NVIDIA GeForce 930A vs NVIDIA Quadro M500M Comparison

The NVIDIA Quadro M500M and NVIDIA GeForce 930A are both entry-level mobile GPUs from the Maxwell generation, built on the same 28 nm TSMC process with an identical 1,020 million transistor count and 77 mm² die size. Despite sharing a fundamental design lineage, they target different market segments — the Quadro for professional mobile workstations and the GeForce for consumer laptops. The benchmark data, however, reveals a clear performance hierarchy, with the Quadro M500M taking the sole head-to-head victory by a significant margin. This analysis breaks down where each chip wins, how their architectures diverge, and what the specification sheets indicate about their intended roles.

Where Each One Wins

The data paints a straightforward picture: the Quadro M500M wins the only direct benchmark comparison available. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the Quadro scores 5,986 points against the GeForce 930A’s 5,317 points, a 12.6% advantage for the professional card. This is the only head-to-head benchmark in the dataset, so the Quadro claims a clean 1-0 win tally. The GeForce 930A has no benchmark victories to its name in this comparison.

Contextualizing these scores against their respective peer groups reinforces the Quadro’s edge. The Quadro M500M’s average benchmark score of 5,604 places it in the 32nd percentile of all GPUs, while the GeForce 930A’s average of 5,317 sits at the 31st percentile. The raw numbers tell the same story: the Quadro is consistently faster, but both are firmly in the entry-level segment of the performance spectrum.

The GeForce 930A’s closest rivals in the database include the GeForce 840M (average score 5,322, delta -0.1%), the GeForce GTX 980M (5,308, delta +0.2%), and the GeForce 940M (5,284, delta +0.6%). These near-identical scores suggest the 930A is essentially performance-equivalent to a broad swath of older and newer GeForce parts, making it a baseline performer within its class. The Quadro M500M, conversely, sits 1.2% above the AMD FirePro M4000 (5,537) and 1.9% above the GeForce GTX 765M (5,501) in its rival list, showing it punches slightly above the typical entry-level professional card.

For users, this means the Quadro M500M is the stronger choice for compute workloads measured by OpenCL, such as GPU-accelerated rendering or scientific calculations. The GeForce 930A, while close in percentile ranking, does not offer a single metric where it outpaces the Quadro. The GeForce’s only consolation is its lower position in the average benchmark score hierarchy, which is not a win but a reflection of its slightly reduced compute throughput.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs are built on NVIDIA’s Maxwell architecture using the GM108 chip family, but they are not identical silicon implementations. The Quadro M500M uses the GM108S variant, while the GeForce 930A uses the standard GM108. This distinction is minor in terms of raw transistor count — both pack 1,020 million transistors on a 77 mm² die — but it manifests in different clock speeds and texture processing capabilities.

The most striking architectural divergence is in the texture mapping units (TMUs). The GeForce 930A has 24 TMUs, a 50% increase over the Quadro M500M’s 16 TMUs. This gives the GeForce a higher texture fill rate of 22.58 GTexel/s compared to the Quadro’s 17.98 GTexel/s. However, the Quadro compensates with higher clock speeds: its base clock runs at 1,029 MHz with a boost of 1,124 MHz, versus the GeForce’s 928 MHz base and 941 MHz boost. This clock advantage drives the Quadro’s superior pixel fill rate (8.992 GPixel/s vs 7.528 GPixel/s) and higher FP32 compute throughput (863.2 GFLOPS vs 722.7 GFLOPS).

Both cards feature 384 shading units and 8 ROPs, indicating a similar shader core layout. Memory configurations are also aligned: both have 2 GB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus. The memory clock differs, however, with the Quadro using 900 MHz (1,800 Mbps effective) and the GeForce using 1,001 MHz (2 Gbps effective). This gives the GeForce a higher memory bandwidth of 16.02 GB/s versus the Quadro’s 14.40 GB/s. The GeForce’s memory advantage and TMU count suggest it was tuned for higher texture throughput, while the Quadro’s higher clocks prioritize raw shader and pixel performance.

The bus interface also separates the two. The Quadro M500M uses an MXM-A (3.0) slot, a modular form factor typical of workstation laptops, while the GeForce 930A is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface, designed for direct motherboard integration. This reflects their target platforms: the Quadro is a replaceable module, the GeForce is soldered onto the board. Power draw is similar, with the Quadro rated at 30 W and the GeForce at 33 W, with neither requiring external power connectors. The production status for both is end-of-life.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sole head-to-head benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, delivers a decisive result. The Quadro M500M scores 5,986, while the GeForce 930A scores 5,317, yielding a 12.6% delta in favor of the Quadro. This is not a marginal victory; it is a substantial gap that reflects the Quadro’s higher clock speeds and superior pixel rate. In a compute task that stresses raw FP32 throughput, the Quadro’s 863.2 GFLOPS advantage over the GeForce’s 722.7 GFLOPS translates directly into a measurable lead.

Breaking down the numbers, the Quadro’s win is driven by its 1,124 MHz boost clock, which is 183 MHz higher than the GeForce’s 941 MHz boost. This clock advantage allows the Quadro to push more data through its 384 shading units per second, even though both cards have the same shader count. The GeForce’s higher memory bandwidth (16.02 GB/s vs 14.40 GB/s) does not compensate in this workload, as OpenCL compute tasks are often more sensitive to shader throughput than memory speed. The GeForce’s 24 TMUs also fail to help, as texture fill rate is not a bottleneck in this particular test.

The GeForce 930A’s best individual performance comes from its average benchmark score of 5,317, which is within 0.1% of the GeForce 840M’s score of 5,322 and 0.2% ahead of the GeForce GTX 980M’s 5,308. These figures show the 930A is a consistent performer within its own family, but they do not challenge the Quadro. The Quadro’s average score of 5,604 is 5.4% higher than the GeForce’s average, reinforcing the head-to-head result. Across every available metric — raw benchmark, average score, and percentile ranking — the Quadro M500M holds a clear, if modest, performance edge.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL compute workloads?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro M500M is faster, scoring 5,986 in Geekbench OpenCL compared to the GeForce 930A’s 5,317, a 12.6% advantage.

Q: Do both GPUs have the same number of shading units?

A: Yes, both the Quadro M500M and GeForce 930A feature 384 shading units, but the Quadro runs them at higher clock speeds (1,124 MHz boost vs 941 MHz boost).

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between the two?

A: The GeForce 930A has higher memory bandwidth at 16.02 GB/s, while the Quadro M500M offers 14.40 GB/s, due to the GeForce’s faster memory clock of 2 Gbps effective versus 1,800 Mbps effective.

Q: Are these GPUs from the same architecture generation?

A: Yes, both are based on the Maxwell architecture, but the Quadro uses the GM108S chip while the GeForce uses the standard GM108 chip.

Q: Which GPU has more texture mapping units?

A: The GeForce 930A has 24 TMUs, which is 50% more than the Quadro M500M’s 16 TMUs, giving it a higher texture fill rate of 22.58 GTexel/s versus 17.98 GTexel/s.

Q: What is the performance percentile ranking for each GPU?

A: The Quadro M500M sits in the 32nd percentile of all GPUs, while the GeForce 930A sits in the 31st percentile, indicating both are entry-level performers.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in several key specification fields, despite sharing a common architecture and manufacturing process. The most significant differences are listed below:

• Chip: Quadro M500M uses GM108S, GeForce 930A uses GM108.
• Base Clock: Quadro M500M runs at 1,029 MHz, GeForce 930A at 928 MHz.
• Boost Clock: Quadro M500M boosts to 1,124 MHz, GeForce 930A to 941 MHz.
• Memory Clock: Quadro M500M operates at 900 MHz (1,800 Mbps effective), GeForce 930A at 1,001 MHz (2 Gbps effective).
• Memory Bandwidth: Quadro M500M has 14.40 GB/s, GeForce 930A has 16.02 GB/s.
• Texture Mapping Units: Quadro M500M has 16 TMUs, GeForce 930A has 24 TMUs.
• Texture Fill Rate: Quadro M500M achieves 17.98 GTexel/s, GeForce 930A achieves 22.58 GTexel/s.
• Pixel Fill Rate: Quadro M500M achieves 8.992 GPixel/s, GeForce 930A achieves 7.528 GPixel/s.
• FP32 Performance: Quadro M500M delivers 863.2 GFLOPS, GeForce 930A delivers 722.7 GFLOPS.
• TDP: Quadro M500M is rated at 30 W, GeForce 930A at 33 W.
• Slot Width: Quadro M500M uses an MXM Module, GeForce 930A is an IGP.
• Bus Interface: Quadro M500M uses MXM-A (3.0), GeForce 930A uses PCIe 3.0 x8.
• Release Date: Quadro M500M launched on 2016-04-26, GeForce 930A on 2015-03-12.
• Predecessor: Quadro M500M succeeds Quadro Kepler-M, GeForce 930A succeeds GeForce 800A.
• Successor: Quadro M500M has Quadro Pascal-M as successor, GeForce 930A has no listed successor.