AMD Radeon Pro W6600M vs NVIDIA Quadro M6000 Comparison

The Verdict

The benchmark data is decisive: the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M outperforms the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 in both recorded tests. The AMD card wins the OpenCL test with a score of 56140 versus 39688, a 41.5% advantage. In Vulkan, the margin grows to 44.2%, with the AMD card scoring 67652 against 46913. The database records 2 wins for the AMD product and 0 for the NVIDIA product across the head-to-head tests.

For users choosing between these two end-of-life workstation GPUs, the data points clearly toward the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M. It delivers higher raw compute scores in both API workloads, runs on a much newer architecture, and consumes significantly less power. The NVIDIA Quadro M6000, while holding a 12 GB memory capacity advantage, trails in every benchmark recorded in the database and belongs to a much older generation. The AMD card also sits at the 89th percentile among all GPUs in the database, compared to the 84th percentile for the NVIDIA card. Any workload that relies on OpenCL or Vulkan performance would favor the AMD product based on these measurements.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different architectural eras. The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M uses the Navi 23 chip built on RDNA 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC. The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 uses the GM200 chip built on Maxwell 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 28 nm process, also at TSMC. The process node difference is substantial, and it shows in transistor density: the AMD chip packs 46.7 million transistors per square millimeter, while the NVIDIA chip manages 13.3 million per square millimeter.

The AMD chip contains 11,060 million transistors on a 237 mm² die. The NVIDIA chip contains 8,000 million transistors on a much larger 601 mm² die. The AMD design is smaller physically yet denser in transistor count per area, reflecting the newer manufacturing process.

The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 supports DirectX 12 (12_1). Both cards support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. The AMD card includes 28 ray tracing cores; the NVIDIA card has none. The AMD card supports FP16 compute at 14.58 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio); the NVIDIA card has no FP16 data recorded in the database.

The AMD card is an IGP form factor with no power connectors and a 90 W TDP. The NVIDIA card is a dual-slot design with a 267 mm length, 111 mm height, one 8-pin power connector, and a 250 W TDP. The AMD card connects via PCIe 4.0 x16, while the NVIDIA card uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs differ as well: the AMD card is portable device dependent, while the NVIDIA card offers 1x DVI and 4x DisplayPort 1.2 outputs.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded head-to-head data shows a consistent AMD advantage across both API tests. In Geekbench OpenCL, the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 56140 against the NVIDIA Quadro M6000's 39688. That is a 41.5% lead for AMD. In Geekbench Vulkan, the AMD card scores 67652 against 46913, a 44.2% lead. The AMD card wins both tests, and the Vulkan margin is slightly larger than the OpenCL margin.

The average benchmark score in the database reinforces this pattern. The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M has an average benchmark score of 61896 across its recorded tests. The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 has an average benchmark score of 43301. That puts the AMD card roughly 43% higher on average, consistent with the individual test deltas.

The nearest rival data for each card provides context. The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M sits within 0.3% of the AMD Radeon 8050S, 2.6% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, 2.6% behind the Intel Arc Pro A60, and 2.9% behind the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48. The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 sits within 0.1% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile, 0.1% of the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB, 0.2% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER, and 0.8% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile. The AMD card competes in a higher performance tier relative to its rivals than the NVIDIA card does relative to its own rivals.

The percentile ranking also favors AMD. The Radeon Pro W6600M ranks in the 89th percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the Quadro M6000 ranks in the 84th percentile. The 5 percentile point gap reflects the measured performance difference across the recorded benchmarks.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every specification field in the database.

Memory configuration: the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128 bit bus, delivering 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 has 12 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384 bit bus, delivering 317.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The NVIDIA card has more memory capacity and higher bandwidth, but the AMD card uses newer memory technology.

Clock speeds: the AMD card runs at a 1224 MHz base clock and 2034 MHz boost clock, with memory at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The NVIDIA card runs at a 988 MHz base clock and 1114 MHz boost clock, with memory at 1653 MHz (6.6 Gbps effective). The AMD card has substantially higher clock speeds on both the GPU and memory.

Compute units: the AMD card has 1792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, 64 ROPs, and 28 ray tracing cores. The NVIDIA card has 3072 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs, with no ray tracing cores. The NVIDIA card has more shading units, TMUs, and ROPs, but the AMD card achieves higher throughput per unit due to higher clocks and newer architecture.

Throughput rates: the AMD card delivers 130.2 GPixel/s pixel rate and 227.8 GTexel/s texture rate. The NVIDIA card delivers 106.9 GPixel/s pixel rate and 213.9 GTexel/s texture rate. The AMD card wins on both metrics despite having fewer units.

FP32 compute: the AMD card delivers 7.290 TFLOPS, while the NVIDIA card delivers 6.844 TFLOPS. The AMD card holds a roughly 6.5% advantage in single precision compute.

Power and physical specs: the AMD card has a 90 W TDP, IGP slot width, and no power connectors. The NVIDIA card has a 250 W TDP, dual-slot width, one 8-pin power connector, and a suggested 600 W PSU. The AMD card is far more power efficient.

Release timing: the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M was released on 2021-06-07. The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 was released on 2015-03-20. The AMD card is roughly six years newer. The AMD card's predecessor is FirePro Mobile, while the NVIDIA card's predecessor is Quadro Kepler and its successor is Quadro Pascal.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in OpenCL workloads?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 56140 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 scores 39688. That is a 41.5% advantage for AMD.

Q: Which card is faster in Vulkan workloads?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 67652 in Geekbench Vulkan, while the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 scores 46913. That is a 44.2% advantage for AMD.

Q: How much memory does each card have?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128 bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 has 12 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384 bit bus with 317.4 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M has a 90 W TDP, IGP slot width, and no power connectors. The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 has a 250 W TDP, dual-slot width, one 8-pin power connector, and a suggested 600 W PSU.

Q: Which card ranks higher among all GPUs in the database?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M ranks in the 89th percentile of all GPUs, while the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 ranks in the 84th percentile.

Q: Do these cards support the same graphics APIs?

A: Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4, but the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 supports DirectX 12 (12_1).

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M wins in every benchmark category recorded in the database. It leads in Geekbench OpenCL by 41.5% and in Geekbench Vulkan by 44.2%. It has a higher FP32 compute rating at 7.290 TFLOPS versus 6.844 TFLOPS. It achieves higher pixel rate at 130.2 GPixel/s versus 106.9 GPixel/s, and higher texture rate at 227.8 GTexel/s versus 213.9 GTexel/s. It also supports ray tracing through its 28 RT cores, a feature entirely absent from the NVIDIA card.

The AMD card wins decisively on power efficiency. Its 90 W TDP is less than half of the NVIDIA card's 250 W TDP, and it requires no external power connectors, whereas the NVIDIA card needs one 8-pin connector and a 600 W suggested PSU. The AMD card also uses a smaller die (237 mm² versus 601 mm²) with higher transistor density (46.7M per mm² versus 13.3M per mm²), reflecting the efficiency of the 7 nm process versus 28 nm.

The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 retains advantages in specific specification areas, even though those advantages do not translate into benchmark wins. It offers 12 GB of memory versus 8 GB, a 384 bit memory bus versus 128 bit, and 317.4 GB/s bandwidth versus 224.0 GB/s. It also has more shading units (3072 versus 1792), more TMUs (192 versus 112), and more ROPs (96 versus 64). It provides a broader set of fixed display outputs with 1x DVI and 4x DisplayPort 1.2, while the AMD card's outputs are portable device dependent.

For use cases that rely on raw compute throughput in OpenCL or Vulkan, the data consistently favors the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M. For use cases that require maximum memory capacity or memory bandwidth, the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 holds the edge on paper, though that edge does not appear in the recorded benchmark scores. The AMD card's higher percentile ranking (89 versus 84), higher average benchmark score (61896 versus 43301), and newer architecture make it the stronger choice across the measured workloads.