FirePro W9100 vs Radeon RX 580 2048SP

FirePro W9100

2014Core: 930 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon RX 580 2048SP

2018Core: 1168 MHzBoost: 1284 MHz
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FirePro W9100 vs Radeon RX 580 2048SP 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 Radeon RX 580 2048SP: 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

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

Trade-offs

  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
  • 2014 hardware with 16 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • 1646.7% HIGHER MSRP
    $4,000 MSRPvs$229 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.9 vs 33.3 G3D/$ ($4,000 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
  • 83.3% higher power demand at 275W vs 150W.

Radeon RX 580 2048SP

2018

Why buy it

  • Costs $3,771 less on MSRP ($229 MSRP vs $4,000 MSRP).
  • Delivers 1620.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 33.3 vs 1.9 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $4,000 MSRP).
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
  • FirePro W9100 is already legacy-tier future-proofing, so Radeon RX 580 2048SP is the less risky modern option long term.
  • Draws 150W instead of 275W, a 125W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Older hardware, 16 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
FirePro W9100 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 1.5% in PassMark G3D (7,748 vs 7,633), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon RX 580 2048SP is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer feature stack, with FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) and FSR Frame Generation (2023), while FirePro W9100 is limited to no meaningful modern upscaling stack and no comparable frame-generation support, a 14nm process instead of 28nm, and a newer 2018 generation instead of 2014. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon RX 580 2048SP makes the most sense to buy today. It is $3,771 cheaper on MSRP at $229 vs $4,000, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 1620.8% (33.3 vs 1.9), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. FirePro W9100 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

FirePro W9100 vs Radeon RX 580 2048SP 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.

AMD

Radeon RX 580 2048SP

The Radeon RX 580 2048SP is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 15 2018. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1168 MHz to 1284 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,633 points.

Graphics Performance

The FirePro W9100 scores 7,748 and the Radeon RX 580 2048SP reaches 7,633 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FirePro W9100 is built on GCN 2.0 while the Radeon RX 580 2048SP uses GCN 4.0, both on 28 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 2,816 (FirePro W9100) vs 2,048 (Radeon RX 580 2048SP). Raw compute: 5.238 TFLOPS (FirePro W9100) vs 5.259 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 580 2048SP).

FeatureFirePro W9100Radeon RX 580 2048SP
G3D Mark Score
7,748+2%
7,633
Architecture
GCN 2.0
GCN 4.0
Process Node
28 nm
14 nm
Shading Units
2816+38%
2048
Compute (TFLOPS)
5.238 TFLOPS
5.259 TFLOPS
ROPs
64+100%
32
TMUs
176+38%
128
L1 Cache
704 KB+38%
512 KB
L2 Cache
1 MB
2 MB+100%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 580 2048SP is support for FSR Frame Generation. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The FirePro W9100 does not have comparable native support in the same tier.

FeatureFirePro W9100Radeon RX 580 2048SP
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
FSR Frame Generation
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 16 GB of video memory. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the FirePro W9100 and 256-bit on the Radeon RX 580 2048SP. L2 Cache: 1 MB (FirePro W9100) vs 2 MB (Radeon RX 580 2048SP) — the Radeon RX 580 2048SP has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureFirePro W9100Radeon RX 580 2048SP
VRAM Capacity
16 GB
16 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR5
Bus Width
256-bit
256-bit
L2 Cache
1 MB
2 MB+100%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FirePro W9100) vs 12 (Radeon RX 580 2048SP). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.

FeatureFirePro W9100Radeon RX 580 2048SP
DirectX
12
12
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 VCE 3.4 (Radeon RX 580 2048SP). Decoder: UVD 4.2 vs UVD 6.3. Supported codecs: H.264 (FirePro W9100) vs H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Radeon RX 580 2048SP).

FeatureFirePro W9100Radeon RX 580 2048SP
Encoder
VCE 2.0
VCE 3.4
Decoder
UVD 4.2
UVD 6.3
Codecs
H.264
H.264,HEVC,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro W9100 draws 275W versus the Radeon RX 580 2048SP's 150W — a 58.8% difference. The Radeon RX 580 2048SP is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro W9100) vs 450W (Radeon RX 580 2048SP). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 8-pin. Card length: 275mm vs 241mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 93 vs 75°C.

FeatureFirePro W9100Radeon RX 580 2048SP
TDP
275W
150W-45%
Recommended PSU
350W-22%
450W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
8-pin
Length
275mm
241mm
Height
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
93
75°C-19%
Perf/Watt
28.2
50.9+80%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro W9100 came in at $4000, while the Radeon RX 580 2048SP launched at $229. On MSRP, Radeon RX 580 2048SP was 94.3% cheaper ($3771 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.9 (FirePro W9100) vs 33.3 (Radeon RX 580 2048SP) — the Radeon RX 580 2048SP offers 1652.6% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX 580 2048SP (2018 vs 2014).

FeatureFirePro W9100Radeon RX 580 2048SP
MSRP
$4000
$229-94%
Performance per Dollar
1.9
33.3+1653%
Codename
Hawaii
Polaris 20
Release
March 26 2014
October 15 2018
Ranking
#328
#334

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