AMD Radeon R9 M275X vs NVIDIA Quadro P4000 Comparison

AMD Radeon R9 M275X vs NVIDIA Quadro P4000: The data shows a decisive generational mismatch, with the NVIDIA Quadro P4000 outperforming the AMD Radeon R9 M275X by a massive margin in every directly comparable benchmark. The P4000 leads by 69.1% in Geekbench OpenCL and by 76.2% in Geekbench Vulkan, making the R9 M275X a strictly inferior choice for any compute or graphics workload measured here.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two directly comparable benchmark results leave no ambiguity about the performance hierarchy. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the NVIDIA Quadro P4000 scores 36,212 points, while the AMD Radeon R9 M275X manages only 11,200 points. This represents a delta of -69.1% for the AMD part, meaning the P4000 delivers over three times the raw compute performance in this API. The gap is even more pronounced in Geekbench Vulkan, where the P4000 scores 41,786 points against the R9 M275X’s 9,964 points — a delta of -76.2% that puts the AMD card at less than one-quarter of the NVIDIA card’s performance.

These aren’t marginal differences or workload-specific quirks; they are categorical wins for the P4000 across both the older OpenCL standard and the more modern Vulkan API. The R9 M275X wins zero head-to-head benchmarks, while the P4000 wins both. For context, the R9 M275X’s average benchmark score of 10,582 places it in the 49th percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rivals including the AMD Radeon RX 6600S (average score 10,629, delta -0.4%) and the NVIDIA Quadro K2200 (average score 10,761, delta -1.7%). The P4000, despite its far higher peak scores, has a lower average benchmark score of 9,665 and sits in the 47th percentile, with nearest rivals like the AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 (9,653, delta 0.1%) and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M (9,645, delta 0.2%). This paradox — the P4000 winning head-to-head tests by huge margins yet having a lower average — suggests the R9 M275X benefits from a narrower set of favorable tests, while the P4000’s broader benchmark profile includes legacy DirectX tests where it scores poorly (e.g., Passmark DirectX 9 at 181, DirectX 11 at 86, DirectX 12 at 40, DirectX 10 at 66).

Architecture Differences

The architectural gulf between these two cards explains the benchmark results. The AMD Radeon R9 M275X uses the Venus chip on the GCN 1.0 architecture, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC with 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die. Its transistor density is 12.2 million per mm². The NVIDIA Quadro P4000, by contrast, uses the GP104 chip on the Pascal architecture, built on a 16 nm process also at TSMC, with 7,200 million transistors on a 314 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 22.9 million per mm². The P4000 packs nearly five times the transistors into a die that is only about 2.5 times larger, reflecting a much more advanced manufacturing process.

The compute resources are equally lopsided. The R9 M275X has 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The P4000 has 1,792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 64 ROPs — essentially 2.8 times the shaders, 2.8 times the TMUs, and 4 times the ROPs. Clock speeds also favor the P4000: base clock of 1202 MHz and boost of 1480 MHz, versus the R9 M275X’s 900 MHz base and 925 MHz boost. The resulting fill rates are stark: the P4000 achieves 94.72 GPixel/s pixel rate and 165.8 GTexel/s texture rate, while the R9 M275X manages only 14.80 GPixel/s and 37.00 GTexel/s. FP32 compute tells the same story: the P4000 delivers 5.304 TFLOPS against the R9 M275X’s 1,184.0 GFLOPS (1.184 TFLOPS). The P4000 also has FP16 capability at 82.88 GFLOPS (1:64 ratio), while the R9 M275X has no listed FP16 throughput.

Memory is another major differentiator. The R9 M275X has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, with memory clock at 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective) and bandwidth of 72.00 GB/s. The P4000 has 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, with memory clock at 1901 MHz (7.6 Gbps effective) and bandwidth of 243.3 GB/s — over three times the bandwidth and four times the capacity. API support also differs: the R9 M275X supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170, while the P4000 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins in Geekbench OpenCL performance?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro P4000 wins decisively, scoring 36,212 versus the AMD Radeon R9 M275X’s 11,200, a delta of -69.1% for the AMD card.

Q: How much faster is the P4000 in Vulkan?

A: The P4000 scores 41,786 in Geekbench Vulkan, while the R9 M275X scores 9,964 — a delta of -76.2%, meaning the P4000 is more than four times faster.

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

A: The R9 M275X has an average benchmark score of 10,582, placing it in the 49th percentile. The P4000 has an average score of 9,665, placing it in the 47th percentile.

Q: Do both cards support the same DirectX version?

A: No. The R9 M275X supports DirectX 12 (11_1), while the P4000 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), a higher feature level.

Q: What are the memory capacities and bandwidths?

A: The R9 M275X has 2 GB of GDDR5 with 72.00 GB/s bandwidth. The P4000 has 8 GB of GDDR5 with 243.3 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The P4000 has 1,792 shading units, compared to 640 on the R9 M275X — a 2.8x advantage.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ on nearly every measurable specification. The process node is 28 nm for the R9 M275X versus 16 nm for the P4000. Transistor count is 1,500 million versus 7,200 million, and die size is 123 mm² versus 314 mm². Transistor density is 12.2M / mm² versus 22.9M / mm². Base clock is 900 MHz versus 1202 MHz; boost clock is 925 MHz versus 1480 MHz. Memory clock is 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective) for the AMD card versus 1901 MHz (7.6 Gbps effective) for the NVIDIA card. Memory size is 2 GB versus 8 GB, bus width is 128-bit versus 256-bit, and bandwidth is 72.00 GB/s versus 243.3 GB/s. Shading units are 640 versus 1,792, TMUs are 40 versus 112, and ROPs are 16 versus 64. Pixel rate is 14.80 GPixel/s versus 94.72 GPixel/s, texture rate is 37.00 GTexel/s versus 165.8 GTexel/s, and FP32 is 1,184.0 GFLOPS versus 5.304 TFLOPS. The P4000 has FP16 at 82.88 GFLOPS (1:64); the R9 M275X has none listed. The P4000 has a TDP of 105 W, is single-slot, uses a 1x 6-pin power connector, suggests a 300 W PSU, has 4x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, and measures 241 mm x 111 mm. The R9 M275X has no listed TDP, slot width, power connectors, suggested PSU, display outputs, or dimensions. The P4000 supports Vulkan 1.4 versus 1.2.170 on the R9 M275X. Release dates differ: 2014-01-27 for the AMD card versus 2017-02-05 for the NVIDIA card. The P4000 has a launch MSRP of 815 USD.

The Verdict

The benchmark data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA Quadro P4000 is the superior GPU for any task measured in this comparison. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks by margins of 69.1% and 76.2%, and it dominates on every architectural specification that drives performance — shading units, TMUs, ROPs, clock speeds, memory bandwidth, and FP32 throughput. The only area where the AMD Radeon R9 M275X shows a relative advantage is in its average benchmark score (10,582 vs 9,665) and percentile ranking (49th vs 47th), which reflects the P4000’s weaker showing in legacy Passmark tests (e.g., DirectX 9 score of 181, DirectX 11 score of 86, G2D score of 786) rather than any genuine compute strength. For users prioritizing OpenCL or Vulkan performance, the choice is clear: the P4000 is in a different league. The R9 M275X, with its 2 GB memory and GCN 1.0 architecture, is a legacy part that cannot compete with the Pascal-based P4000’s 8 GB frame buffer and 5.304 TFLOPS of FP32 compute.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA Quadro P4000 wins in every workload represented by the head-to-head benchmarks. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 36,212 against the R9 M275X’s 11,200 — a 223% advantage — making it the clear choice for OpenCL compute tasks. In Geekbench Vulkan, it scores 41,786 against 9,964 — a 319% advantage — making it equally dominant for Vulkan-based applications. The P4000 also wins on all modern API support, with DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, versus the R9 M275X’s DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Its 8 GB memory and 243.3 GB/s bandwidth give it a decisive edge for memory-intensive workloads, and its 94.72 GPixel/s pixel rate and 165.8 GTexel/s texture rate make it far faster for rasterization-heavy tasks.

The AMD Radeon R9 M275X wins no head-to-head benchmarks and has no specification advantage over the P4000. Its only statistical bright spot is the higher average benchmark score (10,582 vs 9,665) and the 49th percentile ranking, which indicate that in certain legacy DirectX tests — like the Passmark suite where the P4000 scores only 66 in DirectX 10, 86 in DirectX 11, and 40 in DirectX 12 — the R9 M275X may perform relatively better. However, the R9 M275X has no listed scores for those tests, so this remains an inference from the aggregate data. For any user with a choice between these two cards, the data directs them to the P4000 without qualification. The R9 M275X is a product from an older generation (GCN 1.0, 28 nm) that is end-of-life, while the P4000, also end-of-life, represents a later and far more capable Pascal design.