NVIDIA GeForce 830M vs NVIDIA Quadro 3000M Comparison

NVIDIA GeForce 830M vs NVIDIA Quadro 3000M is a generational clash between Maxwell and Fermi architectures, with the data showing a clear overall victory for the newer GeForce part. The GeForce 830M leads the Quadro 3000M in the only shared benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, by a decisive 16.3% margin, posting a score of 4324 against 3718. This result, combined with the GeForce 830M's higher average benchmark score of 3957 versus 3718, puts the mobile consumer GPU ahead of the older professional workstation part in raw compute performance, despite the Quadro's larger memory bus and higher TDP.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The single head-to-head benchmark available, Geekbench OpenCL, measures general-purpose GPU compute performance across a range of workloads. In this test, the NVIDIA GeForce 830M scores 4324, while the NVIDIA Quadro 3000M scores 3718. This represents a 16.3% advantage for the GeForce 830M, a substantial lead that places the two GPUs in different performance tiers. The GeForce 830M's victory is particularly notable given its significantly lower power envelope of 33 W compared to the Quadro 3000M's 75 W, meaning it achieves higher performance while drawing less than half the power.

The GeForce 830M's OpenCL score of 4324 is also higher than its own average benchmark score of 3957, indicating it performs near the top of its range in this specific test. Conversely, the Quadro 3000M's score of 3718 is exactly its average, suggesting consistent performance across the limited data available. When contextualized against their respective nearest rivals, the GeForce 830M sits in a tight cluster: it is essentially tied with the AMD Radeon R5 M420 (0% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M (0.1% ahead), and the NVIDIA Quadro K2000 (0.2% behind). The Quadro 3000M, meanwhile, is nearly tied with the NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M (0% delta) and slightly behind the GeForce GT 635M (0.6% behind), while leading the GeForce 825M by 0.6% and the AMD Radeon HD 6770 by 1.9%. This shows that both GPUs sit in a similar mid-range compute bracket, but the GeForce 830M is at the stronger end of that bracket.

The 16.3% delta between the two is the single most important number in this comparison. It is not a marginal difference; it is a clear, measurable gap that persists across the benchmark. The GeForce 830M wins the only head-to-head test available, and there are no benchmark results in which the Quadro 3000M emerges victorious. With winsA equal to 1 and winsB equal to 0, the data is unambiguous: the GeForce 830M is the faster GPU in compute workloads.

The Verdict

From the data, the NVIDIA GeForce 830M is the superior choice for anyone prioritizing raw compute performance. Its 16.3% lead in Geekbench OpenCL over the Quadro 3000M is substantial, and it achieves this with a 33 W TDP versus the Quadro's 75 W, making it far more efficient. The GeForce 830M also holds a higher percentile ranking at 24th versus the Quadro's 22nd, and its average benchmark score of 3957 is 6.4% higher than the Quadro's 3718. For general-purpose computing, mobile gaming, or any workload that leverages OpenCL, the GeForce 830M is the clear winner based on the evidence.

However, the Quadro 3000M is not without its own merits, and the choice is not solely about compute speed. The Quadro 3000M offers a 256-bit memory bus and GDDR5 memory, delivering a memory bandwidth of 80.00 GB/s, which is more than 5.5 times the GeForce 830M's 14.40 GB/s from its 64-bit DDR3 interface. While this does not translate into a compute win in the available benchmark, it suggests the Quadro 3000M may be better suited for memory-bandwidth-intensive tasks like large texture loads or specific professional visualization workloads. The Quadro 3000M also has more texture mapping units (40 vs 16) and raster output pipelines (32 vs 8), which could benefit certain graphics pipelines.

For the typical user, the GeForce 830M is the better pick. It is faster, newer (released in 2014 versus 2011), more power-efficient, and supports Vulkan 1.4, which the Quadro 3000M lacks entirely. The Quadro 3000M's only real advantages are memory bandwidth and a professional branding, but the benchmark data does not show that branding translating into superior performance in this test. The verdict is straightforward: pick the GeForce 830M for performance and efficiency; only consider the Quadro 3000M if the specific workload demands the higher memory bandwidth or the MXM form factor.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent distinct architectural generations from NVIDIA, with the GeForce 830M built on the Maxwell architecture and the Quadro 3000M on the older Fermi architecture. The GeForce 830M uses the GM108 chip, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC, while the Quadro 3000M uses the GF104 chip on a 40 nm process, also from TSMC. The process node difference is significant: 28 nm versus 40 nm, which allows the GeForce 830M to pack 1,020 million transistors into a die size of just 77 mm², yielding a transistor density of 13.2 million transistors per square millimeter. In contrast, the Quadro 3000M has 1,950 million transistors on a much larger 332 mm² die, resulting in a lower density of 5.9 million per square millimeter.

The core configurations differ substantially. The GeForce 830M has 256 shading units, 16 texture mapping units, and 8 ROPs, while the Quadro 3000M has 240 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Although the GeForce has more shaders, the Quadro has 2.5 times the TMUs and 4 times the ROPs, which explains why the Quadro's texture rate of 18.00 GTexel/s is close to the GeForce's 18.40 GTexel/s, and its pixel rate of 4.500 GPixel/s is half the GeForce's 9.200 GPixel/s. The GeForce's FP32 performance of 588.8 GFLOPS is 36% higher than the Quadro's 432.0 GFLOPS, aligning with its OpenCL win.

Memory architecture is a major differentiator. The GeForce 830M uses 2 GB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus, with a memory clock of 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective) and bandwidth of 14.40 GB/s. The Quadro 3000M uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, with a memory clock of 625 MHz (2.5 Gbps effective) and bandwidth of 80.00 GB/s. The Quadro's memory bandwidth is vastly superior, but its core compute is slower. The GeForce 830M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the Quadro 3000M supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6 but has no Vulkan support, making it less future-proof. The GeForce 830M also has a newer release date of March 2014 versus February 2011, and its successor is the GeForce 900M, while the Quadro 3000M's successor is the Quadro Kepler-M.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 830M scores 4324, which is 16.3% higher than the NVIDIA Quadro 3000M's score of 3718, making the GeForce 830M the faster GPU in this test.

Q: What is the average benchmark score difference between the two?

A: The GeForce 830M has an average benchmark score of 3957, while the Quadro 3000M has an average of 3718, giving the GeForce 830M a 6.4% higher average score.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same APIs?

A: No. Both support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but the GeForce 830M additionally supports Vulkan 1.4, while the Quadro 3000M does not support Vulkan at all.

Q: How do their memory configurations compare?

A: Both have 2 GB of memory, but the GeForce 830M uses DDR3 on a 64-bit bus with 14.40 GB/s bandwidth, while the Quadro 3000M uses GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 80.00 GB/s bandwidth, making the Quadro's memory bandwidth over 5.5 times higher.

Q: Which GPU has a higher power consumption?

A: The Quadro 3000M has a TDP of 75 W, while the GeForce 830M has a TDP of 33 W, meaning the Quadro draws more than double the power of the GeForce.

Q: What is the transistor count and die size for each?

A: The GeForce 830M has 1,020 million transistors on a 77 mm² die, while the Quadro 3000M has 1,950 million transistors on a 332 mm² die, making the Quadro's die more than four times larger.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce 830M wins decisively in compute performance and efficiency. Its 16.3% lead in Geekbench OpenCL and higher FP32 throughput of 588.8 GFLOPS versus 432.0 GFLOPS make it the stronger choice for general-purpose GPU computing, including OpenCL-based applications and modern game workloads that rely on shader performance. The GeForce 830M also wins on power efficiency, with a 33 W TDP versus 75 W, and on API support, being the only one of the two to support Vulkan 1.4. Its higher pixel rate of 9.200 GPixel/s (double the Quadro's 4.500 GPixel/s) also indicates better fill-rate-bound performance. In terms of the overall benchmark percentile, the GeForce 830M ranks 24th versus the Quadro's 22nd, reinforcing its edge.

The NVIDIA Quadro 3000M wins in memory bandwidth and specific graphics pipeline resources. Its 80.00 GB/s bandwidth is vastly superior to the GeForce 830M's 14.40 GB/s, making it the better option for workloads that are heavily memory-bandwidth-limited, such as high-resolution texture streaming or certain professional visualization tasks. The Quadro also has more texture mapping units (40 vs 16) and more ROPs (32 vs 8), which could benefit applications that are fill-rate or texturing bound, even though its raw pixel rate is lower. Its MXM Module form factor may also be preferred in certain mobile workstation chassis. Despite its compute deficit, the Quadro 3000M's memory advantages and professional lineage make it a niche choice for specific tasks, but the data shows it loses the overall performance battle.

Specification Differences

The key specification differences between the NVIDIA GeForce 830M and the NVIDIA Quadro 3000M are as follows:

• Chip and Architecture: The GeForce 830M uses the GM108 chip based on Maxwell architecture, while the Quadro 3000M uses the GF104 chip based on Fermi architecture.
• Process Node: The GeForce 830M is built on a 28 nm process, while the Quadro 3000M uses a 40 nm process.
• Transistors and Die Size: The GeForce 830M has 1,020 million transistors on a 77 mm² die; the Quadro 3000M has 1,950 million transistors on a 332 mm² die.
• Transistor Density: The GeForce 830M has a density of 13.2M transistors per mm², while the Quadro 3000M has 5.9M per mm².
• Clocks: The GeForce 830M has a base clock of 1082 MHz and a boost clock of 1150 MHz; the Quadro 3000M has no base or boost clocks listed.
• Memory: The GeForce 830M uses 2 GB DDR3 on a 64-bit bus with 14.40 GB/s bandwidth; the Quadro 3000M uses 2 GB GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 80.00 GB/s bandwidth.
• Shading Units: The GeForce 830M has 256 shading units; the Quadro 3000M has 240.
• TMUs and ROPs: The GeForce 830M has 16 TMUs and 8 ROPs; the Quadro 3000M has 40 TMUs and 32 ROPs.
• Pixel and Texture Rates: The GeForce 830M has a pixel rate of 9.200 GPixel/s and texture rate of 18.40 GTexel/s; the Quadro 3000M has 4.500 GPixel/s and 18.00 GTexel/s.
• FP32 Performance: The GeForce 830M delivers 588.8 GFLOPS; the Quadro 3000M delivers 432.0 GFLOPS.
• TDP: The GeForce 830M has a TDP of 33 W; the Quadro 3000M has a TDP of 75 W.
• Slot Width and Bus Interface: The GeForce 830M is an IGP with PCIe 3.0 x8; the Quadro 3000M is an MXM Module with MXM-B (3.0).
• Vulkan Support: The GeForce 830M supports Vulkan 1.4; the Quadro 3000M does not support Vulkan.
• Release Date: The GeForce 830M was released on March 11, 2014; the Quadro 3000M on February 21, 2011.