NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti vs NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti and NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 represent two very different interpretations of high-end NVIDIA graphics. The RTX 3070 Ti, built on the newer Ampere architecture, is a consumer-focused card, while the Quadro RTX 8000 is a workstation behemoth from the Turing generation. The benchmark data shows a clear pattern: the RTX 3070 Ti wins decisively in every single head-to-head comparison, despite the Quadro's massive memory advantage. This analysis breaks down the numbers, architecture, and use cases to show where each card stands.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The RTX 3070 Ti dominates the Quadro RTX 8000 across all nine tested benchmarks, winning every comparison with a minimum advantage of 2.1%. The largest gap appears in legacy DirectX 9 performance, where the RTX 3070 Ti scores 261 against the Quadro's 211, a 23.7% advantage. This suggests that the newer architecture handles older API workloads with significantly more efficiency, a trend that continues across the API spectrum.

In modern API tests, the RTX 3070 Ti maintains a strong lead. The PassMark DirectX 12 test shows a 15.2% delta (91 vs 79), while the DirectX 11 test shows a narrower 2.1% gap (192 vs 188). The DirectX 10 test follows a similar pattern with a 13.1% delta (155 vs 137). The gap widens considerably in compute-oriented workloads. The PassMark GPU Compute test shows the RTX 3070 Ti scoring 11601 against 9992, a 16.1% lead. Geekbench results reinforce this trend: the RTX 3070 Ti scores 119718 in OpenCL (17.5% higher) and 139541 in Vulkan (13.8% higher).

The most striking single result is the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, where the RTX 3070 Ti scores 3478. The Quadro RTX 8000 does not have a recorded score in this test, leaving no direct comparison, but the RTX 3070 Ti's overall average benchmark score of 29945 versus the Quadro's 28421 (a 5.4% difference) tells the story. The RTX 3070 Ti also wins the PassMark G3D test by 18% (23356 vs 19799) and the G2D test by 21.8% (1055 vs 866). With 9 wins and 0 losses for the RTX 3070 Ti, the data is unambiguous: the newer consumer card outperforms the older workstation card in every measurable synthetic workload.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different architectural generations and process nodes. The RTX 3070 Ti uses the GA104 chip built on an 8 nm Samsung process, packing 17,400 million transistors into a 392 mm² die. The Quadro RTX 8000 uses the TU102 chip on TSMC's 12 nm process, with 18,600 million transistors spread across a much larger 754 mm² die. The transistor density reflects this: the RTX 3070 Ti achieves 44.4M transistors per mm², while the Quadro manages just 24.7M per mm².

Core configurations differ substantially. The RTX 3070 Ti has 6144 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The Quadro RTX 8000 has fewer shading units at 4608, but more TMUs at 288, with the same 96 ROPs. Ray tracing and tensor core counts also diverge: the RTX 3070 Ti has 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores, while the Quadro has 72 RT cores and 576 tensor cores. The Quadro's higher tensor core count is notable, but the RTX 3070 Ti's newer architecture delivers better raw FP32 performance at 21.75 TFLOPS versus the Quadro's 16.31 TFLOPS.

Clock speeds are close, with both cards boosting to 1770 MHz, but the base clocks differ (1575 MHz for the RTX 3070 Ti, 1395 MHz for the Quadro). Memory configurations are starkly different. The RTX 3070 Ti uses 8 GB of GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus with 608.3 GB/s bandwidth. The Quadro RTX 8000 uses 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus with 672.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Quadro has six times the memory capacity and slightly higher bandwidth, but the RTX 3070 Ti's GDDR6X memory runs at 19 Gbps effective versus 14 Gbps for the Quadro. The RTX 3070 Ti also supports PCIe 4.0 x16, while the Quadro is limited to PCIe 3.0 x16.

FAQ

Q: Which card has more memory and why does it matter?

A: The Quadro RTX 8000 has 48 GB of GDDR6 memory, which is six times the 8 GB found on the RTX 3070 Ti. This massive capacity is designed for datasets that exceed the RTX 3070 Ti's limits, such as large 3D scenes, scientific simulations, or AI training workloads that require fitting entire models in VRAM.

Q: Why does the RTX 3070 Ti win all benchmarks despite having less memory?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti benefits from a newer architecture (Ampere vs Turing), a smaller 8 nm process node, and higher clock speeds. Its FP32 performance of 21.75 TFLOPS exceeds the Quadro's 16.31 TFLOPS, and its GDDR6X memory runs at 19 Gbps effective. These factors combine to deliver higher scores in synthetic benchmarks that are not memory-capacity-limited.

Q: Is the Quadro RTX 8000 faster at ray tracing?

A: The Quadro has more RT cores (72 vs 48) and more tensor cores (576 vs 192), but no head-to-head ray tracing benchmark is available in the data. The RTX 3070 Ti's newer architecture may offer more efficient ray tracing per core, but the Quadro's higher core counts suggest it could excel in dedicated ray tracing workloads that scale with core count.

Q: What is the performance percentile ranking for each card?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti sits at the 75th percentile among all GPUs, while the Quadro RTX 8000 is at the 74th percentile. This near-identical ranking is notable given the RTX 3070 Ti's superior benchmark scores, indicating that the Quadro's large memory pool keeps it competitive in the broader GPU landscape.

Q: Which card has a higher TDP?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti has a TDP of 290 W, which is 30 W higher than the Quadro RTX 8000's 260 W. Both cards recommend a 600 W power supply, and both are dual-slot designs with similar dimensions (267 mm length, 112 mm vs 111 mm height).

Q: What are the launch MSRPs of these cards?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti had a launch MSRP of 599 USD, while the Quadro RTX 8000 launched at 9,999 USD. The price difference reflects the Quadro's workstation positioning, but the benchmark data shows the RTX 3070 Ti delivers higher raw performance in synthetic tests.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti | NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 |

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

| Architecture | Ampere | Turing |

| Process Node | 8 nm | 12 nm |

| Foundry | Samsung | TSMC |

| Transistors | 17,400 million | 18,600 million |

| Die Size | 392 mm² | 754 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 44.4M / mm² | 24.7M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1575 MHz | 1395 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1770 MHz | 1770 MHz |

| Memory Size | 8 GB | 48 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6X | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus | 256 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 608.3 GB/s | 672.0 GB/s |

| Memory Clock | 19 Gbps effective | 14 Gbps effective |

| Shading Units | 6144 | 4608 |

| TMUs | 192 | 288 |

| RT Cores | 48 | 72 |

| Tensor Cores | 192 | 576 |

| FP32 Performance | 21.75 TFLOPS | 16.31 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 21.75 TFLOPS (1:1) | 32.62 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| Texture Rate | 339.8 GTexel/s | 509.8 GTexel/s |

| TDP | 290 W | 260 W |

| Power Connectors | 1x 12-pin | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a | 4x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1x USB Type-C |

| Release Date | 2021-05-30 | 2018-08-12 |

| Launch MSRP | 599 USD | 9,999 USD |

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3070 Ti wins in every synthetic benchmark recorded, making it the clear choice for raw performance in gaming and general compute tasks. Its 21.75 TFLOPS FP32 performance, combined with faster GDDR6X memory and a newer architecture, delivers superior results in DirectX 9, 10, 11, 12, OpenCL, Vulkan, and PassMark G3D/G2D tests. The card's 75th percentile ranking and average score of 29945 place it ahead of rivals like the AMD Radeon RX 6800 (30095, -0.5%) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (29783, 0.5%). For gamers, content creators, or anyone running applications that benefit from high FP32 throughput, the RTX 3070 Ti is the definitive winner.

The Quadro RTX 8000's strengths lie outside the tested benchmarks. Its 48 GB memory capacity is its defining feature, enabling workloads that simply cannot run on 8 GB cards. Large-scale 3D rendering, complex scientific visualizations, and machine learning training with massive datasets all require the Quadro's memory. The card also has higher texture rate (509.8 GTexel/s vs 339.8 GTexel/s) and more TMUs (288 vs 192), which could benefit texture-heavy professional applications. Its FP16 performance of 32.62 TFLOPS (2:1) exceeds the RTX 3070 Ti's 21.75 TFLOPS (1:1), potentially making it faster for certain AI inference tasks that leverage FP16. The Quadro's 72 RT cores and 576 tensor cores also suggest it may outperform in dedicated ray tracing or tensor-heavy workflows, even though no direct benchmark confirms this. The Quadro RTX 8000 is the right choice when memory capacity and professional software certification matter more than raw synthetic benchmark scores.