NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M vs NVIDIA Quadro K3100M Comparison

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M vs NVIDIA Quadro K3100M: This is a direct comparison between a high-end mobile gaming GPU from the GeForce 900M generation and a professional mobile workstation GPU from the Kepler-based Quadro line. The data shows a decisive performance gap, with the GTX 980M dominating in every shared benchmark, but the Quadro K3100M holds its own as a lower-power, specialized option for specific professional tasks.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two GPUs share only two benchmark results in the data: Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan. The GTX 980M wins both by massive margins. In Geekbench OpenCL, the GTX 980M scores 23,832 points against the Quadro K3100M's 6,154 points. That is a 287.3% advantage — nearly four times the compute output. In Geekbench Vulkan, the GTX 980M scores 17,703 against 5,484, a 222.8% lead. These are not close calls; they represent generational and architectural leaps.

The GTX 980M's average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 5,308, while the Quadro K3100M averages 5,154. That is a raw overall difference of about 3%, but this figure is misleading because the two share so few tests. The GTX 980M has additional results in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 (649), Passmark DirectX 10 (35), DirectX 11 (57), DirectX 12 (31), DirectX 9 (125), G2D (490), G3D (7,338), and GPU Compute (2,816). The Quadro K3100M has a unique Geekbench Metal score of 3,823, which cannot be compared to the GTX 980M since that test is absent for the latter.

Looking at the nearest rivals for context: the GTX 980M sits at the 31st percentile of all GPUs, with its closest competitor being the GeForce 940M (avg score 5,284, deltaPct 0.5%) and the GeForce 840M (5,322, deltaPct -0.3%). The Quadro K3100M is at the 30th percentile, with its nearest rival being the GeForce GTX 760M (5,236, deltaPct -1.6%). Despite the massive head-to-head wins, both cards are statistically similar in overall percentile ranking, which suggests the GTX 980M's extra benchmark scores (like Passmark G3D at 7,338) boost its average but do not move it far above the Quadro's limited test set.

Architecture Differences

The GTX 980M uses the GM204 chip built on Maxwell 2.0 architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process. It packs 5,200 million transistors on a 398 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 13.1M per mm². The Quadro K3100M uses the GK104 chip on the older Kepler architecture, also 28 nm TSMC, but with only 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die (12.0M per mm²). The GTX 980M has 1,536 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. The Quadro K3100M has half the shading units (768), 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs.

Clock speeds differ significantly. The GTX 980M runs at a base of 1,038 MHz and boosts to 1,127 MHz. The Quadro K3100M is locked at 706 MHz for both base and boost — no dynamic overclocking headroom. Memory clocks are also lopsided: the GTX 980M uses 1,253 MHz (5 Gbps effective), while the Quadro runs at 800 MHz (3.2 Gbps effective). Both use GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, but the GTX 980M's higher clock yields 160.4 GB/s bandwidth versus 102.4 GB/s for the Quadro.

The GTX 980M has 8 GB of VRAM, double the Quadro's 4 GB. Pixel rate is 72.13 GPixel/s for the GTX 980M versus 11.30 GPixel/s for the Quadro — a 6.4x difference. Texture rate is 108.2 GTexel/s versus 45.18 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 3.462 TFLOPS against 1,084.4 GFLOPS (approximately 3.2x). The GTX 980M supports DirectX 12_1 and Vulkan 1.4; the Quadro only reaches DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

The Quadro K3100M has a rated TDP of 75 W, while the GTX 980M's TDP is not listed — but given the transistor count and clocks, it is reasonable to expect higher power draw. Both are MXM modules with MXM-B (3.0) interfaces and no power connectors.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 980M wins every shared benchmark, and its additional scores show where it excels. Passmark G3D at 7,338 is a strong indicator of overall 3D rendering performance, while GPU Compute at 2,816 suggests solid general-purpose compute. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 649 shows it can handle modern API workloads. Its 8 GB VRAM and 160.4 GB/s bandwidth make it suitable for high-resolution textures and larger datasets. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 23,832 points to strong compute throughput, which is useful for GPU-accelerated tasks like video encoding or physics simulations.

The Quadro K3100M has no wins in head-to-head tests, but it is not without merit. Its single unique benchmark — Geekbench Metal at 3,823 — indicates it can run Metal API workloads on macOS, a feature the GTX 980M does not have a recorded score for. More importantly, the Quadro's 75 W TDP is a fixed, known value, which is valuable for thermally constrained mobile workstations. The lower clock (706 MHz) and smaller die (294 mm²) suggest it produces less heat, which can be an advantage in thin-and-light laptops where sustained cooling is limited. Its 4 GB VRAM is still workable for many professional applications, and the Kepler architecture was widely supported in ISV-certified drivers for CAD and DCC tools.

For gaming, the GTX 980M is the obvious choice — higher pixel rate, texture rate, and compute all translate directly to frame rates. For professional rendering or compute tasks that are not heavily multi-threaded, the Quadro's lower power draw might allow it to sustain clocks in a chassis that would throttle the GTX 980M.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M is the superior performer in every measurable shared metric. It delivers 287.3% higher OpenCL performance and 222.8% higher Vulkan performance than the Quadro K3100M. Its 8 GB VRAM, higher bandwidth, and modern Maxwell 2.0 architecture make it better suited for gaming, general compute, and any workload that leverages DirectX 12_1 or Vulkan 1.4 features.

The Quadro K3100M is not a competitor in raw performance; it is a different tool. Its 75 W TDP is the only concrete advantage in the pack, making it a plausible pick for a workstation where power and thermal limits are strict. However, the GTX 980M's absence of a TDP figure does not mean it is inefficient — it simply means the data does not cover it.

Buyers should choose the GTX 980M if they need maximum frame rates, high-resolution textures, or compute throughput. Choose the Quadro K3100M only if you specifically require a low-power MXM module for a professional laptop and can live with roughly one-third of the compute performance. The percentile rankings (31st vs 30th) suggest that in the broader GPU market, neither is a top-tier card in 2025, but within this pairing, the GTX 980M is the clear winner for almost any use case.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher OpenCL performance?

A: The GTX 980M scores 23,832 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 287.3% higher than the Quadro K3100M's 6,154.

Q: Can the Quadro K3100M run Vulkan workloads?

A: Yes, it scores 5,484 in Geekbench Vulkan, but the GTX 980M scores 17,703 — a 222.8% advantage.

Q: How much VRAM does each card have?

A: The GTX 980M has 8 GB of GDDR5, while the Quadro K3100M has 4 GB of GDDR5. Both use a 256-bit bus.

Q: What is the power draw of the Quadro K3100M?

A: The Quadro K3100M has a rated TDP of 75 W. The GTX 980M's TDP is not listed in the data.

Q: Which card supports DirectX 12_1?

A: Only the GTX 980M supports DirectX 12 (12_1). The Quadro K3100M is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0).

Q: Do both cards use the same manufacturing process?

A: Yes, both are fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process, but the GTX 980M uses Maxwell 2.0 (GM204) while the Quadro uses Kepler (GK104).

Specification Differences

| Component | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M | NVIDIA Quadro K3100M |

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

| Chip | GM204 | GK104 |

| Architecture | Maxwell 2.0 | Kepler |

| Transistors | 5,200 million | 3,540 million |

| Die Size | 398 mm² | 294 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 13.1M / mm² | 12.0M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1038 MHz | 706 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1127 MHz | 706 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective) | 800 MHz (3.2 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 8 GB | 4 GB |

| Memory Bandwidth | 160.4 GB/s | 102.4 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1536 | 768 |

| TMUs | 96 | 64 |

| ROPs | 64 | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 72.13 GPixel/s | 11.30 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 108.2 GTexel/s | 45.18 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Compute | 3.462 TFLOPS | 1,084.4 GFLOPS |

| TDP | Not listed | 75 W |

| DirectX Support | 12 (12_1) | 12 (11_0) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | 1.2.175 |

| Release Date | 2014-10-06 | 2013-07-22 |

| Predecessor | GeForce 800M | Quadro Fermi-M |

| Successor | GeForce 10 Mobile | Quadro Maxwell-M |

| Generation | GeForce 900M | Quadro Kepler-M (Kx100M) |