NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti vs NVIDIA Quadro M2000 Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti and NVIDIA Quadro M2000 represent two very different philosophies from the same company. The data shows a clear performance hierarchy, but the smaller card has its own place in specific workloads. This analysis draws exclusively on the benchmark results and architectural specifications provided.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data is stark. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the GTX 1080 Ti scores 67,929 points against the Quadro M2000’s 14,588. That is a delta of 365.6% in favor of the GeForce card. In the Geekbench Vulkan test, the GTX 1080 Ti again dominates, scoring 40,511 versus 14,475, a 179.9% advantage. Across the two shared benchmarks, the GTX 1080 Ti wins both, giving it a 2-0 record in direct comparisons.

Looking at the broader average benchmark scores, the GTX 1080 Ti posts an average of 15,548 points across all its tested workloads. The Quadro M2000 averages 14,532 points. This 1,016-point gap is substantial, but the percentile ranking tells a more nuanced story. The GTX 1080 Ti sits at the 58th percentile of all GPUs, while the Quadro M2000 is at the 56th percentile. Despite the massive difference in raw compute, both cards rank relatively closely in the overall distribution because the GTX 1080 Ti’s nearest rivals—like the AMD Radeon R9 M380 (15,521, +0.2%) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (15,290, +1.7%)—are not far off its average score.

The Quadro M2000’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M (14,404, +0.9%) and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (14,385, +1.0%), showing it competes with mid-range mobile and entry-level desktop parts, not flagship graphics cards. The GTX 1080 Ti’s 11.34 TFLOPS of FP32 compute dwarfs the Quadro’s 1.786 TFLOPS, a 6.3x difference that explains the benchmark deltas. The texture rate differential is equally lopsided: 354.4 GTexel/s for the GeForce versus 55.82 GTexel/s for the Quadro.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on different generations of NVIDIA architecture. The GTX 1080 Ti uses the GP102 chip on the Pascal architecture, fabricated on a 16 nm process at TSMC. The Quadro M2000 uses the GM206 chip on the older Maxwell 2.0 architecture, built on a 28 nm process, also at TSMC. This process gap is significant: the Pascal chip packs 11,800 million transistors into a 471 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 25.1M per mm². The Maxwell chip contains just 2,940 million transistors on a 228 mm² die, with a density of 12.9M per mm².

Core configurations differ wildly. The GTX 1080 Ti has 3,584 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 88 raster output pipelines. The Quadro M2000 has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Neither card has dedicated ray tracing or tensor cores. Clock speeds also favor the GeForce: its base clock is 1,481 MHz with a boost of 1,582 MHz, while the Quadro runs at a 796 MHz base and 1,163 MHz boost.

Memory is another major divergence. The GTX 1080 Ti features 11 GB of GDDR5X on a 352-bit bus, delivering 484.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The Quadro M2000 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, yielding 105.8 GB/s. The memory clock rates reflect this: the GeForce runs at 1,376 MHz (11 Gbps effective) versus the Quadro’s 1,653 MHz (6.6 Gbps effective). Pixel and texture fill rates follow suit, with the GTX 1080 Ti producing 139.2 GPixel/s and 354.4 GTexel/s, against the Quadro’s 37.22 GPixel/s and 55.82 GTexel/s.

Power and physical design are also contrasting. The GTX 1080 Ti is a dual-slot card with a 250 W TDP, requiring one 6-pin and one 8-pin power connector and a 600 W suggested PSU. It measures 267 mm in length. The Quadro M2000 is a single-slot card with a 75 W TDP, no power connectors, a 250 W suggested PSU, and a shorter 201 mm length. Notably, the Quadro offers four DisplayPort 1.2 outputs, while the GTX 1080 Ti has one HDMI 2.0 and three DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. Both support DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous for raw performance. The GTX 1080 Ti is superior in every measured compute metric. Its FP32 throughput is 6.3 times higher, its memory bandwidth is 4.6 times greater, and its benchmark scores reflect a 365.6% lead in OpenCL and a 179.9% lead in Vulkan. Anyone needing maximum rendering speed, high-resolution texture work, or large dataset processing should choose the GTX 1080 Ti without hesitation.

The Quadro M2000, however, is not without merit. Its 75 W TDP means it can run in systems where the GTX 1080 Ti’s 250 W requirement is impossible. Its single-slot profile and lack of external power connectors make it suitable for dense workstations or small-form-factor builds. The four DisplayPort 1.2 outputs support multi-monitor setups that the GeForce’s mixed output configuration may not match. For users with legacy software that relies on Maxwell-era driver optimizations, the Quadro may be the safer pick, though the benchmark data does not quantify this.

From a pure score perspective, the GTX 1080 Ti’s average benchmark of 15,548 places it just 0.2% above the AMD Radeon R9 M380 and 1.7% above the RTX 2060, meaning it is a mid-tier performer in the current GPU landscape. The Quadro M2000’s 14,532 average sits 0.9% above the GTX 965M and 1.1% above the GTX TITAN, showing it holds its own against older flagship cards. Neither card is near the top of the percentile rankings, but the GTX 1080 Ti is the clear winner for anyone prioritizing speed.

FAQ

Q: Which card has higher raw compute performance?

A: The GTX 1080 Ti has 11.34 TFLOPS of FP32 compute versus the Quadro M2000’s 1.786 TFLOPS, a 6.3x advantage.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The GTX 1080 Ti delivers 484.4 GB/s over a 352-bit bus with GDDR5X, while the Quadro M2000 provides 105.8 GB/s over a 128-bit bus with GDDR5.

Q: Do both cards support the same APIs?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: Which card has a lower power requirement?

A: The Quadro M2000 has a 75 W TDP and no power connectors, while the GTX 1080 Ti has a 250 W TDP and requires both a 6-pin and an 8-pin connector.

Q: How do the cards compare in Geekbench Vulkan?

A: The GTX 1080 Ti scores 40,511 to the Quadro M2000’s 14,475, a 179.9% difference.

Q: What is the transistor count for each GPU?

A: The GTX 1080 Ti’s GP102 has 11,800 million transistors, while the Quadro M2000’s GM206 has 2,940 million.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 1080 Ti wins in every scenario that demands computational muscle. Its 3,584 shading units and 224 TMUs make it ideal for high-polygon 3D rendering, GPU-accelerated physics, and large-scale simulations. The 484.4 GB/s memory bandwidth supports 4K texture sets and multi-layer compositing without bottlenecking. The 11 GB frame buffer allows for massive data sets in compute workloads, far beyond the Quadro’s 4 GB limit. The 365.6% OpenCL lead means any OpenCL-based application—from video encoding to scientific computing—will run dramatically faster on the GeForce.

The Quadro M2000 wins in niche deployment scenarios. Its 75 W TDP and single-slot design let it fit into workstations with limited power delivery or physical space. The no-connector power design simplifies installation in pre-built systems. The four DisplayPort 1.2 outputs provide quad-display capability out of the box, which the GTX 1080 Ti cannot match without adapters. For users running legacy Maxwell-optimized professional drivers, the Quadro’s 796 MHz base clock and 1,163 MHz boost are sufficient for 2D CAD, basic 3D modeling, and multi-monitor productivity. The 105.8 GB/s bandwidth, while low by modern standards, is adequate for these lighter tasks at 1080p or 1440p resolutions.

The benchmark scores confirm the GTX 1080 Ti’s dominance in compute-heavy tasks. Its PassMark G3D score of 18,600 and GPU compute score of 9,632 are not matched by any Quadro figure in the data. The GeForce also leads in legacy DirectX tests, scoring 231 in DirectX 9 and 151 in DirectX 11, though the Quadro has no comparable entries for direct comparison. The GTX 1080 Ti’s 58th percentile ranking versus the Quadro’s 56th shows that while both are mid-pack, the GeForce is consistently faster across the board. For any user who values speed over power efficiency or physical footprint, the GTX 1080 Ti is the only rational choice from this data.