NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB vs NVIDIA Quadro K2100M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no direct head-to-head benchmark comparisons between the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB and the NVIDIA Quadro K2100M. This is an extreme generational and market-segment mismatch. Instead, the available data shows their standalone benchmark results and how each compares to its own nearest rivals. The RTX 3080 12 GB records a single score of 4791 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. The Quadro K2100M records three Geekbench scores: 3524 in Metal, 4587 in OpenCL, and 4343 in Vulkan. The average benchmark score for the RTX 3080 12 GB is 4791, while the Quadro K2100M averages 4151 across its three tests.

Looking at the percentile data, the RTX 3080 12 GB sits in the 28th percentile of all GPUs, with the Quadro K2100M just below at the 25th percentile. These percentile rankings are surprisingly close given the architectural gap, but they reflect the benchmark pool composition. The RTX 3080 12 GB's direct rivals include the AMD Radeon R5 M255 (average score 4788, delta 0.1%), the AMD Radeon R5 M335 (average score 4752, delta 0.8%), the NVIDIA GeForce 940MX (average score 4844, delta -1.1%), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M (average score 4855, delta -1.3%). This places the RTX 3080 12 GB in a tight cluster, with results within 1.3% of its nearest competitors.

The Quadro K2100M's nearest rivals paint a similar picture of tight competition. Its rivals include the AMD Radeon R5 M330 (average score 4170, delta -0.4%), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (average score 4193, delta -1%), the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB (average score 4093, delta 1.4%), and the Intel HD Graphics 630 (average score 4075, delta 1.9%). The K2100M's average score of 4151 sits nearly in the middle of this group, trailing the GTX 1050 Ti by 1% and leading the RX 9060 XT 8 GB by 1.4%.

What the data suggests is that both cards occupy similar percentile territory in their respective benchmark pools, but their absolute performance levels are dramatically different. The RTX 3080 12 GB's single benchmark score of 4791 is 15.4% higher than the Quadro K2100M's average of 4151. In the absence of direct comparisons, the nearest-rival deltas reveal that the RTX 3080 12 GB competes with older entry-level mobile GPUs in this specific test, while the Quadro K2100M competes with integrated graphics and low-end discrete cards.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two NVIDIA products is vast. The RTX 3080 12 GB uses the GA102 chip built on Ampere architecture, fabricated on an 8 nm process at Samsung. It packs 28,300 million transistors into a 628 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 45.1 million per mm². The Quadro K2100M uses the GK106S chip on the older Kepler architecture, fabricated on 28 nm at TSMC. It holds just 2,540 million transistors on a 221 mm² die, with a density of 11.5 million per mm². The RTX 3080 12 GB has over 11 times the transistor count and nearly three times the die area.

Memory configurations differ sharply. The RTX 3080 12 GB offers 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 912.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The Quadro K2100M provides 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, with 48.13 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 3080 12 GB's memory clock runs at 1188 MHz, translating to 19 Gbps effective, while the K2100M's memory runs at 752 MHz, or 3 Gbps effective.

Compute resources show an order-of-magnitude gap. The RTX 3080 12 GB has 8960 shading units, 280 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output pipelines. It also includes 70 ray tracing cores and 280 tensor cores. The Quadro K2100M has 576 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, with no ray tracing or tensor cores present. Pixel rate for the RTX 3080 12 GB is 164.2 GPixel/s versus 8.004 GPixel/s for the K2100M. Texture rate stands at 478.8 GTexel/s versus 32.02 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput is 30.64 TFLOPS for the RTX 3080 12 GB, while the K2100M manages 768.4 GFLOPS. The RTX 3080 12 GB also supports FP16 at 30.64 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), a capability the K2100M lacks entirely.

Clock speeds tell a similar story. The RTX 3080 12 GB has a base clock of 1260 MHz and a boost clock of 1710 MHz. The Quadro K2100M runs at a flat 667 MHz for both base and boost. Power draw reflects this gulf: the RTX 3080 12 GB is rated at 350 W TDP, while the K2100M sips 55 W. The RTX 3080 12 GB requires a 1x 12-pin power connector and a 750 W suggested PSU, whereas the K2100M uses an MXM module with no power connectors and no suggested PSU listed.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3080 12 GB wins decisively in every compute category. Its 12 GB GDDR6X memory with 912.4 GB/s bandwidth enables workloads the 2 GB GDDR5 K2100M cannot approach. The 384-bit bus versus 128-bit, the 70 ray tracing cores, the 280 tensor cores, and the 1:1 FP16 support position the RTX 3080 12 GB for modern workloads including ray-traced rendering, AI inference, and high-resolution texture streaming. Its PCIe 4.0 x16 interface (versus MXM-A 3.0) allows faster host communication on compatible platforms.

The Quadro K2100M wins in power efficiency and physical flexibility. Its 55 W TDP is roughly one-sixth of the RTX 3080 12 GB's 350 W, and its MXM module form factor with no external power connectors suits portable or compact systems. Its display outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent," indicating it was designed for mobile workstations where the RTX 3080 12 GB's dual-slot, 285 mm length (11.2 inches), 112 mm height, and 40 mm width cannot fit. The K2100M supports Vulkan 1.2.175 and DirectX 12 (11_0), which, while older, still provides compatibility with many applications. The RTX 3080 12 GB supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

In benchmark terms, the RTX 3080 12 GB's 4791 Steel Nomad score represents a single modern DX12 workload. The Quadro K2100M's Geekbench scores (Metal 3524, OpenCL 4587, Vulkan 4343) show it can still execute compute and graphics tasks, with its OpenCL result being notably its strongest. The K2100M's Vulkan score of 4343 is close to its OpenCL figure, suggesting balanced API performance. However, the RTX 3080 12 GB's average score exceeds the K2100M's best individual score by 204 points (4791 versus 4587 in OpenCL).

FAQ

Q: How does the RTX 3080 12 GB compare to the Quadro K2100M in raw compute?

A: The RTX 3080 12 GB delivers 30.64 TFLOPS FP32 versus 768.4 GFLOPS for the K2100M, a roughly 40-fold difference. It also has 8960 shading units versus 576, and 280 TMUs versus 48.

Q: What are the memory capacity and bandwidth differences?

A: The RTX 3080 12 GB has 12 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus with 912.4 GB/s bandwidth. The Quadro K2100M has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 48.13 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card supports ray tracing and tensor cores?

A: Only the RTX 3080 12 GB includes 70 ray tracing cores and 280 tensor cores. The Quadro K2100M has neither, as it is based on the older Kepler architecture.

Q: What are the power requirements for each?

A: The RTX 3080 12 GB is rated at 350 W TDP with a 750 W suggested PSU and a 1x 12-pin connector. The Quadro K2100M is rated at 55 W TDP with no power connectors, using an MXM module interface.

Q: How do their benchmark percentiles compare?

A: The RTX 3080 12 GB sits at the 28th percentile of all GPUs, while the Quadro K2100M is at the 25th percentile. Despite the massive performance gap, both fall in a similar percentile range within the database.

Q: What APIs does each card support?

A: The RTX 3080 12 GB supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The Quadro K2100M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175.

The Verdict

The data makes the choice clear for anyone needing modern graphics performance: the RTX 3080 12 GB is categorically superior. Its 12 GB memory, 912.4 GB/s bandwidth, 30.64 TFLOPS FP32, and ray tracing and tensor core support address workloads that the Quadro K2100M simply cannot process. The K2100M's 2 GB memory and 48.13 GB/s bandwidth limit it to older, lighter applications. The 28th percentile ranking for the RTX 3080 12 GB, despite its high absolute scores, reflects that the database's benchmark suite includes many stronger GPUs. The K2100M's 25th percentile shows it sits near the bottom of the same distribution.

The Quadro K2100M remains relevant only for legacy mobile systems requiring low power (55 W) and MXM form factor compatibility. Its OpenCL score of 4587 demonstrates it retains some compute utility, but its flat 667 MHz clock and lack of modern features cap its usefulness. The RTX 3080 12 GB, with its 1710 MHz boost clock and 28,300 million transistors, is a product from a different era of GPU design. Both are end-of-life, but the RTX 3080 12 GB's 2022 release date versus the K2100M's 2013 release date explains the generational chasm. For any new workload, the RTX 3080 12 GB is the only viable choice. For fixed mobile platforms that require the K2100M's specific interface, the data shows it can still function, but its performance ceiling is firmly in the integrated-graphics tier.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB | NVIDIA Quadro K2100M |

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

| Architecture | Ampere | Kepler |

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

| Transistors | 28,300 million | 2,540 million |

| Die Size | 628 mm² | 221 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 45.1M / mm² | 11.5M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1260 MHz | 667 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1710 MHz | 667 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1188 MHz (19 Gbps effective) | 752 MHz (3 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 12 GB | 2 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6X | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus | 384 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 912.4 GB/s | 48.13 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 8960 | 576 |

| TMUs | 280 | 48 |

| ROPs | 96 | 16 |

| RT Cores | 70 | None |

| Tensor Cores | 280 | None |

| Pixel Rate | 164.2 GPixel/s | 8.004 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 478.8 GTexel/s | 32.02 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 30.64 TFLOPS | 768.4 GFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 30.64 TFLOPS (1:1) | None |

| TDP | 350 W | 55 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | MXM Module |

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

| Suggested PSU | 750 W | None |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | MXM-A (3.0) |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a | Portable Device Dependent |

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

| Vulkan | 1.4 | 1.2.175 |

| Release Date | 2022-01-10 | 2013-07-22 |

| Launch MSRP | 799 USD | None listed |

| Predecessor | GeForce 20 | Quadro Fermi-M |

| Successor | GeForce 40 | Quadro Maxwell-M |