NVIDIA Quadro K5000
NVIDIA graphics card specifications and benchmark scores
At a Glance
NVIDIANVIDIA Quadro K5000 Specifications
GPU Core
Shader units and compute resources
The NVIDIA Quadro K5000 GPU core specifications define its raw processing power for graphics and compute workloads. Shading units (also called CUDA cores, stream processors, or execution units depending on manufacturer) handle the parallel calculations required for rendering. TMUs (Texture Mapping Units) process texture data, while ROPs (Render Output Units) handle final pixel output. Higher shader counts generally translate to better GPU benchmark performance, especially in demanding games and 3D applications.
Quadro K5000 Clock Speeds
GPU and memory frequencies
Clock speeds directly impact the Quadro K5000's performance in GPU benchmarks and real-world gaming. The base clock represents the minimum guaranteed frequency, while the boost clock indicates peak performance under optimal thermal conditions. Memory clock speed affects texture loading and frame buffer operations. The Quadro K5000 by NVIDIA dynamically adjusts frequencies based on workload, temperature, and power limits to maximize performance while maintaining stability.
NVIDIA's Quadro K5000 Memory
VRAM capacity and bandwidth
VRAM (Video RAM) is dedicated memory for storing textures, frame buffers, and shader data. The Quadro K5000's memory capacity determines how well it handles high-resolution textures and multiple displays. Memory bandwidth, measured in GB/s, affects how quickly data moves between the GPU and VRAM. Higher bandwidth improves performance in memory-intensive scenarios like 4K gaming. The memory bus width and type (GDDR6, GDDR6X, HBM) significantly influence overall GPU benchmark scores.
Quadro K5000 by NVIDIA Cache
On-chip cache hierarchy
On-chip cache provides ultra-fast data access for the Quadro K5000, reducing the need to fetch data from slower VRAM. L1 and L2 caches store frequently accessed data close to the compute units. AMD's Infinity Cache (L3) dramatically increases effective bandwidth, improving GPU benchmark performance without requiring wider memory buses. Larger cache sizes help maintain high frame rates in memory-bound scenarios and reduce power consumption by minimizing VRAM accesses.
Quadro K5000 Theoretical Performance
Compute and fill rates
Theoretical performance metrics provide a baseline for comparing the NVIDIA Quadro K5000 against other graphics cards. FP32 (single-precision) performance, measured in TFLOPS, indicates compute capability for gaming and general GPU workloads. FP64 (double-precision) matters for scientific computing. Pixel and texture fill rates determine how quickly the GPU can render complex scenes. While real-world GPU benchmark results depend on many factors, these specifications help predict relative performance levels.
Kepler Architecture & Process
Manufacturing and design details
The NVIDIA Quadro K5000 is built on NVIDIA's Kepler architecture, which defines how the GPU processes graphics and compute workloads. The manufacturing process node affects power efficiency, thermal characteristics, and maximum clock speeds. Smaller process nodes pack more transistors into the same die area, enabling higher performance per watt. Understanding the architecture helps predict how the Quadro K5000 will perform in GPU benchmarks compared to previous generations.
Power & Thermal
TDP and power requirements
Power specifications for the NVIDIA Quadro K5000 determine PSU requirements and thermal management needs. TDP (Thermal Design Power) indicates the heat output under typical loads, guiding cooler selection. Power connector requirements ensure adequate power delivery for stable operation during demanding GPU benchmarks. The suggested PSU wattage accounts for the entire system, not just the graphics card. Efficient power delivery enables the Quadro K5000 to maintain boost clocks without throttling.
Quadro K5000 by NVIDIA Physical & Connectivity
Dimensions and outputs
Physical dimensions of the NVIDIA Quadro K5000 are critical for case compatibility. Card length, height, and slot width determine whether it fits in your chassis. The PCIe interface version affects bandwidth for communication with the CPU. Display outputs define monitor connectivity options, with modern cards supporting multiple high-resolution displays simultaneously. Verify these specifications against your case and motherboard before purchasing to ensure a proper fit.
NVIDIA API Support
Graphics and compute APIs
API support determines which games and applications can fully utilize the NVIDIA Quadro K5000. DirectX 12 Ultimate enables advanced features like ray tracing and variable rate shading. Vulkan provides cross-platform graphics capabilities with low-level hardware access. OpenGL remains important for professional applications and older games. CUDA (NVIDIA) and OpenCL enable GPU compute for video editing, 3D rendering, and scientific applications. Higher API versions unlock newer graphical features in GPU benchmarks and games.
Quadro K5000 Product Information
Release and pricing details
The NVIDIA Quadro K5000 is manufactured by NVIDIA as part of their graphics card lineup. Release date and launch pricing provide context for comparing GPU benchmark results with competing products from the same era. Understanding the product lifecycle helps evaluate whether the Quadro K5000 by NVIDIA represents good value at current market prices. Predecessor and successor information aids in tracking generational improvements and planning future upgrades.
About NVIDIA Quadro K5000
The NVIDIA Quadro K5000 is a professional workstation graphics card from the Kepler generation, built on the GK104 chip using a 28 nm process at TSMC. It targets users who need certified drivers and robust display output for professional applications rather than raw gaming performance. With an average benchmark score of 9235, the card sits at the 44th percentile of all GPUs, placing it in the lower-mid range of modern performance. This card is best suited for legacy workstation environments, 2D CAD work, and multi-display setups where the 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and dual DisplayPort 1.2 outputs provide utility, but it is not competitive for heavy 3D rendering or modern gaming at high settings.
Who Should Consider It
The Quadro K5000 is a product for specific professional use cases, not general consumers. Benchmark results indicate that its compute performance is modest by current standards, with a Geekbench OpenCL score of 11418 and a Vulkan score of 11004. These numbers suggest the card can handle light to moderate GPU-accelerated tasks, but it will struggle with demanding simulations or high-resolution texture work. For users running legacy professional software that relies on OpenGL 4.6, the card remains functional, but the 2.169 TFLOPS of FP32 performance limits it to basic viewport manipulation and 2D design.
Resolution and settings recommendations are grounded in the card's memory bandwidth of 172.8 GB/s and pixel rate of 22.59 GPixel/s. At 1080p, the card can manage older titles at low to medium settings, but the 256-bit bus and 4 GB frame buffer will quickly become saturated with modern textures. The texture rate of 90.37 GTexel/s is adequate for simple scenes, but the 32 ROPs constrain fill-rate-heavy workloads, making the card unsuitable for 1440p or 4K gaming. For professional use, the card is acceptable for dual-monitor productivity setups, spreadsheet work, and basic video playback, but the data shows it is 0% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 5500M and only 0.2% faster than the AMD Radeon Vega 8, meaning it offers no performance advantage over integrated graphics in some cases.
Users with modern software requirements should look elsewhere, as the card's production status is end-of-life. The lack of dedicated ray tracing and tensor cores further limits its appeal for AI or real-time rendering tasks. This card is only for those maintaining an existing Quadro Kepler workstation where software certification matters more than raw speed.
Ray Tracing and Feature Set
The Quadro K5000 does not include any dedicated ray tracing cores or tensor cores, as these features were not part of the Kepler architecture. The card relies on 1536 shading units and 128 texture mapping units for all compute work, with a boost clock of 706 MHz matching the base clock. This means no hardware acceleration for real-time ray tracing, and any such workloads must be handled through software fallbacks, which is impractically slow for modern games or DXR-enabled applications.
API support is limited by the architecture. The card supports DirectX 12 (11_0), which means it is compatible with DirectX 11 feature levels but cannot leverage DirectX 12 Ultimate features like mesh shaders or variable rate shading. OpenGL 4.6 is supported, which is beneficial for legacy professional applications. Vulkan 1.2.175 is also listed, providing some modern API access, but the hardware's compute throughput of 2.169 TFLOPS FP32 will bottleneck any Vulkan workload. The memory operates at 5.4 Gbps effective, delivering 172.8 GB/s over a 256-bit bus, which is sufficient for the card's intended professional tasks but inadequate for memory-intensive modern games.
Display outputs include 2x DVI and 2x DisplayPort 1.2, allowing up to four simultaneous displays, which is the card's primary strength for financial trading desks or multi-monitor office setups. There are no tensor cores for AI acceleration, so any machine learning inference must run on the general-purpose shading units, which is inefficient and slow compared to modern hardware.
Benchmark Performance
Benchmark results place the Quadro K5000's average score at 9235, with individual tests showing a Geekbench Metal score of 5284, an OpenCL score of 11418, and a Vulkan score of 11004. The OpenCL score is the strongest, suggesting the card performs relatively better in compute-heavy workloads that leverage the 1536 shading units. However, the Metal score is notably lower, indicating weak performance in Apple's graphics API, which is irrelevant for a Windows-focused workstation card but still reflects the hardware's overall age.
Comparing to nearest rivals, the deltaPct values show the card is effectively tied with the AMD Radeon RX 5500M, which has an average score of 9233, a 0% difference. The Quadro K5000 is 0.2% faster than the AMD Radeon Vega 8 (score 9215), a difference of just 20 points, which is within noise margins. The card is 0.8% slower than the AMD Radeon R7 M380 (score 9313), and 1.4% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (score 9108). These margins are negligible, meaning the Quadro K5000 delivers performance comparable to entry-level laptop GPUs from several years ago.
The data shows that the card's FP32 throughput of 2.169 TFLOPS is the limiting factor. In real-world terms, the Quadro K5000 is 1.4% ahead of the MX330 in average benchmarks, but that advantage disappears in memory-bound tasks due to the MX330's newer architecture. The card's 90.37 GTexel/s texture rate is competitive with these rivals, but the 22.59 GPixel/s pixel rate falls behind, causing aliasing and fill-rate issues at higher resolutions. For professional applications, the OpenCL score of 11418 is the most relevant, but even that trails modern integrated graphics solutions, as the Vega 8 nearly matches the overall average.
Power and Cooling
The Quadro K5000 has a TDP of 122 W, which is modest for a dual-slot card. The thermal design allows for a single 6-pin power connector, and the suggested PSU rating is 300 W, making it suitable for older workstation power supplies. The card's length is 267 mm (10.5 inches) and height is 111 mm (4.4 inches), so it requires a full-size tower chassis with adequate clearance. The dual-slot cooler is designed for sustained professional workloads, but the 28 nm process means heat dissipation is less efficient than modern nodes, so adequate case airflow is necessary.
The memory runs at 1350 MHz (5.4 Gbps effective), consuming part of the 122 W budget. The 4 GB GDDR5 frame buffer is not power-hungry by modern standards, but the card's 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die generate heat that the dual-slot cooler must manage. The PCIe 2.0 x16 interface draws additional power from the motherboard slot, but the 1x 6-pin connector provides the bulk of the power. For users upgrading from older Quadro Fermi cards, the 122 W TDP is a reduction, making this a drop-in replacement for many existing workstations with 300 W PSUs.
Benchmark results do not include thermal or power consumption data, but the TDP figure of 122 W suggests the card runs cooler than high-end gaming GPUs. The lack of boost clock variation (base and boost both at 706 MHz) indicates a fixed clock speed, which simplifies power delivery but limits performance scaling. Users should ensure their power supply has a single 6-pin PCIe connector available, as the card does not require 8-pin or dual connectors.
How It Compares
AMD Radeon RX 5500M: The Quadro K5000 is exactly 0% faster than the RX 5500M, with average scores of 9235 versus 9233. This is a statistical tie, meaning the workstation card offers no performance advantage over this mobile gaming GPU. The RX 5500M benefits from a newer architecture and higher memory bandwidth, but the Quadro K5000's professional drivers may provide better stability in CAD applications.
AMD Radeon Vega 8: The Quadro K5000 is 0.2% faster than the Vega 8, a difference of 20 points in average score. This integrated graphics solution matches the dedicated card's performance, highlighting how far integrated GPUs have come. The Vega 8 uses system memory, while the Quadro K5000 has dedicated 4 GB GDDR5, but the compute scores are nearly identical, making the Quadro's dedicated memory its only advantage.
AMD Radeon R7 M380: The Quadro K5000 is 0.8% slower than the R7 M380, which scores 9313. This is a minor deficit, but the R7 M380 is a mobile GPU from a similar era, so the performance gap is expected. The Quadro K5000's advantage lies in its display outputs and driver certification, not raw compute.
NVIDIA GeForce MX330: The Quadro K5000 is 1.4% faster than the MX330, with scores of 9235 versus 9108. This is the largest delta among rivals, but the MX330 is a low-end laptop GPU. The Quadro K5000's lead is marginal and does not translate into meaningful real-world performance differences, especially in gaming where the MX330's newer architecture handles modern APIs better.
FAQ
Q: Does the Quadro K5000 support hardware ray tracing?
A: No, the card has no ray tracing cores. The Kepler architecture relies on 1536 shading units for all compute, so real-time ray tracing is not supported in hardware.
Q: What is the maximum memory bandwidth of the Quadro K5000?
A: The card provides 172.8 GB/s of bandwidth via a 256-bit bus, using 4 GB of GDDR5 memory running at 5.4 Gbps effective.
Q: Can I use this card for modern gaming at 1440p?
A: Benchmark results indicate no. The card's average score of 9235 places it at the 44th percentile, and its 22.59 GPixel/s pixel rate is too low for high-resolution gaming. It is 0% faster than the RX 5500M, which is itself an entry-level mobile GPU.
Q: What power supply is required for this card?
A: The suggested PSU rating is 300 W, and the card requires a single 6-pin power connector. The TDP is 122 W, which is modest for a dual-slot card.
Q: What APIs are supported?
A: The card supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. It does not support DirectX 12 Ultimate features due to the Kepler architecture's limitations.
Q: How many displays can the Quadro K5000 drive?
A: The card has 2x DVI and 2x DisplayPort 1.2 outputs, supporting up to four simultaneous displays. This is its primary strength for professional multi-monitor setups.
Detailed benchmark scores and charts for the NVIDIA Quadro K5000 are below.
Benchmark Scores
geekbench_metalSource
Geekbench Metal tests GPU compute using Apple's Metal API. This shows how NVIDIA Quadro K5000 performs in macOS and iOS applications that leverage GPU acceleration.
Top 5 Performers
Top 5 PerformersNearby Performers
Nearby Performersgeekbench_openclSource
Geekbench OpenCL tests GPU compute performance using the cross-platform OpenCL API. This shows how NVIDIA Quadro K5000 handles parallel computing tasks like video encoding and scientific simulations. OpenCL is widely supported across different GPU vendors and platforms. Higher scores benefit applications that leverage GPU acceleration for non-graphics workloads.
Top 5 Performers
Nearby Performers
geekbench_vulkanSource
Geekbench Vulkan tests GPU compute using the modern low-overhead Vulkan API. This shows how NVIDIA Quadro K5000 performs with next-generation graphics and compute workloads.
Top 5 Performers
Nearby Performers
Popular NVIDIA Quadro K5000 Comparisons
See how the Quadro K5000 stacks up against similar graphics cards from the same generation and competing brands.
Compare with Other GPUs
Select another GPU to compare specifications and benchmarks side-by-side.
Browse GPUs