[Edit. note: We discovered a typo in our in-line sub-title in “Southern Islands” below. It was originally “Southeast” which is incorrect. 4 Nov 2013.]
In Schiller’s presentation, he remarks that “if you know what D300′s cost and high-speed flash you are actually super impressed with this pricing…”
With the D300 — an AMD FirePro GPU series including D300, D500, and D700 — he was referring to the new dual FirePro GPUs in the new Mac Pro. But the funny thing was…he was referencing a product name that is unknown because it was created only for the new Mac Pros themselves. So how could anyone know what a D300 cost? You would need to know what it is based on.
MORE: A Day Away from New Macs—One Reader’s View (And Design) of A New Pro Desktop
Well, we think we have that pretty well figured out.
Southern Islands
We have done some homework and correlated the available information out on the Net. Here’s what we know and why you should care.
01 – Apple’s Mac Pro features D300, D500, and D700 dual FirePro GPUs that roughly equal W7000, W8000 and W9000 existent graphics cards. They are Pitcairn and Tahiti-based GCN Architecture units in customized configuration offering stunning power and range.
AMD’s current latest fastest FirePro workstation-class graphics units are based on the Tahiti and Pitcairn architecture, the 28-nanometer Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture that, from our AMD information given to us in a recent AMD GPU review, is highly tuned for OpenCL performance. So which of the latest FirePro GPUs correspond to the D300, D500, and D700? That’s the 64,000 dollar question.
D700
So here’s the easiest part. The D700 has exact spec matches to the FirePro W9000, AMD’s highest performing workstation-class GPU. Notable specs for both the D700 & W9000 include:
- 2048 Stream Processors (texture mapping units/unified shaders)
- 384-bit memory bus width
- 264 GB/s memory bandwidth
- 6 GB VRAM GDDR5
The W9000 specs at 4 teraflops single precision while Apple has the D700 at 3.5 teraflops. This could be because of a frequency delta for the core clock. On the W9000 it specs at 975 MHz core clock speed. Perhaps on the D700, it runs at 900? D700 is a Tahiti-based GPU.
Amazon has the FirePro W9000 at 3,158.USD. Apple is providing two D700’s in all Mac Pro configurations as options. That’s over six grand in GPU costs alone.
D500
The D500 is a bit harder. What we know for certain is it too is Tahiti-based. Although it has a 384-bit bus and more memory bandwidth than AMD’s W8000–the next best-ranked FirePro available–it has 2.2 teraflops of performance compared to the W8000’s 3.2 teraflops.
Because this is also a Tahiti-based unit it could be based on the W8000 or the W9000, though its memory bus is matched to the W9000. We just don’t know? Here are the key specs:
- 1525 Stream Processors (texture mapping units/unified shaders)
- 384-bit memory bus width
- 240 GB/s memory bandwidth
- 3 GB VRAM GDDR5
The D500 on a teraflop rank basis is just slightly more powerful than the Pitcairn-based W7000, the third-best ranked FirePro card. But as we said above it is a Tahiti-based GPU. And in terms of streaming processors, it ranks closer to the W8000 than the W7000.
The D500’s memory bus is not 256-bit like the W8000 but it ships with 1 GB less VRAM. Apple seems to have cleverly balanced various performance metrics to create an upper-mid level workstation-class option while decreasing streaming processors (1792 down to 1525), decreasing VRAM (4 GB down to 3 GB), and possibly frequency on the core clock to result in a slightly less teraflop-performing mid-level option. The result is a reasonable price increase over the D300 for this Tahiti-based D500.
Amazon has the W8000 retailing at 1,308.USD. Apple is providing roughly two of these or just about 2,500.USD of GPU value. But because of the strategic decreases as noted above the “real value” Apple is providing may be much closer to just under 2 grand. (see below or next page)
D300
The D300 is a Pitcairn-based GPU, just like the AMD FirePro W7000. Of the three GPU options on the new Mac Pro, only the D300 features a narrower 256-bit memory bus with a 160 GB/s memory bandwidth.
We feel that the D300 is in essence the W7000 but with half the VRAM. The actual W7000 comes with 4 GB not 2 GB like the D300. Essential key specs include:
- 1280 Stream Processors (texture mapping units/unified shaders)
- 256-bit memory bus width
- 160 GB/s memory bandwidth
- 2 GB VRAM GDDR5
The D300 provides 2 teraflops of single-precision compared to 2.4 for the W7000. Could this again be because of core clock differences? Has AMD provided D-series FirePro GPUs with slightly dialed down clocks for thermal temperature reasons?
Advertisement
Amazon has FirePro W7000 cards retailing at 649.USD. Apple is providing essentially two of these or approximately 1,200.USD in GPU value in the baseline Mac Pro.
MORE: Is the new Retina iMac the ‘iMac Pro’ the market seems to be screaming for?
Importantly, although the D300 is Pitcairn-based while the other two are Tahiti based, both are apart of the 28-nm architecture series and both are Graphics Core Next (GCN) Architecture.
next page: The Value Discussion
Reader Comments
The Mac Pro: So what’s a D300, D500 and D700 anyway? We have answers | Architosh http://t.co/1nRess0gxz
We have some additional comparison data for readers. We’ll pos that below. It will give readers a sense of power of the these D-series units compared to latest high-performing gaming cards which typically have been our best options for the old Mac Pros.
A
This data comes via Wikipedia’s AMD GPU chart info:
Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 (this is available for Mac)
— 2.8 teraflops
— 3 GB of video ram
— 384-bit memory bus width
— 240 GB/s memory bandwidth
— 1792 streaming processors (texture units)
It’s important to focus on streaming processor counts, speeds and teraflops for a sense of real-life performance, generalized.
Radeon R9 (Hawaii based architecture)
— 4.5 teraflops
— 4 GB of video ram
— 512-bit memory bus
— 320 GB/s memory bandwidth
— 2816 streaming processors (texture units)
Both the R9 and 7950 Radeons have 800 MHz core clocks. Interestingly, the D300, D500 and D700 if clocked equally to the FirePro W7000, 8000, and 9000 have core clocks at 950, 900 and 975 MHz, respectively.
#MacPro GPUs: So what’s a D300, D500 and D700 anyway? #FCPX #FinalCutProX
http://t.co/IuZCMPzHvU
#CAD The Mac Pro: So what’s a D300, D500 and D700 anyway? We have answers http://t.co/wti8HsKJ6l
RT @RichardTaylorTV: #MacPro GPUs: So what’s a D300, D500 and D700 anyway? #FCPX #FinalCutProX
http://t.co/IuZCMPzHvU
[#macpro #AMD firepro] good Detailed explanation of GPUs “So what’s D300, D500 + D700 anyway? We’ve answers http://t.co/oYlMRMnJj2
The Mac Pro: So what’s a D300, D500 and D700 anyway? We have answers | Architosh http://t.co/1nRess0gxz
We have some additional comparison data for readers. We’ll pos that below. It will give readers a sense of power of the these D-series units compared to latest high-performing gaming cards which typically have been our best options for the old Mac Pros.
A
This data comes via Wikipedia’s AMD GPU chart info:
Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 (this is available for Mac)
— 2.8 teraflops
— 3 GB of video ram
— 384-bit memory bus width
— 240 GB/s memory bandwidth
— 1792 streaming processors (texture units)
It’s important to focus on streaming processor counts, speeds and teraflops for a sense of real-life performance, generalized.
Radeon R9 (Hawaii based architecture)
— 4.5 teraflops
— 4 GB of video ram
— 512-bit memory bus
— 320 GB/s memory bandwidth
— 2816 streaming processors (texture units)
Both the R9 and 7950 Radeons have 800 MHz core clocks. Interestingly, the D300, D500 and D700 if clocked equally to the FirePro W7000, 8000, and 9000 have core clocks at 950, 900 and 975 MHz, respectively.
#MacPro GPUs: So what’s a D300, D500 and D700 anyway? #FCPX #FinalCutProX
http://t.co/IuZCMPzHvU
RT @RichardTaylorTV: #MacPro GPUs: So what’s a D300, D500 and D700 anyway? #FCPX #FinalCutProX
http://t.co/IuZCMPzHvU
#CAD The Mac Pro: So what’s a D300, D500 and D700 anyway? We have answers http://t.co/wti8HsKJ6l
RT @RichardTaylorTV: #MacPro GPUs: So what’s a D300, D500 and D700 anyway? #FCPX #FinalCutProX
http://t.co/IuZCMPzHvU
@jdalrymple Mac Pro’s, damn! http://t.co/JMHrSGNdgd
@gruber Mac Pro’s, damn! http://t.co/JMHrSGNdgd
@Pogue Mac Pro’s, damn! http://t.co/JMHrSGNdgd
@ChrisPirillo Mac Pro’s, damn! http://t.co/JMHrSGNdgd
@Ihnatko Mac Pro’s, damn! http://t.co/JMHrSGNdgd
http://t.co/pxkx4iBKfV
[#macpro #AMD firepro] good Detailed explanation of GPUs “So what’s D300, D500 + D700 anyway? We’ve answers http://t.co/oYlMRMnJj2
RT @RichardTaylorTV: #MacPro GPUs: So what’s a D300, D500 and D700 anyway? #FCPX #FinalCutProX
http://t.co/IuZCMPzHvU
@jdalrymple Mac Pro’s, damn! http://t.co/JMHrSGNdgd
@gruber Mac Pro’s, damn! http://t.co/JMHrSGNdgd
@Pogue Mac Pro’s, damn! http://t.co/JMHrSGNdgd
@ChrisPirillo Mac Pro’s, damn! http://t.co/JMHrSGNdgd
@Ihnatko Mac Pro’s, damn! http://t.co/JMHrSGNdgd
@Ihnatko Mac Pro’s, damn! http://t.co/JMHrSGNdgd
http://t.co/pxkx4iBKfV
RT @architosh: The Mac Pro: So what’s a D300, D500 and D700 anyway? We have answers: In Schiller’s presentation he remark… http://t.co/7i…
#Apple’s #MacPro: So what’s a D300, D500 and D700 anyway? http://t.co/Ccz9mYXGqg
“it was created only for the new Mac Pros themselves.”
RT @architosh: The Mac Pro: So what’s a D300, D500 and D700 anyway? We have answers: In Schiller’s presentation he remark… http://t.co/7i…
#Apple’s #MacPro: So what’s a D300, D500 and D700 anyway? http://t.co/Ccz9mYXGqg
“it was created only for the new Mac Pros themselves.”
The base model GPUs in Mac Pro alone cost around $1200 on Amazon. Add Xeon E5s, PCIe SSDs, 12GB DDR. Not bad at all.
http://t.co/i6WSrTZV57
RT @supertino: The base model GPUs in Mac Pro alone cost around $1200 on Amazon. Add Xeon E5s, PCIe SSDs, 12GB DDR. Not bad at all.
http:/…
“The Mac Pro: So what’s a D300, D500 and D700 anyway?” http://t.co/mdUqXBIBcS
The base model GPUs in Mac Pro alone cost around $1200 on Amazon. Add Xeon E5s, PCIe SSDs, 12GB DDR. Not bad at all.
http://t.co/i6WSrTZV57
RT @supertino: The base model GPUs in Mac Pro alone cost around $1200 on Amazon. Add Xeon E5s, PCIe SSDs, 12GB DDR. Not bad at all.
http:/…
“The Mac Pro: So what’s a D300, D500 and D700 anyway?” http://t.co/mdUqXBIBcS
Great Information on the new Mac Pro GPU’s #macpro
http://t.co/9sVTzP3cun
[#macpro h/w] retweet f/yesterday. GPU Really iNteresting insight into proposed #AMD #FirePro GPUs for macpro2013 .. http://t.co/3BOAWicMoL
Great Information on the new Mac Pro GPU’s #macpro
http://t.co/9sVTzP3cun
[#macpro h/w] retweet f/yesterday. GPU Really iNteresting insight into proposed #AMD #FirePro GPUs for macpro2013 .. http://t.co/3BOAWicMoL
Over at architosh, their guess matches mine – the entry-level dual d300s in the new Mac Pro estimated at ~$650 each http://t.co/BC0eKMZByh
[…] sure as they’re made or named just for the Mac Pro. There’s been some guesswork done by architosh that may ring true. architosh believes them to be based on the Tahiti and Pitcairn architecture. […]
Over at architosh, their guess matches mine – the entry-level dual d300s in the new Mac Pro estimated at ~$650 each http://t.co/BC0eKMZByh
RT @puntomacrd: La Mac Pro en detalle http://t.co/88aCD6LS6z
La Mac Pro en detalle http://t.co/88aCD6LS6z
La Mac Pro en detalle http://t.co/88aCD6LS6z
RT @puntomacrd: La Mac Pro en detalle http://t.co/88aCD6LS6z
RT @puntomacrd: La Mac Pro en detalle http://t.co/88aCD6LS6z
RT @puntomacrd: La Mac Pro en detalle http://t.co/88aCD6LS6z
[…] Mac Pro’s cost: The ferocious GPU’s […]
#MacPro GPU’s are a steal… http://t.co/QVQJCUsCLF
#MacPro GPU’s are a steal… http://t.co/QVQJCUsCLF
RT @9voltDC: #MacPro GPU’s are a steal… http://t.co/QVQJCUsCLF
RT @9voltDC: #MacPro GPU’s are a steal… http://t.co/QVQJCUsCLF
[…] [#macpro h/w] retweet f/yesterday. GPU Really iNteresting insight into proposed #AMD #FirePro GPUs for macpro2013 .. architosh.com/2013/10/the-ma… […]
[…] the ultimate Revit workstation. And the conclusion after reading this report is that the new Mac Pro wouldn’t be the best workstation for Revit even if it was available on the […]
[…] Architosh, the resource for Mac-based architects, Anthony Frausto-Robledo took a close look at the graphic processors in the forthcoming Mac Pro works… and then compared them to similar AMD FirePro GPU cards on the […]
[…] Architosh, the resource for Mac-based architects, Anthony Frausto-Robledo took a close look at the graphic processors in the forthcoming Mac Pro works… and then compared them to similar AMD FirePro GPU cards on the […]
CPUよりもGPUのコストのほうが高い The Mac Pro: So what’s a D300, D500 and D700 anyway? We have answers http://t.co/Qg3WHBQjU9 @architoshさんから
CPUよりもGPUのコストのほうが高い The Mac Pro: So what’s a D300, D500 and D700 anyway? We have answers http://t.co/Qg3WHBQjU9 @architoshさんから
Interesting reading for anyone who gives a rat’s ass about the new Mac Pro http://t.co/0qAwY66m14
Interesting reading for anyone who gives a rat’s ass about the new Mac Pro http://t.co/0qAwY66m14
@BlacklightJDR this is interesting/relevant. http://t.co/CAQe28zYVq
@BlacklightJDR this is interesting/relevant. http://t.co/CAQe28zYVq
@applespotlight A comparison of the new Mac Pro’s GPU’s and their standard counterparts: http://t.co/RfRCnRaYtm
@applespotlight A comparison of the new Mac Pro’s GPU’s and their standard counterparts: http://t.co/RfRCnRaYtm
Cena nowego MacPro moze sie okazac calkiem atrakcyjna 😀 #macPro #apple #ati http://t.co/63qC89C3ML
Cena nowego MacPro moze sie okazac calkiem atrakcyjna 😀 #macPro #apple #ati http://t.co/63qC89C3ML
Cena nowego MacPro moze sie okazac calkiem atrakcyjna 😀 #macPro #apple #ati http://t.co/63qC89C3ML
OpenCL in OS X will be responsible for tapping into the immense power of both GPUs. Realtime editing in 4K sounds unreal, this is quite the machine. I wish it had a Blu-Ray burner built in. I’ll have to go with this one from http://numac.co ,The NMBDR6x
OpenCL in OS X will be responsible for tapping into the immense power of both GPUs. Realtime editing in 4K sounds unreal, this is quite the machine. I wish it had a Blu-Ray burner built in. I’ll have to go with this one from http://numac.co ,The NMBDR6x
OpenCL in OS X will be responsible for tapping into the immense power of both GPUs. Realtime editing in 4K sounds unreal, this is quite the machine. I wish it had a Blu-Ray burner built in. I’ll have to go with this one from http://numac.co ,The NMBDR6x
Looking at the specs my guess would be the D700 is most likely a HD7970 or R280x (their the same card) with the name changed to Firepro so its worth more 😛
Looking at the specs my guess would be the D700 is most likely a HD7970 or R280x (their the same card) with the name changed to Firepro so its worth more 😛
[…] – the two D300 GPUs in the lower-priced Mac Pro are worth about US$1200 alone. The same source, architosh, a website aimed at creative professionals who run CAD and 3D software on Apple’s OS X […]
this is the best answers and look into the mac pro l ve been looking for .Now l need to figure pricing /performance on the rest of it .
this is the best answers and look into the mac pro l ve been looking for .Now l need to figure pricing /performance on the rest of it .
[…] the two D300 GPUs in the lower-priced Mac Pro are worth about $1,200 alone. The same source, architosh, a website aimed at creative professionals who run CAD and 3-D software on Apple’s OS X […]
[…] sind wohl Sonderanfertigungen um die Vergleiche zu erschweren. Hier ist ne Liste was was ist: https://architosh.com/2013/10/the-mac…-have-answers/ Du musst also bei einer 1:1 Planung mit Profikarten die W Modelle der AMD Karten nehmen. […]
[…] <https://architosh.com/2013/10/the-mac-pro-so-whats-a-d300-d500-and-d700-anyway-we-have-answers/> […]
Comments are closed.