NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M vs NVIDIA Quadro P5000 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains a single overlapping benchmark between these two GPUs, and the result is decisive. In Geekbench OpenCL, the NVIDIA Quadro P5000 scores 52,509 points against 9,230 points for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M. That is a 468.9% advantage for the Quadro P5000, a margin that dwarfs almost any generational comparison in the database. The Quadro P5000 does not merely outperform the older mobile chip; it multiplies its compute output by a factor of roughly 5.7.

Beyond the direct head-to-head, the aggregate benchmark averages tell a similar story. The Quadro P5000 posts an average benchmark score of 8,039 across its ten recorded tests, placing it at the 41st percentile of all GPUs tracked. The GTX 680M, with only two recorded tests, averages 7,023 and sits at the 39th percentile. The raw gap in averages is 1,016 points, though the two cards are not directly comparable across the full suite because the GTX 680M lacks results for most of the tests the Quadro P5000 has been run through.

The Quadro P5000's nearest rivals in the database are all within a narrow band. The GeForce GTX 880M averages 8,040, a 0% delta; the GeForce GTX 650 Ti averages 8,053 (-0.2%); the GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost averages 8,067 (-0.3%); and the GRID K2 averages 8,080 (-0.5%). The Quadro P5000's average score of 8,039 places it at the bottom of this cluster, essentially tied with the GTX 880M. This is an important nuance: while the Quadro P5000 crushes the GTX 680M in their shared test, its overall standing among its own nearest rivals shows it is not an outlier against similarly ranked cards.

The GTX 680M's nearest rivals cluster around its 7,023 average as well. The T600 averages 7,035 (-0.2%), the Radeon R5 M240 averages 6,975 (+0.7%), the GeForce GTX 675M averages 6,946 (+1.1%), and the GeForce GTX 970 averages 7,157 (-1.9%). The GTX 680M sits near the middle of this group, slightly ahead of the R5 M240 and GTX 675M but behind the T600 and GTX 970.

In the specific tests the Quadro P5000 has been through, its scores range from 44 in Passmark DirectX 12 to 52,509 in Geekbench OpenCL. Its Passmark G3D score is 12,634, and its Passmark GPU Compute score is 6,508. The GTX 680M, by contrast, only has Geekbench OpenCL (9,230) and Geekbench Metal (4,815) results recorded. The Quadro P5000 has no Metal result, so that test cannot be compared. The absence of overlapping tests beyond OpenCL limits the analysis, but the one available comparison is unambiguous.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear, but context-dependent, conclusion. If the choice is purely about compute performance in OpenCL workloads, the Quadro P5000 is the overwhelming winner. Its 52,509 score against 9,230 is a 468.9% lead, and its FP32 throughput of 8.873 TFLOPS versus 2.038 TFLOPS reinforces that dominance. The Quadro P5000 also offers 16 GB of GDDR5X memory with 288.5 GB/s bandwidth, compared to 4 GB of GDDR5 at 115.2 GB/s. Those are not incremental differences; they represent a different performance class.

However, the GTX 680M is not without its own context. Its average benchmark score of 7,023, while lower than the Quadro P5000's 8,039, is not dramatically far off. The percentile rankings are close as well: 39th for the GTX 680M versus 41st for the Quadro P5000. This suggests that in the broader GPU landscape, neither card is a top-tier performer by modern standards. The Quadro P5000's nearest rivals all score within 0.5% of its average, meaning its aggregate standing is tightly contested. The GTX 680M's nearest rivals are similarly close, with deltas ranging from -1.9% to +1.1%.

The Verdict, strictly from the database, is that the Quadro P5000 is the superior card in every measured dimension. It wins the only direct benchmark, has a higher average score, a higher percentile, more memory, faster memory, more shading units, more texture mapping units, more ROPs, and higher pixel and texture rates. The GTX 680M's advantages are limited to lower power draw (100 W versus 180 W) and a smaller physical footprint (MXM module versus dual-slot). For anyone choosing between these two based on performance data, the Quadro P5000 is the only rational selection.

Where Each One Wins

The Quadro P5000 wins in every performance category where both cards have recorded data. Its Geekbench OpenCL score is 468.9% higher than the GTX 680M's. Its FP32 compute is 8.873 TFLOPS versus 2.038 TFLOPS, a 4.35x advantage. Its texture rate is 277.3 GTexel/s versus 84.90 GTexel/s, and its pixel rate is 110.9 GPixel/s versus 21.22 GPixel/s. Its memory bandwidth of 288.5 GB/s is 2.5 times the GTX 680M's 115.2 GB/s. The Quadro P5000 also has 2,560 shading units against 1,344, 160 TMUs against 112, and 64 ROPs against 32. Every architectural resource that drives rasterization and compute favors the Quadro P5000.

The GTX 680M does have a few areas where it is not disadvantaged. Its TDP of 100 W is 80 W lower than the Quadro P5000's 180 W, which matters for portable or thermally constrained systems. Its MXM Module form factor and lack of power connectors make it suitable for laptops, whereas the Quadro P5000 requires a dual-slot chassis with a single 8-pin connector and a suggested 450 W power supply. The GTX 680M also supports Geekbench Metal, scoring 4,815, while the Quadro P5000 has no Metal result in the database. For applications that require Metal on a portable platform, the GTX 680M is the only one of the two with recorded support.

The use-case split is therefore straightforward. The Quadro P5000 is for stationary workstations that need maximum compute, large memory capacity, and high-bandwidth rendering. The GTX 680M is for mobile systems where power draw and form factor take precedence over raw performance. Neither of these cards is competitive at the top of the current GPU hierarchy, but within their respective niches, each has a defined role.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro P5000 scores 52,509 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M scores 9,230. The Quadro P5000 leads by 468.9%.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The Quadro P5000 has an average benchmark score of 8,039 across ten tests, while the GTX 680M averages 7,023 across two tests. The Quadro P5000 sits at the 41st percentile of all GPUs, and the GTX 680M at the 39th.

Q: What memory configurations do the two cards use?

A: The Quadro P5000 has 16 GB of GDDR5X memory on a 256-bit bus with 288.5 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 680M has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 115.2 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card has higher power consumption?

A: The Quadro P5000 has a TDP of 180 W and requires a dual-slot chassis with one 8-pin power connector and a suggested 450 W power supply. The GTX 680M has a TDP of 100 W, uses an MXM Module form factor, and requires no power connectors.

Q: Are there any tests where the GTX 680M outperforms the Quadro P5000?

A: In the recorded data, the GTX 680M has no benchmark win over the Quadro P5000. The only overlapping test, Geekbench OpenCL, goes to the Quadro P5000. The GTX 680M does have a Geekbench Metal score of 4,815, but the Quadro P5000 has no Metal result to compare against.

Q: How does each card rank among its nearest rivals?

A: The Quadro P5000's nearest rivals are the GeForce GTX 880M (0% delta), GeForce GTX 650 Ti (-0.2%), GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost (-0.3%), and GRID K2 (-0.5%). The GTX 680M's nearest rivals are the T600 (-0.2%), Radeon R5 M240 (+0.7%), GeForce GTX 675M (+1.1%), and GeForce GTX 970 (-1.9%).

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different NVIDIA architectures built on different process nodes. The Quadro P5000 uses the GP104 chip on the Pascal architecture, manufactured by TSMC on a 16 nm process. It contains 7,200 million transistors on a 314 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 22.9 million per mm². The GTX 680M uses the GK104 chip on the Kepler architecture, also from TSMC but on a 28 nm process. It contains 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, for a transistor density of 12.0 million per mm². The Pascal chip has more than twice the transistor count in a slightly larger die, which explains its substantially higher compute throughput.

The Quadro P5000 belongs to the Quadro Pascal generation (Px000), released on September 30, 2016, with a launch MSRP of 2,499 USD. Its predecessor is Quadro Maxwell and its successor is Quadro Volta. The GTX 680M belongs to the GeForce 600M generation, released on June 3, 2012, with no launch MSRP recorded. Its predecessor is GeForce 500M and its successor is GeForce 700M. Both are end-of-life products, but they are separated by more than four years of architectural development.

Clock speeds differ significantly as well. The Quadro P5000 has a base clock of 1607 MHz and a boost clock of 1733 MHz, with memory running at 1127 MHz (9 Gbps effective). The GTX 680M has a base clock of 719 MHz and a boost clock of 758 MHz, with memory at 900 MHz (3.6 Gbps effective). The Quadro P5000's memory clock is 25% higher in raw terms, and its effective data rate is 2.5 times higher due to the GDDR5X standard.

Shader resources favor the Quadro P5000 heavily. It has 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The GTX 680M has 1,344 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The Quadro P5000 has 1.9 times the shading units, 1.43 times the TMUs, and twice the ROPs. Neither card has ray tracing cores or tensor cores. The Quadro P5000's FP32 throughput is 8.873 TFLOPS, while its FP16 throughput is 138.6 GFLOPS at a 1:64 ratio. The GTX 680M has no recorded FP16 capability.

Memory architecture is another major divergence. The Quadro P5000 uses 16 GB of GDDR5X with a 256-bit bus and 288.5 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 680M uses 4 GB of GDDR5 with a 256-bit bus and 115.2 GB/s bandwidth. Both use the same bus width, but the Quadro P5000 has four times the capacity and 2.5 times the bandwidth. The GTX 680M's memory is more typical of a mobile part from 2012, while the Quadro P5000's configuration is workstation-class.

API support differs as well. The Quadro P5000 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The GTX 680M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. Both have the same OpenGL version, but the Quadro P5000 offers a higher DirectX feature level and a newer Vulkan version. The GTX 680M has Geekbench Metal support, scoring 4,815, while the Quadro P5000 has no Metal result in the database.

Physical design and connectivity also differentiate the two. The Quadro P5000 is a dual-slot card, 267 mm long and 111 mm high, with one 8-pin power connector, a suggested 450 W power supply, and PCIe 3.0 x16 interface. Its display outputs are 1x DVI and 4x DisplayPort 1.4a. The GTX 680M is an MXM Module with no power connectors, no recorded dimensions, and a portable-device-dependent display output. The Quadro P5000 is designed for a desktop workstation chassis, while the GTX 680M is a laptop component.

The architectural gap between Pascal and Kepler explains the performance delta. The Quadro P5000's 16 nm process, higher transistor count, doubled ROP count, faster memory standard, and higher clock speeds all contribute to its 468.9% lead in the only direct benchmark. The GTX 680M's lower power draw and smaller form factor are its only architectural advantages, and they are functional rather than performance-related.