GPU Comparison

The AMD FirePro W5100 and NVIDIA Tesla K10 are both end-of-life professional accelerators built on a 28 nm TSMC process, but they target different corners of the workstation market. The data shows a single head-to-head benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, where the Tesla K10 emerges victorious. The FirePro W5100 scores 11,888 points, while the Tesla K10 scores 14,029 points, resulting in a 15.3% deficit for the AMD card. This single result frames the entire comparison: the Tesla K10 is the raw compute powerhouse, while the FirePro W5100 is a low-power, display-oriented alternative.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available is Geekbench OpenCL, and it is not close. The NVIDIA Tesla K10 scores 14,029, outperforming the AMD FirePro W5100’s 11,888 by 15.3%. This margin is substantial for a compute-oriented workload, indicating that the Tesla K10’s architecture is significantly better suited to general-purpose GPU computing. The FirePro W5100’s score places it at the 52nd percentile of all GPUs, while the Tesla K10 sits at the 55th percentile. This difference in percentile ranking corroborates the raw score gap, showing that the Tesla K10 is not just slightly ahead but occupies a higher tier of overall performance.

Looking at the nearest rivals for each card adds context. The FirePro W5100, with an average benchmark score of 12,847, is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon Pro 455 (12,831, a 0.1% difference) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 (12,830, also 0.1% ahead). It is slightly behind the AMD Radeon 740M (12,870, a -0.2% delta for the W5100). This clustering suggests the FirePro W5100 sits in a performance band where minor architectural differences between competing generations are negligible. The Tesla K10’s average score of 14,029 places it 0.9% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 (14,150) but 1.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 570X (13,871). It also leads the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile by 1.5% and the AMD Radeon 660M by 1.6%. These rival relationships show that the Tesla K10, despite its age, holds its own against much newer mobile and desktop parts in compute tasks.

The win count is lopsided: the Tesla K10 wins the single available benchmark, giving it a 1-0 advantage. There are no tests where the FirePro W5100 comes out ahead. This means any user prioritizing raw OpenCL compute performance should look squarely at the Tesla K10. The FirePro W5100’s only consolation is that its score is not catastrophic; it is within striking distance of several modern integrated and entry-level discrete GPUs, as shown by its rival list. However, the 15.3% gap is a clear and decisive verdict in this specific test.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on fundamentally different architectures. The AMD FirePro W5100 uses the Bonaire chip, based on GCN 2.0, while the NVIDIA Tesla K10 uses the GK104 chip, based on Kepler. Both are fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process, but the similarities end there. The Tesla K10’s GK104 die is substantially larger at 294 mm², housing 3,540 million transistors, whereas the FirePro W5100’s Bonaire die is just 160 mm² with 2,080 million transistors. This gives the NVIDIA chip a transistor density of 12.0 million per mm², while AMD’s smaller die achieves a higher density of 13.0 million per mm².

The compute resources are starkly different. The Tesla K10 packs 1,536 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 rops. The FirePro W5100, in contrast, offers only 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. This 2:1 ratio in shading units and 8:3 ratio in TMUs explains the Tesla K10’s compute advantage. The raw throughput numbers confirm this: the Tesla K10 delivers 2.289 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the FirePro W5100 manages just 1,428.5 GFLOPS. Texture and pixel rates follow suit, with the Tesla K10 hitting 95.36 GTexel/s and 23.84 GPixel/s, versus 44.64 GTexel/s and 14.88 GPixel/s for the FirePro W5100.

Memory architecture also diverges. The Tesla K10 uses a 256-bit memory bus with a bandwidth of 160.0 GB/s, while the FirePro W5100 is limited to a 128-bit bus and 96.00 GB/s. Both cards have 4 GB of GDDR5 memory, but the NVIDIA card’s wider bus gives it 66.7% more bandwidth. The memory clock is higher on the FirePro W5100 at 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective) versus 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective) on the Tesla K10, but the bus width difference dominates. This bandwidth advantage is critical for compute workloads that are memory-bound.

Power and physical design reflect their intended use cases. The FirePro W5100 has a TDP of just 50 W, is single-slot, requires no power connectors, and has a suggested PSU of 250 W. The Tesla K10 is a 225 W dual-slot card needing both a 6-pin and 8-pin power connector, with a suggested PSU of 550 W. The FirePro W5100 is 173 mm long, while the Tesla K10 is 272 mm. The AMD card also has four DisplayPort 1.2 outputs, while the Tesla K10 has no display outputs at all. API support is similar, with both supporting OpenGL 4.6, but the FirePro W5100 supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.2.170, while the Tesla K10 only supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175.

Where Each One Wins

The Tesla K10 is the clear winner in raw compute performance. Its 15.3% lead in Geekbench OpenCL is the primary evidence, and it is backed by its superior shader count, memory bandwidth, and fill rates. The 2.289 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is a 60% advantage over the FirePro W5100’s 1,428.5 GFLOPS. For users running OpenCL-based simulations, rendering, or data processing, the Tesla K10 is the stronger choice. Its position at the 55th percentile versus the FirePro W5100’s 52nd percentile reinforces this.

The FirePro W5100’s strengths lie outside the benchmark suite. It has display outputs (four DisplayPort 1.2 connectors), making it usable as a workstation graphics card for multi-monitor setups. The Tesla K10 has no outputs, meaning it is purely a compute accelerator. The FirePro W5100’s 50 W TDP and single-slot design make it easy to integrate into existing systems without power upgrades, whereas the Tesla K10 demands a 550 W PSU and dual-slot space. The AMD card also supports DirectX 12 at the 12_0 feature level, which may matter for specific applications, though the Tesla K10’s Vulkan support is slightly newer at 1.2.175.

In terms of generational context, the FirePro W5100 is the successor to FirePro Terascale and the predecessor to Radeon Pro Polaris. The Tesla K10 succeeds Tesla Fermi and precedes Tesla Maxwell. The release dates differ, with the FirePro W5100 launching in March 2014 and the Tesla K10 in April 2012. This two-year gap means the FirePro W5100 benefits from architectural refinements in GCN 2.0, but the Kepler architecture in the Tesla K10 was clearly designed for maximum compute density.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every measurable specification. The Tesla K10 has 1,536 shading units versus 768 on the FirePro W5100, 128 TMUs versus 48, and 32 ROPs versus 16. The Tesla K10’s FP32 performance is 2.289 TFLOPS, while the FirePro W5100 delivers 1,428.5 GFLOPS. Pixel rate is 23.84 GPixel/s on the Tesla K10 versus 14.88 GPixel/s on the FirePro W5100, and texture rate is 95.36 GTexel/s versus 44.64 GTexel/s.

Memory bandwidth is another major differentiator: 160.0 GB/s on the Tesla K10 versus 96.00 GB/s on the FirePro W5100, driven by the 256-bit versus 128-bit bus. The memory clock is lower on the Tesla K10 at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective) compared to 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective) on the FirePro W5100, but the bus width compensates. Transistor count is 3,540 million on the Tesla K10 versus 2,080 million on the FirePro W5100, with die sizes of 294 mm² and 160 mm² respectively.

Power consumption is a stark contrast: 225 W for the Tesla K10 versus 50 W for the FirePro W5100. The Tesla K10 requires dual-slot cooling and a 6-pin plus 8-pin power connector, while the FirePro W5100 is single-slot with no power connectors. The suggested PSU is 550 W for the Tesla K10 and 250 W for the FirePro W5100. Physical dimensions also differ, with the Tesla K10 measuring 272 mm in length versus 173 mm for the FirePro W5100. Display outputs are present only on the FirePro W5100 (four DisplayPort 1.2), while the Tesla K10 has none. The Tesla K10 has a launch MSRP of 5,099 USD. The FirePro W5100’s architecture is GCN 2.0, while the Tesla K10 uses Kepler, and their generations are FirePro GCN (Wx100) versus Tesla Kepler (Kxx).

FAQ

Q: Which card performs better in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla K10 scores 14,029, beating the AMD FirePro W5100’s 11,888 by 15.3%.

Q: Do both cards support the same DirectX version?

A: No. The FirePro W5100 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the Tesla K10 supports DirectX 12 (11_0).

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The Tesla K10 has 160.0 GB/s, while the FirePro W5100 has 96.00 GB/s, due to the 256-bit versus 128-bit memory bus.

Q: Can the Tesla K10 output video to a display?

A: No. The Tesla K10 has no display outputs, while the FirePro W5100 has four DisplayPort 1.2 connectors.

Q: How does the power consumption compare?

A: The Tesla K10 has a TDP of 225 W and requires a 550 W PSU, while the FirePro W5100 has a TDP of 50 W and requires only a 250 W PSU.

Q: What is the FP32 compute throughput for each card?

A: The Tesla K10 delivers 2.289 TFLOPS, while the FirePro W5100 delivers 1,428.5 GFLOPS.