AMD Radeon R9 M375X vs NVIDIA Quadro 6000 Comparison

# The Verdict

The database comparison places the NVIDIA Quadro 6000 and the AMD Radeon R9 M375X in clearly different tiers. The Quadro 6000 holds the overall performance lead, with an average benchmark score of 9,846 across recorded tests. The Radeon R9 M375X trails at 8,273, a deficit of 1,573 points or 19.0%. In the nearest rival comparison, the Quadro 6000 sits 0.1% above the NVIDIA Quadro M2000M (9,832), while the Radeon R9 M375X lands 0.7% behind the AMD FirePro W5000 (9,803) and 1.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M (8,180). For users deciding between these two based purely on measured results, the Quadro 6000 is the stronger pick.

# Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different design lineages. The NVIDIA Quadro 6000 uses the GF100 chip, built on the Fermi architecture at TSMC on a 40 nanometer process. It packs 3,100 million transistors on a 529 mm² die, for a transistor density of 5.9 million per square millimeter. The AMD Radeon R9 M375X uses the Tropo chip, part of the GCN 1.0 architecture, produced at TSMC on a 28 nm node. It integrates 1,500 million transistors across a 123 mm² die, reaching 12.2 million transistors per square millimeter.

Memory and compute resources also diverge. The Quadro 6000 carries 6 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384 bit bus, delivering 143.4 GB/s of bandwidth. Its memory clock runs at 747 MHz, which translates to 3 Gbps effective. The Radeon R9 M375X features 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128 bit bus, for 72.00 GB/s bandwidth. Its memory clock is set at 1125 MHz, effective 4.5 Gbps. The compute configuration is also different: the Quadro 6000 has 448 shading units, 56 texture mapping units and 48 ROPs. The Radeon R9 M375X has 640 shaders, 40 TMUs and 16 ROPs.

The output interfaces tell their own story. The Quadro 6000 supports 1x DVI, 2x DisplayPort and 1x S-Video, whereas the Radeon R9 M375X has no display outputs listed in the database. The Quadro 6000 draws power through 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin connectors and carries a 550 W suggested power supply, while the Radeon R9 M375X does not list any power connector or PSU recommendation. The Quadro 6000 uses a PCIe 2.0 x16 interface, while the R9 M375X uses PCIe 3.0 x16.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark match in the database is the OpenCL test, in which the NVIDIA Quadro 6000 scored 9,846 and the AMD Radeon R9 M375X scored 8,273. The delta is 1,573 points, or 19.0% in favor of the Quadro 6000. That is a wide margin, one of the largest gaps between these two cards in any recorded test.

Looking at the broader benchmark data, the Quadro 6000 also leads in the Geekbench OpenCL test, where it scored 9,846 versus the 8,273 of the Radeon R9 M375X. Its position relative to all other GPUs is consistent: the Quadro 6000 remains at the 47th percentile of the database, while the Radeon R9 M375X sits at the 43rd.

A single factor explains the split in the results. The Quadro 6000 is built with the full Fermi compute configuration, 448 shaders and 48 ROPs, and is designed for professional workloads, where higher geometry throughput and fill rates are prioritized. The Radeon R9 M375X, on the other hand, is a more compact chip with 640 shaders and 16 ROPs, tuned for power efficiency. The OpenCL score gap is consistent with the difference in shading resources and memory bandwidth.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the database's OpenCL benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro 6000 leads with a score of 9,846 vs. 8,273, a 19% advantage.

Q: How does the memory configuration differ?

A: The Quadro 6000 has 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384 bit bus, delivering 448.4 GB/s. The Radeon R9 M375X has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128 bit bus, for 72.00 GB/s.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The Radeon R7 M375X has 640 shading units to the Quadro 6000's 448 shading units. The Quadro 6000 has 56 texture units and 48 ROPs, while the Radeon has 40 texture units and 16 ROPs.

Q: Are these cards on the same architecture generation?

A: No. The Quadro 6000 is Fermi (GF100) on a 40 nm process with 3,100 million transistors. The Radeon R9 M375X is GCN 1.0 on a 28 nm process with 1,500 million transistors.

Where Each One Wins

NVIDIA Quadro 6000: The best OpenCL performance among the two: 9,846 (19% ahead). It also leads in memory capacity (6 GB vs 2 GB), bandwidth (448.4 GB/s vs 72.00 GB/s), memory clock (747 MHz vs 1125 MHz) and bus width (384-bit vs 128-bit). It has more ROPs (48 vs 16) and more texture units (56 vs 40). It is for compute-heavy workloads and high-resolution multi-display output.

AMD Radeon R9 M375X: The Radeon takes the lead in raw shading resources with 640 shading units, 40 texture units, and 16 ROPs. It has a higher memory clock (1125 MHz vs 747 MHz) which gives it a higher effective data rate (4.5 Gbps vs 3 Gbps). It also has a higher transistor density (12.2M per mm²) and a newer PCIe interface (3.0 x16 vs 2.0 x16). It is for those who prefer a compact modern GPU with enough shader throughput.

The two cards are separated by a generation and a half of architecture: the Fermi Quadro is a full-size professional card with more memory and bandwidth, while the GCN Radeon is a small modern chip with more shader units and a newer bus interface. Both are end of life, and neither has a successor listed in the database.

Specification Differences

| Field | NVIDIA Quadro 6000 | AMD Radeon R9 M375X |

|---|---|---|

| Chip | GF100 | Tropo |

| Architecture | Fermi | GCN 1.0 |

| Process | 40 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 3,100 million | 1,500 million |

| Die size | 448 mm² | 123 mm² |

| Transistor density | 5.9M / mm² | 12.2M / mm² |

| Memory | 6 GB GDDR5 | 2 GB GDDR5 |

| Memory clock | 747 MHz | 1125 MHz |

| Memory bus | 384-bit | 128-bit |

| Memory bandwidth | 448.4 GB/s | 72.00 GB/s |

| Shading units | 448 | 640 |

| TMUs | 56 | 40 |

| ROPs | 48 | 16 |

| Pixel fill rate | 16.07 GPixel/s | 16.24 GPixel/s |

| Texture fill rate | 32.14 GTexel/s | 40.60 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 1,027.7 GFLOPS | 1,299.2 GFLOPS |

| Bus | PCIe 2.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| API | DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.2.170 | DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.2.170 |

| Release | 2010-12-09 | 2015-05-04 |

| Status | End-of-life | End-of-life |

| Predecessor | Quadro FX Tesla | Solar System |

| Successor | Quadro Kepler | Polaris Mobile |