NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q vs NVIDIA RTX A5000 Comparison

# NVIDIA RTX A5000 vs NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q

The NVIDIA RTX A5000 and NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q occupy vastly different segments of the GPU spectrum, separated by six years of architectural evolution. The RTX A5000 is a modern Ampere-generation workstation card with 24 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the GRID M60-1Q is a Maxwell-era virtualization-focused accelerator with just 1 GB of GDDR5. In the single shared benchmark—Geekbench Vulkan—the RTX A5000 delivers 137,828 points versus 31,220 points for the GRID M60-1Q, a 341.5% advantage. This gap reflects not just generational progress but fundamentally different design priorities: the A5000 targets high-end professional rendering and compute, whereas the M60-1Q was built for virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) scenarios where per-user graphics allocation matters more than raw throughput.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX A5000 wins the only head-to-head benchmark available, and it wins decisively. In Geekbench Vulkan, the A5000 scores 137,828 against the M60-1Q's 31,220, a 341.5% delta. This single result encapsulates the A5000's dominance in GPU-accelerated compute and modern graphics APIs. The A5000 also holds a broad benchmark portfolio—ten recorded tests spanning 3DMark Steel Nomad, Geekbench OpenCL, PassMark DirectX 9/10/11/12, PassMark G2D/G3D, and GPU compute—whereas the M60-1Q has only a single Vulkan result. For any workload that leverages Vulkan, the A5000 is the clear choice.

The GRID M60-1Q, however, was never designed to compete on raw benchmark scores. Its 1 GB memory footprint and 256-bit bus indicate a card intended for multi-user virtualization, where each virtual machine receives a fraction of the GPU. The M60-1Q's 76th percentile ranking among all GPUs, despite its age and minimal memory, suggests it still holds relevance in its niche. The A5000's 78th percentile is only slightly higher, which is remarkable given the A5000's far superior specifications. This near-parity in percentile ranking implies that the M60-1Q remains competitive within its specialized use case—likely due to the benchmark pool including many lower-end cards that the M60-1Q still outperforms.

For users needing a general-purpose workstation GPU with modern API support, the A5000 wins outright. For organizations running virtualized GPU workloads that require low per-user memory allocation and minimal power draw relative to compute, the M60-1Q's legacy status does not diminish its historical utility, but the data shows no benchmark where it outperforms the A5000.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are separated by two full architectural generations. The RTX A5000 uses the GA102 chip built on Samsung's 8 nm process, packing 28,300 million transistors into a 628 mm² die. The GRID M60-1Q uses the GM204 chip fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process, with 5,200 million transistors on a 398 mm² die. The transistor density difference is stark: 45.1 million transistors per mm² for the A5000 versus 13.1 million for the M60-1Q, a 3.4x improvement in packing efficiency.

The A5000's Ampere architecture brings hardware-accelerated ray tracing via 64 RT cores and AI acceleration through 256 tensor cores. The M60-1Q has neither RT cores nor tensor cores, reflecting its Maxwell 2.0 heritage that predates both technologies. The A5000 also boasts 8,192 shading units, 256 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs, compared to the M60-1Q's 2,048 shaders, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. These are not incremental differences—the A5000 has 4x the shading units and 2x the ROPs.

Memory architecture differs fundamentally. The A5000 features 24 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 768.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The M60-1Q has 1,024 MB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, yielding 160.4 GB/s. That is a 4.8x bandwidth advantage for the A5000. Clock speeds also diverge: the A5000 runs at 1170 MHz base and 1695 MHz boost, while the M60-1Q operates at 557 MHz base and 1178 MHz boost. The A5000's higher boost clock, combined with its architectural advantages, produces a peak FP32 throughput of 27.77 TFLOPS versus 4.825 TFLOPS for the M60-1Q—a 5.8x difference. The A5000 also supports FP16 at 27.77 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), while the M60-1Q has no listed FP16 capability.

The A5000 supports PCIe 4.0 x16, whereas the M60-1Q uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs also differ: the A5000 has four DisplayPort 1.4a connectors, while the M60-1Q has no display outputs at all, confirming its server-centric virtualization role. Both cards are dual-slot with a single 8-pin power connector and a 550 W suggested PSU, though the A5000 has a slightly higher TDP at 230 W versus 225 W. Physical dimensions match at 267 mm length, but the A5000 adds a 112 mm height specification that the M60-1Q lacks.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sole head-to-head benchmark is Geekbench Vulkan, and the RTX A5000's win is overwhelming. The A5000 scores 137,828, while the GRID M60-1Q manages 31,220. The delta is 341.5%—meaning the A5000 is nearly 4.5x faster in this API. This is not a marginal victory but a generational chasm. Vulkan is a low-overhead API that scales with raw compute resources, so the A5000's 5.8x FP32 advantage and 4.8x memory bandwidth advantage translate directly into this benchmark result.

Contextualizing the A5000's score against its nearest rivals provides additional insight. The A5000's average benchmark score across all tests is 33,622, placing it just 0.2% behind the GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB (33,694), 0.7% behind the Radeon RX 7700S (33,849), 1% behind the Radeon HD 7950 (33,951), and 1.1% behind the Radeon RX 480 (33,997). These are all gaming or older workstation cards, yet the A5000's average score is competitive with them despite its workstation orientation. The A5000's individual Vulkan score of 137,828 is dramatically higher than its average, indicating that Vulkan is a particularly strong workload for this architecture.

The M60-1Q's average benchmark score is 31,220, which exactly matches its sole Vulkan result. Its nearest rivals include the Quadro M5000 (31,206, 0% delta), the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER (31,087, 0.4% ahead of the M60-1Q), the RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell (31,532, 1% behind), and the TITAN RTX (31,676, 1.4% behind). This is a peculiar grouping—the M60-1Q's single Vulkan score places it in the company of much more modern and powerful cards, but only because those cards' average scores happen to cluster near 31,000. The M60-1Q's 76th percentile ranking versus the A5000's 78th percentile is surprisingly close, given the A5000's massive architectural advantages. This suggests the percentile metric is influenced by the full distribution of GPUs, where many older or lower-end cards drag the baseline down.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in Vulkan workloads?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A5000 is decisively faster, scoring 137,828 in Geekbench Vulkan compared to the GRID M60-1Q's 31,220, a 341.5% advantage.

Q: Does the GRID M60-1Q support ray tracing or tensor cores?

A: No. The M60-1Q's Maxwell 2.0 architecture predates these technologies, and it has no RT cores or tensor cores. The RTX A5000 includes 64 RT cores and 256 tensor cores.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference?

A: The RTX A5000 has 24 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus, while the GRID M60-1Q has 1,024 MB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus. Memory bandwidth is 768.0 GB/s versus 160.4 GB/s, respectively.

Q: Which card has display outputs?

A: Only the RTX A5000, which features 4x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The GRID M60-1Q has no display outputs, indicating its intended use in virtualized server environments.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The RTX A5000 has an average benchmark score of 33,622 across ten tests, while the GRID M60-1Q averages 31,220 from a single Vulkan test. Despite the A5000's superior specifications, the percentile rankings are close: 78th for the A5000 and 76th for the M60-1Q.

Q: What are the transistor and process node differences?

A: The RTX A5000 uses 28,300 million transistors on Samsung's 8 nm process, while the GRID M60-1Q has 5,200 million transistors on TSMC's 28 nm process. The A5000's transistor density is 45.1M per mm² versus 13.1M per mm².

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA RTX A5000 | NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q |

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

| Architecture | Ampere | Maxwell 2.0 |

| Process Node | 8 nm (Samsung) | 28 nm (TSMC) |

| Transistors | 28,300 million | 5,200 million |

| Die Size | 628 mm² | 398 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 45.1M / mm² | 13.1M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1170 MHz | 557 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1695 MHz | 1178 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) | 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 24 GB | 1024 MB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus | 384 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 768.0 GB/s | 160.4 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 8192 | 2048 |

| TMUs | 256 | 128 |

| ROPs | 96 | 64 |

| RT Cores | 64 | None |

| Tensor Cores | 256 | None |

| Pixel Rate | 162.7 GPixel/s | 75.39 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 433.9 GTexel/s | 150.8 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 27.77 TFLOPS | 4.825 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 27.77 TFLOPS (1:1) | None |

| TDP | 230 W | 225 W |

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

| Display Outputs | 4x DisplayPort 1.4a | No outputs |

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

| Release Date | 2021-04-11 | 2015-08-29 |

| Height | 112 mm | Not specified |

The specification table reveals a GPU that is newer, denser, faster, and more capable in every measurable dimension. The RTX A5000's release in 2021 versus the M60-1Q's 2015 launch explains the architectural leap, but the magnitude of the gap—especially in FP32 throughput and memory bandwidth—shows how quickly GPU technology advances. Both cards share dual-slot designs, single 8-pin power connectors, 550 W suggested PSUs, and 267 mm lengths, but the similarities end there. The M60-1Q's lack of display outputs and minimal memory capacity make it unsuitable for direct workstation use, while the A5000's four DisplayPort connectors and 24 GB frame buffer position it for high-resolution, multi-display professional environments. For any modern workload, the data unequivocally favors the RTX A5000.