NVIDIA Quadro K2100M

The NVIDIA Quadro K2100M is a mobile workstation GPU built on the Kepler architecture, using the GK106S chip manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. With 576 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 16 raster operations pipelines, this end-of-life part targets professional laptops via an MXM Module slot. Its average benchmark score across Geekbench compute tests is 3912, placing it at the 22nd percentile of all GPUs, which indicates a modest performance tier even within its own generation.

Benchmark Performance

The Quadro K2100M delivers an average benchmark score of 3912, derived from three compute tests: Geekbench Metal at 3020, Geekbench OpenCL at 4587, and Geekbench Vulkan at 4128. The OpenCL result is notably higher than the Metal score, reflecting that the Kepler architecture was optimized for general compute workloads rather than Apple’s Metal API, which became prominent later. The Vulkan score sits between the two, showing moderate API efficiency for a GPU from this era.

Against its nearest rivals, the K2100M’s performance is essentially a three-way tie. The AMD Radeon R5 M420 scores 3911, a delta of 0%, meaning the K2100M is statistically identical in average compute performance. The NVIDIA Quadro K2000D scores 3919, putting the K2100M 0.2% behind, a margin that falls within run-to-run variance. The NVIDIA Quadro P1000 scores 3900, placing the K2100M 0.3% ahead, again a negligible difference. The NVIDIA Quadro 2000D scores 3930, which is 0.5% higher than the K2100M, the largest gap among these rivals but still within a single percentage point.

What these tiny deltas reveal is that the K2100M sits in a performance cluster where no single GPU holds a meaningful advantage. The 22nd percentile ranking reinforces this: it is below the median GPU but not at the very bottom. In practical terms, a user moving between any of these four cards would notice no measurable difference in compute-heavy tasks like rendering or simulation, as the maximum spread is only 0.8% between the lowest (P1000 at 3900) and highest (Quadro 2000D at 3930) scores. The K2100M’s 768.4 GFLOPS of FP32 throughput, combined with a pixel rate of 8.004 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 32.02 GTexel/s, provides the raw processing capacity behind these benchmark numbers, though the scores suggest that memory bandwidth—capped at 48.13 GB/s over a 128-bit bus—may be the limiting factor in more complex workloads.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

The Quadro K2100M does not include any dedicated ray tracing cores or tensor cores, as those hardware units were introduced in later NVIDIA architectures. Instead, this GPU relies on the Kepler design’s general-purpose CUDA cores for all graphics and compute tasks. The absence of RT cores means hardware-accelerated ray tracing is not available on this part, and any ray-traced effects would have to be handled through software fallbacks, which is impractical for real-time use.

The feature set is defined by API support rather than specialized silicon. The K2100M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), which means it can run DirectX 12 titles but only at the 11_0 feature level, lacking certain modern features like bindless resources or conservative rasterization that higher feature levels provide. OpenGL 4.6 is fully supported, offering compatibility with professional CAD and DCC applications that rely on this API. Vulkan 1.2.175 is also supported, giving access to modern cross-platform graphics and compute workloads, though the 28 nm Kepler architecture’s compute performance per watt is far below contemporary parts.

The memory subsystem uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 48.13 GB/s of bandwidth. This is a modest amount by any standard, and it constrains the GPU in texture-heavy scenes or large data sets. The lack of tensor cores also means no AI-accelerated features like DLSS or neural network-based denoising, which are unavailable on this hardware. For a professional workstation GPU from 2013, the K2100M’s strengths lie in its API breadth and reliable OpenGL performance, not in current-generation graphics features.

Who Should Consider It

Benchmark results indicate that the Quadro K2100M is suitable for legacy professional applications where the workload aligns with its compute profile. Given its 22nd percentile ranking and average score of 3912, this GPU is not designed for high-resolution gaming or demanding 3D rendering at modern settings. Instead, it fits scenarios where the software is older and the performance requirements are modest.

For 1080p resolution with low to medium settings in games released around its 2013 launch era, the K2100M can manage playable frame rates, though the 2 GB VRAM and 48.13 GB/s bandwidth will struggle with larger textures. In professional contexts, the OpenGL 4.6 support makes it viable for basic CAD modeling, 2D drafting, or spreadsheet-style visualization tasks in applications like AutoCAD or SolidWorks, provided the models are not overly complex. The Vulkan 1.2.175 support also allows it to run some modern compute workloads, but the 768.4 GFLOPS FP32 performance limits it to light simulation or data processing tasks.

Users who need to run software that requires DirectX 11_0 features specifically will find this GPU compatible, but those needing DirectX 12 Ultimate features or ray tracing should look elsewhere. The K2100M is a poor choice for any task involving machine learning inference, as it lacks tensor cores entirely. In summary, this GPU serves as a baseline workstation part for legacy software, not as a performer for contemporary workloads.

FAQ

Q: What is the average benchmark score of the Quadro K2100M?

A: The average benchmark score is 3912, based on Geekbench Metal (3020), OpenCL (4587), and Vulkan (4128) tests.

Q: How does the K2100M compare to the AMD Radeon R5 M420?

A: The Radeon R5 M420 scores 3911, which is a 0% delta from the K2100M, meaning they have statistically identical average performance.

Q: Does the K2100M support hardware ray tracing?

A: No, the K2100M has no ray tracing cores, so hardware-accelerated ray tracing is not supported; it relies on software fallbacks for such effects.

Q: What is the memory configuration of this GPU?

A: It has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 48.13 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: Which APIs are supported by the K2100M?

A: It supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175.

Q: What is the GPU’s percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The K2100M ranks at the 22nd percentile, indicating it performs below most GPUs in the benchmark database.

How It Compares

AMD Radeon R5 M420: This rival scores 3911, exactly matching the K2100M’s 3912 within a 0% delta. Both GPUs deliver identical compute performance in average benchmarks, making them interchangeable for most tasks. The R5 M420 is a low-end mobile part, and the K2100M matches it despite being older, which shows the Kepler architecture’s staying power in compute workloads.

NVIDIA Quadro K2000D: Scoring 3919, the K2000D is 0.2% ahead of the K2100M. This is a negligible difference, within normal benchmark variation, so users would not perceive any real-world gap. Both are professional cards from the same era, and their scores reflect a near-identical performance ceiling.

NVIDIA Quadro P1000: The P1000 scores 3900, placing it 0.3% behind the K2100M. Despite being a newer generation, the P1000 does not outperform the older K2100M in these compute tests. This suggests that the K2100M’s Kepler design still holds its own against a Pascal-based successor in raw throughput, though power efficiency would favor the P1000 in sustained workloads.

NVIDIA Quadro 2000D: With a score of 3930, the Quadro 2000D leads this group by 0.5% over the K2100M. This is the largest delta among the nearest rivals, but still far too small to matter in practical use. The 2000D’s slight edge likely comes from a more favorable memory configuration, though both GPUs remain in the same performance tier.