NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M vs NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded benchmark data for these two GPUs is sparse, with each card tested under a different workload, so a direct apples-to-apples comparison is not possible from the database. The GeForce GTX 680M has two recorded scores: 4,815 in Geekbench Metal and 9,230 in Geekbench OpenCL, yielding an average benchmark score of 7,023. The RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server has a single recorded score of 5,996 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, producing an average of 5,996. Because the tests do not overlap, the database shows zero wins for either card in head-to-head comparisons.

Looking at the average scores alone, the GTX 680M appears ahead by 1,027 points, roughly 17% higher than the RTX PRO 6000. However, this is misleading due to the different benchmark suites. The GTX 680M's scores come from compute-oriented Geekbench tests, while the RTX PRO 6000's score comes from a modern DX12 gaming workload. The RTX PRO 6000's Steel Nomad test is far more demanding on raw graphics throughput, so the numerical gap does not indicate real-world superiority for the older card.

The percentile rankings tell a different story. The GTX 680M sits at the 39th percentile among all GPUs, while the RTX PRO 6000 sits at the 34th percentile. This means the GTX 680M outperforms a slightly larger share of the database's GPU population in its tested workloads, but both cards are near the lower-middle of the pack. The nearest rivals for the GTX 680M include the NVIDIA T600 (average score 7,035, delta of -0.2%), the AMD Radeon R5 M240 (6,975, delta of +0.7%), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M (6,946, delta of +1.1%), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 (7,157, delta of -1.9%). For the RTX PRO 6000, the nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M (6,000, delta of -0.1%), the AMD Radeon RX 6400 (6,001, delta of -0.1%), the AMD FirePro W4100 (5,987, delta of +0.2%), and the NVIDIA Quadro K4000M (5,986, delta of +0.2%).

The delta values show that both cards sit within roughly 2% of their nearest competitors, indicating tight clustering in their respective performance tiers. The GTX 680M's largest margin is a 1.1% lead over the GTX 675M, while its largest deficit is 1.9% behind the GTX 970. The RTX PRO 6000's margins are even tighter, with its largest lead at 0.2% over both the FirePro W4100 and Quadro K4000M, and its largest deficit at 0.1% behind the GTX 770M and RX 6400. These numbers suggest that, within the database's limited test set, neither card is a standout performer relative to its immediate peers.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from entirely different eras and design philosophies. The GeForce GTX 680M uses the GK104 chip, built on the Kepler architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process. It packs 3,540 million transistors onto a 294 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 12.0 million per square millimeter. The RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server uses the GB202 chip, built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, also fabricated by TSMC but on a 5 nm process. It contains 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 122.9 million per square millimeter. The newer chip is roughly 26 times denser in transistor packing, a direct consequence of the process node advancement.

The GTX 680M features 1,344 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. It has no dedicated ray tracing cores or tensor cores, reflecting its 2012-era design. The RTX PRO 6000, by contrast, fields 24,064 shading units, 752 TMUs, and 192 ROPs, along with 188 ray tracing cores and 752 tensor cores. The sheer scale difference is enormous: the RTX PRO 6000 has roughly 18 times more shading units, nearly 7 times more TMUs, and 6 times more ROPs than the GTX 680M.

Memory configurations are equally divergent. The GTX 680M has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 115.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX PRO 6000 has 96 GB of GDDR7 on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. That is over 15 times more bandwidth and 24 times more memory capacity. Clock speeds also differ substantially: the GTX 680M runs at a base of 719 MHz with a boost of 758 MHz, while the RTX PRO 6000 runs at 1,590 MHz base and 2,617 MHz boost. The memory clock is 900 MHz (3.6 Gbps effective) for the older card versus 1,750 MHz (28 Gbps effective) for the newer one.

The RTX PRO 6000 also supports modern APIs: DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), Vulkan 1.4, and OpenGL 4.6. The GTX 680M only reaches DirectX 12 (11_0), Vulkan 1.2.175, and OpenGL 4.6. The newer card's feature set includes hardware ray tracing and tensor acceleration, neither of which exists on the Kepler part. The GTX 680M is an MXM module with a 100 W TDP and no power connectors, while the RTX PRO 6000 is a dual-slot PCIe 5.0 x16 card requiring a 600 W TDP and a 1x 16-pin power connector, with a suggested PSU of 1000 W.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The GeForce GTX 680M has an average benchmark score of 7,023, while the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server has an average of 5,996. The GTX 680M leads by 1,027 points, but the scores come from different benchmark suites, so the comparison is not direct.

Q: How do the two cards compare in terms of transistor density?

A: The GTX 680M has a transistor density of 12.0 million per square millimeter on a 28 nm process. The RTX PRO 6000 has a density of 122.9 million per square millimeter on a 5 nm process, which is over 10 times higher.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The GTX 680M offers 115.2 GB/s of bandwidth from 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus. The RTX PRO 6000 offers 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth from 96 GB of GDDR7 on a 512-bit bus, which is over 15 times higher.

Q: Does the RTX PRO 6000 support ray tracing?

A: Yes, the RTX PRO 6000 has 188 ray tracing cores and 752 tensor cores. The GTX 680M has no ray tracing or tensor cores, as it predates those technologies.

Q: Which card has a higher boost clock?

A: The RTX PRO 6000 has a boost clock of 2,617 MHz, compared to the GTX 680M's boost clock of 758 MHz. The newer card runs over 3.4 times faster in boost frequency.

Q: What are the production statuses of these GPUs?

A: The GTX 680M is listed as end-of-life, with a release date of June 3, 2012. The RTX PRO 6000 is listed as active, with a release date of March 17, 2025.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every measurable specification. The process node shifts from 28 nm (GTX 680M) to 5 nm (RTX PRO 6000). Transistor count jumps from 3,540 million to 92,200 million, and die size grows from 294 mm² to 750 mm². Transistor density rises from 12.0 million per square millimeter to 122.9 million per square millimeter.

Clock speeds: the GTX 680M has a base of 719 MHz and boost of 758 MHz, while the RTX PRO 6000 has a base of 1,590 MHz and boost of 2,617 MHz. Memory clock goes from 900 MHz (3.6 Gbps effective) to 1,750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). Memory size increases from 4 GB to 96 GB, type from GDDR5 to GDDR7, bus width from 256-bit to 512-bit, and bandwidth from 115.2 GB/s to 1.79 TB/s.

Compute resources differ massively: shading units go from 1,344 to 24,064, TMUs from 112 to 752, and ROPs from 32 to 192. The RTX PRO 6000 adds 188 ray tracing cores and 752 tensor cores, which the GTX 680M lacks entirely. Pixel rate rises from 21.22 GPixel/s to 502.5 GPixel/s, and texture rate from 84.90 GTexel/s to 1,968.0 GTexel/s. FP32 performance jumps from 2.038 TFLOPS to 126.0 TFLOPS, and the RTX PRO 6000 also lists FP16 at 126.0 TFLOPS (1:1), while the GTX 680M has no FP16 figure.

Power and physical specs diverge sharply: TDP goes from 100 W to 600 W, slot width from MXM module to dual-slot, power connectors from none to 1x 16-pin, and the suggested PSU for the RTX PRO 6000 is 1000 W. The bus interface changes from MXM-B (3.0) to PCIe 5.0 x16. Display outputs go from portable device dependent to 4x DisplayPort 2.1b. The RTX PRO 6000 has dimensions of 267 mm length, 111 mm height, and 40 mm width. The GTX 680M has no recorded dimensions.

API support differs: DirectX goes from 12 (11_0) to 12 Ultimate (12_2), Vulkan from 1.2.175 to 1.4, while OpenGL stays at 4.6 for both. The production status shifts from end-of-life to active, and the release dates are June 3, 2012 versus March 17, 2025.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear generational chasm, but not in the direction one might expect from the raw average scores. The GTX 680M's higher average benchmark score and 39th percentile ranking reflect its performance in lightweight compute tests, not its overall capability. The RTX PRO 6000's 34th percentile ranking comes from a single heavy DX12 workload, which is far more demanding on modern graphics features.

For users prioritizing raw compute throughput in legacy OpenCL or Metal workloads, the GTX 680M shows a numerical edge in the database, with a 9,230 OpenCL score that dwarfs its own Metal score. However, the RTX PRO 6000's architectural advantages are overwhelming: 126.0 TFLOPS of FP32 versus 2.038 TFLOPS, 96 GB of memory versus 4 GB, and 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth versus 115.2 GB/s. The newer card also supports ray tracing, tensor cores, DirectX 12 Ultimate, and Vulkan 1.4, none of which are available on the Kepler part.

The verdict depends entirely on the workload. For modern server applications, AI inference, ray-traced rendering, or any task using DirectX 12 Ultimate features, the RTX PRO 6000 is the only viable choice. The GTX 680M cannot run these workloads at all due to missing hardware features. For legacy 3D applications or compute tasks that rely on OpenCL and Metal, the GTX 680M's recorded scores are higher, but the card is end-of-life, making it unsuitable for new deployments. The RTX PRO 6000, despite its lower benchmark percentile, is the forward-looking option with active production status and a successor already designated as Server Rubin.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 680M wins in the database's recorded benchmark averages and percentile placement. Its 7,023 average score and 39th percentile beat the RTX PRO 6000's 5,996 average and 34th percentile. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 9,230, which is notably higher than its Metal score of 4,815, suggesting strength in compute-oriented OpenCL workloads. Its nearest rivals include the GTX 675M, which it leads by 1.1%, and the T600, which leads it by only 0.2%, indicating it holds its own among older mid-range cards.

The RTX PRO 6000 wins in every architectural and forward-looking category. It has 18 times more shading units, 15 times more memory bandwidth, 24 times more memory capacity, and over 60 times the FP32 throughput. It supports ray tracing, tensor cores, and the latest API versions, making it the only card here capable of modern DX12 Ultimate or Vulkan 1.4 workloads. Its 5 nm process and 122.9 million transistors per square millimeter represent a massive efficiency and density advantage, and its active production status means it is a current product with a defined successor.

For use cases, the split is straightforward. The GTX 680M suits legacy systems, older gaming laptops, or any environment still relying on MXM modules and Kepler-era drivers. The RTX PRO 6000 suits server deployments, AI inference, neural rendering, or any task requiring large memory pools and modern graphics features. The GTX 680M's 100 W TDP and no power connector requirement make it suitable for portable devices, while the RTX PRO 6000's 600 W TDP and 1000 W suggested PSU place it firmly in workstation and server territory. The data does not support using the GTX 680M for any new project, given its end-of-life status and lack of contemporary API support.