AMD Radeon RX 6400 vs NVIDIA Quadro M5000M Comparison

The NVIDIA Quadro M5000M and AMD Radeon RX 6400 represent two distinct generations of GPU design, separated by nearly seven years of architectural evolution. The data shows a clear split in workload suitability: the AMD Radeon RX 6400 wins 7 of 9 head-to-head benchmark comparisons, while the NVIDIA Quadro M5000M takes the remaining 2, with the latter’s victories coming in specific API and legacy scenarios. This page breaks down the benchmark results, architecture differences, and practical implications for each card based strictly on the provided data.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark results indicate a decisive overall advantage for the AMD Radeon RX 6400 in modern compute and graphics workloads, but the NVIDIA Quadro M5000M carves out specific niches where its older architecture still holds an edge. The AMD card wins in Geekbench OpenCL, all three Passmark DirectX tests (9, 10, 11, and 12), Passmark G2D, G3D, and GPU Compute. Its most significant win is in Geekbench OpenCL, where it scores 32011 versus 22920 for the NVIDIA card — a 28.4% margin. This suggests the Radeon’s compute throughput, driven by its higher FP32 rating of 3.565 TFLOPS versus 3.229 TFLOPS, translates directly into superior raw compute performance.

The NVIDIA Quadro M5000M wins decisively in Geekbench Vulkan, scoring 24875 against 16372 for the AMD card — a 51.9% advantage. This is the largest delta in either direction across all tests. The NVIDIA card also wins Passmark DirectX 9, scoring 119 versus 93, a 28% margin. These wins point to the Maxwell 2.0 architecture’s strength in legacy API paths and its Vulkan driver implementation, which appears better optimized for the M5000M’s hardware despite its older process node. The AMD card’s other wins are narrower: Passmark G3D shows a 8% gap (7673 vs 7062), while GPU Compute is nearly tied at 2812 vs 2756, a 2% difference. The DirectX 12 test is essentially a dead heat, with AMD winning by just 3.3% (30 vs 29).

For use-case selection, the pattern is clear: the Radeon RX 6400 is the better choice for general-purpose compute, modern DirectX titles, and 2D desktop workloads. The Quadro M5000M remains competitive only in Vulkan-based applications and legacy DirectX 9 content, where its driver stack and architecture provide a measurable benefit.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different design philosophies and process technologies. The NVIDIA Quadro M5000M uses the GM204 chip, based on Maxwell 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The AMD Radeon RX 6400 uses the Navi 24 chip, based on RDNA 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 6 nm process, also at TSMC. The process node difference is stark: 28 nm versus 6 nm, which explains the dramatic disparity in die size and transistor density. The NVIDIA chip measures 398 mm² with 5,200 million transistors, yielding a density of 13.1 million transistors per mm². The AMD chip is far smaller at 107 mm² but packs slightly more transistors at 5,400 million, achieving a density of 50.5 million per mm² — nearly four times higher.

The clock speeds reflect the architectural and process differences. The Quadro M5000M runs at a base clock of 962 MHz with a boost of 1051 MHz, while the Radeon RX 6400 runs at a base of 1923 MHz and boosts to 2321 MHz, with a game clock of 2039 MHz. The AMD card’s higher clocks contribute to its higher pixel rate (74.27 GPixel/s vs 67.26 GPixel/s) and texture rate (111.4 GTexel/s vs 100.9 GTexel/s), despite having fewer execution units. The NVIDIA card has 1536 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, while the AMD card has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs — exactly half in each category. The AMD card compensates with higher clocks and architectural efficiency, achieving comparable or better throughput.

Memory configurations differ substantially. The Quadro M5000M offers 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, providing 160.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The Radeon RX 6400 offers only 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus, yielding 128.0 GB/s. The NVIDIA card’s larger memory pool and wider bus give it a theoretical bandwidth advantage, but the AMD card’s faster memory clock (16 Gbps effective vs 5 Gbps effective) partially closes the gap. The Radeon also includes 12 ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the Maxwell-based NVIDIA card, and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) versus the NVIDIA card’s DirectX 12 (12_1). Both cards support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

Power and physical design also diverge. The Quadro M5000M is an MXM module with a TDP of 100 W, while the Radeon RX 6400 is a single-slot card with a TDP of 53 W. The AMD card draws power directly from the slot, requiring no external power connectors and a 250 W suggested PSU, while the NVIDIA module has no specified PSU requirement. The AMD card offers fixed display outputs (1x HDMI 2.1 and 1x DisplayPort 1.4a), whereas the NVIDIA card’s outputs are portable-device dependent. The AMD card’s bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x4, which is narrower but faster than the NVIDIA card’s MXM-B (3.0) interface.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the benchmark data, the AMD Radeon RX 6400 is the superior performer for most modern workloads. It wins 7 out of 9 head-to-head tests, including all DirectX variants, OpenCL compute, and 2D graphics. Its Geekbench OpenCL score is 28.4% higher, and its Passmark G3D score is 8% higher, indicating a consistent advantage in both compute and rasterization. The AMD card’s higher FP32 throughput (3.565 TFLOPS vs 3.229 TFLOPS) and faster clocks make it the better option for tasks that leverage modern APIs.

The NVIDIA Quadro M5000M is not without merit, however. Its 51.9% lead in Geekbench Vulkan is substantial and suggests that applications built around Vulkan will perform significantly better on this card. Its 28% win in DirectX 9 also makes it the choice for legacy software that relies on older API paths. For users running Vulkan-heavy workloads or maintaining compatibility with DirectX 9-era applications, the M5000M’s wins are meaningful. Additionally, the NVIDIA card offers twice the memory (8 GB vs 4 GB) and a wider 256-bit memory bus, which could matter for workloads with large frame buffers, although the benchmark data does not directly test this scenario.

The average benchmark scores reflect the overall balance: the AMD card averages 6001, while the NVIDIA card averages 6481, with the latter’s percentile rank at 37 versus the former’s at 35. This suggests that despite the head-to-head wins, the M5000M has a slightly higher aggregate score across a broader spectrum of GPUs. However, the head-to-head data favors the AMD card in the tests that matter most for modern gaming and compute. The Radeon RX 6400 is the recommended choice for users prioritizing current DirectX titles, OpenCL compute, and efficiency, given its 53 W TDP versus 100 W for the NVIDIA card. The Quadro M5000M is best suited for Vulkan-specific applications and legacy DirectX 9 environments.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6400 scores 32011, which is 28.4% higher than the NVIDIA Quadro M5000M’s 22920.

Q: What is the biggest performance gap between the two cards?

A: The largest delta is in Geekbench Vulkan, where the NVIDIA Quadro M5000M leads by 51.9%, scoring 24875 versus 16372 for the AMD Radeon RX 6400.

Q: How do the memory configurations differ?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro M5000M has 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 160.4 GB/s bandwidth, while the AMD Radeon RX 6400 has 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus with 128.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU supports ray tracing hardware?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6400 includes 12 ray tracing cores, while the NVIDIA Quadro M5000M has none, as it is based on the Maxwell 2.0 architecture which predates ray tracing.

Q: What are the power consumption figures?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro M5000M has a TDP of 100 W, while the AMD Radeon RX 6400 has a TDP of 53 W.

Q: How do the process nodes compare?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro M5000M is built on a 28 nm process, while the AMD Radeon RX 6400 uses a 6 nm process, both fabricated at TSMC.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench OpenCL test provides the clearest signal of compute capability. The AMD Radeon RX 6400 scores 32011, beating the NVIDIA Quadro M5000M’s 22920 by 28.4%. This aligns with the AMD card’s higher FP32 throughput of 3.565 TFLOPS versus 3.229 TFLOPS, and its significantly higher boost clock of 2321 MHz versus 1051 MHz for the NVIDIA card. The Radeon’s smaller silicon — 107 mm² versus 398 mm² — does not hinder its performance here, demonstrating the efficiency of the 6 nm RDNA 2.0 design.

The Geekbench Vulkan test reverses the outcome dramatically. The NVIDIA Quadro M5000M scores 24875, which is 51.9% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6400’s 16372. This is the single largest margin in the comparison. The NVIDIA card’s Maxwell 2.0 architecture, despite its age, delivers superior Vulkan driver performance. The Radeon’s 12 ray tracing cores do not appear to help in this workload, as the Vulkan test likely exercises rasterization and compute paths where the NVIDIA card’s 1536 shading units provide an advantage over the Radeon’s 768.

In Passmark DirectX tests, the AMD Radeon RX 6400 wins all four variants. The DirectX 10 test shows a 35.2% margin (54 vs 35), DirectX 11 shows a 22.9% margin (70 vs 54), DirectX 12 shows a 3.3% margin (30 vs 29), and DirectX 9 is the only loss for AMD, where the NVIDIA card wins 119 vs 93, a 28% margin. The DirectX 12 result is nearly identical, indicating that both cards handle the modern API similarly, but the older DirectX 9 path significantly favors the NVIDIA card.

The Passmark G2D test measures 2D desktop performance, where the AMD Radeon RX 6400 scores 722 versus 476 for the NVIDIA Quadro M5000M, a 34.1% advantage. This is notable given that the NVIDIA card has a higher average benchmark score overall (6481 vs 6001), yet falls behind in this basic workload. The Passmark G3D test shows a narrower 8% win for AMD (7673 vs 7062), and the GPU Compute test is nearly tied, with AMD winning by just 2% (2812 vs 2756). The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test is exclusive to the AMD card, with a score of 176, providing no direct comparison but confirming the Radeon’s capability in this modern benchmark. Overall, the data shows that the AMD Radeon RX 6400 is the more versatile performer, while the NVIDIA Quadro M5000M retains specific strengths in Vulkan and legacy DirectX 9 scenarios.