NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB vs NVIDIA Quadro 2000D Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows these two GPUs occupy completely different performance tiers, and direct comparisons are limited by the benchmark suites available in the database. The Quadro 2000D has a single benchmark result, Geekbench OpenCL, where it scores 3930. The RTX 3080 12 GB has a single result in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, scoring 4791. Because these are different tests targeting different workloads, there is no single head-to-head metric that pits them directly against each other. However, the percentile ranks tell the broader story: the Quadro 2000D sits at the 23rd percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the RTX 3080 12 GB sits at the 28th percentile. The gap in percentile is modest, but that is misleading given the nature of the tests and the hardware generations involved.

Looking at the rival comparisons, the Quadro 2000D is essentially tied with its closest competitor, the Quadro K2000D, which averages 3919, a delta of only 0.3%. It also trails the GeForce GT 745M by 0.6%, the Radeon R5 M420 by 0.7%, and the GeForce 830M by 0.7%. These are all low-end mobile or entry desktop parts, and the Quadro 2000D lands right among them. The RTX 3080 12 GB, by contrast, sits within 1.3% of the Radeon R5 M255, R5 M335, GeForce 940MX, and GeForce GTX 560M in its own benchmark. That clustering is a quirk of the Steel Nomad test being a new, heavy DX12 workload where older and lower-end GPUs all score similarly, but the absolute score of 4791 is still far higher than the Quadro's 3930 in raw terms.

The biggest wins each way are not in benchmark scores but in architectural capability. The RTX 3080 12 GB delivers 30.64 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, versus 480.0 GFLOPS for the Quadro 2000D, a difference of roughly 64 times. Pixel rate is 164.2 GPixel/s versus 5.000 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 478.8 GTexel/s versus 20.00 GTexel/s. Memory bandwidth is 912.4 GB/s versus 41.60 GB/s. No benchmark in the database directly measures these differences, but the recorded specifications make the performance chasm unambiguous.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 3080 12 GB has an average benchmark score of 4791, while the Quadro 2000D has an average score of 3930. The RTX 3080 12 GB is roughly 22% higher in raw average score, though the tests are not the same.

Q: How does the Quadro 2000D compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Quadro 2000D is effectively tied with the Quadro K2000D (3919, 0.3% delta), and it sits within 0.7% of the GeForce GT 745M, Radeon R5 M420, and GeForce 830M. It neither dominates nor loses badly to any of them.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The Quadro 2000D has 1 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 41.60 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 3080 12 GB has 12 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus with 912.4 GB/s bandwidth. That is a 12x capacity increase and roughly 22x bandwidth increase.

Q: Does the RTX 3080 12 GB support ray tracing or tensor cores?

A: Yes, the RTX 3080 12 GB has 70 RT cores and 280 tensor cores. The Quadro 2000D has no RT cores or tensor cores listed in the database.

Q: What are the power requirements?

A: The Quadro 2000D has a TDP of 62 W, no power connectors, and a suggested power supply of 250 W. The RTX 3080 12 GB has a TDP of 350 W, requires a single 12-pin connector, and a suggested power supply of 750 W.

Q: Which GPU supports newer APIs?

A: The RTX 3080 12 GB supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The Quadro 2000D supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and no Vulkan support is listed.

The Verdict

The data points to a simple conclusion: these are not competing products. The Quadro 2000D is a Fermi-generation workstation card from 2011, aimed at legacy CAD and professional 2D/3D workflows where its 2x DVI outputs and single-slot design still matter. Its benchmark score of 3930 and 23rd percentile rank place it among entry-level mobile GPUs from the same era, and it has no modern compute features. The RTX 3080 12 GB is an Ampere-generation consumer card from 2022, with 30.64 TFLOPS FP32, 70 RT cores, 280 tensor cores, and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4. Its 28th percentile rank in the Steel Nomad test is low only because that test is extremely demanding, not because the card is weak.

Anyone still running a Quadro 2000D should upgrade if their workload involves modern DirectX 12 or Vulkan titles, ray tracing, or large memory footprints. The 1 GB GDDR5 frame buffer is a hard limit for any contemporary texture-heavy application. The RTX 3080 12 GB, with 12 GB of GDDR6X and 912.4 GB/s bandwidth, is a generation-defining card for high-refresh 1440p and 4K gaming. Its 350 W TDP and 750 W suggested PSU are the main practical constraints. For professional legacy use, the Quadro 2000D still works, but it offers no path forward for new software.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every measurable specification. The Quadro 2000D uses the GF106 chip on a 40 nm process from TSMC, with 1,170 million transistors on a 238 mm² die. The RTX 3080 12 GB uses the GA102 chip on an 8 nm process from Samsung, with 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die. Transistor density is 4.9M per mm² for the Quadro, versus 45.1M per mm² for the RTX, a 9x difference in integration density.

Clock speeds: the Quadro has no listed base or boost clock, only a memory clock of 650 MHz (2.6 Gbps effective). The RTX 3080 12 GB has a base clock of 1260 MHz, a boost clock of 1710 MHz, and a memory clock of 1188 MHz (19 Gbps effective). Memory size is 1024 MB versus 12 GB, type is GDDR5 versus GDDR6X, bus width is 128-bit versus 384-bit, and bandwidth is 41.60 GB/s versus 912.4 GB/s.

Compute resources: the Quadro has 192 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The RTX has 8960 shading units, 280 TMUs, 96 ROPs, plus 70 RT cores and 280 tensor cores. Pixel rate is 5.000 GPixel/s versus 164.2 GPixel/s, texture rate is 20.00 GTexel/s versus 478.8 GTexel/s, and FP32 is 480.0 GFLOPS versus 30.64 TFLOPS. The RTX also has FP16 at 30.64 TFLOPS (1:1), while the Quadro has no FP16 listed.

Physical and power characteristics differ sharply: the Quadro is single-slot, 178 mm long, 111 mm high, with no power connectors and a 62 W TDP. The RTX is dual-slot, 285 mm long, 112 mm high, 40 mm wide, with a single 12-pin power connector and a 350 W TDP. The suggested PSU is 250 W for the Quadro and 750 W for the RTX. Bus interface is PCIe 2.0 x16 versus PCIe 4.0 x16. Display outputs are 2x DVI for the Quadro, versus 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a for the RTX.

Architecture Differences

The architecture gap is generational. The Quadro 2000D is built on Fermi, NVIDIA's architecture from 2010, manufactured on TSMC's 40 nm process. Fermi introduced features like improved tessellation and compute capabilities, but it predates the modern GPU compute stack. The RTX 3080 12 GB is built on Ampere, NVIDIA's 2022 architecture, manufactured on Samsung's 8 nm process. Ampere introduced second-generation ray tracing cores and third-generation tensor cores, both present here in the form of 70 RT cores and 280 tensor cores. These enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI-based features like DLSS, which the Fermi card cannot support.

The process node difference is stark: 40 nm versus 8 nm, allowing the RTX to pack 28,300 million transistors versus 1,170 million, with a much higher density of 45.1M per mm² versus 4.9M per mm². The RTX also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the Quadro only reaches DirectX 12 (11_0) and has no Vulkan support. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The RTX has FP16 compute at a 1:1 ratio with FP32, which is critical for machine learning and certain scientific workloads; the Quadro has no FP16 capability listed.

Memory architecture also diverges: GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus for the Quadro, GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus for the RTX. The RTX's 912.4 GB/s bandwidth is over 20 times the Quadro's 41.60 GB/s, which directly impacts texture streaming, high-resolution rendering, and multi-tasking. The Quadro's 1 GB frame buffer is a relic of its era, barely enough for a single modern 1080p texture set.

Where Each One Wins

The Quadro 2000D wins in legacy compatibility and low power. Its 62 W TDP and no power connectors mean it can run in older workstations with minimal power supplies, and its 2x DVI outputs are still useful for connecting old monitors or specialized equipment. It is single-slot, which matters in dense chassis. Its 3930 Geekbench OpenCL score is competitive with its immediate peers (Quadro K2000D, GeForce GT 745M, Radeon R5 M420, GeForce 830M), so for very old software that only needs OpenGL 4.6 or DirectX 11_0, it can still hold its own.

The RTX 3080 12 GB wins everywhere else. It has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory, which is essential for modern game textures, 3D rendering, and large data sets. Its 30.64 TFLOPS FP32 and 478.8 GTexel/s texture rate make it a monster for real-time 3D, video editing, and compute tasks. The 70 RT cores and 280 tensor cores enable ray tracing and AI acceleration, which the Quadro cannot do at all. Its DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 support future-proof it for current and upcoming titles. The 912.4 GB/s bandwidth is a massive advantage for any memory-bound workload.

In short, the Quadro 2000D is the right choice for a retro workstation that must run old software with DVI-only monitors and a 250 W PSU. The RTX 3080 12 GB is the right choice for anyone who needs modern gaming, ray tracing, AI workloads, or high-bandwidth compute. The data does not support any middle ground: the Quadro is a museum piece, and the RTX is a current-generation powerhouse.