NVIDIA GeForce GT 740 vs NVIDIA Quadro K2000D Comparison

Architecture Differences

The NVIDIA Quadro K2000D and NVIDIA GeForce GT 740 are built on the same underlying silicon, the GK107 chip, using the Kepler architecture. Both are manufactured by TSMC on a 28 nm process, with identical transistor counts of 1,270 million and a die size of 118 mm². This results in the same transistor density of 10.8M per mm². The core configuration is also identical: 384 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 raster operation units.

The key architectural differences lie in memory configuration, board design, and interface support. The Quadro K2000D ships with 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, running at an effective speed of 4 Gbps, yielding a memory bandwidth of 64.00 GB/s. The GeForce GT 740, in contrast, has 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory on the same 128-bit bus, but runs at a higher effective speed of 5 Gbps, producing a memory bandwidth of 80.19 GB/s. This means the GT 740 has a 25% bandwidth advantage over the Quadro, despite having half the capacity.

The memory clock settings differ: the Quadro K2000D lists its memory at 1000 MHz, while the GT 740 lists 1253 MHz. This clock difference directly explains the bandwidth gap. The pixel rate and texture rate also reflect the GT 740's higher clocks: the GT 740 achieves 7.944 GPixel/s and 31.78 GTexel/s, while the Quadro K2000D achieves 7.632 GPixel/s and 30.53 GTexel/s. Similarly, the FP32 compute throughput is higher on the GT 740 at 762.6 GFLOPS versus 732.7 GFLOPS on the Quadro, a difference of roughly 4%.

The power and mechanical profiles differ substantially. The Quadro K2000D has a TDP of 51 W, requires no power connectors, and is a single-slot card with a length of 202 mm (8 inches) and a height of 111 mm (4.4 inches). The GT 740 has a higher TDP of 64 W, requires a single 6-pin power connector, and is also single-slot but shorter at 145 mm (5.7 inches). Both list a suggested PSU of 250 W.

The bus interface differs: the Quadro K2000D uses PCIe 2.0 x16, while the GT 740 uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs also diverge: the Quadro offers 2x DVI and 1x mini-DisplayPort 1.2, while the GT 740 offers 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.4a. Both support DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The Quadro belongs to the Quadro Kepler (Kx000) generation, while the GT 740 belongs to the GeForce 700 series; the former's predecessor is Quadro Fermi and successor is Quadro Maxwell, while the latter's predecessor is GeForce 600 and successor is GeForce 900.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct head-to-head benchmark recorded in the database is Geekbench OpenCL. The Quadro K2000D scores 3919, while the GeForce GT 740 scores 3847. This gives the Quadro a 1.9% lead in this specific test. The result is close, but the Quadro wins the only shared benchmark, giving it a clean 1 to 0 record in head-to-head comparisons.

The average benchmark score paints a different picture when considering the GT 740's full benchmark suite. The Quadro K2000D has an average benchmark score of 3919, based solely on its OpenCL result. The GT 740's average is 3431, which includes three tests: Geekbench OpenCL at 3847, Geekbench Metal at 2363, and Geekbench Vulkan at 4083. The Vulkan score of 4083 is notably higher than the OpenCL score, while the Metal score is significantly lower. This wide variance in the GT 740's results drags its average down below the Quadro's single-score average.

In terms of overall percentile ranking, the Quadro K2000D sits at the 23rd percentile of all GPUs, while the GT 740 sits at the 21st percentile. This is a narrow gap, reflecting the close performance in the OpenCL test. The nearest rivals for the Quadro K2000D include the NVIDIA Quadro 2000D, which scores 3930 (a delta of -0.3% relative to the K2000D), and the NVIDIA Quadro 2000 at 3898 (a delta of +0.5%). The GeForce GT 745M scores 3953 (delta -0.9%), and the AMD Radeon R5 Graphics scores 3883 (delta +0.9%). These rivals cluster tightly around the Quadro's score, with deltas all within 1 percentage point.

For the GT 740, the nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro 2000M at 3434 (delta -0.1%), the Intel HD Graphics P4600 at 3389 (delta +1.2%), the NVIDIA GeForce 920MX at 3528 (delta -2.7%), and the Intel HD Graphics 530 at 3332 (delta +3%). The GT 740's average score is 3431, which is within 3% of all these rivals, indicating that its average is dragged down by the Metal result. The data shows that the GT 740's OpenCL performance is close to the Quadro's, but its average is much lower due to the Metal benchmark.

The Verdict

The data indicates that the Quadro K2000D is the stronger performer in the only directly comparable benchmark. Its 1.9% lead in Geekbench OpenCL is modest but consistent, and its average benchmark score of 3919 is 14% higher than the GT 740's average of 3431. The GT 740's higher clocks do not translate into a win in the OpenCL test, despite offering superior theoretical throughput numbers (762.6 GFLOPS versus 732.7 GFLOPS) and higher memory bandwidth (80.19 GB/s versus 64.00 GB/s).

The GT 740's Vulkan score of 4083 shows that it can outperform the Quadro in some workloads, but the database records no direct Vulkan comparison for the Quadro, so this cannot be used as a head-to-head win. The GT 740 also has a lower percentile ranking (21st versus 23rd), which aligns with its lower average score.

For users prioritizing raw compute in OpenCL, the Quadro K2000D is the safer choice based on measured data. Its higher average score and higher percentile rank support this conclusion. However, the GT 740 offers higher memory bandwidth and a newer PCIe interface (3.0 versus 2.0), which could matter for certain workloads, but these advantages did not produce a benchmark win in the recorded data.

The GT 740's Metal score of 2363 is particularly weak, suggesting that it is not optimized for Metal workloads. The Vulkan score of 4083 is strong, but without a corresponding Quadro Vulkan score, no direct comparison is possible. The verdict from the data is that the Quadro K2000D wins the head-to-head, but the GT 740 is not far behind in OpenCL, and its higher memory bandwidth may be relevant for bandwidth-sensitive tasks.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher memory bandwidth?

A: The GeForce GT 740 has a memory bandwidth of 80.19 GB/s, while the Quadro K2000D has 64.00 GB/s. The GT 740's bandwidth is 25% higher.

Q: What is the performance difference in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The Quadro K2000D scores 3919, and the GeForce GT 740 scores 3847. The Quadro leads by 1.9%.

Q: Do both cards use the same GPU chip?

A: Yes, both use the GK107 chip based on the Kepler architecture, with 1,270 million transistors and a die size of 118 mm². They also have identical core counts: 384 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card?

A: The Quadro K2000D has an average benchmark score of 3919. The GeForce GT 740 has an average of 3431, which includes scores of 3847 in OpenCL, 2363 in Metal, and 4083 in Vulkan.

Q: How do the power requirements differ?

A: The Quadro K2000D has a TDP of 51 W and requires no power connectors. The GeForce GT 740 has a TDP of 64 W and requires a single 6-pin power connector. Both suggest a 250 W PSU.

Q: Which card has more memory?

A: The Quadro K2000D has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the GeForce GT 740 has 1024 MB (1 GB) of GDDR5 memory.

Where Each One Wins

The Quadro K2000D wins in the recorded head-to-head benchmark. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 3919 exceeds the GT 740's 3847 by 1.9%. It also has a higher average benchmark score (3919 versus 3431) and a higher percentile ranking (23rd versus 21st). This makes it the better choice for OpenCL compute tasks, where its 2 GB memory capacity may also be advantageous for larger datasets.

The GeForce GT 740 wins on memory bandwidth, offering 80.19 GB/s compared to the Quadro's 64.00 GB/s. This is a 25% advantage that could benefit bandwidth-heavy workloads such as texture streaming or certain compute kernels. The GT 740 also has higher theoretical throughput numbers: 7.944 GPixel/s versus 7.632 GPixel/s, 31.78 GTexel/s versus 30.53 GTexel/s, and 762.6 GFLOPS versus 732.7 GFLOPS. It also supports PCIe 3.0 x16, which is newer than the Quadro's PCIe 2.0 x16.

In Vulkan, the GT 740 scores 4083, which is higher than its own OpenCL score of 3847 and higher than the Quadro's OpenCL score of 3919, though a direct Vulkan comparison is not recorded. For users targeting Vulkan workloads, the GT 740's recorded data suggests strong Vulkan performance. The GT 740 also has a shorter physical length (145 mm versus 202 mm), which may fit in smaller cases, and uses a mini-HDMI output instead of mini-DisplayPort.

The GT 740's Metal score of 2363 is its weakest result, indicating poor Metal performance relative to its other benchmarks. Therefore, for Metal workloads, the data does not favor the GT 740. The Quadro's single OpenCL score provides no Metal data, so no comparison is possible.

Specification Differences

The following fields differ between the NVIDIA Quadro K2000D and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 740:

• Memory Size: Quadro K2000D has 2 GB; GT 740 has 1024 MB.
• Memory Clock: Quadro K2000D runs at 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective); GT 740 runs at 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective).
• Memory Bandwidth: Quadro K2000D has 64.00 GB/s; GT 740 has 80.19 GB/s.
• Pixel Rate: Quadro K2000D has 7.632 GPixel/s; GT 740 has 7.944 GPixel/s.
• Texture Rate: Quadro K2000D has 30.53 GTexel/s; GT 740 has 31.78 GTexel/s.
• FP32 Performance: Quadro K2000D has 732.7 GFLOPS; GT 740 has 762.6 GFLOPS.
• TDP: Quadro K2000D is 51 W; GT 740 is 64 W.
• Power Connectors: Quadro K2000D has none; GT 740 has 1x 6-pin.
• Bus Interface: Quadro K2000D uses PCIe 2.0 x16; GT 740 uses PCIe 3.0 x16.
• Display Outputs: Quadro K2000D has 2x DVI and 1x mini-DisplayPort 1.2; GT 740 has 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.4a.
• Dimensions: Quadro K2000D is 202 mm long and 111 mm high; GT 740 is 145 mm long (height not recorded).
• Generation: Quadro K2000D is in the Quadro Kepler (Kx000) series; GT 740 is in the GeForce 700 series.
• Release Date: Quadro K2000D released on 2013-02-28; GT 740 released on 2014-05-28.
• Predecessor: Quadro K2000D's predecessor is Quadro Fermi; GT 740's predecessor is GeForce 600.
• Successor: Quadro K2000D's successor is Quadro Maxwell; GT 740's successor is GeForce 900.
• Launch MSRP: Quadro K2000D has a launch MSRP of 599 USD; GT 740 has a launch MSRP of 89 USD.
• Benchmark Scores: Quadro K2000D has one score (3919 OpenCL); GT 740 has three scores (3847 OpenCL, 2363 Metal, 4083 Vulkan).
• Average Benchmark Score: Quadro K2000D is 3919; GT 740 is 3431.
• Percentile: Quadro K2000D is at the 23rd percentile; GT 740 is at the 21st percentile.