NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 vs NVIDIA Quadro K1200 Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded data splits these two NVIDIA cards into completely different usage categories. The Quadro K1200 is a workstation-oriented GPU that posts an average benchmark score of 8265 across its two recorded tests, while the GeForce GTX 970 holds an average of 7157 across a much wider battery of tests. That average gap does not tell the whole story, however, because the two cards never compete on the same set of workloads in the database.

The GTX 970 wins every head-to-head comparison that exists between the pair. In Geekbench OpenCL it scores 29982 against 8831 for the Quadro K1200, a 70.5% margin in favor of the GeForce card. In Geekbench Vulkan the GTX 970 posts 20005 versus 7698, a 61.5% lead. There are no recorded tests where the Quadro comes out ahead. The win count is 0 for the Quadro and 2 for the GTX 970 across the shared benchmark suite.

The Quadro K1200 occupies a different niche. Its 43rd percentile ranking among all GPUs places it near the middle of the database, while the GTX 970 sits at the 39th percentile. The Quadro's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon R9 M375X at 8325 average score (0.7% ahead), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 at 8167 (1.2% behind), and the GeForce GTX 950M at 8135 (1.6% behind). This clustering suggests the K1200 performs in line with midrange mobile and older desktop parts. The GTX 970's nearest rivals are entirely different: the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 at 7170 (0.2% behind), the GeForce GTX 560 SE at 7171 (0.2% behind), the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile at 7203 (0.6% behind), and the GeForce GTX 750 at 7222 (0.9% behind). The GTX 970's average score sits slightly below all of these, though by margins under 1%.

For compute-heavy tasks, the GTX 970's OpenCL result is over three times the Quadro's. That is a decisive gap. The Vulkan gap is smaller in percentage terms but still substantial. Users focused on raw throughput in these APIs should look to the GeForce card. The Quadro, by contrast, shows benchmark scores that place it alongside parts like the GTX 980 in the database's ranking system, which suggests its value lies in compatibility and driver certification rather than peak performance.

Architecture Differences

Both cards use TSMC's 28 nm process, but the silicon underneath is very different. The Quadro K1200 uses the GM107 chip with 1,870 million transistors on a 148 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 12.6 million per square millimeter. The GTX 970 uses GM204 with 5,200 million transistors on a 398 mm² die, for 13.1 million per square millimeter. Both are Maxwell-family designs, though the GTX 970 is listed as Maxwell 2.0 while the Quadro is plain Maxwell.

The GTX 970 carries substantially more execution resources. It has 1664 shading units, 104 texture mapping units, and 56 raster output units. The Quadro K1200 has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. These are not close numbers; the GTX 970 has more than three times the shaders and more than three times the TMUs. The GTX 970's clock speeds are also higher, with a 1050 MHz base and 1178 MHz boost against the Quadro's 954 MHz base and 1033 MHz boost.

Memory configurations diverge sharply. The Quadro K1200 uses 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, yielding 80.19 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 970 also has 4 GB of GDDR5 but on a 256-bit bus, delivering 224.4 GB/s. Memory clocks differ as well: the Quadro runs at 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective) while the GTX 970 runs at 1753 MHz (7 Gbps effective). The GTX 970's bandwidth advantage is nearly triple.

The compute rates reflect these resource differences. The Quadro K1200 produces 1,057.8 GFLOPS of FP32 compute, a pixel rate of 16.53 GPixel/s, and a texture rate of 33.06 GTexel/s. The GTX 970 delivers 3.920 TFLOPS FP32, 65.97 GPixel/s, and 122.5 GTexel/s. Every throughput metric favors the GTX 970 by a wide margin.

Power and physical requirements also separate the two. The Quadro K1200 has a 45 W TDP, is single-slot, needs no power connectors, and fits in a 160 mm (6.3 inch) length with a 69 mm (2.7 inch) height. The GTX 970 draws 148 W, is dual-slot, requires two 6-pin power connectors, and measures 267 mm (10.5 inches) long, 111 mm (4.4 inches) high, and 40 mm (1.6 inches) wide. The suggested power supply is 200 W for the Quadro and 300 W for the GTX 970. The Quadro also uses PCIe 2.0 x16 while the GTX 970 uses PCIe 3.0 x16.

Feature support differs at the API level. The GTX 970 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) while the Quadro is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. Display outputs are another split: the Quadro offers four mini-DisplayPort 1.2 connections, while the GTX 970 provides one DVI, one HDMI 2.0, and three DisplayPort 1.2 outputs.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains two direct comparisons between these cards. Both are Geekbench tests, and both show the GTX 970 with commanding leads.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the GTX 970 scores 29982 while the Quadro K1200 scores 8831. The delta is 70.5% in favor of the GTX 970. This is the largest gap in the head-to-head set. OpenCL performance is a strong indicator of general compute throughput, and the GTX 970's larger shader count, wider memory bus, and higher clocks all contribute to this result.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the GTX 970 scores 20005 against 7698 for the Quadro. The delta here is 61.5%. Vulkan is a lower-level graphics API, and the GTX 970's advantage, while still large, is slightly smaller than in OpenCL. This may reflect the Quadro's driver optimization for workstation workloads, but the data does not break down per-subtest.

No other shared benchmarks exist in the database. The Quadro K1200 has only its two Geekbench scores recorded, while the GTX 970 has a broader suite including 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 (369), Geekbench Metal (13595), multiple Passmark DirectX tests (ranging from 41 in DX12 to 143 in DX9), Passmark G2D (764), Passmark G3D (9638), and Passmark GPU Compute (4073). These additional results cannot be compared directly to the Quadro because the Quadro has no corresponding entries.

The GTX 970's average benchmark score of 7157 is pulled down by the low Passmark DirectX scores, which sit in the tens and hundreds. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 29982 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 20005 are much higher than its own average, indicating that the card's performance varies widely by API and workload. The Quadro's average of 8265 is based only on its two Geekbench results, both of which are closer to each other in magnitude.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous. The GeForce GTX 970 outperforms the Quadro K1200 in every recorded head-to-head benchmark, with leads of 70.5% in OpenCL and 61.5% in Vulkan. Anyone selecting between these two strictly on benchmark performance should choose the GTX 970.

The GTX 970 was released on 2014-09-18 with a launch MSRP of 329 USD. The Quadro K1200 followed on 2015-01-27 with no recorded launch MSRP. Both are end-of-life products. The GTX 970 belongs to the GeForce 900 generation and succeeds the GeForce 700 series, while the Quadro K1200 is part of the Quadro Kepler generation (Kx200) and succeeds Quadro Fermi. The Quadro's successor is Quadro Maxwell, which aligns with its GM107 Maxwell chip.

The Quadro K1200 is not without a purpose. Its 45 W TDP, single-slot design, and lack of power connectors make it suitable for compact or low-power systems. Its four mini-DisplayPort outputs and PCIe 2.0 interface point toward multi-display workstation use. But the benchmark data does not show any performance advantage. The GTX 970 is larger, hungrier, and faster in every measured metric.

For compute workloads measured by OpenCL or Vulkan, the GTX 970 is the clear choice. For users constrained by power, space, or connector requirements, the Quadro K1200 offers a functional alternative, but those users should expect significantly lower performance in the recorded tests.

FAQ

Q: Which card has better OpenCL performance?

A: The GeForce GTX 970 scores 29982 in Geekbench OpenCL, compared to 8831 for the Quadro K1200, a 70.5% advantage.

Q: How do the two cards compare in Vulkan?

A: The GTX 970 scores 20005 in Geekbench Vulkan, while the Quadro K1200 scores 7698, giving the GTX 970 a 61.5% lead.

Q: Do both cards use the same manufacturing process?

A: Yes, both use TSMC's 28 nm process. The Quadro K1200 uses the GM107 chip, and the GTX 970 uses the GM204 chip.

Q: What are the memory bandwidth differences?

A: The Quadro K1200 has 80.19 GB/s of bandwidth on a 128-bit bus, while the GTX 970 has 224.4 GB/s on a 256-bit bus.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The Quadro K1200 has a 45 W TDP and needs no power connectors. The GTX 970 has a 148 W TDP and requires two 6-pin power connectors.

Q: Which card supports a higher DirectX feature level?

A: The GTX 970 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the Quadro K1200 supports DirectX 12 (11_0).