NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB vs NVIDIA Quadro M500M Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB and the NVIDIA Quadro M500M represent two completely different eras and purposes in NVIDIA’s product stack. The RTX 3080 12 GB is a desktop enthusiast card built on the Ampere architecture, designed for high-end gaming and compute workloads. The Quadro M500M is a low-power mobile workstation GPU from the Maxwell generation, intended for professional laptops. The database shows a stark contrast in nearly every measurable specification, yet the benchmark percentile rankings place both cards relatively close to each other, which merits closer inspection. This analysis walks through the recorded data to clarify what each card actually offers.

FAQ

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card?

A: The RTX 3080 12 GB has an average benchmark score of 4791 based on a single test (3DMark Steel Nomad DX12). The Quadro M500M has an average score of 5604, derived from two tests: a Geekbench OpenCL score of 5986 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 5222.

Q: Which card has a higher percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The Quadro M500M sits at the 32nd percentile, while the RTX 3080 12 GB sits at the 28th percentile. This means the Quadro outperforms a larger share of the database’s recorded GPUs, despite being an older, lower-power part.

Q: What are the respective process nodes and transistor counts?

A: The RTX 3080 12 GB uses an 8 nm process at Samsung with 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die. The Quadro M500M uses a 28 nm process at TSMC with 1,020 million transistors on a 77 mm² die.

Q: How much memory does each card have, and what type?

A: The RTX 3080 12 GB has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing 912.4 GB/s bandwidth. The Quadro M500M has 2 GB of DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus, providing 14.40 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What directx version does each card support?

A: The RTX 3080 12 GB supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the Quadro M500M supports DirectX 12 (11_0). Both cards support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: What is the TDP of each card?

A: The RTX 3080 12 GB has a TDP of 350 W and requires a 750 W power supply. The Quadro M500M has a TDP of 30 W and lists no suggested power supply, running without external power connectors.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3080 12 GB wins in raw compute throughput. Its FP32 performance is 30.64 TFLOPS, compared to 863.2 GFLOPS for the Quadro M500M. That is a gap of more than 35 times in single-precision floating-point operations. The RTX 3080 also dominates in pixel rate (164.2 GPixel/s versus 8.992 GPixel/s) and texture rate (478.8 GTexel/s versus 17.98 GTexel/s). Memory bandwidth is similarly one-sided, with the RTX delivering 912.4 GB/s versus the Quadro’s 14.40 GB/s. Any workload that stresses the GPU’s arithmetic units, memory subsystem, or rendering pipelines will clearly favor the RTX 3080.

The Quadro M500M wins in efficiency and portability. Its 30 W TDP is drastically lower than the RTX 3080’s 350 W. The Quadro is an MXM module with no power connectors, designed for thin mobile workstations. The RTX 3080 is a dual-slot desktop card measuring 285 mm in length, requiring a 750 W power supply. In the database’s recorded benchmarks, the Quadro also shows a higher average score (5604 versus 4791) and a higher percentile (32 versus 28). However, these benchmark sets are not directly comparable because they use different tests. The RTX was only tested with 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, while the Quadro was tested with Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan.

The Quadro also has a lower transistor density, 13.2M per mm² versus 45.1M per mm² for the RTX 3080, which reflects its older 28 nm process. But that lower density comes with a much smaller die, 77 mm² versus 628 mm², which explains its modest power draw.

Architecture Differences

The RTX 3080 12 GB is built on the Ampere architecture, using the GA102 chip. This is a fully featured desktop GPU with 8960 shading units, 280 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units. It also includes 70 ray tracing cores and 280 tensor cores, which enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI-based operations. These features are absent on the Quadro M500M, which has no ray tracing or tensor cores listed.

The Quadro M500M uses the Maxwell architecture, specifically the GM108S chip. This is a mobile-oriented design with 384 shading units, 16 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. Maxwell was introduced years before Ampere, and it does not support the hardware ray tracing or tensor operations found in the RTX 3080. The Quadro’s FP16 performance is not listed in the database, whereas the RTX 3080 has FP16 at 30.64 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio to FP32.

The process node difference is significant. The RTX 3080 uses 8 nm at Samsung, while the Quadro uses 28 nm at TSMC. This explains the large gap in transistor density: 45.1M per mm² for the RTX versus 13.2M per mm² for the Quadro. The RTX packs more transistors into a larger die, 28,300 million versus 1,020 million, which gives it a massive compute advantage. The Quadro’s smaller die and older process make it far more power-efficient in absolute terms, but that efficiency comes at the cost of raw capability.

Memory architecture also differs fundamentally. The RTX 3080 uses GDDR6X with a 384-bit bus, while the Quadro uses DDR3 with a 64-bit bus. The RTX’s memory clock is 1188 MHz (19 Gbps effective), whereas the Quadro’s is 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective). This yields a bandwidth difference of over 63 times in favor of the RTX, which is critical for large data sets and high-resolution rendering.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every specification tracked by the database. The RTX 3080 12 GB has a base clock of 1260 MHz and a boost clock of 1710 MHz. The Quadro M500M has a base clock of 1029 MHz and a boost clock of 1124 MHz. The RTX has a larger memory capacity, 12 GB versus 2 GB, and a wider bus, 384 bit versus 64 bit. The RTX supports PCIe 4.0 x16, while the Quadro uses an MXM-A (3.0) bus interface. The RTX has 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, whereas the Quadro’s display outputs are dependent on the portable device it is installed in.

The RTX 3080’s power connectors are 1x 12-pin, and it requires a 750 W power supply. The Quadro has no power connectors and no suggested PSU. The RTX is a dual-slot card with dimensions of 285 mm in length, 112 mm in height, and 40 mm in width. The Quadro has no listed dimensions, as it is an MXM module that fits into proprietary mobile chassis.

The release dates also differ: the RTX 3080 12 GB was released on 2022-01-10, while the Quadro M500M was released on 2016-04-26. The RTX has a launch MSRP of 799 USD, which is noted once here. The Quadro has no launch MSRP recorded. Both are end-of-life products, with the RTX belonging to the GeForce 30 series and the Quadro to the Quadro Maxwell-M series. The RTX’s predecessor is GeForce 20 and successor is GeForce 40, while the Quadro’s predecessor is Quadro Kepler-M and successor is Quadro Pascal-M.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

There are no direct head-to-head benchmark entries in the database for these two cards. The RTX 3080 12 GB has one recorded benchmark: 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, scoring 4791. The Quadro M500M has two recorded benchmarks: Geekbench OpenCL scoring 5986 and Geekbench Vulkan scoring 5222. The average benchmark score for the RTX is 4791, derived from its single test. The average for the Quadro is 5604, which is the mean of its two tests.

Given the different test suites, the raw scores are not directly comparable. However, the database’s nearest rival data places each card in context. The RTX 3080’s nearest rival is the AMD Radeon R5 M255, which scores 4788, a delta of 0.1% (meaning the RTX is 0.1% faster). The AMD Radeon R5 M335 scores 4752, a delta of 0.8%. The NVIDIA GeForce 940MX scores 4844, a delta of -1.1%, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M scores 4855, a delta of -1.3%. This means the RTX 3080’s score is within 1.3% of a set of low-end mobile and older desktop GPUs, which suggests that the 3DMark test used here does not reflect the RTX’s actual compute potential in typical desktop workloads.

The Quadro M500M’s nearest rivals paint a different picture. The AMD FirePro M4000 scores 5537, a delta of 1.2% (Quadro is faster). The AMD Radeon HD 8790M scores 5691, a delta of -1.5%. The NVIDIA GeForce MX130 scores 5508, a delta of 1.7%, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M scores 5501, a delta of 1.9%. The Quadro’s score is within 1.9% of these professional and mobile GPUs, indicating that its Geekbench scores are consistent with its mobile workstation positioning.

In terms of raw performance, the RTX 3080’s FP32 is 30.64 TFLOPS, which is 35 times the Quadro’s 863.2 GFLOPS. The RTX’s pixel rate is 164.2 GPixel/s, which is 18 times the Quadro’s 8.992 GPixel/s. The RTX’s texture rate is 478.8 GTexel/s, which is 26 times the Quadro’s 17.98 GTexel/s. The memory bandwidth difference is the largest, with the RTX providing 912.4 GB/s versus 14.40 GB/s, a factor of about 63. The RTX has 8960 shading units versus 384, 280 TMUs versus 16, and 96 ROPs versus 8. These numbers show that the RTX 3080 is a completely different class of GPU in terms of theoretical throughput.

The RTX also has 70 ray tracing cores and 280 tensor cores, while the Quadro has none. This means the RTX can execute hardware-accelerated ray tracing and tensor operations, which the Quadro cannot. The RTX supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), which includes features like mesh shading and variable rate shading, while the Quadro supports only DirectX 12 (11_0), which is a lower feature level.

The Verdict

The data supports a clear split. The RTX 3080 12 GB is for tasks that demand maximum rendering throughput, high-resolution textures, and modern graphics features. Its 12 GB GDDR6X memory, 912.4 GB/s bandwidth, and 30.64 TFLOPS FP32 make it suitable for high-end desktop gaming, content creation, and GPU-accelerated compute. It has dedicated ray tracing and tensor cores, which the Quadro lacks. If the workload uses DirectX 12 Ultimate features, or requires more than 2 GB of video memory, the RTX is the only viable choice between these two.

The Quadro M500M is for low-power mobile workstations where size and power draw are paramount. Its 30 W TDP, MXM module form factor, and no external power connectors make it easy to integrate into laptops. The database shows it scores higher in its recorded benchmarks, but those benchmarks (Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan) are not the same as the 3DMark test used for the RTX. The Quadro’s nearest rivals include other mobile and professional cards, while the RTX’s nearest rivals are older low-end parts, which highlights how different the benchmark contexts are.

For a desktop user seeking maximum performance, the RTX 3080 12 GB is the obvious pick. For a laptop vendor needing a low-power, professional-grade GPU with no power connectors, the M500M is the answer. The RTX’s launch MSRP of 799 USD reflects its high-end positioning, while the Quadro’s absence of MSRP suggests it was sold as an OEM part. Ultimately, both cards are end-of-life, but the recorded data shows they serve entirely different roles in the GPU ecosystem. The RTX 3080 is a high-performance desktop part, and the M500M is a modest mobile part. The benchmark scores do not change that fundamental fact, as they are derived from disparate tests and do not measure the same workloads. The verdict is simple: pick the RTX 3080 for heavy compute, pick the M500M for low-power mobile systems.