AMD FirePro S9300 X2 vs NVIDIA Tesla M60 Comparison

# AMD FirePro S9300 X2 vs NVIDIA Tesla M60

The benchmark data presents a split decision between these two dual-slot, end-of-life server accelerators. Each card claims one head-to-head victory, with the AMD FirePro S9300 X2 taking the Geekbench Vulkan test by a substantial margin while the NVIDIA Tesla M60 counters with a smaller but clear win in Geekbench OpenCL. The average benchmark scores place them close together — 32,540 for the AMD card versus 30,490 for the NVIDIA — a difference of roughly 6.7% in favor of the FirePro S9300 X2. Both cards occupy similar positions in the overall GPU landscape, with the AMD part at the 77th percentile against all GPUs and the Tesla M60 at the 75th.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench OpenCL test goes to the NVIDIA Tesla M60 with a score of 29,506 against the AMD FirePro S9300 X2's 27,971. That represents a 5.2% deficit for the AMD card, a meaningful gap in compute workloads that favor OpenCL. The Tesla M60's advantage here is notable given that it carries fewer shading units — 2,048 versus 4,096 — and roughly 40% lower FP32 throughput at 4.825 TFLOPS compared to 7.987 TFLOPS. The data suggests that raw shader count and theoretical floating-point performance do not automatically translate into OpenCL benchmark dominance, as the NVIDIA architecture extracts more real-world performance from its smaller configuration.

The Geekbench Vulkan test flips the result decisively. The AMD FirePro S9300 X2 scores 37,109 against the Tesla M60's 31,473, a 17.9% advantage. This is the largest margin in either direction across the two tests, and it demonstrates that the AMD card's architectural strengths align more closely with Vulkan's execution model. The 17.9% delta is more than three times the size of NVIDIA's OpenCL win, meaning that when averaging the two tests, the AMD card comes out ahead overall despite losing one benchmark.

Looking at the nearest rivals for context, the AMD FirePro S9300 X2's average score of 32,540 places it within 0.2% of the AMD Radeon RX 590 GME's 32,601 and 0.3% of the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE's 32,456. The NVIDIA Tesla M60's average of 30,490 sits exactly level with the NVIDIA CMP 70HX's 30,476 and 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6700's 30,433. These proximity values show that both cards perform in line with their respective peer groups, with neither card dramatically overperforming or underperforming its expected tier.

The Verdict

The data supports the AMD FirePro S9300 X2 for workloads that leverage Vulkan, where it holds a 17.9% advantage over the Tesla M60. The AMD card's average benchmark score of 32,540 is also higher, and it sits at the 77th percentile versus the Tesla M60's 75th. For users running Vulkan-based compute or rendering tasks, the AMD card is the clear choice based on benchmark results.

The NVIDIA Tesla M60 is the better option for OpenCL-centric workloads, where its 5.2% lead in that specific test provides a tangible benefit. Its larger 8 GB memory capacity — double the AMD card's 4 GB — also gives it an advantage in memory-bound scenarios, though the AMD card's 512.0 GB/s bandwidth dwarfs the Tesla M60's 160.4 GB/s. The NVIDIA card's higher boost clock of 1178 MHz versus no listed boost clock for the AMD part suggests different clock management strategies, but the benchmark results speak for themselves.

Neither card is a universal winner. The split decision means the choice depends entirely on the API and workload profile. The AMD FirePro S9300 X2 offers better average performance and a decisive Vulkan advantage, while the NVIDIA Tesla M60 provides a more modest but real OpenCL edge. Buyers should match the card to their dominant API usage.

Architecture Differences

The AMD FirePro S9300 X2 uses the GCN 3.0 architecture with the Capsaicin chip, built on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The die measures 596 mm² and contains 8,900 million transistors, yielding a transistor density of 14.9M per mm². The NVIDIA Tesla M60 employs the Maxwell 2.0 architecture with the GM204 chip, also fabricated on TSMC's 28 nm node. Its die is smaller at 398 mm² with 5,200 million transistors, resulting in a lower transistor density of 13.1M per mm².

The AMD card packs 4,096 shading units, 256 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units. The Tesla M60 halves the shading units to 2,048, also halves the TMUs to 128, but keeps the same 64 ROPs. This configuration explains why the AMD card's texture rate reaches 249.6 GTexel/s versus 150.8 GTexel/s for the NVIDIA part, while the pixel rates are closer — 62.40 GPixel/s for AMD and 75.39 GPixel/s for NVIDIA — reflecting the identical ROP counts.

Memory architecture diverges significantly. The AMD FirePro S9300 X2 uses 4 GB of HBM on a 4096-bit bus, delivering 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Tesla M60 uses 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, providing 160.4 GB/s. The AMD card's memory clock is listed at 500 MHz with 1000 Mbps effective, while the NVIDIA card runs at 1253 MHz with 5 Gbps effective. The API support also differs: AMD lists DirectX 12 (12_0) while NVIDIA supports DirectX 12 (12_1), and Vulkan versions are 1.2.170 for AMD versus 1.4 for NVIDIA.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every specification field. The AMD FirePro S9300 X2 has no listed base or boost clock, while the Tesla M60 lists a base of 557 MHz and a boost of 1178 MHz. Memory capacity is 4 GB for AMD versus 8 GB for NVIDIA. Memory type is HBM versus GDDR5, with bus widths of 4096 bit and 256 bit respectively. Bandwidth is 512.0 GB/s for AMD versus 160.4 GB/s for NVIDIA.

Shading units total 4,096 on the AMD card and 2,048 on the NVIDIA card. TMUs are 256 versus 128. The pixel rate favors NVIDIA at 75.39 GPixel/s versus 62.40 GPixel/s, while the texture rate favors AMD at 249.6 GTexel/s versus 150.8 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 7.987 TFLOPS for AMD and 4.825 TFLOPS for NVIDIA. The AMD card uses 2x 8-pin power connectors, while the NVIDIA card uses 1x 8-pin. Both share a 300 W TDP, dual-slot width, PCIe 3.0 x16 interface, no display outputs, and a 700 W suggested PSU. The AMD card has a launch MSRP of 5,999 USD; the NVIDIA card has no listed launch MSRP. The AMD card's dimensions are 267 mm by 111 mm, while only the length of 267 mm is listed for the NVIDIA card. The AMD card was released on 2016-03-30, the NVIDIA card on 2015-08-29.

FAQ

Q: Which card wins in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla M60 wins with a score of 29,506 versus the AMD FirePro S9300 X2's 27,971, a 5.2% advantage.

Q: Which card wins in Geekbench Vulkan?

A: The AMD FirePro S9300 X2 wins with a score of 37,109 versus the Tesla M60's 31,473, a 17.9% advantage.

Q: How do the average benchmark scores compare?

A: The AMD FirePro S9300 X2 has an average benchmark score of 32,540, while the NVIDIA Tesla M60 averages 30,490. The AMD card sits at the 77th percentile of all GPUs, compared to the 75th percentile for NVIDIA.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla M60 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, while the AMD FirePro S9300 X2 has 4 GB of HBM memory on a 4096-bit bus. AMD's bandwidth is 512.0 GB/s versus 160.4 GB/s for NVIDIA.

Q: Which card has higher FP32 performance?

A: The AMD FirePro S9300 X2 delivers 7.987 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, compared to 4.825 TFLOPS for the NVIDIA Tesla M60.

Q: What are the power connector requirements?

A: The AMD FirePro S9300 X2 requires 2x 8-pin power connectors, while the NVIDIA Tesla M60 requires 1x 8-pin. Both cards have a 300 W TDP and a 700 W suggested PSU.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD FirePro S9300 X2 is the pick for Vulkan-based compute workloads, where its 17.9% benchmark lead over the Tesla M60 provides a substantial performance cushion. Its 7.987 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 512.0 GB/s memory bandwidth make it well-suited for compute-heavy tasks that can leverage its 4,096 shading units. The higher average benchmark score and better percentile ranking also favor the AMD card in mixed-workload environments.

The NVIDIA Tesla M60 wins in OpenCL-specific applications, where its 5.2% edge in that benchmark matters. Its 8 GB memory capacity doubles the AMD card's 4 GB, which benefits workloads with larger working sets that fit in VRAM. The higher pixel rate of 75.39 GPixel/s versus 62.40 GPixel/s also gives NVIDIA an edge in certain rasterization-adjacent tasks, despite the AMD card's superior texture rate.

For users running both APIs, the AMD card's larger Vulkan margin and higher average score make it the better all-rounder. For OpenCL-only deployments, the Tesla M60's dedicated strength in that API justifies its selection. The data does not support a single universal recommendation; the choice hinges on API mix and memory capacity requirements.