Quadro K6000 vs Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design

NVIDIA

Quadro K6000

2013Core: 797 MHzBoost: 902 MHz
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VS
NVIDIA

Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design

2019Core: 600 MHzBoost: 1215 MHz
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Quadro K6000 vs Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

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.

Quadro K6000 vs Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design 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.

Quadro K6000 vs Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

Quadro K6000

2013

Why buy it

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 1.5 vs 0 G3D/$ ($5,265 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 6 GB).

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
  • 2013 hardware with 12 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • 275% higher power demand at 225W vs 60W.

Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design

2019

Why buy it

  • 16.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • Better long-term bet: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
  • Draws 60W instead of 225W, a 165W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 1.5 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $5,265 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 16.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1.6% in PassMark G3D (8,119 vs 7,993), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer upscaling stack, DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 12nm process instead of 28nm, 36 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2019 generation instead of 2013. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Quadro K6000 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Quadro K6000 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design has the stronger long-term case.

Quadro K6000 vs Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

Quadro K6000

The Quadro K6000 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in July 23 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 797 MHz to 902 MHz. It has 2880 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 225W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,993 points. Launch price was $5,265.

NVIDIA

Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design

The Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 27 2019. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 600 MHz to 1215 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 60W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. It features 36 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,119 points.

Graphics Performance

The Quadro K6000 scores 7,993 and the Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design reaches 8,119 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Quadro K6000 is built on Kepler while the Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design uses Turing, both on 28 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 2,880 (Quadro K6000) vs 2,304 (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design). Raw compute: 5.196 TFLOPS (Quadro K6000) vs 5.599 TFLOPS (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design). Boost clocks: 902 MHz vs 1215 MHz.

FeatureQuadro K6000Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
G3D Mark Score
7,993
8,119+2%
Architecture
Kepler
Turing
Process Node
28 nm
12 nm
Shading Units
2880+25%
2304
Compute (TFLOPS)
5.196 TFLOPS
5.599 TFLOPS+8%
Boost Clock
902 MHz
1215 MHz+35%
ROPs
48
64+33%
TMUs
240+67%
144
L1 Cache
0.23 MB
2.3 MB+900%
L2 Cache
1.5 MB
4 MB+167%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Quadro K6000 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureQuadro K6000Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The Quadro K6000 has 12 GB of VRAM, while the Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design carries 6 GB. Quadro K6000 gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the Quadro K6000 and 256-bit on the Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (Quadro K6000) vs 4 MB (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design) — the Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureQuadro K6000Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
VRAM Capacity
12 GB+100%
6 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Bus Width
256-bit
256-bit
L2 Cache
1.5 MB
4 MB+167%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.0 (Quadro K6000) vs 12 Ultimate (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureQuadro K6000Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
DirectX
11.0
12 Ultimate+9%
Vulkan
1.1
1.3+18%
OpenGL
4.5
4.6+2%
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1.0 (Quadro K6000) vs NVENC 7th Gen (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP5 vs NVDEC 4th Gen. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264 (Quadro K6000) vs H.265,H.264 (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design).

FeatureQuadro K6000Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
Encoder
NVENC 1.0
NVENC 7th Gen
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP5
NVDEC 4th Gen
Codecs
MPEG-2,H.264
H.265,H.264
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Quadro K6000 draws 225W versus the Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design's 60W — a 115.8% difference. The Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Quadro K6000) vs 500W (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 265mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs Unknown.

FeatureQuadro K6000Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
TDP
225W
60W-73%
Recommended PSU
350W-30%
500W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
PCIe-powered
Length
265mm
0mm
Height
110mm
0mm
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
80°C
Unknown-100%
Perf/Watt
35.5
135.3+281%
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design (2019 vs 2013).

FeatureQuadro K6000Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
MSRP
$5265
Codename
GK110B
TU106
Release
July 23 2013
May 27 2019
Ranking
#318
#313

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