AMD FirePro W4300 vs NVIDIA Tesla C2070 Comparison

The Verdict

The recorded data clearly favors the AMD FirePro W4300 in raw compute performance. In the sole head-to-head benchmark available, Geekbench OpenCL, the FirePro W4300 scores 11225 against the Tesla C2070's 9716, a decisive 15.5% advantage. The FirePro W4300 also sits at the 50th percentile among all GPUs in the database, while the Tesla C2070 sits at the 47th percentile. For any workload that relies on OpenCL compute, the AMD card is the stronger choice based on this measurement.

The NVIDIA Tesla C2070 does retain advantages in other areas, but not in compute throughput. It offers more memory capacity at 6 GB versus 4 GB, a wider memory bus at 384 bit versus 128 bit, and higher memory bandwidth at 143.4 GB/s versus 96.00 GB/s. The Tesla C2070 also has more ROPs (48 versus 16) and a higher pixel rate (16.07 GPixel/s versus 14.88 GPixel/s). However, these strengths do not translate into an OpenCL win, as the benchmark shows the FirePro W4300 ahead by a wide margin.

The data suggests the FirePro W4300 is the pick for compute-focused tasks where OpenCL performance matters. The Tesla C2070, with its larger memory pool and higher bandwidth, may suit workloads that are memory-capacity bound, but the benchmark evidence does not support it as a compute leader against this AMD rival. The FirePro W4300 also delivers its performance at a much lower power draw, 50 W versus 238 W, and in a single-slot form factor versus dual-slot. Neither card carries a launch MSRP in the database, so no pricing comparison is possible.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different architectural generations and foundry processes. The AMD FirePro W4300 uses the Bonaire chip built on GCN 2.0 architecture, manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The NVIDIA Tesla C2070 uses the GF100 chip based on the Fermi architecture, also from TSMC but on a 40 nm process. The node difference is significant: the FirePro W4300's 28 nm process allows for a much smaller die at 160 mm², while the Tesla C2070's die is 529 mm². Despite the larger physical die, the Tesla C2070 packs 3,100 million transistors versus 2,080 million on the AMD chip. The transistor density tells the story of the process advantage: the FirePro W4300 reaches 13.0M transistors per mm², while the Tesla C2070 manages only 5.9M per mm².

The compute architectures differ sharply. The FirePro W4300 uses GCN 2.0 with 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The Tesla C2070 uses Fermi with 448 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The AMD card has more shading units but fewer TMUs and ROPs. The memory subsystems are also different in design: the FirePro W4300 uses a 128 bit bus with GDDR5 memory running at 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective), while the Tesla C2070 uses a 384 bit bus with GDDR5 at 747 MHz (3 Gbps effective). The wider bus on the Tesla card gives it higher total bandwidth despite the slower memory clock.

Feature support diverges as well. The FirePro W4300 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The Tesla C2070 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support listed in the database. The FirePro W4300 uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the Tesla C2070 uses PCIe 2.0 x16. Display outputs also differ: the FirePro W4300 has 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.2, while the Tesla C2070 has a single DVI output, reflecting its compute-oriented design rather than workstation display use.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in OpenCL compute?

A: The AMD FirePro W4300 scores 11225 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 15.5% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla C2070's 9716.

Q: How do the two cards compare in memory capacity?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla C2070 has 6 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the AMD FirePro W4300 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory.

Q: Which card has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla C2070 delivers 143.4 GB/s of bandwidth, compared to 96.00 GB/s for the AMD FirePro W4300.

Q: What are the power requirements of these cards?

A: The AMD FirePro W4300 has a TDP of 50 W and requires a 250 W suggested PSU, while the NVIDIA Tesla C2070 has a TDP of 238 W and requires a 550 W suggested PSU.

Q: Which card offers better API support?

A: The AMD FirePro W4300 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The NVIDIA Tesla C2070 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support.

Q: How do the cards compare in physical size?

A: The AMD FirePro W4300 is a single-slot card with a length of 171 mm (6.7 inches) and a height of 69 mm (2.7 inches). The NVIDIA Tesla C2070 is a dual-slot card with a length of 248 mm (9.8 inches).

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every major specification field in the database.

| Specification | AMD FirePro W4300 | NVIDIA Tesla C2070 |

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

| Architecture | GCN 2.0 | Fermi |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 40 nm |

| Transistors | 2,080 million | 3,100 million |

| Die Size | 160 mm² | 529 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 13.0M / mm² | 5.9M / mm² |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 6 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Clock | 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective) | 747 MHz (3 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Bandwidth | 96.00 GB/s | 143.4 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 768 | 448 |

| TMUs | 48 | 56 |

| ROPs | 16 | 48 |

| Pixel Rate | 14.88 GPixel/s | 16.07 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 44.64 GTexel/s | 32.14 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 1,428.5 GFLOPS | 1,027.7 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 50 W | 238 W |

| Slot Width | Single-slot | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | None | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 250 W | 550 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 2.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 | 1x DVI |

| DirectX Support | 12 (12_0) | 12 (11_0) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.2.170 | None |

| Length | 171 mm (6.7 inches) | 248 mm (9.8 inches) |

| Release Date | 2015-11-30 | 2011-07-24 |

| Predecessor | FirePro Terascale | Tesla |

| Successor | Radeon Pro GCN | Tesla Kepler |

The two cards share some traits: both are end-of-life products, both use GDDR5 memory, both support OpenGL 4.6, and neither has RT cores, tensor cores, or FP16 support listed. Neither card has a base or boost clock in the database, and neither has a launch MSRP.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains a single head-to-head benchmark between these two cards: Geekbench OpenCL. The AMD FirePro W4300 wins this test with a score of 11225 against the NVIDIA Tesla C2070's 9716, a 15.5% delta in favor of AMD. This is the only benchmark where both cards were measured under identical conditions, and it counts as the sole win for the FirePro W4300, with the Tesla C2070 recording zero wins.

The OpenCL result is consistent with the raw compute specifications. The FirePro W4300 delivers 1,428.5 GFLOPS of FP32 performance, which is 39% higher than the Tesla C2070's 1,027.7 GFLOPS. The AMD card also has more shading units (768 versus 448) and a higher texture rate (44.64 GTexel/s versus 32.14 GTexel/s). These advantages in shading throughput and texture fill likely explain the OpenCL margin.

The Tesla C2070 does not win any benchmark, but its specification sheet shows where it could compete. Its pixel rate of 16.07 GPixel/s exceeds the FirePro W4300's 14.88 GPixel/s, and its texture rate deficit is smaller than the shading unit deficit might suggest, due to its 56 TMUs against 48 on the AMD card. The Tesla C2070 also carries more memory bandwidth, 143.4 GB/s versus 96.00 GB/s, which could matter in memory-intensive workloads not captured by the Geekbench OpenCL test.

The rival positioning in the database reinforces the gap. The FirePro W4300's nearest rival is the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 with an average score of 11228, a 0% delta, meaning the FirePro W4300 is essentially tied with that card. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M scores 11261, placing it 0.3% ahead. The FirePro W4300 also edges out the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q and the RTX PRO 6000D Blackwell Max-Q, both scoring 11088, putting the FirePro W4300 1.2% ahead of those cards.

The Tesla C2070's nearest rivals tell a similar story. The NVIDIA Tesla M10 scores 9724, 0.1% ahead of the C2070. The NVIDIA Quadro P4000 scores 9665, placing it 0.5% behind. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 scores 9653, 0.7% behind. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 scores 9780, 0.7% ahead. The Tesla C2070 sits in the middle of this cluster, with its closest competitors all within a 1% band.

The benchmark data shows a clear hierarchy: the FirePro W4300 lands in a performance tier roughly 15.5% above the Tesla C2070 in OpenCL compute. The architecture gap, from Fermi on 40 nm to GCN 2.0 on 28 nm, explains much of this difference. The Tesla C2070's larger memory pool and wider bus do not compensate for its lower shading throughput and older process node in the measured test.