AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 vs NVIDIA Quadro M6000 Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded data splits these two cards into very different usage profiles. The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 occupies the 84th percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 sits at the 81st percentile. That three-percentile gap in the aggregate ranking is small, but the underlying benchmark results tell a different story depending on which workload you examine.

The Quadro M6000 shows its strength in compute-oriented API tests. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 39,688 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 46,913 are the only general-purpose compute results recorded for this card. The RX Vega 56, by contrast, has no equivalent OpenCL or Vulkan scores in the database. Instead, it posts a Geekbench Metal score of 73,512, which is the highest single benchmark result between the two cards by a wide margin. For macOS environments where Metal is the primary API, the RX Vega 56 is the clear choice based on that metric alone.

The RX Vega 56 also wins in the one DirectX 12 test recorded for either card. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,501 gives it a modern gaming-oriented data point that the Quadro M6000 simply does not have. The Quadro has no recorded DX12 benchmark in the database, so for anyone looking at current-generation game workloads, the RX Vega 56 is the only one of the two with a measurable result.

The Quadro M6000's average benchmark score of 43,301 is higher than the RX Vega 56's 37,507. That difference of roughly 5,800 points, about 15 percent, reflects the Quadro's stronger showing in the compute tests it does have. However, the RX Vega 56's nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 at 37,648 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile at 38,135, both of which are within 1.6 percent of its average. The Quadro M6000, by comparison, sits within 0.8 percent of the RTX 4090 Mobile and within 0.2 percent of the RTX 4070 SUPER, placing it in a higher performance tier overall.

The real takeaway is that these are cards for different ecosystems. The Quadro M6000 is the stronger general compute card in the database's aggregate scoring, while the RX Vega 56 has the advantage in Metal-specific workloads and has a recorded DX12 result where the Quadro has none.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different foundries and process nodes. The Quadro M6000 uses the GM200 chip built on TSMC's 28 nm process, while the RX Vega 56 uses the Vega 10 chip fabricated by GlobalFoundries on 14 nm. The transistor counts reflect the node difference: the Quadro packs 8,000 million transistors into a 601 mm² die, for a density of 13.3 million transistors per square millimeter. The RX Vega 56 crams 12,500 million transistors into a smaller 495 mm² die, achieving 25.3 million per square millimeter, nearly double the density.

The architectural families are Maxwell 2.0 for NVIDIA and GCN 5.0 for AMD. The Quadro's Maxwell 2.0 design is an older generation, released in the Quadro Maxwell (Mx000) product line, while the RX Vega 56 belongs to the Vega (RX Vega) generation. The Quadro's predecessor was Quadro Kepler and its successor Quadro Pascal. The RX Vega 56's predecessor was Polaris and its successor Navi.

Shader resources differ significantly. The RX Vega 56 has 3,584 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units. The Quadro M6000 has 3,072 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The Vega card has more shaders and TMUs, but the Quadro has more ROPs, which matters for pixel throughput. The pixel rate numbers bear this out: the Quadro posts 106.9 GPixel/s against the RX Vega 56's 94.14 GPixel/s. Texture rate goes the other way, with the RX Vega 56 at 329.5 GTexel/s versus the Quadro's 213.9 GTexel/s.

Compute throughput is where the Vega architecture pulls ahead on paper. The RX Vega 56 delivers 10.54 TFLOPS of FP32 and 21.09 TFLOPS of FP16 with a 2:1 ratio. The Quadro M6000 manages 6.844 TFLOPS of FP32 and has no recorded FP16 capability. Neither card has ray tracing cores or tensor cores.

The memory subsystems are fundamentally different. The Quadro uses 12 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, yielding 317.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX Vega 56 uses 8 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus, yielding 409.6 GB/s. The Vega card has 29 percent more bandwidth despite having less capacity.

API support is close but not identical. Both support DirectX 12 (12_1) and OpenGL 4.6. The Quadro supports Vulkan 1.4, while the RX Vega 56 supports Vulkan 1.3. The Quadro also uses PCIe 3.0 x16, the same bus interface as the Vega card.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no direct head-to-head benchmark entries where both cards ran the same test. Instead, the comparison relies on each card's individual recorded scores and their positions relative to shared rivals in the database.

The Quadro M6000's Geekbench OpenCL score of 39,688 and Vulkan score of 46,913 combine with its average of 43,301. The RX Vega 56's Geekbench Metal score of 73,512 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,501 combine for an average of 37,507. The Quadro's average is 15.4 percent higher than the Vega's, but that gap is driven entirely by tests the two cards do not share.

Looking at the nearest rival lists provides context. The Quadro M6000's closest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB at a 0.1 percent delta, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile at 0.1 percent, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER at 0.2 percent. The only rival that beats it is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile, which is 0.8 percent ahead. The RX Vega 56's closest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla P4 at 0.3 percent behind, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 at 0.4 percent behind, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile at 1.6 percent ahead. Its only rival below it is the AMD Radeon PRO W6400, which trails by 0.9 percent.

The practical reading is that the Quadro M6000 competes with high-end RTX 40-series parts, while the RX Vega 56 sits closer to the RTX 4070 class. The Quadro's 84th percentile ranking versus the Vega's 81st confirms the Quadro is the stronger overall performer in the database's aggregate scoring.

For Metal-specific workloads, the RX Vega 56's 73,512 Geekbench Metal score is the standout number. It is nearly 57 percent higher than the Quadro's best recorded single-score result of 46,913 in Geekbench Vulkan. That gap is enormous and points to the Vega card being far better suited to Apple ecosystem compute tasks.

For DX12 gaming, the RX Vega 56's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1,501 is the only data point available. The Quadro has no comparable result, so the database provides no evidence that the Quadro can match it in that workload.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every major specification category. The process node is 28 nm for the Quadro and 14 nm for the RX Vega 56. Transistor count is 8,000 million versus 12,500 million. Die size is 601 mm² versus 495 mm². Transistor density is 13.3M per mm² versus 25.3M per mm².

Base clocks are 988 MHz for the Quadro and 1156 MHz for the RX Vega 56. Boost clocks are 1114 MHz versus 1471 MHz. Memory clocks are 1653 MHz with 6.6 Gbps effective for the Quadro, and 800 MHz with 1600 Mbps effective for the Vega. Memory capacity is 12 GB GDDR5 versus 8 GB HBM2. Bus width is 384 bit versus 2048 bit. Bandwidth is 317.4 GB/s versus 409.6 GB/s.

Shading units are 3,072 versus 3,584. TMUs are 192 versus 224. ROPs are 96 versus 64. Pixel rate is 106.9 GPixel/s versus 94.14 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 213.9 GTexel/s versus 329.5 GTexel/s. FP32 is 6.844 TFLOPS versus 10.54 TFLOPS. FP16 is not recorded for the Quadro, while the Vega has 21.09 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio.

TDP is 250 W for the Quadro and 210 W for the Vega. Power connectors are 1x 8-pin for the Quadro and 2x 8-pin for the Vega. Suggested PSU is 600 W for the Quadro and 550 W for the Vega. Both are dual-slot cards. The Quadro is 267 mm long and 111 mm tall, while the Vega is 280 mm long, 111 mm tall, and 40 mm wide. Display outputs are 1x DVI plus 4x DisplayPort 1.2 for the Quadro, and 1x HDMI 2.0b plus 3x DisplayPort 1.4a for the Vega. Vulkan support is 1.4 for the Quadro and 1.3 for the Vega. The Quadro's launch MSRP is not recorded. The RX Vega 56 has a launch MSRP of 399 USD.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score in the database?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 has an average benchmark score of 43,301, which is higher than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56's 37,507.

Q: How do the two cards compare in terms of aggregate GPU ranking?

A: The Quadro M6000 sits in the 84th percentile of all GPUs, while the RX Vega 56 sits in the 81st percentile.

Q: Which card is better for Metal-based workloads?

A: The RX Vega 56 has a Geekbench Metal score of 73,512, which is the highest single benchmark result recorded for either card. The Quadro M6000 has no Metal benchmark in the database.

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

A: The Quadro M6000 has 12 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus with 317.4 GB/s bandwidth. The RX Vega 56 has 8 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus with 409.6 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Do either of these cards support ray tracing or tensor cores?

A: Neither card has ray tracing cores or tensor cores recorded in the database.

Q: Which card has a higher power draw?

A: The Quadro M6000 has a TDP of 250 W, while the RX Vega 56 has a TDP of 210 W. The Quadro also requires a 600 W suggested PSU, compared to the Vega's 550 W.