AMD Radeon HD 6770 vs NVIDIA Quadro K2100M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains one directly comparable benchmark between these two cards, and it is decisive. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the NVIDIA Quadro K2100M scores 4587 points against the AMD Radeon HD 6770's 3649 points. That is a 25.7% advantage for the NVIDIA part, a substantial margin that places the two firmly in different performance tiers despite their overlapping eras.

The Quadro's OpenCL result is not merely a single lucky data point. Its average benchmark score across all recorded tests sits at 4151, which puts it in the 25th percentile of all GPUs in the database. The Radeon HD 6770, with only the one OpenCL result recorded, averages 3649 and lands in the 22nd percentile. The gap between the two percentiles, 3 points, is modest, but the raw score difference of 938 points is the kind of margin that shows up in real workloads.

Looking at the nearest rivals for each card adds context. The Quadro K2100M's average score of 4151 places it within 1% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (4193), and it is actually 1.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB (4093). For a mobile workstation part from 2013, keeping pace with those newer desktop cards in this synthetic test is noteworthy. The Radeon HD 6770's average of 3649, meanwhile, sits 0.6% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (3629) and 0.9% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GT 735M (3616). It does edge out the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation by 1.5%, though that comparison likely reflects the different nature of that professional GPU's OpenCL implementation rather than raw gaming capability.

The head-to-head table shows one win for the Quadro and zero for the Radeon. There is no scenario in the recorded data where the AMD card comes out ahead. That is a clean sweep, and it matters for anyone choosing between these two for compute-oriented tasks.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The NVIDIA Quadro K2100M uses the GK106S chip, built on the Kepler architecture, fabricated by TSMC at a 28 nm process node. It packs 2,540 million transistors into a 221 mm² die, which works out to a transistor density of 11.5 million per square millimeter. The AMD Radeon HD 6770 uses the Juniper chip, based on the older TeraScale 2 architecture, also fabricated by TSMC but at a 40 nm process node. It contains 1,040 million transistors on a 166 mm² die, giving it a density of 6.3 million per square millimeter.

The process node difference is stark. The 28 nm node allows the NVIDIA chip to fit more than double the transistor count of the AMD chip, 2,540 million versus 1,040 million, into only 55 mm² more die area. That density advantage is a direct result of the newer manufacturing process, and it shows in the clock behavior and feature set.

The Quadro has 576 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. Its base and boost clocks are both locked at 667 MHz. The Radeon has more shading units, 800, but fewer TMUs at 40, and the same 16 ROPs. Its core clock is not recorded in the database, but its memory clock runs at 1200 MHz with 4.8 Gbps effective. The Quadro's memory clock is 752 MHz with 3 Gbps effective.

The API support tells a story of generational change. The Quadro supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The Radeon supports DirectX 11.2 (11_0), OpenGL 4.4, and has no Vulkan support listed. That means the AMD card cannot run Vulkan workloads at all, while the NVIDIA card has modern API coverage. For anyone running newer compute or graphics stacks, that is a hard compatibility barrier.

The memory configurations also differ. The Quadro has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, yielding 48.13 GB/s of bandwidth. The Radeon has 1 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, but with a higher memory clock it achieves 76.80 GB/s of bandwidth. The AMD card actually has 59% more memory bandwidth despite having half the capacity. That is a meaningful trade-off: the Radeon can move data faster per byte, but the Quadro can hold twice as much working set before spilling to system memory.

The Verdict

The benchmark data favors the NVIDIA Quadro K2100M without ambiguity. In the only direct comparison available, OpenCL, the Quadro leads by 25.7%. Its average score across all tests, 4151, is 13.8% higher than the Radeon's 3649. The percentile standings confirm the same order: 25th versus 22nd.

For compute workloads measured by OpenCL, the Quadro is the clear choice. The 25.7% delta is not a marginal edge; it is a performance class separation. Users who rely on GPGPU tasks, whether for rendering, simulation, or data processing, should expect the Quadro to finish those tasks roughly a quarter faster. That is a tangible productivity gain.

However, the Radeon HD 6770 has one clear hardware advantage in the recorded data: memory bandwidth. At 76.80 GB/s versus 48.13 GB/s, the AMD card moves data 59% faster. For workloads that are bandwidth-bound rather than compute-bound, such as certain image processing or streaming operations, the Radeon could narrow the gap or potentially overturn the overall result. The database does not include a bandwidth-specific benchmark, so this remains an inference from the specifications, not a measured outcome.

The API situation tips the scales further toward the Quadro. Vulkan support on the NVIDIA card, with the Radeon lacking it entirely, means modern cross-platform graphics and compute code will simply not run on the AMD part. OpenGL 4.6 versus 4.4 also gives the Quadro access to newer extensions and features.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every major specification category. The process node is 28 nm for NVIDIA versus 40 nm for AMD. Transistor count is 2,540 million versus 1,040 million. Die size is 221 mm² versus 166 mm². Transistor density is 11.5M per mm² versus 6.3M per mm².

Shading units favor the AMD card: 800 versus 576. Texture mapping units favor NVIDIA: 48 versus 40. ROPs are equal at 16. Pixel rate favors AMD at 13.60 GPixel/s versus 8.004 GPixel/s. Texture rate also favors AMD at 34.00 GTexel/s versus 32.02 GTexel/s. Floating point performance, FP32, favors AMD heavily at 1,360.0 GFLOPS versus 768.4 GFLOPS.

Memory size favors NVIDIA at 2 GB versus 1 GB. Memory type is GDDR5 for both. Bus width is 128-bit for both. Bandwidth favors AMD at 76.80 GB/s versus 48.13 GB/s. Memory clock favors AMD at 1200 MHz versus 752 MHz.

Power draw is dramatically different. The Quadro is rated at 55 W TDP, while the Radeon is rated at 108 W TDP. The NVIDIA card uses an MXM Module slot width with no power connectors, while the AMD card is a dual-slot design requiring a single 6-pin power connector and a suggested 300 W power supply. The bus interface is MXM-A (3.0) for NVIDIA versus PCIe 2.0 x16 for AMD. Display outputs are portable-device dependent for the Quadro, while the Radeon offers 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.3a, and 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.1.

The Radeon is physically longer at 198 mm (7.8 inches), while the Quadro's length is not recorded. Release dates are 2013-07-22 for the Quadro and 2011-01-20 for the Radeon, a gap of roughly 2.5 years. The Quadro's predecessor is Quadro Fermi-M and its successor is Quadro Maxwell-M. The Radeon's predecessor is Evergreen and its successor is Southern Islands. Both are marked end-of-life.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in OpenCL compute?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro K2100M scores 4587 in the Geekbench OpenCL test, while the AMD Radeon HD 6770 scores 3649. The Quadro leads by 25.7%.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon HD 6770 support Vulkan?

A: No. The database lists no Vulkan support for the Radeon HD 6770. The NVIDIA Quadro K2100M supports Vulkan 1.2.175.

Q: How do their memory bandwidths compare?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 6770 has 76.80 GB/s of bandwidth, while the NVIDIA Quadro K2100M has 48.13 GB/s. The AMD card has 59% more bandwidth, despite having half the memory capacity.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 6770 has 800 shading units, while the NVIDIA Quadro K2100M has 576. However, the Quadro still wins the OpenCL benchmark by a wide margin.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro K2100M is rated at 55 W TDP, while the AMD Radeon HD 6770 is rated at 108 W TDP. The Quadro uses less than half the power.

Q: Which card has more memory?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro K2100M has 2 GB of GDDR5, while the AMD Radeon HD 6770 has 1 GB of GDDR5. The Quadro has twice the capacity.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA Quadro K2100M wins in compute performance, as measured by the single head-to-head OpenCL test. It also wins on memory capacity, API coverage with DirectX 12, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan support, and power efficiency at 55 W versus 108 W. Its transistor density advantage, 11.5M per mm² versus 6.3M per mm², reflects a newer and more efficient design. For any workload that stresses raw compute throughput, modern API compatibility, or battery life in a portable device, the Quadro is the superior choice.

The AMD Radeon HD 6770 wins on raw memory bandwidth, 76.80 GB/s versus 48.13 GB/s. It also has higher pixel rate, 13.60 GPixel/s versus 8.004 GPixel/s, and higher texture rate, 34.00 GTexel/s versus 32.02 GTexel/s. Its FP32 throughput of 1,360.0 GFLOPS is 77% higher than the Quadro's 768.4 GFLOPS. In theory, these specifications suggest the Radeon could excel in fill-rate-heavy or bandwidth-intensive tasks, such as high-resolution texture streaming or certain post-processing effects. The database does not contain a benchmark that isolates these factors, so this advantage remains speculative rather than measured.

The practical recommendation from the data is straightforward: the Quadro K2100M is the better card for the recorded benchmark suite, and it carries the modern feature set needed for current software. The Radeon HD 6770, despite its bandwidth and fill-rate specifications, is an older design with no Vulkan support and lower OpenGL support, which limits its usefulness in contemporary applications. Users with legacy workloads that favor memory throughput might still find the Radeon serviceable, but the measured evidence points to the Quadro for any task that appears in the database.