AMD Radeon HD 6850 X2 vs NVIDIA Quadro 2000D Comparison

The AMD Radeon HD 6850 X2 and the NVIDIA Quadro 2000D are both end-of-life graphics cards from the 40 nm era, but they target entirely different segments of the market. The data shows the AMD card is a dual-GPU consumer product built for raw throughput, while the NVIDIA card is a single-slot professional workstation card with a specific focus on stability and driver certification. In the single benchmark available, the AMD card leads by a narrow 1.2% margin, yet the architectural and specification differences between them are vast, making the choice highly dependent on the user’s workload rather than raw performance alone.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon HD 6850 X2 wins on raw compute performance and memory throughput. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, it scores 3977 against the Quadro 2000D’s 3930, a 1.2% advantage. This edge is backed by substantially higher theoretical specifications: the AMD card delivers 1.536 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, 38.40 GTexel/s of texture fill, and 25.60 GPixel/s of pixel fill. Its memory subsystem is also far ahead, offering 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 134.4 GB/s of bandwidth, compared to the NVIDIA card’s 1024 MB on a 128-bit bus with 41.60 GB/s. For any workload that stresses memory bandwidth or raw shader throughput, the data clearly favors the AMD card.

The NVIDIA Quadro 2000D wins on efficiency, physical footprint, and API compatibility. Its TDP is just 62 W versus the AMD card’s 254 W, and it requires no auxiliary power connectors, while the AMD card needs 2x 8-pin connectors. The Quadro 2000D is also a single-slot card measuring 178 mm in length and 111 mm in height, whereas the AMD card is dual-slot with no listed dimensions. Furthermore, the Quadro 2000D supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, while the AMD card only lists DirectX 11.2 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.4. For users who need modern API support or who are constrained by space and power, the Quadro 2000D is the only viable option in this comparison.

The Verdict

Pick the AMD Radeon HD 6850 X2 if your priority is raw compute throughput and you have the power and space to accommodate it. The benchmark data shows it is 1.2% faster than the Quadro 2000D in OpenCL, and its theoretical specs are dramatically higher: 3.2x the FP32 performance, 1.9x the texture rate, 5.1x the pixel rate, and 3.2x the memory bandwidth. This card is for users who do not care about power draw and simply need the most performance per dollar in terms of compute capacity. It also offers a broader set of display outputs, including 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.3a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.1, compared to the Quadro’s 2x DVI only.

Pick the NVIDIA Quadro 2000D if you need a low-power, single-slot card with modern API support. Its 62 W TDP and lack of power connectors make it a drop-in solution for systems with modest power supplies. The 178 mm length is also a plus for small form factor cases. The OpenGL 4.6 support is a significant advantage over the AMD card’s OpenGL 4.4, which may matter for professional CAD or OpenGL-based applications. The data shows it is only 1.2% slower in the single benchmark, so the performance penalty is minimal, but the efficiency and compatibility gains are substantial. Its launch MSRP is 599 USD, which should be considered by those weighing the professional feature set.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only head-to-head benchmark available is the Geekbench OpenCL test. The AMD Radeon HD 6850 X2 scores 3977, while the NVIDIA Quadro 2000D scores 3930. The delta is 1.2%, meaning the AMD card is slightly faster. This is a marginal victory in a synthetic compute test, and it does not reflect real-world gaming or professional application performance.

Looking at the nearest rivals for each card puts this result in context. The AMD card’s closest competitor is the NVIDIA Quadro K2000, which scores 3964, a 0.3% difference. The NVIDIA card’s closest rival is the NVIDIA Quadro K2000D, scoring 3919, a 0.3% difference. Both cards sit in the 23rd to 24th percentile of all GPUs, indicating they are low-end performers by modern standards. The AMD card’s raw specifications suggest it should be far faster than the Quadro 2000D, but the benchmark shows only a 1.2% gap. This suggests that the dual-GPU architecture of the AMD card is not scaling well in this particular workload, or that the OpenCL test is not optimized for its configuration.

The specification sheet tells a more lopsided story. The AMD card has 960 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, while the NVIDIA card has 192 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The AMD card’s memory clock is 1050 MHz (4.2 Gbps effective) versus the NVIDIA card’s 650 MHz (2.6 Gbps effective). Despite these massive gaps in theoretical compute, the real-world benchmark delta is tiny. This implies that the Quadro 2000D is more efficient per unit of hardware, or that the AMD card is bottlenecked elsewhere.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 6850 X2 is faster, scoring 3977 compared to the NVIDIA Quadro 2000D’s 3930, a 1.2% advantage.

Q: How much memory bandwidth does each card have?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 6850 X2 has 134.4 GB/s of bandwidth, while the NVIDIA Quadro 2000D has 41.60 GB/s. The AMD card has over three times the memory bandwidth.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 6850 X2 has a TDP of 254 W and requires 2x 8-pin power connectors, with a suggested PSU of 600 W. The NVIDIA Quadro 2000D has a TDP of 62 W, requires no power connectors, and has a suggested PSU of 250 W.

Q: Which card supports a newer version of OpenGL?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro 2000D supports OpenGL 4.6, while the AMD Radeon HD 6850 X2 supports OpenGL 4.4. The NVIDIA card also supports DirectX 12 (11_0), whereas the AMD card supports DirectX 11.2 (11_0).

Q: What is the physical size of the NVIDIA Quadro 2000D?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro 2000D is 178 mm (7 inches) in length and 111 mm (4.4 inches) in height, and it is a single-slot card. No dimensions are listed for the AMD card, but it is dual-slot.

Q: How do these cards compare to their nearest rivals?

A: The AMD card’s closest rival is the NVIDIA Quadro K2000, which has an average score of 3964, a 0.3% difference. The NVIDIA card’s closest rival is the NVIDIA Quadro K2000D, scoring 3919, also a 0.3% difference.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon HD 6850 X2 is built on the TeraScale 2 architecture, using the Barts chip, and belongs to the Northern Islands (HD 6800) generation. It is fabricated on a 40 nm process at TSMC, with 1,700 million transistors on a 255 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 6.7 million per mm². The NVIDIA Quadro 2000D uses the Fermi architecture, with the GF106 chip, and belongs to the Quadro Fermi (x000) generation. It is also fabricated on a 40 nm process at TSMC, but has 1,170 million transistors on a 238 mm² die, resulting in a lower density of 4.9 million per mm².

The AMD card’s architecture is designed for high throughput, with a massive 960 shading units and 48 TMUs. The NVIDIA card’s Fermi architecture is more conservative, with only 192 shading units and 32 TMUs. The AMD card also features a wider 256-bit memory bus, while the NVIDIA card uses a 128-bit bus. In terms of API support, the NVIDIA card has a clear edge with DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, while the AMD card is limited to DirectX 11.2 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.4. Neither card supports Vulkan.

The production status for both is end-of-life. The AMD card’s predecessor is Evergreen and its successor is Southern Islands. The NVIDIA card’s predecessor is Quadro FX Tesla and its successor is Quadro Kepler. The release dates are close, with the AMD card launching on September 18, 2011, and the NVIDIA card on October 4, 2011.

Specification Differences

The most striking difference is in memory: the AMD Radeon HD 6850 X2 has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 134.4 GB/s bandwidth, while the NVIDIA Quadro 2000D has 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 41.60 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD card’s memory clock is 1050 MHz (4.2 Gbps effective) versus the NVIDIA card’s 650 MHz (2.6 Gbps effective).

Compute specifications are equally lopsided. The AMD card has 960 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, while the NVIDIA card has 192 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. This results in a pixel rate of 25.60 GPixel/s for the AMD card versus 5.000 GPixel/s for the NVIDIA card, and a texture rate of 38.40 GTexel/s versus 20.00 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 1.536 TFLOPS for the AMD card versus 480.0 GFLOPS for the NVIDIA card.

Power and physical specs differ drastically. The AMD card has a TDP of 254 W, requires 2x 8-pin power connectors, and a suggested PSU of 600 W. The NVIDIA card has a TDP of 62 W, no power connectors, and a suggested PSU of 250 W. The AMD card is dual-slot, while the NVIDIA card is single-slot with dimensions of 178 mm x 111 mm. Display outputs are also different: the AMD card offers 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.3a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.1, while the NVIDIA card only has 2x DVI. The NVIDIA card has a launch MSRP of 599 USD, while the AMD card has no listed MSRP.