AMD Radeon RX 6600S vs NVIDIA Quadro K4200 Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded benchmark data paints a one-sided picture. Across the single head-to-head test available, the AMD Radeon RX 6600S dominates the NVIDIA Quadro K4200. The sole comparison, Geekbench OpenCL, ends with the AMD part finishing 81.5% ahead of the NVIDIA card. The Quadro K4200 records zero wins against the RX 6600S.

For the Quadro K4200, its only recorded benchmarks are Geekbench OpenCL at 12313 and Geekbench Vulkan at 12482. These scores place it at the 52nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 12398. Its nearest rivals include the Tesla K20Xm at 12625 (1.8% faster), the RX 7600M XT at 12710 (2.5% faster), and the GTX 670 at 12773 (2.9% faster). The only card it beats in that group is the GTX 960A, which scores 11998, making the Quadro 3.3% quicker.

The RX 6600S, by contrast, has a broader benchmark profile. Its Geekbench OpenCL score is 66435, which is the standout figure. Beyond that, it posts PassMark scores across multiple DirectX versions: 176 in DirectX 9, 105 in DirectX 11, 81 in DirectX 10, and 56 in DirectX 12. It also records 647 in PassMark G2D, 12649 in PassMark G3D, and 4879 in PassMark GPU Compute. Despite that strong OpenCL result, its average benchmark score sits at 10629, lower than the Quadro's 12398, because the PassMark sub-tests pull the average down. Its percentile rank is 49, slightly below the Quadro's 52.

The practical takeaway: if the workload relies on OpenCL compute, the RX 6600S is in a different league entirely. The Quadro K4200, however, shows more consistent performance across the limited tests it appears in, which may matter for legacy applications that favor stability over raw throughput.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from fundamentally different design eras and philosophies. The Quadro K4200 uses the GK104 chip, built on Kepler architecture, manufactured by TSMC on a 28 nm process. It packs 3,540 million transistors into a 294 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 12.0M per mm². The RX 6600S uses the Navi 23 chip, built on RDNA 2.0 architecture, also from TSMC but on a 7 nm node. It holds 11,060 million transistors in a smaller 237 mm² die, achieving 46.7M transistors per mm², nearly four times the density.

Clock behavior diverges sharply. The Quadro runs at a 771 MHz base and 784 MHz boost, with memory at 1350 MHz (5.4 Gbps effective). The RX 6600S starts at 1700 MHz base, boosts to 2000 MHz, and has a game clock of 1881 MHz. Its memory runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). These are not incremental differences; the AMD part operates at more than double the frequency.

Memory subsystems also differ. Both have 4 GB, but the Quadro uses GDDR5 on a 256 bit bus, yielding 172.8 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 6600S uses GDDR6 on a 128 bit bus, yet achieves 224.0 GB/s because of the much faster memory clock. The AMD card delivers 29.6% more bandwidth despite half the bus width.

Compute resources tell a similar story. The Quadro has 1344 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The RX 6600S has 1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The AMD card also includes 28 ray tracing cores, which the Quadro lacks entirely. Pixel rate is 21.95 GPixel/s for the Quadro versus 128.0 GPixel/s for the RX 6600S. Texture rate is 87.81 GTexel/s versus 224.0 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput is 2.107 TFLOPS versus 7.168 TFLOPS. The RX 6600S even supports FP16 at 14.34 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, while the Quadro has no recorded FP16 capability.

Power and physical design are reversed. The Quadro is a single-slot card, 241 mm long and 111 mm tall, drawing 108 W with a 1x 6-pin power connector and a 300 W suggested PSU. The RX 6600S is an integrated GPU package (IGP) with no power connectors, rated at 80 W, and its dimensions are listed as portable device dependent. The Quadro uses PCIe 2.0 x16, while the RX 6600S uses PCIe 4.0 x8. Display outputs differ too: the Quadro offers 1x DVI and 2x DisplayPort 1.2, whereas the RX 6600S relies on portable device dependent outputs.

API support is a clear generational gap. The Quadro supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The RX 6600S supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The AMD card is fully modern on the API front, while the NVIDIA card is limited to an older DirectX feature level.

The Verdict

The data supports a straightforward conclusion for compute-heavy workloads: the AMD Radeon RX 6600S wins decisively. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 66435 versus 12313 is not a close contest. The delta of 81.5% represents a massive performance gap. Anyone running OpenCL-based tasks should choose the RX 6600S without hesitation.

The NVIDIA Quadro K4200, however, holds its own in the context of its era and its intended market. It is a workstation card from 2014, built on Kepler, and its benchmark average of 12398 actually exceeds the RX 6600S's average of 10629. That inversion happens because the RX 6600S's PassMark sub-scores are low in several categories, dragging its average down. The Quadro also ranks slightly higher in percentile terms, 52 versus 49.

For legacy DirectX applications, the RX 6600S shows mixed results. Its PassMark DirectX 9 score of 176 is strong, but DirectX 12 drops to 56. The Quadro has no recorded PassMark scores, so direct comparison in those tests is impossible. If the workload is old and favors fixed-function pipelines, the Quadro's consistency may be preferable. If the workload is modern compute, the RX 6600S is the only rational pick.

The architecture gap reinforces the verdict. The RX 6600S is a 7 nm RDNA 2 part with ray tracing cores, PCIe 4.0, and DirectX 12 Ultimate. The Quadro is a 28 nm Kepler part with PCIe 2.0 and DirectX 12 at feature level 11_0. The RX 6600S is not just faster; it is fundamentally more capable in every modern metric. The Quadro's only advantages are its form factor (single-slot, fixed dimensions) and its established workstation pedigree, but the recorded data does not show any performance scenario where the Quadro beats the RX 6600S.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro K4200 has an average benchmark score of 12398, while the AMD Radeon RX 6600S averages 10629. The Quadro ranks at the 52nd percentile, compared to the RX 6600S's 49th percentile.

Q: How large is the OpenCL performance gap between the two?

A: In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD Radeon RX 6600S scores 66435, which is 81.5% higher than the NVIDIA Quadro K4200's 12313. This is the only head-to-head benchmark recorded.

Q: Does the RX 6600S support ray tracing?

A: Yes, the AMD Radeon RX 6600S includes 28 ray tracing cores as part of its RDNA 2.0 architecture. The NVIDIA Quadro K4200 has no ray tracing cores.

Q: What memory type and bandwidth does each card use?

A: The Quadro K4200 uses 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256 bit bus, providing 172.8 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 6600S uses 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128 bit bus, providing 224.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card has higher DirectX support?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6600S supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the NVIDIA Quadro K4200 supports DirectX 12 at feature level 11_0. The RX 6600S also supports Vulkan 1.4, compared to Vulkan 1.2.175 for the Quadro.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro K4200 has a TDP of 108 W and requires a 1x 6-pin power connector with a suggested PSU of 300 W. The AMD Radeon RX 6600S has a TDP of 80 W and uses no power connectors, as it is an integrated GPU package.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison in the database is Geekbench OpenCL. The AMD Radeon RX 6600S scores 66435, and the NVIDIA Quadro K4200 scores 12313. The delta is 81.5% in favor of AMD. To put that in perspective, the Quadro's score is roughly 18.5% of the RX 6600S's output. This is not a marginal win; it is a generational blowout.

The Quadro's nearest rival data helps contextualize its position. It sits 1.8% behind the Tesla K20Xm, 2.5% behind the RX 7600M XT, and 2.9% behind the GTX 670. It is 3.3% ahead of the GTX 960A. These are tight margins, indicating the Quadro is competitive with its immediate peers but firmly in the mid-range of the 2014 era.

The RX 6600S's nearest rivals are much older or lower-end parts. It is 0.4% ahead of the Radeon R9 M275X, 0.6% behind the GTX 560 Ti, 1.2% behind the Quadro K2200, and 1.4% ahead of the RX 550X. That grouping suggests the RX 6600S's average benchmark score is held back by its weak PassMark sub-scores, even though its OpenCL result is exceptional. The contrast between its 66435 OpenCL score and its 10629 average is stark, indicating the PassMark tests measure very different workloads.

In the PassMark suite, the RX 6600S shows a clear pattern. DirectX 9 scores 176, DirectX 10 scores 81, DirectX 11 scores 105, and DirectX 12 scores 56. The G2D score is 647, G3D is 12649, and GPU Compute is 4879. These numbers suggest the card is strongest in legacy DirectX 9 scenarios and weakest in DirectX 12. The G3D score of 12649 is respectable, but the low DirectX 12 result indicates modern API overhead may be a limiting factor for this mobile-oriented part.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every measurable specification. The NVIDIA Quadro K4200 uses the GK104 chip on a 28 nm process with 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. The AMD Radeon RX 6600S uses the Navi 23 chip on a 7 nm process with 11,060 million transistors on a 237 mm² die. Transistor density is 12.0M per mm² for NVIDIA versus 46.7M per mm² for AMD.

Clock speeds are dramatically different. The Quadro runs at 771 MHz base and 784 MHz boost. The RX 6600S runs at 1700 MHz base, 2000 MHz boost, and 1881 MHz game clock. Memory clocks are 1350 MHz (5.4 Gbps effective) for the Quadro versus 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) for the RX 6600S.

Memory capacity is equal at 4 GB, but the type and bus differ. The Quadro uses GDDR5 on a 256 bit bus with 172.8 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 6600S uses GDDR6 on a 128 bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD card achieves higher bandwidth with half the bus width due to its faster memory.

Compute unit counts favor AMD. The Quadro has 1344 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The RX 6600S has 1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The RX 6600S also has 28 ray tracing cores. Pixel rate is 21.95 GPixel/s for NVIDIA versus 128.0 GPixel/s for AMD. Texture rate is 87.81 GTexel/s versus 224.0 GTexel/s. FP32 is 2.107 TFLOPS versus 7.168 TFLOPS. FP16 is not recorded for the Quadro, but the RX 6600S reaches 14.34 TFLOPS.

Power and physical specifications are polar opposites. The Quadro is a single-slot card, 241 mm long and 111 mm tall, with a TDP of 108 W, a 1x 6-pin connector, and a 300 W suggested PSU. The RX 6600S is an IGP with no dimensions recorded, no power connectors, and an 80 W TDP. The Quadro uses PCIe 2.0 x16; the RX 6600S uses PCIe 4.0 x8. Display outputs are 1x DVI and 2x DisplayPort 1.2 for NVIDIA, versus portable device dependent for AMD.

API support shows the generational gap. The Quadro supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The RX 6600S supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Both are end-of-life products, but the RX 6600S released on 2022-01-03, while the Quadro released on 2014-07-21. The Quadro's predecessor is Quadro Fermi, and its successor is Quadro Maxwell. The RX 6600S's predecessor is Polaris Mobile, and it has no recorded successor.