NVIDIA Quadro M4000 vs NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server Comparison

FAQ

Q: How do the two cards compare in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server scores 5996, while the NVIDIA Quadro M4000 scores 680. This gives the RTX PRO 6000 a 781.8% advantage, the only benchmark where both cards have recorded data.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card?

A: The RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server has an average benchmark score of 5996, based on its single recorded 3DMark result. The Quadro M4000 has an average score of 5467, calculated across ten different benchmark results including Geekbench and Passmark tests.

Q: How does the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The database places the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server at the 34th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M with an average score of 6000 (0.1% lower), and the AMD Radeon RX 6400 at 6001 (0.1% lower). It also sits 0.2% above the AMD FirePro W4100 and NVIDIA Quadro K4000M.

Q: Where does the Quadro M4000 rank relative to other GPUs?

A: The Quadro M4000 sits at the 32nd percentile of all GPUs. Its closest competitor is the AMD Radeon R7 M440 with an average score of 5483 (0.3% lower), followed by the AMD Radeon 610M at 5444 (0.4% higher) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M at 5501 (0.6% lower).

Q: What is the transistor density difference between the two architectures?

A: The RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server, built on a 5 nm process, has a transistor density of 122.9 million transistors per square millimeter. The Quadro M4000, using a 28 nm process, has a density of only 13.1 million per square millimeter.

Q: What are the memory specifications for each card?

A: The RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server has 96 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus with 1.79 TB/s bandwidth. The Quadro M4000 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 192.3 GB/s bandwidth.

Architecture Differences

The RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server and the Quadro M4000 represent two entirely different eras of NVIDIA GPU design. The RTX PRO 6000 uses the GB202 chip based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It packs 92,200 million transistors onto a 750 mm² die. The Quadro M4000 uses the GM204 chip based on Maxwell 2.0, also from TSMC but on a much older 28 nm node, with only 5,200 million transistors on a 398 mm² die. This is a 17.7x difference in transistor count.

The Blackwell architecture introduces hardware features that Maxwell simply does not have. The RTX PRO 6000 includes 188 dedicated ray tracing cores and 752 tensor cores, both of which are entirely absent from the Quadro M4000. The shading unit count also reflects the generational gap: the RTX PRO 6000 has 24,064 shading units, 752 texture mapping units, and 192 ROPs, compared to 1,664 shading units, 104 TMUs, and 64 ROPs on the Quadro M4000.

The memory subsystem is another fundamental split. The RTX PRO 6000 uses GDDR7 memory running at 28 Gbps effective, while the Quadro M4000 uses GDDR5 at 6 Gbps effective. The RTX PRO 6000's 512-bit bus width is double the Quadro M4000's 256-bit bus, yielding 1.79 TB/s versus 192.3 GB/s bandwidth. This is a 9.3x difference in raw memory throughput.

API support also separates the two. The RTX PRO 6000 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the Quadro M4000 only reaches DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4, but the Blackwell card's feature set is significantly more advanced for modern workloads.

Finally, the physical and power profiles differ dramatically. The RTX PRO 6000 is a dual-slot card with a 600 W TDP, requiring a 1000 W power supply and a single 16-pin connector. The Quadro M4000 is a single-slot card with a 120 W TDP, a 300 W suggested PSU, and a single 6-pin connector. The Blackwell card is also longer at 267 mm versus 241 mm, though both share the same 111 mm height.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains exactly one head-to-head benchmark between these two cards: 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. The result is decisive. The RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server scores 5996, while the Quadro M4000 scores 680. This represents a 781.8% delta in favor of the Blackwell card. To put this in context, the RTX PRO 6000's score is nearly nine times higher than the Quadro M4000's.

The RTX PRO 6000's score of 5996 places it at the 34th percentile of all GPUs, which is surprisingly modest given the magnitude of the win over the Quadro M4000. However, the nearest rivals list shows that the 5996 score is essentially tied with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M (6000, 0.1% lower) and the AMD Radeon RX 6400 (6001, 0.1% lower). This suggests that the Steel Nomad test may be a specific workload where the Blackwell server card does not fully stretch its legs, or that the test itself is more sensitive to certain GPU features.

The Quadro M4000's score of 680 is far below its average benchmark score of 5467. This indicates that the Steel Nomad DX12 test is particularly punishing for the Maxwell architecture, likely due to its lack of modern DirectX 12 Ultimate features and much lower raw compute throughput. The Quadro M4000's other benchmark results, such as Geekbench OpenCL at 19118 and Vulkan at 24640, show that it performs relatively better in compute-oriented tests than in this modern gaming-style workload.

The wins tally is straightforward: the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server wins 1 head-to-head benchmark, and the Quadro M4000 wins 0. There is no recorded benchmark where the Quadro M4000 outperforms the RTX PRO 6000.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server | NVIDIA Quadro M4000 |

|---|---|---|

| Chip | GB202 | GM204 |

| Architecture | Blackwell 2.0 | Maxwell 2.0 |

| Process Node | 5 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 92,200 million | 5,200 million |

| Die Size | 750 mm² | 398 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 122.9M / mm² | 13.1M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1590 MHz | Not specified |

| Boost Clock | 2617 MHz | Not specified |

| Memory Clock | 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective) | 1502 MHz (6 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 96 GB | 8 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR7 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus Width | 512 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 1.79 TB/s | 192.3 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 24,064 | 1,664 |

| TMUs | 752 | 104 |

| ROPs | 192 | 64 |

| RT Cores | 188 | None |

| Tensor Cores | 752 | None |

| Pixel Rate | 502.5 GPixel/s | 49.47 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 1,968.0 GTexel/s | 80.39 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 126.0 TFLOPS | 2.573 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 126.0 TFLOPS (1:1) | Not specified |

| TDP | 600 W | 120 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | Single-slot |

| Power Connectors | 1x 16-pin | 1x 6-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 1000 W | 300 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 5.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 4x DisplayPort 2.1b | 4x DisplayPort 1.2 |

| DirectX Support | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (12_1) |

| Dimensions | 267 mm x 111 mm x 40 mm | 241 mm x 111 mm |

| Production Status | Active | End-of-life |

| Release Date | 2025-03-17 | 2015-06-28 |

Where Each One Wins

The RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server wins in every measured category that has a direct comparison. Its FP32 compute throughput of 126.0 TFLOPS is 49x higher than the Quadro M4000's 2.573 TFLOPS. Pixel rate is 502.5 GPixel/s versus 49.47 GPixel/s, a 10.2x difference. Texture rate is 1,968.0 GTexel/s versus 80.39 GTexel/s, a 24.5x difference. Memory bandwidth is 9.3x higher, and memory capacity is 12x higher at 96 GB versus 8 GB.

The RTX PRO 6000 also wins on modern feature support. It has ray tracing cores and tensor cores that are completely absent from the Quadro M4000. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, PCIe 5.0, and DisplayPort 2.1b, while the Quadro M4000 is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1), PCIe 3.0, and DisplayPort 1.2. The Blackwell card is also actively in production, while the Quadro M4000 is end-of-life.

The Quadro M4000's only wins are in power efficiency and physical footprint. It consumes 120 W versus 600 W, requires only a 300 W PSU versus 1000 W, and fits in a single slot versus dual-slot. It is also shorter at 241 mm versus 267 mm. These factors make it easier to deploy in space-constrained or power-limited environments, though the performance trade-off is enormous.

In the recorded benchmark data, the RTX PRO 6000 wins the only head-to-head test. The Quadro M4000 has no benchmark victories against its newer counterpart.

The Verdict

The data overwhelmingly favors the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server for any workload that requires raw performance, modern API support, or large memory capacity. Its 781.8% lead in the Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark, combined with 49x higher FP32 throughput and 12x more memory, makes it the clear choice for compute-intensive tasks, AI inference, or large dataset processing. The inclusion of ray tracing and tensor cores further extends its utility to workloads that the Quadro M4000 cannot handle at all.

The Quadro M4000 remains relevant only in scenarios where power consumption and physical size are the primary constraints. Its 120 W TDP and single-slot design allow deployment in systems that cannot accommodate the RTX PRO 6000's 600 W TDP and dual-slot footprint. For legacy applications that do not leverage modern DirectX features, the Quadro M4000's support for DirectX 12 (12_1) may be sufficient, though its 32nd percentile ranking indicates it is a low-performance option even among its peers.

Buyers with active rendering, simulation, or AI workloads should choose the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server without hesitation. Its active production status and 2025 release date also ensure long-term driver support and availability. The Quadro M4000, released in 2015 and now end-of-life, should only be considered for replacement purposes or for systems with severe power and space limitations where the performance deficit is acceptable. The recorded data shows no scenario where the Quadro M4000 outperforms the RTX PRO 6000, so the decision rests entirely on whether the Blackwell card's physical requirements can be met.