AMD Radeon R9 M375X vs NVIDIA Quadro P5000 Comparison

The AMD Radeon R9 M375X and NVIDIA Quadro P5000 represent two vastly different eras and purposes in the GPU landscape, despite both being end-of-life products. The data shows a stark contrast between a mobile-centric, low-power GCN part from 2015 and a professional desktop Pascal workstation card from 2016, with their benchmark results revealing unexpected strengths in different workloads.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M375X has a higher average benchmark score of 8325, compared to the NVIDIA Quadro P5000's 8039. This is despite the Quadro P5000 having a significantly more powerful specification sheet.

Q: How does the Radeon R9 M375X compare to its closest rivals?

A: The R9 M375X sits in a tight competitive cluster. It is 0.7% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro K1200, and 1.2% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX. It also trails the AMD Radeon 880M and NVIDIA GeForce MX330 by 1.3% and 1.6%, respectively.

Q: What is the performance gap in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro P5000 dominates this compute-oriented test, scoring 52509 against the R9 M375X's 8273. This represents an 84.2% lead for the Quadro P5000, making it a decisive victory in raw computational throughput.

Q: Does the Radeon R9 M375X win any benchmark?

A: Yes, the R9 M375X wins the Geekbench Vulkan test. It scores 8377, which is 32.1% higher than the Quadro P5000's 6342. This is a significant and surprising win for the AMD part in a modern graphics API.

Q: What are the memory specifications of the Quadro P5000?

A: The Quadro P5000 is equipped with 16 GB of GDDR5X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 288.5 GB/s. This is a massive amount of memory compared to the R9 M375X's 2 GB configuration.

Q: What is the process technology for each GPU?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M375X is built on a 28 nm process at TSMC, while the NVIDIA Quadro P5000 uses a much more advanced 16 nm process, also from TSMC. This process difference is a key factor in their architectural capabilities.

Architecture Differences

The foundational architectures of these two GPUs are from different generations and design philosophies. The AMD Radeon R9 M375X is based on the GCN 1.0 architecture, using the Tropo chip, and belongs to the Gem System (R9 M300) generation. In contrast, the NVIDIA Quadro P5000 is built on the Pascal architecture with the GP104 chip, part of the Quadro Pascal (Px000) generation.

The manufacturing process highlights a significant generational leap. The R9 M375X uses a 28 nm process at TSMC, while the Quadro P5000 utilizes a more efficient 16 nm process at the same foundry. This is reflected in the transistor counts: the R9 M375X has 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 12.2M / mm². The Quadro P5000, however, packs 7,200 million transistors onto a 314 mm² die, achieving a density of 22.9M / mm². This near-doubling of density allows the Pascal GPU to integrate far more compute resources.

The compute resource allocation is drastically different. The R9 M375X features 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 16 raster operation pipelines (ROPs). The Quadro P5000 scales this up significantly with 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. This fourfold increase in shading units and TMUs, along with a fourfold increase in ROPs, forms the basis for the P5000's superior raw throughput in many tasks. Neither GPU features dedicated ray tracing or tensor cores. The API support also differs, with the R9 M375X supporting DirectX 12 (11_1), while the Quadro P5000 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), along with a newer Vulkan version (1.4 vs 1.2.170).

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark data presents a fascinating split, with each GPU claiming a victory in a different test. The results are not a simple sweep for the more expensive and powerful card.

In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the NVIDIA Quadro P5000 is the clear winner. It scores 52509, a massive jump from the AMD Radeon R9 M375X's 8273. The deltaPct of -84.2% for the R9 M375X illustrates the scale of this defeat. This result aligns with the Quadro P5000's massive advantage in shading units (2560 vs 640) and its much higher FP32 performance of 8.873 TFLOPS compared to 1,299.2 GFLOPS. For any compute-heavy OpenCL workload, the data shows the Quadro P5000 is in a different league entirely.

However, the Geekbench Vulkan test tells a completely different story. Here, the AMD Radeon R9 M375X emerges victorious with a score of 8377, beating the Quadro P5000's 6342. The deltaPct for this win is +32.1% for the AMD card. This is a counter-intuitive result given the hardware specs, but it may reflect driver maturity or architectural efficiency in this specific API for the older GCN part. This indicates that for Vulkan-based gaming or rendering tasks, the R9 M375X could provide a better experience than the much more expensive Quadro.

Looking at the broader benchmark suite for the Quadro P5000, its Passmark scores provide context for its professional focus. It scores 12634 in Passmark G3D and 6508 in Passmark GPU Compute. Its DirectX 9 score of 170 is notably higher than its DirectX 11 score of 102 or DirectX 12 score of 44, suggesting a potential driver overhead or optimization focus on older APIs in these specific legacy tests. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1330.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets for these two cards reveal the extent of their differences, which go far beyond just performance. The most apparent difference is in memory. The R9 M375X is configured with 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, providing 72.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The Quadro P5000, in contrast, has 16 GB of GDDR5X on a 256-bit bus, offering 288.5 GB/s of bandwidth. This is an 8x increase in memory capacity and a 4x increase in bandwidth.

Clock speeds also differ substantially. The R9 M375X has a base clock of 925 MHz and a boost clock of 1015 MHz. The Quadro P5000 runs significantly faster, with a base clock of 1607 MHz and a boost clock of 1733 MHz. Memory clocks are also higher on the P5000, with an effective data rate of 9 Gbps compared to the R9 M375X's 4.5 Gbps.

The power and physical profiles are also distinct. The Quadro P5000 has a TDP of 180 W and requires a 450 W power supply along with a single 8-pin power connector. It is a dual-slot card, measuring 267 mm in length and 111 mm in height. In contrast, the R9 M375X has no listed TDP, power connectors, or slot width, indicating it is a much lower-power mobile part. The Quadro P5000 also has specific display outputs listed (1x DVI and 4x DisplayPort 1.4a), while the R9 M375X has none listed. Finally, the launch MSRP for the Quadro P5000 was 2,499 USD; the R9 M375X has no launch MSRP listed.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data clearly delineates the strengths of each GPU, making the choice highly dependent on the intended workload.

The NVIDIA Quadro P5000 is the definitive winner for compute-heavy tasks. Its massive lead in Geekbench OpenCL (84.2%) makes it the obvious choice for professional applications that leverage OpenCL for rendering, simulation, or data processing. Its 16 GB of VRAM and 288.5 GB/s bandwidth provide a substantial advantage for handling large datasets and high-resolution textures that would easily exhaust the 2 GB frame buffer of the R9 M375X. Furthermore, its professional display outputs (1x DVI, 4x DisplayPort 1.4a) and dual-slot form factor are designed for workstation environments.

Conversely, the AMD Radeon R9 M375X wins in the Vulkan graphics API. Its 32.1% lead over the Quadro P5000 in Geekbench Vulkan suggests it may be the better performer in modern games or applications that use this API. This makes it a more suitable choice for a lightweight, entry-level gaming or media system where Vulkan support is a priority. Its lower power profile, indicated by the lack of a TDP listing, also makes it a better fit for more compact or power-constrained systems compared to the power-hungry Quadro.

The Verdict

The choice between the AMD Radeon R9 M375X and the NVIDIA Quadro P5000 is not a simple matter of which is faster, but rather which is faster for the right task.

For a professional user who needs maximum compute performance in OpenCL, handles massive datasets, and requires a professional-grade card with multiple DisplayPort outputs, the NVIDIA Quadro P5000 is the clear winner. Its 84.2% lead in OpenCL and 16 GB of VRAM are simply unmatched by the R9 M375X. The data shows this is a professional workstation tool, and its 2,499 USD launch MSRP reflects that positioning.

However, for a user building a system where Vulkan performance is paramount, or who is working within a much lower power and thermal envelope, the AMD Radeon R9 M375X presents a compelling, if unexpected, case. Its 32.1% victory in the Geekbench Vulkan test indicates it can outperform the Quadro P5000 in that specific scenario. Its higher average benchmark score (8325 vs 8039) also suggests it is a more consistent performer across its tested workloads.

Ultimately, the data suggests you should pick the Quadro P5000 for professional compute and high-memory workloads, and the R9 M375X for a Vulkan-focused, low-power system. They are not direct competitors, but rather the best tools for two very different jobs.