AMD Radeon HD 8970M vs NVIDIA Quadro K6000 Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits cleanly along workload boundaries. The NVIDIA Quadro K6000 is the clear winner in raw compute throughput, taking the only head-to-head OpenCL result with a 10.6% margin over the AMD Radeon HD 8970M. That single score, 23749 against 21237, defines the K6000 as the stronger choice for OpenCL-accelerated rendering, simulation, or any task that scales across massive shader counts.

The AMD Radeon HD 8970M does not win any recorded benchmark in this comparison. However, its positioning is not without merit. The mobile Radeon posts the higher percentile rank among all GPUs in the database, sitting at the 66th percentile versus the Quadro K6000's 63rd. That percentile gap, small as it is, reflects how the Radeon's single OpenCL score compares favorably across the broader GPU landscape, even though it loses the direct matchup.

The use-case split is therefore straightforward. The Quadro K6000 wins the compute-heavy OpenCL scenario. The Radeon HD 8970M, with its lower power envelope and mobile form factor, belongs in portable workstations where the workload is lighter and the physical constraints matter more. The data does not show the Radeon winning any test, but it also does not show it competing on the same power budget or physical footprint, both of which favor the mobile part by design.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural lineages. AMD's Radeon HD 8970M uses the Neptune chip built on GCN 1.0, while NVIDIA's Quadro K6000 uses the GK110B chip on the Kepler architecture. Both are fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC, but the similarities end there.

The transistor counts diverge sharply. The GK110B packs 7,080 million transistors on a 561 mm² die, while Neptune holds 2,800 million on 212 mm². That gives the NVIDIA chip a transistor density of 12.6M per mm², slightly lower than the Radeon's 13.2M per mm², but the raw scale difference is enormous. The Quadro K6000 has more than double the transistors and nearly triple the die area.

The execution resources follow that gap. The Quadro K6000 ships with 2880 shading units, 240 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs. The Radeon HD 8970M counters with 1280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. NVIDIA's part also leads in memory: 12 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus delivers 288.4 GB/s of bandwidth, compared to the Radeon's 4 GB on a 256-bit bus at 153.6 GB/s. Clock speeds are close, with the Radeon at 850 MHz base and 900 MHz boost versus the Quadro's 797 MHz base and 902 MHz boost, so the performance gap comes almost entirely from scale, not frequency.

The feature sets differ in scope. The Radeon supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The Quadro supports the same DirectX and OpenGL versions, but a slightly newer Vulkan revision at 1.2.175. Neither part has dedicated ray tracing or tensor cores, and neither lists FP16 support. The Quadro K6000 also carries workstation display outputs, with 2x DVI and 2x DisplayPort 1.2, while the Radeon's outputs are listed as portable device dependent.

Power and physical design tell the rest of the story. The Radeon HD 8970M is a 100 W MXM module, built for laptops. The Quadro K6000 is a 225 W dual-slot card, 267 mm long and 111 mm tall, requiring two 6-pin power connectors and a 550 W suggested power supply. The K6000 launched later, in July 2013, roughly two months after the Radeon's May 2013 release. Both are end-of-life products today.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison in the database is the Geekbench OpenCL test. The Quadro K6000 scores 23749, and the Radeon HD 8970M scores 21237. That is a 10.6% advantage for the NVIDIA card. In absolute terms, the K6000 delivers about 2,500 more points, a meaningful gap in a compute benchmark that rewards raw throughput.

The Radeon's score places it just ahead of the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL, which averages 21153, a 0.4% difference. It also edges the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050, which averages 21035, by 1%. On the other side, the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile scores 21379, 0.7% higher than the Radeon, and the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 scores 21629, 1.8% higher. The Radeon sits in a tight cluster where a few percent separates all four rivals.

The Quadro K6000's OpenCL score of 23749 puts it in a different neighborhood. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6600, averages 19036, a 0% delta, which means the K6000 is essentially tied with that card in average score. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile averages 19049, 0.1% lower, and the NVIDIA Tesla K20m averages 19089, 0.3% lower. The NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation trails at 18954, 0.4% lower. The K6000's OpenCL result is well above all of these averages, though its overall average benchmark score, 19030, is dragged down by its other results: 7932 in Geekbench Metal and 25409 in Geekbench Vulkan.

That Vulkan score is the K6000's best recorded result, 25409, while its Metal score is the weakest. The Radeon HD 8970M has no Metal or Vulkan scores in the database, only the OpenCL result, so the K6000's multi-API coverage is a clear advantage in the recorded data. The delta between the two cards in OpenCL, 10.6%, is the single most important number in this comparison, but the K6000's broader benchmark suite shows it can handle more than one compute API.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro K6000 scores 23749 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the AMD Radeon HD 8970M scores 21237. The K6000 leads by 10.6%.

Q: How does the Radeon HD 8970M compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Radeon's OpenCL score of 21237 is 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL's 21153, and 1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050's 21035. It trails the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile's 21379 by 0.7% and the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000's 21629 by 1.8%.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference between the two cards?

A: The Quadro K6000 has 12 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus with 288.4 GB/s bandwidth. The Radeon HD 8970M has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 153.6 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has better API support?

A: Both support DirectX 12 (11_1) and OpenGL 4.6. The Quadro K6000 supports Vulkan 1.2.175, while the Radeon HD 8970M supports Vulkan 1.2.170. The K6000 also has recorded Metal and Vulkan benchmark scores, which the Radeon lacks.

Q: What are the power requirements for each GPU?

A: The Radeon HD 8970M is a 100 W MXM module. The Quadro K6000 is a 225 W dual-slot card requiring two 6-pin power connectors and a 550 W suggested power supply.

Q: How do the two GPUs rank among all GPUs in the database?

A: The Radeon HD 8970M sits at the 66th percentile, while the Quadro K6000 sits at the 63rd percentile. Despite losing the head-to-head OpenCL test, the Radeon ranks slightly higher overall.

The Verdict

The data points to one conclusion: the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 is the faster GPU in raw compute performance. Its 10.6% OpenCL lead over the Radeon HD 8970M is decisive, and its additional Metal and Vulkan results show a broader API range. The K6000 also brings 12 GB of memory, 288.4 GB/s of bandwidth, and more than double the shading units, 2880 versus 1280. For any compute-heavy workstation task, the K6000 is the stronger choice based on the recorded benchmarks.

The AMD Radeon HD 8970M has its own case, but it rests on different grounds. It ranks at the 66th percentile versus the K6000's 63rd, a small but real edge in the database's overall GPU hierarchy. It draws 100 W against the K6000's 225 W, and its MXM form factor fits mobile workstations where the dual-slot K6000 cannot go. Its 4 GB memory and 153.6 GB/s bandwidth are modest, but sufficient for lighter workloads. The Radeon also carries a slightly higher transistor density, 13.2M per mm² versus 12.6M per mm², showing a more efficient use of silicon area.

The choice comes down to environment. A desktop workstation with room for a 267 mm dual-slot card and a 550 W power supply should take the Quadro K6000. It wins the only head-to-head test, offers more memory and bandwidth, and has a wider benchmark footprint. A mobile workstation, or any system constrained by power and space, should take the Radeon HD 8970M. It loses the compute race but fits where the K6000 physically cannot. The K6000 also carries a launch MSRP of 5,265 USD, which the database records as its original price point.

Neither card is current, and both are end-of-life products. But within the recorded data, the Quadro K6000 is the performance leader, and the Radeon HD 8970M is the mobility-focused alternative. The benchmark results do not favor the Radeon in any direct test, yet its higher percentile rank and lower power draw give it a defined role. For compute, choose the K6000. For portability, choose the Radeon.