NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile vs NVIDIA Quadro K6000 Comparison

# NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile vs NVIDIA Quadro K6000

The data presents a stark generational clash: the GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, an end-of-life Ampere laptop part from 2021, faces the Quadro K6000, a 2013 Kepler-era workstation card that was already retired before its rival launched. The benchmark numbers show the RTX 3070 Mobile winning both shared tests by wide margins, yet the K6000 retains relevance in specific professional contexts due to its 12 GB memory capacity and dual-slot desktop form factor.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3070 Mobile dominates in every benchmark the two GPUs share. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 92,939 against the K6000’s 23,749 — a 291.3% advantage. In Geekbench Vulkan, the margin is 241.5%, with the mobile part reaching 86,768 versus 25,409. This is not a close contest; the RTX 3070 Mobile outperforms the K6000 by nearly four times in raw compute throughput in one test and by more than three times in the other.

The K6000’s only qualitative advantage lies in memory capacity and physical design. With 12 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, it offers 50% more VRAM than the RTX 3070 Mobile’s 8 GB GDDR6. For workloads that require loading very large datasets into video memory — such as certain scientific visualization or rendering tasks — the older card can hold more data locally. The K6000 is also a dual-slot desktop card with 2x DVI and 2x DisplayPort 1.2 outputs, while the RTX 3070 Mobile’s outputs are "Portable Device Dependent," meaning the laptop manufacturer decides connectivity.

The RTX 3070 Mobile wins on efficiency, architecture features, and raw performance. Its 115 W TDP is roughly half the K6000’s 225 W, yet it delivers substantially more compute. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the K6000 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.175. The mobile part also includes 40 RT cores and 160 tensor cores — features entirely absent from the Kepler architecture.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from completely different design eras. The RTX 3070 Mobile uses the GA104 chip built on Samsung’s 8 nm process, packing 17,400 million transistors into a 392 mm² die. The K6000 uses the GK110B chip on TSMC’s 28 nm node, with 7,080 million transistors spread across a larger 561 mm² die. The transistor density tells the story: the Ampere part achieves 44.4 million transistors per mm², versus 12.6 million for Kepler — a 3.5x density improvement.

The shading resources differ dramatically. The RTX 3070 Mobile has 5,120 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. The K6000 has 2,880 shading units, 240 TMUs, and only 48 ROPs. While the K6000 has more texture mapping units, the RTX 3070 Mobile compensates with higher clock speeds and modern execution efficiency. The mobile chip runs at 1110 MHz base and 1560 MHz boost, while the K6000 sits at 797 MHz base and 902 MHz boost.

Memory architecture also diverges. The RTX 3070 Mobile uses 8 GB GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth and 14 Gbps effective speed. The K6000 uses 12 GB GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus with 288.4 GB/s bandwidth and 6 Gbps effective speed. Despite the wider bus and larger capacity, the older GDDR5 runs at less than half the effective speed, yielding significantly lower bandwidth.

The RTX 3070 Mobile includes dedicated ray tracing and tensor cores — 40 and 160 respectively — which the K6000 lacks entirely. This enables hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI features that the Kepler part cannot perform. The FP16 capability also differs: the RTX 3070 Mobile achieves 15.97 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1 ratio), while the K6000 has no listed FP16 figure.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two shared benchmarks reveal an overwhelming victory for the RTX 3070 Mobile. In Geekbench OpenCL, the mobile part scores 92,939 against the K6000’s 23,749. That delta of 291.3% means the RTX 3070 Mobile delivers roughly 3.9 times the OpenCL performance. Even accounting for architectural differences, this is an enormous gap that reflects both process node improvements and execution efficiency gains over seven years of GPU evolution.

Geekbench Vulkan shows a similar story. The RTX 3070 Mobile reaches 86,768, while the K6000 manages 25,409. The 241.5% delta translates to about 3.4 times the performance. The K6000’s Vulkan support is older (1.2.175) and its driver maturity for modern APIs is limited, which likely depresses its score further. The RTX 3070 Mobile’s newer Vulkan 1.4 support and modern hardware design give it a clear advantage.

Interestingly, the K6000 has one benchmark not shared with the RTX 3070 Mobile: Geekbench Metal, where it scores 7,932. This is likely irrelevant for most users, as Metal is Apple’s API and neither card is designed for macOS ecosystems. The RTX 3070 Mobile’s benchmark suite includes additional tests — PassMark DirectX 9/10/11/12, G2D, G3D, and GPU compute, plus 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 — but no direct K6000 comparison exists for these.

Specification Differences

| Specification | RTX 3070 Mobile | Quadro K6000 |

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

| Process node | 8 nm (Samsung) | 28 nm (TSMC) |

| Transistors | 17,400 million | 7,080 million |

| Die size | 392 mm² | 561 mm² |

| Transistor density | 44.4M / mm² | 12.6M / mm² |

| Base clock | 1110 MHz | 797 MHz |

| Boost clock | 1560 MHz | 902 MHz |

| Memory size | 8 GB GDDR6 | 12 GB GDDR5 |

| Memory bus | 256 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory bandwidth | 448.0 GB/s | 288.4 GB/s |

| Memory speed | 14 Gbps effective | 6 Gbps effective |

| Shading units | 5120 | 2880 |

| TMUs | 160 | 240 |

| ROPs | 80 | 48 |

| RT cores | 40 | None |

| Tensor cores | 160 | None |

| FP32 | 15.97 TFLOPS | 5.196 TFLOPS |

| Pixel rate | 124.8 GPixel/s | 54.12 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 249.6 GTexel/s | 216.5 GTexel/s |

| TDP | 115 W | 225 W |

| Slot width | Not specified | Dual-slot |

| Power connectors | None | 2x 6-pin |

| Suggested PSU | Not specified | 550 W |

| Bus interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| DirectX support | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (11_1) |

| Vulkan support | 1.4 | 1.2.175 |

| Release date | 2021-01-11 | 2013-07-22 |

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance?

A: The RTX 3070 Mobile delivers 15.97 TFLOPS FP32, compared to the K6000’s 5.196 TFLOPS — a threefold advantage in theoretical peak throughput.

Q: Does the K6000 have any advantage in memory capacity?

A: Yes, the K6000 offers 12 GB GDDR5 versus 8 GB GDDR6 for the RTX 3070 Mobile. However, the RTX 3070 Mobile’s bandwidth is higher at 448.0 GB/s versus 288.4 GB/s.

Q: What is the transistor density difference?

A: The RTX 3070 Mobile achieves 44.4 million transistors per mm² on Samsung’s 8 nm process, while the K6000 reaches only 12.6 million per mm² on TSMC’s 28 nm node.

Q: Which card supports ray tracing?

A: Only the RTX 3070 Mobile, which includes 40 RT cores and 160 tensor cores. The K6000 has no ray tracing or tensor core hardware.

Q: How do the power requirements compare?

A: The RTX 3070 Mobile has a 115 W TDP and requires no power connectors, while the K6000 has a 225 W TDP, needs 2x 6-pin connectors, and suggests a 550 W power supply.

Q: What is the average benchmark score difference?

A: The RTX 3070 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 20,534, placing it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. The K6000 averages 19,030, sitting in the 63rd percentile.

The Verdict

The data points to one clear conclusion: the RTX 3070 Mobile is the superior GPU in nearly every measurable way. It wins both shared benchmarks by margins of 291.3% and 241.5%, offers modern API support, includes ray tracing and tensor cores, and does so at roughly half the power draw. Its 65th percentile ranking versus the K6000’s 63rd underscores the overall performance gap, even accounting for the fact that the mobile part competes in a different form factor.

The K6000 retains a niche appeal for users who absolutely need 12 GB of VRAM in a desktop workstation and do not require modern features. Its larger memory pool could benefit specific large-dataset workloads, but the dramatically lower bandwidth (288.4 GB/s versus 448.0 GB/s) and older architecture undermine this advantage. The dual-slot design and fixed display outputs make it a straightforward drop-in for older desktop systems, but the PCIe 3.0 interface and DirectX 12 (11_1) support limit future-proofing.

For most users, the RTX 3070 Mobile is the clear choice — if the laptop form factor suits their needs. The performance deltas are too large to ignore. For those stuck with legacy desktop workstations or requiring maximum VRAM capacity, the K6000 remains a functional — if dated — option. The benchmark data does not support choosing the K6000 on performance grounds alone; any decision in its favor must rest on specific memory capacity or form-factor requirements.