Apple M3 Max 40-Core GPU vs NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 Max-Q

The Nvidia Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design is a professional high-end graphics card for powerful laptops and mobile workstations. The Max-Q variants are lower clocked versions that are running more efficient and can be used in smaller chassis than the regular versions. It is based on the same TU104 chip as the consumer GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q but offers more shaders (128 more). Compared to the desktop RTX 5000, the mobile variant offers lower clock speeds. There are different versions available with 90, 85 and 80 Watt TGP power consumption.

The Quadro GPUs offer certified drivers, which are optimized for stability and performance in professional applications (CAD, DCC, medical, prospection, and visualizing applications). The performance in these areas is therefore much better compared to corresponding consumer GPUs.

Features

NVIDIA manufacturers the TU104 chip on a 12 nm FinFET process and includes features like Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) and Real-Time Ray Tracing (RTRT), which should combine to create more realistic lighting effects than older GPUs based on the company's Pascal architecture (if the games support it). The Quadro RTX 5000 is also DisplayPort 1.4 ready, while there is also support for HDMI 2.0b, HDR, Simultaneous Multi-Projection (SMP) and H.265 video en/decoding (PlayReady 3.0).

Performance

Compared to the regular Quadro RTX 5000 version, the Max-Q variants can be up to 27% slower (lower Turbo speeds) and therefore reach levels of the slower RTX 4000. Compared to consumer verisons, the Quadro variants have advantages due to the professional drivers and the large VRAM.

The still relatively high power consumption of the RTX5000 Max-Q makes the card most suited for big laptops.