AMD Radeon 880M vs NVIDIA Quadro P2200 Comparison

The NVIDIA Quadro P2200 and AMD Radeon 880M are two GPUs separated by five years, a process node generation, and a fundamental design philosophy. The data shows a clear split: the Quadro P2200, a discrete professional card from 2019, dominates in legacy DirectX 10/9 workloads and overall 3D rendering, while the Radeon 880M, a modern integrated graphics processor (IGP) from 2024, counters with a massive lead in Vulkan performance and superior 2D throughput. The Quadro P2200 wins six of the nine head-to-head benchmark comparisons, but the Radeon 880M’s wins are in areas that signal its architectural modernity, making the choice heavily dependent on workload priorities.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro P2200 holds a higher average benchmark score of 8686, compared to the AMD Radeon 880M’s 8436, a difference of roughly 3%.

Q: How do the two compare in DirectX 9 performance?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro P2200 is the clear winner in Passmark DirectX 9, scoring 167 versus the AMD Radeon 880M’s 97, a decisive 72.2% advantage for the Quadro.

Q: Is the AMD Radeon 880M better in any major API benchmark?

A: Yes, the Radeon 880M wins the Geekbench Vulkan test by a significant margin, scoring 40006 to the Quadro P2200’s 31351, which is a 21.6% lead for the AMD part.

Q: What is the transistor density difference between the two chips?

A: The AMD Radeon 880M has a dramatically higher transistor density at 145.9 million transistors per mm², built on a 4 nm process, while the NVIDIA Quadro P2200 has a density of 22.0 million per mm² on a 16 nm process.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same level of DirectX?

A: No, the AMD Radeon 880M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the NVIDIA Quadro P2200 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), indicating the Radeon supports a more advanced feature set.

Q: What is the total power draw difference between the two?

A: The AMD Radeon 880M has a TDP of 15 W, whereas the NVIDIA Quadro P2200 has a TDP of 75 W, making the Radeon significantly more power-efficient on paper.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gulf between these two parts is vast, reflecting their different release eras and design goals. The NVIDIA Quadro P2200 is built on the Pascal architecture using a 16 nm TSMC process, packing 4,400 million transistors into a 200 mm² die. In contrast, the AMD Radeon 880M is a product of the RDNA 3.5 architecture, fabricated on a 4 nm process, and integrates 34,000 million transistors into a 233 mm² die. This results in a stark difference in transistor density, with the AMD part achieving 145.9 million transistors per mm² compared to the NVIDIA part’s 22.0 million per mm².

The memory subsystem is another fundamental divider. The Quadro P2200 features a dedicated 5 GB of GDDR5X memory on a 160-bit bus, delivering 200.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The Radeon 880M, being an IGP, uses system shared memory, with its bandwidth described as "System Dependent." This gives the discrete NVIDIA card a dedicated, fixed memory pool, while the AMD card’s performance is tied to the host system's memory configuration. The Radeon 880M does, however, feature a newer PCIe 4.0 x8 interface, while the Quadro uses PCIe 3.0 x16.

Core configurations also differ significantly. The Quadro P2200 has 1280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 40 ROPs, while the Radeon 880M has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and only 16 ROPs. Critically, the AMD chip includes 12 dedicated ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the Pascal-based Quadro. This architectural advantage allows the Radeon 880M to support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), whereas the Quadro is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1). The Radeon 880M also has a significant advantage in FP16 throughput, offering 4.454 TFLOPS at a 1:1 ratio, compared to the Quadro’s meager 59.72 GFLOPS (1:64), indicating a much stronger compute capability for workloads that utilize half-precision.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark results paint a complex picture of generational strengths. The most striking victory for the AMD Radeon 880M is in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where it scores 40006 against the Quadro P2200’s 31351, a 21.6% lead. This shows the RDNA 3.5 architecture’s superior execution of modern, low-level graphics APIs. The Radeon also wins the Passmark DirectX 11 test, albeit marginally, with a score of 73 versus 70, a 4.1% edge.

However, the NVIDIA Quadro P2200 dominates the older DirectX tests. In Passmark DirectX 9, the Quadro scores 167, a massive 72.2% higher than the Radeon’s 97. Similarly, in Passmark DirectX 10, the Quadro’s 45 is 45.2% higher than the Radeon’s 31. These results suggest that the Quadro’s driver optimization and hardware design provide superior legacy API compatibility and performance. The Quadro also wins the Passmark DirectX 12 test with a score of 33 to 32, a narrow 3.1% margin.

Beyond specific APIs, the Quadro P2200 shows its strength in overall rasterization and compute. In the Passmark G3D test, the Quadro scores 9364 against the Radeon’s 7615, a decisive 23% victory, which aligns with the Quadro’s higher average benchmark score of 8686 versus 8436. The Quadro also leads in Passmark GPU Compute (3921 vs 3719, a 5.4% win) and Geekbench OpenCL (32344 vs 31285, a 3.4% win). The only other win for the Radeon is in the Passmark G2D test, where it scores 969 to the Quadro’s 881, a 9.1% advantage, indicating better 2D desktop and image processing performance.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets for these two GPUs diverge on nearly every major point. The most obvious difference is in memory: the NVIDIA Quadro P2200 has 5 GB of GDDR5X on a 160-bit bus with 200.2 GB/s bandwidth, while the AMD Radeon 880M uses system shared memory. Clock speeds also differ, with the Quadro P2200 running at a 1000 MHz base and 1493 MHz boost, while the Radeon 880M has a much lower 400 MHz base but a significantly higher 2900 MHz boost clock.

The core counts are also distinct: the Quadro P2200 has 1280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 40 ROPs, while the Radeon 880M has 768, 48, and 16, respectively. The Radeon 880M uniquely features 12 ray tracing cores, which the Quadro lacks. The manufacturing process is a major divider, with the Quadro on a 16 nm node and the Radeon on a 4 nm node. Power consumption is another key differentiator, with the Quadro P2200 rated at 75 W TDP versus the Radeon 880M’s 15 W TDP. The bus interface differs as well, with the Quadro using PCIe 3.0 x16 and the Radeon using PCIe 4.0 x8. Finally, while both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4, they differ in DirectX support: the Quadro is at 12 (12_1), while the Radeon is at 12 Ultimate (12_2).

The Verdict

Based strictly on the benchmark data, the NVIDIA Quadro P2200 is the better overall performer for traditional 3D graphics workloads. Its 23% lead in Passmark G3D and 72.2% lead in DirectX 9 make it the superior choice for applications relying on these paths. It also holds a slight edge in average benchmark score (8686 vs 8436) and wins the majority of head-to-head tests, six out of nine. The Quadro’s dedicated 5 GB of GDDR5X memory provides a fixed, reliable bandwidth of 200.2 GB/s, which is preferable for professional tasks requiring consistent memory performance.

The AMD Radeon 880M, however, is not without its merits. Its 21.6% victory in Geekbench Vulkan is a significant indicator of future-proofing, as more modern games and applications adopt Vulkan. Its 15 W TDP is a fraction of the Quadro’s 75 W, making it an extremely power-efficient option for portable devices. The inclusion of 12 ray tracing cores and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate gives it a hardware feature set that the Quadro P2200 cannot match, even if current benchmark scores do not reflect a full utilization of this capability. For users building a system where power consumption is critical and modern API performance is the priority, the Radeon 880M is the clear winner.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA Quadro P2200 is the winner in scenarios that demand legacy API compatibility and raw rasterization power. Its decisive victories in DirectX 9 (72.2% faster) and DirectX 10 (45.2% faster) make it the better choice for older software titles or professional applications built on these APIs. Its 23% lead in Passmark G3D indicates superior performance in general 3D rendering, and its 5.4% win in GPU Compute shows a slight edge in compute tasks. This card is positioned for a professional desktop environment where the software stack is known and the need for a dedicated memory pool is paramount.

The AMD Radeon 880M wins in forward-looking scenarios and 2D workloads. Its 21.6% lead in Geekbench Vulkan makes it the preferred option for Vulkan-based games and applications. The 9.1% advantage in Passmark G2D points to snappier 2D desktop performance. Its 4.1% win in DirectX 11, while small, is notable. Most importantly, its 15 W TDP and integrated nature make it the only practical choice for thin-and-light laptops or fanless designs where the Quadro’s 75 W TDP and single-slot form factor would be prohibitive. The Radeon 880M is the winner for a modern, power-efficient mobile system prioritizing current API standards.