AMD Radeon RX 560 vs NVIDIA Quadro K2000 Comparison

# AMD Radeon RX 560 vs NVIDIA Quadro K2000: A Builder's Guide

The AMD Radeon RX 560 and the NVIDIA Quadro K2000 occupy very different corners of the GPU market. The RX 560 is a mainstream consumer card built on the Polaris architecture, while the K2000 is a professional workstation card from the Kepler generation. Benchmark data shows the RX 560 winning both recorded head-to-head tests, and by a wide margin in the compute-oriented workloads. However, the K2000 brings workstation-specific features to the table that the consumer card lacks. This analysis breaks down where each card wins based strictly on recorded measurements.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records two direct benchmark comparisons between these cards. The results are lopsided in favor of the AMD card.

In the Geekbench Metal test, the RX 560 scores 18,941 points against the K2000's 3,630. That is a 421.8% advantage for the AMD card. The gap narrows in the OpenCL test but remains decisive: the RX 560 posts 16,472 points versus 4,071 for the Quadro, a 304.6% lead.

These are overwhelmingly compute-oriented workloads. The RX 560's 1024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs, paired with a 128-bit GDDR5 memory bus delivering 112.0 GB/s of bandwidth, simply outclass the K2000's configuration. The K2000 has 384 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs with a 128-bit GDDR5 bus at 64.00 GB/s. In raw arithmetic throughput, the RX 560's 2.611 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is roughly three and a half times the K2000's 732.7 GFLOPS. This explains the benchmark gap.

The K2000 does not win either head-to-head test. Its strengths lie elsewhere, mainly in stability, driver optimization, and form factor, which the synthetic benchmarks do not fully capture.

Where Each One Wins

AMD Radeon RX 560 wins on raw performance. Every recorded benchmark shows the RX 560 ahead. The Geekbench Metal score is 421.8% higher. The OpenCL result is 304.6% higher. For any workload that is shader-bound or compute-bound, the RX 560 is the clear choice. Its 4 GB memory capacity and 128-bit bus are also double the K2000's 2 GB and 128-bit bus (note: the K2000 also has a 128-bit bus). The RX 560's memory bandwidth of 112.0 GB/s is 75% higher than the Quadro's 64.00 GB/s, which helps in texture-heavy scenes at high resolutions.

NVIDIA Quadro K2000 wins on professional ecosystem and stability. The K2000 is an end-of-life product built on the Kepler architecture (GK107 chip). It has a 28 nm process node, with 1,270 million transistors on a 118 mm² die. It supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. It runs on a 51 W TDP, which is lower than the RX 560's 75 W, and it is a single-slot card. It has no power connectors and requires a 250 W PSU. It outputs via 1x DVI and 2x DisplayPort 1.2. This is a professional card with a longer lifecycle, validated for specific workstations and application compatibility.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different architectural eras.

The RX 560 uses the Polaris 21 chip, built on the GCN 4.0 architecture (the Polar is part of the RX 500 generation, the successor to the Arctic Islands generation). It is fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries, with 3,000 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, for a transistor density of 24.4 million per mm². The chip is the smaller, more efficient design.

The K2000 is an older design. It uses the GK107 chip, built on the Kepler architecture (Quadro Kx000 generation). It is made on a 28 nm process at TSMC, packing 1,270 million transistors on a 118 mm² die, a density of 10.8 million per mm². The Kepler card is a dual-slot card, while the RX 560 is a dual-slot card as well. The K2000 has no external power connectors, the RX 560 also needs none.

Clock behavior differs. The RX 560's base clock is 1175 MHz with a boost to 1275 MHz. The memory clock runs at 1750 MHz, which with its 128-bit bus yields an effective 7 Gbps. The K2000's memory clock is 1000 MHz, which on a 128-bit bus results in 4 Gbps effective. The RX 560 also has more shading units to feed: 1024 versus the K2000's 384.

Specification Differences

A side-by-side of the recorded specifications shows where the two cards differ:

• Process node: The RX 560 uses a 14 nm process, while the K2000 uses 28 nm. The RX 560's process node is two generations ahead.
• Transistors: The RX 560 packs 3,000 million transistors; the K2000 has 1,270 million. The density difference is substantial (24.4M / mm² vs 10.8M / mm²).
• Die size: The RX 560's die is 123 mm², slightly larger than the K2000's 118 mm², but the transistor density is much higher.
• Memory and bandwidth: The RX 560 comes with 4 GB GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, producing 112.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The K2000 has 2 GB GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, for 64.00 GB/s. The 560 has a 75% bandwidth advantage, and double the VRAM.
• Shading units: 1024 vs 384. This is the core of the performance gap.
• TMUs and ROPs: Both have 64 TMUs and 16 ROPs.
• Pixel and texture rates: The RX 560 can fill 20.40 GPixel/s and 81.60 GTexel/s. The K2000: 7.632 GPixel/s and 30.53 GTexel/s. The RX 560 has roughly 2.7x the pixel fill rate and same for texture fill rate.
• FP32: The RX 560 is rated at 2.611 TFLOPS. The K2000 is rated at 732.7 GFLOPS. The RX 560 is 3.6x faster.
• Power: The RX 560 is a 75 W card; the K2000 is a 51 W card.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in gaming, the RX 560 or the K2000?

A: The recorded benchmarks favor the RX 560. It beats the K2000 by 421.8% in the Geekbench Metal test and by 304.6% in the OpenCL test. For gaming and consumer workloads, the RX 560's extra shaders and memory bandwidth are decisive.

A: I have a 250W PSU, will the K2000 be okay?

A: Yes, the K2000 has a 51 W TDP and no power connectors. The suggested PSU for the K2000 is 250 W. The RX 560 also has no power connectors, but its TDP is 75 W.

Q: Can the K2000 be used for gaming?

A: It can, but the data shows it is an end-of-life workstation card with a 51 W TDP. Its 384 shader units and 64.00 GB/s of bandwidth are far below the RX 560's 1024 shaders and 112.0 GB/s. The RX 560 will deliver more frames in more games.

Q: Is the RX 560 a dual-slot card?

A: Yes, the RX 560 is a dual-slot card. The K2000 is also a dual-slot card.

Q: What is the difference in API support?

A: The RX 560 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The K2000 supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. Both have modern API support, but the RX 560's DirectX 12_0 is the newer feature level.

The Verdict

From the recorded data, the AMD Radeon RX 560 is the winner for anyone whose priority is raw performance. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks by huge margins (421.8% and 304.6%). Its 4 GB VRAM, 2.611 TFLOPS FP32 compute, and 112.0 GB/s memory bandwidth make it a far more capable card for gaming, shader-heavy workloads, and compute tasks.

The NVIDIA Quadro K2000 does not win on any raw throughput metric, but it is a workstation card with a different set of traits. It is a single-slot, end-of-life product with a 51 W TDP. It will fit in tight cases with a lower power supply requirement. If you need a display output of 1x DVI and 2x DisplayPort 1.2, and the application is certified for professional workstations, the K2000 is the one to get.

In short: for the AMD Radeon RX 560, choose it if you want the most performance per dollar from the data. Choose the NVIDIA Quadro K2000 if you need its workstation niche, low-power consumption (51 W vs 75 W), and legacy professional support. The RX 560 is the stronger card, period. The K2000 is the more specialized tool.