AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT vs NVIDIA Quadro K5100M Comparison

FAQ

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in overall average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT records an average benchmark score of 11627, while the NVIDIA Quadro K5100M averages 10043. That places the RX 7800 XT roughly 15.8% higher overall, and the data shows the RX 7800 XT sits at the 51st percentile of all GPUs versus the K5100M at the 48th percentile.

Q: What is the only directly comparable benchmark result in the database?

A: The head-to-head comparison includes a single matching test, Geekbench OpenCL. The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT scores 18290, and the NVIDIA Quadro K5100M scores 11771, giving the AMD card a 55.4% advantage in that workload.

Q: Which GPU has the higher transistor count and newer manufacturing process?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT uses 28,100 million transistors on a 5 nm process at TSMC, with a die size of 346 mm². The NVIDIA Quadro K5100M uses 3,540 million transistors on a 28 nm process at TSMC, with a die size of 294 mm². The RX 7800 XT also achieves a transistor density of 81.2M / mm² versus 12.0M / mm² for the K5100M.

Q: Is the Quadro K5100M still in production?

A: No. The database lists the NVIDIA Quadro K5100M as end-of-life, with a release date of 2013-07-22. The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is listed as active, with a release date of 2023-09-05.

Q: What are the memory specifications for each card?

A: The RX 7800 XT has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The K5100M has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 115.2 GB/s. That is a 508.9 GB/s difference in favor of the AMD card.

Q: How do the nearest rivals position each GPU in the database?

A: For the RX 7800 XT, the closest competitor is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 with an average score of 11680, a 0.5% gap. Other near rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M (11528, 0.9% behind) and the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT (11842, 1.8% ahead). For the K5100M, the nearest rival is the AMD Radeon R9 M375 at 10070, a 0.3% gap, with the AMD Radeon Pro 5300M at 10013 (0.3% behind) and the NVIDIA Quadro 6000 at 9846 (2% behind).

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 32 chip, part of the Navi III (RX 7000) generation and codenamed "Wheat Nas". It uses a 5 nm process at TSMC, packing 28,100 million transistors into a 346 mm² die. The NVIDIA Quadro K5100M, by contrast, uses the Kepler architecture with the GK104 chip, from the Quadro Kepler-M (Kx100M) generation. It is manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC, with 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. The process node difference is stark: 5 nm versus 28 nm, and the transistor density reflects that, at 81.2M / mm² versus 12.0M / mm².

The RX 7800 XT features 3840 shading units, 240 texture mapping units, and 96 render output units. It also includes 60 dedicated ray tracing cores. The K5100M has 1536 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, with no ray tracing cores listed. The compute throughput difference is substantial: the RX 7800 XT delivers 37.32 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the K5100M delivers 2.369 TFLOPS. The RX 7800 XT also supports FP16 at a 1:1 ratio (37.32 TFLOPS), whereas the K5100M has no listed FP16 capability.

Clock speeds diverge widely. The RX 7800 XT has a base clock of 1295 MHz, a boost clock of 2430 MHz, and a game clock of 2124 MHz. The K5100M runs at a fixed 771 MHz base and boost. Memory clocks differ too: the RX 7800 XT runs at 2438 MHz (19.5 Gbps effective), while the K5100M runs at 900 MHz (3.6 Gbps effective). The AMD card supports PCIe 4.0 x16, while the NVIDIA card uses an MXM-B (3.0) interface. For display outputs, the RX 7800 XT offers 1x HDMI 2.1a and 3x DisplayPort 2.1, whereas the K5100M is listed as "Portable Device Dependent". API support shows the RX 7800 XT with DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, versus DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175 for the K5100M. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records exactly one head-to-head benchmark between these two cards: Geekbench OpenCL. In that test, the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT scores 18290, and the NVIDIA Quadro K5100M scores 11771. The delta is 55.4% in favor of the AMD card. That is a decisive margin, indicating the RX 7800 XT is far ahead in general-purpose compute workloads as measured by OpenCL.

Beyond that single matching test, the broader benchmark suite for the RX 7800 XT shows a wide range of results. In Geekbench Vulkan, it scores 54228. In Passmark tests, it records 24176 in G3D, 13473 in GPU Compute, 1177 in G2D, 304 in DirectX 9, 249 in DirectX 11, 121 in DirectX 10, and 93 in DirectX 12. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 4157. The K5100M has only two recorded benchmarks: Geekbench OpenCL at 11771 and Geekbench Metal at 8315. The OpenCL comparison is the only direct apples-to-apples number, and it heavily favors the RX 7800 XT.

The average benchmark scores reinforce the gap: 11627 for the RX 7800 XT versus 10043 for the K5100M. That is a 1584-point difference, or roughly 15.8% higher for the AMD card. Looking at nearest rivals, the RX 7800 XT sits within a tight cluster: the GeForce GTX 1660 is only 0.5% higher, and the RX 6500 XT is 1.8% higher, meaning the RX 7800 XT is competitive with those cards despite its much newer architecture. The K5100M, by contrast, sits within a similar tight cluster around the 10000 mark, with the R9 M375 within 0.3% and the Quadro 6000 within 2%. The data shows the RX 7800 XT belongs to a performance tier roughly 15% above the K5100M's tier.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the recorded data, the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is the clear winner. It wins the only head-to-head benchmark by 55.4%, has a higher average benchmark score (11627 versus 10043), and sits at a higher percentile (51 versus 48). The architecture gap is enormous: RDNA 3.0 on 5 nm versus Kepler on 28 nm, with 3840 shading units versus 1536, and 37.32 TFLOPS versus 2.369 TFLOPS. The RX 7800 XT also offers 16 GB of GDDR6 memory with 624.1 GB/s bandwidth, versus 8 GB of GDDR5 at 115.2 GB/s. For any modern workload, the RX 7800 XT is the only sensible choice from this comparison.

The NVIDIA Quadro K5100M is an end-of-life product from 2013, with a fixed 771 MHz clock and no ray tracing support. Its only advantage is power draw: the K5100M is rated at 100 W, versus 263 W for the RX 7800 XT, and it uses an MXM module form factor with no external power connectors, which suits portable or embedded systems. But the performance data shows it is outclassed across the board. The verdict is unambiguous: pick the RX 7800 XT unless the physical power and form factor constraints of the K5100M are absolute requirements.

Specification Differences

The following fields differ between the two GPUs in the database:

• Process Node: 5 nm (RX 7800 XT) versus 28 nm (K5100M)
• Transistors: 28,100 million versus 3,540 million
• Die Size: 346 mm² versus 294 mm²
• Transistor Density: 81.2M / mm² versus 12.0M / mm²
• Base Clock: 1295 MHz versus 771 MHz
• Boost Clock: 2430 MHz versus 771 MHz
• Game Clock: 2124 MHz versus not listed
• Memory Clock: 2438 MHz (19.5 Gbps effective) versus 900 MHz (3.6 Gbps effective)
• Memory Size: 16 GB versus 8 GB
• Memory Type: GDDR6 versus GDDR5
• Memory Bandwidth: 624.1 GB/s versus 115.2 GB/s
• Shading Units: 3840 versus 1536
• Texture Mapping Units: 240 versus 128
• Render Output Units: 96 versus 32
• Ray Tracing Cores: 60 versus not listed
• Pixel Rate: 233.3 GPixel/s versus 24.67 GPixel/s
• Texture Rate: 583.2 GTexel/s versus 98.69 GTexel/s
• FP32 Performance: 37.32 TFLOPS versus 2.369 TFLOPS
• FP16 Performance: 37.32 TFLOPS (1:1) versus not listed
• TDP: 263 W versus 100 W
• Slot Width: Dual-slot versus MXM Module
• Power Connectors: 2x 8-pin versus none
• Suggested PSU: 600 W versus not listed
• Bus Interface: PCIe 4.0 x16 versus MXM-B (3.0)
• Display Outputs: 1x HDMI 2.1a, 3x DisplayPort 2.1 versus portable device dependent
• DirectX Support: 12 Ultimate (12_2) versus 12 (11_0)
• Vulkan Support: 1.4 versus 1.2.175
• Production Status: Active versus end-of-life
• Release Date: 2023-09-05 versus 2013-07-22
• Predecessor: Navi II versus Quadro Fermi-M
• Successor: Navi IV versus Quadro Maxwell-M
• Launch MSRP: 499 USD versus not listed

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT wins every performance category where data exists. In compute, it leads Geekbench OpenCL by 55.4%. Its FP32 throughput of 37.32 TFLOPS dwarfs the K5100M's 2.369 TFLOPS, making it suitable for rendering, simulation, and machine learning tasks that rely on raw shader throughput. The 60 ray tracing cores give it hardware acceleration for ray-traced workloads, which the K5100M lacks entirely. The 16 GB GDDR6 memory with 624.1 GB/s bandwidth is ample for large textures, high-resolution assets, and data-heavy compute, whereas the K5100M's 8 GB GDDR5 at 115.2 GB/s is a bottleneck. The RX 7800 XT also supports modern APIs including DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, ensuring compatibility with current and upcoming titles and applications.

The NVIDIA Quadro K5100M wins in power efficiency and physical integration. Its 100 W TDP is less than half the RX 7800 XT's 263 W, making it viable for systems with limited thermal and power budgets. The MXM module form factor with no external power connectors means it can slot into laptops or compact industrial systems where a dual-slot PCIe card with 2x 8-pin connectors would not fit. The K5100M also supports Geekbench Metal, which the RX 7800 XT does not list, indicating some macOS or Metal-based application compatibility. However, the database shows no benchmark where the K5100M outperforms the RX 7800 XT; its only wins are in power draw and form factor. For desktop use, high-performance compute, or gaming, the RX 7800 XT is the clear pick. For constrained embedded or mobile systems where power and size are paramount, the K5100M remains a legacy option, but it is end-of-life and outclassed on every measured performance metric.