AMD Radeon RX 570 vs NVIDIA Quadro M5000 Comparison
AMD Radeon RX 570
Quadro M5000
PERFORMANCE BENCHMARKS
Analysis: AMD Radeon RX 570 vs NVIDIA Quadro M5000
The benchmark data shows a clear performance hierarchy between the NVIDIA Quadro M5000 and the AMD Radeon RX 570, with AMD winning both shared test categories. While the Quadro M5000 targets professional visualization workloads, the Radeon RX 570 demonstrates superior raw compute throughput in the available benchmarks. The average benchmark scores paint a nuanced picture: the Quadro M5000 holds a higher overall average (31,206 versus 28,766), yet the RX 570 wins decisively in the two direct comparisons, indicating the Quadro's standing is buoyed by its other benchmark results not present in this head-to-head.
Head-to-Head Benchmarks
The AMD Radeon RX 570 wins both head-to-head tests, establishing a commanding lead in compute-oriented workloads. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 570 scores 32,084 against the Quadro M5000's 29,481, translating to an 8.1% deficit for the NVIDIA card. This margin is notable given that both cards share identical shading unit counts (2,048) and TMU counts (128), meaning the performance gap stems from architectural efficiency and clock speeds rather than raw resource allocation.
The Geekbench Vulkan result amplifies this divergence further. The RX 570 achieves 42,752 points, while the Quadro M5000 manages only 32,931 — a 23% advantage for AMD. This substantial delta suggests the GCN 4.0 architecture handles Vulkan's low-level API overhead more effectively than Maxwell 2.0, or that the RX 570's higher boost clock (1,244 MHz versus 1,038 MHz) provides a decisive edge in API-specific workloads. The Vulkan gap is nearly three times larger than the OpenCL gap, indicating API efficiency differences play a significant role beyond raw clock speeds.
The overall wins tally confirms this narrative: AMD secures 2 wins, while NVIDIA secures 0 in the direct comparison. However, context matters — the Quadro M5000's average benchmark score of 31,206 sits 8.5% higher than the RX 570's 28,766 average, suggesting the Quadro performs better in other test suites not included in this head-to-head. The RX 570's percentile ranking (74th versus the Quadro's 76th) also indicates that while AMD wins these specific tests, the NVIDIA card holds a slightly stronger position across the broader GPU landscape.
Architecture Differences
The two cards represent fundamentally different design philosophies from their respective manufacturers. The Quadro M5000 uses NVIDIA's GM204 chip built on Maxwell 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. This older node houses 5,200 million transistors on a 398 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 13.1 million per square millimeter. In contrast, the RX 570 employs AMD's Polaris 20 chip with GCN 4.0 architecture, produced on GlobalFoundries' 14 nm process. The smaller 232 mm² die packs 5,700 million transistors, achieving a far higher density of 24.6 million per square millimeter.
These process differences translate directly to clock behavior. The RX 570 runs at a 1,168 MHz base clock and boosts to 1,244 MHz, while the Quadro M5000 operates at 861 MHz base and 1,038 MHz boost. The newer 14 nm node allows AMD to push significantly higher frequencies while maintaining the same 150 W TDP as the NVIDIA card. Memory clocks also favor AMD: 1,750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) versus 1,653 MHz (6.6 Gbps effective), contributing to the RX 570's 224.0 GB/s bandwidth versus the Quadro's 211.6 GB/s.
Shading resources are identical at 2,048 units and 128 TMUs, but the ROP count differs sharply — NVIDIA deploys 64 ROPs while AMD uses 32. This explains the pixel rate disparity: the Quadro M5000 achieves 66.43 GPixel/s versus the RX 570's 39.81 GPixel/s. Conversely, AMD's texture rate of 159.2 GTexel/s exceeds NVIDIA's 132.9 GTexel/s, despite equal TMU counts, due to the higher clock speeds. FP32 throughput follows the same pattern: the RX 570 delivers 5.095 TFLOPS versus the Quadro's 4.252 TFLOPS, a 19.8% advantage for AMD.
API support shows generational differences. The Quadro M5000 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while the RX 570 lists DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3. Both offer OpenGL 4.6. The RX 570 also includes FP16 support at 5.095 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), a feature absent from the Quadro's specifications. Display outputs differ as well: NVIDIA provides 1x DVI and 4x DisplayPort 1.2, while AMD offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.
Where Each One Wins
The data supports clear use-case splits based on benchmark performance. The RX 570's victories in Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan position it as the stronger choice for compute-intensive and API-forward workloads. Its 23% Vulkan lead suggests particular strength in gaming or applications that leverage modern graphics APIs efficiently. The higher FP32 throughput (5.095 TFLOPS) and texture rate (159.2 GTexel/s) reinforce this compute-oriented advantage, making the RX 570 suitable for tasks where raw shader throughput matters more than rasterization precision.
The Quadro M5000 counters with its 64 ROPs and 66.43 GPixel/s pixel rate, which is 67% higher than the RX 570's fill rate. This makes the NVIDIA card better suited for geometry-heavy rendering, high-resolution display output, or workstation tasks that stress pixel throughput. Its 8 GB memory capacity (double the RX 570's 4 GB) also supports larger datasets and textures, even though the bandwidth is slightly lower. The Quadro's higher percentile ranking (76 versus 74) and superior average benchmark score (31,206 versus 28,766) suggest it performs better across a broader range of standardized tests beyond the two shared benchmarks.
The nearest rival data reinforces these positions. The Quadro M5000's closest competitor, the NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q, scores 31,220 with a 0% delta, while the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER sits 0.4% behind. This indicates the Quadro performs in line with modern high-end gaming cards in average benchmarks. The RX 570's nearest rival, the RX 6800M, shows a -0.4% delta, while the RX 470 trails by -0.8%, placing the RX 570 in a mid-range compute tier. The RX 570 also has access to a Geekbench Metal score of 39,349, a test absent from the Quadro's data, suggesting additional strengths in Apple ecosystem workloads.
Specification Differences
The most consequential specification differences are memory capacity, process node, and ROP count. The Quadro M5000 offers 8 GB GDDR5 versus the RX 570's 4 GB, a 100% capacity advantage despite the RX 570's higher bandwidth (224.0 GB/s versus 211.6 GB/s). Both use 256-bit memory buses, so the bandwidth gap comes solely from faster memory clocks on the AMD card.
Process technology separates the cards by a full node generation: 28 nm for NVIDIA versus 14 nm for AMD. This yields a transistor density advantage of 24.6M / mm² versus 13.1M / mm² for the RX 570, and allows the RX 570 to achieve 5,095 TFLOPS FP32 versus the Quadro's 4.252 TFLOPS. The RX 570 also lists FP16 at 5.095 TFLOPS, while the Quadro has no FP16 specification.
Physical dimensions differ: the Quadro M5000 measures 267 mm (10.5 inches) in length and 111 mm (4.4 inches) in height, while the RX 570 is shorter at 241 mm (9.5 inches) with no height specified. Both are dual-slot cards with 1x 6-pin power connectors and a 450 W suggested PSU. The RX 570 has a launch MSRP of 169 USD. Display outputs favor the RX 570 with newer DisplayPort 1.4a and HDMI 2.0b, versus the Quadro's older DisplayPort 1.2. Both support PCIe 3.0 x16 and have a 150 W TDP.
FAQ
Q: Which card wins in Geekbench OpenCL?
A: The AMD Radeon RX 570 scores 32,084 versus the Quadro M5000's 29,481, a win by 8.1%.
Q: How large is the Vulkan performance gap?
A: The RX 570 achieves 42,752 points against the Quadro's 32,931, meaning the AMD card leads by 23%.
Q: Do both cards have the same number of shading units?
A: Yes, both have 2,048 shading units and 128 texture mapping units, but the RX 570 runs at higher clocks (1,244 MHz boost versus 1,038 MHz).
Q: Which card has more memory bandwidth?
A: The RX 570 provides 224.0 GB/s versus the Quadro's 211.6 GB/s, despite the Quadro having twice the memory capacity (8 GB versus 4 GB).
Q: What is the transistor density difference?
A: The RX 570's 14 nm process yields 24.6M transistors per mm², while the Quadro's 28 nm process achieves 13.1M per mm².
Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?
A: The Quadro M5000 averages 31,206 across all its benchmarks, which is 8.5% higher than the RX 570's 28,766 average, despite losing both direct head-to-head tests.
The Verdict
The data supports a split decision based on workload priorities. For users prioritizing compute performance in OpenCL and Vulkan workloads, the AMD Radeon RX 570 is the clear winner — its 8.1% OpenCL lead and 23% Vulkan lead are decisive, and its higher FP32 throughput (5.095 TFLOPS) and texture rate (159.2 GTexel/s) reinforce this advantage. The RX 570's availability of a Geekbench Metal score (39,349) also indicates broader API coverage, despite its older DirectX 12 (12_0) feature level.
However, the Quadro M5000's higher average benchmark score (31,206 versus 28,766) and better percentile ranking (76 versus 74) suggest it excels in test suites beyond the two shared benchmarks. Its 64 ROPs and 66.43 GPixel/s pixel rate make it superior for rasterization-heavy tasks, and the 8 GB memory capacity supports larger working sets. The Quadro's nearest rivals include the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER and TITAN RTX with deltas of 0.4% and -1.5%, respectively, indicating it competes with far more expensive modern hardware in average performance.
Choose the RX 570 for compute-heavy, API-modern workloads where its clock speed and architecture efficiency translate to measurable wins. Choose the Quadro M5000 for workloads requiring high pixel throughput, large memory buffers, or where its broader benchmark consistency matters more than the specific OpenCL and Vulkan tests where it loses. The data does not support a universal winner — the RX 570 wins the head-to-head, but the Quadro's overall profile suggests it remains competitive in contexts not captured by these two benchmarks.