NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M vs NVIDIA Quadro K5100M Comparison

NVIDIA’s Kepler architecture spawned two distinct mobile parts in the Quadro K5100M and GeForce GTX 870M, both built on the same GK104 chip and 28 nm TSMC process. While they share a DNA of 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, their benchmark results reveal a split personality: the Quadro wins the Metal test, while the GeForce counters in OpenCL. The data shows a near-total statistical tie in average scores, with the K5100M at 10,043 and the GTX 870M at 9,959, a difference of just 0.8%. Both cards sit at the 48th percentile among all GPUs, meaning neither is a standout in the broader landscape. This is a matchup where clock speeds, memory configurations, and driver tuning—not architecture—separate the two.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most decisive single result belongs to the Quadro K5100M in the Geekbench Metal test. It scores 8,315 against the GTX 870M’s 7,288, a 14.1% advantage. That is a substantial margin, and it flips the expected narrative for a workstation-oriented part. Metal is Apple’s low-level graphics API, and the Quadro’s stronger showing suggests its compute scheduling handles that workload more efficiently. The result is not a fluke of clock speed—the Quadro actually runs slower than the GeForce—so the win comes from elsewhere in the hardware or firmware stack.

The GTX 870M takes its victory in Geekbench OpenCL, scoring 12,630 versus the Quadro’s 11,771. That is a 6.8% lead for the GeForce. OpenCL is a more general-purpose compute benchmark, and here the GTX 870M’s higher clocks pay off. The GeForce’s base clock is 941 MHz with a 967 MHz boost, while the Quadro is locked at 771 MHz for both base and boost. That clock gap directly translates to raw throughput: the GTX 870M delivers 2.599 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, while the Quadro manages 2.369 TFLOPS. The GeForce also wins on pixel and texture rates, posting 27.08 GPixel/s and 108.3 GTexel/s against the Quadro’s 24.67 GPixel/s and 98.69 GTexel/s.

Looking at the average benchmark scores, the two parts are effectively inseparable. The Quadro’s 10,043 average is just 0.8% above the GeForce’s 9,959. In the nearest-rivals table, the GTX 870M sits directly below the Quadro, with a deltaPct of -0.8%. The AMD Radeon R9 M375 and Radeon Pro 5300M bracket them both, with the R9 M375 at 10,070 (0.3% above the Quadro) and the Pro 5300M at 10,013 (0.3% below). The NVIDIA Quadro 6000 trails at 9,846, putting it 2% behind the K5100M. This is a dead heat in aggregate, but the individual test wins show each card has its preferred domain.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs are built on the GK104 chip, using NVIDIA’s Kepler architecture, and both are fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process. The die is identical in size at 294 mm², housing 3,540 million transistors for a density of 12.0 million per mm². The foundry, node, and transistor count are the same, so the differences lie entirely in configuration and clocking.

The Quadro K5100M is configured with 1,536 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The GeForce GTX 870M scales that down slightly: 1,344 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. That is a 12.5% reduction in shading units and TMUs, and a 25% cut in ROPs. Yet the GTX 870M still wins on fill rates because its clocks are so much higher. The Quadro’s base and boost clocks are both 771 MHz, while the GeForce runs at 941 MHz base and 967 MHz boost—a 22% higher base clock and a 25% higher boost clock.

Memory configurations diverge sharply. The Quadro carries 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, yielding 115.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The GeForce has 3 GB of GDDR5 on a narrower 192-bit bus, but faster memory at 1,250 MHz (5 Gbps effective) gives it 120.0 GB/s of bandwidth. So the GeForce has a 4.2% bandwidth advantage despite having a smaller bus, because the memory clock is roughly 39% higher. The Quadro’s larger frame buffer is clearly aimed at professional workloads, while the GeForce’s faster memory helps in gaming and compute.

Both cards share the same API support: DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. Neither has dedicated ray tracing or tensor cores. The power envelope is identical at 100 W TDP, and both use MXM modules with no power connectors and an MXM-B (3.0) interface. Display outputs are listed as portable-device dependent, meaning laptop manufacturers decide the ports.

Where Each One Wins

The Quadro K5100M wins in scenarios that favor its larger memory pool and higher ROP count. The 8 GB frame buffer is double the GeForce’s 3 GB, which matters for large datasets, high-resolution textures, or multi-display professional setups. The 32 ROPs versus 24 also help with rasterization-heavy tasks that stress pixel throughput. The 14.1% Metal benchmark win indicates the Quadro is better optimized for Metal-based compute or rendering, which could appeal to macOS workstation users or developers targeting that API.

The GeForce GTX 870M wins where raw clock speed dominates. Its 967 MHz boost clock drives higher FP32 throughput (2.599 TFLOPS), faster texture rate (108.3 GTexel/s), and higher pixel rate (27.08 GPixel/s). The 6.8% OpenCL win shows it handles general-purpose compute workloads more efficiently, which is relevant for physics simulations, video encoding, or any OpenCL-accelerated application. The slightly higher memory bandwidth (120.0 GB/s) also helps in bandwidth-bound tasks.

For gaming, the GeForce’s faster clocks and higher fill rates give it an edge in frame-rate-sensitive titles, while the Quadro’s larger memory buffer could handle modded games or high-resolution texture packs. For professional use, the Quadro’s 8 GB capacity and Metal performance make it a stronger candidate for content creation, CAD, or scientific visualization—especially if the software leverages Metal. The GeForce’s 3 GB limit may bottleneck large scenes, but its compute speed compensates in OpenCL-heavy pipelines.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro K5100M has an average benchmark score of 10,043, which is 0.8% higher than the GeForce GTX 870M’s 9,959.

Q: What is the biggest performance gap between the two cards?

A: The largest delta is in Geekbench Metal, where the Quadro K5100M scores 8,315 versus the GTX 870M’s 7,288, a 14.1% advantage for the Quadro.

Q: Does the GeForce GTX 870M win any benchmark?

A: Yes, the GTX 870M wins Geekbench OpenCL with a score of 12,630, beating the Quadro K5100M’s 11,771 by 6.8%.

Q: How do the memory configurations differ?

A: The Quadro K5100M has 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 115.2 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 870M has 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus with 120.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Are the two GPUs based on the same chip?

A: Yes, both use the GK104 chip with 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The Quadro K5100M has 1,536 shading units, while the GTX 870M has 1,344. The Quadro also has 128 TMUs and 32 ROPs, versus 112 TMUs and 24 ROPs on the GeForce.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA Quadro K5100M | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M |

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

| Generation | Quadro Kepler-M (Kx100M) | GeForce 800M |

| Base Clock | 771 MHz | 941 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 771 MHz | 967 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 900 MHz (3.6 Gbps effective) | 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 8 GB | 3 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 256 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 115.2 GB/s | 120.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1536 | 1344 |

| TMUs | 128 | 112 |

| ROPs | 32 | 24 |

| Pixel Rate | 24.67 GPixel/s | 27.08 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 98.69 GTexel/s | 108.3 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 2.369 TFLOPS | 2.599 TFLOPS |

| Release Date | 2013-07-22 | 2014-03-11 |

| Predecessor | Quadro Fermi-M | GeForce 700M |

| Successor | Quadro Maxwell-M | GeForce 900M |