NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M vs NVIDIA Quadro 6000 Comparison

NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 870M and Quadro 6000 represent two very different eras of GPU design, and the benchmark data reflects that divide clearly. The GTX 870M, a mobile Kepler part from 2014, posts an average benchmark score of 9959, while the Quadro 6000, a workstation Fermi card from 2010, lands at 9846. That is a 1.1% gap in the GTX 870M’s favor, placing both cards within a hair of each other in overall performance. The percentile rankings reinforce this: the GTX 870M sits at the 48th percentile of all GPUs, and the Quadro 6000 sits at the 47th. Neither card is a powerhouse by modern standards, but the data shows a clear, if narrow, edge for the newer mobile chip.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available is Geekbench OpenCL, and it is a decisive win for the GTX 870M. The GeForce GTX 870M scores 12630, while the Quadro 6000 scores 9846. That is a 28.3% advantage for the GTX 870M. This is not a marginal victory; it is a substantial performance gap in compute workloads. In practical terms, the GTX 870M delivers nearly a third more OpenCL throughput than the Quadro 6000, which is significant for any task that leverages general-purpose GPU compute.

Looking at the broader benchmark landscape, the GTX 870M also has a second score to its name: 7288 in Geekbench Metal. The Quadro 6000 has no Metal score, which makes sense given its age and workstation focus. The GTX 870M’s average score of 9959 is pulled up by its strong OpenCL result, while the Quadro 6000’s average is simply its single OpenCL score of 9846. The delta between the two in average score is 1.1%, but the underlying data shows the GTX 870M has more headroom in compute-heavy tasks.

When placed against their respective nearest rivals, the picture gets more nuanced. The GTX 870M’s nearest rival is the AMD Radeon Pro 5300M, which scores 10013, a -0.5% delta. The Quadro K5100M scores 10043, a -0.8% delta. The AMD Radeon R9 M375 scores 10070, a -1.1% delta. The Quadro 6000 itself appears as the fourth rival with a 1.1% delta, meaning the GTX 870M beats it by that margin. On the Quadro 6000’s side, its nearest rival is the NVIDIA Quadro M2000M at 9832 (0.1% delta), followed by the AMD FirePro W5000 at 9803 (0.4% delta), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 at 9780 (0.7% delta). The GTX 870M is the only rival listed with a negative delta (-1.1%), indicating it is the strongest competitor in that group. The data consistently shows the GTX 870M outperforming the Quadro 6000, but the margin is not overwhelming in average terms—it is the OpenCL result that is lopsided.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 870M wins the compute race outright. Its 28.3% lead in Geekbench OpenCL over the Quadro 6000 is the single biggest differentiator in this comparison. This makes it the better choice for any workload that relies on OpenCL acceleration, such as video encoding, physics simulations, or data-parallel processing. The GTX 870M also has a Metal score, which the Quadro 6000 lacks entirely, suggesting better compatibility with Apple’s Metal API for graphics and compute tasks on supported platforms. Its higher FP32 throughput of 2.599 TFLOPS versus the Quadro 6000’s 1,027.7 GFLOPS (roughly 1.03 TFLOPS) reinforces this compute advantage, even if that specific number is not a direct benchmark.

The Quadro 6000, on the other hand, wins in memory capacity and bandwidth. It offers 6 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, yielding 143.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 870M has only 3 GB on a 192-bit bus, delivering 120.0 GB/s. For large datasets that exceed 3 GB, the Quadro 6000 is the only option that can hold them in VRAM. This is a classic workstation advantage: more memory for larger models, textures, or render buffers. The Quadro 6000 also has more ROPs (48 versus 24), which can help in fill-rate-limited scenarios, though its pixel rate of 16.07 GPixel/s is actually lower than the GTX 870M’s 27.08 GPixel/s. So the ROP count is higher, but the clock speed deficit hurts its real-world pixel throughput.

The Quadro 6000 also wins on interface and physical integration. It uses a PCIe 2.0 x16 slot and is a dual-slot card, whereas the GTX 870M is an MXM module. That makes the Quadro 6000 a drop-in upgrade for desktop workstations, while the GTX 870M is locked to laptops or proprietary MXM systems. The Quadro 6000 also has dedicated display outputs (1x DVI, 2x DisplayPort, 1x S-Video) whereas the GTX 870M’s outputs are portable-device dependent. For a fixed workstation setup, the Quadro 6000 is easier to integrate.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in OpenCL compute?

A: The GTX 870M is significantly faster, scoring 12630 versus the Quadro 6000’s 9846 in Geekbench OpenCL, a 28.3% advantage.

Q: Does the Quadro 6000 have any advantage in memory?

A: Yes, the Quadro 6000 has 6 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus with 143.4 GB/s bandwidth, while the GTX 870M has 3 GB on a 192-bit bus with 120.0 GB/s.

Q: What is the average benchmark score difference?

A: The GTX 870M averages 9959, and the Quadro 6000 averages 9846. The GTX 870M is 1.1% ahead.

Q: Which card supports the Vulkan API?

A: The GTX 870M supports Vulkan 1.2.175, while the Quadro 6000 has no Vulkan support listed.

Q: What are the physical form factors?

A: The GTX 870M is an MXM module, while the Quadro 6000 is a dual-slot PCIe 2.0 x16 card measuring 248 mm (9.8 inches) in length.

Q: Is the Quadro 6000 cheaper at launch?

A: The Quadro 6000 had a launch MSRP of 4,399 USD. The GTX 870M has no listed launch MSRP.

Specification Differences

The two cards diverge sharply on core specifications. The GTX 870M uses the GK104 chip with 1344 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 24 ROPs. The Quadro 6000 uses the GF100 chip with 448 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The GTX 870M has far more shading units and TMUs, which explains its higher texture rate of 108.3 GTexel/s versus the Quadro 6000’s 32.14 GTexel/s. The pixel rate also favors the GTX 870M at 27.08 GPixel/s versus 16.07 GPixel/s.

Clock speeds are not directly comparable because the Quadro 6000 has no base or boost clock listed. The GTX 870M runs at 941 MHz base and 967 MHz boost. Memory clocks differ as well: the GTX 870M runs at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective), while the Quadro 6000 runs at 747 MHz (3 Gbps effective). Despite the lower memory clock, the Quadro 6000’s wider 384-bit bus gives it higher bandwidth at 143.4 GB/s versus 120.0 GB/s.

Power and physical requirements are starkly different. The GTX 870M has a TDP of 100 W and uses no power connectors, as it is an MXM module. The Quadro 6000 has a 204 W TDP and requires 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin power connectors, with a suggested PSU of 550 W. The Quadro 6000 is also much larger at 248 mm long and 111 mm tall, compared to the GTX 870M’s portable form factor.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap is generational. The GTX 870M is built on Kepler architecture using a 28 nm process at TSMC, with 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. The Quadro 6000 is Fermi architecture on a 40 nm process, also at TSMC, with 3,100 million transistors on a much larger 529 mm² die. The transistor density tells the story: the GTX 870M packs 12.0M transistors per mm², while the Quadro 6000 manages only 5.9M per mm². This is a direct result of the newer manufacturing node.

The GTX 870M also supports newer APIs. It lists DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The Quadro 6000 lists DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6 but has no Vulkan support. This makes the GTX 870M more future-proof for modern software that leverages Vulkan. The GTX 870M is from the GeForce 800M generation, with a release date of 2014-03-11, while the Quadro 6000 is from the Quadro Fermi (x000) generation, released on 2010-12-09. The GTX 870M’s predecessor is the GeForce 700M and its successor is the GeForce 900M. The Quadro 6000’s predecessor is the Quadro FX Tesla and its successor is the Quadro Kepler.

The GTX 870M does not list a foundry difference—both use TSMC—but the process node improvement from 40 nm to 28 nm is the key architectural differentiator. The GTX 870M also has no listed base clock for the Quadro 6000, but the FP32 output confirms the efficiency gain: 2.599 TFLOPS versus 1,027.7 GFLOPS. The GTX 870M achieves more than double the floating-point performance while consuming less than half the power (100 W versus 204 W).

The Verdict

The data points to a clear recommendation: the GTX 870M is the better performer in compute and modern API support. It wins the only head-to-head benchmark by 28.3%, has a higher average score by 1.1%, and offers Vulkan support, which the Quadro 6000 lacks. Its 2.599 TFLOPS FP32 performance dwarfs the Quadro 6000’s 1,027.7 GFLOPS. For anyone running OpenCL workloads, the GTX 870M is the obvious pick.

However, the Quadro 6000 is not without merit. Its 6 GB of VRAM and 143.4 GB/s bandwidth are superior to the GTX 870M’s 3 GB and 120.0 GB/s. If your workload requires holding more than 3 GB of data in video memory, the Quadro 6000 is the only choice. Its PCIe 2.0 x16 form factor also makes it a practical upgrade for desktop workstations, whereas the GTX 870M is confined to MXM laptops.

Choose the GTX 870M if you prioritize compute throughput, modern API compatibility, and power efficiency. Choose the Quadro 6000 if you need more VRAM capacity or require a desktop PCIe card with standardized display outputs. The benchmark results favor the GTX 870M, but the Quadro 6000’s memory advantage is a legitimate reason to consider it for specific large-data tasks. Both are end-of-life products, so availability and driver support should be checked before purchase, but the performance data is unambiguous: the GTX 870M is the faster card.