FirePro W9100 vs Radeon RX 780

FirePro W9100

2014Core: 930 MHz
VS
AMD

Radeon RX 780

2024Core: 1295 MHzBoost: 2335 MHz

FirePro W9100 vs Radeon RX 780 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 780: 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

  • 300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (16 GB vs 4 GB).

Trade-offs

  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
  • 2014 hardware with 16 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • 701.6% HIGHER MSRP
    $4,000 MSRPvs$499 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.9 vs 15.3 G3D/$ ($4,000 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
  • 52.8% higher power demand at 275W vs 180W.

Radeon RX 780

2024

Why buy it

  • Costs $3,501 less on MSRP ($499 MSRP vs $4,000 MSRP).
  • Delivers 692.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 15.3 vs 1.9 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $4,000 MSRP).
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
  • Better long-term bet: RDNA 3.0 (2022−2026) on 5nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
  • Draws 180W instead of 275W, a 95W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 16 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.

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 1.2% in PassMark G3D (7,748 vs 7,658), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon RX 780 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer feature stack, with FSR 3 (2023) and FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023), while FirePro W9100 is limited to no meaningful modern upscaling stack and no comparable frame-generation support, a 5nm process instead of 28nm, 60 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2024 generation instead of 2014. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon RX 780 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $3,501 cheaper on MSRP at $499 vs $4,000, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 692.3% (15.3 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 780 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 780

The Radeon RX 780 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in September 11 2024. It features the RDNA 3.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1295 MHz to 2335 MHz. It has 3840 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 180W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 60 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,658 points.

Graphics Performance

The FirePro W9100 scores 7,748 and the Radeon RX 780 reaches 7,658 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FirePro W9100 is built on GCN 2.0 while the Radeon RX 780 uses RDNA 3.0, both on 28 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 2,816 (FirePro W9100) vs 3,840 (Radeon RX 780). Raw compute: 5.238 TFLOPS (FirePro W9100) vs 35.87 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 780).

FeatureFirePro W9100Radeon RX 780
G3D Mark Score
7,748+1%
7,658
Architecture
GCN 2.0
RDNA 3.0
Process Node
28 nm
5 nm
Shading Units
2816
3840+36%
Compute (TFLOPS)
5.238 TFLOPS
35.87 TFLOPS+585%
ROPs
64
96+50%
TMUs
176
240+36%
L1 Cache
704 KB
768 KB+9%
L2 Cache
1 MB
4 MB+300%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 780 is support for FSR Frame Generation + AFMF. 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 780
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR 3
Frame Generation
Not Supported
FSR Frame Generation + AFMF
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The FirePro W9100 has 16 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon RX 780 carries 4 GB. FirePro W9100 gives you 300% 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 System on the Radeon RX 780. L2 Cache: 1 MB (FirePro W9100) vs 4 MB (Radeon RX 780) — the Radeon RX 780 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureFirePro W9100Radeon RX 780
VRAM Capacity
16 GB+300%
4 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
Shared
Bus Width
256-bit
System
L2 Cache
1 MB
4 MB+300%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FirePro W9100) vs 12 (12_2) (Radeon RX 780). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.

FeatureFirePro W9100Radeon RX 780
DirectX
12
12 (12_2)
Vulkan
1.2
1.4+17%
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
6+50%
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 2.0 (FirePro W9100) vs RDNA 3 Dual Media Engine (Radeon RX 780). Decoder: UVD 4.2 vs VCN 4.0. Supported codecs: H.264 (FirePro W9100) vs H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Radeon RX 780).

FeatureFirePro W9100Radeon RX 780
Encoder
VCE 2.0
RDNA 3 Dual Media Engine
Decoder
UVD 4.2
VCN 4.0
Codecs
H.264
H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro W9100 draws 275W versus the Radeon RX 780's 180W — a 41.8% difference. The Radeon RX 780 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro W9100) vs 350W (Radeon RX 780). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered. Typical load temperature: 93 vs 85°C.

FeatureFirePro W9100Radeon RX 780
TDP
275W
180W-35%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
PCIe-powered
Length
275mm
Height
111mm
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
93
85°C-9%
Perf/Watt
28.2
42.5+51%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro W9100 came in at $4000, while the Radeon RX 780 launched at $499. On MSRP, Radeon RX 780 was 87.5% cheaper ($3501 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.9 (FirePro W9100) vs 15.3 (Radeon RX 780) — the Radeon RX 780 offers 705.3% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX 780 (2024 vs 2014).

FeatureFirePro W9100Radeon RX 780
MSRP
$4000
$499-88%
Performance per Dollar
1.9
15.3+705%
Codename
Hawaii
Navi 32
Release
March 26 2014
September 11 2024
Ranking
#328
#131

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