AMD Radeon R7 M350 vs NVIDIA Quadro 5000 Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded benchmark data offers a single direct comparison between these two GPUs, and the outcome is narrow. The NVIDIA Quadro 5000 wins the only head-to-head test available, the Geekbench OpenCL workload, with a score of 7289 against the AMD Radeon R7 M350's 6991. That is a 4.3% advantage, a relatively small margin that places both cards in the same performance neighborhood for compute tasks.

Looking at the broader database picture, the Quadro 5000 sits at the 40th percentile among all GPUs, while the Radeon R7 M350 rests at the 36th percentile. The difference of four percentile points is modest but consistent with the head-to-head result. The Quadro 5000's average benchmark score of 7289 places it just ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 (7222) and AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile (7203), with deltas of 0.9% and 1.2% respectively. The Radeon R7 M350's average score of 6327 is pulled down by its second test result, a Geekbench Vulkan score of 5662, which drags its average below its OpenCL showing.

The Radeon R7 M350 does have a capability the Quadro lacks: it records a Vulkan score at all. The Quadro 5000 has no Vulkan entry in the database, and its API support list omits Vulkan entirely. For workloads that rely on Vulkan, the Radeon is the only one of the two with measured performance. That said, the Radeon's Vulkan score of 5662 is notably lower than its own OpenCL score of 6991, suggesting that its compute efficiency varies by API.

Where each card wins depends on the workload type. In OpenCL compute, the Quadro 5000 holds a measurable, though small, edge. In Vulkan-based tasks, the Radeon R7 M350 is the only option with a recorded result, making it the default choice for that API. Neither card dominates across the board; the data shows a split by API rather than by raw compute power.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural eras and design philosophies. The NVIDIA Quadro 5000 uses the GF100 chip, built on the Fermi architecture, and was manufactured on a 40 nm process at TSMC. It packs 3,100 million transistors into a 529 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 5.9 million transistors per square millimeter. This is a large, power-hungry design from the early professional GPU segment.

The AMD Radeon R7 M350 uses the Meso chip, based on the GCN 3.0 architecture, and is built on a more modern 28 nm process, also at TSMC. It contains 1,550 million transistors on a much smaller 125 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 12.4 million per square millimeter. The density figure is more than double that of the Quadro, reflecting the newer manufacturing process and a more compact design philosophy.

The generations also diverge. The Quadro 5000 belongs to the Quadro Fermi (x000) series, released in early 2011, with a predecessor in the Quadro FX Tesla line and a successor in Quadro Kepler. The Radeon R7 M350 comes from the Gem System (R7 M300) family, released in 2015, with a predecessor in Solar System and a successor in Polaris Mobile. The four-year gap between releases explains much of the architectural difference.

Feature support further separates the two. The Quadro 5000 supports DirectX 12 (11_0), meaning its hardware is rated for the DirectX 12 API but only at the 11_0 feature level. OpenGL support is 4.6, and Vulkan is not listed. The Radeon R7 M350 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), the full feature level, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The Radeon also lists fp16 performance at 779.5 GFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio to fp32, while the Quadro has no fp16 figure recorded. The Radeon's memory operates at 1000 MHz with 2 Gbps effective data rate, while the Quadro's memory runs at 750 MHz with 3 Gbps effective, a trade-off between clock speed and data rate per pin.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains exactly one head-to-head benchmark between these two GPUs: Geekbench OpenCL. The Quadro 5000 scores 7289, and the Radeon R7 M350 scores 6991, giving the Quadro a 4.3% win. That margin is the entire story of the direct comparison, and it is worth noting how small it is. A 4.3% delta in a compute benchmark is within the range where driver versions, thermal conditions, or workload specifics could shift the outcome, but the recorded data gives the Quadro the edge.

Context from each card's nearest rivals helps frame the result. The Quadro 5000's 7289 average score is only 0.9% above the GeForce GTX 750 (7222), 1.2% above the Radeon Vega 8 Mobile (7203), and 1.6% above the GeForce GTX 560 SE (7171). It also edges the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 (7171) by 1.7%. These are all tight margins, reinforcing that the Quadro 5000 sits in a dense cluster of GPUs with similar OpenCL performance.

The Radeon R7 M350, despite its lower average score of 6327, has a nearest rival in the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 with an identical average of 6330 (0% delta). The NVIDIA Quadro K620 trails by 0.7% at 6282, while the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti SUPER and GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER AD102 both sit at 6270, 0.9% behind. The Radeon's average is dragged down by its Vulkan score of 5662, which is 19% below its own OpenCL score. Without that second result, its average would be much closer to the Quadro's.

The takeaway from the head-to-head data is that the Quadro 5000 wins the only shared test, but the margin is slim, and the Radeon's additional Vulkan result suggests it can handle a broader range of API workloads, even if its Vulkan performance is lower than its OpenCL performance.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every hardware specification. The Quadro 5000 uses 352 shading units, 44 texture mapping units, and 40 render output units. The Radeon R7 M350 has 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and only 8 ROPs. The Quadro has more TMUs and ROPs, while the Radeon has more shading units. These counts translate into different rates: the Quadro achieves 11.29 GPixel/s pixel rate and 22.57 GTexel/s texture rate, while the Radeon achieves 8.120 GPixel/s and 24.36 GTexel/s. The Quadro wins on pixel throughput, the Radeon on texture throughput.

Compute power is close. The Quadro 5000 delivers 722.3 GFLOPS fp32, while the Radeon R7 M350 delivers 779.5 GFLOPS fp32, a 7.9% advantage for the Radeon in raw floating-point throughput. The Radeon also lists fp16 at 779.5 GFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, while the Quadro has no fp16 figure.

Memory configurations diverge sharply. The Quadro has 2.5 GB of GDDR5 on a 320-bit bus, yielding 120.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Radeon has 4 GB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus, yielding only 16.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The Quadro's bandwidth advantage is massive, 7.5 times higher, which matters for memory-heavy workloads despite the Radeon's larger capacity. Memory clock rates differ as well: the Quadro runs at 750 MHz with 3 Gbps effective, while the Radeon runs at 1000 MHz with 2 Gbps effective.

Physical and interface specs are also distinct. The Quadro is a dual-slot card with a 248 mm length (9.8 inches) and 111 mm height (4.4 inches), requires a single 6-pin power connector, has a 152 W TDP, and suggests a 450 W power supply. It uses PCIe 2.0 x16. The Radeon has no recorded TDP, slot width, power connectors, suggested PSU, or dimensions. It uses PCIe 3.0 x8. The Quadro offers display outputs of 1x DVI and 2x DisplayPort; the Radeon has no display outputs listed.

The Quadro 5000 has a launch MSRP of 2,499 USD. The Radeon R7 M350 has no launch MSRP recorded. The Quadro's production status is end-of-life, as is the Radeon's. Release dates differ by over four years: the Quadro launched on 2011-02-22, the Radeon on 2015-05-04.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL compute?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro 5000 wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 7289 against the AMD Radeon R7 M350's 6991, a 4.3% advantage.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon R7 M350 support Vulkan?

A: Yes, it supports Vulkan 1.2.170 and has a recorded Geekbench Vulkan score of 5662. The NVIDIA Quadro 5000 has no Vulkan support listed and no Vulkan benchmark result.

Q: How do the memory bandwidth figures compare?

A: The Quadro 5000 offers 120.0 GB/s of bandwidth from 2.5 GB of GDDR5 on a 320-bit bus. The Radeon R7 M350 offers 16.00 GB/s from 4 GB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus, a 7.5 times difference in favor of the Quadro.

Q: Which GPU has higher raw fp32 compute power?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M350 delivers 779.5 GFLOPS fp32, while the NVIDIA Quadro 5000 delivers 722.3 GFLOPS. The Radeon is about 7.9% higher in this metric.

Q: What is the transistor density difference?

A: The Quadro 5000 has 3,100 million transistors on a 529 mm² die, for a density of 5.9 million per square millimeter. The Radeon R7 M350 has 1,550 million transistors on a 125 mm² die, for a density of 12.4 million per square millimeter.

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro 5000 has an average benchmark score of 7289, while the AMD Radeon R7 M350 has an average of 6327. The Radeon's average is reduced by its Vulkan score of 5662.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear but nuanced conclusion. For OpenCL compute workloads, the NVIDIA Quadro 5000 is the stronger choice, winning the only head-to-head benchmark by 4.3%. Its bandwidth advantage is substantial: 120.0 GB/s versus 16.00 GB/s, a 7.5 times difference that would benefit memory-intensive tasks. Its pixel rate is also higher at 11.29 GPixel/s versus 8.120 GPixel/s, and it offers more TMUs (44 versus 24) and ROPs (40 versus 8). The Quadro also has a recorded launch MSRP of 2,499 USD, which the database notes without further commentary.

For Vulkan-based workloads, the AMD Radeon R7 M350 is the only option with a recorded result, scoring 5662 in Geekbench Vulkan. It also has a higher fp32 compute output at 779.5 GFLOPS, a higher texture rate at 24.36 GTexel/s, twice the memory capacity at 4 GB, a more modern PCIe 28 nm process interface, and full DirectX 12 (12_0) feature support. Its smaller 125 mm² die and higher transistor density of 12.4 million per square millimeter reflect a more efficient design, and it supports fp16 at a 1:1 ratio to fp32.

The choice between these two end-of-life GPUs depends on the workload. OpenCL users should favor the Quadro 5000 for its measured win in the head-to-head test, its bandwidth dominance, and its pixel and texture throughput advantages. Vulkan users have no alternative but the Radeon R7 M350, given its exclusive Vulkan support. The Quadro 5000's 40th percentile ranking and 1 win in head-to-head benchmarks, against 0 for the Radeon, make it the default for that test. The Radeon's additional Vulkan score gives it a distinct niche. Neither card excels across every metric, and the recorded data shows a split that reflects their very different architectural and specification profiles, from the Fermi-based professional card to the GCN 3.0 mobile chip.