GeForce GTX 680 vs Quadro M3000M

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

GeForce GTX 680 vs Quadro M3000M FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

GeForce GTX 680 vs Quadro M3000M: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

GeForce GTX 680

2012

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 11.2 vs 0 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Quadro M3000M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2012 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌160% higher power demand at 195W vs 75W.

Quadro M3000M

2015

Why buy it

✅4.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Draws 75W instead of 195W, a 120W reduction.
✅More future proof: Maxwell 2.0 (2014−2019) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌2015 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 11.2 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Quadro M3000M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 4.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GTX 680 instead at 5,609 vs 5,574, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce GTX 680 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce GTX 680 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. Quadro M3000M still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GTX 680 vs Quadro M3000M Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

GeForce GTX 680

The GeForce GTX 680 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 22 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 1006 MHz to 1058 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 195W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,609 points. Launch price was $499.

Quadro M3000M

The Quadro M3000M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in August 18 2015. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 1050 MHz. It has 1,024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,574 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 680 scores 5,609 and the Quadro M3000M reaches 5,574 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 680 is built on Kepler while the Quadro M3000M uses Maxwell 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,536 (GeForce GTX 680) vs 1 (Quadro M3000M). Raw compute: 3.25 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 680) vs 2.15 TFLOPS (Quadro M3000M).

Feature	GeForce GTX 680	Quadro M3000M
G3D Mark Score	5,609	5,574
Architecture	Kepler	Maxwell 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1536+50%	1,024
Compute (TFLOPS)	3.25 TFLOPS+51%	2.15 TFLOPS
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	128+100%	64
L1 Cache	128 KB	384 KB+200%
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	2 MB+300%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 680 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Quadro M3000M leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 680	Quadro M3000M
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	Standard

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 4 GB of video memory. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 680 and 128-bit on the Quadro M3000M. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (GeForce GTX 680) vs 2 MB (Quadro M3000M) — the Quadro M3000M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 680	Quadro M3000M
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Bus Width	256-bit+100%	128-bit
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	2 MB+300%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FL 11_0) (GeForce GTX 680) vs 12 (12_1) (Quadro M3000M). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 680	Quadro M3000M
DirectX	12 (FL 11_0)	12 (12_1)
Vulkan	1.1	1.4+27%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st gen (GeForce GTX 680) vs 3rd Gen NVENC (Maxwell) (Quadro M3000M). Decoder: PureVideo VP5 vs PureVideo HD VP6. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce GTX 680) vs H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Decode Only) (Quadro M3000M).

Feature	GeForce GTX 680	Quadro M3000M
Encoder	NVENC 1st gen	3rd Gen NVENC (Maxwell)
Decoder	PureVideo VP5	PureVideo HD VP6
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2	H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Decode Only)

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 680 draws 195W versus the Quadro M3000M's 75W — a 88.9% difference. The Quadro M3000M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce GTX 680) vs 350W (Quadro M3000M). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Typical load temperature: 98°C vs 75°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 680	Quadro M3000M
TDP	195W	75W-62%
Recommended PSU	550W	350W-36%
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	256mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	98°C	75°C-23%
Perf/Watt	28.8	74.3+158%

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is Quadro M3000M (2015 vs 2012).

Feature	GeForce GTX 680	Quadro M3000M
MSRP	$499	—
Codename	GK104	GM204
Release	March 22 2012	August 18 2015
Ranking	#410	#411

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