AMD Radeon RX 6800 vs NVIDIA Quadro GV100 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a clear split between these two cards, with the NVIDIA Quadro GV100 winning in 3 of the 9 head-to-head tests and the AMD Radeon RX 6800 taking 6. The most dramatic difference appears in Geekbench OpenCL, where the Quadro GV100 scores 150,004 against the RX 6800's 24,508, a 512.1% advantage. This is not a marginal lead; it is a dominant, order-of-magnitude gap that defines the professional compute segment. The Quadro also leads in Geekbench Vulkan with 139,526 versus 115,107, a 21.2% edge, and in Passmark DirectX 10 with 140 versus 128, a 9.4% margin.

The RX 6800 counters across the rest of the suite. In Passmark DirectX 11, it scores 214 against the Quadro's 168, a 21.5% lead. The gap narrows in DirectX 12, where the RX 6800 wins 89 to 84, a 5.6% margin. Legacy DirectX 9 also favors AMD, 257 to 207, a 19.5% difference. The RX 6800 takes Passmark G2D at 990 versus 836, a 15.6% lead, and Passmark G3D at 22,067 versus 19,650, an 11% advantage. In Passmark GPU Compute, the RX 6800 wins 10,864 to 9,069, a 16.5% margin.

The average benchmark scores reinforce the split. The Quadro GV100 has an average score of 35,520, placing it at the 80th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile (average 35,435, 0.2% behind), the AMD Radeon Pro Duo (average 35,860, 0.9% ahead), the NVIDIA T1000 (average 36,289, 2.1% ahead), and the NVIDIA A2 (average 34,690, 2.4% behind). The RX 6800 averages 30,095, at the 75th percentile. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti (average 29,945, 0.5% behind), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile (average 29,928, 0.6% behind), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (average 29,783, 1% behind), and the AMD Radeon RX 6700 (average 30,433, 1.1% ahead).

What the head-to-head data reveals is that the Quadro GV100's average is inflated by its OpenCL result. Remove that single test, and the RX 6800 wins most other categories. Still, the OpenCL score is not an outlier in isolation; it reflects the GV100's architecture, which is built around compute density rather than rasterization throughput. The RX 6800, conversely, shows consistent strength in API-level graphics tests, especially those used in gaming and content creation workflows.

Where Each One Wins

The Quadro GV100 wins decisively in OpenCL compute. The 512.1% lead over the RX 6800 suggests that workloads which offload parallel math to the GPU, such as scientific simulation, machine learning inference, or rendering tasks using OpenCL, will see massive acceleration on the NVIDIA card. Its Vulkan advantage at 21.2% also indicates strong performance in modern low-level APIs, which is relevant for certain professional visualization tools that use Vulkan for compute or ray tracing. The DirectX 10 win, though modest at 9.4%, shows the GV100 handles older API workloads adequately, but this is not its primary strength.

The RX 6800 wins in every other recorded test. Its DirectX 11 lead of 21.5% and DirectX 9 lead of 19.5% suggest better compatibility and optimization for legacy and current DirectX titles. The DirectX 12 win, while only 5.6%, still puts it ahead in the most important gaming API. The Passmark G3D score, which is a broad measure of 3D rendering performance, favors the RX 6800 by 11%, indicating that for typical graphics workloads, the AMD card is simply faster. The G2D result, a 15.6% lead, covers 2D desktop compositing and video playback, where the RX 6800 has the edge. Passmark GPU Compute, which is a more general compute test than OpenCL, shows the RX 6800 ahead by 16.5%, meaning that not all compute workloads favor NVIDIA; the AMD card holds its own in mixed compute tasks.

The pattern is clear: the Quadro GV100 is a specialized compute engine with extraordinary OpenCL throughput, while the RX 6800 is a well-rounded graphics card that wins across the board in rasterization and API-level tests. The data does not support the idea that the GV100 is universally faster; it supports the idea that it is faster in specific, compute-heavy scenarios.

The Verdict

Choose the NVIDIA Quadro GV100 if your primary workload is OpenCL-based compute. The 512.1% lead in Geekbench OpenCL is the single largest performance gap between these two cards, and it will translate directly to faster execution in applications that leverage that API. The Vulkan advantage of 21.2% is a secondary benefit, useful for modern compute or rendering pipelines. The GV100 also has 32 GB of HBM2 memory, which the database shows as a 4096-bit bus width and 868.4 GB/s bandwidth, compared to the RX 6800's 16 GB GDDR6 with a 256-bit bus and 512.0 GB/s. For large datasets that exceed 16 GB, the GV100 is the only option between the two.

Choose the AMD Radeon RX 6800 for everything else. It wins in DirectX 11, DirectX 12, DirectX 9, G2D, G3D, and GPU Compute. Its Passmark G3D score of 22,067 versus 19,650 (11% ahead) indicates better raw graphics performance. The DirectX 12 lead, though small, is relevant for current games. The RX 6800 also has a higher transistor density at 51.5M per mm² versus 25.9M per mm², which corresponds to its 7 nm process node compared to the GV100's 12 nm. The RX 6800 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, while the GV100 is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1), a meaningful difference for feature-rich titles.

The average benchmark scores place the GV100 at the 80th percentile and the RX 6800 at the 75th, but that gap is driven almost entirely by the OpenCL result. If your work does not use OpenCL, the RX 6800 is the better performer in the recorded tests. The database also shows the GV100 as having a launch MSRP of 8,999 USD, which is not a factor in performance but is a factual note. The RX 6800's launch MSRP is 579 USD. Neither card is current production; both are listed as end-of-life.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro GV100 is vastly faster, scoring 150,004 versus 24,508, a 512.1% lead.

Q: Which card wins in DirectX 12?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6800 wins, scoring 89 versus 84, a 5.6% margin.

Q: Does the Quadro GV100 have more memory?

A: Yes, it has 32 GB of HBM2, while the RX 6800 has 16 GB of GDDR6.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The GV100 has 868.4 GB/s over a 4096-bit bus, while the RX 6800 has 512.0 GB/s over a 256-bit bus.

Q: Which card has a higher Passmark G3D score?

A: The RX 6800, with 22,067 versus 19,650, an 11% lead.

Q: Which card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate?

A: Only the AMD Radeon RX 6800, with DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2); the GV100 is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1).

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The NVIDIA Quadro GV100 uses the Volta architecture on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It packs 21,100 million transistors on an 815 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 25.9M per mm². The chip is built around 5,120 shading units, 320 TMUs, 128 ROPs, and 640 tensor cores. It has no dedicated ray tracing cores. The memory subsystem is HBM2 with 32 GB on a 4096-bit bus, delivering 868.4 GB/s. The GV100's boost clock is 1627 MHz with a base of 1132 MHz. Its FP32 throughput is 16.66 TFLOPS, and FP16 is 33.32 TFLOPS at a 2:1 ratio. The card supports PCIe 3.0 x16.

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 uses the RDNA 2.0 architecture on a 7 nm process, also at TSMC. It has 26,800 million transistors on a 520 mm² die, giving a density of 51.5M per mm². The chip has 3,840 shading units, 240 TMUs, 96 ROPs, and 60 ray tracing cores. It has no tensor cores. Memory is GDDR6 with 16 GB on a 256-bit bus, delivering 512.0 GB/s. The RX 6800 boosts to 2105 MHz, with a base of 1700 MHz and a game clock of 1815 MHz. FP32 is 16.17 TFLOPS, and FP16 is 32.33 TFLOPS at 2:1. It runs on PCIe 4.0 x16.

The architectural split is stark. The GV100 uses a massive, power-hungry compute die with HBM2 and tensor cores, aimed at AI and scientific workloads. The RX 6800 uses a denser, more efficient design with ray tracing hardware and a higher clock speed, aimed at graphics. The 7 nm process gives AMD a density advantage, but the GV100 compensates with a much larger die and specialized compute units.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every measurable specification. The process node is 12 nm for the GV100 versus 7 nm for the RX 6800. Transistor count is 21,100 million for NVIDIA and 26,800 million for AMD. Die size is 815 mm² for the GV100 and 520 mm² for the RX 6800. Transistor density is 25.9M per mm² versus 51.5M per mm². Base clocks are 1132 MHz versus 1700 MHz, and boost clocks are 1627 MHz versus 2105 MHz. The RX 6800 also has a game clock of 1815 MHz, which the GV100 lacks.

Memory size is 32 GB HBM2 versus 16 GB GDDR6. Bus width is 4096 bit versus 256 bit, and bandwidth is 868.4 GB/s versus 512.0 GB/s. Shading units are 5,120 versus 3,840. TMUs are 320 versus 240. ROPs are 128 versus 96. The GV100 has 640 tensor cores; the RX 6800 has 60 ray tracing cores. FP32 is 16.66 TFLOPS versus 16.17 TFLOPS. FP16 is 33.32 TFLOPS versus 32.33 TFLOPS. Pixel rates are 208.3 GPixel/s versus 202.1 GPixel/s. Texture rates are 520.6 GTexel/s versus 505.2 GTexel/s.

Both cards have a 250 W TDP and a dual-slot design with a 600 W suggested PSU. The GV100 uses a single 8-pin power connector; the RX 6800 uses two 8-pin connectors. The GV100 has four DisplayPort 1.4a outputs; the RX 6800 has one HDMI 2.1, two DisplayPort 1.4a, and one USB Type-C. The GV100 is 267 mm long and 111 mm high; the RX 6800 is 267 mm long, 120 mm high, and 40 mm wide. DirectX support is 12 (12_1) for NVIDIA and 12 Ultimate (12_2) for AMD. Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. The GV100 was released in March 2018, and the RX 6800 in October 2020. The GV100's predecessor is Quadro Pascal and its successor is Quadro Turing. The RX 6800's predecessor is Navi and its successor is Navi III.