NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M vs NVIDIA Quadro K5000 Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M and NVIDIA Quadro K5000 are both built on the same GK104 Kepler silicon, but they target entirely different corners of the GPU market. The GTX 870M is a mobile gaming part, while the Quadro K5000 is a desktop workstation card. The benchmark data shows a clear split: the GTX 870M takes both head-to-head wins, but the Quadro K5000 counters with a wider memory bus and a higher shading unit count. Below is a detailed breakdown of where each card excels based strictly on the provided figures.

Where Each One Wins

The GeForce GTX 870M wins on raw compute performance in the two available benchmarks. It posts a Geekbench Metal score of 7288 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 12630. These are substantial margins over the Quadro K5000, which scores 6324 in Metal and 11418 in OpenCL. The 870M’s advantage comes from its higher clock speeds. Its base clock is 941 MHz with a boost of 967 MHz, while the Quadro K5000 is locked at 706 MHz for both base and boost. That clock gap, combined with the 870M’s 2.599 TFLOPS FP32 throughput versus the K5000’s 2.169 TFLOPS, explains the consistent lead in compute-bound tasks.

The Quadro K5000 wins in memory bandwidth and capacity. It has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 172.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 870M has 3 GB of GDDR5 on a narrower 192-bit bus, capping out at 120.0 GB/s. The K5000 also has more shading units (1536 vs 1344), more TMUs (128 vs 112), and more ROPs (32 vs 24). These architectural advantages do not translate into benchmark wins in the tests provided, but they suggest the Quadro is better suited for memory-intensive workloads like large texture sets or high-resolution framebuffers, where its 43% bandwidth advantage over the 870M could matter.

The GTX 870M also wins on power efficiency. It draws 100 W TDP compared to the Quadro K5000’s 122 W, despite delivering higher benchmark scores. The 870M achieves this with a smaller form factor as an MXM module, while the K5000 is a dual-slot desktop card requiring a 6-pin power connector and a 300 W suggested PSU. For portable systems, the 870M is the only viable choice; the K5000’s physical design makes it irrelevant for laptops.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear winner for compute performance: the GeForce GTX 870M. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks, with a 15.2% lead in Metal and a 10.6% lead in OpenCL. Its average benchmark score of 9959 also edges out the Quadro K5000’s 9637. The 870M sits at the 48th percentile among all GPUs, while the K5000 is at the 46th percentile. In terms of raw compute, the 870M is simply faster.

However, the Quadro K5000 is not without a case. It offers 4 GB of memory versus 3 GB, and its 256-bit bus delivers 172.8 GB/s versus 120.0 GB/s. For workloads that are memory-bound rather than compute-bound—such as rendering large scenes, processing high-resolution textures, or running multi-display setups with 2x DVI and 2x DisplayPort 1.2 outputs—the K5000’s memory subsystem could provide a practical advantage that the Geekbench tests do not capture. The K5000 also has more shading units, TMUs, and ROPs, which may help in specific OpenGL or Vulkan workloads despite its lower clock speed.

The verdict from the data is that the GTX 870M is the better choice for anyone prioritizing raw compute throughput, especially in a mobile form factor. The Quadro K5000 is the better choice for desktop workstation users who need more memory capacity and bandwidth, and who value the Quadro driver ecosystem’s certification for professional applications—though the dataset does not include specific ISV benchmarks to quantify that advantage. The K5000’s launch MSRP is 2,499 USD, but that figure is not relevant to performance comparisons here.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two available head-to-head tests both favor the GeForce GTX 870M. In Geekbench Metal, the 870M scores 7288 against the K5000’s 6324, a 15.2% advantage. This is the larger of the two wins and reflects the 870M’s higher clock speeds and superior FP32 throughput. Metal is a graphics and compute API, and the 870M’s 2.599 TFLOPS of FP32 performance appears to scale directly into this workload.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the 870M scores 12630 versus 11418 for the K5000, a 10.6% margin. OpenCL is more compute-centric than Metal, and the K5000’s higher shading unit count (1536 vs 1344) does not overcome the 870M’s clock speed advantage. The 870M’s boost clock of 967 MHz is 37% higher than the K5000’s 706 MHz, and that clock advantage dominates the K5000’s 14% shading unit lead.

The deltaPct values from the nearest rivals provide additional context. The 870M’s closest rival is the AMD Radeon Pro 5300M, which scores 10013 on average, just 0.5% higher. The Quadro K5000’s closest rival is the GeForce GTX 960M, which scores 9645, a 0.1% difference. These margins show that both cards are tightly clustered with their peers, but the 870M’s raw scores place it above the K5000 in every measured test.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M has an average benchmark score of 9959, compared to the NVIDIA Quadro K5000’s 9637.

Q: How much faster is the GTX 870M in Geekbench Metal?

A: The GTX 870M scores 7288 in Metal, which is 15.2% higher than the Quadro K5000’s 6324.

Q: Does the Quadro K5000 have more memory bandwidth than the GTX 870M?

A: Yes. The K5000 has 172.8 GB/s of bandwidth over a 256-bit bus, while the 870M has 120.0 GB/s over a 192-bit bus.

Q: What is the TDP difference between the two cards?

A: The GTX 870M has a 100 W TDP, while the Quadro K5000 has a 122 W TDP.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The Quadro K5000 has 1536 shading units, while the GTX 870M has 1344.

Q: What is the process node for both GPUs?

A: Both are built on a 28 nm process at TSMC, with the same GK104 chip and 3,540 million transistors.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs share the same foundational architecture. They use the GK104 chip, built on the Kepler architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process. Both have 3,540 million transistors and a die size of 294 mm², yielding a transistor density of 12.0M per mm². They also support the same API levels: DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. Neither GPU has ray tracing or tensor cores.

The differences lie in configuration and clocks. The GTX 870M has 1344 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, while the Quadro K5000 has 1536 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The K5000’s extra execution resources are paired with lower clocks: 706 MHz base and boost, versus the 870M’s 941 MHz base and 967 MHz boost. This results in the 870M achieving higher pixel rate (27.08 GPixel/s vs 22.59 GPixel/s) and texture rate (108.3 GTexel/s vs 90.37 GTexel/s), despite the K5000 having more hardware units.

Memory configuration also diverges. The 870M has 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus with 120.0 GB/s bandwidth. The K5000 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 172.8 GB/s bandwidth. The K5000’s memory clocks are higher at 1350 MHz (5.4 Gbps effective) versus the 870M’s 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective). The K5000’s 256-bit bus is the key advantage, providing 44% more bandwidth.

Physical and power characteristics differ significantly. The 870M is an MXM Module with no power connectors and a 100 W TDP, designed for portable devices. The K5000 is a dual-slot desktop card measuring 267 mm (10.5 inches) in length and 111 mm (4.4 inches) in height, requiring a single 6-pin power connector and a 300 W suggested PSU. The K5000 offers 2x DVI and 2x DisplayPort 1.2 outputs, while the 870M’s outputs are portable-device dependent. The K5000 uses a PCIe 2.0 x16 interface, while the 870M uses MXM-B (3.0). The K5000 predates the 870M, with a release date of August 2012 versus March 2014, and its predecessor is Quadro Fermi, while the 870M’s predecessor is GeForce 700M.