NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti vs NVIDIA Quadro M2000 Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti and the NVIDIA Quadro M2000 are both end-of-life NVIDIA graphics cards, but they target very different segments of the market. The GTX 660 Ti is a consumer gaming card from the Kepler generation, while the Quadro M2000 is a professional workstation card based on Maxwell 2.0. Benchmark data from Geekbench shows the GTX 660 Ti leading in both available tests, with an average benchmark score of 15063 compared to the Quadro M2000's 14532, a difference of about 3.6%. Despite the Quadro's newer architecture and larger memory pool, the raw compute performance of the older GTX 660 Ti edges ahead in these specific workloads.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti has an average benchmark score of 15063, while the NVIDIA Quadro M2000 scores 14532. The GTX 660 Ti also holds a higher percentile rank at 57 versus 56 for the Quadro M2000.

Q: How do the two compare in Geekbench OpenCL performance?

A: In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the GTX 660 Ti scores 15113, while the Quadro M2000 scores 14588. This gives the GTX 660 Ti a 3.6% lead in this specific benchmark.

Q: What are the memory specifications of each card?

A: The GTX 660 Ti features 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 192-bit bus with a bandwidth of 144.2 GB/s. The Quadro M2000 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory but on a narrower 128-bit bus, resulting in a lower bandwidth of 105.8 GB/s.

Q: Is there a difference in their power requirements?

A: Yes, the GTX 660 Ti has a TDP of 150 W and requires 2x 6-pin power connectors, with a suggested PSU of 450 W. The Quadro M2000 has a much lower TDP of 75 W, requires no power connectors, and has a suggested PSU of only 250 W.

Q: Which card supports a newer version of DirectX?

A: The Quadro M2000 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the GTX 660 Ti supports DirectX 12 (11_0). The Quadro also supports Vulkan 1.4, whereas the GTX 660 Ti supports Vulkan 1.2.175.

Q: How do their nearest rivals compare in performance?

A: The GTX 660 Ti's closest rival is the AMD Radeon Pro 560X, which scores 15082, a mere 0.1% difference. The Quadro M2000's nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, scoring 14404, which is 0.9% behind the Quadro.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 660 Ti wins decisively in raw compute throughput, coming out ahead in both Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan tests. Its shading unit count of 1344 is nearly double that of the Quadro M2000's 768, and it delivers a higher FP32 performance of 2.634 TFLOPS versus 1.786 TFLOPS. This makes it the stronger choice for tasks that are heavily parallel and depend on raw shader throughput, such as gaming workloads or general-purpose GPU compute.

The Quadro M2000 wins in areas that matter more for professional workflows. It has 4 GB of memory versus the GTX 660 Ti's 2 GB, which is critical for holding larger datasets or textures in workstation applications. It also has a higher pixel rate of 37.22 GPixel/s versus 27.44 GPixel/s, suggesting better fill-rate performance for tasks that are heavily dependent on rasterization. Its single-slot design and 75 W TDP also make it far easier to integrate into dense multi-GPU workstations.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on different architectures from different generations. The GTX 660 Ti uses the GK104 chip based on the Kepler architecture, manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It integrates 3,540 million transistors on a die size of 294 mm², resulting in a transistor density of 12.0M per mm². The Quadro M2000, conversely, uses the GM206 chip based on the Maxwell 2.0 architecture, also on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It has fewer transistors at 2,940 million and a smaller die size of 228 mm², but a slightly higher transistor density of 12.9M per mm².

The architectural differences extend to feature support. The Quadro M2000 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, whereas the GTX 660 Ti is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175. This means the Quadro M2000 has access to newer API features, even though it is a lower-performance card. The GTX 660 Ti relies on its higher core count and clock speeds, running at a base clock of 915 MHz with a boost of 980 MHz, while the Quadro M2000 runs at a lower base clock of 796 MHz but boosts higher to 1163 MHz.

Specification Differences

The GTX 660 Ti and Quadro M2000 differ significantly in their core configurations. The GTX 660 Ti has 1344 shading units, 112 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 24 raster operations pipelines (ROPs). The Quadro M2000 has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. This configuration gives the GTX 660 Ti a texture rate of 109.8 GTexel/s, while the Quadro M2000 manages only 55.82 GTexel/s.

Memory configurations also differ markedly. The GTX 660 Ti uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus, achieving a bandwidth of 144.2 GB/s with an effective memory clock of 6 Gbps. The Quadro M2000 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, which yields a lower bandwidth of 105.8 GB/s despite a higher effective memory clock of 6.6 Gbps. The physical form factor differs as well: the GTX 660 Ti is a dual-slot card measuring 241 mm in length, while the Quadro M2000 is a single-slot card at 201 mm in length and 111 mm in height.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

In the two available head-to-head benchmarks, the GTX 660 Ti comes out ahead in both. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the GTX 660 Ti scores 15113 against the Quadro M2000's 14588, a delta of 3.6% in favor of the GTX 660 Ti. The Geekbench Vulkan test shows a nearly identical pattern, with the GTX 660 Ti scoring 15012 and the Quadro M2000 scoring 14475, a 3.7% advantage for the GTX 660 Ti.

These margins are consistent with the overall average scores, where the GTX 660 Ti's 15063 average is 3.6% higher than the Quadro M2000's 14532. The GTX 660 Ti's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 560X at 15082 and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 at 15171, both within 1% of its score. The Quadro M2000 sits near the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT, which scores 14692 and is 1.1% ahead, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN at 14373, which is 1.1% behind.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split based on workload priorities. If the primary use case is raw computational performance in OpenCL or Vulkan workloads, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti is the stronger candidate. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks with a 3.6% and 3.7% margin, respectively, and its higher FP32 throughput of 2.634 TFLOPS gives it a substantial edge in compute-heavy tasks. Its higher texture rate of 109.8 GTexel/s also makes it more capable for gaming-oriented rendering.

The NVIDIA Quadro M2000, however, should be the choice for users who need more memory and better API support. Its 4 GB frame buffer is double the GTX 660 Ti's 2 GB, which is essential for professional applications that load large models or textures. Its support for DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4 ensures better future-proofing for software that uses newer rendering features. The Quadro M2000 also has a higher pixel rate of 37.22 GPixel/s, indicating superior fill-rate performance in certain rasterization-heavy scenarios.

The GTX 660 Ti holds a slight edge in overall percentile ranking at 57 versus 56, and its performance relative to rivals is marginally better, with its nearest rival being only 0.1% away. The Quadro M2000's nearest rival is 0.9% behind it, showing a slightly different competitive landscape. Ultimately, the GTX 660 Ti is the better performer in the benchmarks provided, while the Quadro M2000 offers practical advantages in memory capacity and API compatibility that may be more relevant for professional environments.