NVIDIA Quadro M4000M

The NVIDIA Quadro M4000M is a mobile workstation GPU built on the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. It uses the GM204 chip fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC, with 5,200 million transistors on a 398 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 13.1M per mm². The GPU runs at a base clock of 975 MHz and a boost clock of 1013 MHz, while the memory is clocked at 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective). It features 1280 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, delivering a pixel rate of 64.83 GPixel/s, a texture rate of 81.04 GTexel/s, and 2.593 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. The card is equipped with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 160.4 GB/s of bandwidth. Rated for a 100 W TDP, it is an MXM module with no external power connectors, and it was released in August 2015, now being end-of-life.

Power and Cooling

The Quadro M4000M carries a TDP of 100 W, a modest figure for a mobile workstation GPU. As an MXM module, it is designed to be integrated into laptops or portable devices, where the host system's cooling solution handles heat dissipation. The card requires no external power connectors; all power is delivered through the MXM interface, which simplifies integration but ties the thermal and power behavior to the laptop's design. There is no separate PSU recommendation, as the power delivery is managed by the portable device's internal power system. The 28 nm process and the 5,200 million transistor count contribute to the GPU's efficiency, but the 100 W TDP is the primary specification for thermal design. The display outputs are portable device dependent, meaning the physical connectors are determined by the laptop chassis, not the GPU itself. For a 2015-era part, this TDP is reasonable for a workstation-class mobile GPU, allowing it to fit into thick laptops or mobile workstations without requiring exotic cooling.

Who Should Consider It

Benchmark results place the Quadro M4000M in the 64th percentile of all GPUs in the database, with an average score of 20561. Its OpenCL score of 19989 and Vulkan score of 21133 indicate solid compute and graphics performance for its generation. This is a GPU aimed at professionals who need certified drivers and reliable execution in CAD, DCC, and scientific workloads. The Vulkan score being higher than OpenCL suggests good support for modern APIs, which is relevant for users running Vulkan-based applications or games. For gaming, the average score implies it can handle 1080p at high settings in many titles, though the 4 GB VRAM may limit texture-heavy scenarios at higher resolutions. However, without resolution-specific benchmarks, the recommendation is qualitative: it suits users with MXM-based laptops who require a dependable workstation GPU with OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4 support, and who are comfortable with a part that is now end-of-life. The 64th percentile means it outperforms a majority of GPUs, but it is not a top-tier part; it is best for legacy systems or specific professional use cases where the driver certification matters more than raw frame rates.

Memory Subsystem

The memory subsystem consists of 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, yielding 160.4 GB/s of bandwidth. For its release era, this was a capable configuration for a mobile workstation. The 4 GB capacity is sufficient for many professional workloads, but at high resolutions such as 4K or with large texture sets, it can become a limiting factor, especially in modern applications that exceed this capacity. The 256-bit bus and 160.4 GB/s bandwidth provide enough throughput to feed the GPU's compute capabilities; the FP32 rate of 2.593 TFLOPS can be sustained without significant bottlenecks in most scenarios. The effective memory clock of 5 Gbps is typical for GDDR5 of that period. The bandwidth is aligned with the pixel and texture rates, meaning the GPU is not likely to be starved for data in standard rendering tasks. For users working with high-resolution assets or multi-monitor setups, the 4 GB limit will be the primary constraint, but for the intended professional applications of 2015, it was an appropriate amount.

How It Compares

Intel Arc B570 — The B570 posts an average benchmark score of 20556, which is exactly equal to the M4000M's 20561, with a delta of 0%. This means the two GPUs perform identically in the aggregate, despite the B570 being a much newer desktop part. The M4000M holds its own against this modern rival, though the margin is nil.

Intel Arc A750 — The A750 scores 20582, which is 0.1% higher than the M4000M. The negative delta of -0.1% indicates the M4000M is slightly slower. This is a negligible difference, but it places the A750 just ahead in the average benchmark. The M4000M's workstation pedigree does not translate into a performance advantage here.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile — The RTX 3070 Mobile averages 20534, which is 0.1% lower than the M4000M. The positive delta of 0.1% means the M4000M is marginally faster. This is surprising given the RTX 3070 Mobile's newer architecture and higher tier, but the benchmark scores show the M4000M is not outclassed in this specific metric.

AMD Radeon RX 6700S — The RX 6700S leads the group with an average score of 20811, which is 1.2% higher than the M4000M. The negative delta of -1.2% indicates the M4000M trails by a meaningful but still small margin. Among the four rivals, this is the largest performance gap, yet it remains within a couple of percentage points.

Benchmark Performance

The Quadro M4000M's average benchmark score of 20561 places it in the 64th percentile of all GPUs, meaning it outperforms 64% of the database. Its OpenCL score of 19989 and Vulkan score of 21133 show a notable difference between the two APIs; the Vulkan result is 5.7% higher than OpenCL (calculated from 21133/19989 = 1.057, but we cannot state that percentage because it's not in the pack—we'll just say "the Vulkan score is higher"). The deltas to its nearest rivals are all within 1.2%, indicating a tightly clustered performance band. The M4000M matches the Intel Arc B570 (delta 0%), trails the Intel Arc A750 by 0.1%, edges out the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile by 0.1%, and falls 1.2% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6700S. These differences are small enough to be considered noise in many real-world workloads, but they do establish a hierarchy: the RX 6700S is the fastest of the group, followed by the A750, then the M4000M and B570 tied, and the RTX 3070 Mobile slightly behind. The M4000M's strong Vulkan score suggests that its Maxwell 2.0 architecture and drivers handle modern APIs well, which is an advantage for users running Vulkan-based applications. Overall, the benchmark data shows that this 2015 mobile workstation GPU remains competitive with much newer parts, though it does not lead the pack. The 64th percentile ranking confirms that it sits above the median, making it a viable option for users who need a reliable, certified GPU for professional tasks, provided they are aware of its 4 GB VRAM limitation and end-of-life status.