GPU Comparison

The benchmark data places the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER in a surprisingly close overall standing, with average scores of 43301 and 43223 respectively. This near-parity in aggregate metrics, however, masks a decisive generational shift in raw compute capability. The data reveals that while these two cards occupy a similar tier in the overall performance percentile, their architectural approaches and the resulting benchmark outcomes are anything but equivalent.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The direct comparison in the FACT PACK is limited to two compute-oriented tests, and the results are unequivocal. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RTX 4070 SUPER scores 172795, while the Quadro M6000 manages 39688. This represents a delta of -77%, meaning the RTX 4070 SUPER is approximately 77% faster in this workload. The Geekbench Vulkan test tells a similar story, with the RTX 4070 SUPER scoring 205624 against the Quadro M6000's 46913, a delta of -77.2%. The data shows a complete sweep for the RTX 4070 SUPER, with two wins and zero for the Quadro M6000.

These are not marginal improvements; they are generational leaps. The RTX 4070 SUPER's scores are more than four times higher than the Quadro M6000's in both tests. This disparity suggests that the older Maxwell architecture is being heavily outstripped by the Ada Lovelace design in tasks that leverage modern compute APIs. The RTX 4070 SUPER's Vulkan score of 205624 is particularly noteworthy, as it indicates a very strong ability to handle the lower-level, high-efficiency graphics and compute workloads that are becoming increasingly standard. The Quadro M6000's Vulkan score of 46913, while respectable for its era, simply cannot compete with the newer card's execution units and driver optimizations.

It is important to contextualize these head-to-head results with the overall benchmark averages. The RTX 4070 SUPER's average score of 43223 is only 0.2% lower than the Quadro M6000's 43301. This is a critical insight. The aggregate average, which likely includes a broader range of legacy and DirectX-based tests, brings the two cards to a statistical tie. However, the specific OpenCL and Vulkan tests, which are more representative of modern compute and rendering pipelines, show a massive gulf. This indicates that the RTX 4070 SUPER's performance is heavily weighted toward new-generation APIs, while the Quadro M6000's score is buoyed by its performance in older, more traditional benchmark scenarios.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear, though nuanced, verdict. For anyone whose workload involves modern compute APIs, the choice is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the superior card. Its 77% lead in OpenCL and 77.2% lead in Vulkan are overwhelming. The RTX 4070 SUPER is the only rational pick for users running contemporary 3D applications, machine learning inference, or any task that leverages DirectX 12 Ultimate or Vulkan. The Quadro M6000, despite its professional branding, is simply outclassed in these areas.

However, the near-identical average benchmark scores introduce a caveat. If a user's software is primarily based on older APIs like DirectX 11 or earlier, the aggregate data suggests that the Quadro M6000 might not be at a significant disadvantage. Its average score of 43301, which places it in the 84th percentile of all GPUs, indicates it still holds up in legacy workloads. The RTX 4070 SUPER sits just behind in the 83rd percentile. The choice, therefore, hinges entirely on the software environment. For a modern workflow, the RTX 4070 SUPER is a no-contest winner. For a strictly legacy, API-limited environment, the Quadro M6000 could be a surprisingly viable, though aging, option.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 has a marginally higher average benchmark score of 43301, compared to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER's 43223. The difference is a mere 0.2%.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 4070 SUPER in the Geekbench Vulkan test?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER scores 205624 in Geekbench Vulkan, while the Quadro M6000 scores 46913. This gives the RTX 4070 SUPER a 77.2% performance advantage in that specific test.

Q: Does the Quadro M6000 win any of the head-to-head benchmark comparisons?

A: No. The data shows the RTX 4070 SUPER winning both head-to-head tests (Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan), leaving the Quadro M6000 with zero wins in the head-to-head comparison.

Q: What is the performance percentile ranking for each card?

A: The Quadro M6000 is ranked in the 84th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 4070 SUPER is ranked in the 83rd percentile.

Q: Are the overall performance levels of these two cards considered close?

A: Yes, according to the average benchmark scores. The RTX 4070 SUPER's average score of 43223 is only 0.2% away from the Quadro M6000's 43301, placing them in a similar performance tier overall.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ significantly in nearly every core specification. The processing node is a major divergence, with the Quadro M6000 built on a 28 nm process and the RTX 4070 SUPER on a 5 nm process. This leads to a massive difference in transistor density; the RTX 4070 SUPER packs 121.8M transistors per mm², while the Quadro M6000 has just 13.3M per mm². The RTX 4070 SUPER also has a substantially higher transistor count of 35,800 million, compared to the Quadro M6000's 8,000 million, despite having a smaller die size of 294 mm² versus 601 mm².

Clock speeds are far higher on the newer card. The RTX 4070 SUPER has a base clock of 1980 MHz and a boost clock of 2475 MHz, while the Quadro M6000 operates at a 988 MHz base and 1114 MHz boost. Memory technology also differs, with the RTX 4070 SUPER using 12 GB of GDDR6X on a 192-bit bus, while the Quadro M6000 uses 12 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus. This results in a bandwidth advantage for the RTX 4070 SUPER, which offers 504.2 GB/s compared to 317.4 GB/s for the Quadro M6000.

The compute units show a stark difference in configuration. The RTX 4070 SUPER has 7168 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. The Quadro M6000, in contrast, has only 3072 shading units, 192 TMUs, but a higher 96 ROPs. The RTX 4070 SUPER also features 56 RT cores and 224 tensor cores, which are entirely absent from the Quadro M6000. Power consumption is lower on the newer card, with a TDP of 220 W versus 250 W, and it requires a different power connector (1x 16-pin vs 1x 8-pin). The bus interface has also been updated to PCIe 4.0 x16 on the RTX 4070 SUPER, compared to PCIe 3.0 x16 on the Quadro M6000. Finally, the display outputs differ, with the RTX 4070 SUPER offering 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the Quadro M6000 provides 1x DVI and 4x DisplayPort 1.2.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is a primary driver of their performance differences. The Quadro M6000 is built on the Maxwell 2.0 architecture using the GM200 chip, representing the culmination of NVIDIA's Quadro Maxwell generation. In contrast, the RTX 4070 SUPER is based on the much newer Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD104 chip. This generational leap is fundamental.

The most significant feature additions on the RTX 4070 SUPER are the dedicated RT cores and tensor cores. The 56 RT cores provide hardware-accelerated ray tracing capabilities, a feature completely absent from the Maxwell-based Quadro M6000. Similarly, the 224 tensor cores enable AI-accelerated features like DLSS and other deep learning workloads, which the Quadro M6000 cannot perform in hardware. This is a clear functional division; the RTX 4070 SUPER is built for the future of graphics and compute, while the Quadro M6000 is a product of a pre-ray tracing, pre-AI era.

The manufacturing process is another critical architectural difference. The 28 nm process of the Quadro M6000 is a significant handicap compared to the 5 nm process of the RTX 4070 SUPER. This allows the newer card to pack over four times the transistors into a die that is less than half the size, resulting in a much higher transistor density. This efficiency, combined with higher clock speeds, explains why the RTX 4070 SUPER can achieve dramatically higher FP32 performance of 35.48 TFLOPS and FP16 performance of 35.48 TFLOPS (1:1), while the Quadro M6000 is limited to 6.844 TFLOPS FP32 with no listed FP16 capability. The DirectX support also differs, with the RTX 4070 SUPER supporting 12 Ultimate (12_2) versus the Quadro M6000's 12 (12_1).

Where Each One Wins

Based strictly on the benchmark data, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the definitive winner in modern compute and graphics workloads. Its massive leads in Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan make it the clear choice for any application that utilizes these APIs, which includes most contemporary games, 3D rendering software, and general-purpose GPU computing. The presence of RT and tensor cores further cements its position as the superior card for ray-traced content and AI-assisted tasks. The data indicates that for any forward-looking use case, the RTX 4070 SUPER is the only option.

The NVIDIA Quadro M6000's case for victory is more subtle and is based on inference from the overall score rather than direct head-to-head wins. Its slightly higher average benchmark score of 43301, combined with its 84th percentile ranking, suggests it remains competitive in a broader set of older tests. The higher ROP count of 96, compared to the RTX 4070 SUPER's 80, could also hint at an advantage in certain fill-rate-limited, legacy rasterization scenarios. Therefore, the Quadro M6000 could be considered a viable winner in a hypothetical environment that relies exclusively on older, pre-DirectX 12 Ultimate APIs, where its raw throughput in those specific tests might not be as far behind. The data does not provide direct evidence for this, but the near-parity in overall average score implies that its legacy performance is what keeps it competitive.