NVIDIA Quadro K6000 vs NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits cleanly between these two workstation cards. The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 wins every head-to-head comparison recorded in the database. The two common tests, Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan, both go decisively to the RTX 5000. In OpenCL, the RTX 5000 scores 78,999 against 23,749 for the K6000, a 232.6% advantage. In Vulkan, the RTX 5000 reaches 92,309 versus 25,409, a 263.3% lead. There is no benchmark category in the shared test set where the K6000 comes out ahead.

The K6000 does have one exclusive benchmark result: Geekbench Metal, where it scores 7,932. The RTX 5000 has no Metal result recorded, so this cannot be compared directly. Beyond that, the RTX 5000 has a much broader benchmark footprint. It records Passmark scores for DirectX 9 (195), DirectX 10 (113), DirectX 11 (140), DirectX 12 (59), G2D (709), G3D (15,616), and GPU compute (6,525). The K6000 has none of these Passmark entries in the database. For any workload that relies on modern graphics APIs or compute through OpenCL and Vulkan, the RTX 5000 is the only card with measured results, and those results are dramatically higher.

The average benchmark score tells the same story. The RTX 5000 sits at 21,629, while the K6000 averages 19,030. That is roughly a 13.6% gap in the average across all recorded tests. The percentile placement also favors the RTX 5000: it lands in the 67th percentile of all GPUs, while the K6000 sits in the 63rd. Neither card is near the top of the database, but the RTX 5000 consistently ranks above its older counterpart.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different eras of NVIDIA's workstation lineup, and the silicon reflects that. The RTX 5000 uses the TU104 chip built on Turing architecture at TSMC's 12 nm process. It packs 13,600 million transistors into a 545 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 25.0 million per square millimeter. The K6000 uses the GK110B chip on Kepler architecture, also from TSMC but on the older 28 nm node. It has 7,080 million transistors on a slightly larger 561 mm² die, resulting in a much lower density of 12.6 million per square millimeter. The die sizes are nearly identical, but the RTX 5000 fits nearly twice the transistors into the same footprint.

Memory configuration also differs substantially. The RTX 5000 has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The K6000 has 12 GB of GDDR5 on a wider 384-bit bus, but only reaches 288.4 GB/s. The newer memory type and higher effective data rate, 14 Gbps versus 6 Gbps, more than compensate for the narrower bus. Clock speeds follow the same pattern. The RTX 5000 runs at 1620 MHz base and 1815 MHz boost, while the K6000 runs at 797 MHz base and 902 MHz boost. The RTX 5000 nearly doubles the K6000's clock speed.

Compute resources tell a more nuanced story. The RTX 5000 has 3,072 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. The K6000 counters with 2,880 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The K6000 has more texture units, which helps in texture-heavy workloads, but the RTX 5000 has more shaders and ROPs. The RTX 5000 also brings dedicated hardware the K6000 lacks entirely: 48 RT cores for ray tracing and 384 tensor cores for AI acceleration. Neither of those exists on the Kepler chip. The raw throughput numbers show the scale of the gap. The RTX 5000 delivers 11.15 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 22.30 TFLOPS of FP16 with a 2:1 ratio. The K6000 manages 5.196 TFLOPS of FP32 and has no FP16 capability recorded.

Pixel and texture rates follow the compute advantage. The RTX 5000 reaches 116.2 GPixel/s and 348.5 GTexel/s. The K6000 achieves 54.12 GPixel/s and 216.5 GTexel/s. The RTX 5000 more than doubles pixel throughput and leads texture rate by a wide margin. Power draw is close: 230 W for the RTX 5000 and 225 W for the K6000. Both use dual-slot coolers and require a 550 W suggested power supply. The RTX 5000 needs one 6-pin and one 8-pin connector, while the K6000 uses two 6-pin connectors.

API support favors the newer card. The RTX 5000 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The K6000 tops out at DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. Display outputs also differ: the RTX 5000 has four DisplayPort 1.4a outputs plus one USB Type-C, while the K6000 has two DVI and two DisplayPort 1.2 outputs. Both cards are end-of-life, both are PCIe 3.0 x16, and both share identical physical dimensions of 267 mm in length and 111 mm in height.

The Verdict

The recorded data leaves little room for debate. The RTX 5000 wins every head-to-head benchmark, and it wins by enormous margins. In OpenCL it is 232.6% faster, in Vulkan it is 263.3% faster. The average benchmark score is 13.6% higher, and the percentile rank is four points better. For anyone choosing between these two, the RTX 5000 is the clear pick for modern workloads.

The K6000 does have one advantage worth noting: its 240 texture units versus 192 on the RTX 5000. That gives it a theoretical edge in texture-bound scenarios, but no recorded benchmark confirms any real-world benefit. The K6000 also has a Metal benchmark result, which the RTX 5000 lacks, so Apple-adjacent workflows that rely on Metal could favor the K6000 purely by measurement availability. That is a narrow niche, though, and it does not offset the sweeping losses elsewhere.

The RTX 5000 is the card to choose for OpenCL compute, Vulkan rendering, DirectX workloads, and general GPU compute. It has more memory, newer memory technology, much higher clocks, RT cores, tensor cores, and better API support. The K6000 remains a functional Kepler-era card, but the data shows it is outclassed in every shared test. The launch MSRP of the RTX 5000 was 2,299 USD, while the K6000 launched at 5,265 USD, which makes the RTX 5000 the stronger performer at a lower launch price. The verdict is straightforward: the RTX 5000 wins on performance, features, and measured results.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The RTX 5000 scores 78,999, which is 232.6% higher than the K6000's 23,749.

Q: Does the K6000 win any shared benchmark?

A: No. In the two tests both cards share, Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan, the RTX 5000 wins both. The K6000 only has a Metal score of 7,932, which has no RTX 5000 counterpart to compare.

Q: What memory does each card use?

A: The RTX 5000 has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. The K6000 has 12 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus with 288.4 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Do both cards support the same DirectX version?

A: No. The RTX 5000 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the K6000 supports DirectX 12 (11_1).

Q: How do their transistor counts compare?

A: The RTX 5000 has 13,600 million transistors on a 545 mm² die, while the K6000 has 7,080 million on a 561 mm² die.

Q: Which card has ray tracing and tensor cores?

A: Only the RTX 5000. It has 48 RT cores and 384 tensor cores. The K6000 has neither.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two shared benchmarks paint a stark picture. Geekbench OpenCL puts the RTX 5000 at 78,999 against the K6000's 23,749. That is a 232.6% delta, meaning the RTX 5000 delivers more than three times the OpenCL score. This test typically stresses raw compute throughput, and the numbers align with the FP32 gap: 11.15 TFLOPS versus 5.196 TFLOPS. The RTX 5000 also has nearly double the memory bandwidth at 448.0 GB/s versus 288.4 GB/s, which helps in memory-heavy OpenCL kernels.

Geekbench Vulkan shows an even larger gap. The RTX 5000 scores 92,309, and the K6000 scores 25,409, a 263.3% difference. Vulkan workloads benefit from modern driver support and hardware features, and the RTX 5000's Turing architecture with DirectX 12 Ultimate support and Vulkan 1.4 clearly outperforms the Kepler card with its older Vulkan 1.2.175 implementation. The RTX 5000's higher clock speeds, 1815 MHz boost versus 902 MHz, and its dedicated RT and tensor cores likely contribute to the result, even if the benchmark does not specifically target those units.

The broader benchmark suite, available only for the RTX 5000, adds context. Passmark G3D scores 15,616, and GPU compute scores 6,525. DirectX 11 scores 140, while DirectX 12 scores 59. These are the only recorded Passmark results for either card, so cross-comparison is impossible, but they do show the RTX 5000 handles legacy and modern APIs alike. The K6000 has no Passmark entries at all, which limits the database's ability to assess its DirectX performance. The average benchmark score of 21,629 for the RTX 5000 versus 19,030 for the K6000 reflects the RTX 5000's dominance, though the average includes the K6000's Metal score in its own tally.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every specification category. The RTX 5000 uses the TU104 chip on Turing architecture at 12 nm, while the K6000 uses GK110B on Kepler at 28 nm. Transistor count is 13,600 million versus 7,080 million, and density is 25.0M per mm² versus 12.6M per mm². The die sizes are close, 545 mm² versus 561 mm², but the RTX 5000 packs far more silicon density.

Clocks favor the RTX 5000: 1620 MHz base and 1815 MHz boost, against 797 MHz base and 902 MHz boost. Memory speed is 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective on the RTX 5000, versus 1502 MHz with 6 Gbps effective on the K6000. Memory size is 16 GB versus 12 GB, type is GDDR6 versus GDDR5, bus width is 256 bit versus 384 bit, and bandwidth is 448.0 GB/s versus 288.4 GB/s.

Compute units differ in configuration. The RTX 5000 has 3,072 shading units, 192 TMUs, 64 ROPs, 48 RT cores, and 384 tensor cores. The K6000 has 2,880 shading units, 240 TMUs, 48 ROPs, and no RT or tensor cores. Pixel rate is 116.2 GPixel/s versus 54.12 GPixel/s, texture rate is 348.5 GTexel/s versus 216.5 GTexel/s, and FP32 is 11.15 TFLOPS versus 5.196 TFLOPS. The RTX 5000 has FP16 at 22.30 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio; the K6000 has no FP16 figure recorded.

Power and connectivity also differ. The RTX 5000 draws 230 W with a 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin connector setup. The K6000 draws 225 W with 2x 6-pin connectors. Both are dual-slot, both recommend a 550 W power supply, and both use PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs are 4x DisplayPort 1.4a plus 1x USB Type-C on the RTX 5000, versus 2x DVI and 2x DisplayPort 1.2 on the K6000. API support goes to the RTX 5000 with DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the K6000 has DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.175. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The RTX 5000 launched in 2018 with a 2,299 USD MSRP; the K6000 launched in 2013 with a 5,265 USD MSRP. Both cards are end-of-life.