NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M vs NVIDIA Quadro K3000M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sole benchmark recorded in the database for this comparison is Geekbench OpenCL, and the results show a clear advantage for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M. It scores 4855 points against the NVIDIA Quadro K3000M’s 4241 points, a delta of 14.5%. This is not a marginal difference; it is a decisive margin that places the GTX 560M firmly ahead in this specific compute test.

The GTX 560M’s score of 4855 sits at the 28th percentile among all GPUs, while the K3000M’s 4241 places it at the 25th percentile. This percentile gap is smaller than the raw score gap might suggest, but it still indicates that the GTX 560M outranks the K3000M in the overall distribution of GPU performance. The nearest rivals for the GTX 560M include the NVIDIA GeForce 940MX (4844, 0.2% slower), the AMD Radeon R6 M255DX (4867, 0.2% faster), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 (4893, 0.8% faster). The K3000M’s nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon Vega 3 (4268, 0.6% faster), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M (4282, 1% faster), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (4193, 1.2% slower).

In this head-to-head, the GTX 560M wins the only recorded test. The K3000M has zero wins in the database. The magnitude of the win, 14.5%, is substantial enough that it is unlikely to be explained by run-to-run variance alone. The data records a single benchmark, so the analysis rests on this one data point, but that data point is unambiguous: the GTX 560M is the faster GPU in OpenCL compute workloads.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations, and that difference explains much of their behavior. The GTX 560M is built on the GF116 chip, using the Fermi 2.0 architecture, and is part of the GeForce 500M generation. The K3000M uses the GK104 chip with the Kepler architecture, part of the Quadro Kepler-M (Kx000M) generation. The process nodes differ as well: the GTX 560M uses a 40 nm process, while the K3000M is fabricated on a 28 nm process, both from TSMC.

The transistor counts tell a story of scale. The GTX 560M has 1,170 million transistors on a 238 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 4.9M per mm². The K3000M packs 3,540 million transistors onto a 294 mm² die, for a density of 12.0M per mm². The K3000M has three times the transistor count and a much higher density, but this does not translate into a performance win in the recorded benchmark. The Kepler chip is physically larger and more complex, yet the Fermi-based GTX 560M still outperforms it in OpenCL.

Memory configurations also differ. The GTX 560M has 1536 MB of GDDR5 on a 192 bit bus, delivering 60.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The K3000M has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256 bit bus, delivering 89.60 GB/s. The K3000M has more memory, a wider bus, and higher bandwidth, but again, this does not produce a benchmark win. The clock speeds are also different: the K3000M runs at a base and boost of 654 MHz, while the GTX 560M’s base and boost clocks are not recorded, only its memory clock of 625 MHz (2.5 Gbps effective) versus the K3000M’s memory clock of 700 MHz (2.8 Gbps effective).

Compute resources are where the GTX 560M’s advantage likely comes from, at least in this test. The GTX 560M has 192 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. The K3000M has 576 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The K3000M has far more shading units, yet the GTX 560M wins. The pixel rate for the GTX 560M is 6.200 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 24.80 GTexel/s. The K3000M has a higher pixel rate of 7.848 GPixel/s and a higher texture rate of 31.39 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is also higher on the K3000M at 753.4 GFLOPS versus 595.2 GFLOPS. None of these raw specifications match the benchmark outcome.

Both GPUs support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6. The K3000M also supports Vulkan 1.2.175, while the GTX 560M has no Vulkan support recorded. Both use MXM-B (3.0) bus interfaces and MXM Module slot widths, with no power connectors and a 75 W TDP.

Where Each One Wins

Based on the recorded data, the GTX 560M wins in the only benchmark category available: Geekbench OpenCL. This means that for compute workloads that resemble this test, the GTX 560M is the faster option. Its 14.5% lead over the K3000M is significant, and its percentile ranking of 28 versus 25 confirms that it sits higher in the overall GPU performance distribution.

The K3000M does not win any recorded benchmark. However, the specification sheet shows areas where it holds theoretical advantages that are not reflected in the benchmark score. It has more memory (2 GB versus 1536 MB), a wider memory bus (256 bit versus 192 bit), higher memory bandwidth (89.60 GB/s versus 60.00 GB/s), more shading units (576 versus 192), more TMUs (48 versus 32), more ROPs (32 versus 24), higher pixel rate (7.848 GPixel/s versus 6.200 GPixel/s), higher texture rate (31.39 GTexel/s versus 24.80 GTexel/s), and higher FP32 compute (753.4 GFLOPS versus 595.2 GFLOPS). These are all real differences, but they do not translate into a benchmark win in the database.

The GTX 560M wins on the metric that matters most in this comparison: the recorded performance score. The K3000M wins on paper in many specification categories, but the database shows no test where that translates into an actual victory. For users who rely on the benchmark as a proxy for real-world performance, the GTX 560M is the clear choice.

FAQ

Q: What is the benchmark score difference between the GTX 560M and the K3000M?

A: The GTX 560M scores 4855 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the K3000M scores 4241. The GTX 560M leads by 14.5%.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The K3000M has 576 shading units, compared to the GTX 560M’s 192. Despite this, the K3000M loses the recorded benchmark.

Q: Does the K3000M have any benchmark wins over the GTX 560M?

A: No. The database records zero wins for the K3000M in head-to-head testing. The GTX 560M wins the only benchmark test.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in memory bandwidth?

A: The K3000M has 89.60 GB/s of bandwidth on a 256 bit bus, while the GTX 560M has 60.00 GB/s on a 192 bit bus. The K3000M has the higher bandwidth, but this does not lead to a benchmark win.

Q: What are the percentile rankings for each GPU?

A: The GTX 560M is at the 28th percentile among all GPUs, while the K3000M is at the 25th percentile.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same API levels?

A: Both support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6. The K3000M additionally supports Vulkan 1.2.175, while the GTX 560M has no recorded Vulkan support.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every core specification. The process node is 40 nm for the GTX 560M and 28 nm for the K3000M. The chip is GF116 for the GTX 560M and GK104 for the K3000M. Transistor count is 1,170 million for the GTX 560M versus 3,540 million for the K3000M. Die size is 238 mm² for the GTX 560M and 294 mm² for the K3000M. Transistor density is 4.9M per mm² versus 12.0M per mm².

Memory size is 1536 MB for the GTX 560M and 2 GB for the K3000M. Memory bus width is 192 bit versus 256 bit. Memory bandwidth is 60.00 GB/s versus 89.60 GB/s. The K3000M has a base clock of 654 MHz and a boost clock of 654 MHz, while the GTX 560M has no recorded base or boost clock. The memory clock is 625 MHz (2.5 Gbps effective) for the GTX 560M and 700 MHz (2.8 Gbps effective) for the K3000M.

Shading units are 192 for the GTX 560M and 576 for the K3000M. TMUs are 32 versus 48. ROPs are 24 versus 32. Pixel rate is 6.200 GPixel/s versus 7.848 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 24.80 GTexel/s versus 31.39 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 595.2 GFLOPS versus 753.4 GFLOPS. The K3000M supports Vulkan 1.2.175, while the GTX 560M does not. The release dates differ: the GTX 560M launched on 2011-05-29, and the K3000M launched on 2012-05-31. The predecessor and successor are also different: the GTX 560M follows the GeForce 400M and precedes the GeForce 600M, while the K3000M follows the Quadro Fermi-M and precedes the Quadro Maxwell-M.

The Verdict

The data is clear: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M outperforms the NVIDIA Quadro K3000M in the recorded benchmark. The GTX 560M wins the only test, Geekbench OpenCL, by 14.5%. Its percentile ranking of 28 is higher than the K3000M’s 25. For anyone choosing between these two based on the database, the GTX 560M is the faster GPU.

The K3000M has a richer specification sheet: more memory, wider bus, higher bandwidth, more shading units, higher clock rates, and higher fill rates. But none of these specifications produce a win in the benchmark. The K3000M’s advantages are theoretical, not demonstrated.

Users who prioritize OpenCL compute performance should pick the GTX 560M. Users who need the K3000M’s larger memory capacity or Vulkan support may prefer it, but they must accept that it loses the only benchmark recorded. The GTX 560M is the performance leader in this pair, and the data supports that conclusion without qualification.