AMD Radeon R9 370X vs NVIDIA Quadro K6000 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a fascinating split between these two end-of-life graphics cards. The AMD Radeon R9 370X wins two of the three recorded tests, while the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 claims one decisive victory. The most striking result comes in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the Quadro K6000 scores 25,409 against the R9 370X’s 9,018. That is a massive 181.8% advantage for NVIDIA, a margin so wide that it fundamentally changes how these cards should be evaluated.

Looking at the other two tests, the picture flips completely. In Geekbench Metal, the AMD Radeon R9 370X scores 12,676 versus the Quadro K6000’s 7,932. That translates to a 37.4% lead for AMD, showing that the R9 370X is substantially faster in Apple’s Metal API. The Geekbench OpenCL test is closer, with the R9 370X at 25,893 and the Quadro K6000 at 23,749, an 8.3% margin in AMD’s favor. While the OpenCL gap is modest, the Vulkan and Metal results are anything but subtle.

The overall average benchmark scores reflect these differing strengths. The Quadro K6000 averages 19,030 across all tests, placing it in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs in the database. The R9 370X averages 15,862, sitting in the 58th percentile. Interestingly, the Quadro’s nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 6600 at 19,036, a difference of 0%, meaning the two are statistically identical in average performance. The R9 370X, meanwhile, sits within 0.1% of the AMD Radeon RX 7700 at 15,852, again showing near parity with its closest competitor. These percentile and rival comparisons suggest that, on average, the Quadro K6000 is the more powerful card, but the API-specific results tell a more nuanced story.

The data indicates that the Quadro K6000 is the clear pick for Vulkan-based workloads, where its 181.8% lead is nearly insurmountable. However, for Metal-centric applications, the R9 370X’s 37.4% advantage makes it the stronger choice. OpenCL is the only test where the two cards are reasonably close, but AMD still holds a meaningful edge. When tallying wins, the R9 370X takes two out of three tests, yet the magnitude of NVIDIA’s Vulkan victory is so large that it skews the overall average score in the Quadro’s favor.

The Verdict

The data splits cleanly along API lines, and the verdict depends entirely on the intended workload. For users prioritizing Vulkan performance, the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 is the unambiguous winner. Its 25,409 Vulkan score dwarfs the R9 370X’s 9,018, and the 181.8% delta is the largest margin recorded in any test between these two cards. The Quadro also posts a higher average benchmark score of 19,030 versus 15,862, and it sits in the 63rd percentile compared to the R9 370X’s 58th. If the database’s overall ranking matters, the Quadro is the better card.

However, the AMD Radeon R9 370X wins the Metal and OpenCL tests. The 37.4% Metal advantage and the 8.3% OpenCL advantage are both real and reproducible. For developers or users working primarily with Apple’s Metal API, the R9 370X delivers noticeably better performance. The OpenCL result is less decisive but still favors AMD. Given that the R9 370X wins two of the three head-to-head tests, there is a strong case for it in multi-API environments where Metal and OpenCL dominate.

The production status of both cards is end-of-life, so neither is a future-proof investment. The Quadro K6000 launched on 2013-07-22, while the R9 370X launched later on 2015-08-26. The Quadro’s launch MSRP was 5,265 USD, a figure that reflects its professional workstation positioning. The R9 370X had a launch MSRP of 199 USD, aimed at the mainstream consumer market. The data suggests that the Quadro K6000 is for those who need maximum Vulkan throughput or a high overall percentile score, while the R9 370X is for those who prioritize Metal and OpenCL performance. There is no universal winner; the correct choice is workload-dependent.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The NVIDIA Quadro K6000 uses the GK110B chip based on the Kepler architecture, manufactured by TSMC on a 28 nm process. It packs 7,080 million transistors into a massive 561 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 12.6M per mm². The AMD Radeon R9 370X uses the Trinidad chip built on GCN 1.0 architecture, also from TSMC at 28 nm. Its transistor count is 2,800 million on a 212 mm² die, yielding a slightly higher density of 13.2M per mm². The Quadro’s die is more than 2.5 times larger, reflecting its professional-grade compute focus.

Memory configurations diverge sharply. The Quadro K6000 offers 12 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 288.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The R9 370X provides only 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, with 179.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The Quadro’s memory capacity is six times larger, a critical factor for large datasets in professional visualization. Clock speeds favor AMD: the R9 370X runs at 980 MHz base and 1030 MHz boost, while the Quadro K6000 operates at 797 MHz base and 902 MHz boost. Memory clocks also differ, with the Quadro at 1502 MHz (6 Gbps effective) and the R9 370X at 1400 MHz (5.6 Gbps effective).

Compute resources are heavily skewed toward NVIDIA. The Quadro K6000 has 2,880 shading units, 240 texture mapping units, and 48 raster operation units. The R9 370X has 1,280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. This translates to a pixel rate of 54.12 GPixel/s for the Quadro versus 32.96 GPixel/s for the R9 370X. Texture rate is 216.5 GTexel/s for NVIDIA versus 82.40 GTexel/s for AMD. FP32 throughput stands at 5.196 TFLOPS for the Quadro and 2.637 TFLOPS for the R9 370X, meaning the Quadro has nearly twice the raw compute power.

Power and physical specifications also differ. The Quadro K6000 has a TDP of 225 W and requires a 550 W suggested PSU, while the R9 370X draws 180 W with a 450 W suggested PSU. Both are dual-slot cards with 2x 6-pin power connectors. The Quadro is longer at 267 mm (10.5 inches) versus 221 mm (8.7 inches) for the R9 370X; both share the same 111 mm height. Display outputs are similar, with the Quadro offering 2x DVI and 2x DisplayPort 1.2, while the R9 370X has 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2. API support is nearly identical: both support DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan, with the Quadro at Vulkan 1.2.175 and the R9 370X at 1.2.170.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in Vulkan benchmarks?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro K6000 scores 25,409 in Geekbench Vulkan, while the AMD Radeon R9 370X scores 9,018. This gives NVIDIA a 181.8% advantage, the largest margin in any test.

Q: How does the AMD Radeon R9 370X perform in Metal tests?

A: The R9 370X scores 12,676 in Geekbench Metal, which is 37.4% higher than the Quadro K6000’s 7,932. This makes AMD the clear winner for Metal-based workloads.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro K6000 has an average benchmark score of 19,030, placing it in the 63rd percentile. The AMD Radeon R9 370X averages 15,862, sitting in the 58th percentile.

Q: How much memory does each card have?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro K6000 has 12 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus with 288.4 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD Radeon R9 370X has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 179.2 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What are the power requirements for these cards?

A: The Quadro K6000 has a TDP of 225 W and a suggested PSU of 550 W. The R9 370X has a TDP of 180 W and a suggested PSU of 450 W. Both use dual-slot cooling and 2x 6-pin power connectors.

Q: Which card has higher FP32 compute performance?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro K6000 delivers 5.196 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, nearly double the AMD Radeon R9 370X’s 2.637 TFLOPS.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA Quadro K6000 dominates in any scenario that relies on Vulkan rendering. Its 181.8% lead over the R9 370X in Geekbench Vulkan is the standout result in this comparison. This makes it the preferred choice for Vulkan-based games, compute workloads, or any application that leverages the Vulkan API. The Quadro also wins on raw compute metrics: 5.196 TFLOPS versus 2.637 TFLOPS, 54.12 GPixel/s versus 32.96 GPixel/s, and 216.5 GTexel/s versus 82.40 GTexel/s. Its 12 GB memory capacity is six times larger than the R9 370X’s 2 GB, which matters for large textures, datasets, or multi-monitor setups. The higher average score of 19,030 and 63rd percentile ranking also make it the better choice for overall performance in the database’s metrics.

The AMD Radeon R9 370X wins in Metal and OpenCL environments. The 37.4% Metal advantage is substantial, making it the superior card for macOS users or developers targeting Apple platforms. The 8.3% OpenCL lead is smaller but consistent, suggesting AMD has an edge in OpenCL compute tasks. The R9 370X also consumes less power at 180 W versus 225 W, and it is physically shorter at 221 mm versus 267 mm, which could matter for compact cases. Its higher clock speeds, 980 MHz base and 1030 MHz boost, contribute to its API-specific wins. For users who primarily run Metal or OpenCL workloads, the R9 370X is the data-backed choice.

In summary, the Quadro K6000 is for Vulkan-centric users and those needing massive memory or raw compute throughput. The R9 370X is for Metal and OpenCL users who value API-specific performance and lower power draw. The database’s two-to-one win tally for AMD in head-to-head tests is countered by NVIDIA’s overwhelming Vulkan margin and higher overall percentile, so the final decision rests on which API matters most.