AMD Radeon RX 470 vs NVIDIA Quadro M5000 Comparison

NVIDIA Quadro M5000 and AMD Radeon RX 470 are two end-of-life graphics cards from different market segments, with the Quadro targeting professional visualization and the Radeon aimed at consumer gaming. The data reveals a surprising performance dynamic: in the two head-to-head benchmarks available, the AMD Radeon RX 470 consistently outperforms the NVIDIA Quadro M5000, despite the latter having a higher percentile ranking among all GPUs.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark results show a clear and consistent advantage for the AMD Radeon RX 470 in both tests conducted. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the Radeon RX 470 scores 33,568, while the Quadro M5000 manages 29,481. This represents a 12.2% deficit for the NVIDIA card. The gap widens even further in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the Radeon RX 470 posts 39,884 against the Quadro’s 32,931, translating to a 17.4% shortfall for the professional card.

These results are particularly interesting when considering the broader benchmark context. The Quadro M5000’s average benchmark score across all its tests is 31,206, placing it in the 76th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q (average score 31,220, 0% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER (average score 31,087, 0.4% delta). Meanwhile, the Radeon RX 470’s average benchmark score is 28,996, placing it in the 74th percentile, with nearest rivals including the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (average score 28,874, 0.4% delta) and the Intel Arc A370M (average score 29,175, -0.6% delta).

Despite the Radeon RX 470 winning both head-to-head tests, the average benchmark score tells a different story. The Quadro M5000’s average of 31,206 is actually 7.6% higher than the Radeon’s 28,996. This discrepancy suggests that the Quadro M5000 may perform better in other benchmark tests not included in the head-to-head comparison, while the Radeon RX 470 excels specifically in OpenCL and Vulkan workloads.

The Vulkan test result is particularly noteworthy. The 17.4% gap between the two cards suggests a fundamental difference in how each architecture handles modern graphics APIs. The Radeon RX 470’s GCN 4.0 architecture appears to have a significant advantage in this compute-oriented workload, while the Quadro M5000’s Maxwell 2.0 design may not be as well optimized for Vulkan’s low-level access to GPU hardware.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from fundamentally different design philosophies and process technologies. The NVIDIA Quadro M5000 uses the GM204 chip built on a 28 nm process at TSMC, containing 5,200 million transistors on a 398 mm² die. In contrast, the AMD Radeon RX 470 uses the Ellesmere chip manufactured on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries, packing 5,700 million transistors into a much smaller 232 mm² die. This process advantage gives the AMD card a significantly higher transistor density of 24.6M per mm² compared to the NVIDIA card’s 13.1M per mm².

Clock speeds also favor the AMD card. The Radeon RX 470 has a base clock of 926 MHz and a boost clock of 1,206 MHz, while the Quadro M5000 operates at 861 MHz base and 1,038 MHz boost. Memory clocks are nearly identical, with both cards using GDDR5 at 1,650-1,653 MHz, translating to 6.6 Gbps effective, and both feature a 256-bit memory bus. Interestingly, the memory bandwidth is almost identical: 211.6 GB/s for the Quadro and 211.2 GB/s for the Radeon.

The compute configurations reveal a closer contest. Both cards have 2,048 shading units and 128 texture mapping units. However, the Radeon RX 470 has only 32 ROPs compared to the Quadro M5000’s 64 ROPs, a significant difference that affects pixel throughput. This is reflected in the pixel rates: the Quadro achieves 66.43 GPixel/s while the Radeon manages only 38.59 GPixel/s. Conversely, the Radeon has a higher texture rate at 154.4 GTexel/s versus the Quadro’s 132.9 GTexel/s.

In terms of raw compute, the Radeon RX 470 leads with 4.940 TFLOPS FP32 performance compared to the Quadro M5000’s 4.252 TFLOPS. The Radeon also supports FP16 at a 1:1 ratio at 4.940 TFLOPS, while the Quadro has no listed FP16 capability. Power consumption favors the AMD card as well, with a 120 W TDP versus the Quadro’s 150 W, and the Radeon requires only a 300 W suggested PSU compared to the Quadro’s 450 W recommendation.

The Verdict

The data presents a nuanced picture for potential users. The AMD Radeon RX 470 wins both head-to-head benchmarks, with a 12.2% advantage in OpenCL and a 17.4% advantage in Vulkan. This makes it the clear choice for compute-heavy workloads that leverage these APIs. The Radeon also offers superior raw compute in terms of FP32 performance, higher clock speeds, and better power efficiency per watt.

However, the NVIDIA Quadro M5000 has its own strengths. Its higher average benchmark score of 31,206 versus the Radeon’s 28,996 suggests it performs better in other test categories not covered in this head-to-head comparison. The Quadro’s double the ROP count provides significantly higher pixel fill rate, which could benefit traditional rasterization workloads. Additionally, the Quadro supports DirectX 12_1 while the Radeon only supports DirectX 12_0, and the Quadro supports Vulkan 1.4 compared to the Radeon’s Vulkan 1.3.

From a pure performance standpoint, the Radeon RX 470 appears to be the better buy for those prioritizing compute performance in OpenCL and Vulkan. The Quadro M5000, however, may be preferred in scenarios where pixel throughput and broader API support matter more. The Quadro’s professional positioning and higher average benchmark score suggest it may excel in specialized professional applications that are not represented in the head-to-head benchmarks.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro M5000 has a higher average benchmark score of 31,206 compared to the AMD Radeon RX 470’s 28,996, despite losing both head-to-head tests.

Q: How much faster is the AMD Radeon RX 470 in Vulkan performance?

A: The Radeon RX 470 scores 39,884 in Geekbench Vulkan compared to the Quadro M5000’s 32,931, giving the AMD card a 17.4% advantage.

Q: What is the difference in memory bandwidth between the two cards?

A: The memory bandwidth is nearly identical, with the Quadro M5000 at 211.6 GB/s and the Radeon RX 470 at 211.2 GB/s, both using a 256-bit bus with GDDR5 memory.

Q: Which card has higher pixel fill rate?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro M5000 has a significantly higher pixel rate of 66.43 GPixel/s compared to the Radeon RX 470’s 38.59 GPixel/s, due to its 64 ROPs versus 32 ROPs.

Q: What are the API differences between the two cards?

A: The Quadro M5000 supports DirectX 12_1 and Vulkan 1.4, while the Radeon RX 470 supports DirectX 12_0 and Vulkan 1.3. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Q: Which card is more power-efficient?

A: The Radeon RX 470 has a lower TDP of 120 W compared to the Quadro M5000’s 150 W, and requires a 300 W suggested PSU versus 450 W for the Quadro.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 470 wins decisively in compute-oriented workloads. Its 12.2% advantage in OpenCL and 17.4% advantage in Vulkan make it the superior choice for applications that rely heavily on these APIs. The Radeon also offers higher raw FP32 compute at 4.940 TFLOPS versus 4.252 TFLOPS, and supports FP16 at full rate, which could benefit machine learning or scientific computing tasks. Its higher clock speeds (1,206 MHz boost versus 1,038 MHz) and smaller die size indicate better architectural efficiency for general compute.

The NVIDIA Quadro M5000 wins in traditional graphics pipeline performance. Its 64 ROPs deliver 66.43 GPixel/s pixel rate, nearly double the Radeon’s 38.59 GPixel/s, making it better suited for heavy rasterization workloads. The Quadro also has a higher average benchmark score overall, suggesting it performs better in tests beyond OpenCL and Vulkan. Its support for DirectX 12_1 and Vulkan 1.4 provides broader API compatibility for modern graphics applications.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ significantly in their manufacturing process, with the Quadro M5000 using a 28 nm process at TSMC and the Radeon RX 470 using a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. Transistor counts are similar at 5,200 million versus 5,700 million, but the die size differs substantially: 398 mm² for the Quadro versus 232 mm² for the Radeon, resulting in transistor densities of 13.1M per mm² and 24.6M per mm² respectively.

Clock speeds differ, with the Quadro at 861 MHz base and 1,038 MHz boost, while the Radeon runs at 926 MHz base and 1,206 MHz boost. Memory configurations are similar in type (GDDR5) and bus width (256-bit), but the Quadro has 8 GB of memory versus the Radeon’s 4 GB. Bandwidth is nearly identical at 211.6 GB/s and 211.2 GB/s.

Compute unit counts show both cards have 2,048 shading units and 128 TMUs, but ROP counts differ dramatically: 64 for the Quadro versus 32 for the Radeon. Pixel rates are 66.43 GPixel/s versus 38.59 GPixel/s, while texture rates are 132.9 GTexel/s versus 154.4 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 4.252 TFLOPS versus 4.940 TFLOPS, with the Radeon additionally offering FP16 at 4.940 TFLOPS.

Power specifications favor the Radeon, with a 120 W TDP versus 150 W for the Quadro, and a 300 W suggested PSU versus 450 W. Both are dual-slot cards with a single 6-pin power connector, but the Quadro is longer at 267 mm versus 240 mm for the Radeon. Display outputs differ, with the Quadro offering 1x DVI and 4x DisplayPort 1.2, while the Radeon provides 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. The Radeon also has a listed width of 35 mm, while the Quadro’s width is not specified.