch price was $199.

Graphics Performance

The FirePro W9000 scores 6,157 and the Radeon R9 380 reaches 6,000 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FirePro W9000 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon R9 380 uses GCN 3.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,048 (FirePro W9000) vs 1,792 (Radeon R9 380). Raw compute: 3.994 TFLOPS (FirePro W9000) vs 3.476 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 380).

FeatureFirePro W9000Radeon R9 380
G3D Mark Score
6,157+3%
6,000
Architecture
GCN 1.0
GCN 3.0
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
2048+14%
1792
Compute (TFLOPS)
3.994 TFLOPS+15%
3.476 TFLOPS
ROPs
32
32
TMUs
128+14%
112
L1 Cache
512 KB+14%
448 KB
L2 Cache
768 KB+50%
512 KB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureFirePro W9000Radeon R9 380
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 W9000 has 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 380 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 256-bit on the Radeon R9 380. L2 Cache: 768 KB (FirePro W9000) vs 512 KB (Radeon R9 380) — the FirePro W9000 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureFirePro W9000Radeon R9 380
VRAM Capacity
6 GB+50%
4 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR5
Bus Width
256-bit
256-bit
L2 Cache
768 KB+50%
512 KB
🎬

Media & Encoding

Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (FirePro W9000) vs H.264,H.265 (Radeon R9 380).

FeatureFirePro W9000Radeon R9 380
Encoder
VCE 1.0
Decoder
UVD 3.2
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
H.264,H.265
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro W9000 draws 274W versus the Radeon R9 380's 220W — a 21.9% difference. The Radeon R9 380 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro W9000) vs 500W (Radeon R9 380). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 2x 6-pin.

FeatureFirePro W9000Radeon R9 380
TDP
274W
220W-20%
Recommended PSU
350W-30%
500W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
2x 6-pin
Length
279mm
Height
111mm
Slots
2
Temp (Load)
93°C
Perf/Watt
22.5
27.3+21%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro W9000 came in at $3999, while the Radeon R9 380 launched at $199. On MSRP, Radeon R9 380 was 95% cheaper ($3800 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.5 (FirePro W9000) vs 30.2 (Radeon R9 380) — the Radeon R9 380 offers 1913.3% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R9 380 (2015 vs 2012).

FeatureFirePro W9000Radeon R9 380
MSRP
$3999
$199-95%
Performance per Dollar
1.5
30.2+1913%
Codename
Tahiti
Antigua
Release
June 14 2012
June 18 2015
Ranking
#390
#396

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