AMD Radeon RX 7700S vs NVIDIA Quadro M6000 Comparison

The Verdict

The data splits cleanly by workload. The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 wins in Vulkan compute tasks, delivering a 29% higher score than the AMD Radeon RX 7700S in the geekbench Vulkan test (46913 vs 36380). This makes it the better choice for applications that rely heavily on Vulkan-based rendering or compute, which is common in professional visualization and certain game engines.

The AMD Radeon RX 7700S dominates in OpenCL workloads. It scores 62,983 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 58.7% higher than the Quadro M6000's 39,688. This is a massive margin. If your software stack leverages OpenCL for compute tasks, the RX 7700S is clearly the superior part.

For the average user, the choice is straightforward. The RX 7700S is the more modern, efficient, and faster card for most compute-heavy applications. It offers over double the FP32 throughput (20.48 TFLOPS vs 6.844 TFLOPS). The Quadro M6000 is an older, end-of-life product that only wins in the Vulkan API. Unless your specific workflow is Vulkan-bound, the RX 7700S is the better pick.

The percentile data reinforces this. The Quadro M6000 sits at the 84th percentile of all GPUs, while the RX 7700S sits at the 78th. However, the average benchmark scores tell a different story: the Quadro M6000 averages 43,301, while the RX 7700S averages 33,849. This discrepancy is because the RX 7700S's OpenCL score pulls its average up, but the Quadro's Vulkan score does not fully compensate in the overall average. The head-to-head is split 1-1, but the magnitude of the OpenCL victory for AMD is larger than the Vulkan victory for NVIDIA.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are from different architectural eras. The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 uses the Maxwell 2.0 architecture on the GM200 chip, built on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 8,000 million transistors into a 601 mm² die. The AMD Radeon RX 7700S uses the RDNA 3.0 architecture on the Navi 33 chip, built on a 6 nm process, also at TSMC. It contains 13,300 million transistors on a much smaller 204 mm² die.

The transistor density difference is stark. The RX 7700S achieves 65.2 million transistors per mm², while the Quadro M6000 achieves only 13.3 million per mm². This reflects the manufacturing process gap between 28 nm and 6 nm.

The RX 7700S is a mobile part (IGP slot width), designed for laptops, with no power connector and a 100 W TDP. The Quadro M6000 is a desktop dual-slot workstation card with a 250 W TDP and a single 8-pin power connector. The RX 7700S also supports PCIe 4.0, while the Quadro M6000 is limited to PCIe 3.0.

The memory configurations differ significantly. The Quadro M6000 has 12 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, yielding 317.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 7700S has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, yielding 288.0 GB/s. The Quadro has more memory capacity and higher bandwidth, but the RX 7700S has faster memory clocks (18 Gbps effective vs 6.6 Gbps effective).

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only two shared benchmark results are Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan. The results are split, but not evenly.

OpenCL: AMD Radeon RX 7700S wins decisively.

The RX 7700S scores 62,983 in OpenCL, compared to the Quadro M6000's 39,688. This is a 37% delta in favor of AMD. The RX 7700S more than doubles the FP32 compute rate (20.48 TFLOPS vs 6.844 TFLOPS), and this shows in the compute-oriented OpenCL test. The RX 7700S also has a higher texture rate (320.0 GTexel/s vs 213.9 GTexel/s) and pixel rate (160.0 GPixel/s vs 106.9 GPixel/s). For any OpenCL-based rendering, simulation, or data processing, the RX 7700S is the clear winner.

Vulkan: NVIDIA Quadro M6000 wins, but by a smaller margin.

The Quadro M6000 scores 46,913 in Vulkan, while the RX 7700S scores 36,380. The delta is 29% in favor of NVIDIA. This is a substantial win, but less than the 37% margin AMD achieved in OpenCL. The Quadro's older architecture has driver maturity and possibly better Vulkan optimization. It also has more memory (12 GB vs 8 GB), which could help in memory-heavy Vulkan workloads, though the benchmark score itself is the direct evidence.

The data shows that the Quadro M6000 holds its own in Vulkan despite being an older card, but the RX 7700S is the stronger compute card overall.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in almost every core specification. Here are the key differences:

• Process Node: 28 nm (Quadro M6000) vs 6 nm (RX 7700S)
• Transistor Count: 8,000 million vs 13,300 million
• Die Size: 601 mm² vs 204 mm²
• Base Clock: 988 MHz vs 1500 MHz
• Boost Clock: 1114 MHz vs 2500 MHz
• Memory Clock: 6.6 Gbps effective vs 18 Gbps effective
• Memory Size: 12 GB GDDR5 vs 8 GB GDDR6
• Memory Bus: 384-bit vs 128-bit
• Shading Units: 3072 vs 2048
• TMUs: 192 vs 128
• ROPs: 96 vs 64
• RT Cores: None vs 32
• FP32: 6.844 TFLOPS vs 20.48 TFLOPS
• FP16: Not specified vs 40.96 TFLOPS (2:1)
• TDP: 250 W vs 100 W
• Slot Width: Dual-slot vs IGP (integrated)
• Power Connector: 1x 8-pin vs None
• Suggested PSU: 600 W vs None
• Bus Interface: PCIe 3.0 x16 vs PCIe 4.0 x16
• DirectX: 12 (12_1) vs 12 Ultimate (12_2)
• Release Date: 2015-03-20 vs 2023-01-03

The RX 7700S has a massive clock speed advantage. Its boost clock is 2500 MHz, more than double the Quadro's 1114 MHz. The RX 7700S also has dedicated ray tracing cores (32), which the Quadro lacks entirely. However, the Quadro has more memory capacity, a wider memory bus, and more shading units.

FAQ

Q: Which card has better raw compute performance?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7700S has more than triple the FP32 throughput, at 20.48 TFLOPS versus the Quadro M6000's 6.844 TFLOPS. Its FP16 rate is 40.96 TFLOPS (2:1), while the Quadro has no listed FP16 capability.

Q: Which card is more power-efficient?

A: The data shows the RX 7700S has a 100 W TDP and the Quadro M6000 has a 250 W TDP. The RX 7700S uses less power and provides higher compute rates, making it more efficient by a wide margin.

**Q: Does the NVIDIA card have any advantage in memory?

A:** Yes. The Quadro M6000 has 12 GB of memory versus 8 GB, and a wider 384-bit bus versus 128-bit. It also has higher bandwidth at 317.4 GB/s versus 288.0 GB/s. This could benefit workloads with large datasets that fit in VRAM.

**Q: Which card supports ray tracing?

A:** The AMD Radeon RX 7700S has 32 ray tracing cores. The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 has no listed ray tracing cores.

**Q: Which card has the newer features?

A:** The RX 7700S supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the Quadro M6000 only supports DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. The RX 7700S also uses the PCIe 4.0 interface, while the Quadro is limited to PCIe 3.0.

**Q: How do their overall benchmark scores compare?

A:** The Quadro M6000 has an average benchmark score of 43,301 compared to the RX 7700S's 33,849. This is driven by the Quadro's strong Vulkan score, but the RX 7700S wins in OpenCL. The two cards each win one head-to-head benchmark.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 wins in:

• Vulkan-based workloads, with a 29% higher score (46913 vs 36380).
• Applications that require more VRAM (12 GB vs 8 GB).
• Tasks that benefit from a wider memory bus (384-bit vs 128-bit).
• Workloads on older software stacks that are optimized for Maxwell architecture.
• Professional applications that rely on features present in the Quadro lineup, given its workstation pedigree and DisplayPort 1.2 outputs.

The AMD Radeon RX 7700S wins in:

• OpenCL compute, with a 37% higher score (62,983 vs 39,688).
• Power efficiency, at 100 W TDP versus 250 W.
• Newer technology, including 6 nm process, PCIe 4.0, and ray tracing support.
• Higher raw compute throughput (20.48 TFLOPS FP32).
• Mobile or compact builds, as it is an integrated GPU (IGP) with no external power connector.
• It also has a higher boost clock (2500 MHz vs 1114 MHz) and higher texture rate (320.0 GT/s vs 213.9 GT/s).

In short, the Quadro M6000 is the choice if you need a Vulkan-centric workstation card, but the RX 7700S is the better all-around compute and efficiency pick, especially for modern workloads.