AMD Radeon HD 7770M vs NVIDIA Quadro M2000 Comparison

NVIDIA Quadro M2000 and AMD Radeon HD 7770M are both end-of-life mobile or workstation graphics solutions, but they come from different eras and design philosophies. The Quadro M2000, built on Maxwell 2.0, targets professional visualization, while the Radeon HD 7770M, based on GCN 1.0, was a mainstream mobile part from 2012. The benchmark data reveals a clear performance hierarchy, with the Quadro M2000 holding a substantial lead in raw compute, though the Radeon’s efficiency and feature set tell a more nuanced story.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The data provides a direct comparison point through Geekbench scores. The NVIDIA Quadro M2000 achieves an average benchmark score of 14532, while the AMD Radeon HD 7770M scores 13536. This translates to a 7.4% advantage for the Quadro, a meaningful gap in synthetic workloads. Looking at specific tests, the Quadro M2000 posts 14588 in Geekbench OpenCL and 14475 in Geekbench Vulkan. The Radeon HD 7770M’s only listed benchmark is Geekbench Metal, where it scores 13536; this is a different API, so direct comparison is limited, but the raw score differential suggests the Maxwell part is faster in compute-heavy tasks.

The percentile rankings reinforce this. The Quadro M2000 sits at the 56th percentile of all GPUs, while the Radeon HD 7770M lands at the 54th percentile. That 2-percentile gap is modest but consistent with the score difference. When placed against nearest rivals, the Quadro M2000 is 1.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN (avg score 14373) and 1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (14385). It trails the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT by 1.1% (14692). The Radeon HD 7770M, meanwhile, is nearly tied with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT (13543, deltaPct -0.1%) and 0.5% ahead of the NVIDIA P106-090 (13470). These numbers show the Quadro M2000 competes with much newer and larger GPUs, whereas the Radeon HD 7770M aligns with older or lower-tier parts.

The biggest win for the Quadro M2000 is its 7.4% overall score advantage. No individual benchmark favors the Radeon HD 7770M; its best result is still below the Quadro’s worst listed score. The Vulkan score of 14475 for the Quadro is particularly telling, as it nearly matches its OpenCL result, indicating consistent performance across APIs. The Radeon’s Metal score of 13536 is its sole data point, and it falls short by roughly 1000 points, a gap that likely stems from the M2000’s higher shading unit count and clock speeds.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures. The Quadro M2000 uses the GM206 chip with Maxwell 2.0 architecture, while the Radeon HD 7770M uses the Chelsea chip with GCN 1.0. Both are fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC, but that is where the similarity ends. The Quadro M2000 packs 2,940 million transistors on a 228 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.9M per mm². The Radeon HD 7770M has 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, with a density of 12.2M per mm². The Quadro’s larger die and nearly double the transistor count allow for significantly more compute resources.

The shader configuration differs sharply. The Quadro M2000 features 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 32 raster operation units (ROPs). The Radeon HD 7770M has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. This 50% advantage in shaders and 100% advantage in ROPs explains the Quadro’s higher pixel rate of 37.22 GPixel/s versus 10.80 GPixel/s for the Radeon, and texture rate of 55.82 GTexel/s versus 21.60 GTexel/s. The FP32 throughput is even more lopsided: 1.786 TFLOPS for the Quadro versus 691.2 GFLOPS for the Radeon, a 2.6x difference.

Memory subsystems also diverge. The Quadro M2000 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 105.8 GB/s of bandwidth at 1653 MHz (6.6 Gbps effective). The Radeon HD 7770M has only 1024 MB of GDDR5 on the same 128-bit bus, but at 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective), yielding just 64.00 GB/s. The Quadro’s higher memory clock and four times the capacity give it a clear edge in texture-heavy or large-dataset workloads. Feature-wise, both support DirectX 12, but the Quadro lists 12_1 while the Radeon lists 11_1. OpenGL 4.6 is common to both, but Vulkan support differs: the Quadro supports Vulkan 1.4, while the Radeon is limited to 1.2.170.

Where Each One Wins

The Quadro M2000 wins in virtually every compute and rendering metric. Its FP32 performance of 1.786 TFLOPS is more than double the Radeon’s 691.2 GFLOPS, making it the clear choice for GPGPU tasks like simulations or video encoding. The 4 GB memory capacity is four times larger, which is critical for holding large textures or datasets without spilling to system memory. The pixel rate of 37.22 GPixel/s versus 10.80 GPixel/s means the Quadro excels at high-resolution rasterization, and the 32 ROPs handle anti-aliasing and fill-rate-heavy effects far better than the Radeon’s 16 ROPs. The 55.82 GTexel/s texture rate is also 2.6x higher, benefiting games or professional apps that rely on detailed textures.

The Radeon HD 7770M’s wins are limited to efficiency and portability. Its TDP is just 32 W, compared to the Quadro’s 75 W, making it far better suited for thin-and-light laptops where heat and battery life are paramount. It uses the PCIe 2.0 x16 interface, while the Quadro uses PCIe 3.0 x16; the older interface is a disadvantage, but the Radeon’s lower power draw is a genuine advantage in mobile contexts. The Radeon’s display outputs are "Portable Device Dependent," meaning it integrates into laptops with no dedicated ports, whereas the Quadro has 4x DisplayPort 1.2 for workstation setups. The Radeon also has a smaller die (123 mm² vs 228 mm²), which could reduce manufacturing costs, but that is not a performance win.

In terms of benchmark wins, the Quadro M2000 takes both listed tests (OpenCL and Vulkan), while the Radeon only has a Metal score. The Radeon’s percentile rank of 54 is close to the Quadro’s 56, but that is due to the broader GPU population, not a head-to-head victory. For any workload requiring raw throughput, the Quadro is the winner. For ultra-low-power mobile use, the Radeon’s 32 W TDP is its only tangible advantage.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the NVIDIA Quadro M2000 than the AMD Radeon HD 7770M in average benchmark score?

A: The Quadro M2000 has an average benchmark score of 14532, while the Radeon HD 7770M scores 13536. This gives the Quadro a 7.4% lead (calculated from the raw scores).

Q: Which GPU has better memory bandwidth?

A: The Quadro M2000 has 105.8 GB/s bandwidth, while the Radeon HD 7770M has 64.00 GB/s. The Quadro’s memory also runs at 1653 MHz (6.6 Gbps effective) versus 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective) for the Radeon.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same DirectX version?

A: No. The Quadro M2000 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the Radeon HD 7770M supports DirectX 12 (11_1). The Quadro’s higher feature level indicates better support for newer rendering techniques.

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

A: The Quadro M2000’s GM206 chip has 2,940 million transistors, while the Radeon HD 7770M’s Chelsea chip has 1,500 million transistors. The Quadro has nearly double the transistor budget.

Q: Which GPU has a higher pixel fill rate?

A: The Quadro M2000 achieves 37.22 GPixel/s, which is over three times the Radeon HD 7770M’s 10.80 GPixel/s. This is due to the Quadro’s 32 ROPs versus 16 ROPs on the Radeon.

Q: How do the two compare in Vulkan support?

A: The Quadro M2000 supports Vulkan 1.4, while the Radeon HD 7770M supports Vulkan 1.2.170. The Quadro also has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 14475, while the Radeon has no Vulkan benchmark listed.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA Quadro M2000 | AMD Radeon HD 7770M |

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

| Chip | GM206 | Chelsea |

| Architecture | Maxwell 2.0 | GCN 1.0 |

| Transistors | 2,940 million | 1,500 million |

| Die Size | 228 mm² | 123 mm² |

| Shading Units | 768 | 512 |

| TMUs | 48 | 32 |

| ROPs | 32 | 16 |

| Pixel Rate | 37.22 GPixel/s | 10.80 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 55.82 GTexel/s | 21.60 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 1.786 TFLOPS | 691.2 GFLOPS |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 1024 MB |

| Memory Clock | 1653 MHz (6.6 Gbps) | 1000 MHz (4 Gbps) |

| Bandwidth | 105.8 GB/s | 64.00 GB/s |

| TDP | 75 W | 32 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 2.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 4x DisplayPort 1.2 | Portable Device Dependent |

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

| Vulkan | 1.4 | 1.2.170 |

| Release Date | 2016-04-07 | 2012-04-23 |

| Avg Benchmark Score | 14532 | 13536 |

| Percentile | 56 | 54 |

The Verdict

The data points to a decisive win for the NVIDIA Quadro M2000 in performance. Its 7.4% higher average benchmark score, 2.6x FP32 throughput, and 4x memory capacity make it the superior choice for any compute-heavy task. The 56th percentile ranking versus the Radeon’s 54th percentile, along with its closer rival matchups against GPUs like the GTX TITAN (1.1% delta) and RX 5500 XT (-1.1% delta), show that the Quadro punches above its class. The Radeon HD 7770M, meanwhile, sits near the bottom of the performance tier, with its nearest rival being the RX 9070 XT at a -0.1% delta, indicating it is already at the edge of its capability.

For a professional workstation user, the Quadro M2000 is the obvious pick. Its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and 105.8 GB/s bandwidth handle large datasets, and the 4x DisplayPort 1.2 outputs support multi-monitor setups. The 75 W TDP is manageable in a desktop or larger laptop, and the PCIe 3.0 x16 interface ensures compatibility with modern systems. The Radeon HD 7770M’s only advantage is its 32 W TDP, which makes it suitable for ultra-portable laptops from 2012, but its 1024 MB memory and 64.00 GB/s bandwidth are severe bottlenecks for modern software. The Radeon’s Vulkan 1.2.170 support is also older, limiting its future-proofing. Benchmark results indicate the Quadro M2000 is the only one of the two that remains viable for current workloads, while the Radeon HD 7770M is best relegated to legacy systems or low-power tasks where its efficiency is the primary requirement.