GPU Comparison

The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile represent two distinct eras of GPU design, separated by nearly eight years of architectural evolution. The data reveals a generational chasm in raw performance, yet the older card still holds specific advantages that may appeal to certain professional workflows. This analysis pits the 2015-era Maxwell workstation GPU against the 2023 Ada Lovelace mobile powerhouse, using only the benchmark results and specifications provided to determine which card wins where it matters.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark data is unambiguous in its verdict. The GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile dominates the Quadro M6000 in both available tests, with margins that are nothing short of staggering. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RTX 4080 Mobile scores 159,575 points against the Quadro’s 39,688 points. That is a delta of -75.1% from the perspective of the Quadro, meaning the newer card is roughly four times faster in this compute-oriented workload. The gap in raw compute throughput is equally evident in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the RTX 4080 Mobile posts 145,807 points compared to the Quadro’s 46,913 points, a delta of -67.8%.

These results align perfectly with the theoretical specifications. The RTX 4080 Mobile’s FP32 throughput is listed at 24.72 TFLOPS, while the Quadro M6000 manages 6.844 TFLOPS. Even accounting for real-world inefficiencies, the near 3.6x theoretical advantage in floating-point performance translates directly into the benchmark margins observed. The RTX 4080 Mobile also boasts significantly higher texture and pixel rates: 386.3 GTexel/s versus 213.9 GTexel/s, and 133.2 GPixel/s versus 106.9 GPixel/s, respectively. However, the Quadro does win on one fundamental metric: memory bandwidth per bit. While the RTX 4080 Mobile has a higher total bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s, it achieves this on a 192-bit bus with GDDR6 memory, whereas the Quadro M6000 uses a wider 384-bit bus with GDDR5 to reach 317.4 GB/s. The older card’s wider memory interface is a relic of a different design philosophy, but it does not compensate for the newer card’s superior memory technology and raw speed.

The average benchmark scores further contextualize the divide. The Quadro M6000 has an average score of 43,301 across all its tests, while the RTX 4080 Mobile averages 38,135. This is a curious inversion: the RTX 4080 Mobile wins the head-to-head tests decisively but has a lower average score. This is explained by the inclusion of additional tests for the RTX 4080 Mobile, such as PassMark DirectX 9 (score of 286) and DirectX 10 (score of 157), which are legacy APIs that heavily skew the average downward. The Quadro M6000 only has two benchmark entries, both of which are modern compute tests where it performs relatively well. When looking strictly at the head-to-head data, the RTX 4080 Mobile wins 2-0, with no benchmark victories for the Quadro M6000.

The Verdict

The data makes one thing clear: the GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile is the overwhelmingly faster GPU. Its victories in both Geekbench tests are not marginal; they are landslides. The RTX 4080 Mobile’s nearest rivals in the average benchmark score list include the GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile (with a delta of -0.6%) and the GeForce RTX 4070 (with a delta of 1.3%), placing it in the same performance tier as those modern cards. The Quadro M6000’s rivals, on the other hand, include the GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile (delta 0.1%) and the GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile (delta -0.8%), which are similarly modern parts. Despite the Quadro’s higher percentile ranking (84th percentile vs. 81st), that ranking is based on its average score of 43,301, which is inflated by the absence of legacy API tests. The RTX 4080 Mobile’s raw performance in compute-heavy workloads is simply in a different league.

For any user whose primary concern is raw compute performance, the RTX 4080 Mobile is the only choice. The data shows no scenario where the Quadro M6000 outruns it. However, the verdict is not entirely one-sided when considering the context of the hardware. The Quadro M6000 is a dual-slot desktop card with a 250W TDP, while the RTX 4080 Mobile is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with a 110W TDP. The newer card achieves its performance at less than half the power consumption, a testament to the efficiency gains of the 5nm process node over the 28nm node. The RTX 4080 Mobile is the superior product by every performance metric, but its mobile nature and lack of discrete power connectors mean it is designed for a completely different physical environment.

Where Each One Wins

The GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile wins in every benchmark category where the two cards are directly compared. This includes both OpenCL and Vulkan compute workloads, which are representative of modern rendering, scientific simulation, and machine learning inference tasks. Its 24.72 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 24.72 TFLOPS of FP16 performance (at a 1:1 ratio) make it a far more capable compute device. Furthermore, its support for DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and its inclusion of 58 RT cores and 232 Tensor cores give it capabilities that the Quadro M6000 simply does not have, such as hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI-accelerated features. The RTX 4080 Mobile’s higher texture rate (386.3 GTexel/s) and pixel rate (133.2 GPixel/s) also make it better suited for high-resolution texture-heavy workloads.

The Quadro M6000, on the other hand, wins in specific architectural and connectivity aspects. Its 384-bit memory bus is wider than the RTX 4080 Mobile’s 192-bit bus, which historically provides better performance in memory-bandwidth-bound professional applications that access large datasets with poor locality. The Quadro also offers a display output configuration of 1x DVI and 4x DisplayPort 1.2, which is a fixed, multi-monitor setup common in professional workstations. The RTX 4080 Mobile’s display outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent," meaning its connectivity is determined by the laptop manufacturer, not the GPU itself. The Quadro’s dual-slot form factor and 1x 8-pin power connector also indicate it is intended for a desktop chassis with robust cooling, whereas the RTX 4080 Mobile requires none of that infrastructure.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile is significantly faster, scoring 159,575 points compared to the Quadro M6000’s 39,688 points. This represents a -75.1% delta for the Quadro, meaning the RTX 4080 Mobile is roughly four times faster.

Q: Does the Quadro M6000 have any benchmark wins against the RTX 4080 Mobile?

A: No. The head-to-head benchmark data shows zero wins for the Quadro M6000 and two wins for the RTX 4080 Mobile (Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan).

Q: How do their memory systems compare?

A: The Quadro M6000 has 12 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, providing 317.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 4080 Mobile also has 12 GB, but it is GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, providing a higher total bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s.

Q: What is the difference in their floating-point performance?

A: The RTX 4080 Mobile has a theoretical FP32 performance of 24.72 TFLOPS, while the Quadro M6000 has 6.844 TFLOPS. The RTX 4080 Mobile also offers FP16 performance at a 1:1 ratio (24.72 TFLOPS), while the Quadro’s FP16 capability is not listed.

Q: Which card has ray tracing and tensor cores?

A: Only the GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile has them, with 58 RT cores and 232 Tensor cores. The Quadro M6000 lists no RT or Tensor cores, as its Maxwell 2.0 architecture predates these features.

Q: How do their power requirements differ?

A: The Quadro M6000 has a TDP of 250 W and requires a 1x 8-pin power connector. The RTX 4080 Mobile has a TDP of 110 W and requires no power connectors, as it is an IGP designed for laptops.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is immense. The Quadro M6000 is built on the Maxwell 2.0 architecture, using the GM200 chip on a 28 nm process node from TSMC. It packs 8,000 million transistors on a 601 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 13.3 million per mm². The RTX 4080 Mobile, in contrast, uses the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD104 chip on a 5 nm process node, also from TSMC. It contains 35,800 million transistors on a much smaller 294 mm² die, resulting in a density of 121.8 million per mm². This is a 9.2x increase in transistor density, which explains the massive performance leap despite the smaller physical size.

The core configurations are equally divergent. The Quadro M6000 has 3072 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The RTX 4080 Mobile has 7424 shading units, 232 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. While the RTX 4080 Mobile has more shading units and TMUs, the Quadro has more ROPs, which is likely a factor in its relatively strong pixel rate (106.9 GPixel/s) despite being far older. The RTX 4080 Mobile also introduces dedicated hardware for ray tracing (58 RT cores) and AI acceleration (232 Tensor cores), which are entirely absent from the Quadro. In terms of software support, the Quadro supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the RTX 4080 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), which includes features like mesh shaders and variable rate shading. Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. The bus interface also differs, with the Quadro using PCIe 3.0 x16 and the RTX 4080 Mobile using PCIe 4.0 x16.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ on nearly every core specification. The process node is a major differentiator: 28 nm for the Quadro M6000 versus 5 nm for the RTX 4080 Mobile. The transistor count is 8,000 million versus 35,800 million, and the die size is 601 mm² versus 294 mm². The base clock speeds are 988 MHz for the Quadro and 1290 MHz for the RTX 4080 Mobile, with boost clocks of 1114 MHz and 1665 MHz, respectively. The memory is GDDR5 on the Quadro and GDDR6 on the RTX 4080 Mobile, with effective speeds of 6.6 Gbps and 18 Gbps, respectively. The memory bus width is 384-bit for the Quadro and 192-bit for the RTX 4080 Mobile, but the RTX 4080 Mobile’s higher memory speed gives it a bandwidth advantage (432.0 GB/s vs 317.4 GB/s).

The shading unit counts are 3072 versus 7424, and the TMU counts are 192 versus 232. The ROP counts are 96 versus 80. The TDP is 250 W for the Quadro and 110 W for the RTX 4080 Mobile. The slot width is dual-slot for the Quadro and IGP for the RTX 4080 Mobile. Power connectors are 1x 8-pin for the Quadro and none for the RTX 4080 Mobile. The suggested PSU for the Quadro is 600 W, while no such figure is listed for the RTX 4080 Mobile. The display outputs are 1x DVI and 4x DisplayPort 1.2 for the Quadro, versus "Portable Device Dependent" for the RTX 4080 Mobile. The release dates are 2015-03-20 for the Quadro and 2023-01-02 for the RTX 4080 Mobile. The production status is end-of-life for the Quadro and active for the RTX 4080 Mobile. Finally, the FP32 performance is 6.844 TFLOPS for the Quadro and 24.72 TFLOPS for the RTX 4080 Mobile, with FP16 performance only listed for the RTX 4080 Mobile at 24.72 TFLOPS.