AMD Radeon R9 M380 vs NVIDIA Quadro M2000 Comparison

The Verdict

The data presents a clear, if narrow, outcome: the NVIDIA Quadro M2000 is the stronger performer in the single shared benchmark, while the AMD Radeon R9 M380 trails by a significant margin. The M2000 posts an average benchmark score of 14,532, placing it in the 56th percentile of all GPUs, while the R9 M380 averages 15,521 and sits in the 58th percentile. However, these averages are pulled from different test suites, so the head-to-head comparison is the more reliable indicator. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the Quadro M2000 scores 14,588 against the R9 M380’s 12,565, a decisive 13.9% lead for NVIDIA. The R9 M380’s higher overall average comes from its Geekbench Metal score of 18,476, a test the Quadro does not have a recorded result for. The verdict is straightforward: the Quadro M2000 wins the direct comparison, but the R9 M380 is not without merit—it holds a higher percentile ranking and a higher multi-test average, suggesting it excels in workloads that leverage Metal. For buyers in a macOS-centric or Metal-heavy environment, the AMD card may be the better fit; for general OpenCL compute or Vulkan-based tasks, the NVIDIA card is the data-backed choice.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations and design philosophies. The AMD Radeon R9 M380 is built on the GCN 2.0 architecture, using the Strato chip, and belongs to the Gem System (R9 M300) generation. The NVIDIA Quadro M2000, meanwhile, utilizes the Maxwell 2.0 architecture with the GM206 chip, part of the Quadro Maxwell (Mx000) lineup. Both are fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC, but the underlying designs diverge significantly in transistor allocation and die size. The Quadro M2000 packs 2,940 million transistors onto a 228 mm² die, while the R9 M380 has 2,080 million transistors on a smaller 160 mm² die. Transistor density is nearly identical—13.0M per mm² for AMD versus 12.9M per mm² for NVIDIA—but the larger physical footprint of the NVIDIA chip allows for more hardware resources. In terms of core configuration, both cards feature 768 shading units and 48 texture mapping units, but the Quadro M2000 doubles the ROP count to 32 versus 16. Clock speeds also differ: the R9 M380 runs at a 900 MHz base and 1000 MHz boost, while the Quadro M2000 has a lower 796 MHz base but a much higher 1163 MHz boost. Memory clocks are also distinct, with the R9 M380 at 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective) and the Quadro M2000 at 1653 MHz (6.6 Gbps effective). The NVIDIA card carries a 75 W TDP with no power connectors and a suggested 250 W PSU, while the AMD card has no TDP listed. The R9 M380 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170, whereas the Quadro M2000 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The Quadro also offers four DisplayPort 1.2 outputs, while the AMD card has no display output information listed.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark result is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and it tells a clear story. The NVIDIA Quadro M2000 achieves a score of 14,588, while the AMD Radeon R9 M380 manages 12,565. That is a 13.9% deficit for the AMD card, a substantial gap in a compute-heavy workload. The Quadro’s advantage likely stems from its higher boost clock (1163 MHz versus 1000 MHz) and its doubled ROP count, which improves pixel throughput. In raw throughput terms, the Quadro M2000 also leads in pixel rate (37.22 GPixel/s versus 16.00 GPixel/s) and texture rate (55.82 GTexel/s versus 48.00 GTexel/s), along with higher FP32 performance (1.786 TFLOPS versus 1.536 TFLOPS). Memory bandwidth is also in NVIDIA’s favor: 105.8 GB/s versus 96.00 GB/s, despite both cards using a 128-bit bus and 4 GB of GDDR5. The R9 M380 does, however, have a notable win in the Geekbench Metal test, where it scores 18,476—this is its strongest result and suggests that in Apple-centric or Metal-optimized applications, it could outperform the Quadro’s OpenCL showing. The Quadro M2000 also has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 14,475, which is close to its OpenCL number, indicating consistent performance across API boundaries. For users relying on OpenCL, the data is unambiguous: the Quadro M2000 is the faster card by a wide margin.

Specification Differences

The two cards diverge in several key specification areas. The process node is identical (28 nm, TSMC), but the chip size and transistor count differ markedly: 2,080 million transistors on 160 mm² for AMD versus 2,940 million on 228 mm² for NVIDIA. Clock speeds show a contrasting profile—AMD starts higher at 900 MHz base but boosts to only 1000 MHz, while NVIDIA starts lower at 796 MHz but boosts to 1163 MHz. Memory clocks also favor NVIDIA (1653 MHz versus 1500 MHz), resulting in higher effective bandwidth (6.6 Gbps versus 6 Gbps) and higher total bandwidth (105.8 GB/s versus 96.00 GB/s). The ROP count is doubled on the Quadro (32 versus 16), while shading units and TMUs are identical (768 and 48, respectively). Pixel rate is significantly higher on NVIDIA (37.22 GPixel/s versus 16.00 GPixel/s), as is texture rate (55.82 GTexel/s versus 48.00 GTexel/s) and FP32 throughput (1.786 TFLOPS versus 1.536 TFLOPS). The Quadro M2000 also lists a TDP of 75 W, a single-slot form factor, no power connectors, a suggested 250 W PSU, and dimensions of 201 mm in length and 111 mm in height—none of which are specified for the R9 M380. Display outputs are listed only for NVIDIA (four DisplayPort 1.2). API support differs as well: NVIDIA offers DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while AMD offers DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.2.170; both support OpenGL 4.6. Release dates are nearly a year apart, with AMD launching on May 4, 2015, and NVIDIA on April 7, 2016. Both are end-of-life products, with AMD’s predecessor being Solar System and successor being Polaris Mobile, while NVIDIA’s predecessor is Quadro Kepler and successor is Quadro Pascal.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL workloads?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro M2000 is significantly faster, scoring 14,588 in Geekbench OpenCL versus 12,565 for the AMD Radeon R9 M380, a 13.9% advantage for NVIDIA.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon R9 M380 win any benchmark?

A: Yes, the R9 M380 scores 18,476 in Geekbench Metal, which is its highest recorded benchmark and exceeds the Quadro M2000’s OpenCL score of 14,588, though no direct Metal comparison is available.

Q: How do the two cards compare in overall percentile ranking?

A: The R9 M380 sits in the 58th percentile of all GPUs with an average score of 15,521, while the Quadro M2000 is in the 56th percentile with an average score of 14,532.

Q: What are the key architectural differences?

A: The R9 M380 uses AMD’s GCN 2.0 architecture with 2,080 million transistors on a 160 mm² die, while the Quadro M2000 uses NVIDIA’s Maxwell 2.0 architecture with 2,940 million transistors on a 228 mm² die.

Q: Do both cards have the same memory configuration?

A: Yes, both have 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, but the Quadro M2000 achieves higher bandwidth at 105.8 GB/s versus 96.00 GB/s due to a higher memory clock.

Q: Which card has better API support?

A: The Quadro M2000 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while the R9 M380 supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.2.170; both support OpenGL 4.6.