AMD Radeon HD 7970 vs NVIDIA Quadro M6000 Comparison

The Verdict

The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 is the clear performance winner in this comparison. The recorded data shows it beats the AMD Radeon HD 7970 in the only shared benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, by 14.9%. That translates to a score of 39688 versus 34541. If you need maximum compute throughput for professional workloads, the M6000 is the card to pick.

However, the AMD Radeon HD 7970 has its own place. Its launch MSRP was 549 USD. It is an older card from a different era, and its benchmark results still place it in the 79th percentile of all GPUs. For someone building a system around legacy software or needing a specific older feature set, the HD 7970 remains a functional option. The data shows it is not obsolete; it simply trails the M6000 in raw performance.

The M6000 also has a massive memory advantage. It ships with 12 GB of GDDR5, while the HD 7970 has 3 GB. For workloads that exceed 3 GB of video memory, the M6000 is the only viable choice between these two. The M6000 is also newer, with a release date of 2015-03-20, compared to the HD 7970's 2012-01-08. Both cards are end-of-life and dual-slot, and both have a TDP of 250 W.

In short: pick the M6000 for performance, memory capacity, and newer architecture. Pick the HD 7970 only if you specifically need its older GCN feature set or its particular display outputs, and if the performance gap is acceptable for your workload.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different architectural generations. The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 uses the GM200 chip, built on Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The AMD Radeon HD 7970 uses the Tahiti chip, built on GCN 1.0 architecture. Both are fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process node, but that is where the similarity ends.

The M6000's die is significantly larger. It measures 601 mm² and contains 8,000 million transistors. The HD 7970's die is 352 mm² with 4,313 million transistors. This gives the M6000 a higher transistor density of 13.3M per mm², versus 12.3M per mm² for the HD 7970. The larger die and higher transistor count are the foundation of the M6000's performance advantage.

The M6000 has a base clock of 988 MHz and a boost clock of 1114 MHz. The HD 7970's clocks are not listed in the database. The M6000 also has faster memory: 1653 MHz, or 6.6 Gbps effective, versus 1375 MHz, or 5.5 Gbps effective, for the HD 7970. Both use GDDR5 and a 384-bit bus, but the M6000's higher memory clock gives it a bandwidth of 317.4 GB/s, compared to 264.0 GB/s for the HD 7970.

Feature support also differs. The M6000 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the HD 7970 supports DirectX 12 (11_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6. The M6000 supports Vulkan 1.4, while the HD 7970 supports Vulkan 1.2.170. The M6000's newer API support makes it more future-proof for modern software.

FAQ

Q: Which card has higher raw compute performance?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro M6000. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 39688, which is 14.9% higher than the AMD Radeon HD 7970's score of 34541.

Q: How much memory does each card have?

A: The M6000 has 12 GB of GDDR5 memory. The HD 7970 has 3 GB of GDDR5 memory. Both use a 384-bit memory bus.

Q: Are both cards still being produced?

A: No. Both are listed as end-of-life in the database. The M6000 was released on 2015-03-20, and the HD 7970 was released on 2012-01-08.

Q: What is the power consumption of these cards?

A: Both cards have a TDP of 250 W. Both also have a suggested PSU of 600 W.

Q: Which card has better API support?

A: The M6000 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4. The HD 7970 supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. The M6000 has the newer API versions.

Q: How does the memory bandwidth compare?

A: The M6000 has a memory bandwidth of 317.4 GB/s, while the HD 7970 has a bandwidth of 264.0 GB/s. The M6000's bandwidth is substantially higher, which helps in memory-intensive workloads.

Specification Differences

The following fields differ between the two cards:

• Chip: GM200 (M6000) versus Tahiti (HD 7970)
• Architecture: Maxwell 2.0 (M6000) versus GCN 1.0 (HD 7970)
• Transistors: 8,000 million (M6000) versus 4,313 million (HD 7970)
• Die Size: 601 mm² (M6000) versus 352 mm² (HD 7970)
• Transistor Density: 13.3M / mm² (M6000) versus 12.3M / mm² (HD 7970)
• Base Clock: 988 MHz (M6000) versus not listed (HD 7970)
• Boost Clock: 1114 MHz (M6000) versus not listed (HD 7970)
• Memory Clock: 1653 MHz / 6.6 Gbps effective (M6000) versus 1375 MHz / 5.5 Gbps effective (HD 7970)
• Memory Size: 12 GB (M6000) versus 3 GB (HD 7970)
• Memory Bandwidth: 317.4 GB/s (M6000) versus 264.0 GB/s (HD 7970)
• Shading Units: 3072 (M6000) versus 2048 (HD 7970)
• TMUs: 192 (M6000) versus 128 (HD 7970)
• ROPs: 96 (M6000) versus 32 (HD 7970)
• Pixel Rate: 106.9 GPixel/s (M6000) versus 29.60 GPixel/s (HD 7970)
• Texture Rate: 213.9 GTexel/s (M6000) versus 118.4 GTexel/s (HD 7970)
• FP32: 6.844 TFLOPS (M6000) versus 3.789 TFLOPS (HD 7970)
• Power Connectors: 1x 8-pin (M6000) versus 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin (HD 7970)
• Display Outputs: 1x DVI, 4x DisplayPort 1.2 (M6000) versus 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 (HD 7970)
• DirectX Support: 12 (12_1) (M6000) versus 12 (11_1) (HD 7970)
• Vulkan Support: 1.4 (M6000) versus 1.2.170 (HD 7970)
• Length: 267 mm / 10.5 inches (M6000) versus 275 mm / 10.8 inches (HD 7970)
• Width: not listed (M6000) versus 38 mm / 1.5 inches (HD 7970)

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains one head-to-head benchmark between these two cards: Geekbench OpenCL. The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 wins this test with a score of 39688, while the AMD Radeon HD 7970 scores 34541. The delta is 14.9% in favor of the M6000.

This result is consistent with the underlying specifications. The M6000 has 3072 shading units versus 2048 for the HD 7970, a 50% advantage in sheer shader count. Its FP32 throughput of 6.844 TFLOPS is nearly double the HD 7970's 3.789 TFLOPS. The M6000's texture rate of 213.9 GTexel/s is also significantly higher than the HD 7970's 118.4 GTexel/s. These raw compute advantages directly translate into the measured OpenCL score.

The M6000 also wins decisively on pixel throughput. Its pixel rate is 106.9 GPixel/s, versus 29.60 GPixel/s for the HD 7970. This is a 3.6x difference, driven by the M6000's 96 ROPs compared to the HD 7970's 32 ROPs. For any workload involving rasterization or pixel-heavy rendering, the M6000 will pull far ahead.

The HD 7970 has no benchmark wins in the database. Every recorded metric favors the M6000.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 wins in every measured category. Its strengths are clear:

• Compute performance: 14.9% ahead in Geekbench OpenCL, with nearly double the FP32 throughput.
• Memory capacity: 12 GB versus 3 GB, making it suitable for large datasets and high-resolution textures.
• Memory bandwidth: 317.4 GB/s versus 264.0 GB/s, which helps in bandwidth-bound workloads.
• Pixel and texture throughput: 106.9 GPixel/s and 213.9 GTexel/s, versus 29.60 GPixel/s and 118.4 GTexel/s.
• API support: DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, versus DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170.

The AMD Radeon HD 7970 has no benchmark wins, but it has practical advantages in certain scenarios:

• Physical size: It is slightly longer at 275 mm versus 267 mm, but it is the same height of 111 mm. It is narrower in width at 38 mm, though the M6000's width is not listed.
• Display outputs: It includes an HDMI 1.4a port, which the M6000 lacks. The M6000 has four DisplayPort 1.2 outputs, while the HD 7970 has two mini-DisplayPort 1.2 outputs.
• Power connectors: The HD 7970 uses 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin, which may be more compatible with certain legacy PSUs that have multiple 6-pin cables.

For a modern professional workload, the M6000 is the obvious choice. Its performance, memory, and API support are all superior. The HD 7970 is a viable fallback for legacy systems that need its specific output configuration or older driver ecosystem, but the data shows it cannot compete on raw performance.