AMD Radeon RX 9070 vs NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a clear split between these two GPUs, with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 winning 7 of the 9 recorded tests, while the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 takes 2 decisive victories. The most dramatic result is in Geekbench Vulkan, where the Quadro RTX 8000 scores 122,637 against the RX 9070's 58,705, a 108.9% advantage. That is the single largest delta in the entire head-to-head comparison, and it completely flips the narrative that the newer card would dominate every API.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 9070 reverses the outcome with a score of 131,539 versus 101,883, a 22.5% lead for the AMD card. This is notable because OpenCL is often used in professional compute workloads, and the RX 9070's raw FP32 throughput of 36.13 TFLOPS versus the Quadro's 16.31 TFLOPS helps explain the margin.

The DirectX legacy tests show consistent AMD advantages. In PassMark DirectX 9, the RX 9070 scores 343 against 211, a 38.5% win. DirectX 11 shows 281 versus 188, a 33.1% margin. DirectX 10 is closer at 141 versus 137, a 2.8% difference. The only DirectX test the Quadro wins is DirectX 12, where it scores 79 against 74, a 6.8% edge, though both scores are low in absolute terms.

The PassMark G3D test, which represents general 3D graphics performance, goes to the RX 9070 with 25,381 points versus 19,799, a 22% lead. The compute-focused PassMark GPU Compute test also favors AMD at 14,737 versus 9,992, a 32.2% margin. The 2D graphics test shows the RX 9070 at 1,280 versus 866, a 32.3% advantage.

Looking at average benchmark scores, the Quadro RTX 8000 posts 28,421 across its recorded tests, while the RX 9070 averages 23,877. The Quadro's average is inflated by its massive Vulkan score, but its percentile ranking is actually higher at 74 versus the RX 9070's 69. The nearest rival data for the Quadro shows it sitting close to the AMD Radeon R9 M295X (28,580, a 0.6% difference) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (28,020, a 1.4% difference). The RX 9070, meanwhile, sits near the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER (24,170, a 1.2% difference) and the AMD Radeon RX 6800S (24,063, a 0.8% difference). Neither card is far from its immediate competitors, but the Quadro's spread of rivals spans older high-end parts, which speaks to its unusual profile in the database.

The Verdict

The data indicates that the AMD Radeon X 9070 is the broader performer in most measurable graphics workloads. It wins in OpenCL, all three DX9 through DX11 tests, G3D, G2D, GPU compute, and DirectX 10 by margins ranging from 2.8% to 38.5%. The Quadro RTX 8000 only wins in Vulkan and DirectX 12, but its Vulkan margin is enormous at 108.9% and its DirectX 12 win is a modest 6. Its OpenCL score of 131,539 is 29,656 points higher than the Quadro, and its G3D score exceeds the Quadro by 5,582 points, making it the more consistent performer across the full suite of tests. For anyone weighing raw compute throughput, the RX 9070's FP32 figure of 36.13 TFLOPS is more than double the Quadro's 16.31 TFLOPS, though the Quadro counters with 32.62 TFLOPS in FP16 with a 2:1 ratio versus the RX 9070's 36.13 TFLOPS at 1:1.

The production status difference is also relevant. The Quadro RTX 8000 is end-of-life, while the RX 9070 is active. The RX 9070 has a launch MSRP of 549 USD. The Quadro RTX 8000 has a launch MSRP of 9,999 USD. The RX 9070 wins more tests, has a higher boost clock of 2520 MHz versus 1770 MHz, and draws less power at 220 W versus 260 W. The Quadro RTX 8000 has a higher average benchmark score at 28,421 versus 23,877 and a higher percentile rank at 74 versus 69, but that average is driven by the Vulkan outlier. The data suggests the RX 9070 is the more practical choice for modern graphics workloads, while the Quadro retains a niche for Vulkan-centric applications.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from completely different architectural generations. The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 uses the TU102 chip built on Turing architecture, fabricated on a 12 nm process at TSMC. The AMD Radeon RX 9070 uses the Navi 48 chip on RDNA 4.0 architecture, fabricated on a 4 nm process, also at TSMC. The transistor counts differ enormously: the Quadro packs 18,600 million transistors on a 754 mm² die, giving a density of 24.7 million transistors per square millimeter. The RX 9070 packs 53,900 million transistors on a 357 mm² die, a density of 151.0 million per square millimeter. That density difference is the story of the process node leap: the RX 9070 crams nearly three times the transistors into less than half the die area.

The shading unit counts reflect a different design philosophy. The Quadro has 4,608 shading units, 288 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs, with 72 RT cores and 576 tensor cores. The RX 9070 has 3,584 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 128 ROPs, with 56 RT cores and no tensor cores listed. The RX 9070 has fewer shading units but a much higher boost clock, which explains its higher FP32 throughput. The Quadro has more RT cores and tensor cores, the latter being absent from the RX 9070's specifications entirely.

The memory subsystems differ in capacity and bandwidth. The Quadro RTX 8000 carries 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 9070 carries 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 644.6 GB/s. Despite having a third less memory capacity and a narrower bus, the RX 9070 nearly matches bandwidth due to faster memory clocks at 20.1 Gbps effective versus 14 Gbps effective.

Specification Differences

The most obvious specification difference is memory capacity: the Quadro RTX 8000 has 48 GB, while the RX 9070 has 16 GB. The bus widths also differ at 384-bit versus 256-bit. The process node is 12 nm for the Quadro and 4 nm for the RX 9070. The transistor count is 18,600 million versus 53,900 million, and the die size is 754 mm² versus 357 mm². The transistor density is 24.7 million per square millimeter versus 151.0 million.

Clock speeds differ substantially. The Quadro has a base clock of 1395 MHz and a boost of 1770 MHz, while the RX 9070 has a base of 1330 MHz, a game clock of 2070 MHz, and a boost of 2520 MHz. Memory clocks are 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) for the Quadro and 2518 MHz (20.1 Gbps effective) for the RX 9070.

The power characteristics also differ. The Quadro has a TDP of 260 W with a suggested PSU of 600 W, while the RX 9070 has a TDP of 220 W with a suggested PSU of 550 W. The power connectors are 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin for the Quadro and 2x 8-pin for the RX 9070. The bus interface is PCIe 3.0 x16 for the Quadro and PCIe 5.0 x16 for the RX 9070.

Display outputs differ as well. The Quadro has 4x DisplayPort 1.4a and 1x USB Type-C, while the RX 9070 has 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1a. The production status is end-of-life for the Quadro and active for the RX 9070. The release dates are also different, with the Quadro launching in 2018 and the RX 9070 in 2025.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher Geekbench Vulkan score?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 scores 122,637 in Geekbench Vulkan, which is 108.9% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 9070's score of 58,705.

Q: How much faster is the RX 9070 in PassMark DirectX 11?

A: The RX 9070 scores 281 versus the Quadro's 188, a 33.1% advantage.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference between the two cards?

A: The Quadro RTX 8000 has 48 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the RX 9070 has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The Quadro RTX 8000 has 4,608 shading units, while the RX 9070 has 3,584 shading units.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card?

A: The Quadro RTX 8000 has an average benchmark score of 28,421, while the RX 9070 averages 23,877.

Q: Which GPU has the higher boost clock?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9070 has a boost clock of 2520 MHz, compared to the Quadro RTX 8000's boost clock of 1770 MHz.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 wins in exactly two benchmark categories: Geekbench Vulkan and PassMark DirectX 12. The Vulkan result is the standout, with the Quadro scoring 122,637 against the RX 9070's 58,705. That 108.9% margin suggests the Quadro's architecture is particularly well suited to Vulkan workloads, possibly due to its larger memory capacity or driver optimizations. The DirectX 12 win is narrow at 79 versus 74, a 6.8% edge, and both scores are low, so this is not a strong selling point. The Quadro also has the higher average benchmark score at 28,421 and the higher percentile ranking at 74, which can be attributed to its Vulkan outlier pulling the average up.

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 wins everywhere else. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 131,539 is 22.5% higher, and its PassMark GPU Compute score of 14,737 is 32.2% higher, making it the stronger choice for general compute tasks. In legacy DirectX tests, it wins by 2.8% in DX10, 33.1% in DX11, and 38.5% in DX9, showing broad compatibility with older APIs. Its G3D score of 25,381 exceeds the Quadro by 22%, and its G2D score of 1,280 exceeds the Quadro by 32.3%, indicating better 2D and general 3D performance. The RX 9070 also has a higher boost clock, more transistor density, and a lower TDP, making it more efficient in both performance and power draw. The Quadro RTX 8000 remains relevant only for Vulkan-specific applications or scenarios requiring its 48 GB memory capacity, which is the one specification where it clearly dominates. For every other measured workload, the RX 9070 is the data-backed winner.