NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE vs NVIDIA Quadro 5000 Comparison

The NVIDIA Quadro 5000 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE are both end-of-life Fermi-based graphics cards from NVIDIA, but they target very different segments of the market. The Quadro 5000 is a professional workstation card with a 2,499 USD launch MSRP, while the GTX 560 SE is a consumer gaming card. Benchmark data shows the Quadro 5000 edges out the GTX 560 SE in the single available compute test, and the architectural differences between the two explain why each exists.

Where Each One Wins

The data shows the Quadro 5000 wins the only head-to-head benchmark available, the Geekbench OpenCL test, with a score of 7289 against 7171 for the GTX 560 SE — a 1.6% delta. That advantage, however, is narrow and comes from a professional card that costs considerably more at launch. The Quadro 5000's win is not about raw speed; it is about capability and configuration. With 2.5 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 320-bit bus, the Quadro 5000 offers 120.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is substantially more than the GTX 560 SE's 91.87 GB/s from its 1024 MB frame buffer on a 192-bit bus. For workloads that are memory-capacity sensitive, such as large compute or visualization tasks, the Quadro 5000 is the clear choice.

The GTX 560 SE, by contrast, counters with a different set of strengths. It has a higher FP32 throughput at 847.9 GFLOPS versus the Quadro 5000's 722.3 GFLOPS — a 17% advantage in theoretical raw compute. It also has a higher texture fill rate at 35.33 GTexel/s versus 22.57 GTexel/s, and it achieves this with fewer shading units (288 vs 352) but more texture mapping units (48 vs 44). The GTX 560 SE's higher memory clock of 957 MHz (3.8 Gbps effective) versus 750 MHz (3 Gbps effective) partially compensates for its narrower bus, though the bandwidth deficit remains. The GTX 560 SE also has a higher pixel rate of 8.832 GPixel/s, though the Quadro 5000 leads there at 11.29 GPixel/s.

The use-case split is clear: the Quadro 5000 wins on memory capacity, memory bandwidth, and pixel throughput, making it suitable for professional visualization and large dataset workloads. The GTX 560 SE wins on raw FP32 compute and texture throughput, making it more suited to gaming and shader-heavy applications. The benchmark data confirms the Quadro 5000's overall edge, but the margin is small enough that the GTX 560 SE remains competitive in compute tasks.

Architecture Differences

Both cards use the 40 nm process node from TSMC, and both have the same transistor density of 5.9M / mm². However, the underlying chips differ significantly. The Quadro 5000 uses the GF100 chip, which is the original Fermi architecture, while the GTX 560 SE uses the GF114 chip, which is Fermi 2.0. This is a generational refinement within the same family.

The GF100 chip in the Quadro 5000 is a large die at 529 mm² with 3,100 million transistors. The GF114 chip in the GTX 560 SE is considerably smaller at 332 mm² with 1,950 million transistors. That smaller die allows the GTX 560 SE to be physically shorter at 210 mm (8.3 inches) versus 248 mm (9.8 inches) for the Quadro 5000, and it requires fewer power connectors — the GTX 560 SE uses 2x 6-pin, while the Quadro 5000 uses just 1x 6-pin. Both cards have a similar TDP (150 W for the GTX 560 SE, 152 W for the Quadro 5000) and both recommend a 450 W power supply.

The Quadro 5000's larger die houses 352 shading units, 44 TMUs, and 40 ROPs. The GTX 560 SE has 288 shading units, 48 TMUs, and only 24 ROPs. The Quadro 5000's ROP advantage (40 vs 24) explains its higher pixel rate of 11.29 GPixel/s versus 8.832 GPixel/s. The GTX 560 SE's higher TMU count (48 vs 44) contributes to its superior texture rate. The memory subsystem differs as well: the Quadro 5000 has 2.5 GB of GDDR5 on a 320-bit bus, while the GTX 560 SE has 1024 MB on a 192-bit bus.

In terms of display outputs, the Quadro 5000 offers 1x DVI and 2x DisplayPort, whereas the GTX 560 SE offers 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a. Both support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, and neither lists Vulkan support. The Quadro 5000's generation is listed as "Quadro Fermi (x000)" while the GTX 560 SE is from the "GeForce 500" generation. The predecessor and successor lines also differ: the Quadro 5000 follows the Quadro FX Tesla and leads to Quadro Kepler, while the GTX 560 SE follows GeForce 400 and leads to GeForce 600.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test. In that test, the Quadro 5000 scores 7289 and the GTX 560 SE scores 7171, giving the Quadro 5000 a 1.6% win. This is a modest margin, and the data shows that both cards sit very close to each other in the broader GPU landscape.

The Quadro 5000's nearest rivals include the GeForce GTX 750 at 7222 (0.9% behind the Quadro 5000), the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile at 7203 (1.2% behind), the GTX 560 SE at 7171 (1.6% behind), and the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 at 7170 (1.7% behind). The GTX 560 SE's nearest rivals include the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 at 7170 (0% delta), the GeForce GTX 970 at 7157 (0.2% behind), the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile at 7203 (0.4% ahead of the GTX 560 SE), and the GeForce GTX 750 at 7222 (0.7% ahead). This clustering shows that both cards are within a 1.6% band of each other, and both sit in the 39-40th percentile of all GPUs.

The architecture differences explain the benchmark outcome. The Quadro 5000's higher memory bandwidth (120.0 GB/s vs 91.87 GB/s) and larger frame buffer (2.5 GB vs 1024 MB) give it an edge in OpenCL workloads that are memory-bound. The GTX 560 SE's higher FP32 throughput (847.9 GFLOPS vs 722.3 GFLOPS) and texture rate (35.33 GTexel/s vs 22.57 GTexel/s) are not enough to overcome the memory deficit in this particular test. The delta is small, but it is consistent with the Quadro 5000's positioning as a professional card with more memory resources.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in several key specification fields, and those differences map directly to their intended use cases.

• Chip: The Quadro 5000 uses GF100, while the GTX 560 SE uses GF114.
• Architecture: The Quadro 5000 is Fermi, while the GTX 560 SE is Fermi 2.0.
• Generation: The Quadro 5000 is from "Quadro Fermi (x000)", while the GTX 560 SE is from "GeForce 500".
• Transistors: The Quadro 5000 has 3,100 million, the GTX 560 SE has 1,950 million.
• Die Size: The Quadro 5000 is 529 mm², the GTX 560 SE is 332 mm².
• Memory Clock: The Quadro 5000 runs at 750 MHz (3 Gbps effective), the GTX 560 SE at 957 MHz (3.8 Gbps effective).
• Memory Size: The Quadro 5000 has 2.5 GB, the GTX 560 SE has 1024 MB.
• Memory Bus Width: The Quadro 5000 uses a 320-bit bus, the GTX 560 SE a 192-bit bus.
• Memory Bandwidth: The Quadro 5000 offers 120.0 GB/s, the GTX 560 SE offers 91.87 GB/s.
• Shading Units: The Quadro 5000 has 352, the GTX 560 SE has 288.
• TMUs: The Quadro 5000 has 44, the GTX 560 SE has 48.
• ROPs: The Quadro 5000 has 40, the GTX 560 SE has 24.
• Pixel Rate: The Quadro 5000 is 11.29 GPixel/s, the GTX 560 SE is 8.832 GPixel/s.
• Texture Rate: The Quadro 5000 is 22.57 GTexel/s, the GTX 560 SE is 35.33 GTexel/s.
• FP32: The Quadro 5000 is 722.3 GFLOPS, the GTX 560 SE is 847.9 GFLOPS.
• TDP: The Quadro 5000 is 152 W, the GTX 560 SE is 150 W.
• Power Connectors: The Quadro 5000 uses 1x 6-pin, the GTX 560 SE uses 2x 6-pin.
• Length: The Quadro 5000 is 248 mm (9.8 inches), the GTX 560 SE is 210 mm (8.3 inches).
• Display Outputs: The Quadro 5000 has 1x DVI and 2x DisplayPort, the GTX 560 SE has 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a.
• Launch MSRP: The Quadro 5000 launched at 2,499 USD; the GTX 560 SE has no listed launch MSRP.

Both cards share the same process node (40 nm), foundry (TSMC), transistor density (5.9M / mm²), TDP recommendation (450 W PSU), bus interface (PCIe 2.0 x16), DirectX support (12 (11_0)), OpenGL support (4.6), and production status (end-of-life).

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro 5000 scores 7289, which is 1.6% higher than the GTX 560 SE's score of 7171.

Q: Why does the Quadro 5000 win despite having lower FP32 throughput?

A: The Quadro 5000 has a larger memory subsystem with 2.5 GB of GDDR5 on a 320-bit bus, yielding 120.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 560 SE has 1024 MB on a 192-bit bus with 91.87 GB/s. The Quadro 5000's memory advantage outweighs its FP32 deficit (722.3 vs 847.9 GFLOPS) in this OpenCL test.

Q: How do the two cards compare in terms of raw compute throughput?

A: The GTX 560 SE has the higher FP32 rating at 847.9 GFLOPS compared to the Quadro 5000's 722.3 GFLOPS. The GTX 560 SE also has a higher texture rate at 35.33 GTexel/s versus 22.57 GTexel/s.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The Quadro 5000 has a TDP of 152 W and uses a single 6-pin power connector, while the GTX 560 SE has a TDP of 150 W and uses two 6-pin connectors. Both recommend a 450 W power supply.

Q: Do both cards support the same APIs?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6. Neither lists Vulkan support in the data.

Q: How do these cards compare to their nearest rivals?

A: The Quadro 5000 is 0.9% ahead of the GeForce GTX 750 and 1.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile. The GTX 560 SE is effectively tied with the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 (0% delta) and is 0.2% ahead of the GeForce GTX 970.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear but narrow win for the Quadro 5000 in the single benchmark available, with a 1.6% lead in Geekbench OpenCL. That result aligns with the Quadro 5000's specification sheet: it has more than double the memory capacity (2.5 GB vs 1024 MB), a wider 320-bit bus versus 192-bit, and 31% more bandwidth. For professional workloads that rely on large datasets or high-resolution textures, the Quadro 5000 is the better choice, and its 1x DisplayPort outputs plus DVI make it suitable for multi-display workstation setups.

The GTX 560 SE, however, is not without its merits. It delivers 17% higher FP32 throughput and 57% higher texture fill rate, which are relevant for shader-heavy gaming workloads. Its smaller 210 mm length makes it easier to fit in compact cases, and its 2x DVI plus mini-HDMI output configuration is typical for consumer displays. The GTX 560 SE also draws 2 W less power (150 W vs 152 W) despite achieving higher compute rates, and it uses the refined Fermi 2.0 architecture on a smaller die.

There is no universal winner. The Quadro 5000's 2,499 USD launch MSRP reflects its professional positioning, and the benchmark data validates that it offers superior memory capabilities. The GTX 560 SE, which has no listed launch MSRP, targets a different audience with its higher compute throughput. Users who need maximum memory bandwidth and capacity should choose the Quadro 5000. Users who prioritize raw FP32 performance and texture throughput should choose the GTX 560 SE. The 1.6% benchmark delta separates them, but their architectural differences separate them much further in practice.