AMD Radeon RX 570 vs NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q Comparison

The NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q and AMD Radeon RX 570 are both end-of-life graphics cards, but they target fundamentally different workloads. In the single head-to-head benchmark available, the AMD Radeon RX 570 decisively outperforms the NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q, though the data reveals a more nuanced story about their respective strengths in compute versus rendering tasks.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison in the data is the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the AMD Radeon RX 570 scores 42,752 against the NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q’s 31,220. That is a 27% advantage for AMD, a substantial margin that places the RX 570 firmly ahead in this particular GPU-accelerated compute workload. The delta is significant enough to be considered a categorical win rather than a marginal difference.

However, the average benchmark scores tell a different story. The GRID M60-1Q averages 31,220 across its benchmark suite, while the RX 570 averages 28,766. This means the NVIDIA card actually holds a higher overall average, despite losing the Vulkan test. The discrepancy arises because the RX 570’s average is pulled down by its other benchmark results: it scores 880 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 39,349 in Geekbench Metal, and 32,084 in Geekbench OpenCL. The Vulkan score is its strongest, but the 3DMark result is notably weak, suggesting the RX 570’s performance is highly workload-dependent.

Looking at the percentile rankings, both cards sit close together: the GRID M60-1Q is at the 76th percentile of all GPUs, while the RX 570 is at the 74th. This indicates that despite the RX 570’s big Vulkan win, the overall performance envelope of the two cards is broadly similar. The GRID M60-1Q’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro M5000 (score 31,206, 0% delta) and the NVIDIA TITAN RTX (31,676, -1.4% delta), which shows it is competitive with much newer and more expensive professional cards. The RX 570’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (28,874, -0.4% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX 470 (28,996, -0.8% delta), placing it in a slightly lower performance tier overall.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two cards is stark. The NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q uses the GM204 chip built on Maxwell 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 5,200 million transistors into a 398 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 13.1 million per square millimeter. In contrast, the AMD Radeon RX 570 uses the Polaris 20 chip based on GCN 4.0 architecture, built on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It contains 5,700 million transistors on a much smaller 232 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 24.6 million per square millimeter. The RX 570’s more modern process node gives it a clear efficiency advantage, as reflected in its lower 150 W TDP versus the GRID M60-1Q’s 225 W.

Clock speeds also differ significantly. The GRID M60-1Q runs at a base clock of 557 MHz with a boost of 1,178 MHz, while the RX 570 operates at a much higher base of 1,168 MHz and boost of 1,244 MHz. The memory configurations are similar in bus width—both use 256-bit interfaces—but the RX 570 has more memory bandwidth at 224.0 GB/s versus 160.4 GB/s for the GRID M60-1Q. The RX 570 also has four times the memory capacity at 4 GB versus 1 GB.

Compute resources are comparable in some respects: both have 2,048 shading units and 128 texture mapping units. However, the GRID M60-1Q has 64 ROPs versus 32 on the RX 570, which explains its higher pixel rate of 75.39 GPixel/s versus 39.81 GPixel/s. The texture rates are closer: 150.8 GTexel/s for NVIDIA versus 159.2 GTexel/s for AMD. In raw FP32 compute, the RX 570 edges ahead with 5.095 TFLOPS versus 4.825 TFLOPS, and it also supports FP16 at 5.095 TFLOPS (1:1), which the GRID M60-1Q lacks entirely.

API support shows another divergence. The GRID M60-1Q supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while the RX 570 supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The GRID M60-1Q has no display outputs, reflecting its server/virtualization purpose, while the RX 570 offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in Geekbench Vulkan?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 570 scores 42,752 versus 31,220 for the NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q, a 27% advantage for AMD.

Q: Does the NVIDIA card have a higher average benchmark score?

A: Yes. The GRID M60-1Q averages 31,220, while the RX 570 averages 28,766. This is despite the RX 570 winning the Vulkan test, due to its lower scores in other benchmarks.

Q: Why does the GRID M60-1Q have a higher pixel rate?

A: The GRID M60-1Q has 64 ROPs compared to 32 on the RX 570, resulting in a pixel rate of 75.39 GPixel/s versus 39.81 GPixel/s.

Q: What are the memory capacity differences?

A: The RX 570 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the GRID M60-1Q has only 1 GB. Both use a 256-bit bus, but the RX 570 offers higher bandwidth at 224.0 GB/s versus 160.4 GB/s.

Q: Which card supports FP16 compute?

A: Only the AMD Radeon RX 570 supports FP16, with a rate of 5.095 TFLOPS (1:1). The NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q has no FP16 capability listed.

Q: What is the TDP difference between the two cards?

A: The GRID M60-1Q has a TDP of 225 W and requires a 550 W power supply with a single 8-pin connector. The RX 570 has a TDP of 150 W, needs a 450 W power supply, and uses a single 6-pin connector.

The Verdict

The data clearly shows the AMD Radeon RX 570 is the better choice for general-purpose graphics and compute tasks that leverage modern APIs like Vulkan. Its 27% win in the head-to-head Vulkan benchmark, combined with double the memory capacity and significantly higher bandwidth, makes it the more capable card for most end-user workloads. It also runs cooler and more efficiently at 150 W versus 225 W.

However, the NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q is not without merit. Its higher average benchmark score (31,220 vs. 28,766) and superior pixel rate (75.39 GPixel/s vs. 39.81 GPixel/s) suggest it excels in rasterization-heavy tasks. The card’s 64 ROPs and the fact that it competes with the NVIDIA TITAN RTX in nearest-rival comparisons indicate it is a powerful compute device in its own right. The GRID M60-1Q’s lack of display outputs and its positioning in the GRID (Mx) generation make it clear this is a server-side virtualization card, not a consumer product.

For anyone building a workstation or gaming rig, the RX 570 is the obvious pick: it has display outputs, more memory, faster clock speeds, and wins the key benchmark. The GRID M60-1Q is a specialized product for datacenter environments where its Maxwell 2.0 architecture and high ROP count can be leveraged for virtualized GPU workloads, but it cannot serve as a standalone desktop GPU. The RX 570’s launch MSRP was 169 USD, while the GRID M60-1Q has no listed launch MSRP.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q | AMD Radeon RX 570 |

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

| Architecture | Maxwell 2.0 | GCN 4.0 |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 14 nm |

| Transistors | 5,200 million | 5,700 million |

| Die Size | 398 mm² | 232 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 13.1M / mm² | 24.6M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 557 MHz | 1,168 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1,178 MHz | 1,244 MHz |

| Memory Size | 1 GB | 4 GB |

| Memory Bandwidth | 160.4 GB/s | 224.0 GB/s |

| ROPs | 64 | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 75.39 GPixel/s | 39.81 GPixel/s |

| FP32 | 4.825 TFLOPS | 5.095 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | None | 5.095 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 225 W | 150 W |

| Power Connectors | 1x 8-pin | 1x 6-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 550 W | 450 W |

| Display Outputs | No outputs | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| DirectX | 12 (12_1) | 12 (12_0) |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | 1.3 |

| Length | 267 mm | 241 mm |

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 570 wins decisively in compute-heavy workloads that use Vulkan, as shown by its 27% lead in the dedicated head-to-head test. It also wins on memory capacity and bandwidth, making it better suited for modern games and applications that require more than 1 GB of VRAM. Its lower power draw and smaller physical footprint (241 mm vs. 267 mm) make it easier to integrate into standard desktop systems. The RX 570 is also the only one of the two with display outputs, making it the sole option for direct video output.

The NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q wins in raw pixel throughput, with its 64 ROPs delivering 75.39 GPixel/s—nearly double the RX 570’s 39.81 GPixel/s. This makes it stronger for fill-rate-bound rendering tasks, such as high-resolution multi-sample anti-aliasing or framebuffer-intensive operations. Its higher average benchmark score across all tests suggests it is more consistent in mixed workloads. The GRID M60-1Q also supports a newer DirectX feature level (12_1 vs. 12_0) and a newer Vulkan version (1.4 vs. 1.3), which could matter for specific enterprise applications leveraging those features.

For a typical desktop user, the RX 570 is the clear winner. For a datacenter operator requiring virtualized GPU instances with high pixel throughput and no display output, the GRID M60-1Q serves a purpose that the RX 570 cannot fulfill. The two cards are not direct competitors; they occupy different niches, and the benchmark data reflects those distinct design goals.