FirePro W9100 vs GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design

FirePro W9100

2014Core: 930 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design

2017Core: 1063 MHzBoost: 1480 MHz
GTX family
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FirePro W9100 vs GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design 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 W9100 vs GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design: 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 W9100

2014

Why buy it

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 1.9 vs 0 G3D/$ ($4,000 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • 166.7% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (16 GB vs 6 GB).

Trade-offs

  • 2014 hardware with 16 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • 243.8% higher power demand at 275W vs 80W.

GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design

2017

Why buy it

  • Draws 80W instead of 275W, a 195W reduction.
  • More future proof: Pascal (2016−2021) on 16nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 16 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2017 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 1.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $4,000 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 1.4% in PassMark G3D (7,853 vs 7,748), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
FirePro W9100 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 16 GB vs 6 GB of VRAM. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
FirePro W9100 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

FirePro W9100 vs GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design Technical Specifications

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

AMD

FirePro W9100

The FirePro W9100 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 26 2014. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 930 MHz. It has 2816 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 275W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,748 points.

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design

The GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in June 27 2017. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1063 MHz to 1480 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 80W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,853 points.

Graphics Performance

The FirePro W9100 scores 7,748 and the GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design reaches 7,853 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FirePro W9100 is built on GCN 2.0 while the GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design uses Pascal, both on 28 nm vs 16 nm. Shader units: 2,816 (FirePro W9100) vs 1,280 (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design). Raw compute: 5.238 TFLOPS (FirePro W9100) vs 3.789 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design).

FeatureFirePro W9100GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design
G3D Mark Score
7,748
7,853+1%
Architecture
GCN 2.0
Pascal
Process Node
28 nm
16 nm
Shading Units
2816+120%
1280
Compute (TFLOPS)
5.238 TFLOPS+38%
3.789 TFLOPS
ROPs
64+33%
48
TMUs
176+120%
80
L1 Cache
704 KB+47%
480 KB
L2 Cache
1 MB
1.5 MB+50%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The FirePro W9100 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureFirePro W9100GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design
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 W9100 has 16 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design carries 6 GB. FirePro W9100 gives you 166.7% 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 W9100 and 128-bit on the GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design. L2 Cache: 1 MB (FirePro W9100) vs 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) — the GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureFirePro W9100GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design
VRAM Capacity
16 GB+167%
6 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR5
Bus Width
256-bit+100%
128-bit
L2 Cache
1 MB
1.5 MB+50%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FirePro W9100) vs 12.1 (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.

FeatureFirePro W9100GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design
DirectX
12
12.1
Vulkan
1.2
1.3+8%
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
6+50%
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 2.0 (FirePro W9100) vs NVENC 6.0 (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design). Decoder: UVD 4.2 vs PureVideo HD VP8. Supported codecs: H.264 (FirePro W9100) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design).

FeatureFirePro W9100GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design
Encoder
VCE 2.0
NVENC 6.0
Decoder
UVD 4.2
PureVideo HD VP8
Codecs
H.264
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro W9100 draws 275W versus the GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design's 80W — a 109.9% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro W9100) vs 350W (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 275mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.

FeatureFirePro W9100GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design
TDP
275W
80W-71%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
PCIe-powered
Length
275mm
0mm
Height
111mm
0mm
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
93
Perf/Watt
28.2
98.2+248%
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design (2017 vs 2014).

FeatureFirePro W9100GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design
MSRP
$4000
Codename
Hawaii
GP106
Release
March 26 2014
June 27 2017
Ranking
#328
#401

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