NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 vs NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000D Blackwell Max-Q Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data for these two GPUs is limited to different test suites, which makes direct comparison challenging. The GTX 950 has recorded scores in three Geekbench compute tests, while the RTX PRO 6000D Blackwell Max-Q has a single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 result. The database shows no overlapping tests between the two cards, so a true head-to-head comparison cannot be constructed from the recorded measurements. However, the available scores can still be examined for what they reveal about each card's performance profile.

The GTX 950 produces an average benchmark score of 13,189 across its three tests. Its individual Geekbench results are 7,172 in Metal, 15,662 in OpenCL, and 16,734 in Vulkan. The Metal score is notably lower than the other two, which reflects the API's characteristics on this Maxwell architecture. The OpenCL and Vulkan scores are much closer to each other, differing by only 1,072 points, or roughly 6.8 percent. This suggests the GTX 950 is well optimized for cross-platform compute workloads, with Vulkan edging out OpenCL by a small margin.

The RTX PRO 6000D Blackwell Max-Q, on the other hand, has an average score of 11,088 from its single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. This is a modern DirectX 12 Ultimate workload that stresses ray tracing and mesh shaders, features that the GTX 950 does not support in hardware. The score itself places this card in the 50th percentile among all GPUs in the database, while the GTX 950 sits at the 53rd percentile. These percentile rankings are close, but they are based on different test suites, so they should not be interpreted as equivalent performance levels.

Looking at the nearest rivals in the database provides additional context. The GTX 950's closest competitors include the GTX 480 with an average score of 13,300 and a delta of -0.8 percent, meaning the GTX 950 trails it by less than one percent. The Tesla M2090 scores 13,075, putting the GTX 950 ahead by 0.9 percent. The AMD Radeon Pro 555X and FirePro M6100 score 13,321 and 13,354 respectively, with the GTX 950 behind both by 1 to 1.2 percent. These results place the GTX 950 in a tight cluster of older professional and consumer cards, all within a few percentage points of each other.

For the RTX PRO 6000D, the nearest rivals show a different story. Its score of 11,088 exactly matches the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q, indicating a delta of 0 percent. The AMD Radeon RX 550 scores 11,075, putting the RTX PRO 6000D ahead by 0.1 percent, which is effectively a tie. The GTX 1650 SUPER scores 11,047, with the RTX PRO 6000D leading by 0.4 percent. The AMD FirePro W4300 scores 11,225, putting the RTX PRO 6000D behind by 1.2 percent. These deltas are all within a narrow band, suggesting that in this particular DirectX 12 workload, the RTX PRO 6000D performs similarly to a range of mid-range and entry-level cards, at least as far as this single test score indicates.

The key takeaway from the head-to-head section is that the recorded benchmarks do not provide a direct comparison. The GTX 950's scores come from older compute APIs, while the RTX PRO 6000D's score comes from a modern gaming-centric workload. The percentile rankings are nearly identical, but the underlying tests measure different capabilities. Any conclusion about which card is "faster" must account for these differences in test methodology.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is massive, spanning over a decade of NVIDIA's design evolution. The GTX 950 uses the GM206 chip, built on Maxwell 2.0 architecture, and fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The RTX PRO 6000D uses the GB202 chip, built on Blackwell 2.0 architecture, and fabricated on a 5 nm process, also at TSMC. The process node shrink from 28 nm to 5 nm allows for dramatically higher transistor density.

The transistor counts tell the story clearly. The GTX 950 packs 2,940 million transistors into a die size of 228 mm², resulting in a density of 12.9 million transistors per square millimeter. The RTX PRO 6000D packs 92,200 million transistors into a 750 mm² die, achieving a density of 122.9 million per square millimeter. That is roughly 9.5 times higher transistor density, which enables the massive increase in compute resources.

The memory subsystems are equally divergent. The GTX 950 has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 105.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX PRO 6000D has 96 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. That is roughly 17 times more memory capacity and about 17 times more bandwidth. The memory clock also differs, with the GTX 950 running at 1653 MHz (6.6 Gbps effective) versus 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective) for the RTX PRO 6000D.

The compute resources scale accordingly. The GTX 950 has 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operation units. The RTX PRO 6000D has 24,064 shading units, 752 TMUs, and 192 ROPs. The RTX PRO 6000D also includes 188 ray tracing cores and 752 tensor cores, which the GTX 950 completely lacks. These dedicated hardware units enable features like real-time ray tracing and AI-accelerated workloads that simply do not exist on Maxwell.

Clock speeds also differ. The GTX 950 has a base clock of 1024 MHz and a boost clock of 1188 MHz. The RTX PRO 6000D has a base clock of 1590 MHz and a boost clock of 2288 MHz. The higher clocks, combined with the massive increase in shading units, produce a large jump in raw compute throughput. The GTX 950 delivers 1.825 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the RTX PRO 6000D delivers 110.1 TFLOPS, a difference of roughly 60 times. The RTX PRO 6000D also offers FP16 at the same 110.1 TFLOPS rate, while the GTX 950 has no recorded FP16 capability.

Pixel and texture rates follow the same pattern. The GTX 950 achieves 38.02 GPixel/s and 57.02 GTexel/s. The RTX PRO 6000D achieves 439.3 GPixel/s and 1,720.6 GTexel/s. The texture rate difference is particularly stark, with the newer card delivering over 30 times the texel throughput.

The bus interface also advances from PCIe 3.0 x16 on the GTX 950 to PCIe 5.0 x16 on the RTX PRO 6000D. Display outputs differ as well, with the GTX 950 offering 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.2, while the RTX PRO 6000D provides 4x DisplayPort 2.1b. API support advances from DirectX 12 (12_1) to DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), with OpenGL remaining at 4.6 and Vulkan at 1.4 for both.

The power and physical specifications also differ. The GTX 950 has a TDP of 90 W and requires a single 6-pin power connector, with a suggested PSU of 250 W. The RTX PRO 6000D has a TDP of 300 W and requires a single 16-pin connector, with a suggested PSU of 700 W. Both cards are dual-slot, but the RTX PRO 6000D is longer at 267 mm compared to 202 mm for the GTX 950. The RTX PRO 6000D also has recorded height and width dimensions of 111 mm and 40 mm, while the GTX 950 only lists its length.

The Verdict

The data shows two GPUs designed for entirely different eras and use cases. The GTX 950, released in August 2015, is a mainstream consumer card from the Maxwell generation. Its average benchmark score of 13,189 places it in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals are all older cards, including the GTX 480, Tesla M2090, Radeon Pro 555X, and FirePro M6100, all within a 1.2 percent range. This indicates that the GTX 950 performs at a level consistent with mid-range GPUs from its era, and its Geekbench scores show solid OpenCL and Vulkan performance.

The RTX PRO 6000D Blackwell Max-Q, released in March 2025, is a workstation-class card from the Blackwell generation. Its single recorded benchmark, 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, yields a score of 11,088 and a 50th percentile ranking. Its nearest rivals include the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q, Radeon RX 550, GTX 1650 SUPER, and FirePro W4300, all within a 1.2 percent band. This suggests that in this specific DirectX 12 workload, the RTX PRO 6000D performs similarly to a set of much less expensive cards, at least according to this one measurement.

Who should pick which? The data suggests that the GTX 950 is a capable card for older compute-oriented tasks. Its OpenCL and Vulkan scores are strong relative to its peers, and its low 90 W TDP makes it suitable for systems with modest power supplies. The RTX PRO 6000D, with its 96 GB of GDDR7 memory, 188 ray tracing cores, and 752 tensor cores, is clearly designed for professional workloads that require massive memory capacity and modern feature support. Its 300 W TDP and 700 W suggested PSU indicate a much more demanding power envelope.

The verdict from the recorded data is straightforward: the GTX 950 is a legacy card with competitive scores in older APIs, while the RTX PRO 6000D is a modern workstation GPU whose single benchmark result places it in the middle of the pack for that particular test. The architectural differences are so large that direct performance comparisons are almost meaningless. The GTX 950 wins in the Geekbench compute tests because those tests do not stress the features where the RTX PRO 6000D excels. Conversely, the RTX PRO 6000D runs modern DirectX 12 Ultimate workloads that the GTX 950 cannot even execute with full feature support.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The GTX 950 has an average benchmark score of 13,189, while the RTX PRO 6000D Blackwell Max-Q has an average score of 11,088. However, these averages are based on different test suites, so they are not directly comparable.

Q: How much memory does each GPU have?

A: The GTX 950 has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus with 105.8 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX PRO 6000D has 96 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus with 1.79 TB/s bandwidth.

Q: Does the RTX PRO 6000D support ray tracing?

A: Yes, the RTX PRO 6000D includes 188 ray tracing cores. The GTX 950 has no ray tracing cores, as it predates that technology.

Q: What is the transistor density difference?

A: The GTX 950 has a transistor density of 12.9 million per square millimeter, while the RTX PRO 6000D has a density of 122.9 million per square millimeter.

Q: Are the nearest rivals for each GPU similar in performance?

A: The GTX 950's nearest rivals are within a range of -1.2 to 0.9 percent of its score. The RTX PRO 6000D's nearest rivals are within a range of -1.2 to 0.4 percent. Both cards sit in tight clusters relative to their respective peers.

Q: What is the production status of each GPU?

A: The GTX 950 is end-of-life, while the RTX PRO 6000D is active in production.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 950 wins in legacy compute benchmarks. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 15,662 and Vulkan score of 16,734 are strong results for a card from its generation. The 53rd percentile ranking among all GPUs shows that it still holds up reasonably well in older workloads. Its low 90 W TDP and 250 W suggested PSU make it suitable for compact or low-power systems, and its 202 mm length allows it to fit in smaller cases. The GTX 950 also offers three display outputs plus DVI and HDMI, which may be useful for legacy display setups.

The RTX PRO 6000D wins in every modern capability. Its 96 GB of GDDR7 memory is suited for large datasets, and its 1.79 TB/s bandwidth supports memory-intensive workloads. The 188 ray tracing cores and 752 tensor cores enable real-time ray tracing and AI acceleration, features absent from the GTX 950. Its FP32 throughput of 110.1 TFLOPS is roughly 60 times that of the GTX 950, and its FP16 performance matches at 110.1 TFLOPS. The 4x DisplayPort 2.1b outputs support modern high-resolution displays. The PCIe 5.0 x16 interface provides substantially higher bandwidth to the host system compared to PCIe 3.0.

In terms of benchmark wins, the database records zero wins for each card, as there are no overlapping head-to-head tests. The GTX 950 has three benchmark entries, while the RTX PRO 6000D has one. The GTX 950's percentile rank of 53 is slightly higher than the RTX PRO 6000D's 50, but again, these are based on different test suites.

For specific use cases, the data suggests the GTX 950 is better suited for older software environments that rely on OpenCL or Vulkan compute, where its scores are competitive with its peers. The RTX PRO 6000D is better suited for modern DirectX 12 Ultimate workloads, professional rendering with ray tracing, and AI inference, where its dedicated hardware and massive memory capacity come into play.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every recorded specification. The process node advances from 28 nm to 5 nm. Transistor count goes from 2,940 million to 92,200 million. Die size increases from 228 mm² to 750 mm². Transistor density rises from 12.9 million per square millimeter to 122.9 million per square millimeter.

Clock speeds differ: base clock goes from 1024 MHz to 1590 MHz, boost clock from 1188 MHz to 2288 MHz, and memory clock from 1653 MHz (6.6 Gbps effective) to 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective).

Memory specifications diverge completely: size from 2 GB to 96 GB, type from GDDR5 to GDDR7, bus width from 128 bit to 512 bit, and bandwidth from 105.8 GB/s to 1.79 TB/s.

Compute resources scale dramatically: shading units from 768 to 24,064, TMUs from 48 to 752, and ROPs from 32 to 192. The RTX PRO 6000D adds 188 ray tracing cores and 752 tensor cores, which the GTX 950 does not have.

Pixel rate rises from 38.02 GPixel/s to 439.3 GPixel/s, and texture rate from 57.02 GTexel/s to 1,720.6 GTexel/s. FP32 performance goes from 1.825 TFLOPS to 110.1 TFLOPS, with the RTX PRO 6000D also offering FP16 at 110.1 TFLOPS.

Power requirements increase from 90 W to 300 W TDP, power connector from 1x 6-pin to 1x 16-pin, and suggested PSU from 250 W to 700 W. The bus interface advances from PCIe 3.0 x16 to PCIe 5.0 x16. Display outputs change from 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.2 to 4x DisplayPort 2.1b.

DirectX support advances from 12 (12_1) to 12 Ultimate (12_2), while OpenGL remains 4.6 and Vulkan remains 1.4 for both. Physical dimensions change from a length of 202 mm to 267 mm, with the RTX PRO 6000D also listing height of 111 mm and width of 40 mm. Production status changes from end-of-life to active, and release dates span from August 2015 to March 2025. The GTX 950 has a launch MSRP of 159 USD, while the RTX PRO 6000D has a launch MSRP of 8,565 USD.