Overview
The best graphics card for workstation for you will depend on your workload, the programs you use, and maybe most importantly, your budget. In order to reach a sweet spot that would satisfy the majority of customers, we've selected four workstation GPUs that offer the best combination of specifications, value-added software bundles, price, and all-around attractiveness.
It's best to test a workstation GPU yourself in your chosen application and under your expected workload before purchasing if you can give the cost and broad application space of these devices.
Top Picks
If you're in a rush, take a look at the fast selection of our favorites, or scroll down to read our whole list with in-depth reviews of the best graphics card for workstation in 2024. Each of the devices on this list has been chosen to reach the ideal balance between compatibility, performance, memory, speed, and interface:
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Premium Pick: PNY NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000
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Best Overall: PNY NVIDIA Quadro P6000
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Best Performance: PNY NVIDIA Quadro P5000
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Best Value: AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100
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Best Budget: AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100
What to Consider When Buying The Best GPU for Workstation
Application compatibility
Workstation GPUs are essential to professional productivity, thus they must be dependable and appropriate for use with business-oriented applications so that you can work without encountering graphic-related issues. Both the AMD and NVidia websites, as well as an AMD or NVidia sales representative, offer information on the programs that their drivers are approved to support.
Technical capabilities
It's also vital to consider the number and type of graphics processors, such as stream processors and ray tracing processors, with more processors typically being better. Another factor is graphics RAM. However, the degree to which particular use-cases may profit varies depending on the job being done, making the optimum workstation GPU option quite complex.
Software
Last but not least, bundled software should be taken into account alongside requirements, with NVidia's Omniverse enabling remote project collaboration (up to two users for free). Users that access their workstations remotely can utilize AMD's Remote Workstation to the fullest extent possible.
Detail Reviews Of Top 5 Best Graphics Card for Workstation
1. PNY NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000
(Premium Pick)
Product’s Specifications
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GPU Core/CUDA Cores: TU104 / 3072
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Base/Boost Core Clock (MHz): 1620 / 1815
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VRAM (GB): 16 GB GDDR6 ECC
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TDP (W): 230
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Connectors: 4x DisplayPort; 1x USB Type-C
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Dimensions (W x D x H): 10.50 x 3.15 x 4.4 in
Reasons to buy
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Excellent performance.
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Dedicated ray-tracing cores.
Reasons to avoid
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Expensive.
Product Summary
A workstation GPU from the most recent Turing generation, the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 provides revolutionary deep learning and ray tracing features.
For individuals who need real-time photorealistic graphics capabilities, the RTX 5000 is excellent. The Turing GPUs feature dedicated Tensor cores for deep learning workloads and RT cores for ray tracing.
The massive 11.2 TFLOPS of single-precision performance supported by the 3072 CUDA cores can be increased to 89.2 TFLOPS with the help of the Tensor cores. With a bandwidth of 448 Gbps, the 16 GB of GDDR6 memory makes it simple to render complex models and scenarios. Additionally, two of these Quadro RTX 5000 cards can be combined to nearly double performance.
In terms of performance, the Quadro RTX 5000 dominates the Pascal models from the previous generation. Despite its high price, the Quadro RTX 5000 stands out as one of the greatest workstation GPUs, even though there are a few other Quadro RTX cards above it, such as the RTX 6000 and the top-tier RTX 8000.
2. PNY NVIDIA Quadro P6000
(Best Overall)
Product’s Specifications
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GPU Core / CUDA Cores: GP102 / 3840
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Base / Boost Core Clock (MHz): 1417 / 1530
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VRAM (GB): 24 GB GDDR5X ECC
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TDP (W): 250
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Connectors: 4x DisplayPort; 1x DVI-I
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Dimensions (W x D x H): 10.50 x 3.15 x 4.4 in
Reasons to buy
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Outstanding performance.
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24 GB memory.
Reasons to avoid
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Expensive.
Product Summary
One of the most potent workstation cards available, the Quadro P6000 outperforms the competition in the bulk of the tests. The overall statistics are still high, despite the fact that it does fall short in some tests compared to AMD's options.
If you are upgrading from a Maxwell M6000 of an earlier generation, the speed increase is instantly apparent. The features of the Pascal architecture include lower emissions, increased computation performance, and a few brand-new platform-specific capabilities.
The Quadro P6000 is not inexpensive, but these cards are more appropriate for business users and data crunchers than gamers.
3. PNY NVIDIA Quadro P5000
(Best Performace)
Product’s Specifications
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GPU Core / CUDA Cores: GP104 / 2560
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Base / Boost Core Clock (MHz): 1164 / 1506
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VRAM (GB): 16 GB GDDR5X ECC
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TDP (W): 180
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Connectors: 4x DisplayPort; 1x DVI-I
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Dimensions (W x D x H): 10.50 x 3.15 x 4.4 in
Reasons to buy
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Outstanding performance in industrial applications.
Reasons to avoid
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Expensive.
Product Summary
A top-tier workstation GPU in the NVIDIA Pascal series is the Quadro P5000. The P5000 should be able to handle complicated graphics better because it has more CUDA Cores and RAM than the GPUs listed below it.
The P5000 can provide up to 9 TFLOPs of processing power and enterprise-focused capabilities like Simultaneous Multi-Projection and Lens Matched Shading because of its 2560 CUDA Cores.
In benchmarks like SiSoft Sandra, SPECviewperf, and Luxmark, the new Pascal P5000 delivers a sizable performance improvement over the Maxwell-generation. If desired, the P5000 may also serve as a good workstation GPU for gaming, but we believe this is overkill for gamers unless their goal is to dominate benchmark charts and set new records.
The Quadro cards perform better than similar consumer gaming GPUs since they have all the shader units for that specific GPU type unlocked. The Pascal workstation GPUs also offer better performance at a lower TDP than the Maxwell generation, which is a significant advantage.
4. AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100
(Best Value)
Product’s Specifications
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GPU Core / CUDA Cores: Ellesmere / 2304
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Base / Boost Core Clock (MHz): 1188 / 1243
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VRAM (GB): 8 GB GDDR5
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TDP (W): 130
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Connectors: 4x DisplayPort
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Dimensions (W x D x H): 9.5 x 3.1 x 4.4 in
Reasons to buy
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Excellent performance advancements over the previous generation.
Reasons to avoid
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BIOS issues.
Product Summary
The popular mid-range gaming GPU, the Radeon RX 480, can be thought of as having a workstation version in the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100. Compared to NVIDIA's products, the Radeon Pro WX 7100 has a lower price point for professional graphics.
The Radeon WX 7100 has an extremely low overall profile and is made to fit in a small case. It only needs a single 6-pin wire and doesn't need a lot of power. Additionally, there are four DisplayPort 1.4 outs to support either two 5K screens or four 4K ones.
The Radeon Pro offers significantly better performance in simulated benchmarks when compared to the FirePro cards of the previous generation, albeit it still lags the Quadro M4000 by a little margin.
With 5.7 TFLOPs of single-precision performance, the Radeon Pro WX 7100 may be handy for users of demanding programs like SolidWorks. The Radeon Pro WX 7100 has had a number of BIOS difficulties, but in contrast, it is unquestionably superior to some of the older Quadro cards. The Radeon WX 7100 provides a strong option, provided your workflow is not dependent on NVIDIA's CUDA architecture.
5. AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100
(Best Budget)
Product’s Specifications
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GPU Core / CUDA Cores: Ellesmere / 1792
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Base / Boost Core Clock (MHz): 713 / 1086
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VRAM (GB): 8 GB GDDR5
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TDP (W): 75
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Connectors: 4x DisplayPort
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Dimensions (W x D x H): 7.9 x 3.1 x 4.4 in
Reasons to buy
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Great power-efficient.
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Selection of driver types.
Reasons to avoid
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Not performing well in games.
Product Summary
The AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 provides outstanding performance for rendering straightforward scenes with little details and is sandwiched between the top-end WX 7100 and the entry-level WX 4100.
Both the Enterprise and Crimson ReLive versions of the Radeon drivers are compatible with the Radeon Pro WX 5100, thus you can install either one depending on your needs for stability.
Without including the WX 4100, which costs $100 less, the Radeon Pro WX 5100 is among the most affordable workstation GPUs currently on the market. However, we included the WX 5100 in our list because it offers significantly more VRAM and higher performance than the WX 4100.
The WX 7100 is a better option if you're a professional who likes to game whenever you have time, despite the fact that it's more pricey. Although the WX 5100 is not terrible for gaming, it is also not optimized because it doesn't have an external power source.
FAQs
What is a graphics card for workstations?
Workstation graphics cards were specifically created with rendering and editing tasks in mind. These substantial and more expensive dedicated cards are ideal for you if your job requires a powerful GPU. Workstation cards can still be used for gaming, but they perform best when used with the applications they were made for.
What is the difference between a gaming card and a workstation graphics card?
High-end graphics cards would enable games to function smoothly with high-quality visuals, quick loading times (due to their low polygon count), and high frames per second (FPS). A workstation graphics card, on the other hand, is better suited for CAD/CAM software.
Do workstations require graphics cards?
First off, the answer to the title's question is YES. Every computer needs a graphics card. Without one, your PC will be unable to output anything for display, and you won't be able to see anything on your screen. By turning data into signals that your monitor can comprehend, graphics cards (GPU) render images on the screen.