NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB vs NVIDIA Quadro K2000 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents an unusual comparison, as the two GPUs were tested under different benchmark suites. The NVIDIA Quadro K2000 was evaluated across three compute-focused tests: Geekbench Metal, Geekbench OpenCL, and Geekbench Vulkan, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB was tested exclusively with 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. This makes a direct apples-to-apples comparison impossible, but the recorded data does allow for an examination of each card's standing relative to its own competitive set.

The Quadro K2000's average benchmark score is 3964, placing it in the 24th percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its strongest result comes from Geekbench Vulkan at 4191, followed by Geekbench OpenCL at 4071 and Geekbench Metal at 3630. The spread between its highest and lowest scores is 561 points, indicating moderate variance across different compute APIs. In contrast, the RTX 3080 12 GB's single recorded benchmark result is 4791 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which puts it in the 28th percentile of all GPUs.

When examining nearest rivals, the Quadro K2000 sits in remarkably close company. The AMD Radeon HD 6850 X2 averages 3977, a mere 0.3% ahead of the Quadro K2000. The NVIDIA GeForce 830M scores 3957, just 0.2% behind, and the AMD Radeon R5 M420 also trails by 0.2% with 3956. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M rounds out the group at 3953, 0.3% behind. This clustering within a 24-point band shows the Quadro K2000 is competitively positioned among its immediate peers, though none of these rivals achieve a decisive advantage.

The RTX 3080 12 GB's nearest rivals tell a different story. The AMD Radeon R5 M255 scores 4788, only 0.1% behind, while the AMD Radeon R5 M335 sits 0.8% back at 4752. The NVIDIA GeForce 940MX pulls ahead by 1.1% with 4844, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M leads by 1.3% at 4855. The RTX 3080 12 GB thus sits in the middle of a tight pack, with its closest competitor nearly matching its score and its strongest rival edging ahead by a small margin.

The raw score gap between the two cards is 827 points in favor of the RTX 3080 12 GB, but this difference is not directly interpretable as performance superiority given the dissimilar test methodologies. The data shows each card holds its own within its respective peer group, with neither achieving a dominant position. The Quadro K2000's 24th percentile ranking and the RTX 3080 12 GB's 28th percentile ranking indicate both are mid-to-lower tier performers in the broader database, despite the generational and architectural chasm between them.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent fundamentally different eras of NVIDIA design. The Quadro K2000 uses the GK107 chip built on a 28 nm process at TSMC, featuring Kepler architecture. It contains 1,270 million transistors on a die measuring 118 mm², yielding a transistor density of 10.8 million per mm². The RTX 3080 12 GB employs the GA102 chip fabricated on an 8 nm process at Samsung, using Ampere architecture. Its transistor count reaches 28,300 million across a 628 mm² die, achieving a density of 45.1 million per mm². The RTX 3080 12 GB thus packs over 22 times more transistors into roughly five times the silicon area.

Memory configurations diverge sharply. The Quadro K2000 offers 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 64.00 GB/s of bandwidth at 4 Gbps effective speed. The RTX 3080 12 GB provides 12 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus, with bandwidth reaching 912.4 GB/s at 19 Gbps effective. This represents a 14.3x bandwidth advantage and a 6x capacity advantage for the newer card. The memory clock difference is also pronounced: 1000 MHz for the Quadro K2000 versus 1188 MHz for the RTX 3080 12 GB.

Compute resources show the scale of architectural evolution. The Quadro K2000 has 384 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 render output units. The RTX 3080 12 GB fields 8,960 shading units, 280 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The newer card also introduces dedicated hardware absent from the older design: 70 ray tracing cores and 280 tensor cores. Pixel rate jumps from 7.632 GPixel/s to 164.2 GPixel/s, while texture rate climbs from 30.53 GTexel/s to 478.8 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput rises from 732.7 GFLOPS to 30.64 TFLOPS, a 41.8x increase. The RTX 3080 12 GB also offers FP16 at 30.64 TFLOPS with 1:1 ratio, a capability the Quadro K2000 does not specify.

Power characteristics reflect the performance gulf. The Quadro K2000 draws 51 W with no power connectors, while the RTX 3080 12 GB consumes 350 W via a single 12-pin connector. Suggested power supply ratings are 250 W and 750 W respectively. Physical dimensions also differ: the Quadro K2000 is a single-slot card measuring 202 mm in length and 111 mm in height, while the RTX 3080 12 GB is dual-slot, 285 mm long, 112 mm tall, and 40 mm wide.

Connectivity and API support separate the generations further. The Quadro K2000 uses PCIe 2.0 x16 and outputs 1x DVI plus 2x DisplayPort 1.2. The RTX 3080 12 GB employs PCIe 4.0 x16 and provides 1x HDMI 2.1 plus 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. DirectX support advances from 12 (11_0) to 12 Ultimate (12_2). Vulkan versions differ as well: 1.2.175 for the Quadro K2000 versus 1.4 for the RTX 3080 12 GB. OpenGL remains 4.6 for both. Release timing spans nearly nine years: 2013-02-28 for the Quadro K2000 versus 2022-01-10 for the RTX 3080 12 GB.

FAQ

Q: How do the average benchmark scores compare between the two cards?

A: The Quadro K2000 has an average benchmark score of 3964, while the RTX 3080 12 GB averages 4791. The newer card holds an 827-point advantage, but the two were tested with different benchmark suites, so the comparison is not direct.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The Quadro K2000 provides 64.00 GB/s over a 128-bit GDDR5 bus, while the RTX 3080 12 GB delivers 912.4 GB/s over a 384-bit GDDR6X bus. The RTX 3080 12 GB offers roughly 14.3 times the bandwidth.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The RTX 3080 12 GB has 8,960 shading units compared to the Quadro K2000's 384. The newer card also adds 70 ray tracing cores and 280 tensor cores, neither of which exist in the older Kepler design.

Q: What are the power requirements?

A: The Quadro K2000 has a 51 W TDP with no power connectors and a suggested 250 W power supply. The RTX 3080 12 GB has a 350 W TDP, requires one 12-pin connector, and suggests a 750 W power supply.

Q: Which card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate?

A: Only the RTX 3080 12 GB supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). The Quadro K2000 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0). Both cards support OpenGL 4.6, but Vulkan versions differ at 1.2.175 versus 1.4.

Q: How do the cards rank among all GPUs?

A: The Quadro K2000 sits in the 24th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 3080 12 GB ranks in the 28th percentile. Despite the massive architectural differences, both occupy similar relative positions in the database.

Specification Differences

| Specification | Quadro K2000 | RTX 3080 12 GB |

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

| Architecture | Kepler | Ampere |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 8 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | Samsung |

| Transistors | 1,270 million | 28,300 million |

| Die Size | 118 mm² | 628 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 10.8M / mm² | 45.1M / mm² |

| Base Clock | Not specified | 1260 MHz |

| Boost Clock | Not specified | 1710 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1000 MHz, 4 Gbps effective | 1188 MHz, 19 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 2 GB | 12 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR6X |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 64.00 GB/s | 912.4 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 384 | 8,960 |

| TMUs | 32 | 280 |

| ROPs | 16 | 96 |

| RT Cores | Not specified | 70 |

| Tensor Cores | Not specified | 280 |

| Pixel Rate | 7.632 GPixel/s | 164.2 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 30.53 GTexel/s | 478.8 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 732.7 GFLOPS | 30.64 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | Not specified | 30.64 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 51 W | 350 W |

| Slot Width | Single-slot | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | None | 1x 12-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 250 W | 750 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 2.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 1x DVI, 2x DisplayPort 1.2 | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| DirectX | 12 (11_0) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| Vulkan | 1.2.175 | 1.4 |

| Length | 202 mm | 285 mm |

| Height | 111 mm | 112 mm |

| Width | Not specified | 40 mm |

| Release Date | 2013-02-28 | 2022-01-10 |

| Production Status | End-of-life | End-of-life |

Where Each One Wins

The Quadro K2000 wins in scenarios prioritizing low power draw and compact physical footprint. Its 51 W TDP requires no auxiliary power connectors and a modest 250 W suggested power supply, making it suitable for systems where power delivery is constrained. The single-slot form factor at 202 mm length and 111 mm height allows installation in space-limited chassis, and its PCIe 2.0 x16 interface is compatible with older motherboards. The Kepler card also offers a lower launch MSRP of 599 USD compared to 799 USD for the RTX 3080 12 GB. Its Geekbench scores show consistency across Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan, with the Vulkan result of 4191 being its peak.

The RTX 3080 12 GB wins decisively in raw compute capability across every measurable specification. Its 30.64 TFLOPS FP32 output, 164.2 GPixel/s pixel rate, and 478.8 GTexel/s texture rate dwarf the Quadro K2000's figures. The 12 GB GDDR6X memory with 912.4 GB/s bandwidth supports workloads requiring large datasets and high-throughput access. Ray tracing and tensor cores enable features the Quadro K2000 cannot perform at all. The newer card's DirectX 12 Ultimate support and Vulkan 1.4 compliance make it the choice for modern graphics APIs, while its PCIe 4.0 interface doubles the available bus bandwidth.

In terms of benchmark positioning, the RTX 3080 12 GB shows a higher average score of 4791 versus 3964, and its 28th percentile ranking marginally exceeds the Quadro K2000's 24th. Neither card dominates its nearest rivals, but the RTX 3080 12 GB's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 result of 4791 represents a stronger absolute figure than any single Quadro K2000 benchmark. The Quadro K2000's best score of 4191 in Vulkan falls 600 points short of the RTX 3080 12 GB's DX12 result, though the different test workloads prevent a definitive performance verdict.

Use-case selection depends on priorities. The Quadro K2000 suits legacy systems, low-power workstations, or applications where the 2 GB memory and 64.00 GB/s bandwidth suffice. The RTX 3080 12 GB targets high-end gaming, content creation, and compute workloads that leverage its massive shading array, dedicated ray tracing hardware, and 12 GB frame buffer. The data shows the RTX 3080 12 GB as the superior performer in absolute terms, while the Quadro K2000 retains relevance only in constrained environments where its minimal power and space requirements are decisive factors.