AMD FirePro S9150 Graphics Card

Jake Tremblay

S9150 GPU

When evaluating the AMD FirePro S9150’s potential for gaming, it’s important to consider the card’s specifications and original design intent. Released on August 7, 2014, the AMD FirePro S9150 is built on AMD’s Hawaii architecture and utilizes a 28 nm manufacturing process. The card comes with an impressive amount of GDDR5 memory, typical of professional grade cards. Initially, AMD aimed the FirePro series at professionals in fields requiring heavy computation, like computer-aided design (CAD) and digital content creation.

The suitability of the FirePro S9150 for gaming encounters some limitations due to its design focus. Gaming graphics cards prioritize features like high-resolution output and rapid frame rates to deliver smooth gaming experiences. While both gaming cards and the FirePro S9150 share some underlying technology, the specific optimizations and driver support significantly impact gaming performance.

Key Takeaways

  • The FirePro S9150 was designed for professional applications, not gaming.
  • It has a considerable amount of GDDR5 memory as part of AMD’s professional card lineup.
  • Gaming performance may be limited due to the card’s optimization for professional tasks.

FirePro S9150 Gaming Performance Analysis

The AMD FirePro S9150 is a graphics card that professionals mostly use. Here we look at how well it does for games.

Technical Specifications and Architecture

The AMD FirePro S9150 is built on the GCN 2.0 architecture. It has a large number of transistors and a 28nm manufacturing process. This card features 2816 streaming processors. The core clock speed and memory clock speed are not as high as those found in typical gaming cards.

Compatibility and API Support

This card supports DirectX 11.2, OpenGL 4.4, and OpenCL 2.0. It also works with PCIe 3.0 interfaces. These technologies help the card work well with a wide range of software and games.

Physical Characteristics and Connectivity

The FirePro S9150 is a full-length card. It needs a motherboard that can fit this size. The card has no direct video connectors because it’s for servers. For power, it uses two 8-pin connectors.

Performance in Gaming Context

For gaming, the FirePro S9150 may not perform as well as the latest gaming-focused GPUs. However, it does have a high texture fill rate and floating-point performance. These specs show that the card can handle complex visual tasks.

Market Position and Alternatives

The FirePro S9150 competes with NVIDIA’s Tesla and Quadro series. They’re also not mainly for games. People usually choose gaming GPUs like Nvidia’s GeForce or AMD’s Radeon series for games.

Evaluating Cost and Availability

The current price for a FirePro S9150 can be high due to its place in the market. It’s meant for servers and professional use. The value for money for gaming purposes may not be as high as cards made specifically for gamers.

Prospective Gaming Usage and Final Remarks

If someone has a FirePro S9150, it can run games because of its powerful specs. But it is more for tasks in professional and server environments. There are better choices for those building a computer mostly for gaming.