NVIDIA GeForce GT 545 vs NVIDIA Quadro K2000D Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits cleanly between these two NVIDIA cards, with the Quadro K2000D taking the only head-to-head test available. In the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark, the K2000D scores 3919 against the GT 545's 3594, a 9% advantage. That single win defines the entire competitive landscape: the K2000D is ahead in compute-oriented workloads, while the GT 545 has no benchmark victory to claim in this comparison.

Looking at the percentile rankings reinforces this picture. The K2000D sits at the 23rd percentile among all GPUs, while the GT 545 sits at the 21st percentile. These are close positions, but the K2000D's placement above its rival means it edges out more of the GPU population in the aggregate benchmark score. The average benchmark scores tell the same story: 3919 for the K2000D versus 3594 for the GT 545.

The nearest-rival data provides additional context. The K2000D's closest competitor is the Quadro 2000D at 3930, which is just 0.3% ahead; the K2000D also trails the GeForce GT 745M by 0.9% but beats the Quadro 2000 by 0.5% and the AMD Radeon R5 Graphics by 0.9%. The GT 545's nearest rivals include the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation, which is only 0.1% ahead, and the GeForce GT 735M at 0.6% ahead; the GTX 1050 sits 1% ahead, and the Radeon HD 6770 leads by 1.5%. These deltas show that both cards occupy a narrow performance band, but the K2000D's position is slightly stronger within its respective peer group.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different architectural generations and fabrication processes. The K2000D uses the GK107 chip built on Kepler architecture with a 28 nm process at TSMC, while the GT 545 uses the GF116 chip on Fermi 2.0 architecture with a 40 nm process, also at TSMC. This process gap is substantial: the K2000D packs 1,270 million transistors into a 118 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 10.8M per mm², whereas the GT 545 contains 1,170 million transistors spread across a 238 mm² die for a density of just 4.9M per mm². The K2000D crams more than twice the transistor density into roughly half the silicon area.

Memory configurations differ sharply. The K2000D carries 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 64.00 GB/s of bandwidth at a memory clock of 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective). The GT 545 has 1536 MB of DDR3 memory on a 192-bit bus, producing only 38.40 GB/s of bandwidth at 800 MHz (1600 Mbps effective). Although the GT 545's bus is wider, the slower DDR3 memory type and lower clock speed result in roughly 40% less bandwidth.

The compute resources also diverge. The K2000D has 384 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs, while the GT 545 has 144 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The K2000D more than doubles the shading unit count, which directly explains its higher FP32 throughput of 732.7 GFLOPS versus the GT 545's 414.7 GFLOPS. Pixel rate favors the K2000D at 7.632 GPixel/s versus 4.320 GPixel/s, and texture rate follows suit at 30.53 GTexel/s versus 17.28 GTexel/s.

Power characteristics flip the expected relationship: the denser, faster K2000D draws only 51 W TDP, while the older GT 545 draws 70 W. Both are single-slot cards with no power connectors and a suggested 250 W PSU. The K2000D supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175, while the GT 545 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6 but has no Vulkan support listed.

The Verdict

The data supports a clear choice for compute-heavy workloads: the Quadro K2000D wins the only head-to-head benchmark by 9%, offers more than 1.7 times the FP32 throughput, delivers nearly double the memory bandwidth, and does so at a lower 51 W TDP compared to 70 W. Its 384 shading units versus 144 give it a structural advantage in parallel compute tasks. The K2000D also supports Vulkan 1.2.175, which the GT 545 lacks entirely.

However, the GT 545 is not without rationale for certain buyers. Its 192-bit memory bus, though paired with slower DDR3, could be preferable in memory-latency-sensitive scenarios where bus width matters more than raw bandwidth. Its smaller physical footprint at 145 mm length versus 202 mm makes it easier to fit in compact cases. The GeForce 500 generation also has a consumer-oriented display output set of 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.3a, and 1x VGA, whereas the K2000D offers 2x DVI and 1x mini-DisplayPort 1.2, which may require adapters for older displays.

Benchmark results indicate the K2000D is the stronger card overall, but the GT 545's advantages in physical size and legacy display connectivity could tip the scales for specific use cases. Anyone prioritizing OpenCL compute performance, memory bandwidth, or modern API support should choose the K2000D. Those needing a shorter card with VGA output and accepting lower compute performance can consider the GT 545.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro K2000D scores 3919 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 9% higher than the GeForce GT 545's 3594.

Q: How do the memory bandwidth figures compare?

A: The K2000D delivers 64.00 GB/s from 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, while the GT 545 provides 38.40 GB/s from 1536 MB of DDR3 on a 192-bit bus.

Q: Does either card support Vulkan?

A: The K2000D supports Vulkan 1.2.175, but the GT 545 has no Vulkan support listed.

Q: What is the transistor density difference?

A: The K2000D has a density of 10.8M transistors per mm² (1,270 million in 118 mm²), while the GT 545 has 4.9M per mm² (1,170 million in 238 mm²).

Q: Which card consumes less power?

A: The K2000D has a 51 W TDP, which is lower than the GT 545's 70 W TDP, despite the K2000D having higher performance.

Q: What are the nearest rivals for each card?

A: The K2000D's closest rival is the Quadro 2000D at 3930 (0.3% ahead), while the GT 545's closest rival is the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation at 3596 (0.1% ahead).

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The single head-to-head benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, decisively favors the K2000D. The K2000D scores 3919 against the GT 545's 3594, a 9% delta. This performance gap is consistent with the underlying specifications: the K2000D's 384 shading units and 732.7 GFLOPS FP32 throughput vastly exceed the GT 545's 144 shading units and 414.7 GFLOPS. OpenCL workloads that scale with shading unit count and raw floating-point throughput will consistently favor the K2000D.

The nearest-rival comparisons add nuance. The K2000D's score of 3919 places it slightly below the Quadro 2000D (3930, -0.3%) and GT 745M (3953, -0.9%), but above the Quadro 2000 (3898, +0.5%) and Radeon R5 Graphics (3883, +0.9%). The GT 545's 3594 puts it just under the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation (3596, -0.1%), GT 735M (3616, -0.6%), GTX 1050 (3629, -1%), and Radeon HD 6770 (3649, -1.5%). Both cards sit at the lower end of their respective peer groups, but the K2000D's absolute score is 325 points higher.

Memory bandwidth plays a supporting role in this benchmark outcome. The K2000D's 64.00 GB/s from GDDR5 memory provides substantially more headroom for data-intensive OpenCL kernels than the GT 545's 38.40 GB/s from DDR3. The GT 545's wider 192-bit bus cannot compensate for the DDR3 memory type's lower effective throughput. Texture and pixel rates reinforce the same conclusion, with the K2000D achieving 30.53 GTexel/s and 7.632 GPixel/s versus 17.28 GTexel/s and 4.320 GPixel/s for the GT 545.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA Quadro K2000D | NVIDIA GeForce GT 545 |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | Kepler | Fermi 2.0 |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 40 nm |

| Transistors | 1,270 million | 1,170 million |

| Die Size | 118 mm² | 238 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 10.8M / mm² | 4.9M / mm² |

| Memory Size | 2 GB | 1536 MB |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | DDR3 |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 64.00 GB/s | 38.40 GB/s |

| Memory Clock | 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective) | 800 MHz (1600 Mbps effective) |

| Shading Units | 384 | 144 |

| TMUs | 32 | 24 |

| ROPs | 16 | 16 |

| Pixel Rate | 7.632 GPixel/s | 4.320 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 30.53 GTexel/s | 17.28 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 732.7 GFLOPS | 414.7 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 51 W | 70 W |

| Slot Width | Single-slot | Single-slot |

| Power Connectors | None | None |

| Suggested PSU | 250 W | 250 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 2.0 x16 | PCIe 2.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 2x DVI, 1x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.3a, 1x VGA |

| DirectX | 12 (11_0) | 12 (11_0) |

| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |

| Vulkan | 1.2.175 | None |

| Length | 202 mm (8 inches) | 145 mm (5.7 inches) |

| Height | 111 mm (4.4 inches) | Not listed |

| Release Date | 2013-02-28 | 2011-05-13 |

| Predecessor | Quadro Fermi | GeForce 400 |

| Successor | Quadro Maxwell | GeForce 600 |

| Launch MSRP | 599 USD | 149 USD |

| Geekbench OpenCL | 3919 | 3594 |

| Percentile vs All GPUs | 23 | 21 |

| Avg Benchmark Score | 3919 | 3594 |