AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX vs NVIDIA Quadro M4000M Comparison

# NVIDIA Quadro M4000M vs AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX

The NVIDIA Quadro M4000M and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX represent two vastly different eras of GPU design, separated by seven years of architectural evolution. The M4000M is a Maxwell 2.0-based mobile workstation part from 2015, while the RX 7900 XTX is an RDNA 3.0 flagship desktop card from 2022. The benchmark data shows a dominant performance gap in favor of the newer AMD card, but the comparison reveals interesting details about how GPU architecture has progressed across process nodes, memory systems, and compute capabilities.

FAQ

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in Geekbench OpenCL performance?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX scores 50,465 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M scores 19,989. The delta is -60.4%, meaning the AMD card is approximately 152% faster in this compute workload.

Q: What is the difference in Vulkan benchmark scores?

A: The RX 7900 XTX achieves 85,612 in Geekbench Vulkan compared to 20,971 for the M4000M. This represents a -75.5% delta, making the AMD card roughly 308% faster in Vulkan graphics performance.

Q: Which GPU has better overall benchmark positioning?

A: Despite the massive performance gap, the RX 7900 XTX sits at the 64th percentile of all GPUs, while the M4000M sits at the 65th percentile. Their average benchmark scores are 19,410 and 20,480 respectively, with the M4000M actually having a slightly higher average.

Q: What are the memory specifications of each card?

A: The M4000M has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 160.4 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 7900 XTX has 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus with 960.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: How do their TDP ratings compare?

A: The M4000M has a TDP of 100 W and uses an MXM module form factor with no power connectors. The RX 7900 XTX has a TDP of 355 W, uses a dual-slot design with 2x 8-pin power connectors, and requires a 750 W suggested PSU.

Q: What process nodes are used by each GPU?

A: The M4000M uses a 28 nm process at TSMC, while the RX 7900 XTX uses a 5 nm process, also at TSMC. The transistor counts are 5,200 million and 57,700 million respectively.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is substantial. The NVIDIA Quadro M4000M is built on Maxwell 2.0 architecture, using the GM204 chip manufactured on TSMC's 28 nm process. It packs 5,200 million transistors into a 398 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 13.1 million transistors per square millimeter. This is a mobile workstation part from the Quadro Maxwell-M generation, released in August 2015. Its predecessor was the Quadro Kepler-M and its successor was the Quadro Pascal-M.

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX, in contrast, uses the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 31 chip, codenamed Plum Bonito. It is manufactured on TSMC's 5 nm process, fitting 57,700 million transistors into a 529 mm² die. This yields a transistor density of 109.1 million transistors per square millimeter — more than eight times denser than the older NVIDIA chip. The RX 7900 XTX belongs to the Navi III (RX 7000) generation and the Radeon RX 7000 series, with its predecessor being Navi II and successor being Navi IV.

The compute resource disparity is massive. The M4000M has 1,280 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. The RX 7900 XTX has 6,144 shading units, 384 TMUs, and 192 ROPs — roughly five times the shading units, nearly five times the TMUs, and three times the ROPs. Additionally, the RX 7900 XTX features 96 ray tracing cores, a capability entirely absent from the M4000M. Neither GPU has tensor cores. The clock speeds also differ significantly: the M4000M runs at 975 MHz base and 1013 MHz boost, while the RX 7900 XTX runs at 1929 MHz base, 2365 MHz game clock, and 2498 MHz boost.

Memory architecture is another major differentiator. The M4000M uses 4 GB of GDDR5 at 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective) on a 256-bit bus, yielding 160.4 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 7900 XTX uses 24 GB of GDDR6 at 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective) on a 384-bit bus, delivering 960.0 GB/s — six times the bandwidth of the older card. The bus interface also differs: the M4000M uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the RX 7900 XTX uses PCIe 4.0 x16.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark data contains only two matching tests, both of which the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX wins decisively. The AMD card wins 2 out of 2 benchmarks, with the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M winning none.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 7900 XTX scores 50,465 against the M4000M's 19,989. This is a 60.4% delta in favor of the AMD card, meaning the RX 7900 XTX delivers more than 2.5 times the OpenCL compute performance. This test is particularly relevant for professional workloads that leverage OpenCL for general-purpose GPU computing, where the newer architecture's massive shading unit count and higher clock speeds dominate.

The Geekbench Vulkan result is even more lopsided. The RX 7900 XTX scores 85,612, while the M4000M manages only 20,971. The 75.5% delta indicates the AMD card is roughly four times faster in Vulkan graphics workloads. Vulkan is a modern low-level graphics API, and the M4000M's Maxwell architecture from 2015 simply lacks the architectural optimizations and raw throughput needed to compete with RDNA 3.0.

It is notably the M4000M shows relatively strong performance in its own era's context. Its average benchmark score of 20,480 places it at the 65th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile at 20,534 (a -0.3% delta), followed closely by the Intel Arc B570 at 20,556 (-0.4%) and Intel Arc A750 at 20,582 (-0.5%). The RX 7900 XTX, despite its far higher raw scores, sits at the 64th percentile with an average score of 19,410, with its nearest rival being the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB at 19,334 (0.4% delta) and the NVIDIA TITAN Xp at 19,177 (1.2% delta). This apparent paradox stems from the average benchmark score methodology, which includes a broader set of tests where the RX 7900 XTX's performance distribution varies widely.

Specification Differences

The following specifications differ between the two GPUs:

• Architecture: Maxwell 2.0 (NVIDIA) vs RDNA 3.0 (AMD)
• Process Node: 28 nm vs 5 nm
• Transistors: 5,200 million vs 57,700 million
• Die Size: 398 mm² vs 529 mm²
• Transistor Density: 13.1M / mm² vs 109.1M / mm²
• Base Clock: 975 MHz vs 1929 MHz
• Boost Clock: 1013 MHz vs 2498 MHz
• Game Clock: null vs 2365 MHz
• Memory Size: 4 GB vs 24 GB
• Memory Type: GDDR5 vs GDDR6
• Memory Bus Width: 256 bit vs 384 bit
• Memory Bandwidth: 160.4 GB/s vs 960.0 GB/s
• Shading Units: 1280 vs 6144
• TMUs: 80 vs 384
• ROPs: 64 vs 192
• RT Cores: null vs 96
• Pixel Rate: 64.83 GPixel/s vs 479.6 GPixel/s
• Texture Rate: 81.04 GTexel/s vs 959.2 GTexel/s
• FP32: 2.593 TFLOPS vs 61.39 TFLOPS
• FP16: null vs 122.8 TFLOPS (2:1)
• TDP: 100 W vs 355 W
• Slot Width: MXM Module vs Dual-slot
• Power Connectors: None vs 2x 8-pin
• Suggested PSU: null vs 750 W
• Bus Interface: PCIe 3.0 x16 vs PCIe 4.0 x16
• Display Outputs: Portable Device Dependent vs 1x HDMI 2.1, 2x DisplayPort 2.1, 1x USB Type-C
• DirectX Support: 12 (12_1) vs 12 Ultimate (12_2)
• Release Date: 2015-08-17 vs 2022-11-02
• Production Status: End-of-life vs End-of-life

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX wins in every head-to-head benchmark test available. Its OpenCL score advantage of 30,476 points and Vulkan advantage of 64,641 points make it the clear choice for any compute-intensive or modern graphics workload. The RX 7900 XTX's 61.39 TFLOPS FP32 performance versus the M4000M's 2.593 TFLOPS represents a 23.7x raw compute advantage. Its 960.0 GB/s memory bandwidth versus 160.4 GB/s provides six times the data throughput, which is critical for large dataset processing. The presence of 96 ray tracing cores enables hardware-accelerated ray tracing, which the M4000M cannot perform. The 24 GB memory capacity versus 4 GB allows for much larger textures, models, and datasets to reside in GPU memory without spilling to system RAM.

The NVIDIA Quadro M4000M does not win any head-to-head benchmark, but it does have attributes that could be relevant in specific contexts. Its 100 W TDP makes it suitable for thermally constrained environments where the 355 W RX 7900 XTX would be impractical. The MXM module form factor is designed for laptop and compact workstation integration, whereas the RX 7900 XTX is a dual-slot desktop card measuring 287 mm in length, 110 mm in height, and 51 mm in width. The M4000M's display outputs are portable-device-dependent, reflecting its mobile design intent. Its average benchmark score of 20,480 is actually higher than the RX 7900 XTX's 19,410, though this likely reflects the differing test suites each GPU was subjected to rather than true performance equivalence.

The Verdict

The data indicates that the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is overwhelmingly superior in raw performance metrics. For any user requiring maximum compute throughput, the RX 7900 XTX delivers 152% higher OpenCL scores and 308% higher Vulkan scores than the M4000M. Its architectural advantages — including 5 nm process technology, RDNA 3.0 features, 96 ray tracing cores, and six times the memory bandwidth — make it the definitive choice for modern gaming, professional rendering, or GPU compute workloads. The launch MSRP is 999 USD, which reflects its flagship positioning at release.

The NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, however, serves a fundamentally different purpose. As a 100 W mobile workstation GPU from 2015, it was designed for professional laptops where power efficiency and compact form factors are paramount. Its MXM module form factor and lack of external power connectors make it suitable for systems where the RX 7900 XTX's 355 W TDP, dual-slot footprint, and 2x 8-pin power requirements would be impossible to accommodate. For users maintaining legacy mobile workstations that require Maxwell-era driver support, the M4000M remains a functional option, and its 65th percentile ranking suggests it was competitive within its generation.

The choice between these two GPUs depends entirely on the use case. If the requirement is maximum performance in a desktop system with adequate power delivery and cooling, the RX 7900 XTX is the only rational selection given the benchmark data. If the requirement is a low-power mobile workstation GPU that still functions adequately for its era, the M4000M has no direct competitor in the RX 7900 XTX, which cannot be installed in such systems. The RX 7900 XTX's average benchmark score of 19,410 and 64th percentile placement, despite its dominant head-to-head wins, indicate that its performance profile is not uniformly outstanding across all test types, but within the available comparison data, it is categorically faster.