NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti vs NVIDIA Quadro P6000 Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti and the NVIDIA Quadro P6000 represent two distinct eras of GPU design, one built for maximum consumer and professional throughput on the Ampere architecture, the other a Pascal-generation workstation stalwart. The recorded benchmark data shows a decisive performance gap, but the specifications reveal a more nuanced story about how each card was engineered for its intended role.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark results in the database are unambiguous in their outcome. Across the two shared tests, the RTX 3090 Ti wins every single contest, securing a 2 to 0 victory in the head-to-head comparison. The margin of victory is substantial, not incremental.

In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RTX 3090 Ti scores 174,441 points. The Quadro P6000 manages 66,382 points in the same workload. This represents a delta of 162.8%, meaning the newer card delivers more than two and a half times the raw compute throughput in this API. For any task that relies heavily on OpenCL acceleration, this is a generational leap in capability.

The Vulkan results are even more lopsided. Here, the RTX 3090 Ti posts a score of 215,633, while the Quadro P6000 trails far behind at 73,590. The delta percentage for this test is 193%, which is nearly triple the performance. This suggests that the architectural differences between Ampere and Pascal are most pronounced in modern, low-level graphics APIs that can exploit the newer hardware features and parallel execution units more effectively.

These scores align with the overall percentile rankings in the database. The RTX 3090 Ti sits in the 95th percentile of all GPUs, while the Quadro P6000, despite its age, still holds a respectable 90th percentile position. The average benchmark score for the RTX 3090 Ti is 131,938 points, compared to 69,986 points for the Quadro P6000. This places the newer card roughly 88.5% higher in the aggregate, though the individual test deltas are even more dramatic.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the RTX 3090 Ti in the Geekbench Vulkan test?

A: The RTX 3090 Ti scores 215,633, while the Quadro P6000 scores 73,590. The database records a delta of 193%, meaning the RTX 3090 Ti is nearly three times faster in this specific workload.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between the two cards?

A: The RTX 3090 Ti has a memory bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s using 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus. The Quadro P6000 offers 432.8 GB/s from its 24 GB of GDDR5X memory, also on a 384-bit bus. The newer card has more than double the bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has a higher transistor density?

A: The RTX 3090 Ti, built on an 8 nm process, has a density of 45.1M transistors per mm². The Quadro P6000, on a 16 nm process, has a density of 25.1M transistors per mm².

Q: Does the Quadro P6000 support ray tracing hardware?

A: No, the Quadro P6000 has no dedicated ray tracing cores. The RTX 3090 Ti includes 84 RT cores for hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

Q: How do the cards compare in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 3090 Ti has an average benchmark score of 131,938 points. The Quadro P6000 averages 69,986 points. The RTX 3090 Ti's closest rivals are the NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation and the AMD Radeon PRO W6800, both within 2.6% of its average score.

Q: Which card supports PCIe 4.0?

A: The RTX 3090 Ti uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface. The Quadro P6000 is limited to PCIe 3.0 x16.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear conclusion: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti is the superior performer in every benchmark recorded. Its wins in both OpenCL and Vulkan, with deltas of 162.8% and 193% respectively, leave no ambiguity. For workloads that depend on raw compute, memory bandwidth, or modern API features, the RTX 3090 Ti is the definitive choice.

The Quadro P6000, however, should not be dismissed entirely. While it loses every head-to-head metric, its 90th percentile ranking shows it remains a capable card even years after its release. Its launch MSRP is 5,999 USD, which was a professional workstation price point. The RTX 3090 Ti had a launch MSRP of 1,999 USD. The data suggests that the RTX 3090 Ti not only outperforms its older counterpart but did so at a significantly lower initial price, making the performance gap even more impactful.

For a user prioritizing maximum compute and graphics performance, the RTX 3090 Ti is the only choice based on these measurements. The Quadro P6000 might still be relevant for legacy software compatibility or specific professional certifications, but the benchmark data cannot justify selecting it over the RTX 3090 Ti on performance grounds alone.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ fundamentally in nearly every core specification. The RTX 3090 Ti features 10,752 shading units, 336 texture mapping units, and 112 raster operation units. The Quadro P6000 has 3,840 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. This is a massive disparity in execution resources.

Clock speeds also favor the newer card. The RTX 3090 Ti has a base clock of 1560 MHz and a boost clock of 1860 MHz. The Quadro P6000 runs at 1506 MHz base and 1645 MHz boost. While the base clocks are close, the boost difference is significant.

The compute rates reflect the architectural gap. The RTX 3090 Ti delivers 40.00 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 40.00 TFLOPS of FP16 (1:1). The Quadro P6000 manages 12.63 TFLOPS of FP32 and only 197.4 GFLOPS of FP16 (1:64). This means the RTX 3090 Ti has a 1:1 FP16 ratio, while the Quadro P6000 is heavily biased toward FP32.

Power and physical requirements also diverge. The RTX 3090 Ti has a TDP of 450 W, requires a 16-pin power connector, and is a triple-slot card. It suggests an 850 W power supply. The Quadro P6000 has a 250 W TDP, uses a single 8-pin connector, is dual-slot, and suggests a 600 W PSU. The RTX 3090 Ti is also physically larger at 336 mm in length compared to 267 mm.

Architecture Differences

The architectural philosophies are separated by a generation, and the data shows it. The RTX 3090 Ti uses the GA102 chip on the Ampere architecture, manufactured by Samsung on an 8 nm process. It packs 28,300 million transistors into a 628 mm² die. The Quadro P6000 uses the GP102 chip on the Pascal architecture, built by TSMC on a 16 nm process, with 11,800 million transistors on a 471 mm² die.

This leads to a transistor density of 45.1M per mm² for the RTX 3090 Ti versus 25.1M per mm² for the Quadro P6000. The newer process node allows for far more complex hardware. The RTX 3090 Ti includes 84 RT cores and 336 tensor cores, features completely absent from the Quadro P6000, which has neither. This explains the massive difference in FP16 performance and ray tracing capability.

Memory technology also differs. The RTX 3090 Ti uses GDDR6X memory running at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective), while the Quadro P6000 uses GDDR5X at 1127 MHz (9 Gbps effective). The bandwidth advantage of 1.01 TB/s versus 432.8 GB/s is a direct result of this newer memory standard.

API support shows the RTX 3090 Ti supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the Quadro P6000 only reaches DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4, so those are not distinguishing factors.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3090 Ti wins in every measured category. In synthetic compute benchmarks, it dominates with a 162.8% lead in OpenCL and a 193% lead in Vulkan. The 40.00 TFLOPS FP32 and FP16 rates, combined with 1.01 TB/s bandwidth, make it the clear choice for compute-heavy tasks, AI workloads that leverage tensor cores, and real-time ray tracing.

The Quadro P6000 has no benchmark wins in the recorded data. Its strengths lie in its lower power consumption at 250 W, its smaller physical footprint at 267 mm, and its 600 W PSU recommendation. This makes it an easier card to integrate into existing systems with less demanding power infrastructure. Its 90th percentile ranking also shows it can still handle professional workloads, but the data indicates it is outclassed by the RTX 3090 Ti in every performance metric tested.

For users with legacy PCIe 3.0 systems, the Quadro P6000's interface is natively compatible without needing a platform upgrade. The RTX 3090 Ti's PCIe 4.0 interface is backward compatible but may not reach full bandwidth on older platforms. However, the sheer compute and memory advantages of the RTX 3090 Ti would likely overcome any interface limitations in most scenarios. The data consistently points to the RTX 3090 Ti as the superior hardware for any modern workload.