NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M vs NVIDIA GRID K2 Comparison

The Verdict

The data presents a clear split between two very different NVIDIA products. The GeForce GTX 850M is a mobile-class processor built for portable devices, while the GRID K2 is a dual-slot, server-oriented accelerator with no display outputs. Benchmark results indicate the GRID K2 holds the overall performance advantage, winning the only direct head-to-head comparison in the database. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the GRID K2 scored 10,602 points against 9,821 points for the GTX 850M, a delta of 7.4% in favor of the GRID K2. The GRID K2 also records a higher raw average benchmark score of 8,080, though this is lower than the GTX 850M's average of 9,302. This discrepancy stems from different test suites: the GTX 850M's average is derived from OpenCL and Vulkan scores, while the GRID K2's average includes a Metal result of 5,557, which drags its mean downward.

Who should pick which? Strictly from the recorded measurements, the GRID K2 is the choice for raw compute throughput and memory bandwidth. Its 4 GB GDDR5 memory with a 256-bit bus delivers 160.0 GB/s, five times the bandwidth of the GTX 850M's 32.03 GB/s. The GRID K2 also has 1536 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs, more than double the GTX 850M's 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. Its FP32 throughput is rated at 2.289 TFLOPS, versus 1,154.6 GFLOPS for the GTX 850M. However, the GTX 850M is the only one of the two with any display capability, as its outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent," while the GRID K2 has no outputs at all. For any workload requiring a visible framebuffer, the GTX 850M is the only viable option in this pairing. For headless compute tasks, the GRID K2's larger memory pool and higher throughput make it the superior part.

The GRID K2's position in the database percentile ranking is 42nd, while the GTX 850M sits at 46th, meaning the GTX 850M outperforms a higher percentage of all GPUs in the database despite losing the direct comparison. This is explained by the GTX 850M's higher average score of 9,302, which places it among rivals like the GeForce GTX 465 (9,294, delta 0.1%) and the Radeon R7 M380 (9,313, delta -0.1%). The GRID K2's average of 8,080 places it near the GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost (8,067, delta 0.2%) and the GeForce 945M (8,099, delta -0.2%). The GTX 850M is also 0.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon Vega 8 (9,221) and 0.3% ahead of the GeForce GTX 960 (9,273), showing it competes with a broad range of mid-range parts.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher raw compute performance?

A: The NVIDIA GRID K2. It scores 10,602 in Geekbench OpenCL versus 9,821 for the GTX 850M, a 7.4% advantage. Its FP32 throughput is 2.289 TFLOPS, compared to 1,154.6 GFLOPS for the GTX 850M.

Q: Why does the GRID K2 have a lower average benchmark score than the GTX 850M?

A: The GRID K2's average score of 8,080 is pulled down by its Geekbench Metal result of 5,557. The GTX 850M's average of 9,302 is based on its OpenCL score of 9,821 and Vulkan score of 8,782, both of which are higher than the GRID K2's Metal result.

Q: Which GPU has more memory bandwidth?

A: The GRID K2. It uses 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding 160.0 GB/s. The GTX 850M has 2 GB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus, yielding 32.03 GB/s. The GRID K2's bandwidth is exactly five times higher.

Q: Can either GPU output video to a display?

A: Only the GTX 850M. Its display outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent," meaning it relies on the host laptop's panel. The GRID K2 has no display outputs at all, making it strictly a compute or virtualized workload processor.

Q: How does each GPU rank against its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 850M is effectively tied with the GeForce GTX 465 (0.1% ahead) and the Radeon R7 M380 (0.1% behind), while being 0.3% ahead of the GeForce GTX 960 and 0.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon Vega 8. The GRID K2 is 0.2% ahead of the GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost and 0.3% ahead of the GeForce GTX 650 Ti, while being 0.2% behind the GeForce 945M and 0.5% behind the GeForce GTX 880M.

Q: What are the power and physical requirements of each?

A: The GRID K2 has a 225 W TDP, requires a dual-slot form factor, uses one 6-pin and one 8-pin power connector, and suggests a 550 W power supply. It is 267 mm (10.5 inches) long. The GTX 850M has a 45 W TDP, uses an integrated (IGP) form factor, and requires no power connectors.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs stem from different NVIDIA architectures and are fabricated on different chip designs. The GTX 850M uses the GM107 chip, built on the Maxwell architecture. The GRID K2 uses the GK104 chip, built on the older Kepler architecture. Both are manufactured by TSMC on a 28 nm process, but the transistor counts differ substantially. The GK104 packs 3,540 million transistors into a 294 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 12.0M per mm². The GM107 is smaller, with 1,870 million transistors on a 148 mm² die, yielding a higher density of 12.6M per mm². Despite having fewer transistors, the Maxwell chip achieves a higher density per square millimeter, reflecting a more compact design.

The architectural differences manifest in the execution resources. The Kepler-based GRID K2 has 1536 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The Maxwell-based GTX 850M has 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. This means the GRID K2 has 2.4 times the shading units, 3.2 times the TMUs, and 2 times the ROPs of the GTX 850M. The pixel rate for the GRID K2 is 23.84 GPixel/s, while the GTX 850M achieves 14.43 GPixel/s. The texture rate for the GRID K2 is 95.36 GTexel/s, versus 36.08 GTexel/s for the GTX 850M.

Memory architecture also differs fundamentally. The GRID K2 uses GDDR5 memory, while the GTX 850M uses DDR3. The GRID K2's memory clock is 1250 MHz with 5 Gbps effective data rate, while the GTX 850M's memory clock is 1001 MHz with 2 Gbps effective. The bus widths diverge as well: the GRID K2 has a 256-bit bus, the GTX 850M has a 128-bit bus. Combined with the different memory types, the GRID K2 achieves 160.0 GB/s of bandwidth versus 32.03 GB/s for the GTX 850M.

API support is similar but not identical. Both support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6. The Vulkan versions differ: the GTX 850M supports Vulkan 1.4, while the GRID K2 supports Vulkan 1.2.175. The GTX 850M has no display outputs of its own, being dependent on the portable device, while the GRID K2 has no outputs whatsoever, reinforcing its server-oriented role. The GRID K2's generation is listed as "GRID (K2)," indicating its placement in NVIDIA's virtualization product line, whereas the GTX 850M belongs to the GeForce 800M generation.

Specification Differences

The key specification differences are summarized below. The GTX 850M uses the GM107 chip with 1,870 million transistors on a 148 mm² die, while the GRID K2 uses the GK104 chip with 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. The GTX 850M has 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs; the GRID K2 has 1536 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Pixel rates are 14.43 GPixel/s versus 23.84 GPixel/s, and texture rates are 36.08 GTexel/s versus 95.36 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput is 1,154.6 GFLOPS versus 2.289 TFLOPS.

Memory configuration differs entirely: the GTX 850M has 2 GB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus with 32.03 GB/s bandwidth, while the GRID K2 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 160.0 GB/s bandwidth. Memory clocks are 1001 MHz (2 Gbps effective) for the GTX 850M and 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective) for the GRID K2. Power consumption is 45 W for the GTX 850M versus 225 W for the GRID K2. The GTX 850M is an IGP slot-width design with no power connectors; the GRID K2 is a dual-slot design with one 6-pin and one 8-pin connector and a suggested 550 W power supply. The GRID K2 measures 267 mm (10.5 inches) in length; the GTX 850M has no listed dimensions.

Display outputs: the GTX 850M is "Portable Device Dependent," while the GRID K2 has no outputs. API support: both have DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but Vulkan differs (1.4 for the GTX 850M, 1.2.175 for the GRID K2). The release dates also differ: the GTX 850M was released on 2014-03-11, while the GRID K2 was released on 2013-05-10. Both are marked as end-of-life. The GRID K2 has a launch MSRP of 5,199 USD; the GTX 850M has no launch MSRP in the database.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records one direct head-to-head benchmark between these two GPUs: Geekbench OpenCL. In this test, the GRID K2 scores 10,602 points, while the GTX 850M scores 9,821 points. The delta is 7.4% in favor of the GRID K2, which is recorded as the winner. This is the sole direct comparison, and it gives the GRID K2 one win versus zero for the GTX 850M.

Beyond the direct comparison, the individual benchmark suites tell a fuller story. The GTX 850M has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 8,782, which has no counterpart in the GRID K2's data. The GRID K2 has a Geekbench Metal score of 5,557, which the GTX 850M does not have. The OpenCL results are the only point of overlap, and they favor the GRID K2.

The average scores, however, favor the GTX 850M. Its average of 9,302 is 15.1% higher than the GRID K2's average of 8,080. This is because the GRID K2's Metal score of 5,557 is far lower than its OpenCL score, reducing its mean. The GTX 850M's two scores (9,821 and 8,782) are much closer together, yielding a higher average.

The percentile rankings reflect this. The GTX 850M sits at the 46th percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the GRID K2 sits at the 42nd percentile. This means the GTX 850M outperforms a larger fraction of the database's GPU population, even though it loses the direct OpenCL comparison. The nearest rival data confirms the GTX 850M's competitive position: it is within 0.9% of four different GPUs, with the closest being the Radeon R7 M380 at -0.1% and the GeForce GTX 465 at +0.1%. The GRID K2's nearest rivals include the GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost at +0.2%, the GeForce 945M at -0.2%, the GeForce GTX 650 Ti at +0.3%, and the GeForce GTX 880M at +0.5%.

The biggest win for the GRID K2 is the OpenCL score, where it leads by 781 points. The biggest win for the GTX 850M is its average benchmark score, where it leads by 1,222 points, and its Vulkan score of 8,782, which the GRID K2 cannot match. In practical terms, the GRID K2 offers higher raw compute, more memory, and more bandwidth, but the GTX 850M offers a higher average score and is the only one with any path to display output. For a workload that stresses OpenCL compute, the GRID K2 is the clear winner. For a portable device requiring an integrated GPU, the GTX 850M is the only option in this pair.