NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER vs NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a split decision between the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER, with each card claiming wins in distinct categories. The Quadro RTX 5000 takes four of the nine recorded benchmarks, while the GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER wins five. The margins, however, tell a more nuanced story than the raw win count.

The Quadro RTX 5000's most dominant victory comes in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where it scores 92,309 against the RTX 2060 SUPER's 77,402. That is a 19.3% advantage, a substantial gap that suggests the Quadro's larger compute configuration translates directly into API-level performance headroom. The Geekbench OpenCL result reinforces this pattern, with the Quadro scoring 78,999 versus 76,957, a narrower but still clear 2.7% lead.

In the older DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 workloads, the Quadro again edges ahead. The DirectX 10 score of 113 versus 111 represents a 1.8% margin, while DirectX 11 shows a more comfortable 7.7% lead at 140 versus 130. These are legacy API tests, yet they indicate that the Quadro's extra shading resources do not go unused even in older rendering paths.

The GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER fights back in the DirectX 12 era. It wins the Passmark DirectX 12 test by 3.3%, scoring 61 against the Quadro's 59. The DirectX 9 result is even more lopsided in the GeForce's favor: 218 versus 195, a 10.6% swing. This is curious, as DirectX 9 is the oldest API in the suite, yet the GeForce clearly outperforms there.

The 2D and compute-oriented tests also favor the GeForce. The Passmark G2D score shows an 854 to 709 result, a 17% margin that is the largest win for either card in the entire head-to-head set. The Passmark GPU Compute test goes to the GeForce at 6,721 versus 6,525, a 2.9% edge. Most notably, the Passmark G3D score, often treated as a general-purpose gaming and graphics indicator, lands at 16,462 for the GeForce versus 15,616 for the Quadro, a 5.1% advantage.

Looking at broader context, the Quadro RTX 5000's average benchmark score of 21,629 places it in the 67th percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals include the GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB at 21,856 (1% higher) and the RTX A4000 Mobile at 21,379 (1.2% lower). The RTX 2060 SUPER's average score of 18,093 sits in the 62nd percentile, with its closest competitor being the GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile at 18,159, a mere 0.4% difference. The delta between the two cards' average scores, roughly 3,536 points, is more than any single head-to-head test suggests, implying that the Quadro's aggregate performance profile is stronger even though it loses several individual tests.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 averages 21,629 across all recorded benchmarks, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER averages 18,093. The Quadro sits in the 67th percentile of all GPUs, compared to the 62nd percentile for the GeForce.

Q: Does the Quadro RTX 5000 win in Vulkan performance?

A: Yes, decisively. The Quadro scores 92,309 in Geekbench Vulkan against 77,402 for the RTX 2060 SUPER, a 19.3% advantage. This is the largest margin of victory for either card in the head-to-head tests.

Q: Where does the RTX 2060 SUPER perform best relative to the Quadro?

A: The GeForce wins the Passmark G2D test by 17% (854 versus 709), the DirectX 9 test by 10.6% (218 versus 195), the G3D test by 5.1% (16,462 versus 15,616), the DirectX 12 test by 3.3% (61 versus 59), and the GPU Compute test by 2.9% (6,721 versus 6,525).

Q: Are both cards based on the same architecture?

A: Yes, both use NVIDIA's Turing architecture and are fabricated on a 12 nm process at TSMC. They also both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: How do their memory configurations compare?

A: The Quadro RTX 5000 has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the RTX 2060 SUPER has 8 GB. Both use a 256-bit memory bus and achieve identical bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s with 14 Gbps effective memory speed.

Q: Which card has more CUDA cores?

A: The Quadro RTX 5000 has 3,072 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. The RTX 2060 SUPER has 2,176 shading units, 136 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The Quadro also has 48 RT cores and 384 tensor cores versus 34 RT cores and 272 tensor cores on the GeForce.

Architecture Differences

Both cards share the Turing architecture and the 12 nm TSMC process, but they are built on different chips with substantially different transistor budgets. The Quadro RTX 5000 uses the TU104 chip with 13,600 million transistors on a 545 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 25.0 million per mm². The RTX 2060 SUPER uses the smaller TU106 chip, containing 10,800 million transistors on a 445 mm² die, for a density of 24.3 million per mm². The Quadro's die is roughly 100 mm² larger, and that physical space translates into significantly more compute resources.

The shading core counts diverge sharply. The Quadro RTX 5000 carries 3,072 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The RTX 2060 SUPER is equipped with 2,176 shading units, 136 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The Quadro thus has roughly 41% more shading units and 41% more texture units, while the ROP count is identical at 64. This explains the Quadro's higher pixel rate of 116.2 GPixel/s versus 105.6 GPixel/s and its substantially higher texture rate of 348.5 GTexel/s versus 224.4 GTexel/s.

Ray tracing and tensor core counts follow the same pattern. The Quadro has 48 RT cores and 384 tensor cores, while the RTX 2060 SUPER has 34 RT cores and 272 tensor cores. Floating-point throughput reflects the core disparity: the Quadro delivers 11.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 22.30 TFLOPS of FP16 (2:1 ratio), whereas the GeForce offers 7.181 TFLOPS FP32 and 14.36 TFLOPS FP16.

Clock speeds differ as well. The Quadro runs at a base clock of 1620 MHz and a boost of 1815 MHz. The RTX 2060 SUPER is clocked lower, with a 1470 MHz base and 1650 MHz boost. Despite the lower clocks, the GeForce manages to win several benchmark tests, which points to architectural efficiency or driver optimizations rather than raw clock advantage.

Memory capacity is a major differentiator. The Quadro RTX 5000 ships with 16 GB of GDDR6, double the 8 GB found on the RTX 2060 SUPER. Both use a 256-bit bus and achieve 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The larger capacity does not change bandwidth, but it does change the workloads each card can handle, particularly for large datasets in professional applications.

Power and physical characteristics also diverge. The Quadro is rated at 230 W TDP with a suggested 550 W PSU and requires both a 6-pin and an 8-pin power connector. The RTX 2060 SUPER draws 175 W, needs only a 450 W PSU, and uses a single 8-pin connector. The Quadro is longer at 267 mm versus 229 mm, and both are dual-slot cards. The Quadro offers 4x DisplayPort 1.4a and 1x USB Type-C outputs, while the GeForce provides 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C.

The Verdict

The data paints a clear picture of two cards optimized for different priorities. The Quadro RTX 5000 is the stronger overall performer, with a higher average benchmark score of 21,629 versus 18,093 and a higher percentile ranking at 67 versus 62. Its wins in Vulkan, OpenCL, DirectX 10, and DirectX 11 show that its larger core configuration and higher clocks produce tangible advantages in compute-oriented and legacy API workloads.

The RTX 2060 SUPER, however, wins in DirectX 12, DirectX 9, G2D, G3D, and GPU Compute tests. Its G3D advantage of 5.1% and its G2D margin of 17% suggest that for certain graphics workloads, particularly those that favor the GeForce driver stack or the specific TU106 configuration, the smaller card is genuinely faster. The DirectX 12 win, even at just 3.3%, hints that future API workloads may not automatically favor the Quadro.

Professionals working with Vulkan-based applications, large datasets that require 16 GB of memory, or tasks that stress raw compute throughput will find the Quadro RTX 5000 the better choice. Its 19.3% Vulkan lead and doubled memory capacity are decisive factors. Gamers and users focused on DirectX 12 or general 3D graphics performance may prefer the RTX 2060 SUPER, which wins the G3D test and offers lower power requirements at 175 W versus 230 W. The choice hinges on whether the workload leans toward the Quadro's compute-heavy strengths or the GeForce's wins in the DirectX and 2D tests.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER |

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

| Chip | TU104 | TU106 |

| Transistors | 13,600 million | 10,800 million |

| Die Size | 545 mm² | 445 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 25.0M / mm² | 24.3M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1620 MHz | 1470 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1815 MHz | 1650 MHz |

| Memory Size | 16 GB | 8 GB |

| Shading Units | 3072 | 2176 |

| TMUs | 192 | 136 |

| RT Cores | 48 | 34 |

| Tensor Cores | 384 | 272 |

| Pixel Rate | 116.2 GPixel/s | 105.6 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 348.5 GTexel/s | 224.4 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 11.15 TFLOPS | 7.181 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 22.30 TFLOPS (2:1) | 14.36 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 230 W | 175 W |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | 1x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 550 W | 450 W |

| Length | 267 mm (10.5 inches) | 229 mm (9 inches) |

| Display Outputs | 4x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1x USB Type-C | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1x USB Type-C |

| Release Date | 2018-08-12 | 2019-07-08 |

| Launch MSRP | 2,299 USD | 399 USD |

The two cards match on memory type (GDDR6), bus width (256 bit), memory bandwidth (448.0 GB/s), ROP count (64), process node (12 nm), foundry (TSMC), slot width (dual-slot), and bus interface (PCIe 3.0 x16). Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, and both are marked end-of-life in the database.

Where Each One Wins

The Quadro RTX 5000 wins in scenarios that leverage its compute resources and memory capacity. Its 19.3% Vulkan advantage makes it the pick for Vulkan-based rendering engines and compute APIs. The 2.7% OpenCL lead reinforces its strength in general-purpose GPU compute. The DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 wins, at 1.8% and 7.7% respectively, show that legacy API workloads still benefit from the larger TU104 configuration. The 16 GB memory capacity, double that of the GeForce, suits datasets that exceed 8 GB, which is a realistic scenario in professional visualization, simulation, or machine learning inference. The higher pixel rate of 116.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 348.5 GTexel/s also favor fill-rate-bound tasks.

The RTX 2060 SUPER wins in DirectX 12, DirectX 9, G2D, G3D, and GPU Compute. The G3D win of 5.1% suggests that general 3D graphics workloads, which include many game engines and DCC applications, run faster on the GeForce. The 17% G2D margin is the largest in the entire comparison, indicating a significant advantage in 2D desktop and compositing workloads. The DirectX 12 lead, while modest at 3.3%, points to better performance in modern DX12 titles. The GPU Compute win of 2.9% is narrower but still relevant for compute tasks that are not memory-capacity-bound. The lower 175 W TDP and single 8-pin connector also make the GeForce easier to integrate into systems with smaller power supplies.

For users deciding between the two, the benchmark data suggests that the Quadro RTX 5000 is the better choice for Vulkan-centric professional workflows, large memory footprints, and older DirectX API workloads. The RTX 2060 SUPER is preferable for DirectX 12 gaming, 2D-heavy usage, and general 3D graphics where its G3D and G2D wins translate into real-world performance gains. Neither card dominates completely, and the recorded data shows that the choice depends heavily on which API and workload type matters most to the user.