AMD Radeon HD 8870M vs NVIDIA Quadro P5000 Comparison

The AMD Radeon HD 8870M and the NVIDIA Quadro P5000 represent two vastly different eras and market segments within the mobile and workstation GPU landscape. The HD 8870M is an end-of-life mobile chip from AMD’s GCN 1.0 generation, while the P5000 is a professional workstation solution built on NVIDIA’s Pascal architecture. Benchmark data shows a decisive performance gulf between them, with the Quadro P5000 delivering a Geekbench OpenCL score of 52,509 compared to the HD 8870M’s 8,462, a difference of 83.9%. The following analysis breaks down their architectural, specification, and performance differences.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro P5000 has an average benchmark score of 8,039, while the AMD Radeon HD 8870M has an average score of 8,462. Despite this, the Quadro P5000 wins the head-to-head Geekbench OpenCL test by a wide margin.

Q: What is the performance delta in the head-to-head Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro P5000 scores 52,509 points versus the AMD Radeon HD 8870M’s 8,462 points. The delta percentage is -83.9%, indicating the HD 8870M trails by that amount.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in terms of process node technology?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8870M is manufactured on a 28 nm process node, while the NVIDIA Quadro P5000 uses a more advanced 16 nm process node. Both are fabricated by TSMC.

Q: What are the memory specifications of each card?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8870M features 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus with 72.00 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA Quadro P5000 has 16 GB of GDDR5X memory on a 256-bit bus with 288.5 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU offers higher DirectX support?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro P5000 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), whereas the AMD Radeon HD 8870M supports DirectX 12 (11_1). The P5000 also supports Vulkan 1.4, compared to Vulkan 1.2.170 on the HD 8870M.

Q: What is the production status of these cards?

A: Both the AMD Radeon HD 8870M and the NVIDIA Quadro P5000 are listed as end-of-life products.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is substantial, reflecting their different release timelines and design goals. The AMD Radeon HD 8870M is built on the Graphics Core Next 1.0 architecture, using the Venus chip. It is fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC, with a die size of 123 mm². The chip houses 1,500 million transistors, resulting in a transistor density of 12.2 million per mm². This architecture was designed for efficiency in mobile parts, focusing on a balanced compute and graphics pipeline.

In contrast, the NVIDIA Quadro P5000 employs the Pascal architecture, utilizing the GP104 chip. This is a significantly larger and more complex design, manufactured on a 16 nm process at TSMC. The die size is 314 mm², and it contains 7,200 million transistors, giving it a much higher transistor density of 22.9 million per mm². Pascal was engineered for high-performance compute and professional workloads, with a strong emphasis on FP32 throughput and memory bandwidth.

The raw compute resources differ dramatically. The HD 8870M has 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The Quadro P5000 scales this up considerably with 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. This fourfold increase in shading units and TMUs is a primary driver behind the performance disparity. Neither GPU features dedicated ray tracing or tensor cores, as those technologies were not present in these generations.

Clock speeds also tell a story of architectural efficiency. The HD 8870M runs at a base clock of 725 MHz with a boost up to 775 MHz. The Quadro P5000 operates at a much higher base clock of 1,607 MHz, boosting to 1,733 MHz. This higher clock speed, combined with the larger shader count, leads to the P5000’s massive lead in theoretical throughput. The FP32 performance is 992.0 GFLOPS for the HD 8870M versus 8.873 TFLOPS for the P5000, an order of magnitude difference.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct head-to-head benchmark available is Geekbench OpenCL. In this test, the NVIDIA Quadro P5000 scores 52,509 points, while the AMD Radeon HD 8870M scores 8,462 points. This results in a delta percentage of -83.9%, meaning the HD 8870M is nearly 84% slower than the P5000 in this workload. This is not a marginal victory; it is a complete rout, highlighting the generational and segment-based advantages of the P5000.

The HD 8870M’s score of 8,462 places it in the 43rd percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals in that score range are the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (8,458 score, 0.1% delta), the AMD Radeon 880M (8,436 score, 0.3% delta), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX (8,427 score, 0.4% delta). It also trails the Intel Arc A380, which scores 8,558 with a -1.1% delta. This indicates that while the HD 8870M is an older part, its OpenCL performance is still in line with some entry-level modern GPUs.

The Quadro P5000’s OpenCL score of 52,509 is not reflected in its average benchmark score of 8,039, which is dragged down by other tests. Its percentile rank is 41, which is lower than the HD 8870M’s 43rd percentile despite the massive OpenCL win. The P5000’s nearest rivals based on average score include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M (8,040 score, 0% delta), the GTX 650 Ti (8,053 score, -0.2% delta), and the GTX 650 Ti Boost (8,067 score, -0.3% delta). This suggests that in a broader suite of tests, the P5000’s average performance is comparable to older mid-range desktop parts.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets for these two GPUs show almost no common ground beyond the PCIe 3.0 x16 bus interface. The process node is a key differentiator: 28 nm for the HD 8870M versus 16 nm for the P5000. This leads to a significant difference in transistor count (1,500 million vs 7,200 million) and die size (123 mm² vs 314 mm²).

Memory configuration is another major divergence. The HD 8870M offers 2 GB of GDDR5 with a 128-bit bus, yielding 72.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The Quadro P5000 provides 16 GB of GDDR5X on a 256-bit bus, achieving 288.5 GB/s. The effective memory clock is 4.5 Gbps for the HD 8870M and 9 Gbps for the P5000.

Compute resources are heavily skewed toward the P5000. It has 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, compared to the HD 8870M’s 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. Pixel rate is 110.9 GPixel/s for the P5000 versus 12.40 GPixel/s for the HD 8870M. Texture rate is 277.3 GTexel/s versus 31.00 GTexel/s, and FP32 performance is 8.873 TFLOPS versus 992.0 GFLOPS.

The P5000 also has explicit power and physical specifications that the HD 8870M lacks. The P5000 has a TDP of 180 W, is a dual-slot card, requires a single 8-pin power connector, and suggests a 450 W PSU. Its dimensions are 267 mm in length and 111 mm in height, with display outputs including 1x DVI and 4x DisplayPort 1.4a. The HD 8870M has no listed TDP, slot width, power connectors, or dimensions in the data.

API support differs as well. The HD 8870M supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The P5000 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The release dates are also distinct, with the HD 8870M launching on March 31, 2013, and the P5000 on September 30, 2016.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA Quadro P5000 is the clear winner in raw computational performance, particularly in OpenCL compute workloads. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 52,509 is over six times higher than the HD 8870M’s score. This makes it the appropriate choice for professional applications that demand high FP32 throughput, large memory pools, and extensive bandwidth. The 16 GB of GDDR5X memory and 288.5 GB/s bandwidth are suited for large datasets, complex 3D rendering, and scientific simulations. The higher DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4 support also positions it for modern software environments.

The AMD Radeon HD 8870M, despite being significantly older, holds its own in terms of average benchmark score. Its average score of 8,462 is slightly higher than the P5000’s 8,039. This is a statistical anomaly driven by the P5000’s lower scores in other benchmark tests, such as Passmark DirectX 9 (170), Passmark DirectX 12 (44), and Passmark G2D (674). The HD 8870M’s only benchmark is Geekbench OpenCL, so its average is based on a single strong result for its class.

In a practical sense, the HD 8870M’s niche would be legacy mobile systems where its 28 nm GCN architecture and 2 GB memory are sufficient for older games or basic graphical tasks. Its lower power requirements, although unspecified, are implied by its mobile design and lack of external power connectors. It is an end-of-life product, so its value is in existing systems rather than new builds.

The Quadro P5000, while also end-of-life, remains a capable workstation card. Its dual-slot design, 180 W TDP, and 8-pin power connector indicate a desktop-oriented professional card. The launch MSRP is 2,499 USD. Its performance in compute tasks is unmatched by the HD 8870M, and its nearest rivals in average score (GTX 880M, GTX 650 Ti) do not reflect its compute superiority. The data shows that for any workload involving OpenCL, the P5000 is the definitive choice, while the HD 8870M is relegated to basic, legacy use cases.