AMD Radeon HD 8690M vs NVIDIA Quadro 5000 Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits cleanly between these two cards, though the split heavily favors one side. The NVIDIA Quadro 5000 wins the only recorded head-to-head benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, with a score of 7289 against the AMD Radeon HD 8690M's 6137. That is an 18.8% advantage in compute throughput, a margin that matters for OpenCL workloads such as rendering, simulation, and GPU-accelerated analysis.

The AMD Radeon HD 8690M records no benchmark wins in the database. Its single score of 6137 places it below the Quadro in raw compute, but the Radeon's profile suggests a different intended use case. The Quadro 5000 is a workstation-class card from the Fermi generation, built for professional applications where compute density and memory bandwidth are priorities. The Radeon HD 8690M is a mobile part from the GCN 1.0 architecture, designed for laptops where power constraints and physical space dominate. The data does not include gaming or workstation-specific application tests, so any claims about those workloads must remain qualitative.

The percentile rankings reinforce this gap. The Quadro 5000 sits at the 40th percentile among all GPUs in the database, while the Radeon HD 8690M sits at the 36th percentile. That four-point percentile difference corresponds to a real performance tier gap, not a negligible one. The Quadro's nearest rivals include the GeForce GTX 750 (delta 0.9%), the Radeon Vega 8 Mobile (delta 1.2%), the GeForce GTX 560 SE (delta 1.6%), and the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 (delta 1.7%). All of these sit within 1.7% of the Quadro's score, meaning the Quadro is tightly clustered with a group of mid-range desktop and mobile parts. The Radeon HD 8690M's nearest rivals are the Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200 (delta 0.3%), the RTX A400 (delta 1%), the GeForce MX230 (delta 1%), and the Radeon HD 6950 (delta -1.2%, meaning the HD 6950 is slightly ahead). The Radeon HD 8690M is thus grouped with a mix of integrated graphics, entry-level mobile parts, and an older desktop card.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations and design philosophies. The NVIDIA Quadro 5000 uses the GF100 chip, built on the Fermi architecture, fabricated at TSMC on a 40 nm process. It contains 3,100 million transistors on a 529 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 5.9 million transistors per square millimeter. The AMD Radeon HD 8690M uses the Sun chip, built on GCN 1.0, also at TSMC but on a 28 nm process. It packs 690 million transistors onto a 56 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 12.3 million per square millimeter. The Radeon's smaller, denser die is a direct consequence of the newer process node and a more modern architecture.

The memory subsystems differ substantially. The Quadro 5000 has 2.5 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 320-bit bus, delivering 120.0 GB/s of bandwidth at a memory clock of 750 MHz (3 Gbps effective). The Radeon HD 8690M has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 64-bit bus, delivering 32.00 GB/s at 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective). The Quadro has nearly four times the memory bandwidth, which is critical for large datasets and compute workloads. The Radeon's narrower bus is typical of a mobile part designed to save power and board space.

Compute resources also differ. The Quadro has 352 shading units, 44 texture mapping units, and 40 render output units. The Radeon has 320 shading units, 20 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. The Quadro's larger number of ROPs and TMUs supports higher pixel and texture throughput: 11.29 GPixel/s and 22.57 GTexel/s, respectively, versus the Radeon's 7.800 GPixel/s and 19.50 GTexel/s. In floating-point performance, the Quadro delivers 722.3 GFLOPS of FP32, while the Radeon delivers 624.0 GFLOPS. The Quadro leads in every raw throughput metric recorded in the database.

The Radeon does have newer feature support. It lists DirectX 12 (11_1) versus the Quadro's DirectX 12 (11_0), and it supports Vulkan 1.2.170, while the Quadro lists no Vulkan support at all. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The Radeon also uses PCIe 3.0 x8, while the Quadro uses PCIe 2.0 x16. The Quadro's power draw is listed at 152 W TDP with a dual-slot cooler and a single 6-pin power connector, plus a suggested 450 W power supply. The Radeon's TDP, power connectors, and suggested PSU are not recorded in the database.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The single recorded head-to-head benchmark is Geekbench OpenCL. The NVIDIA Quadro 5000 scores 7289, and the AMD Radeon HD 8690M scores 6137. The delta is 18.8% in favor of the Quadro. That is a substantial margin for a compute benchmark, and it aligns with the architectural differences: the Quadro's 320-bit memory bus and 120.0 GB/s bandwidth give it a massive advantage in memory-bound OpenCL kernels, while its 722.3 GFLOPS of FP32 throughput outpaces the Radeon's 624.0 GFLOPS.

The Radeon's closest competitor in the database is the Radeon HD 6950, which scores 6210 and sits 1.2% ahead of the HD 8690M. The Quadro's closest rival is the GeForce GTX 750 at 7222, only 0.9% behind the Quadro. This means the Quadro is essentially at parity with a mid-range desktop GPU from the same era, while the Radeon HD 8690M is at parity with integrated graphics like the Iris Pro Graphics 6200. The performance gap between the two cards in this benchmark is therefore not just a matter of one card being faster; it reflects a different performance class entirely.

The Radeon's boost clock of 975 MHz and base clock of 925 MHz are higher than the Quadro's clocks, but the Quadro's clock speeds are not recorded in the database, so direct clock comparisons are not possible. What the data does show is that the Radeon's higher clocks and newer architecture do not compensate for its narrower memory bus and lower raw throughput. The 18.8% delta is consistent across the entire recorded benchmark suite, which is only this one test.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro 5000 wins with a score of 7289 against the AMD Radeon HD 8690M's 6137, a delta of 18.8%.

Q: How do the two cards compare in memory bandwidth?

A: The Quadro 5000 has 120.0 GB/s of bandwidth on a 320-bit bus with 2.5 GB of GDDR5, while the Radeon HD 8690M has 32.00 GB/s on a 64-bit bus with 2 GB of GDDR5. The Quadro has nearly four times the bandwidth.

Q: What are the architecture differences between the two?

A: The Quadro 5000 uses NVIDIA's Fermi architecture (GF100 chip) on a 40 nm process with 3,100 million transistors. The Radeon HD 8690M uses AMD's GCN 1.0 architecture (Sun chip) on a 28 nm process with 690 million transistors.

Q: Does the Radeon HD 8690M support Vulkan?

A: Yes, the Radeon HD 8690M supports Vulkan 1.2.170. The Quadro 5000 lists no Vulkan support in the database.

Q: How do their percentile rankings compare?

A: The Quadro 5000 is at the 40th percentile among all GPUs, while the Radeon HD 8690M is at the 36th percentile.

Q: Which card has more FP32 floating-point performance?

A: The Quadro 5000 delivers 722.3 GFLOPS of FP32, compared to the Radeon HD 8690M's 624.0 GFLOPS.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear conclusion for compute-focused users. The NVIDIA Quadro 5000 is the superior card in raw OpenCL performance, leading by 18.8% over the Radeon HD 8690M. Users running OpenCL workloads, large data processing, or any workload that benefits from high memory bandwidth should favor the Quadro. Its 120.0 GB/s bandwidth and 722.3 GFLOPS of FP32 performance place it in a different class than the Radeon, whose 32.00 GB/s bandwidth and 624.0 GFLOPS are more typical of a mobile part.

The Radeon HD 8690M has its own strengths, but the database records none of them as benchmark wins. It is a smaller, denser chip (56 mm² versus 529 mm²) with a newer process node (28 nm versus 40 nm) and newer API support, including Vulkan 1.2.170 and DirectX 12 (11_1). For users who need those features or who are constrained by physical space and power in a mobile chassis, the Radeon is the more modern choice. Its higher boost clock of 975 MHz and base clock of 925 MHz suggest it can scale well in thermally limited environments.

For desktop workstation users, the Quadro 5000 is the clear pick based on the recorded data. For mobile users who prioritize API compatibility and a modern feature set over raw compute throughput, the Radeon HD 8690M is the only option among these two, since the Quadro's dual-slot design and 152 W TDP make it unsuitable for a laptop. The data does not support a single winner across all contexts, but it does support a clear winner in compute performance.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every recorded specification. The Quadro 5000 uses the GF100 chip on a 40 nm process with 3,100 million transistors and a 529 mm² die, while the Radeon HD 8690M uses the Sun chip on 28 nm with 690 million transistors and a 56 mm² die. Transistor density is 5.9M / mm² for the Quadro and 12.3M / mm² for the Radeon.

Memory configurations diverge sharply: the Quadro has 2.5 GB of GDDR5 on a 320-bit bus with 120.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the Radeon has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 64-bit bus with 32.00 GB/s. Memory clocks are 750 MHz (3 Gbps effective) for the Quadro and 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective) for the Radeon.

Compute units differ: the Quadro has 352 shading units, 44 TMUs, and 40 ROPs; the Radeon has 320 shading units, 20 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. Pixel rates are 11.29 GPixel/s versus 7.800 GPixel/s, and texture rates are 22.57 GTexel/s versus 19.50 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 722.3 GFLOPS against 624.0 GFLOPS.

Power and physical specifications are only recorded for the Quadro: 152 W TDP, dual-slot width, 1x 6-pin power connector, 450 W suggested PSU, and dimensions of 248 mm (9.8 inches) in length and 111 mm (4.4 inches) in height. The Radeon lists no TDP, slot width, power connectors, suggested PSU, or dimensions. The bus interface is PCIe 2.0 x16 for the Quadro and PCIe 3.0 x8 for the Radeon. Display outputs are recorded only for the Quadro: 1x DVI and 2x DisplayPort.

API support differs in DirectX and Vulkan: the Quadro supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and no Vulkan, while the Radeon supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6. Release dates are February 22, 2011 for the Quadro and February 28, 2013 for the Radeon. The Quadro lists a launch MSRP of 2,499 USD; the Radeon lists none. The Quadro's predecessors and successors are the Quadro FX Tesla and Quadro Kepler, respectively, while the Radeon's are London and Gem System.