NVIDIA P102-100 vs NVIDIA Quadro GP100 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data for this comparison is limited to a single OpenCL workload, but that one test tells a decisive story. In Geekbench OpenCL, the NVIDIA Quadro GP100 scores 87,445 points, while the NVIDIA P102-100 scores 49,602 points. That is a 76.3% advantage for the Quadro GP100, which is a substantial margin in raw compute throughput. The Quadro GP100 wins the only head-to-head benchmark recorded in the database, and the P102-100 has no benchmark wins against it.

To put that OpenCL score into context, the Quadro GP100 sits at the 93rd percentile among all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX A4500, which averages 91,671 points (4.6% higher), and the NVIDIA RTX A4500 Mobile, which averages 91,134 points (4% higher). The Quadro GP100 edges out the AMD Radeon PRO W7600 (87,108 points, 0.4% lower) and the NVIDIA CMP 40HX (85,637 points, 2.1% lower). So while the Quadro GP100 is not at the very top of the stack, it is within a small margin of much newer workstation cards, and it clearly outclasses the P102-100.

The P102-100, by contrast, sits at the 88th percentile, with an average benchmark score of 58,528 points across its two recorded tests (OpenCL and Vulkan). Its nearest rivals are clustered tightly around that average: the AMD Radeon PRO V710 scores 58,657 (0.2% higher), the AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT scores 58,392 (0.2% lower), the Intel Arc A570M scores 58,239 (0.5% lower), and the AMD Radeon RX 5600 OEM scores 58,085 (0.8% lower). The P102-100 is therefore a mid-pack performer in the database, competitive with a range of consumer and workstation GPUs, but far behind the Quadro GP100 in the OpenCL workload.

The delta between the two cards in OpenCL is 76.3%, which is not a marginal difference. It is a gap large enough to classify the Quadro GP100 as a distinctly higher-performance part for compute-oriented tasks, at least as measured by this benchmark. The P102-100 does have an additional Vulkan score of 67,454, but the Quadro GP100 has no recorded Vulkan result, so a direct comparison on that API is not possible from the available data.

Where Each One Wins

The Quadro GP100 wins the only direct comparison available, and it wins by a wide margin. Based on the OpenCL result, the Quadro GP100 is the clear choice for workloads that rely heavily on OpenCL compute performance. Its 10.34 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput and 20.69 TFLOPS of FP16 throughput (at a 2:1 ratio) indicate strong general-purpose compute capability, and its 16 GB of HBM2 memory with 732.2 GB/s of bandwidth provides substantial memory headroom for large datasets. The card also has 3,584 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 96 raster operation units, which support its pixel rate of 138.5 GPixel/s and texture rate of 323.2 GTexel/s.

The P102-100, despite losing the OpenCL comparison, has some characteristics that could make it preferable in specific scenarios. Its FP32 throughput is actually slightly higher at 10.77 TFLOPS, and its texture rate is marginally higher at 336.6 GTexel/s. However, its FP16 performance is severely limited at 168.3 GFLOPS (a 1:64 ratio), which means any workload that leverages half-precision arithmetic would perform far worse on the P102-100. The P102-100 also has a higher base clock (1582 MHz vs. 1304 MHz) and boost clock (1683 MHz vs. 1443 MHz), which may help in lightly threaded or latency-sensitive tasks, but the benchmark data does not include such tests.

The P102-100 has no display outputs, which makes it unsuitable for any workstation use that requires visual output. The Quadro GP100, by contrast, provides 1x DVI and 4x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, making it a viable option for professional visualization or multi-monitor setups. The P102-100 is also limited to a PCIe 1.0 x4 interface, which severely constrains host-to-device data transfer speeds, whereas the Quadro GP100 uses PCIe 3.0 x16. For workloads that stream data from the CPU to the GPU, the Quadro GP100 has a decisive bandwidth advantage at the interface level.

In summary, the Quadro GP100 is the superior part for general compute, memory-intensive workloads, and any task requiring display output. The P102-100 may hold a narrow edge in pure FP32 rate and texture throughput, but those advantages do not translate into a benchmark win in the recorded data.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU scores higher in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro GP100 scores 87,445 points, which is 76.3% higher than the NVIDIA P102-100's score of 49,602 points.

Q: Does the P102-100 have any benchmark wins over the Quadro GP100?

A: No. The database records one head-to-head benchmark (Geekbench OpenCL), and the Quadro GP100 wins it. The P102-100 has zero wins in the comparison.

Q: How does the Quadro GP100 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Quadro GP100 is 4.6% slower than the NVIDIA RTX A4500 (91,671 points) and 4% slower than the NVIDIA RTX A4500 Mobile (91,134 points). It is 0.4% faster than the AMD Radeon PRO W7600 (87,108 points) and 2.1% faster than the NVIDIA CMP 40HX (85,637 points).

Q: How does the P102-100 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The P102-100's average score is 58,528 points. The AMD Radeon PRO V710 is 0.2% higher, the AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT is 0.2% lower, the Intel Arc A570M is 0.5% lower, and the AMD Radeon RX 5600 OEM is 0.8% lower.

Q: Does the P102-100 support display output?

A: No. The P102-100 has no display outputs, while the Quadro GP100 offers 1x DVI and 4x DisplayPort 1.4a connections.

Q: What is the FP16 performance difference between the two cards?

A: The Quadro GP100 delivers 20.69 TFLOPS of FP16 performance (at a 2:1 ratio), while the P102-100 delivers only 168.3 GFLOPS (at a 1:64 ratio). This is a massive difference for any workload using half-precision arithmetic.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every major specification category. The Quadro GP100 uses the GP100 chip, while the P102-100 uses the GP102 chip. Both are built on TSMC's 16 nm process, and both have the same transistor density of 25.1M per mm². However, the GP100 die is larger at 610 mm² and contains 15,300 million transistors, whereas the GP102 die is 471 mm² with 11,800 million transistors.

Memory configurations are starkly different. The Quadro GP100 has 16 GB of HBM2 memory on a 4096-bit bus, yielding 732.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The P102-100 has 5 GB of GDDR5X memory on a 320-bit bus, yielding 440.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock also differs: the Quadro GP100 runs at 715 MHz (1430 Mbps effective), while the P102-100 runs at 1376 MHz (11 Gbps effective).

Core counts favor the Quadro GP100 in most categories. It has 3,584 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The P102-100 has 3,200 shading units, 200 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. Clock speeds favor the P102-100, with a base clock of 1582 MHz and boost clock of 1683 MHz, compared to the Quadro GP100's 1304 MHz base and 1443 MHz boost.

Pixel rate is slightly higher on the Quadro GP100 at 138.5 GPixel/s versus 134.6 GPixel/s. Texture rate is slightly higher on the P102-100 at 336.6 GTexel/s versus 323.2 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput is nearly identical, with the P102-100 at 10.77 TFLOPS and the Quadro GP100 at 10.34 TFLOPS. FP16 throughput is dramatically different, as noted above.

Power and connectivity also differ. The Quadro GP100 has a TDP of 235 W with a single 8-pin power connector and a suggested PSU of 550 W. The P102-100 has a TDP of 250 W with dual 8-pin connectors and a suggested PSU of 600 W. The bus interface is PCIe 3.0 x16 for the Quadro GP100 and PCIe 1.0 x4 for the P102-100. Both cards are dual-slot and 267 mm (10.5 inches) in length, but the Quadro GP100 has a height of 111 mm (4.4 inches), while the P102-100's height is not recorded.

Display outputs are a major differentiator: the Quadro GP100 has 1x DVI and 4x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the P102-100 has no outputs. The supported API versions differ slightly: both support DirectX 12 (12_1) and OpenGL 4.6, but the Quadro GP100 supports Vulkan 1.3 while the P102-100 supports Vulkan 1.4.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs are built on the Pascal architecture, but they use different chips with different design goals. The GP100 chip is NVIDIA's flagship Pascal compute part, designed for high-performance computing and professional visualization. The GP102 chip is a derivative of the consumer-focused Pascal design, and in the P102-100 form, it was repurposed for mining workloads.

The GP100's HBM2 memory stack is a fundamental architectural difference. HBM2 provides a 4096-bit memory interface, which is four times wider than the P102-100's 320-bit GDDR5X interface. This explains the massive bandwidth advantage of the Quadro GP100 (732.2 GB/s vs. 440.3 GB/s) despite the lower memory clock. The GP100's memory subsystem is designed for data-intensive compute tasks, while the GP102's GDDR5X is a more conventional design.

The FP16 capability is another architectural divergence. The Quadro GP100 supports FP16 at a 2:1 ratio relative to FP32, meaning it can execute half-precision operations at roughly double the rate of full precision. The P102-100 supports FP16 at a 1:64 ratio, which is effectively negligible. This indicates the GP100 has dedicated hardware for half-precision throughput, while the GP102 does not.

The production status of both cards is end-of-life, but their release dates and generations differ. The Quadro GP100 was released on 2016-09-30 and belongs to the Quadro Pascal (Px000) generation. Its predecessor is Quadro Maxwell and its successor is Quadro Volta. The P102-100 was released on 2018-02-11 and belongs to the Mining GPUs generation, with no recorded predecessor or successor.

The absence of display outputs on the P102-100 is not just a specification difference; it reflects an architectural choice to remove the display pipeline entirely, which is typical for mining-focused products. The Quadro GP100 retains the full display infrastructure, including support for DisplayPort 1.4a, which is necessary for professional workstation use.

The PCIe interface difference is also notable from an architectural perspective. PCIe 1.0 x4 offers a fraction of the bandwidth of PCIe 3.0 x16, which means the P102-100 is severely constrained in host communication. This is acceptable for mining workloads where data is largely static, but it would bottleneck many compute applications that require frequent data transfers between CPU and GPU. The Quadro GP100's PCIe 3.0 x16 interface is the standard for workstation and compute cards, providing ample host bandwidth.

In terms of transistor density, both chips achieve the same 25.1M per mm², which reflects the shared 16 nm TSMC process. However, the GP100 uses a larger die area to accommodate more transistors, which allows for the wider memory bus and additional compute resources. The GP102 is a smaller, more power-efficient chip that achieves competitive FP32 performance with fewer transistors, but it lacks the memory bandwidth and FP16 capabilities of the GP100.