Quadro K420 vs Quadro P500

When comparing Quadro K420 and Quadro P500, we look primarily at benchmarks and game tests. But it is not only about the numbers. Often you can find third-party models with higher clock speeds, better cooling, or a customizable RGB lighting. Not all of them will have all the features you need. Another thing to consider is the port selection. Most graphics cards have at least one DisplayPort and HDMI interface, but some monitors require DVI. Before you buy, check the TDP of the graphics card - this characteristic will help you estimate the consumption of the graphics card. You may even have to upgrade your PSU to meet its requirements. An important factor when choosing between Quadro K420 and Quadro P500 is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

Quadro P500 is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: Quadro P500 is only used in laptop graphics. It has lower GPU clock speed compared to the desktop variant, which results in lower power consumption, but also 10-30% lower gaming performance. Check available laptop models with Quadro P500 here:

Main Specs

  Quadro K420 Quadro P500
Power consumption (TDP) 41 Watt 30 Watt
Interface PCIe 2.0 x16 PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors None None
Memory type 128 Bit GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 1 GB/2 GB 2 GB
Display Connectors 1x DVI, 1x DisplayPort 3x mini-DisplayPort
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  • Quadro K420 has 36% more power consumption, than Quadro P500.
  • Quadro K420 is connected by PCIe 2.0 x16, and Quadro P500 uses PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.
  • Quadro P500 has 1 GB more memory, than Quadro K420.
  • Quadro K420 is used in Desktops, and Quadro P500 - in Mobile workstations.
  • Quadro K420 is build with Kepler architecture, and Quadro P500 - with Pascal.
  • Core clock speed of Quadro P500 is 579 MHz higher, than Quadro K420.
  • Quadro K420 is manufactured by 28 nm process technology, and Quadro P500 - by 14 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of Quadro P500 is 3230 MHz higher, than Quadro K420.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 0−1 8−9
ultra / 1080p 0−1 5−6
QHD / 1440p 0−1 0−1
low / 720p 9−10 18−20
medium / 1080p 1−2 10−11
The average gaming FPS of Quadro P500 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 180% more, than Quadro K420.

Full Specs

  Quadro K420 Quadro P500
Architecture Kepler Pascal
Code name GK107 GP108
Type Workstation Mobile workstation
Release date 22 July 2014 14 November 2017
Pipelines 192 256
Core clock speed 876 MHz 1455 MHz
Boost Clock 1519 MHz
Transistor count 1,270 million 1,800 million
Manufacturing process technology 28 nm 14 nm
Texture fill rate 14.02 21.25
Floating-point performance 336.4 gflops 679.9 gflops
Length 160 mm
Memory bus width 128 Bit 64 Bit
Memory clock speed 1782 MHz 5012 MHz
Memory bandwidth 32.1 GB/s
Shared memory -
DirectX 12 12.1
Shader Model 5 5.1
OpenGL 4.5 4.6
OpenCL 1.2 1.2
Vulkan + 1.1.0.1
CUDA 3.0 6.1
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 11 Mh/s
Laptop size large
3D Vision Pro +
Mosaic +
Width 1" (2.5 cm)
Number of simultaneous displays 4
nView Desktop Management +
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