NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 vs NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 Comparison

The GeForce GTX 780 and Quadro RTX 4000 represent two very different eras of NVIDIA hardware. The GTX 780 is a Kepler-era flagship from 2013, while the Quadro RTX 4000 is a Turing-generation workstation card from 2018. Benchmark data shows a generational gap that is massive in raw compute but nuanced in architectural design. The Quadro RTX 4000 dominates the available head-to-head tests, while the GTX 780 holds its own only in terms of transistor density per square millimeter. This analysis breaks down the numbers.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The data available for direct comparison consists of two compute-oriented API tests, and the Quadro RTX 4000 wins both by a substantial margin. In Geekbench OpenCL, the Quadro RTX 4000 scores 74,540 against the GTX 780's 22,863, a deltaPct of -69.3% from the perspective of the older card. This means the Quadro delivers roughly 3.26 times the OpenCL performance of the GTX 780, a staggering leap for a card that draws less power.

The Vulkan results tell a similar story. The Quadro RTX 4000 posts 78,844 in Geekbench Vulkan, while the GTX 780 manages 24,514, yielding a deltaPct of -68.9%. That is a 3.22x advantage for the Turing card. These are not marginal wins; they are generational stomps. The GTX 780's scores of 22,863 and 24,514 in OpenCL and Vulkan, respectively, are closely matched to each other, suggesting it is compute-bound in both APIs. The Quadro RTX 4000, by contrast, shows Vulkan scaling slightly better than OpenCL, indicating better driver optimization or hardware utilization for modern graphics APIs.

It is importantly the head-to-head field is limited. There are no DirectX or 3DMark comparisons in the provided pack, so the analysis must lean on these two compute benchmarks. The deltaPct values are consistent, though, pointing to a clear and unambiguous winner in every tested scenario. The GTX 780 wins zero head-to-head tests; the Quadro RTX 4000 wins two.

Architecture Differences

The underlying silicon tells the story of why the Quadro RTX 4000 is so much faster. The GTX 780 uses the GK110 chip built on Kepler architecture, manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 7,080 million transistors into a 561 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 12.6M / mm². The Quadro RTX 4000 uses the TU104 chip on Turing architecture, fabricated on a 12 nm process. It contains 13,600 million transistors on a slightly smaller 545 mm² die, achieving a much higher density of 25.0M / mm².

Clock speeds also favor the newer card. The GTX 780 runs at a base of 863 MHz and a boost of 902 MHz. The Quadro RTX 4000 starts at 1005 MHz and boosts to 1545 MHz. That boost clock is 71% higher than the GTX 780's, which alone explains a large portion of the performance gap. Shading unit counts are identical at 2304, but the rest of the pipeline differs. The GTX 780 has 192 texture mapping units and 48 ROPs, while the Quadro RTX 4000 has 144 TMUs and 64 ROPs.

The most significant architectural additions are the ray tracing and tensor cores. The Quadro RTX 4000 includes 36 RT cores and 288 tensor cores, features entirely absent from the GTX 780. This allows the Quadro to accelerate real-time ray tracing and AI workloads, which the Kepler card cannot do at all. The Quadro also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the GTX 780 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175. Both cards support OpenGL 4.6.

Where Each One Wins

Based strictly on the data, the Quadro RTX 4000 wins in every measurable performance category. It produces a pixel rate of 98.88 GPixel/s versus 43.30 GPixel/s for the GTX 780, a 2.28x advantage. Texture rate is 222.5 GTexel/s versus 173.2 GTexel/s, a 1.28x lead. FP32 compute is 7.119 TFLOPS versus 4.156 TFLOPS, a 1.71x improvement. The Quadro also offers FP16 at 14.24 TFLOPS (2:1), while the GTX 780 has no FP16 specification listed.

Memory is another clear win for the Quadro. It ships with 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 416.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 780 has 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, yielding 288.4 GB/s. The Quadro’s memory is not just larger but also faster per pin, thanks to the 13 Gbps effective GDDR6 speed versus 6 Gbps on the GTX 780.

The GTX 780 does have one advantage: power connectors. It uses a 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin configuration, while the Quadro only needs a single 8-pin. This reflects the GTX 780's higher 250 W TDP versus the Quadro's 160 W. The GTX 780 also has a wider memory bus at 384-bit, but as the bandwidth numbers show, that does not compensate for the slower memory technology.

Specification Differences

The following table highlights the key differing specifications between the two cards.

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 | NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 |

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

| Architecture | Kepler | Turing |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 12 nm |

| Transistors | 7,080 million | 13,600 million |

| Die Size | 561 mm² | 545 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.6M / mm² | 25.0M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 863 MHz | 1005 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 902 MHz | 1545 MHz |

| Memory Size | 3 GB GDDR5 | 8 GB GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus | 384 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 288.4 GB/s | 416.0 GB/s |

| TMUs | 192 | 144 |

| ROPs | 48 | 64 |

| RT Cores | None | 36 |

| Tensor Cores | None | 288 |

| Pixel Rate | 43.30 GPixel/s | 98.88 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 173.2 GTexel/s | 222.5 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 4.156 TFLOPS | 7.119 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | Not listed | 14.24 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 250 W | 160 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | Single-slot |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | 1x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 600 W | 450 W |

| Display Outputs | 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 1x DisplayPort 1.2 | 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1x USB Type-C |

| DirectX Support | 12 (11_0) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.2.175 | 1.4 |

| Release Date | 2013-05-22 | 2018-11-12 |

| Launch MSRP | 649 USD | 899 USD |

FAQ

Q: Is the Quadro RTX 4000 faster than the GTX 780 in every benchmark?

A: Yes. The head-to-head data shows the Quadro RTX 4000 wins both available tests: Geekbench OpenCL (74,540 vs 22,863) and Geekbench Vulkan (78,844 vs 24,514). The GTX 780 wins zero head-to-head benchmarks.

Q: Why does the Quadro RTX 4000 have a lower transistor density advantage?

A: The Quadro RTX 4000 has a density of 25.0M / mm² on a 12 nm process, while the GTX 780 has 12.6M / mm² on 28 nm. The Quadro packs 13,600 million transistors into 545 mm², whereas the GTX 780 fits 7,080 million into a larger 561 mm² die.

Q: Which card has better memory bandwidth?

A: The Quadro RTX 4000 has 416.0 GB/s of bandwidth from 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus. The GTX 780 has 288.4 GB/s from 3 GB of GDDR5 on a wider 384-bit bus.

Q: Does the GTX 780 support ray tracing?

A: No. The GTX 780 has no RT cores. The Quadro RTX 4000 includes 36 RT cores specifically for ray tracing acceleration.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The GTX 780 has a TDP of 250 W and requires a 600 W suggested PSU. The Quadro RTX 4000 has a TDP of 160 W and a 450 W suggested PSU. The Quadro also fits in a single slot versus dual-slot for the GTX 780.

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The GTX 780 has an average benchmark score of 19,164, placing it at the 64th percentile. The Quadro RTX 4000 has a lower average of 17,789, sitting at the 61st percentile. This is likely due to the GTX 780 being tested in more compatible legacy benchmarks.

The Verdict

The benchmark data is unambiguous: the Quadro RTX 4000 is the superior performer for any modern compute workload. It delivers over 3x the OpenCL and Vulkan scores of the GTX 780, offers 8 GB of GDDR6 memory versus 3 GB of GDDR5, and adds dedicated RT and tensor cores. It does all this while consuming 90 W less power and occupying only a single slot. For anyone running compute-intensive applications, the Quadro RTX 4000 is the clear choice.

The GTX 780 is not without merit, but its merits are historical. It holds a higher average benchmark score (19,164 vs 17,789) and a better percentile ranking (64th vs 61st), which likely reflects its compatibility with older DirectX 11-era tests where it was a flagship. Its 384-bit memory bus and 192 TMUs were impressive for 2013, but the 28 nm process and 902 MHz boost clock cap its potential. The GTX 780 also has a lower launch MSRP of 649 USD versus 899 USD for the Quadro, but that price difference buys five years of architectural progress.

Choose the Quadro RTX 4000 if you need raw compute, modern API support, or ray tracing. Choose the GTX 780 only if you are building a period-correct system or need to run legacy software that lacks Turing driver support. For everything else, the Quadro's 7.119 TFLOPS of FP32, 416.0 GB/s of bandwidth, and 98.88 GPixel/s pixel rate make it the only rational pick from the data.