NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile vs NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 Comparison

The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile occupy opposite ends of the hardware spectrum: one is a 2018-era workstation behemoth, the other a 2023-era laptop chip. Despite their differences in age and form factor, benchmark results show a surprisingly close contest. The data indicates the Quadro RTX 8000 wins 6 of 9 head-to-head tests, but the RTX 4070 Mobile takes the overall average score crown in one key compute test. The verdict is not about raw speed alone; it is about which specific workloads each GPU was engineered to accelerate.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most decisive victory belongs to the Quadro RTX 8000 in PassMark GPU Compute, where it scores 9,992 against the RTX 4070 Mobile’s 8,399. That is a 19% lead, the largest margin in any test. This result reflects the Quadro’s workstation DNA: its massive 48 GB frame buffer and 576 tensor cores are built for compute-heavy tasks, and the data confirms that advantage.

The Quadro also wins the Vulkan API test decisively, scoring 122,637 versus 108,367 for the RTX 4070 Mobile. That 13.2% gap indicates the older Turing architecture still has a significant edge in low-level graphics API performance. Similarly, in DirectX 10, the Quadro leads by 18.1% (137 vs. 116), and in DirectX 11 it leads by 5% (188 vs. 179). The Quadro’s dominance extends to 2D workloads, where it scores 866 in PassMark G2D versus 763 for the mobile part, a 13.5% advantage.

The RTX 4070 Mobile, however, is not without its own wins. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 109,197 against the Quadro’s 101,883, a 6.7% lead. This is notable because OpenCL is a general-purpose compute benchmark, suggesting the Ada Lovelace architecture is more efficient at certain compute tasks despite having fewer resources. The mobile chip also wins in DirectX 12 (85 vs. 79, a 7.1% lead) and DirectX 9 (223 vs. 211, a 5.4% lead).

The closest contest is in PassMark G3D, where the Quadro RTX 8000 edges out the RTX 4070 Mobile by just 1.1% (19,799 vs. 19,587). This near-tie in overall 3D graphics performance is remarkable given the generational gap. It shows that while the Quadro has more raw shading power on paper, the mobile chip’s newer architecture nearly closes the gap in real-world 3D rendering.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide is stark. The Quadro RTX 8000 uses the TU102 chip built on a 12 nm process at TSMC, packing 18,600 million transistors into a 754 mm² die. The RTX 4070 Mobile uses the AD106 chip on a 5 nm process, also from TSMC, with 22,900 million transistors in a much smaller 188 mm² die. This makes the transistor density dramatically different: the RTX 4070 Mobile has 121.8M transistors per mm², versus just 24.7M for the Quadro.

The Quadro is built on Turing architecture, while the RTX 4070 Mobile uses Ada Lovelace. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so API feature parity is complete. The core counts differ significantly in specific areas: both have 4,608 shading units, but the Quadro has 288 texture mapping units (TMUs) and 96 raster output units (ROPs), while the RTX 4070 Mobile has 144 TMUs and 48 ROPs. The Quadro doubles the mobile chip in ray tracing cores (72 vs. 36) and quadruples it in tensor cores (576 vs. 144).

Memory is another major divergence. The Quadro has 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 4070 Mobile has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, with 256.0 GB/s. The clock speeds are similar at base (both 1395 MHz), but the Quadro boosts slightly higher at 1770 MHz versus 1695 MHz. Memory speed differs too: the Quadro runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), while the RTX 4070 Mobile runs at 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective).

The power envelope is radically different. The Quadro has a 260 W TDP, requires dual-slot cooling, and needs a 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin power connector plus a 600 W suggested PSU. The RTX 4070 Mobile has a 115 W TDP, is an IGP (integrated graphics processor), and requires no power connectors. The Quadro is an end-of-life product, while the RTX 4070 Mobile is active.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The Quadro RTX 8000 has an average benchmark score of 28,421, while the RTX 4070 Mobile scores 27,435. The Quadro also ranks slightly higher in percentile, sitting at 74 versus 73 for the mobile chip.

Q: Does the RTX 4070 Mobile beat the Quadro in any compute benchmark?

A: Yes, the RTX 4070 Mobile wins Geekbench OpenCL with a score of 109,197 versus 101,883 for the Quadro, a 6.7% advantage. However, the Quadro wins PassMark GPU Compute by 19% (9,992 vs. 8,399).

Q: How do the nearest rivals compare to each GPU?

A: The Quadro’s closest rival is the AMD Radeon R9 M295X, which scores 28,580, just 0.6% higher. The RTX 4070 Mobile’s closest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, which scores 27,425, a 0% difference. The Quadro also faces the AMD FirePro S7150 (28,117, 1.1% higher) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (28,020, 1.4% higher). The RTX 4070 Mobile faces the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 (27,565, 0.5% higher) and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell (27,135, 1.1% lower).

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The Quadro RTX 8000 delivers 672.0 GB/s across a 384-bit bus, while the RTX 4070 Mobile delivers 256.0 GB/s across a 128-bit bus. The Quadro has 48 GB of memory versus 8 GB for the mobile chip.

Q: Which GPU has more ray tracing and tensor cores?

A: The Quadro RTX 8000 has 72 ray tracing cores and 576 tensor cores. The RTX 4070 Mobile has 36 ray tracing cores and 144 tensor cores. The Quadro doubles the ray tracing cores and quadruples the tensor cores.

Q: Are there any benchmark scores where the two GPUs are nearly identical?

A: In PassMark G3D, the Quadro scores 19,799 and the RTX 4070 Mobile scores 19,587, a difference of just 1.1%. This is the closest head-to-head result in the data.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every major specification category. The process node is 12 nm for the Quadro versus 5 nm for the RTX 4070 Mobile. Transistor count is 18,600 million for the Quadro and 22,900 million for the mobile chip. Die size is 754 mm² versus 188 mm², and transistor density is 24.7M / mm² versus 121.8M / mm².

Base clocks are identical at 1395 MHz, but boost clocks differ: 1770 MHz for the Quadro versus 1695 MHz for the RTX 4070 Mobile. Memory clocks are 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) for the Quadro versus 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) for the mobile part. Memory size is 48 GB versus 8 GB, bus width is 384 bit versus 128 bit, and bandwidth is 672.0 GB/s versus 256.0 GB/s.

TMU counts are 288 versus 144, ROP counts are 96 versus 48, ray tracing cores are 72 versus 36, and tensor cores are 576 versus 144. Pixel rate is 169.9 GPixel/s versus 81.36 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 509.8 GTexel/s versus 244.1 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 16.31 TFLOPS versus 15.62 TFLOPS. FP16 performance is 32.62 TFLOPS (2:1) versus 15.62 TFLOPS (1:1).

TDP is 260 W versus 115 W. The Quadro is dual-slot with a 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin connector and a 600 W suggested PSU; the RTX 4070 Mobile is an IGP with no connectors and no suggested PSU. Bus interface is PCIe 3.0 x16 versus PCIe 4.0 x8. Display outputs are 4x DisplayPort 1.4a and 1x USB Type-C for the Quadro versus “Portable Device Dependent” for the mobile chip. Release dates are 2018-08-12 versus 2023-01-02. The Quadro has a launch MSRP of 9,999 USD; the RTX 4070 Mobile has no launch MSRP listed.

The Verdict

The data directs a clear verdict: pick the Quadro RTX 8000 for compute-heavy, multi-frame-buffer workstation tasks, and pick the RTX 4070 Mobile for modern API efficiency and power-constrained environments. The Quadro wins the majority of tests (6 of 9) and holds a decisive 19% lead in GPU compute. Its 48 GB memory and 576 tensor cores are unmatched by the mobile chip. The RTX 4070 Mobile, however, wins the OpenCL test and takes DirectX 12 and DirectX 9, showing that Ada Lovelace has superior efficiency in certain modern workloads. The Quadro’s 13.2% Vulkan lead and 13.5% G2D lead indicate it is still a formidable graphics card for legacy and professional APIs.

The Quadro also edges out the RTX 4070 Mobile in average benchmark score (28,421 vs. 27,435) and percentile rank (74 vs. 73). Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon R9 M295X, is only 0.6% faster, meaning the Quadro sits in a tight competitive band. The RTX 4070 Mobile’s nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, is exactly tied at 0% delta, and it trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 by just 0.5%. These numbers show both GPUs are competitive within their respective peer groups.

Where Each One Wins

The Quadro RTX 8000 wins in PassMark GPU Compute (19% ahead), Geekbench Vulkan (13.2% ahead), PassMark DirectX 10 (18.1% ahead), PassMark DirectX 11 (5% ahead), PassMark G2D (13.5% ahead), and PassMark G3D (1.1% ahead). This makes it the choice for raw compute throughput, legacy API compatibility, 2D rendering, and any workload that benefits from 48 GB of VRAM and 576 tensor cores.

The RTX 4070 Mobile wins in Geekbench OpenCL (6.7% ahead), PassMark DirectX 12 (7.1% ahead), and PassMark DirectX 9 (5.4% ahead). Its 5 nm process and 115 W TDP make it the choice for modern DirectX 12 titles, OpenCL compute tasks, and any scenario where power consumption is a hard constraint. The mobile chip also has a higher transistor density (121.8M / mm²) and a newer architecture, which explains its efficiency wins despite lower core counts and memory bandwidth.