NVIDIA GeForce 945M vs NVIDIA Quadro M2000M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data contains one direct head-to-head comparison between the NVIDIA Quadro M2000M and the NVIDIA GeForce 945M: the Geekbench OpenCL test. In this benchmark, the Quadro M2000M scores 10,057 points, while the GeForce 945M scores 8,099 points. This gives the Quadro M2000M a decisive 24.2% advantage. This is a substantial margin, indicating that for compute workloads that leverage OpenCL, the Quadro M2000M is the clear performer.

The GeForce 945M also has a recorded Geekbench Vulkan score? No, the database only lists a Geekbench OpenCL score for the GeForce 945M. The Quadro M2000M, on the other hand, has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 9,606 in addition to its OpenCL score. This means the Quadro M2000M has a broader benchmark profile, with a Vulkan result that is close to its OpenCL result, suggesting consistent performance across different graphics APIs.

Looking at the average benchmark score, the Quadro M2000M averages 9,832, while the GeForce 945M averages 8,099. The difference of 1,733 points reinforces the head-to-head result. The Quadro M2000M’s average is also higher than its own Vulkan score, indicating that its OpenCL result is the stronger of the two.

When comparing these averages to their nearest rivals, the context becomes clearer. The Quadro M2000M sits at the 47th percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Quadro 6000, scores 9,846, which is just 0.1% higher. The AMD FirePro W5000 is 0.3% behind at 9,803, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is 0.5% behind at 9,780. The NVIDIA Tesla M10 trails by 1.1% at 9,724. This places the Quadro M2000M in a tight cluster of GPUs with very similar average performance, where a 1% difference is meaningful.

The GeForce 945M, by contrast, sits at the 42nd percentile. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon R9 M360, scores 8,129, which is 0.4% higher. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M scores 8,135, also 0.4% higher. The NVIDIA GRID K2 is 0.2% behind at 8,080, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost is 0.4% behind at 8,067. The GeForce 945M is in a similarly tight cluster, but at a lower absolute performance level. The gap between the two GPUs in question is far larger than the gaps between each GPU and its respective rivals, meaning the performance difference is not a matter of benchmark variance; it is a real, measurable gap.

The only benchmark where both have a common test is Geekbench OpenCL, and the Quadro M2000M wins it by 24.2%. This is not a marginal win. For any workload that is sensitive to OpenCL compute, the Quadro M2000M is roughly a quarter faster. That is a significant advantage for tasks like rendering, scientific simulation, or any professional application that offloads work to the GPU.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear choice for compute-heavy professional workloads. The NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, with its 10,057 OpenCL score, is 24.2% ahead of the GeForce 945M’s 8,099. The average benchmark score reinforces this: 9,832 versus 8,099. If the primary use case involves OpenCL-based applications, the Quadro M2000M is the stronger option by a wide margin.

The GeForce 945M is not without merit, but its advantages are not in raw compute performance. It is a lower-performing part in the database, sitting at the 42nd percentile versus the Quadro M2000M’s 47th percentile. Its nearest rivals are the Radeon R9 M360 and GeForce GTX 950M, both of which are within 0.4% of its score. This places it in a different performance class entirely.

For a user selecting between these two for a professional workstation, the Quadro M2000M is the obvious choice based on compute benchmarks. For a user with gaming or consumer mobile graphics in mind, the GeForce 945M might be the expected part, but the data shows it is slower in the one test they share. The Quadro M2000M also offers a Vulkan score of 9,606, which suggests it can handle modern graphics APIs competently, while the GeForce 945M has no recorded Vulkan result to compare.

The production status of both is end-of-life, so neither is a future-proof purchase. But based strictly on measured performance, the Quadro M2000M wins the head-to-head decisively. The GeForce 945M would only be preferable if the system requires its specific MXM-B form factor or lower memory bandwidth is acceptable, but from a benchmark perspective, the Quadro M2000M is the superior part.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs are built on the same architecture and share a common silicon foundation. The Quadro M2000M and GeForce 945M both use the GM107 chip, which is based on NVIDIA’s Maxwell architecture. Both are manufactured by TSMC on a 28 nm process node. The transistor count is identical at 1,870 million, and the die size is the same at 148 mm². The transistor density, calculated as 12.6 million transistors per square millimeter, is also identical.

The shading units, texture mapping units, and render output units are the same on both parts: 640 shaders, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. Neither GPU has dedicated ray tracing cores or tensor cores. The core architecture is therefore functionally equivalent in terms of compute unit counts.

The primary architectural differences appear in the memory subsystem and clock configurations. The Quadro M2000M uses GDDR5 memory with a 128-bit bus, while the GeForce 945M uses DDR3 memory with the same 128-bit bus. This leads to a significant difference in memory bandwidth: the Quadro M2000M delivers 80.19 GB/s, while the GeForce 945M delivers only 28.80 GB/s. This is a 2.8x difference in bandwidth, which can heavily impact memory-bound workloads.

Clock speeds also differ. The Quadro M2000M has a base clock of 1098 MHz and a boost clock of 1137 MHz. The GeForce 945M has a base clock of 928 MHz and a boost clock of 1020 MHz. The memory clock is also different: the Quadro M2000M runs at 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective), while the GeForce 945M runs at 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective). These differences contribute to the Quadro M2000M’s higher pixel rate of 18.19 GPixel/s versus 16.32 GPixel/s, and texture rate of 45.48 GTexel/s versus 40.80 GTexel/s.

The FP32 performance tells a similar story. The Quadro M2000M delivers 1,455.4 GFLOPS, while the GeForce 945M delivers 1,305.6 GFLOPS. Neither has a recorded FP16 performance figure. The API support is identical: both support DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in several measurable specifications. The memory size is different: the Quadro M2000M has 4 GB, while the GeForce 945M has 2 GB. The memory type also differs: GDDR5 for the Quadro M2000M, DDR3 for the GeForce 945M. The memory bandwidth is 80.19 GB/s for the Quadro M2000M and 28.80 GB/s for the GeForce 945M.

The clock speeds are different in all three parameters. The Quadro M2000M has a base clock of 1098 MHz versus 928 MHz, a boost clock of 1137 MHz versus 1020 MHz, and a memory clock of 1253 MHz versus 900 MHz. The effective memory speed is 5 Gbps for the Quadro M2000M and 1800 Mbps for the GeForce 945M.

The power envelope is also different. The Quadro M2000M has a TDP of 55 W, while the GeForce 945M has a TDP of 75 W. Despite the higher TDP, the GeForce 945M is slower in compute benchmarks, indicating the Quadro M2000M is more power-efficient per unit of performance.

The bus interface differs as well: the Quadro M2000M uses MXM-A (3.0), while the GeForce 945M uses MXM-B (3.0). Both are MXM modules with no power connectors and portable-device-dependent display outputs. The generation names differ: the Quadro M2000M is part of the Quadro Maxwell-M (Mx000M) generation, while the GeForce 945M is part of the GeForce 900M generation.

The release dates are close but not identical. The GeForce 945M was released on 2015-10-26, and the Quadro M2000M was released on 2015-12-02. The predecessors and successors also differ: the Quadro M2000M succeeds the Quadro Kepler-M and is succeeded by the Quadro Pascal-M, while the GeForce 945M succeeds the GeForce 800M and is succeeded by the GeForce 10 Mobile.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the shared benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro M2000M wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 10,057 versus 8,099 for the GeForce 945M, a 24.2% advantage.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The Quadro M2000M has an average benchmark score of 9,832, while the GeForce 945M has an average of 8,099. The Quadro M2000M also has a Vulkan score of 9,606, which the GeForce 945M lacks.

Q: What are the memory differences?

A: The Quadro M2000M has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 80.19 GB/s. The GeForce 945M has 2 GB of DDR3 memory with a bandwidth of 28.80 GB/s. Both use a 128-bit bus.

Q: How do their power requirements differ?

A: The Quadro M2000M has a TDP of 55 W, while the GeForce 945M has a TDP of 75 W. This makes the Quadro M2000M the lower-power part despite its higher performance.

Q: Are they built on the same architecture?

A: Yes, both use the GM107 chip based on Maxwell architecture, manufactured by TSMC on a 28 nm process with 1,870 million transistors.

Q: What is the performance percentile ranking for each?

A: The Quadro M2000M is at the 47th percentile of all GPUs, while the GeForce 945M is at the 42nd percentile. This reflects the Quadro M2000M’s higher standing in overall performance.