NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 vs NVIDIA Quadro K6000 Comparison

The NVIDIA Quadro K6000 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 represent two distinct eras of GPU design, separated by five years of architectural evolution. The data shows a clear generational shift: the Quadro K6000, a Kepler-based professional card from 2013, relies on raw compute density, while the RTX 2070, a Turing-based consumer card from 2018, leverages newer process technology and specialized hardware. Their average benchmark scores are remarkably close—19030 for the Quadro versus 18789 for the RTX 2070— placing both in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs. However, this parity in aggregate scores masks a stark divergence in workload-specific performance, with the RTX 2070 dominating modern compute APIs by substantial margins.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The direct comparison between these two cards is limited to two compute-oriented tests, and in both, the RTX 2070 delivers a decisive victory. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 2070 scores 79,966 against the Quadro K6000’s 23,749, a delta of -70.3% for the older card. This means the RTX 2070 is roughly 3.4 times faster in this OpenCL workload, a gap that reflects the massive improvements in compute throughput and driver efficiency over the five-year period. The result is not a marginal win but a complete overhaul of compute capability, suggesting that any OpenCL-based application will run dramatically better on the newer architecture.

The second head-to-head test, Geekbench Vulkan, shows an even larger absolute disparity. The RTX 2070 posts 82,521 points, while the Quadro K6000 manages 25,409, yielding a deltaPct of -69.2%. This 3.2x advantage for the RTX 2070 is consistent with the OpenCL result, reinforcing that the Turing architecture’s compute pipeline is fundamentally more efficient. Vulkan is a low-overhead API that benefits from modern hardware features, and the Quadro K6000’s Kepler design, with its older scheduling and lack of dedicated compute units, simply cannot compete. The RTX 2070 wins both head-to-head benchmarks, giving it a 2-0 sweep, and the margins are so large that they dwarf any architectural differences in clock speeds or core counts.

These results are particularly striking when considering the Quadro K6000’s higher shading unit count. The Quadro has 2880 shading units, while the RTX 2070 has fewer at 2304, yet the newer card still wins by a wide margin. This indicates that raw shader count is not the primary driver of compute performance; instead, the RTX 2070’s higher clock speeds—1410 MHz base and 1620 MHz boost versus 797 MHz and 902 MHz—and its support for newer instruction sets contribute more significantly to real-world throughput. The 70%+ deltas in both tests are not incremental improvements; they represent a generational leap that makes the Quadro K6000 effectively obsolete for modern compute workloads.

Architecture Differences

The architectural chasm between these two GPUs is defined by process technology, transistor density, and feature sets. The Quadro K6000 uses the GK110B chip, built on TSMC’s 28 nm process, with 7,080 million transistors on a 561 mm² die. This yields a transistor density of 12.6 million per square millimeter. In contrast, the RTX 2070 uses the TU106 chip on a 12 nm process, packing 10,800 million transistors into a smaller 445 mm² die, achieving a density of 24.3 million per square millimeter. The nearly two-fold increase in transistor density allows the RTX 2070 to integrate far more complex hardware within a physically smaller package, contributing to its efficiency advantages.

Clock speeds and memory technology also differ substantially. The Quadro K6000 operates at a base clock of 797 MHz with a boost of 902 MHz, while the RTX 2070 runs at 1410 MHz base and 1620 MHz boost. This 77% higher boost clock is a primary reason for the RTX 2070’s compute dominance. Memory configurations are equally divergent: the Quadro offers 12 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, providing 288.4 GB/s of bandwidth, whereas the RTX 2070 provides 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, achieving 448.0 GB/s. Although the RTX 2070 has less memory capacity, its GDDR6 technology delivers 55% more bandwidth, which is critical for compute and gaming workloads alike.

The most significant architectural addition to the RTX 2070 is the inclusion of 36 RT cores and 288 tensor cores, which are entirely absent from the Quadro K6000. These dedicated units enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI-based tensor operations, features that the Kepler architecture cannot perform. The RTX 2070 also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the Quadro is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.175. This API support difference explains why the RTX 2070 excels in modern Vulkan tests. Pixel and texture rates tell a similar story: the RTX 2070 achieves 103.7 GPixel/s and 233.3 GTexel/s, versus the Quadro’s 54.12 GPixel/s and 216.5 GTexel/s, doubling pixel throughput while maintaining similar texture rates. The RTX 2070’s FP32 compute is 7.465 TFLOPS, and it adds 14.93 TFLOPS FP16 via 2:1 rate, while the Quadro offers only 5.196 TFLOPS FP32 with no FP16 support listed.

Where Each One Wins

The data presents a clear winner in most scenarios, but the Quadro K6000 retains specific advantages that matter in professional contexts. In raw compute benchmarks using modern APIs like OpenCL and Vulkan, the RTX 2070 is unequivocally superior, posting scores that are over three times higher. This makes the RTX 2070 the obvious choice for any workload that leverages these APIs, including general-purpose GPU computing, machine learning inference, and modern game engines that use Vulkan. The RTX 2070’s higher memory bandwidth (448 GB/s) and faster clocks (1620 MHz boost) provide it with a decisive edge in memory-bound and latency-sensitive tasks.

However, the Quadro K6000 wins on memory capacity, offering 12 GB versus 8 GB. For workloads that require large datasets to reside in GPU memory—such as certain scientific simulations, large-scale rendering scenes, or complex data visualization—the extra 4 GB can be critical. The Quadro also has a wider 384-bit memory bus, which, while paired with slower GDDR5, may offer better performance in specific access patterns that benefit from wider interfaces. Its 2880 shading units, despite lower clocks, could provide an advantage in workloads that are purely shader-bound and not limited by clock speed or memory bandwidth.

The production status and physical design also favor different use cases. The Quadro K6000 is end-of-life, with a launch MSRP of 5,265 USD, while the RTX 2070 is also end-of-life but launched at 499 USD. The Quadro’s display outputs are limited to 2x DVI and 2x DisplayPort 1.2, whereas the RTX 2070 offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C. The RTX 2070 also has a lower TDP (175 W versus 225 W) and requires only a single 8-pin power connector versus the Quadro’s dual 6-pin, making it easier to integrate into existing systems. For gaming, the RTX 2070’s support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and ray tracing is a clear win, while the Quadro’s lack of these features makes it unsuitable for modern titles.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro K6000 has a slightly higher average benchmark score of 19,030, compared to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070’s 18,789. Both are in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 2070 in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The RTX 2070 scores 79,966 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 70.3% higher than the Quadro K6000’s score of 23,749. This represents a 3.4x performance advantage.

Q: Does the Quadro K6000 have more memory than the RTX 2070?

A: Yes, the Quadro K6000 has 12 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the RTX 2070 has 8 GB of GDDR6. However, the RTX 2070 has higher bandwidth at 448.0 GB/s versus 288.4 GB/s.

Q: What are the architectural differences in node size?

A: The Quadro K6000 uses a 28 nm process from TSMC, while the RTX 2070 uses a 12 nm process. The RTX 2070 also has a higher transistor density of 24.3M per mm² compared to 12.6M per mm².

Q: Which GPU supports ray tracing hardware?

A: Only the RTX 2070 supports ray tracing, as it includes 36 RT cores. The Quadro K6000 has no RT cores or tensor cores.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference in gigabytes per second?

A: The RTX 2070 provides 448.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth, which is 159.6 GB/s higher than the Quadro K6000’s 288.4 GB/s.

The Verdict

The benchmark data is unambiguous for modern compute workloads: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 is the superior performer, delivering over 3x the performance in both OpenCL and Vulkan tests. Its 12 nm Turing architecture, higher clocks, faster GDDR6 memory, and dedicated RT and tensor cores make it the logical choice for any user running contemporary APIs, gaming, or AI-adjacent tasks. The RTX 2070 achieves this with lower power consumption (175 W versus 225 W) and a smaller physical footprint, making it a more efficient and versatile card.

The Quadro K6000’s only clear advantage is its 12 GB memory capacity and wider 384-bit bus, which may appeal to niche professional workloads that require large in-memory datasets. Its higher shading unit count (2880 versus 2304) does not translate into compute wins in the tested benchmarks, indicating that its Kepler architecture is too dated to leverage its core count effectively. Given that the Quadro has a launch MSRP of 5,265 USD versus the RTX 2070’s 499 USD, and it loses all head-to-head tests, the data strongly favors the RTX 2070 for nearly all use cases. The Quadro K6000 is best reserved for legacy applications that specifically require its memory capacity and cannot migrate to newer hardware; otherwise, the RTX 2070 is the definitive choice based on performance metrics alone.