NVIDIA GeForce GT 735M vs NVIDIA Quadro 2000 Comparison

# NVIDIA Quadro 2000 vs NVIDIA GeForce GT 735M

The NVIDIA Quadro 2000 wins the only available benchmark matchup, posting a Geekbench OpenCL score of 3898 against the GeForce GT 735M's 3616 — a 7.8% advantage. However, both GPUs sit in the bottom quarter of all GPUs, with the Quadro 2000 at the 23rd percentile and the GT 735M at the 21st percentile. The Quadro 2000 is the pick for desktop workstation tasks where its 1024 MB GDDR5 memory and 41.60 GB/s bandwidth matter, while the GT 735M is the pick for portable, low-power systems where its 33 W TDP and 2 GB frame buffer suit integrated-class usage.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear but narrow win for the Quadro 2000. In the single head-to-head benchmark available, Geekbench OpenCL, the Quadro 2000 scores 3898 versus the GT 735M's 3616. That 7.8% gap is meaningful, but not transformative — both GPUs are firmly in entry-level territory by today's standards. The Quadro 2000's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon R5 Graphics, scores 3883, a mere 0.4% behind; the GT 735M's closest competitor, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050, scores 3629, just 0.3% ahead. These tight margins show that neither card breaks new ground.

Pick the Quadro 2000 if you need a desktop card with dedicated GDDR5 memory, a 128-bit bus, and display outputs for multiple monitors (1x DVI, 2x DisplayPort). Its 62 W TDP and single-slot design make it a straightforward drop into a workstation with a 250 W suggested PSU. Pick the GT 735M if you need a low-power solution for a portable device — it draws 33 W, requires no power connector, and its 2 GB DDR3 frame buffer doubles the Quadro's capacity, which helps in memory-hungry but bandwidth-light workloads. The GT 735M also supports Vulkan 1.2.175, a feature the Quadro 2000 lacks entirely.

For absolute performance, the Quadro 2000 leads in every head-to-head test. For efficiency and portability, the GT 735M wins on power draw and memory capacity. The Quadro 2000 is end-of-life, as is the GT 735M, so neither is a future-proof investment — but the Quadro's higher percentile rank (23 vs 21) and benchmark win make it the stronger performer.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different NVIDIA architectures and fabrication nodes. The Quadro 2000 uses the GF106 chip on the Fermi architecture, built on a 40 nm process at TSMC. It packs 1,170 million transistors into a 238 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 4.9M per mm². The GT 735M uses the GK208 chip on the Kepler 2.0 architecture, also fabricated by TSMC but on a much smaller 28 nm node. It contains 1,020 million transistors in just 87 mm², achieving a density of 11.7M per mm² — more than double the Quadro's density.

The Quadro 2000 has 192 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The GT 735M has 384 shading units — exactly twice as many — but drops to 8 ROPs while keeping 32 TMUs. Despite having double the shader count, the GT 735M's FP32 throughput is 482.3 GFLOPS, only marginally ahead of the Quadro's 480.0 GFLOPS. The Kepler architecture's lower clock speeds (575 MHz base, 628 MHz boost) versus the Fermi card's unspecified core clocks explain this near-parity.

Memory architecture differs sharply. The Quadro 2000 uses 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 41.60 GB/s of bandwidth. The GT 735M uses 2 GB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus, delivering just 14.40 GB/s. That's a 65% bandwidth deficit for the GT 735M, which explains why its higher shader count doesn't translate into a benchmark win. The Quadro's memory clock is 650 MHz (2.6 Gbps effective), while the GT 735M's memory runs at 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective) — but the narrower bus and slower DDR3 type cripple its throughput.

Both GPUs support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6. The GT 735M adds Vulkan 1.2.175 support; the Quadro 2000 has no Vulkan support listed. The Quadro 2000 uses PCIe 2.0 x16, while the GT 735M uses PCIe 3.0 x8 — a tradeoff between older-but-wider and newer-but-narrower interconnect.

Where Each One Wins

The Quadro 2000 wins the only benchmark comparison, and it wins on several architectural fronts. Its GDDR5 memory with 41.60 GB/s bandwidth is nearly three times the GT 735M's 14.40 GB/s. That bandwidth advantage is decisive for any workload that streams large datasets — typical of professional compute or CAD-style tasks. The Quadro's 128-bit memory bus also doubles the GT 735M's 64-bit bus, allowing twice the data to move per clock cycle. The Quadro 2000's display outputs (1x DVI, 2x DisplayPort) give it a clear edge for multi-monitor desktop setups. Its single-slot design and 178 mm length (7 inches) make it a compact addition to a workstation.

The GT 735M wins where power and capacity matter. Its 33 W TDP is less than half the Quadro's 62 W, making it suitable for thin-and-light laptops or small form-factor systems without dedicated power connectors. The 2 GB memory capacity is double the Quadro's 1 GB, which helps in applications that need to hold larger working sets in VRAM — even if the bandwidth is low. The GT 735M's IGP slot width means it's designed to be integrated into a portable device, not installed into a desktop slot. It also supports Vulkan, which opens the door to modern graphics APIs that the Quadro 2000 cannot access.

The transistor density story favors the GT 735M: 11.7M transistors per mm² versus 4.9M for the Quadro. That's a sign of the Kepler 2.0 architecture's efficiency on the 28 nm node, but it doesn't translate into a performance win — the GT 735M's benchmark score is 7.8% lower.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro 2000 scores 3898 on Geekbench OpenCL, while the NVIDIA GeForce GT 735M scores 3616. The Quadro 2000 leads by 7.8%.

Q: How do these GPUs compare to their closest rivals?

A: The Quadro 2000's nearest rival is the AMD Radeon R5 Graphics, which scores 3883 — just 0.4% behind. The GT 735M's nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050, which scores 3629, a 0.3% advantage over the GT 735M.

Q: Which GPU has more memory bandwidth?

A: The Quadro 2000 has 41.60 GB/s of bandwidth from its GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus. The GT 735M has only 14.40 GB/s from DDR3 on a 64-bit bus.

Q: Which GPU supports Vulkan?

A: Only the NVIDIA GeForce GT 735M supports Vulkan, with version 1.2.175 listed. The NVIDIA Quadro 2000 has no Vulkan support.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The Quadro 2000 has a 62 W TDP and requires a 250 W suggested PSU. The GT 735M has a 33 W TDP and no suggested PSU listed, consistent with its IGP (integrated) form factor.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The GT 735M has 384 shading units, double the Quadro 2000's 192. However, the Quadro still wins the benchmark, indicating that shading unit count alone doesn't determine performance.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only head-to-head benchmark available is Geekbench OpenCL, and the Quadro 2000 wins decisively. The Quadro 2000 scores 3898 against the GT 735M's 3616, a delta of 7.8%. This is the sole comparison in the data, and it sets the overall narrative: the older Fermi-based Quadro outperforms the newer Kepler-based GT 735M despite the latter's newer architecture and double shading unit count.

The Quadro 2000's win is notable given its lower transistor count (1,170 million vs 1,020 million) and older 40 nm process. The key differentiator is memory bandwidth: 41.60 GB/s versus 14.40 GB/s. That 27.20 GB/s gap is the largest architectural disparity between the two cards. The Quadro's 128-bit bus and GDDR5 memory allow it to feed its 192 shading units far more effectively than the GT 735M's 64-bit DDR3 bus can feed its 384 shading units.

The GT 735M's pixel rate (5.024 GPixel/s) and texture rate (20.10 GTexel/s) are nearly identical to the Quadro's (5.000 GPixel/s and 20.00 GTexel/s, respectively). The GT 735M actually edges ahead by 0.5% on pixel rate and 0.5% on texture rate. Yet in the OpenCL benchmark, which typically stresses both compute and memory, the Quadro's bandwidth advantage prevails. The GT 735M's FP32 throughput (482.3 GFLOPS) is also marginally higher than the Quadro's (480.0 GFLOPS), but again, the memory system holds it back.

The percentile rankings reinforce this picture: the Quadro 2000 sits at the 23rd percentile of all GPUs, while the GT 735M sits at the 21st. Neither card is competitive with modern hardware — the GT 735M's nearest rival is the GeForce GTX 1050 at 3629, which is only 0.3% faster. The Quadro 2000's nearest rival, the Radeon R5 Graphics at 3883, is a 0.4% gap. These are all within noise of each other, but the Quadro's 7.8% lead over the GT 735M is a clear, reproducible difference.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every specification category. The Quadro 2000 uses the GF106 chip on Fermi architecture from the Quadro Fermi (x000) generation, while the GT 735M uses the GK208 chip on Kepler 2.0 architecture from the GeForce 700M generation. The Quadro was released on 2010-12-23; the GT 735M came later on 2013-03-31.

Process node: 40 nm for the Quadro versus 28 nm for the GT 735M. Transistor count: 1,170 million (Quadro) versus 1,020 million (GT 735M). Die size: 238 mm² (Quadro) versus 87 mm² (GT 735M). Transistor density: 4.9M/mm² (Quadro) versus 11.7M/mm² (GT 735M).

Memory: 1024 MB GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 41.60 GB/s bandwidth (Quadro) versus 2 GB DDR3 on a 64-bit bus with 14.40 GB/s bandwidth (GT 735M). Memory clock: 650 MHz / 2.6 Gbps effective (Quadro) versus 900 MHz / 1800 Mbps effective (GT 735M).

Shading units: 192 (Quadro) versus 384 (GT 735M). TMUs: 32 for both. ROPs: 16 (Quadro) versus 8 (GT 735M). Pixel rate: 5.000 GPixel/s (Quadro) versus 5.024 GPixel/s (GT 735M). Texture rate: 20.00 GTexel/s (Quadro) versus 20.10 GTexel/s (GT 735M). FP32: 480.0 GFLOPS (Quadro) versus 482.3 GFLOPS (GT 735M).

TDP: 62 W (Quadro) versus 33 W (GT 735M). Slot width: Single-slot (Quadro) versus IGP (GT 735M). Power connectors: None for both. Suggested PSU: 250 W (Quadro) versus null (GT 735M). Bus interface: PCIe 2.0 x16 (Quadro) versus PCIe 3.0 x8 (GT 735M). Display outputs: 1x DVI, 2x DisplayPort (Quadro) versus Portable Device Dependent (GT 735M). DirectX: 12 (11_0) for both. OpenGL: 4.6 for both. Vulkan: null (Quadro) versus 1.2.175 (GT 735M). Dimensions: 178 mm x 111 mm (Quadro) versus null (GT 735M). Launch MSRP: 599 USD for the Quadro; the GT 735M has no launch MSRP listed.