NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 vs NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 Comparison

The GeForce RTX 3080 and Quadro RTX 5000 are both end-of-life NVIDIA boards, but they serve very different masters. The data shows a clear split: one is a raw compute and rasterization monster, while the other holds a specific advantage in a single modern graphics API. This analysis breaks down the benchmark results to show exactly where each card wins and who should be looking at which.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head results are decisively lopsided, with the RTX 3080 taking 8 of 9 benchmarks. The most dramatic victory comes in Passmark GPU Compute, where the RTX 3080 scores 14,397 against the Quadro’s 6,525 — a 120.6% advantage. This is the single largest delta in the entire comparison, and it highlights the fundamental difference in raw processing muscle between the two cards.

The OpenCL test tells a similar story. The RTX 3080 posts 152,423 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the Quadro RTX 5000 manages just 78,999. That is a 92.9% lead for the Ampere card, nearly doubling the older Turing board’s output. For any workload that leans on general-purpose GPU compute, the RTX 3080 is not just faster — it is in another class entirely.

Rasterization performance follows the same trend. In Passmark G3D, the RTX 3080 scores 25,086 versus 15,616 for the Quadro, a 60.6% gap. DirectX 12 results are similarly one-sided: the RTX 3080 gets 100 points to the Quadro’s 59, a 69.5% improvement. Even in legacy APIs, the RTX 3080 dominates, winning DirectX 10 by 50.4% (170 vs 113), DirectX 11 by 47.9% (207 vs 140), and DirectX 9 by 32.3% (258 vs 195). The 2D test also goes to the RTX 3080, with a 48.7% lead (1054 vs 709).

There is exactly one benchmark where the Quadro RTX 5000 comes out ahead, and it is a significant one: Geekbench Vulkan. Here, the Quadro scores 92,309 against the RTX 3080’s 33,620. That is a 63.6% swing in favor of the Turing card. The RTX 3080’s average benchmark score of 23,172 places it at the 68th percentile of all GPUs, while the Quadro’s 21,629 average sits at the 67th percentile — a statistical near-tie in overall standing, despite the RTX 3080’s dominant head-to-head wins.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3080 is the clear winner for any workload that stresses raw shader throughput, texture fill, or general compute. Its Passmark GPU Compute result of 14,397 is more than double the Quadro’s 6,525, making it the obvious choice for rendering, physics simulations, or any task that can leverage massive FP32 throughput. The 92.9% OpenCL lead reinforces this: if you are writing code in OpenCL or using frameworks that map to it, the RTX 3080 is the only rational pick.

The Quadro RTX 5000’s single win is in Vulkan, and it is not a small one. A 63.6% lead in Geekbench Vulkan suggests that the older Turing architecture has a significant optimization or driver advantage in this specific API. For developers targeting Vulkan, or for applications built exclusively on that API, the Quadro will deliver noticeably better frame pacing and throughput than the RTX 3080.

DirectX performance is a total sweep for the RTX 3080 across every version tested — 9, 10, 11, and 12. The 69.5% lead in DirectX 12 is particularly relevant for modern games, as that API is the foundation for most current titles. The RTX 3080 also wins the 2D test, which can matter for desktop compositing and certain CAD viewport workloads.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from entirely different NVIDIA architectures. The RTX 3080 uses the GA102 chip on the Ampere architecture, built on an 8 nm process at Samsung. The Quadro RTX 5000 uses the TU104 chip on the Turing architecture, fabricated on a 12 nm process at TSMC. This process shrink is a major reason for the RTX 3080’s efficiency and density advantages. The Ampere chip packs 28,300 million transistors into a 628 mm² die, yielding a density of 45.1M transistors per mm². The Turing chip has 13,600 million transistors on a 545 mm² die, for just 25.0M per mm².

The core configurations differ dramatically. The RTX 3080 has 8,704 shading units, 272 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. It also carries 68 RT cores and 272 tensor cores. The Quadro RTX 5000 has 3,072 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with 48 RT cores and 384 tensor cores. While the Quadro has more tensor cores in raw count, the RTX 3080’s FP16 output is rated at 29.77 TFLOPS (1:1), while the Quadro’s FP16 is 22.30 TFLOPS (2:1). The RTX 3080’s FP32 is 29.77 TFLOPS versus the Quadro’s 11.15 TFLOPS.

Clock speeds are different as well. The RTX 3080 has a base clock of 1440 MHz and a boost of 1710 MHz. The Quadro starts higher at 1620 MHz base and boosts to 1815 MHz. Despite the Quadro’s higher clocks, the RTX 3080’s massive core count advantage yields far higher pixel and texture rates: 164.2 GPixel/s and 465.1 GTexel/s for the RTX 3080, versus 116.2 GPixel/s and 348.5 GTexel/s for the Quadro.

Specification Differences

The memory subsystems are fundamentally different. The RTX 3080 has 10 GB of GDDR6X on a 320-bit bus, delivering 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The Quadro RTX 5000 has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, for 448.0 GB/s. The RTX 3080 has more bandwidth, but the Quadro has 60% more capacity.

The board power and connectivity also diverge. The RTX 3080 has a 320 W TDP, requires a 700 W suggested PSU, and uses a single 12-pin power connector. The Quadro RTX 5000 has a 230 W TDP, a 550 W suggested PSU, and uses a 6-pin plus 8-pin configuration. The RTX 3080 is longer at 285 mm, while the Quadro is 267 mm.

The bus interface is one generation apart: the RTX 3080 is PCIe 4.0 x16, while the Quadro is PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs also differ: the RTX 3080 has 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the Quadro has 4x DisplayPort 1.4a and 1x USB Type-C. The RTX 3080 was released on 2020-08-31 with a launch MSRP of 699 USD. The Quadro RTX 5000 was released on 2018-08-12 with a launch MSRP of 2,299 USD.

FAQ

Q: Which card has higher raw compute performance?

A: The RTX 3080 wins decisively in compute. Its Passmark GPU Compute score of 14,397 is 120.6% higher than the Quadro’s 6,525, and its Geekbench OpenCL score of 152,423 is 92.9% higher than the Quadro’s 78,999.

Q: Is there any benchmark where the Quadro RTX 5000 wins?

A: Yes, one. The Quadro wins Geekbench Vulkan with 92,309 points, which is 63.6% higher than the RTX 3080’s 33,620 points.

Q: Which card has more memory?

A: The Quadro RTX 5000 has 16 GB of GDDR6, while the RTX 3080 has 10 GB of GDDR6X. The Quadro has 60% more capacity, but the RTX 3080 has higher bandwidth at 760.3 GB/s versus 448.0 GB/s.

Q: How do their core counts compare?

A: The RTX 3080 has 8,704 shading units, 272 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The Quadro RTX 5000 has 3,072 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The RTX 3080 also has more RT cores (68 vs 48), but the Quadro has more tensor cores (384 vs 272).

Q: What are the power requirements?

A: The RTX 3080 has a 320 W TDP and suggests a 700 W PSU. The Quadro RTX 5000 has a 230 W TDP and suggests a 550 W PSU.

Q: Which card is better for modern DirectX 12 games?

A: The RTX 3080 is significantly better. It scores 100 in Passmark DirectX 12, which is 69.5% higher than the Quadro’s 59.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous for most use cases: the GeForce RTX 3080 is the faster card. It wins 8 of 9 benchmarks, with leads ranging from 32.3% in DirectX 9 to 120.6% in GPU compute. Its performance in OpenCL, DirectX 12, and G3D makes it the superior choice for gaming, general compute, and any workload that leverages the Ampere architecture’s massive shader count. The 68th percentile standing against all GPUs, combined with a 23,172 average benchmark score, solidifies its position as a high-performance part.

The Quadro RTX 5000 is not without merit, but its case is narrow. The 63.6% Vulkan win is the sole bright spot in the benchmark suite. If your application is exclusively Vulkan-based and cannot use other APIs, the Quadro will deliver better results. The 16 GB memory capacity is also a real advantage for large datasets, even if the bandwidth is lower. Its 67th percentile standing and 21,629 average score show it is competitive in overall ranking, but the head-to-head deltas tell the real story.

The RTX 3080 is the pick for anyone prioritizing raw speed, compute density, or DirectX gaming performance. The Quadro RTX 5000 is the pick for Vulkan-centric workflows or situations where 16 GB of VRAM is a hard requirement. The launch MSRP of 2,299 USD for the Quadro versus 699 USD for the RTX 3080 reinforces that the GeForce card is the performance leader, while the Quadro’s value lies in specific professional niches. Given the data, the RTX 3080 is the obvious default choice for most builders.