Radeon HD 6990 vs FirePro W5100

Radeon HD 6990

2011Core: 830 MHz

FirePro W5100

2014Core: 930 MHz

Performance Spectrum - GPU

Radeon HD 6990

375

3,014

+0.9%

2,987

0.0%

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.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (G3D Mark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.•
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar

Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

Performance Per Dollar FirePro W5100

#75

Radeon Pro Vega II

MSRP: $2199|Avg: $1800

95%

#76

Radeon PRO W7900

MSRP: $3999|Avg: $3500

94%

#77

Radeon Pro VII

MSRP: $1899|Avg: $1400

93%

#78

Quadro RTX 5000

MSRP: $2299|Avg: $692

90%

#79

Quadro RTX 5000 (móvel)

MSRP: $2299|Avg: $692

89%

#151

Tesla K20m

MSRP: $3199|Avg: $55

1972%

#166

FirePro W5100

MSRP: $399|Avg: $50

100%

#167

Radeon Pro WX 4170

MSRP: $400|Avg: $120

96%

#168

FirePro W4300

MSRP: $379|Avg: $50

96%

#169

Quadro K2200

MSRP: $500|Avg: $40

96%

#173

Radeon R7 PRO A8-9600

MSRP: $119|Avg: $86

94%

#175

Radeon Pro 560

MSRP: $500|Avg: $150

93%

#176

Radeon Pro 460

MSRP: $500|Avg: $150

92%

#180

Radeon R7 PRO A10-9700E

MSRP: $139|Avg: $85

89%

#181

FirePro M5950

MSRP: $200|Avg: $200

88%

Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

Performance Comparison

About G3D Mark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

The Radeon HD 6990 is the superior choice for raw performance. It leads with a 0.9% higher G3D Mark score. However, the FirePro W5100 offers more VRAM, which may be beneficial for texture-heavy scenarios at higher resolutions.

Insight	Radeon HD 6990	FirePro W5100
Performance	✅Leading raw performance (+0.9%)	❌Lower raw frame rates (-0.9%)
Longevity	🛑Obsolete Architecture (2011 / TeraScale 3 (2010−2013))	🛑Obsolete Architecture (2014 / GCN 2.0 (2013−2017))
Ecosystem	Supports FSR Upscaling	Supports FSR Upscaling
VRAM	❌ Less VRAM capacity	✅ More VRAM (+100%)
Efficiency	⚡ Higher Power Consumption	💡 Excellent Perf/Watt
Case Fit	Standard Size (310mm)	📏 Compact / SFF Friendly

💎 Value Proposition

The FirePro W5100 offers a compelling cost-to-performance ratio. While both GPUs are considered legacy components by modern standards, the FirePro W5100 holds the technical lead. Priced at $50 (vs $498), it costs 90% less, resulting in a 887.1% higher cost efficiency score.

Insight	Radeon HD 6990	FirePro W5100
Cost Efficiency	❌Lower cost efficiency	✅Better overall value (+887.1%)
Upfront Cost	⚠️Higher upfront cost ($498)	✅More affordable ($50)

Performance Check

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 7800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

Radeon HD 6990 Benchmark Check

FirePro W5100 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon HD 6990 and FirePro W5100

Radeon HD 6990

The Radeon HD 6990 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 8 2011. It features the TeraScale 3 architecture. The core clock speed is 830 MHz. It has 1536 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 375W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,014 points. Launch price was $699.

FirePro W5100

The FirePro W5100 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 31 2014. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 930 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,987 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 6990 scores 3,014 and the FirePro W5100 reaches 2,987 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 6990 is built on TeraScale 3 while the FirePro W5100 uses GCN 2.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,536 (Radeon HD 6990) vs 768 (FirePro W5100). Raw compute: 2.55 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 6990) vs 1.428 TFLOPS (FirePro W5100).

Feature	Radeon HD 6990	FirePro W5100
G3D Mark Score	3,014	2,987
Architecture	TeraScale 3	GCN 2.0
Process Node	40 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1536 ×2+100%	768
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.55 TFLOPS ×2+79%	1.428 TFLOPS
ROPs	32 ×2+100%	16
TMUs	96 ×2+100%	48
L1 Cache	384 KB+100%	192 KB
L2 Cache	512 KB+100%	256 KB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 6990	FirePro W5100
Upscaling Tech	FSR 1.0 (Software)	FSR 1.0 (Software)
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	AMD Anti-Lag	Standard

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The Radeon HD 6990 comes with 2 GB of VRAM, while the FirePro W5100 has 4 GB. The FirePro W5100 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 128-bit vs 64-bit. L2 Cache: 512 KB (Radeon HD 6990) vs 256 KB (FirePro W5100) — the Radeon HD 6990 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 6990	FirePro W5100
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	4 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	128-bit+100%	64-bit
L2 Cache	512 KB+100%	256 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.2 (Radeon HD 6990) vs 12 (FirePro W5100). Vulkan: None vs 1.2.170. OpenGL: 4.4 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 5 vs 6.

Feature	Radeon HD 6990	FirePro W5100
DirectX	11.2	12+7%
Vulkan	None	1.2.170
OpenGL	4.4	4.6+5%
Max Displays	5	6+20%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (Radeon HD 6990) vs VCE 2.0 (FirePro W5100). Decoder: UVD 3.0 vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon HD 6990) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (FirePro W5100).

Feature	Radeon HD 6990	FirePro W5100
Encoder	None	VCE 2.0
Decoder	UVD 3.0	UVD 4.2
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 6990 draws 375W versus the FirePro W5100's 50W — a 152.9% difference. The FirePro W5100 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (Radeon HD 6990) vs 350W (FirePro W5100). Power connectors: 2x 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 310mm vs 173mm, occupying 2 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: 85 vs 70°C.

Feature	Radeon HD 6990	FirePro W5100
TDP	375W	50W-87%
Recommended PSU	750W	350W-53%
Power Connector	2x 8-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	310mm	173mm
Height	115mm	111mm
Slots	2	1-50%
Temp (Load)	85	70°C-18%
Perf/Watt	8.0	59.7+646%

💰

Value Analysis

The Radeon HD 6990 launched at $699 MSRP and currently averages $498, while the FirePro W5100 launched at $399 and now averages $50. The FirePro W5100 costs 90% less ($448 savings) at current market prices. Performance per dollar (G3D Mark / price): 6.1 (Radeon HD 6990) vs 59.7 (FirePro W5100) — the FirePro W5100 offers 878.7% better value. The FirePro W5100 is the newer GPU (2014 vs 2011).