AMD FirePro D700 vs NVIDIA Tesla M60 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a clear overall winner between these two workstation cards, but the margin varies significantly by workload. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the NVIDIA Tesla M60 scores 29,506 against the AMD FirePro D700's 23,716, a 24.4% advantage for NVIDIA. That is a substantial gap, placing the M60 well ahead in raw compute throughput for OpenCL-based applications.

The Vulkan results tell a similar but narrower story. The Tesla M60 reaches 31,473, while the FirePro D700 manages 27,968, giving NVIDIA a 12.5% lead. This smaller delta suggests that in Vulkan workloads, the AMD card closes some of the distance, though it still trails by a meaningful margin. Across both recorded benchmarks, the M60 wins 2 out of 2 tests, leaving the D700 with no benchmark victories in this comparison.

Looking at the broader database context, the Tesla M60's average benchmark score of 30,490 places it in the 75th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA CMP 70HX (average 30,476, 0% delta), the AMD Radeon RX 6700 (30,433, 0.2% slower), and the AMD Radeon RX 6800 (30,095, 1.3% slower). The M60 essentially trades blows with the CMP 70HX, which is notable for a card from an older generation.

The FirePro D700's average score of 25,842 sits at the 71st percentile. Its closest competitors are the AMD FirePro W7100 (25,856, 0.1% faster), the AMD Radeon R9 M395X (25,891, 0.2% faster), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile (25,740, 0.4% slower). The D700 is tightly grouped with these cards, meaning its performance profile is well established within that range, but it is clearly a step below the M60's neighborhood.

The 24.4% OpenCL gap is the headline number. It indicates that for compute-heavy tasks using OpenCL, the M60 delivers roughly a quarter more performance. The 12.5% Vulkan gap is smaller but still decisive. When you average both tests, the M60's advantage is about 18% overall, which is a solid margin for anyone deciding between these two used workstation cards.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural eras, though both are built on the same 28 nm process node at TSMC. The NVIDIA Tesla M60 uses the GM204 chip with Maxwell 2.0 architecture, while the AMD FirePro D700 uses the Tahiti chip with GCN 1.0. This generation gap matters: Maxwell 2.0 was designed for efficiency and compute performance, while GCN 1.0 is an older design with different strengths.

Transistor counts differ notably. The M60 packs 5,200 million transistors on a 398 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 13.1 million per square millimeter. The D700 has 4,313 million transistors on a 352 mm² die, with a density of 12.3 million per square millimeter. The M60's larger die and higher transistor count help explain its compute advantage, though the density difference is modest.

Memory configurations diverge in ways that matter for certain workloads. The M60 comes with 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 160.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The D700 offers 6 GB of GDDR5 on a wider 384-bit bus, achieving 263.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The D700 has 64% more raw memory bandwidth, which could benefit some memory-intensive tasks, but the M60 has 33% more capacity, which helps with larger datasets.

Clock speeds are a mixed story. The M60 has a base clock of 557 MHz and a boost clock of 1178 MHz. The D700's base and boost clocks are not recorded in the database, but its memory runs at 1370 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective) versus the M60's 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective). The M60's high boost clock is a key factor in its FP32 performance of 4.825 TFLOPS versus the D700's 3.482 TFLOPS, a 38.6% advantage.

Both cards have 2048 shading units and 128 texture mapping units. The M60 has 64 ROPs, while the D700 has only 32. This explains the pixel rate difference: 75.39 GPixel/s for the M60 versus 27.20 GPixel/s for the D700. The texture rates are 150.8 GTexel/s and 108.8 GTexel/s respectively. Neither card has ray tracing cores or tensor cores, as both predate those features.

API support differs slightly. The M60 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The D700 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The M60 has a higher DirectX feature level and a newer Vulkan version, which could matter for modern applications. The D700's display outputs include 6x mini-DisplayPort and 1x SDI, while the M60 has no display outputs at all, reflecting its intended use as a compute-only accelerator.

Where Each One Wins

The Tesla M60 wins in raw compute performance. Its FP32 throughput of 4.825 TFLOPS is 38.6% higher than the D700's 3.482 TFLOPS, which translates directly to faster processing in OpenCL and Vulkan workloads that use single-precision math. The M60 also has double the ROP count (64 versus 32), giving it a 2.77x advantage in pixel fill rate. This matters for any rendering or rasterization tasks that push pixel throughput.

The M60's higher boost clock (1178 MHz versus unknown for the D700, but implied by the FP32 figures) and larger transistor budget give it a clear edge in compute-heavy scenarios. Its 8 GB memory capacity is also an advantage for workloads that need to hold larger working sets, such as machine learning inference or large data processing. The M60's newer Vulkan support (1.4 versus 1.2.170) means better compatibility with current software stacks.

The FirePro D700 wins in memory bandwidth. Its 263.0 GB/s is 64% higher than the M60's 160.4 GB/s. For applications that are bandwidth-bound rather than compute-bound, such as certain image processing or data streaming tasks, the D700 can hold its own despite lower raw compute. The wider 384-bit bus is the reason, and this is a genuine advantage in specific scenarios.

The D700 also offers display outputs, which the M60 lacks entirely. If you need a GPU that can drive monitors, the D700's 6x mini-DisplayPort and 1x SDI outputs make it the only choice between these two. The M60 is strictly a headless compute card. Power draw is lower on the D700 at 274 W versus the M60's 300 W, and the D700 suggests a 600 W PSU versus the M60's 700 W recommendation, which could matter in dense server builds.

In Vulkan specifically, the D700's 12.5% deficit is smaller than its 24.4% OpenCL deficit. This suggests that if your workload uses Vulkan compute, the AMD card is relatively less disadvantaged. The D700's nearest rival list includes the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile at only 0.4% faster, showing it competes with much newer hardware in certain contexts.

The Verdict

For pure compute performance, the NVIDIA Tesla M60 is the clear choice. It wins both recorded benchmarks, with a 24.4% lead in OpenCL and a 12.5% lead in Vulkan. Its 4.825 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is far ahead of the D700's 3.482 TFLOPS, and its higher ROP count and pixel rate make it better for any graphics processing that requires rasterization. The M60's 8 GB memory capacity is also more future-proof than the D700's 6 GB, especially for larger models or datasets.

Choose the M60 if you need maximum compute throughput, are working with OpenCL-heavy applications, or want better Vulkan compatibility. It is the stronger card in every benchmark recorded, and its 75th percentile standing among all GPUs is higher than the D700's 71st percentile. The M60's nearest rivals include the RX 6700 and RX 6800, meaning it competes with much newer mainstream cards despite its age.

Choose the FirePro D700 if you need display outputs, require higher memory bandwidth, or are building a system with tighter power constraints. Its 263.0 GB/s bandwidth is genuinely useful for bandwidth-bound workloads, and its 274 W power draw is lower than the M60's 300 W. The D700's 6x mini-DisplayPort and SDI outputs make it suitable for multi-display setups, which the M60 cannot handle at all.

The data does not support the D700 in a head-to-head compute comparison. The M60 wins both tests decisively, and its architecture is simply more capable for modern workloads. However, the D700 is not without merit: its bandwidth advantage and display outputs serve specific use cases that the M60 cannot cover. For most compute-focused buyers, the M60 is the answer. For anyone needing a workstation card with video outputs and high bandwidth, the D700 remains viable.

FAQ

Q: Which card has higher FP32 performance?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla M60 leads with 4.825 TFLOPS, compared to the AMD FirePro D700's 3.482 TFLOPS, a 38.6% advantage for NVIDIA.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The FirePro D700 has 263.0 GB/s bandwidth on a 384-bit bus, while the Tesla M60 has 160.4 GB/s on a 256-bit bus. The D700 leads by 64%.

Q: Do both cards support DirectX 12?

A: Yes, but at different feature levels. The M60 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the D700 supports DirectX 12 (11_1).

Q: Which card has more memory?

A: The Tesla M60 has 8 GB of GDDR5, while the FirePro D700 has 6 GB of GDDR5. The M60 offers 33% more capacity.

Q: Can either card drive displays?

A: Only the FirePro D700 has display outputs: 6x mini-DisplayPort and 1x SDI. The Tesla M60 has no display outputs, making it compute-only.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The M60 averages 30,490 (75th percentile), while the D700 averages 25,842 (71st percentile). The M60 leads by roughly 18% in the recorded data.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA Tesla M60 | AMD FirePro D700 |

|---|---|---|

| Chip | GM204 | Tahiti |

| Architecture | Maxwell 2.0 | GCN 1.0 |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 5,200 million | 4,313 million |

| Die Size | 398 mm² | 352 mm² |

| Base Clock | 557 MHz | Not recorded |

| Boost Clock | 1178 MHz | Not recorded |

| Memory Size | 8 GB | 6 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 256 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 160.4 GB/s | 263.0 GB/s |

| Memory Clock | 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective) | 1370 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective) |

| ROPs | 64 | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 75.39 GPixel/s | 27.20 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 150.8 GTexel/s | 108.8 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 4.825 TFLOPS | 3.482 TFLOPS |

| TDP | 300 W | 274 W |

| Suggested PSU | 700 W | 600 W |

| Display Outputs | No outputs | 6x mini-DisplayPort, 1x SDI |

| DirectX | 12 (12_1) | 12 (11_1) |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | 1.2.170 |

| Length | 267 mm (10.5 inches) | 279 mm (11 inches) |

| Power Connectors | 1x 8-pin | Not recorded |