AMD FirePro W8000 vs NVIDIA Tesla M60 Comparison

The NVIDIA Tesla M60 and AMD FirePro W8000 are both end-of-life professional workstation cards from the 28 nm era, but the benchmark data shows they serve distinctly different purposes. The Tesla M60 wins the Geekbench OpenCL test decisively, while the FirePro W8000 counters with a win in Geekbench Vulkan. The Tesla M60’s average benchmark score of 30,490 places it slightly ahead of the FirePro W8000’s 29,211, but both sit at the 75th percentile of all GPUs. The verdict is clear: the Tesla M60 is the compute-oriented choice for raw throughput, while the FirePro W8000 is the better option for API-specific workloads and systems requiring display outputs.

The Verdict

The data points to the NVIDIA Tesla M60 as the stronger pick for OpenCL-based compute tasks, and the AMD FirePro W8000 as the better choice for Vulkan-driven applications. In the head-to-head Geekbench OpenCL test, the Tesla M60 scores 29,506 against the FirePro W8000’s 24,440, a 20.7% advantage. That is a substantial margin. However, in Geekbench Vulkan, the FirePro W8000 flips the script, scoring 33,981 versus the Tesla M60’s 31,473, a 7.4% lead. The Tesla M60’s average benchmark score of 30,490 outstrips the FirePro W8000’s 29,211 by about 4.4%, but the FirePro W8000’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH at 29,197 and the Intel Arc A370M at 29,175, showing it is tightly clustered with modern entry-level options. The Tesla M60, by contrast, is within 1.8% of the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti’s 29,945, suggesting its compute lead is not a fluke. Buyers needing a display output should note the FirePro W8000 has four DisplayPort 1.2 outputs and an SDI output, while the Tesla M60 has no display outputs whatsoever. For pure compute density, the Tesla M60’s higher transistor count and shading unit tally give it the edge; for flexibility and Vulkan performance, the FirePro W8000 wins.

Where Each One Wins

The Tesla M60 wins in OpenCL compute, and the data shows this is its primary strength. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 29,506 is 20.7% higher than the FirePro W8000’s 24,440. This aligns with its specification sheet: the Tesla M60 packs 2,048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, versus the FirePro W8000’s 1,792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and just 32 ROPs. The Tesla M60 also delivers 4.825 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, compared to the FirePro W8000’s 3.226 TFLOPS. That is a 49.6% raw compute advantage, which explains the OpenCL gap. The Tesla M60’s pixel rate of 75.39 GPixel/s and texture rate of 150.8 GTexel/s far exceed the FirePro W8000’s 28.80 GPixel/s and 100.8 GTexel/s. In memory, the Tesla M60 offers 8 GB of GDDR5 versus the FirePro W8000’s 4 GB, though the FirePro W8000’s bandwidth is slightly higher at 176.0 GB/s versus 160.4 GB/s.

The FirePro W8000 wins in Vulkan, scoring 33,981 against the Tesla M60’s 31,473. That 7.4% lead is notable because the Tesla M60 has a newer architecture—Maxwell 2.0 versus GCN 1.0—and a higher core count. The Vulkan result suggests the FirePro W8000’s driver or hardware implementation is better optimized for that API. The FirePro W8000 also wins on memory bandwidth per capacity, delivering 176.0 GB/s from a 256-bit bus with 5.5 Gbps effective memory clock, whereas the Tesla M60 uses a 256-bit bus with 5 Gbps effective memory for 160.4 GB/s. Additionally, the FirePro W8000 has a lower TDP of 225 W versus the Tesla M60’s 300 W, and a lower suggested PSU of 550 W versus 700 W. For any workload that requires a display connection, the FirePro W8000 is the only option, as it has four DisplayPort 1.2 outputs and one SDI output, while the Tesla M60 has none.

Architecture Differences

The architectural split is stark. The Tesla M60 is built on NVIDIA’s Maxwell 2.0 architecture, using the GM204 chip, while the FirePro W8000 uses AMD’s GCN 1.0 architecture with the Tahiti chip. Both are manufactured by TSMC on a 28 nm process, but the Tesla M60 packs more transistors: 5,200 million versus 4,313 million. The die size also differs, with the Tesla M60 at 398 mm² and the FirePro W8000 at 352 mm². This translates to a transistor density of 13.1 million per mm² for the Tesla M60, slightly higher than the FirePro W8000’s 12.3 million per mm². The Tesla M60 belongs to the Tesla Maxwell generation (Mxx), while the FirePro W8000 is from the FirePro GCN (Wx000) generation. The Tesla M60’s predecessor is Tesla Kepler and its successor is Tesla Pascal; the FirePro W8000’s predecessor is FirePro Terascale and its successor is Radeon Pro Polaris.

The Tesla M60 has a boost clock of 1178 MHz and a base clock of 557 MHz, whereas the FirePro W8000’s clock speeds are not listed in the data. The Tesla M60’s memory runs at 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective), while the FirePro W8000’s memory runs at 1375 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective). In terms of API support, the Tesla M60 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The FirePro W8000 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The Vulkan version difference is minor in practice, but the DirectX feature level is one step lower on the FirePro W8000. Neither card has ray tracing cores or tensor cores, as they predate those technologies. The Tesla M60 is a dual-slot card with a 1x 8-pin power connector, while the FirePro W8000 is also dual-slot but uses 2x 6-pin connectors. The Tesla M60 is 267 mm long, while the FirePro W8000 is 279 mm long and 111 mm tall.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla M60 has an average benchmark score of 30,490, which is higher than the AMD FirePro W8000’s 29,211. The Tesla M60’s nearest rival, the NVIDIA CMP 70HX, scores 30,476, nearly identical, while the FirePro W8000’s nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH, scores 29,197.

Q: How does the OpenCL performance compare between the two?

A: In Geekbench OpenCL, the Tesla M60 scores 29,506, beating the FirePro W8000’s 24,440 by 20.7%. This is consistent with the Tesla M60’s higher FP32 throughput of 4.825 TFLOPS versus the FirePro W8000’s 3.226 TFLOPS.

Q: Can either card be used for display output?

A: Only the AMD FirePro W8000 has display outputs, featuring 4x DisplayPort 1.2 and 1x SDI. The NVIDIA Tesla M60 has no display outputs, making it unsuitable for direct monitor connection.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The Tesla M60 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 160.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The FirePro W8000 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, providing a higher 176.0 GB/s of bandwidth due to its faster 5.5 Gbps effective memory clock.

Q: Which card is more power-efficient based on the data?

A: The FirePro W8000 has a lower TDP of 225 W and a suggested PSU of 550 W, while the Tesla M60 has a TDP of 300 W and a suggested PSU of 700 W. The FirePro W8000 also has a smaller die size of 352 mm² versus the Tesla M60’s 398 mm².

Q: How do the Vulkan scores compare?

A: The FirePro W8000 wins the Geekbench Vulkan test with a score of 33,981, beating the Tesla M60’s 31,473 by 7.4%. This is despite the Tesla M60 having a newer architecture and more shading units.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two Geekbench tests in the data show a split decision. In Geekbench OpenCL, the Tesla M60 dominates with a score of 29,506 versus the FirePro W8000’s 24,440. The 20.7% delta is the largest margin in either direction. This result is backed by the Tesla M60’s raw hardware: 2,048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, all of which are higher than the FirePro W8000’s 1,792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The Tesla M60’s pixel rate of 75.39 GPixel/s is more than double the FirePro W8000’s 28.80 GPixel/s, and its texture rate of 150.8 GTexel/s is 49.6% higher than the FirePro W8000’s 100.8 GTexel/s. In FP32 compute, the Tesla M60’s 4.825 TFLOPS surpasses the FirePro W8000’s 3.226 TFLOPS by nearly 50%.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the FirePro W8000 strikes back with a score of 33,981, beating the Tesla M60’s 31,473 by 7.4%. This is a surprising result given the FirePro W8000’s lower core counts and older GCN 1.0 architecture. The FirePro W8000’s higher memory bandwidth of 176.0 GB/s might contribute, but the Vulkan score is more likely a driver or API-level optimization. The FirePro W8000’s nearest rivals in this metric include the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH at 29,197 and the Intel Arc A370M at 29,175, which are both far below its Vulkan score, suggesting the FirePro W8000 is exceptionally strong in this specific workload. The Tesla M60’s Vulkan score of 31,473 is closer to its OpenCL score, while the FirePro W8000’s Vulkan score is significantly higher than its OpenCL score, indicating a workload-specific advantage for the AMD card.

Overall, the head-to-head records are tied at one win each, but the magnitude of the wins differs. The Tesla M60’s OpenCL win is nearly three times larger in percentage terms than the FirePro W8000’s Vulkan win. This suggests that for compute-heavy tasks using OpenCL, the Tesla M60 is the clear choice, while for Vulkan-specific rendering or compute, the FirePro W8000 holds a modest but real edge. The average benchmark scores reinforce this: the Tesla M60’s 30,490 average is 4.4% higher than the FirePro W8000’s 29,211, meaning the Tesla M60 is the more consistent performer across the two tests.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every major specification. The Tesla M60 uses the GM204 chip with Maxwell 2.0 architecture, while the FirePro W8000 uses the Tahiti chip with GCN 1.0. The Tesla M60 has a larger die at 398 mm² and more transistors at 5,200 million, compared to the FirePro W8000’s 352 mm² and 4,313 million. Transistor density is 13.1M per mm² for the Tesla M60 versus 12.3M per mm² for the FirePro W8000. Clock speeds differ, with the Tesla M60 listing a base of 557 MHz and a boost of 1178 MHz, while the FirePro W8000’s clocks are not provided. Memory clocks are 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective) for the Tesla M60 and 1375 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective) for the FirePro W8000.

Memory capacity is a major divergence: the Tesla M60 has 8 GB of GDDR5, double the FirePro W8000’s 4 GB. Both use a 256-bit bus, but the FirePro W8000’s bandwidth is higher at 176.0 GB/s versus 160.4 GB/s. Shading units favor the Tesla M60 at 2,048 versus 1,792, as do TMUs at 128 versus 112 and ROPs at 64 versus 32. Pixel rate is 75.39 GPixel/s for the Tesla M60 and 28.80 GPixel/s for the FirePro W8000. Texture rate is 150.8 GTexel/s versus 100.8 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 4.825 TFLOPS versus 3.226 TFLOPS. TDP is 300 W for the Tesla M60 and 225 W for the FirePro W8000. Power connectors are 1x 8-pin for the Tesla M60 and 2x 6-pin for the FirePro W8000. Suggested PSU is 700 W versus 550 W. The Tesla M60 has no display outputs, while the FirePro W8000 has 4x DisplayPort 1.2 and 1x SDI. DirectX support is 12 (12_1) for the Tesla M60 and 12 (11_1) for the FirePro W8000. Vulkan support is 1.4 for the Tesla M60 and 1.2.170 for the FirePro W8000. The Tesla M60 is 267 mm long, while the FirePro W8000 is 279 mm long and 111 mm tall. Release dates are August 2015 for the Tesla M60 and June 2012 for the FirePro W8000. The FirePro W8000 has a launch MSRP of 1,599 USD.