AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX vs NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 has an average benchmark score of 21,629, while the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX records 19,410. The Quadro sits at the 67th percentile among all GPUs, versus the 64th percentile for the Radeon.

Q: How do the two compare in OpenCL performance?

A: The Quadro RTX 5000 leads decisively in Geekbench OpenCL with a score of 78,999 against 50,465 for the RX 7900 XTX, a 56.5% advantage. The Vulkan result is closer, with the Quadro ahead 92,309 to 85,612, a 7.8% margin.

Q: Which GPU wins the majority of direct benchmark head-to-heads?

A: The RX 7900 XTX wins 7 of 9 head-to-head tests. The Quadro RTX 5000 wins only 2, both in Geekbench (OpenCL and Vulkan). The Radeon dominates all Passmark tests, including DirectX 11, DirectX 12, and GPU compute.

Q: What are the memory specifications for each card?

A: The Quadro RTX 5000 has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 7900 XTX has 24 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus with 960.0 GB/s bandwidth, exactly double the Quadro's bandwidth.

Q: Which card has higher raw compute throughput?

A: The RX 7900 XTX reaches 61.39 TFLOPS FP32 and 122.8 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1). The Quadro RTX 5000 delivers 11.15 TFLOPS FP32 and 22.30 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1). The Radeon is approximately 5.5 times higher in FP32.

Q: What is the power requirement difference?

A: The Quadro RTX 5000 has a 230 W TDP with a suggested 550 W PSU, using one 6-pin and one 8-pin connector. The RX 7900 XTX has a 355 W TDP with a suggested 750 W PSU, using two 8-pin connectors.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split based on workload. If the priority is compute-oriented APIs, specifically OpenCL or Vulkan, the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 is the stronger pick. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 78,999 beats the Radeon's 50,465 by a wide margin, and its Vulkan score of 92,309 edges out 85,612. The Quadro also carries a higher average benchmark score overall (21,629 versus 19,410) despite being an older Turing-era design.

However, for anyone focused on DirectX gaming or general graphics throughput, the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the unmistakable choice. It wins every Passmark graphics test in the database, with particularly large leads in DirectX 11 (356 versus 140, a 60.7% gap) and DirectX 12 (131 versus 59, a 55% gap). Its Passmark G3D score of 31,238 is exactly double the Quadro's 15,616. The Radeon also has double the memory bandwidth (960.0 GB/s versus 448.0 GB/s) and nearly triple the FP32 compute (61.39 TFLOPS versus 11.15 TFLOPS).

The verdict depends on the target application. Data center or workstation compute tasks that rely on OpenCL or Vulkan will favor the Quadro. Gaming, DirectX-based rendering, and GPU compute workloads as measured by Passmark will favor the Radeon. The RX 7900 XTX's 7-to-2 win count in head-to-head tests is the simpler summary, but the two Geekbench victories for the Quadro are not minor, they are substantial margins that cannot be ignored.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two GPUs split cleanly across the nine recorded tests. The Quadro RTX 5000 takes the two Geekbench entries. In OpenCL, it scores 78,999 against 50,465, a 56.5% advantage. In Vulkan, it posts 92,309 against 85,612, a 7.8% lead. These are the only tests where the NVIDIA card comes out ahead, and the OpenCL margin is the largest single-test delta in either direction.

The RX 7900 XTX sweeps all seven Passmark tests. The smallest Radeon victory is in DirectX 10, where it scores 166 versus 113, a 31.9% gap. The largest is in GPU compute, where it reaches 17,689 against 6,525, a 63.1% lead. DirectX 11 shows 356 versus 140, a 60.7% margin. DirectX 12 shows 131 versus 59, a 55% gap. DirectX 9 shows 330 versus 195, a 40.9% difference. The G2D test shows 1,267 versus 709, a 44% margin, and the G3D test shows 31,238 versus 15,616, a 50% gap.

The pattern is consistent: the Quadro wins in cross-platform compute APIs, while the Radeon wins in every DirectX generation and in 2D/3D rasterization tests. The RX 7900 XTX's G3D score being exactly double the Quadro's is a notable symmetry. The GPU compute result is the most lopsided, with the Radeon nearly tripling the Quadro's score.

Specification Differences

The core specifications diverge sharply. The Quadro RTX 5000 uses 3,072 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The RX 7900 XTX doubles the shading units to 6,144, doubles the TMUs to 384, and triples the ROPs to 192. The Radeon also has 96 ray accelerators (RT cores) versus 48 for the Quadro, and the Quadro has 384 tensor cores while the Radeon has none listed.

Clock speeds favor the Radeon. The Quadro runs at a base of 1620 MHz and a boost of 1815 MHz. The RX 7900 XTX runs at a base of 1929 MHz, a game clock of 2365 MHz, and a boost of 2498 MHz. Memory clocks also differ: the Quadro uses 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective, while the Radeon uses 2500 MHz with 20 Gbps effective.

Memory capacity and bandwidth are not close. The Quadro has 16 GB, the Radeon has 24 GB. The bus width is 256-bit versus 384-bit, and bandwidth is 448.0 GB/s versus 960.0 GB/s. Pixel rate is 116.2 GPixel/s for the Quadro and 479.6 GPixel/s for the Radeon. Texture rate is 348.5 GTexel/s versus 959.2 GTexel/s. FP32 is 11.15 TFLOPS versus 61.39 TFLOPS, and FP16 is 22.30 TFLOPS versus 122.8 TFLOPS (both 2:1).

Power and physical specs differ as well. TDP is 230 W for the Quadro and 355 W for the Radeon. Suggested PSU is 550 W versus 750 W. Power connectors are 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin versus 2x 8-pin. Both are dual-slot, but the Quadro is 267 mm long and 111 mm tall, while the Radeon is 287 mm long, 110 mm tall, and 51 mm wide. The Quadro uses PCIe 3.0 x16, the Radeon uses PCIe 4.0 x16. Display outputs: the Quadro has 4x DisplayPort 1.4a plus 1x USB Type-C, the Radeon has 1x HDMI 2.1a, 2x DisplayPort 2.1, and 1x USB Type-C.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from entirely different design generations. The Quadro RTX 5000 is built on the TU104 chip using NVIDIA's Turing architecture, fabricated on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It packs 13,600 million transistors on a 545 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 25.0M per mm². Its generation is listed as Quadro Turing (Tx000).

The RX 7900 XTX uses the Navi 31 chip with AMD's RDNA 3.0 architecture, codenamed Plum Bonito. It is built on a 5 nm process, also at TSMC, with 57,700 million transistors on a 529 mm² die, yielding a density of 109.1M per mm². Its generation is Navi III (RX 7000).

The transistor count difference is enormous: the Radeon has more than four times the transistors of the Quadro, yet a slightly smaller die. The density advantage reflects the newer 5 nm node versus 12 nm. The Radeon's predecessor is listed as Navi II and its successor as Navi IV, while the Quadro's predecessor is Quadro Volta and its successor is Workstation Ampere.

Both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The architectural differences show up in feature sets: the Quadro has tensor cores (384) for AI workloads, while the Radeon has none. The Radeon has double the RT cores (96 versus 48). The Radeon's memory clock and bandwidth are substantially higher, consistent with its newer memory subsystem design.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the clear winner for DirectX-based workloads. It wins every Passmark DirectX test: DirectX 10 by 31.9%, DirectX 11 by 60.7%, DirectX 12 by 55%, and DirectX 9 by 40.9%. It also wins the Passmark G2D test by 44% and the G3D test by 50%. For GPU compute as measured by Passmark, the Radeon wins by 63.1%, the largest margin in the entire comparison. The Radeon's higher pixel rate (479.6 GPixel/s versus 116.2 GPixel/s) and texture rate (959.2 GTexel/s versus 348.5 GTexel/s) support these wins.

The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 wins in OpenCL and Vulkan. The OpenCL victory is substantial at 56.5%, suggesting a compute advantage in that specific API. The Vulkan win is narrower at 7.8%, but still a clear result. The Quadro's tensor cores (384) and its Turing architecture may explain its strength in these cross-platform compute contexts, even though its raw FP32 is far lower.

For memory-heavy tasks, the Radeon has the edge with 24 GB versus 16 GB and 960.0 GB/s versus 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. For power-sensitive environments, the Quadro has the advantage with a 230 W TDP versus 355 W, and a suggested PSU of 550 W versus 750 W. The Quadro is also shorter at 267 mm versus 287 mm, which may matter in compact chassis.

In summary, pick the RX 7900 XTX for DirectX gaming, high-resolution rasterization, and compute tasks that scale with raw throughput. Pick the Quadro RTX 5000 for OpenCL or Vulkan-centric workloads, or when lower power draw and a smaller physical footprint are priorities. The average benchmark score favors the Quadro, but the majority of individual tests favor the Radeon.