NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 vs NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records only two directly comparable benchmark results for this pairing, and both are decisive victories for the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000. In Geekbench OpenCL, the Quadro RTX 5000 scores 78,999 against the GeForce GTX 780's 22,863, a delta of 245.5%. The Vulkan result is even more lopsided: 92,309 versus 24,514, representing a 276.6% advantage for the newer card. These are not marginal wins; the Quadro RTX 5000 more than triples the GTX 780's output in both compute and graphics API workloads.

The gap is consistent with the underlying hardware specifications. The Quadro RTX 5000 carries 3,072 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units, while the GTX 780 fields 2,304 shaders, 192 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The raw FP32 throughput tells a similar story: 11.15 TFLOPS versus 4.156 TFLOPS. Pixel fill rate is 116.2 GPixel/s against 43.30 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 348.5 GTexel/s versus 173.2 GTexel/s. Every throughput metric in the database favors the Quadro RTX 5000 by a wide margin.

The GTX 780 does hold one theoretical advantage: memory bus width. Its 384-bit interface exceeds the Quadro RTX 5000's 256-bit bus. However, the Quadro RTX 5000 compensates with GDDR6 memory operating at 14 Gbps effective, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 780's GDDR5 at 6 Gbps effective produces 288.4 GB/s. The newer memory technology more than offsets the narrower bus, leaving the Quadro RTX 5000 with roughly 55% more bandwidth.

Both cards share identical physical dimensions: 267 mm length and 111 mm height. Both are dual-slot designs requiring a 6-pin plus 8-pin power connection. The GTX 780 lists a 250 W TDP and a 600 W suggested PSU, while the Quadro RTX 5000 draws 230 W and suggests a 550 W PSU. The newer card delivers substantially more performance while consuming less power, a direct consequence of the 12 nm process node versus the GTX 780's 28 nm node.

The Verdict

The benchmark data leaves little room for ambiguity. The Quadro RTX 5000 wins both head-to-head tests with deltas of 245.5% and 276.6%. For any workload captured by Geekbench OpenCL or Vulkan, the Quadro RTX 5000 is the clear choice. The GTX 780 does not win a single recorded comparison.

Beyond the head-to-head results, the average benchmark scores reinforce this conclusion. The Quadro RTX 5000 averages 21,629 across all recorded tests, placing it in the 67th percentile of all GPUs in the database. The GTX 780 averages 19,164, landing in the 64th percentile. The Quadro RTX 5000's nearest rivals include the GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB at 21,856 (within 1%), the RTX A4000 Mobile at 21,379 (1.2% behind), and the AMD Radeon HD 8970M at 21,237 (1.8% behind). The GTX 780's closest competitors are the NVIDIA TITAN Xp at 19,177 (0.1% behind), the Tesla K20m at 19,089 (0.4% ahead), and the GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile at 19,049 (0.6% ahead). The Quadro RTX 5000 sits in a higher performance tier entirely.

The only scenario where the GTX 780 might appeal is one where the user requires legacy display outputs. The GTX 780 offers 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2. The Quadro RTX 5000 provides 4x DisplayPort 1.4a and 1x USB Type-C. For modern display ecosystems, the Quadro RTX 5000 is clearly superior, but the GTX 780's DVI and HDMI 1.4a outputs could matter for older monitors or specialized equipment. Even so, the performance delta is so large that this is a narrow edge case.

Where Each One Wins

The Quadro RTX 5000 wins in every measured category. In compute-heavy tasks such as OpenCL workloads, its 78,999 score versus 22,863 represents a fundamental generational leap. The Vulkan result of 92,309 versus 24,514 shows similar dominance in modern graphics API environments. The card's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, 48 RT cores, and 384 tensor cores provide capabilities the GTX 780 simply lacks. The GTX 780 has no ray tracing cores and no tensor cores; these features did not exist in its Kepler architecture generation.

The GTX 780's wins, such as they are, appear only in aspects not captured by the head-to-head tests. Its 384-bit memory bus is wider, and its 561 mm² die size is slightly larger than the Quadro RTX 5000's 545 mm². But a wider bus with slower memory and a larger die with older transistors do not translate into benchmark victories. The GTX 780's FP16 capability is listed as null, meaning it either lacks the feature or the database records no result. The Quadro RTX 5000 delivers 22.30 TFLOPS FP16 at a 2:1 ratio, a capability that matters for machine learning inference and certain scientific workloads.

For gaming at modern resolutions, the Quadro RTX 5000's DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) support and Vulkan 1.4 API compatibility outclass the GTX 780's DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175. The Quadro RTX 5000 also supports OpenGL 4.6, matching the GTX 780, but adds features the older card cannot access. In professional visualization, the Quadro branding traditionally indicates optimized drivers and certification, though the database does not record specific ISV application scores.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 scores 78,999 versus the GTX 780's 22,863, a 245.5% advantage.

Q: Does the GTX 780 win any benchmark in this comparison?

A: No. The database records two head-to-head tests, Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan, and the Quadro RTX 5000 wins both.

Q: How much memory does each card have?

A: The Quadro RTX 5000 has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 780 has 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus with 288.4 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What are the power requirements?

A: The Quadro RTX 5000 has a 230 W TDP and recommends a 550 W PSU. The GTX 780 has a 250 W TDP and recommends a 600 W PSU. Both use a 6-pin plus 8-pin power connector configuration.

Q: Do these cards support ray tracing?

A: The Quadro RTX 5000 includes 48 RT cores and 384 tensor cores. The GTX 780 lists no RT cores and no tensor cores, as its Kepler architecture predates these features.

Q: Which card has better API support?

A: The Quadro RTX 5000 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The GTX 780 supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175.

Architecture Differences

The two cards represent entirely different architectural generations. The Quadro RTX 5000 uses the TU104 chip based on Turing architecture, fabricated on TSMC's 12 nm process. The GTX 780 uses the GK110 chip based on Kepler architecture, also from TSMC but on a 28 nm process. The transistor counts reflect this divide: 13,600 million transistors in the TU104 versus 7,080 million in the GK110. Interestingly, the die sizes are close: 545 mm² for the Quadro RTX 5000 and 561 mm² for the GTX 780. The transistor density tells the real story: 25.0 million transistors per mm² for the Turing part versus 12.6 million per mm² for Kepler.

The memory subsystems differ fundamentally. The Quadro RTX 5000 uses 16 GB of GDDR6 with a 256-bit bus and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 780 uses 3 GB of GDDR5 with a 384-bit bus and 288.4 GB/s bandwidth. The Quadro RTX 5000's memory clock is listed as 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective, while the GTX 780 runs at 1502 MHz with 6 Gbps effective. The newer memory technology and larger capacity make the Quadro RTX 5000 substantially better suited for large datasets and high-resolution textures.

Compute capabilities diverge sharply. The Quadro RTX 5000 features 48 RT cores for ray tracing and 384 tensor cores for AI acceleration, neither of which exist on the GTX 780. FP32 throughput is 11.15 TFLOPS versus 4.156 TFLOPS. The Quadro RTX 5000 also delivers 22.30 TFLOPS FP16 at a 2:1 ratio; the GTX 780's FP16 capability is recorded as null. These differences matter for modern workloads: real-time ray tracing, neural network inference, and mixed-precision scientific computing are simply unavailable on the GTX 780.

Clock speeds favor the newer card as well. The Quadro RTX 5000 has a base clock of 1620 MHz and a boost clock of 1815 MHz. The GTX 780 operates at 863 MHz base and 902 MHz boost. The higher clocks, combined with more shaders and newer memory, explain the benchmark deltas.

Display output capabilities also differ. The Quadro RTX 5000 provides 4x DisplayPort 1.4a and 1x USB Type-C, supporting modern high-refresh-rate monitors and USB-C display connections. The GTX 780 offers 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2, which limits it to older display standards. Both cards are end-of-life in production status, but the Quadro RTX 5000 was released in 2018 while the GTX 780 launched in 2013. The Quadro RTX 5000's predecessor is Quadro Volta and its successor is Workstation Ampere. The GTX 780's predecessor is GeForce 600 and its successor is GeForce 900. The architectural gap of five years is visible in every recorded metric.