AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT vs NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data reveals a clear split between these two GPUs, with the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT taking 6 of the 10 head-to-head tests, while the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 wins 4. However, the margin of victory tells a more nuanced story than the raw win count.

The most dramatic result comes from Geekbench OpenCL, where the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 posts a score of 74,540 against the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT's 9,524. That is a staggering 682.7% advantage, an outlier that suggests the Quadro's compute stack is optimized for OpenCL workloads in a way the Radeon simply is not. This single result heavily skews the average benchmark scores, yet it also highlights a real specialization gap.

In DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 legacy tests, the Quadro leads by 11.3% (108 vs 97) and 10.3% (128 vs 116) respectively. The Vulkan test also favors NVIDIA, with 78,844 against 68,310, a 15.4% margin. These wins point to the Quadro's driver maturity and architecture strength in older API paths and compute-oriented APIs.

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT counters with wins in the more modern and synthetic workloads. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 2,134 versus 1,873, a 12.2% lead. The PassMark DirectX 12 test shows an 18.7% advantage (64 vs 52), and DirectX 9 shows a 9.3% edge (226 vs 205). The Radeon also takes the PassMark G3D test (16,277 vs 15,117, a 7.1% lead), the G2D test (922 vs 846, an 8.2% lead), and the GPU Compute test (7,650 vs 6,176, a 19.3% lead).

The average benchmark scores reflect this split: the Quadro RTX 4000 averages 17,789 across all tests, while the Radeon averages 16,361. The Quadro sits at the 61st percentile of all GPUs, the Radeon at the 59th. The nearest rivals for the Quadro include the AMD Radeon HD 7790 at 0.7% lower, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 at 0.9% lower, and the AMD Radeon 780M at 1.1% lower. The Radeon's nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M at 0.1% lower, the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell at 0.3% higher, and the AMD Radeon PRO W7500 at 0.3% higher. These close margins show both cards cluster tightly in overall performance, with the differences concentrated in specific API workloads.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins in DirectX 12 workloads?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT leads in both DX12 tests. It scores 2,134 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 versus 1,873 for the Quadro, a 12.2% advantage, and 64 versus 52 in PassMark DirectX 12, an 18.7% lead.

Q: Why is the Geekbench OpenCL result so lopsided?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 scores 74,540 compared to the Radeon's 9,524, a 682.7% difference. This indicates the Quadro's Turing architecture and driver stack deliver exceptional OpenCL compute performance, while the Radeon's RDNA 1.0 implementation appears far less optimized for that specific API.

Q: How do the cards compare in Vulkan?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 wins the Geekbench Vulkan test with 78,844 points against 68,310 for the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT, a 15.4% margin.

Q: Which GPU has the higher overall average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 has a higher average benchmark score of 17,789, while the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT averages 16,361. The Quadro also ranks at the 61st percentile of all GPUs, versus the 59th for the Radeon.

Q: What about legacy DirectX performance?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 wins both older API tests. It scores 108 versus 97 in DirectX 10 (an 11.3% lead) and 128 versus 116 in DirectX 11 (a 10.3% lead). The Radeon wins DirectX 9 with 226 versus 205, a 9.3% edge.

Q: Does the Radeon have any compute advantage?

A: Yes, the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT wins the PassMark GPU Compute test with 7,650 points versus 6,176 for the Quadro, a 19.3% lead. However, the Quadro's massive OpenCL advantage in Geekbench suggests the compute picture depends heavily on which API is being measured.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent fundamentally different design philosophies from their respective manufacturers. The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 is built on the Turing architecture, fabricated on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It uses the TU104 chip with 13,600 million transistors on a 545 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 25.0 million per mm². The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT uses the RDNA 1.0 architecture, built on a more advanced 7 nm process, also at TSMC. Its Navi 10 chip packs 10,300 million transistors onto a much smaller 251 mm² die, achieving a higher transistor density of 41.0 million per mm².

The Quadro RTX 4000 includes dedicated hardware features that the Radeon lacks entirely. It has 36 RT cores for ray tracing acceleration and 288 tensor cores for AI and deep learning workloads. The Radeon RX 5700 XT has no RT cores and no tensor cores, relying purely on its shader array for all compute tasks. This architectural difference explains why the Quadro excels in OpenCL compute (682.7% ahead) and Vulkan (15.4% ahead), where these specialized units can be leveraged.

The shading resources also differ. The Radeon has 2,560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. The Quadro has 2,304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. Despite fewer shading units, the Quadro's Turing design with tensor and RT cores provides additional processing paths. The Radeon compensates with higher clock speeds: its base clock is 1,605 MHz, boost is 1,905 MHz, and game clock is 1,755 MHz, while the Quadro runs at 1,005 MHz base and 1,545 MHz boost.

The Radeon's RDNA architecture also delivers higher raw throughput numbers. It achieves 9.754 TFLOPS FP32 and 19.51 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1), while the Quadro manages 7.119 TFLOPS FP32 and 14.24 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1). The pixel rate favors the Radeon at 121.9 GPixel/s versus 98.88 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 304.8 GTexel/s versus 222.5 GTexel/s. However, the Quadro's API support includes DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the Radeon only supports DirectX 12 (12_1). Both cards support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every major specification category. The memory subsystems are similar in size and type, both using 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, but the Radeon has higher bandwidth at 448.0 GB/s compared to 416.0 GB/s for the Quadro. The memory clock differs: 1,750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) for the Radeon versus 1,625 MHz (13 Gbps effective) for the Quadro.

Power requirements diverge significantly. The Quadro RTX 4000 has a TDP of 160 W and uses a single 8-pin power connector with a suggested PSU of 450 W. The Radeon RX 5700 XT draws 225 W, requires both a 6-pin and an 8-pin connector, and needs a 550 W suggested PSU. The physical footprint also differs: the Quadro is a single-slot card measuring 241 mm (9.5 inches) in length, while the Radeon is a dual-slot card at 272 mm (10.7 inches) long, 111 mm (4.4 inches) high, and 36 mm (1.4 inches) wide.

The bus interface differs as well, with the Quadro using PCIe 3.0 x16 and the Radeon using the newer PCIe 4.0 x16. Display outputs vary: the Quadro offers 3x DisplayPort 1.4a and 1x USB Type-C, while the Radeon provides 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. The Radeon also has a defined game clock of 1,755 MHz, a specification the Quadro does not list.

The release timeline shows the Quadro RTX 4000 launched on 2018-11-12, while the Radeon RX 5700 XT launched on 2019-07-06. Both are end-of-life products. The Quadro's predecessor is Quadro Volta and successor is Workstation Ampere; the Radeon's predecessor is Vega and successor is Navi II. The Quadro RTX 4000 had a launch MSRP of 899 USD.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 is the clear choice for compute-heavy, professional workloads that leverage its dedicated RT and tensor cores. Its 682.7% OpenCL advantage and 15.4% Vulkan lead indicate strong performance in scientific computing, AI inference, and rendering tasks that use these APIs. The card also wins in legacy DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 scenarios, making it suitable for older professional applications and compatibility-focused environments. The single-slot design and lower 160 W TDP also make it appealing for dense workstation builds where space and power are constrained. Its launch MSRP of 899 USD reflects its workstation positioning, and its 61st percentile ranking places it slightly above the Radeon in overall standing.

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT wins in modern gaming and general-purpose workloads. Its 12.2% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and 18.7% lead in PassMark DirectX 12 show stronger performance in contemporary DX12 titles. The 19.3% advantage in PassMark GPU Compute and 7.1% lead in PassMark G3D indicate solid all-around compute and rasterization capabilities. The Radeon also wins DirectX 9 (9.3% ahead) and the 2D test (8.2% ahead). With higher clock speeds, more shading units, and greater memory bandwidth, the Radeon delivers more raw throughput for gaming scenarios. Its higher TDP of 225 W and dual-slot design are trade-offs for that performance.

The choice between these two depends on the workload. The Quadro RTX 4000 is specialized for compute APIs where its tensor and RT cores provide outsized advantages, while the Radeon RX 5700 XT offers broader gaming performance and wins in the majority of head-to-head tests. The data shows the Quadro's average score of 17,789 exceeds the Radeon's 16,361, but that average is heavily inflated by the anomalous OpenCL result. In typical gaming benchmarks, the Radeon consistently leads. For users prioritizing DX12 gaming and general compute, the Radeon wins; for those needing OpenCL compute or Vulkan performance, the Quadro is the stronger option.