NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M vs NVIDIA Quadro M5000M Comparison

The NVIDIA Quadro M5000M and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M represent two distinct eras of mobile graphics, separated by four years of architectural evolution. The data shows a decisive overall victory for the Quadro M5000M, which outperforms the older Fermi-based part in the only shared benchmark, but the comparison is far more nuanced when examining the underlying specifications and intended workloads. This analysis uses only the provided benchmark data and hardware facts to determine which GPU suits which specific use case.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the benchmark results, the NVIDIA Quadro M5000M is the clear performance winner. In the sole head-to-head benchmark available (Geekbench OpenCL), the M5000M scores 22,920 points versus the GTX 580M’s 6,389 points, a delta of 258.7% in favor of the newer card. This is not a marginal improvement; it is a generational leap that places the Quadro in a different performance class entirely.

The data suggests the Quadro M5000M is the appropriate choice for users who need maximum compute throughput in modern applications. Its average benchmark score of 6,481 places it in the 37th percentile of all GPUs, which is identical to the GTX 580M’s percentile ranking, but the absolute scores tell a different story. The M5000M’s Passmark G3D score of 7,062 and GPU compute score of 2,756 indicate strong DirectX 11 and general-purpose compute capabilities, while its Geekbench Vulkan score of 24,875 shows modern API proficiency that the GTX 580M cannot match, as the older card lacks Vulkan support entirely.

The GTX 580M, meanwhile, is only competitive in legacy scenarios. Its single Geekbench OpenCL score of 6,389 is roughly equal to the average scores of its nearest rivals, including the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE (6,389, 0% delta) and the AMD Radeon R7 M350 (6,327, 1% delta). For users running exclusively older DirectX 9 or DirectX 10 applications, the GTX 580M’s Passmark scores (119 in DirectX 9 and 35 in DirectX 10) may suffice, but the M5000M surpasses it in every measurable category.

The verdict is straightforward: choose the Quadro M5000M for any modern workload or for maximum raw performance. Choose the GTX 580M only if you are constrained to legacy software that predates the M5000M’s architecture and require a drop-in MXM-B module with identical power requirements.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is substantial. The Quadro M5000M is built on NVIDIA’s Maxwell 2.0 architecture using the GM204 chip, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It contains 5,200 million transistors on a 398 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 13.1 million per square millimeter. In contrast, the GTX 580M uses the older Fermi 2.0 architecture with the GF114 chip, manufactured on a 40 nm process, also at TSMC. This older chip houses just 1,950 million transistors on a 332 mm² die, with a density of only 5.9 million per square millimeter.

The compute resources differ dramatically. The M5000M features 1,536 shading units, 96 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 64 raster operations pipelines (ROPs). The GTX 580M is equipped with only 384 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. This 4x advantage in shading units directly explains the M5000M’s massive lead in floating-point performance: the newer card delivers 3.229 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, while the GTX 580M manages just 952.3 GFLOPS — less than one-third of the M5000M’s throughput.

Memory architecture also separates the two. The M5000M comes with 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 160.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 580M has only 2 GB of GDDR5 on the same 256-bit bus width, yielding 96.00 GB/s. Clock speeds reflect their respective generations: the M5000M runs at 962 MHz base and 1051 MHz boost, with memory at 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective), while the GTX 580M has no listed base or boost clocks but operates its memory at 750 MHz (3 Gbps effective).

API support marks another critical divergence. The M5000M supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The GTX 580M only supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, with no Vulkan support at all. The M5000M also has a higher pixel rate (67.26 GPixel/s vs. 9.92 GPixel/s) and texture rate (100.9 GTexel/s vs. 39.68 GTexel/s). Both cards share the same 100 W TDP, MXM Module slot width, MXM-B (3.0) bus interface, and lack power connectors, making them physically interchangeable in compatible systems.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has better compute performance in OpenCL workloads?

A: The Quadro M5000M is overwhelmingly superior, scoring 22,920 in Geekbench OpenCL versus the GTX 580M’s 6,389. This represents a 258.7% advantage for the M5000M.

Q: Do both GPUs support modern graphics APIs like Vulkan?

A: No. The Quadro M5000M supports Vulkan 1.4 and DirectX 12 (12_1), while the GTX 580M has no Vulkan support and only reaches DirectX 12 (11_0). Both cards support OpenGL 4.6.

Q: How do their memory capacities and bandwidth compare?

A: The M5000M has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory with 160.4 GB/s bandwidth, while the GTX 580M has 2 GB of GDDR5 with 96.00 GB/s. Both use a 256-bit memory bus.

Q: Are these GPUs physically compatible with the same laptop chassis?

A: Yes, both use the MXM Module slot width and the MXM-B (3.0) bus interface. Both also have a 100 W TDP and require no external power connectors.

Q: Which card has better raw pixel processing capability?

A: The Quadro M5000M achieves 67.26 GPixel/s pixel fill rate, compared to the GTX 580M’s 9.92 GPixel/s. The M5000M is nearly seven times faster in this metric.

Q: What is the transistor density difference between these two chips?

A: The M5000M’s GM204 chip has a density of 13.1 million transistors per square millimeter, while the GTX 580M’s GF114 chip has only 5.9 million per square millimeter, reflecting the process node improvement from 40 nm to 28 nm.

Specification Differences

The following table highlights only the fields where the two GPUs differ, based on the provided data:

| Specification | NVIDIA Quadro M5000M | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | Maxwell 2.0 | Fermi 2.0 |

| Chip | GM204 | GF114 |

| Generation | Quadro Maxwell-M (Mx000M) | GeForce 500M |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 40 nm |

| Transistors | 5,200 million | 1,950 million |

| Die Size | 398 mm² | 332 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 13.1M / mm² | 5.9M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 962 MHz | N/A |

| Boost Clock | 1051 MHz | N/A |

| Memory Clock | 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective) | 750 MHz (3 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 8 GB | 2 GB |

| Memory Bandwidth | 160.4 GB/s | 96.00 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1536 | 384 |

| TMUs | 96 | 64 |

| ROPs | 64 | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 67.26 GPixel/s | 9.92 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 100.9 GTexel/s | 39.68 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 3.229 TFLOPS | 952.3 GFLOPS |

| DirectX Support | 12 (12_1) | 12 (11_0) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | None |

| Release Date | 2015-08-17 | 2011-06-27 |

| Predecessor | Quadro Kepler-M | GeForce 400M |

| Successor | Quadro Pascal-M | GeForce 600M |

Both cards share the same manufacturer, foundry (TSMC), TDP (100 W), slot width (MXM Module), power connector requirement (None), bus interface (MXM-B 3.0), display outputs (Portable Device Dependent), and production status (End-of-life). Neither has a launch MSRP listed.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available is Geekbench OpenCL, and it is a rout. The Quadro M5000M scores 22,920 points, crushing the GTX 580M’s 6,389 points by a delta of 258.7%. This means the M5000M delivers more than 3.5 times the OpenCL compute throughput of the GTX 580M. Such a margin is consistent with the architectural differences: the M5000M has 4x the shading units (1,536 vs. 384) and more than 3x the FP32 throughput (3.229 TFLOPS vs. 952.3 GFLOPS).

The GTX 580M’s only benchmark result, this same Geekbench OpenCL score of 6,389, places it exactly even with its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE (6,389, 0% delta). It is also nearly tied with the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 72 GB Blackwell (6,407, -0.3% delta) and slightly ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 (6,330, 0.9% delta). This positioning suggests the GTX 580M was competitive in its era but has been completely superseded.

The Quadro M5000M’s performance profile is more complex. While it wins the only head-to-head test, its nearest rivals in the overall database include the AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile (6,476 average, 0.1% delta) and the Intel UHD Graphics P750 (6,554 average, -1.1% delta). These close margins in average benchmark score (the M5000M averages 6,481) indicate that while the M5000M dominates the GTX 580M in raw compute, it is not an outlier among its own mobile contemporaries. Its Passmark scores are informative: 7,062 in G3D, 2,756 in GPU compute, 476 in G2D, but notably low in DirectX-specific tests (119 in DirectX 9, 54 in DirectX 11, 35 in DirectX 10, 29 in DirectX 12). These DirectX scores suggest the M5000M’s strength lies in general compute and Vulkan workloads rather than legacy DirectX rasterization, where its 29-point DirectX 12 score is its weakest result.

The wins tally confirms the outcome: the M5000M secures 1 win to the GTX 580M’s 0 wins in head-to-head benchmarks. The data does not support any scenario where the GTX 580M outperforms the M5000M. The older Fermi card’s only advantage is historical — it was released in 2011 with the GeForce 400M as its predecessor, whereas the M5000M arrived in 2015 as the successor to the Quadro Kepler-M. In absolute terms, the M5000M is the superior GPU in every measurable specification and benchmark result.