NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 vs NVIDIA Quadro P2200 Comparison

# The Data Verdict

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is the clear overall winner in raw compute and DirectX workloads, while the NVIDIA Quadro P2200 carves out a narrow niche in 2D tasks and one specific Vulkan workload. Across nine head-to-head benchmark comparisons, the GTX 1070 wins seven, with its largest victories exceeding 80% in DirectX 10 and over 55% in compute. The P2200 takes two wins, one by a slim 4% margin and one by a substantial 29.4% margin. These results place the GTX 1070 at the 47th percentile of all GPUs, while the P2200 sits at the 44th percentile, a modest but consistent gap.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 1070 dominates every DirectX test in the database. Its lead ranges from 18% in DirectX 9 to 82.2% in DirectX 10, with DirectX 11 and DirectX 12 wins of 42.9% and 45.5% respectively. It also wins the OpenCL compute test by 38.2% and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, where it scores 1082. The GTX 1070's PassMark G3D score of 13498 is 44.1% ahead of the P2200's 9364, and its GPU compute score of 6102 is 55.6% ahead. These results indicate that the GTX 1070 is the stronger choice for any workload that relies on traditional rasterization, legacy DirectX APIs, or general-purpose GPU compute.

The Quadro P2200 wins two specific tests. First, the PassMark G2D test, where it scores 881 versus the GTX 1070's 846, a 4% advantage. This suggests better 2D desktop rendering performance, which can matter in professional applications with many overlapping windows or large 2D canvases. Second, the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the P2200 scores 31351 against the GTX 1070's 22121, a 29.4% lead. This is the single largest victory for either card in the head-to-head set. The Vulkan result is notable because both cards support Vulkan 1.4, yet the P2200's driver or memory configuration appears to favor this API significantly. For users running Vulkan-based applications, the P2200 is demonstrably faster.

Architecture Differences

Both cards are built on the Pascal architecture and manufactured on the same 16 nm TSMC process, but they use different chips. The GTX 1070 uses the GP104 chip, while the P2200 uses the GP106 chip. The GP104 is a larger die at 314 mm² with 7,200 million transistors, giving a density of 22.9M per mm². The GP106 is smaller at 200 mm² with 4,400 million transistors, at a density of 22.0M per mm². This difference in die size and transistor count directly explains the GTX 1070's higher performance: it has more silicon to work with.

The GTX 1070 has 1920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units. The P2200 has 1280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 40 ROPs. These are not small differences; the GTX 1070 has exactly 50% more shading units and TMUs, and 60% more ROPs. The GTX 1070's pixel rate is 107.7 GPixel/s versus 59.72 GPixel/s for the P2200, and its texture rate is 202.0 GTexel/s versus 119.4 GTexel/s. The FP32 throughput is 6.463 TFLOPS versus 3.822 TFLOPS. Neither card has dedicated ray tracing or tensor cores, so the architectural comparison ends at these traditional compute blocks.

Memory configurations also diverge sharply. The GTX 1070 uses 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, yielding 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The P2200 uses 5 GB of GDDR5X on a 160-bit bus, yielding 200.2 GB/s. While GDDR5X is a newer memory type with a higher effective speed (10 Gbps versus 8 Gbps), the narrower bus limits total bandwidth. The GTX 1070 therefore has both more capacity and more bandwidth, which supports its higher resolution texture work and larger datasets.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The largest single win for the GTX 1070 is in PassMark DirectX 10, where it scores 82 against the P2200's 45, a 82.2% advantage. This is a legacy API, but the magnitude of the gap suggests that the GTX 1070's hardware is far better optimized for older workloads. In DirectX 12, the GTX 1070 scores 48 versus 33, a 45.5% lead. DirectX 11 shows a 42.9% lead (100 versus 70). DirectX 9, the oldest test, still shows an 18% lead (197 versus 167). These results indicate that the GTX 1070's advantage is not limited to modern APIs; it extends across the entire DirectX family.

In compute, the GTX 1070's PassMark GPU compute score of 6102 is 55.6% higher than the P2200's 3921. The Geekbench OpenCL result is 44700 versus 32344, a 38.2% lead. These compute wins align with the FP32 throughput difference, which favors the GTX 1070 by roughly 69%. The GTX 1070 also wins the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test with a score of 1082; the P2200 has no recorded score for this test, so it is a complete victory by absence.

The P2200's wins are concentrated in two areas. The PassMark G2D score of 881 is only 4% higher than the GTX 1070's 846, a narrow margin that could be attributed to driver differences in 2D acceleration. The Geekbench Vulkan score of 31351 versus 22121 is a 29.4% lead, which is substantial and cannot be dismissed as noise. This Vulkan result is the P2200's strongest argument, as it outperforms the GTX 1070 by nearly a third in a modern, cross-platform API.

Specification Differences

The cards differ on nearly every specification field. The GTX 1070 has a base clock of 1506 MHz and a boost clock of 1683 MHz, while the P2200 has a base clock of 1000 MHz and a boost clock of 1493 MHz. The GTX 1070's memory runs at 2002 MHz (8 Gbps effective), whereas the P2200's runs at 1251 MHz (10 Gbps effective). The GTX 1070 has 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus; the P2200 has 5 GB of GDDR5X on a 160-bit bus. Bandwidth is 256.3 GB/s versus 200.2 GB/s.

The GTX 1070 draws a 150 W TDP and requires a 1x 8-pin power connector with a suggested 450 W PSU. The P2200 draws 75 W, requires no power connector, and suggests a 250 W PSU. The GTX 1070 is dual-slot, 267 mm long, 112 mm tall, and 40 mm wide. The P2200 is single-slot, 201 mm long, and 111 mm tall. Display outputs differ: the GTX 1070 has 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a; the P2200 has 4x DisplayPort 1.4a. The GTX 1070 has a launch MSRP of 379 USD; the P2200 has no recorded launch MSRP.

The GTX 1070 was released on 2016-06-09, while the P2200 was released on 2019-06-09, exactly three years later. Both are end-of-life. The GTX 1070's predecessor is GeForce 900 and its successor is GeForce 20; the P2200's predecessor is Quadro Maxwell and its successor is Quadro Volta. The FP16 throughput is also different: 101.0 GFLOPS for the GTX 1070 versus 59.72 GFLOPS for the P2200, both at a 1:64 ratio.

FAQ

Q: Which card has more raw compute power?

A: The GTX 1070 has 6.463 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the P2200 has 3.822 TFLOPS. The GTX 1070 also wins the PassMark GPU compute test by 55.6% (6102 versus 3921).

Q: Does the Quadro P2200 win any benchmark by a large margin?

A: Yes, the P2200 wins the Geekbench Vulkan test by 29.4%, scoring 31351 against the GTX 1070's 22121. This is the largest win for either card in the head-to-head set.

Q: How do the memory configurations compare?

A: The GTX 1070 has 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 256.3 GB/s bandwidth. The P2200 has 5 GB of GDDR5X on a 160-bit bus with 200.2 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 1070 has both more capacity and higher bandwidth.

Q: Are these cards suitable for modern APIs?

A: Both support DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The GTX 1070 wins DirectX 12 by 45.5% (48 versus 33), while the P2200 wins Vulkan by 29.4% (31351 versus 22121).

Q: What is the power requirement difference?

A: The GTX 1070 has a 150 W TDP and requires a 1x 8-pin power connector with a suggested 450 W PSU. The P2200 has a 75 W TDP, requires no power connector, and suggests a 250 W PSU.

Q: Which card has a better 2D performance?

A: The P2200 wins the PassMark G2D test by 4%, scoring 881 versus the GTX 1070's 846. This is a narrow margin, but it is the only 2D test in the database.

The Verdict

The data clearly favors the GTX 1070 for any user prioritizing 3D rendering, DirectX gaming, or general compute. Its wins span every DirectX version tested, and its compute leads exceed 38% in OpenCL and 55% in PassMark GPU compute. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1082 is an additional data point with no P2200 counterpart. The GTX 1070's larger memory capacity (8 GB versus 5 GB) and higher bandwidth (256.3 GB/s versus 200.2 GB/s) also provide a practical buffer for demanding workloads.

The P2200 is not without merit. Its 75 W TDP and single-slot design make it a better fit for compact or power-constrained systems, and its four DisplayPort 1.4a outputs exceed the GTX 1070's three. The Vulkan win by 29.4% is significant and suggests that the P2200's drivers are particularly well tuned for that API. The 2D win, while small, is also present. For professional users running Vulkan-based applications or needing a low-profile, low-power card with four display outputs, the P2200 is a defensible choice.

However, the overall average benchmark score tells the story: the GTX 1070 averages 9780 across all tests, while the P2200 averages 8686, a difference of roughly 12.6%. The GTX 1070's percentile rank of 47 versus the P2200's 44 confirms that it sits higher in the global GPU distribution. The GTX 1070 is the stronger performer in the majority of measurable scenarios, and the only scenario where the P2200 leads by a wide margin is Vulkan. Users who do not specifically need Vulkan performance, low power draw, or a single-slot form factor should choose the GTX 1070 based on the recorded data.