Nvidia has launched a new Quadro graphics card based on the 'Kepler' architecture. This type of GPU is intended for professional use, such as graphic design programs, CAD/CAM software and other GPU-heavy development software. The timing is interesting, as AMD today launched a new FirePro card in the same segment.
Nvidia's new Quadro card bears model number 'K5000' and is based on the same GK104 video chip that is present on the GeForce GTX 670, 680 and 690 consumer models. The chip is fully enabled, meaning it has a total of 1536 shader units, 32 ROPs, 128 texture units and a 256-bit memory interface. The Quadro K5000 has a core clock frequency of ~700 MHz, while the 4 GB of GDDR5 memory is clocked at an effective speed of 6400 MHz. Because of its lower core clock, the Quadro card is exceptionally efficient, with the TDP being specified at only 122 watts. The new Quadro model also uses a smaller PCB, perhaps the same one found on a reference GTX 670 card.
The new Quadro K5000 card is to replace the older Quadro 6000 and 5000 models, which were based on the larger 40nm GF110 'Fermi' chip. Nvidia's latest model offers PCI-Express 3.0 and DisplayPort 1.2 support and is capable of powering up to four monitors simultaneously. Other than with its GeForce GTX 600 cards, Nvidia does provide PCI-Express 3.0 support on Intel's Sandy Bridge-E platform with this model. Because of potential stability issues, the GeForce cards revert back to PCI-e 2.0 speed on the platform.
The Quadro K5000 uses different drivers than the regular GeForce cards. These drivers are certified to work with numerous professional applications. This also increases the price, as the K5000, to be available in October, bears a pricetag of no less than $2,249 (£1,438). Starting December, the card will also be available as part of a complete 'Maximus' system, the name Nvidia gives its platform of professional graphics cards for workstations. The table of specifications below is provided by Anandtech.
| Quadro K5000 | Quadro 6000 | Quadro 5000 | |
| Stream processors | 1536 | 448 | 352 |
| Texture units | 128 | 56 | 44 |
| ROPs | 32 | 48 | 40 |
| Core clock frequency | ~700 MHz | 574 MHz | 513 MHz |
| Shader clock frequency | --- | 1148 MHz | 1026 MHz |
| Memory clock frequency | 5.4 GHz GDDR5 | 3 GHz GDDR5 | 3 GHz GDDR5 |
| Memory controller | 256-bits | 384-bits | 320-bits |
| Frame buffer | 4 GB | 6 GB | 2,5 GB |
| FP64 | 1/24 FP32 | 1/2 FP32 | 1.2 FP32 |
| TDP | 122W | 204W | 152W |
| Architecture | Kepler | Fermi | |
| Number of transistors | ~3.5 billion | ~3 billion | |
| Transistor size | 28nm TSMC | 40nm TSMC | |
Nvidia launches new 'Kepler' based Quadro K5000 card
