NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M vs NVIDIA Quadro K2200 Comparison

The Verdict

The benchmark data tells a clear story with a narrow margin. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M takes the single head-to-head benchmark, winning Geekbench OpenCL with a score of 12,630 against the Quadro K2200’s 11,431 — a 9.5% advantage. This is not a dominant victory; it is a decisive but modest margin. The Quadro K2200, however, posts a higher average benchmark score of 10,761 across its full test suite (which includes Geekbench Vulkan at 10,090) compared to the GTX 870M’s 9,959 average (which includes a much lower Geekbench Metal score of 7,288).

The data suggests the GTX 870M is the raw performance pick for OpenCL-heavy workloads, while the Quadro K2200 offers better balanced results across different API tests. The percentile rankings reinforce this near-parity: the Quadro K2200 sits at the 49th percentile among all GPUs, while the GTX 870M sits at the 48th. Neither card can claim meaningful overall superiority.

For a user deciding between the two strictly on data, the GTX 870M wins where compute throughput matters most, but the Quadro K2200’s higher average score and superior Vulkan result (10,090 versus no Vulkan score for the GTX 870M) make it the safer all-rounder. The GTX 870M is the specialist; the Quadro K2200 is the generalist. The data does not support calling either card a clear winner — it supports calling them differently optimized for different tasks.

Architecture Differences

The two NVIDIA parts share a manufacturer and a 28 nm TSMC process node, but they diverge sharply in chip design. The Quadro K2200 uses the GM107 chip, built on the Maxwell architecture, while the GTX 870M uses the GK104 chip, built on the older Kepler architecture. This is a fundamental split: Maxwell is a newer, more efficiency-oriented design, while Kepler is a larger, more brute-force implementation.

The transistor counts reflect this. The GTX 870M’s GK104 packs 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, while the Quadro K2200’s GM107 contains just 1,870 million transistors on a 148 mm² die. The GTX 870M has nearly double the transistors and nearly double the die area. Transistor density is nearly identical — 12.6M per mm² for the Quadro, 12.0M per mm² for the GTX — indicating both use similar design rules, but the GTX 870M simply has more hardware to work with.

The functional unit counts confirm this. The GTX 870M has 1,344 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 24 ROPs. The Quadro K2200 has 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The GTX 870M more than doubles the shading units and nearly triples the TMU count. Clock speeds partially compensate: the Quadro runs at a 1,046 MHz base and 1,124 MHz boost, while the GTX 870M runs at 941 MHz base and 967 MHz boost. The Quadro’s clocks are about 10-16% higher, but that cannot close the gap in raw hardware count.

Memory configurations also differ. The Quadro K2200 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, yielding 80.19 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 870M has 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus, yielding 120.0 GB/s — a 49.6% bandwidth advantage. Both run memory at effectively 5 Gbps. The generation labels are also mismatched: the Quadro is listed as "Quadro Kepler (Kx200)" generation despite using Maxwell architecture, while the GTX 870M is "GeForce 800M" — a naming inconsistency that suggests transitional product lines.

API support shows one notable divergence: both support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but the Quadro supports Vulkan 1.4 while the GTX 870M supports Vulkan 1.2.175. The Quadro’s Vulkan support is a full major version newer, which likely explains its Vulkan benchmark result.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is Geekbench OpenCL, and the GTX 870M wins it decisively. The score of 12,630 versus 11,431 represents a 9.5% delta in favor of the GTX 870M. This is a meaningful gap in compute performance, and it aligns with the raw hardware differences: the GTX 870M’s 2.599 TFLOPS of FP32 performance dwarfs the Quadro K2200’s 1,438.7 GFLOPS. The GTX 870M also has higher pixel rate (27.08 GPixel/s vs 17.98 GPixel/s) and texture rate (108.3 GTexel/s vs 44.96 GTexel/s).

The Quadro K2200’s only head-to-head win is not shown as a direct comparison, but its Vulkan score of 10,090 in its own benchmark suite demonstrates a strength the GTX 870M does not even attempt — the GTX 870M lists no Vulkan result at all. The Quadro also edges ahead in average benchmark score by 8.1% (10,761 vs 9,959), though this average is computed over different test sets: the Quadro averages two scores (OpenCL and Vulkan), while the GTX 870M averages two different scores (Metal and OpenCL). The GTX 870M’s Metal result of 7,288 drags its average down significantly, even though its OpenCL result is superior.

The nearest-rival data provides context for both. The Quadro K2200’s closest rival is the AMD Radeon Pro 450, which scores 10,804 — just 0.4% lower. The GTX 870M’s closest rival is the AMD Radeon Pro 5300M at 10,013, which is 0.5% lower. Both cards sit in a very tight competitive cluster, with all four nearest rivals for each card falling within a 2.3% range of the respective card’s average score.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro K2200 has an average benchmark score of 10,761, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M has an average of 9,959. The Quadro leads by 8.1%.

Q: Why does the GTX 870M win the OpenCL benchmark?

A: The GTX 870M scores 12,630 in Geekbench OpenCL versus the Quadro K2200’s 11,431, a 9.5% advantage. The GTX 870M’s larger hardware configuration — 1,344 shading units versus 640, and 120.0 GB/s memory bandwidth versus 80.19 GB/s — likely drives this result.

Q: Does the Quadro K2200 have any exclusive API advantage?

A: Yes. The Quadro K2200 supports Vulkan 1.4, while the GTX 870M supports Vulkan 1.2.175. The Quadro also has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 10,090, while the GTX 870M has no Vulkan benchmark result listed.

Q: How do these cards compare to their closest rivals?

A: The Quadro K2200’s nearest rival is the AMD Radeon Pro 450, which is 0.4% lower in average score. The GTX 870M’s nearest rival is the AMD Radeon Pro 5300M, which is 0.5% lower. Both cards are tightly clustered with their competition.

Q: Which card has more memory bandwidth?

A: The GTX 870M has 120.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth on a 192-bit bus, versus the Quadro K2200’s 80.19 GB/s on a 128-bit bus. The GTX 870M’s bandwidth is 49.6% higher.

Q: What are the transistor counts for each card?

A: The GTX 870M uses a GK104 chip with 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. The Quadro K2200 uses a GM107 chip with 1,870 million transistors on a 148 mm² die.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 870M wins in raw compute throughput. Its FP32 performance of 2.599 TFLOPS is 80.6% higher than the Quadro K2200’s 1,438.7 GFLOPS. It also wins in pixel rate (27.08 GPixel/s vs 17.98 GPixel/s) and texture rate (108.3 GTexel/s vs 44.96 GTexel/s). The GTX 870M’s memory bandwidth of 120.0 GB/s is 49.6% higher, and its shading unit count is more than double. For any workload that is heavily parallel and memory-bound — OpenCL compute, high-resolution texture sampling, or pixel-dense rendering — the GTX 870M has the hardware advantage, and the benchmark confirms it with the 9.5% OpenCL win.

The Quadro K2200 wins in balanced performance and API coverage. Its average benchmark score is higher (10,761 vs 9,959), and it has a Vulkan 1.4 result (10,090) that the GTX 870M cannot match. The Quadro’s higher clock speeds (1,046 MHz base vs 941 MHz) and 4 GB of memory versus 3 GB also give it an edge in latency-sensitive or capacity-bound scenarios. The Quadro also has a lower TDP of 68 W versus the GTX 870M’s 100 W, making it a more power-efficient option — though the GTX 870M is an MXM module designed for portable devices, while the Quadro is a single-slot card with dedicated display outputs.

For use-case planning, the data points to the GTX 870M for OpenCL-heavy compute in a portable chassis, and the Quadro K2200 for workstation tasks that benefit from Vulkan support, larger memory capacity, and lower power draw. The Quadro’s display outputs (1x DVI, 2x DisplayPort 1.2) make it directly usable in a desktop, while the GTX 870M’s outputs are "Portable Device Dependent," meaning it requires a laptop or MXM-compatible system. The GTX 870M is the performance part; the Quadro is the integration-friendly, efficiency-oriented part.

Specification Differences

| Field | NVIDIA Quadro K2200 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M |

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

| Chip | GM107 | GK104 |

| Architecture | Maxwell | Kepler |

| Generation | Quadro Kepler (Kx200) | GeForce 800M |

| Transistors | 1,870 million | 3,540 million |

| Die Size | 148 mm² | 294 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.6M / mm² | 12.0M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1046 MHz | 941 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1124 MHz | 967 MHz |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 3 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 80.19 GB/s | 120.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 640 | 1344 |

| TMUs | 40 | 112 |

| ROPs | 16 | 24 |

| Pixel Rate | 17.98 GPixel/s | 27.08 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 44.96 GTexel/s | 108.3 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 1,438.7 GFLOPS | 2.599 TFLOPS |

| TDP | 68 W | 100 W |

| Slot Width | Single-slot | MXM Module |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 2.0 x16 | MXM-B (3.0) |

| Display Outputs | 1x DVI, 2x DisplayPort 1.2 | Portable Device Dependent |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | 1.2.175 |

| Release Date | 2014-07-21 | 2014-03-11 |

| Predecessor | Quadro Fermi | GeForce 700M |

| Successor | Quadro Maxwell | GeForce 900M |

| Avg Benchmark Score | 10761 | 9959 |

| Percentile | 49 | 48 |