NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M vs NVIDIA Quadro M500M Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M and NVIDIA Quadro M500M represent two very different approaches to mobile graphics, separated by three years of GPU architecture evolution. The GTX 770M is a high-end gaming part from 2013, while the Quadro M500M is a low-power professional solution from 2016. Benchmark data shows a clear overall winner, but the specific strengths of each card tell a more nuanced story for potential users.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available between these two cards is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the results are decisively in favor of the GTX 770M. In this compute-oriented test, the GTX 770M scores 8,552 points, while the Quadro M500M manages 5,986 points. That represents a 42.9% advantage for the GTX 770M, a substantial margin that reflects the fundamental differences in their hardware designs.

This OpenCL result is particularly telling because OpenCL is a cross-platform compute API that exercises the raw processing capabilities of a GPU. The GTX 770M's score of 8,552 places it in the 35th percentile of all GPUs, while the Quadro M500M's 5,986 score sits in the 32nd percentile. While the percentile difference seems modest, the raw score gap is anything but. The GTX 770M's average benchmark score across all tests is 6,000, compared to 5,604 for the Quadro M500M, reinforcing the GTX 770M's overall performance edge.

Looking at the broader benchmark landscape, the GTX 770M also has a Geekbench Metal score of 3,448, though no comparable Metal score exists for the Quadro M500M. The Quadro M500M does have a Geekbench Vulkan score of 5,222, but there's no corresponding Vulkan result for the GTX 770M, so these cannot be directly compared.

The GTX 770M's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the AMD Radeon RX 6400 with an average score of 6,001 (0% delta), the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server at 5,996 (0.1% delta), and the AMD FirePro W4100 at 5,987 (0.2% delta). The Quadro M500M's nearest competitors include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M at 5,501 (1.9% delta), the AMD Radeon HD 8790M at 5,691 (-1.5% delta), and the NVIDIA GeForce MX130 at 5,508 (1.7% delta). Interestingly, the Quadro M500M actually outperforms the GTX 765M by 1.9%, showing that architectural efficiency can partially compensate for a smaller hardware footprint.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance?

A: The GTX 770M delivers 1.530 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, compared to 863.2 GFLOPS for the Quadro M500M. This corresponds to a 42.9% advantage in the Geekbench OpenCL test, where the GTX 770M scores 8,552 versus 5,986.

Q: Are these GPUs suitable for modern API support?

A: Both support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6. The key difference is Vulkan support: the GTX 770M supports Vulkan 1.2.175, while the Quadro M500M supports Vulkan 1.4, a newer version of the API.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The GTX 770M has 3 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 96.19 GB/s of bandwidth. The Quadro M500M has 2 GB of DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus, yielding only 14.40 GB/s of bandwidth — a significant drop in memory throughput.

Q: How do the shading resources compare?

A: The GTX 770M features 960 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 24 ROPs. The Quadro M500M has 384 shading units, 16 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. This means the GTX 770M has 2.5 times the shading units and 5 times the texture units.

Q: Which GPU is more power-efficient?

A: The Quadro M500M has a TDP of 30 W, while the GTX 770M has a TDP of 75 W. Despite using less than half the power, the Quadro M500M still achieves 56.4% of the GTX 770M's FP32 compute performance (863.2 GFLOPS vs 1.530 TFLOPS).

Q: What do the average benchmark scores indicate?

A: The GTX 770M has an average benchmark score of 6,000, placing it in the 35th percentile of all GPUs. The Quadro M500M has an average score of 5,604, placing it in the 32nd percentile. This represents a 7.1% advantage for the GTX 770M in average performance.

The Verdict

The data clearly favors the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M for raw performance. Its 42.9% lead in OpenCL benchmarks, combined with significantly higher texture and pixel rates, makes it the superior choice for compute-intensive workloads. The GTX 770M's 1.530 TFLOPS FP32 performance, 63.76 GTexel/s texture fill rate, and 15.94 GPixel/s pixel rate dwarf the Quadro M500M's 863.2 GFLOPS, 17.98 GTexel/s, and 8.992 GPixel/s respectively.

However, the Quadro M500M is not without merit. Its 30 W TDP makes it far more suitable for thin-and-light portable workstations, and its newer Vulkan 1.4 support gives it an API advantage. The Quadro M500M also has a higher transistor density at 13.2M / mm² compared to 11.5M / mm², indicating a more efficient design despite smaller overall size.

For users who need maximum compute throughput in a mobile workstation, the GTX 770M is the clear choice. Its larger memory pool (3 GB vs 2 GB), wider memory bus (192-bit vs 64-bit), and substantially higher bandwidth (96.19 GB/s vs 14.40 GB/s) make it better suited for tasks that involve large datasets. The Quadro M500M, conversely, makes sense for users who prioritize battery life and thermal efficiency over raw performance, and who need the newer Vulkan implementation.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every hardware specification. The GTX 770M uses the GK106 chip with 2,540 million transistors on a 221 mm² die, while the Quadro M500M uses the GM108S chip with 1,020 million transistors on a 77 mm² die. Clock speeds favor the Quadro M500M, which runs at 1029 MHz base and 1124 MHz boost, compared to the GTX 770M's 706 MHz base and 797 MHz boost. Memory speeds also differ: the GTX 770M uses 1002 MHz memory (4 Gbps effective), while the Quadro M500M uses 900 MHz memory (1800 Mbps effective).

The memory subsystems are fundamentally different. The GTX 770M offers 3 GB GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus with 96.19 GB/s bandwidth, whereas the Quadro M500M offers 2 GB DDR3 on a 64-bit bus with 14.40 GB/s bandwidth. Compute resources similarly diverge: 960 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 24 ROPs on the GTX 770M versus 384 shading units, 16 TMUs, and 8 ROPs on the Quadro M500M. The bus interface also differs, with the GTX 770M using MXM-B (3.0) and the Quadro M500M using MXM-A (3.0).

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these GPUs is substantial. The GTX 770M is built on NVIDIA's Kepler architecture, representing the GeForce 700M generation, and was released on May 29, 2013. The Quadro M500M uses the newer Maxwell architecture from the Quadro Maxwell-M (Mx000M) generation, released on April 26, 2016. Both are manufactured on TSMC's 28 nm process, but the transistor density differs: 11.5M / mm² for the GTX 770M versus 13.2M / mm² for the Quadro M500M, showing Maxwell's more efficient packing.

The API support shows the generational gap. While both support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, the Quadro M500M supports Vulkan 1.4, a much newer version than the GTX 770M's Vulkan 1.2.175. This gives the Quadro M500M access to more modern Vulkan features and optimizations. Neither GPU has ray tracing cores or tensor cores, as both predate those technologies.

The production status of both is end-of-life, but their lineages differ: the GTX 770M succeeds the GeForce 600M and is succeeded by the GeForce 800M, while the Quadro M500M succeeds Quadro Kepler-M and is succeeded by Quadro Pascal-M. The Quadro M500M's smaller die (77 mm² vs 221 mm²) with fewer transistors (1,020 million vs 2,540 million) reflects a design philosophy focused on efficiency rather than absolute performance.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 770M wins decisively in compute-heavy scenarios. Its 1.530 TFLOPS FP32 performance, 63.76 GTexel/s texture rate, and 15.94 GPixel/s pixel rate make it suitable for tasks like video rendering, 3D modeling, and GPU-accelerated computing. The 3 GB GDDR5 memory with 96.19 GB/s bandwidth provides ample capacity and throughput for large textures and datasets. Its 42.9% OpenCL advantage over the Quadro M500M confirms its superiority in general-purpose compute workloads.

The Quadro M500M wins in efficiency-critical applications. With a 30 W TDP versus 75 W, it consumes 60% less power while still delivering 56.4% of the GTX 770M's FP32 performance. This makes it better suited for battery-powered mobile workstations where thermal and power budgets are constrained. Its Vulkan 1.4 support provides a modern API foundation that the older Kepler part lacks. The Quadro M500M also has a smaller physical footprint (77 mm² die vs 221 mm²), making it easier to integrate into compact laptop designs.

For gaming and graphics-intensive workloads, the GTX 770M's wider memory bus and higher bandwidth (96.19 GB/s vs 14.40 GB/s) provide a significant advantage in texture streaming and frame buffer operations. The Quadro M500M's 14.40 GB/s bandwidth is a severe bottleneck for anything beyond basic 2D or light 3D work. Conversely, for professional ISV applications that leverage newer Vulkan features, the Quadro M500M's modern API support may provide compatibility benefits that raw performance alone cannot match. The choice ultimately comes down to whether raw throughput or power efficiency takes priority in the target use case.