NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D vs NVIDIA Quadro GP100 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The direct comparison between the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D and the NVIDIA Quadro GP100 is stark, with a single shared benchmark test in the database. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RTX 4090 D posts a score of 278,621, while the Quadro GP100 records 87,445. This yields a decisive 218.6% advantage for the RTX 4090 D. The data shows a complete sweep: the RTX 4090 D wins 1 benchmark, the Quadro GP100 wins 0.

This margin is not merely a lead; it is a generational chasm. The RTX 4090 D’s score is more than triple that of the Quadro GP100. When placed in the broader database context, the RTX 4090 D sits at the 98th percentile among all GPUs, while the Quadro GP100 rests at the 93rd percentile. Despite both cards ranking high overall, the raw score gap highlights how far the newer architecture has pulled ahead in compute throughput.

The nearest rivals for the RTX 4090 D provide additional perspective. Its average benchmark score is 178,050, trailing the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell by 2.2%, the NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB by 3.1%, the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation by 3.6%, and the NVIDIA A100 SXM4 40 GB by 4.9%. For the Quadro GP100, its average score of 87,445 is 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon PRO W7600, 2.1% ahead of the NVIDIA CMP 40HX, but 4% behind the NVIDIA RTX A4500 Mobile and 4.6% behind the NVIDIA RTX A4500. These figures show that while the Quadro GP100 is competitive within its own era, it is simply outclassed when measured against the RTX 4090 D’s absolute output.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two cards is fundamental. The RTX 4090 D is built on the AD102 chip using the Ada Lovelace architecture, fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. The Quadro GP100 uses the GP100 chip with the Pascal architecture, on a 16 nm process, also from TSMC. This process difference alone explains a large portion of the performance gap, as the newer node allows for significantly higher transistor density and clock speeds.

The transistor counts illustrate this shift. The RTX 4090 D contains 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die, giving it a transistor density of 125.3 million per square millimeter. The Quadro GP100 has 15,300 million transistors on a slightly larger 610 mm² die, resulting in a density of just 25.1 million per square millimeter. The RTX 4090 D packs roughly five times more transistors into the same physical space.

Clock speeds follow the same pattern. The RTX 4090 D runs at a base clock of 2280 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz. The Quadro GP100 operates at 1304 MHz base and 1443 MHz boost. The memory subsystems are equally divergent. The RTX 4090 D uses 24 GB of GDDR6X across a 384-bit bus, delivering 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. The Quadro GP100 uses 16 GB of HBM2 across a 4096-bit bus, providing 732.2 GB/s. While the Quadro GP100’s wider bus is notable, the RTX 4090 D’s faster memory type and higher effective clock (21 Gbps versus 1430 Mbps) result in superior throughput.

The compute resources are not remotely comparable. The RTX 4090 D has 14,592 shading units, 456 TMUs, 176 ROPs, 114 RT cores, and 456 tensor cores. The Quadro GP100 has 3,584 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, with no RT cores and no tensor cores. The RTX 4090 D delivers 73.54 TFLOPS of FP32 and FP16 performance, while the Quadro GP100 manages 10.34 TFLOPS FP32 and 20.69 TFLOPS FP16. The Quadro GP100’s FP16 rate is 2:1 relative to FP32, a design choice for its era, but the RTX 4090 D’s 1:1 ratio and absolute numbers dwarf it.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 4090 D wins in every measurable category from the database. Its pixel rate is 443.5 GPixel/s versus 138.5 GPixel/s for the Quadro GP100. Its texture rate is 1,149.1 GTexel/s versus 323.2 GTexel/s. The power draw is higher on the RTX 4090 D at 425 W versus 235 W, but the performance per watt is still vastly in favor of the newer card given the 218.6% benchmark lead.

The use cases diverge based on era and feature set. The RTX 4090 D supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, making it suitable for modern gaming and ray-traced workloads. The Quadro GP100 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3, which limits it to older or less demanding graphical APIs. The RTX 4090 D’s RT cores and tensor cores enable real-time ray tracing and AI acceleration, features entirely absent on the Quadro GP100.

For legacy compute tasks that rely on Pascal-era HBM2 memory and a 4096-bit bus, the Quadro GP100 might still have niche appeal, but the data does not support any performance advantage. The RTX 4090 D is the clear winner for any workload that can utilize its newer architecture, higher clocks, or larger memory pool.

FAQ

Q: What is the performance gap in the only shared benchmark?

A: In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D scores 278,621, while the NVIDIA Quadro GP100 scores 87,445. That is a 218.6% delta in favor of the RTX 4090 D.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare to their nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 4090 D’s average score is 178,050, which is 2.2% behind the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell, 3.1% behind the A100 SXM4 80 GB, 3.6% behind the RTX 5000 Ada Generation, and 4.9% behind the A100 SXM4 40 GB. The Quadro GP100’s average score is 87,445, which is 0.4% ahead of the Radeon PRO W7600, 2.1% ahead of the CMP 40HX, but 4% behind the RTX A4500 Mobile and 4.6% behind the RTX A4500.

Q: Which card has more shading units and tensor cores?

A: The RTX 4090 D has 14,592 shading units and 456 tensor cores. The Quadro GP100 has 3,584 shading units and no tensor cores.

Q: What are the memory configurations?

A: The RTX 4090 D has 24 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus with 1.01 TB/s bandwidth. The Quadro GP100 has 16 GB of HBM2 on a 4096-bit bus with 732.2 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card supports ray tracing?

A: The RTX 4090 D has 114 RT cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). The Quadro GP100 has no RT cores and supports only DirectX 12 (12_1).

Q: What are the power requirements?

A: The RTX 4090 D has a TDP of 425 W and requires an 800 W PSU with a 16-pin connector. The Quadro GP100 has a TDP of 235 W and requires a 550 W PSU with an 8-pin connector.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D outperforms the NVIDIA Quadro GP100 in every recorded benchmark and every architectural metric. The 218.6% lead in OpenCL, the 7x difference in FP32 throughput, and the massive gap in shading units and memory bandwidth all point to one conclusion: the RTX 4090 D is in a different performance class entirely.

Who should pick the RTX 4090 D? Anyone running modern applications that leverage DirectX 12 Ultimate, ray tracing, tensor cores, or high-bandwidth GDDR6X memory. Its 98th percentile standing among all GPUs confirms it as a top-tier choice for compute-heavy tasks. The 24 GB memory pool and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth make it suitable for large datasets and high-resolution workloads.

Who should pick the Quadro GP100? The only rationale from the data would be a legacy system that specifically requires a Pascal-era Quadro with HBM2 and a 4096-bit bus, or a constraint on power draw (235 W versus 425 W) and slot width (dual-slot versus triple-slot). Its 93rd percentile ranking is respectable, but the absolute scores are far below the RTX 4090 D. For any new deployment, the RTX 4090 D is the only logical choice based on the recorded measurements.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D | NVIDIA Quadro GP100 |

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

| Architecture | Ada Lovelace | Pascal |

| Process Node | 5 nm | 16 nm |

| Transistors | 76,300 million | 15,300 million |

| Die Size | 609 mm² | 610 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 125.3M / mm² | 25.1M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 2280 MHz | 1304 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2520 MHz | 1443 MHz |

| Memory Size | 24 GB | 16 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6X | HBM2 |

| Memory Bus | 384 bit | 4096 bit |

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

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

| Shading Units | 14592 | 3584 |

| TMUs | 456 | 224 |

| ROPs | 176 | 96 |

| RT Cores | 114 | None |

| Tensor Cores | 456 | None |

| Pixel Rate | 443.5 GPixel/s | 138.5 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 1,149.1 GTexel/s | 323.2 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 73.54 TFLOPS | 10.34 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 73.54 TFLOPS (1:1) | 20.69 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 425 W | 235 W |

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

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

| Suggested PSU | 800 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 |

| Release Date | 2023-12-27 | 2016-09-30 |

| Launch MSRP | 1,599 USD | Not available |

| Production Status | End-of-life | End-of-life |