NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile vs NVIDIA Quadro K5200 Comparison

The NVIDIA Quadro K5200 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile represent two distinct eras of GPU design, one rooted in professional workstation graphics and the other in high-performance mobile gaming. The benchmark data shows a stark generational divide, with the RTX 3060 Mobile delivering dramatically higher raw compute scores despite its mobile form factor. While the Quadro K5200 was a flagship desktop solution in its day, the architectural and manufacturing advancements in the Ampere-based mobile chip render it largely obsolete in direct comparison. The following analysis details the specific differences and performance implications based solely on the provided data.

FAQ

Q: How large is the performance gap between the two GPUs in the available benchmarks?

A: The GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile wins both head-to-head benchmark tests. It scores 79,483 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 76.1% higher than the Quadro K5200's 19,024. In Geekbench Vulkan, the RTX 3060 Mobile scores 80,344, a 74.9% advantage over the Quadro K5200's 20,180.

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score, and what does that indicate about their overall standing?

A: The Quadro K5200 has a higher average benchmark score of 19,602, compared to the RTX 3060 Mobile's 18,159. This places the Quadro K5200 in the 64th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 3060 Mobile sits in the 62nd percentile, indicating they are close in overall aggregate performance despite the RTX 3060 Mobile's dominance in specific compute tests.

Q: What are the nearest rivals for each GPU based on average benchmark scores?

A: The Quadro K5200's closest rival is the AMD FirePro D300, which has an average score of 19,637, placing it just 0.2% ahead. The RTX 3060 Mobile's nearest rival is the AMD Radeon Pro 5700, with an average score of 18,189, which is 0.2% ahead of the mobile GPU.

Q: How do the memory subsystems differ between the two cards?

A: The Quadro K5200 uses 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 192.3 GB/s. The RTX 3060 Mobile uses a smaller 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, but its bandwidth is significantly higher at 336.0 GB/s due to the faster memory type and clock speed.

Q: Are there any features present in one GPU that are completely absent in the other?

A: Yes, the RTX 3060 Mobile includes 30 RT cores and 120 tensor cores, which are dedicated hardware for ray tracing and AI acceleration. The Quadro K5200, based on the older Kepler architecture, has no such cores, listing them as null in its specifications.

Q: What is the difference in their manufacturing process and physical size?

A: The Quadro K5200 is built on a 28 nm process at TSMC, resulting in a 561 mm² die with 7,080 million transistors. The RTX 3060 Mobile uses a much more advanced 8 nm process from Samsung, which allows for a smaller 276 mm² die but packs significantly more transistors at 12,000 million.

Architecture Differences

The fundamental architectural gap between these two GPUs is immense. The Quadro K5200 is built on the Kepler architecture, specifically the GK110B chip, while the RTX 3060 Mobile leverages the Ampere architecture with the GA106 chip. This generational leap is evident in nearly every design choice.

The manufacturing process is a key differentiator. The Quadro K5200 uses a 28 nm process at TSMC, which is a relatively large node. In contrast, the RTX 3060 Mobile uses an 8 nm process at Samsung. This explains the transistor density difference: the Quadro K5200 has a density of 12.6M transistors per mm², while the RTX 3060 Mobile achieves a remarkably higher 43.5M transistors per mm². This allows the Ampere chip to pack 12,000 million transistors into a die that is less than half the size of the Kepler chip's 561 mm², which contains only 7,080 million transistors.

The core configurations highlight a different design philosophy. The Quadro K5200 has 2,304 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs. The RTX 3060 Mobile features a higher count of 3,840 shading units but fewer texture mapping units at 120, while keeping the same 48 ROPs. More critically, the RTX 3060 Mobile introduces dedicated hardware not present in the Quadro K5200: 30 RT cores for real-time ray tracing and 120 tensor cores for AI-accelerated workloads. The Quadro K5200 has no such cores.

Clock speeds also reflect their respective roles. The Quadro K5200 has a base clock of 667 MHz and a boost clock of 771 MHz, which are relatively low for a desktop part. The RTX 3060 Mobile, despite being a mobile component, runs at a higher base clock of 900 MHz and a boost clock of 1,425 MHz. This clock advantage, combined with the higher core count, contributes to the RTX 3060 Mobile's superior compute throughput.

The memory architectures differ in capacity and type. The Quadro K5200 offers 8 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the RTX 3060 Mobile provides 6 GB of GDDR6. The bus width also differs, with the Quadro using a 256-bit interface and the RTX 3060 Mobile using a 192-bit interface. However, the RTX 3060 Mobile's memory is clocked at 1,750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) versus the Quadro's 1,502 MHz (6 Gbps effective), resulting in the mobile part having a significantly higher memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s compared to 192.3 GB/s.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data reveals a decisive victory for the RTX 3060 Mobile, though the limited dataset means the analysis is focused on compute-oriented workloads. The benchmark results show the RTX 3060 Mobile winning both tests with a substantial margin.

In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RTX 3060 Mobile scores 79,483, which is a massive 76.1% higher than the Quadro K5200's score of 19,024. This is a huge delta that underscores the raw compute power advantage of the Ampere architecture. The 8 nm process and higher clock speeds allow the RTX 3060 Mobile to achieve 10.94 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, compared to the Quadro K5200's 3.553 TFLOPS. This makes the RTX 3060 Mobile's compute capability roughly three times higher, which is reflected in the benchmark score.

The Geekbench Vulkan test shows a similar trend. The RTX 3060 Mobile scores 80,344, which is 74.9% higher than the Quadro K5200's 20,180. This test is more relevant to gaming and graphics workloads, and the result indicates the RTX 3060 Mobile's superior ability to handle modern graphics APIs. The Quadro K5200's Vulkan support is listed as version 1.2.175, while the RTX 3060 Mobile supports Vulkan 1.4, which may contribute to its better performance in this test.

It is important to note that the RTX 3060 Mobile has a wider suite of benchmark results, including PassMark tests for DirectX 9, 10, 11, and 12, as well as G2D and G3D tests. However, the head-to-head comparison is limited to the two Geekbench tests. The RTX 3060 Mobile's performance in these tests is consistently strong, but the data does not provide a direct comparison for other workloads. The Quadro K5200's average benchmark score is higher than the RTX 3060 Mobile's, which is an interesting anomaly; it may be due to the Quadro's stronger performance in other unlisted tests, or the average score calculation includes different metrics. Regardless, the head-to-head data is clear: the RTX 3060 Mobile is the superior performer in the tested compute and graphics API scenarios.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets for the two GPUs reveal several key differences beyond the architectural ones already discussed.

• Memory Size: The Quadro K5200 has 8 GB of GDDR5, while the RTX 3060 Mobile has 6 GB of GDDR6.
• Memory Bus Width: The Quadro K5200 uses a 256-bit bus, whereas the RTX 3060 Mobile has a 192-bit bus.
• Memory Bandwidth: The Quadro K5200's bandwidth is 192.3 GB/s, which is lower than the RTX 3060 Mobile's 336.0 GB/s.
• Shading Units: The RTX 3060 Mobile has 3,840 shading units, while the Quadro K5200 has 2,304.
• Texture Mapping Units (TMUs): The Quadro K5200 has 192 TMUs, which is more than the RTX 3060 Mobile's 120.
• FP32 Performance: The RTX 3060 Mobile is significantly more powerful, with 10.94 TFLOPS compared to the Quadro K5200's 3.553 TFLOPS.
• FP16 Performance: The RTX 3060 Mobile supports FP16 at 10.94 TFLOPS (1:1), while the Quadro K5200 has no listed FP16 performance.
• Power Consumption (TDP): The Quadro K5200 has a TDP of 150 W and requires a 1x 6-pin power connector. The RTX 3060 Mobile has a much lower TDP of 80 W and uses no power connectors, being a mobile part.
• Slot Width and Dimensions: The Quadro K5200 is a dual-slot card with a length of 267 mm and a height of 111 mm. The RTX 3060 Mobile has no listed dimensions, as it is intended for laptops.
• Bus Interface: The Quadro K5200 uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the RTX 3060 Mobile uses PCIe 4.0 x16.
• Display Outputs: The Quadro K5200 offers 2x DVI and 2x DisplayPort 1.2. The RTX 3060 Mobile's outputs are described as "Portable Device Dependent."
• DirectX Support: The Quadro K5200 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), while the RTX 3060 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2).
• Release Date: The Quadro K5200 was released on 2014-07-21, while the RTX 3060 Mobile was released on 2021-01-11.

Where Each One Wins

Based on the data, the RTX 3060 Mobile is the clear winner in raw computational performance and modern graphics API support. Its overwhelming victories in the Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan tests make it the superior choice for any workload that relies on shader compute, such as rendering, scientific simulation, or modern game engines. The presence of RT cores and tensor cores gives it a distinct advantage in ray-traced workloads and AI-accelerated tasks, which are not supported by the Quadro K5200 at all. The RTX 3060 Mobile's higher memory bandwidth also makes it better suited for texture-heavy applications and high-resolution rendering.

The Quadro K5200, however, has a few points in its favor. Its larger 8 GB memory capacity is beneficial for workloads that need to store large datasets on the GPU, such as certain professional 3D modeling and visualization tasks. This capacity advantage is not reflected in the compute benchmarks, but it could be a deciding factor in specific professional use cases where memory capacity is more critical than raw speed. Additionally, the Quadro K5200 has a higher average benchmark score and a higher percentile ranking (64th vs 62nd), which suggests that in the broader set of all benchmark tests, it may hold its own in some legacy or professional applications. The dual-slot desktop form factor also allows for more robust cooling, which could lead to more sustained performance in a workstation environment compared to a laptop's thermal constraints.

In summary, the RTX 3060 Mobile is the superior GPU for almost all modern, compute-intensive tasks. The Quadro K5200's only clear advantage is its larger memory pool, which could be important for certain niche professional workloads. For general-purpose compute, gaming, and modern API usage, the RTX 3060 Mobile is the definitive winner.