GPU Comparison

The NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q and AMD FirePro W8000 are both end-of-life professional workstation cards built on a 28 nm TSMC process, yet the benchmark data reveals a clear split in their strengths. In the single available head-to-head test (Geekbench Vulkan), the AMD FirePro W8000 outperforms the NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q by a notable 8.1% margin, scoring 33981 versus 31220. However, this single result does not tell the full story, as the two cards are designed for fundamentally different workloads, with the NVIDIA card being a virtualized GPU with no display outputs and the AMD card being a traditional workstation card with four DisplayPort outputs.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available in the data is the Geekbench Vulkan test, and the results are decisive in AMD's favor. The AMD FirePro W8000 scores 33981, while the NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q scores 31220, giving AMD an 8.1% lead. This is a significant margin in a compute-oriented API like Vulkan, suggesting that the FirePro W8000's architecture handles the workload more efficiently. The NVIDIA card's 2048 shading units versus AMD's 1792 do not translate into a win here, indicating that raw shader count is not the determining factor in this particular benchmark.

Looking at the broader context, the NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q's average benchmark score is 31220, placing it at the 76th percentile of all GPUs. Its closest rival is the NVIDIA Quadro M5000 with an average score of 31206, a negligible 0% difference, showing the M60-1Q is essentially tied with that card. It also edges out the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER (31087) by 0.4% and trails the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell (31532) by 1% and the NVIDIA TITAN RTX (31676) by 1.4%. These tight margins suggest the M60-1Q sits in a competitive performance band among NVIDIA's professional and high-end consumer offerings.

For the AMD FirePro W8000, its average benchmark score across both Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan tests is 29211, placing it at the 75th percentile. Its closest rival is the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH with an average score of 29197, a 0% difference. The FirePro W8000 also leads the Intel Arc A370M (29175) by 0.1%, the AMD Radeon RX 470 (28996) by 0.7%, and the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (28874) by 1.2%. While the FirePro W8000 wins the head-to-head Vulkan test, its overall average score is lower than the NVIDIA card's, which reflects the fact that its OpenCL score of 24440 pulls the average down significantly compared to its Vulkan score of 33981.

Where Each One Wins

The data clearly shows that the AMD FirePro W8000 is the winner in compute-heavy graphics workloads, specifically Vulkan-based applications. Its 8.1% lead in the Geekbench Vulkan test is the only direct comparison available, and it is a definitive victory. This suggests that for tasks that leverage Vulkan's low-level GPU access, such as certain professional rendering, simulation, or compute acceleration, the FirePro W8000 is the stronger choice. Its higher memory bandwidth of 176.0 GB/s compared to the NVIDIA's 160.4 GB/s may contribute to this advantage, as does its larger 4 GB memory pool versus the NVIDIA's 1 GB.

The NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q, despite losing the head-to-head, has no direct wins in the provided data. However, its strengths lie elsewhere. It is a virtualized GPU with no display outputs, meaning it is designed for cloud and virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) scenarios where rendering happens on a server and frames are streamed to thin clients. In this context, its performance characteristics are less about raw compute throughput and more about supporting multiple virtual machines. The fact that the M60-1Q's average score (31220) is higher than the FirePro W8000's average (29211) indicates that across a broader range of workloads, the NVIDIA card holds an advantage, likely due to its higher peak FP32 throughput of 4.825 TFLOPS versus AMD's 3.226 TFLOPS.

For display-centric workloads, the AMD FirePro W8000 is the only viable option between the two, as it offers 4x DisplayPort 1.2 and 1x SDI outputs, while the NVIDIA card has no outputs at all. This makes the FirePro W8000 suitable for traditional workstation use with multiple monitors, whereas the GRID M60-1Q is strictly a server-side solution.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on the same 28 nm TSMC process node, but their architectures are fundamentally different generations. The NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q uses the GM204 chip based on Maxwell 2.0 architecture, while the AMD FirePro W8000 uses the Tahiti chip based on GCN 1.0. Maxwell 2.0 is a newer architecture that introduced significant improvements in power efficiency and feature support compared to GCN 1.0, which is an older design. This is reflected in the API support: the NVIDIA card supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while the AMD card supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. The newer feature levels on the NVIDIA side indicate better support for modern graphics features.

In terms of chip specifications, the NVIDIA card has a larger die at 398 mm² versus AMD's 352 mm², and it packs more transistors at 5,200 million versus 4,313 million. This translates to a higher transistor density of 13.1M per mm² for NVIDIA versus 12.3M per mm² for AMD. The NVIDIA card also has more shading units (2048 versus 1792), more texture mapping units (128 versus 112), and double the render output units (64 versus 32). These differences are reflected in the theoretical performance figures: NVIDIA achieves a pixel rate of 75.39 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 150.8 GTexel/s, while AMD achieves only 28.80 GPixel/s and 100.8 GTexel/s respectively. NVIDIA's FP32 compute is also higher at 4.825 TFLOPS versus AMD's 3.226 TFLOPS.

Memory configurations differ significantly. The NVIDIA card has only 1 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, while the AMD card has 4 GB of GDDR5 on the same 256-bit bus. Despite the smaller capacity, the NVIDIA card's memory runs at a lower effective speed of 5 Gbps, yielding a bandwidth of 160.4 GB/s, while AMD's memory runs at 5.5 Gbps, yielding 176.0 GB/s. This gives AMD a bandwidth advantage of about 10%.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the benchmark data, the AMD FirePro W8000 is the clear winner for compute performance in Vulkan workloads, with an 8.1% lead over the NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q. It also offers a significant advantage in memory capacity (4 GB vs 1 GB) and bandwidth (176.0 GB/s vs 160.4 GB/s), which could be critical for large datasets. Furthermore, the FirePro W8000 is the only card with display outputs, making it the only choice for a traditional workstation with a monitor attached.

However, the NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q is not without merit. Its higher average benchmark score (31220 vs 29211) suggests it performs better across a mix of workloads, and its Maxwell 2.0 architecture supports newer API features like DirectX 12_1 and Vulkan 1.4. Its compute capabilities are also theoretically higher, with 4.825 TFLOPS FP32 versus 3.226 TFLOPS. The decision ultimately comes down to use case: for a physical workstation with displays, the AMD FirePro W8000 is the only option and it wins the compute test. For a virtualized environment where the GPU is accessed remotely, the NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q is the only card designed for that purpose, and its newer architecture supports more modern software features.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the Geekbench Vulkan test?

A: The AMD FirePro W8000 is faster, scoring 33981 compared to the NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q's 31220, a delta of -8.1% for the NVIDIA card.

Q: How much memory does each card have?

A: The NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q has 1 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the AMD FirePro W8000 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory.

Q: Can either card output video to a display?

A: Only the AMD FirePro W8000 has display outputs, featuring 4x DisplayPort 1.2 and 1x SDI. The NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q has no outputs.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card?

A: The NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q has an average benchmark score of 31220, while the AMD FirePro W8000 has an average of 29211, based on its Vulkan and OpenCL results.

Q: Which card supports a newer version of Vulkan?

A: The NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q supports Vulkan 1.4, while the AMD FirePro W8000 supports Vulkan 1.2.170.

Q: What is the TDP of both cards?

A: Both cards have a TDP of 225 W and require a 550 W power supply.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q | AMD FirePro W8000 |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | Maxwell 2.0 | GCN 1.0 |

| Chip | GM204 | Tahiti |

| Transistors | 5,200 million | 4,313 million |

| Die Size | 398 mm² | 352 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 13.1M / mm² | 12.3M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 557 MHz | N/A |

| Boost Clock | 1178 MHz | N/A |

| Memory Clock | 5 Gbps effective | 5.5 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 1024 MB | 4 GB |

| Memory Bandwidth | 160.4 GB/s | 176.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2048 | 1792 |

| TMUs | 128 | 112 |

| ROPs | 64 | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 75.39 GPixel/s | 28.80 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 150.8 GTexel/s | 100.8 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 4.825 TFLOPS | 3.226 TFLOPS |

| Power Connectors | 1x 8-pin | 2x 6-pin |

| Display Outputs | No outputs | 4x DisplayPort 1.2, 1x SDI |

| DirectX Support | 12 (12_1) | 12 (11_1) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | 1.2.170 |

| Length | 267 mm (10.5 inches) | 279 mm (11 inches) |

| Height | N/A | 111 mm (4.4 inches) |

| Release Date | 2015-08-29 | 2012-06-13 |