NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti vs NVIDIA Quadro GP100 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark in the database is Geekbench OpenCL, and the result is a decisive victory for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti. The RTX 3090 Ti scored 174,441 points, while the NVIDIA Quadro GP100 managed 87,445 points. That is a delta of 99.5%, meaning the RTX 3090 Ti is nearly twice as fast in this compute-oriented API test. This is not a marginal gap; it is a generational chasm expressed in raw numbers.

Looking at the broader database context, the RTX 3090 Ti sits at the 95th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 131,938 across all recorded tests. Its nearest rivals in the database are the NVIDIA L4 (average score 131,072, delta 0.7%), the NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation (average score 135,218, delta -2.4%), and the AMD Radeon PRO W6800 (average score 135,396, delta -2.6%). The RTX 3090 Ti is effectively at parity with those cards, trading blows within a 3% band. That places it firmly in high-end workstation territory, though not at the absolute top of the database.

The Quadro GP100, by contrast, records a 93rd percentile standing, with an average benchmark score of 87,445. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon PRO W7600 (average score 87,108, delta 0.4%), the NVIDIA CMP 40HX (average score 85,637, delta 2.1%), and the NVIDIA RTX A4500 (average score 91,671, delta -4.6%). The GP100 is just barely ahead of the W7600 and CMP 40HX, but it trails the RTX A4500 by roughly 4 to 5%. In other words, the GP100 is a mid-to-upper tier card for its era, but it is not competitive with the RTX 3090 Ti on any metric that the database records.

The head-to-head result is unambiguous: one test, one winner, zero wins for the older card. The 99.5% delta is almost exactly a doubling of performance, which is the kind of jump that separates architectural generations rather than minor clock speed bumps.

Where Each One Wins

The database records one win for the RTX 3090 Ti and zero for the Quadro GP100 in direct comparisons. That means the RTX 3090 Ti wins in every measurable category where both cards appear. The Geekbench OpenCL test is a general-purpose compute benchmark that exercises the GPU's raw FP32 throughput, memory bandwidth, and driver efficiency. The RTX 3090 Ti's 40.00 TFLOPS FP32 rating, compared to the GP100's 10.34 TFLOPS, explains the result without needing to speculate about driver optimizations.

For the Quadro GP100, there is no benchmark in the database where it beats the RTX 3090 Ti. However, the GP100 does have a distinct capability that the database records: its FP16 performance is 20.69 TFLOPS, which is exactly double its FP32 rate (2:1 ratio). The RTX 3090 Ti has FP16 at 40.00 TFLOPS, which is a 1:1 ratio with FP32. In workloads that rely on FP16 compute, the RTX 3090 Ti still wins outright, but the GP100's 2:1 FP16 ratio suggests it was designed for certain mixed-precision workflows that were more common in its era.

The use-case split is therefore not about which card wins any specific task, but about what each card was designed for. The RTX 3090 Ti is a broad-spectrum performer: it wins compute benchmarks, has ray tracing cores (84 of them) and tensor cores (336 of them), and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate. The Quadro GP100 has no ray tracing cores and no tensor cores, making it a pure compute and rasterization card. For modern workloads that leverage RT cores or tensor cores, the GP100 is not just slower; it is structurally incapable of participating.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different architectural eras, and the database makes that explicit. The RTX 3090 Ti uses the GA102 chip on an 8 nm Samsung process, packing 28,300 million transistors into a 628 mm² die, for a transistor density of 45.1 million per mm². The Quadro GP100 uses the GP100 chip on a 16 nm TSMC process, with 15,300 million transistors on a 610 mm² die, for a density of 25.1 million per mm². The density difference, 45.1M vs 25.1M per mm², is nearly 80% higher on the newer card, which is the direct result of the process node shrink from 16 nm to 8 nm.

The memory subsystems are also fundamentally different. The RTX 3090 Ti has 24 GB of GDDR6X on a 384 bit bus, yielding 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. The Quadro GP100 has 16 GB of HBM2 on a 4096 bit bus, yielding 732.2 GB/s. The bus width difference is striking: 4096 bits on the GP100 versus 384 bits on the RTX 3090 Ti. HBM2 was designed for massive bus widths, while GDDR6X achieves high bandwidth through a much narrower bus and faster signaling. The RTX 3090 Ti still wins on total bandwidth, but the GP100's memory architecture was ahead of its time in terms of bus width.

Clock speeds tell a similar story. The RTX 3090 Ti runs at a base of 1560 MHz and a boost of 1860 MHz, with memory at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). The Quadro GP100 runs at a base of 1304 MHz and a boost of 1443 MHz, with memory at 715 MHz (1430 Mbps effective). The RTX 3090 Ti's boost clock is roughly 29% higher, and its memory clock is over 14 times faster in effective data rate terms.

The compute configurations are dramatically different. The RTX 3090 Ti has 10,752 shading units, 336 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. The Quadro GP100 has 3,584 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The shading unit count is exactly three times higher on the RTX 3090 Ti. Pixel rate is 208.3 GPixel/s vs 138.5 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 625.0 GTexel/s vs 323.2 GTexel/s. Every throughput metric favors the newer card, often by a large margin.

The API support also differs. The RTX 3090 Ti supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the Quadro GP100 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3. The feature level difference, 12_2 vs 12_1, means the RTX 3090 Ti can run newer graphics features that the GP100 cannot. Both cards support OpenGL 4.6.

The physical and power characteristics differ as well. The RTX 3090 Ti is a triple-slot card, 336 mm long, 140 mm tall, 61 mm wide, with a 450 W TDP and a single 16-pin power connector, requiring an 850 W PSU. The Quadro GP100 is a dual-slot card, 267 mm long, 111 mm tall, with a 235 W TDP and a single 8-pin connector, requiring a 550 W PSU. The GP100 is shorter, slimmer in slots, and consumes nearly half the power. The RTX 3090 Ti is a physically massive card by comparison, but it also delivers roughly 4 times the FP32 throughput per the database numbers.

The Quadro GP100 also uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the RTX 3090 Ti uses PCIe 4.0 x16. That doubles the theoretical interface bandwidth for the newer card, though the actual impact depends on the workload. The display outputs differ too: the RTX 3090 Ti has 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the Quadro GP100 has 1x DVI and 4x DisplayPort 1.4a. The inclusion of DVI on the GP100 reflects its 2016 release date.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti is the superior card in every recorded benchmark, with a 99.5% lead in the only direct comparison. The RTX 3090 Ti offers 4 times the FP32 throughput (40.00 vs 10.34 TFLOPS), nearly 38% more memory bandwidth (1.01 TB/s vs 732.2 GB/s), and a shading unit count that is exactly three times higher. It also adds ray tracing and tensor cores that the Quadro GP100 simply does not have, plus a newer API feature level (DirectX 12 Ultimate vs DirectX 12_1).

The Quadro GP100 is not without merit. Its 4096 bit HBM2 bus is a curiosity from an era when memory architecture prioritized bus width over clock speed. Its 235 W TDP means it is far easier to cool and power, fitting in a dual-slot form factor at 267 mm length. For anyone with a dated system that only supports PCIe 3.0, the GP100 is a drop-in option. But the database does not record a single test where the GP100 wins.

Who should pick the RTX 3090 Ti? Anyone who needs maximum compute performance, modern API support, ray tracing, or tensor core acceleration. The percentile ranking, 95th vs 93rd, confirms that the RTX 3090 Ti sits higher in the overall GPU hierarchy. Who should pick the Quadro GP100? Only those constrained by power or physical space, and who do not need the RTX 3090 Ti's feature set. The GP100's FP16 at 2:1 ratio (20.69 TFLOPS) is a unique trait, but it is still half of the RTX 3090 Ti's FP16 output (40.00 TFLOPS).

The verdict from the data is clear: the RTX 3090 Ti wins on every measurable axis, and the Quadro GP100 is a legacy product that cannot keep pace.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti scores 174,441 versus the Quadro GP100's 87,445, a 99.5% advantage.

Q: Does the Quadro GP100 have ray tracing or tensor cores?

A: No. The database lists no RT cores and no tensor cores for the GP100. The RTX 3090 Ti has 84 RT cores and 336 tensor cores.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The RTX 3090 Ti has 1.01 TB/s from 24 GB of GDDR6X on a 384 bit bus. The Quadro GP100 has 732.2 GB/s from 16 GB of HBM2 on a 4096 bit bus.

Q: Which card supports newer graphics APIs?

A: The RTX 3090 Ti supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4. The Quadro GP100 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3.

Q: What is the power draw difference?

A: The RTX 3090 Ti has a 450 W TDP with a 16-pin connector and requires an 850 W PSU. The Quadro GP100 has a 235 W TDP with an 8-pin connector and requires a 550 W PSU.

Q: Which card is physically smaller?

A: The Quadro GP100 is a dual-slot card at 267 mm length and 111 mm height. The RTX 3090 Ti is a triple-slot card at 336 mm length and 140 mm height.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti | NVIDIA Quadro GP100 |

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

| Architecture | Ampere | Pascal |

| Process Node | 8 nm (Samsung) | 16 nm (TSMC) |

| Transistors | 28,300 million | 15,300 million |

| Die Size | 628 mm² | 610 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 45.1M / mm² | 25.1M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1560 MHz | 1304 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1860 MHz | 1443 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective) | 715 MHz (1430 Mbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 24 GB | 16 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6X | HBM2 |

| Memory Bus Width | 384 bit | 4096 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 1.01 TB/s | 732.2 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 10752 | 3584 |

| TMUs | 336 | 224 |

| ROPs | 112 | 96 |

| RT Cores | 84 | None |

| Tensor Cores | 336 | None |

| Pixel Rate | 208.3 GPixel/s | 138.5 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 625.0 GTexel/s | 323.2 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 40.00 TFLOPS | 10.34 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 40.00 TFLOPS (1:1) | 20.69 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 450 W | 235 W |

| Slot Width | Triple-slot | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | 1x 16-pin | 1x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 850 W | 550 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a | 1x DVI, 4x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| DirectX Support | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (12_1) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | 1.3 |

| Dimensions | 336 mm x 140 mm x 61 mm | 267 mm x 111 mm |

| Release Date | 2022-01-26 | 2016-09-30 |

| Launch MSRP | 1,999 USD | Not recorded |