AMD Radeon 740M vs NVIDIA Tesla M2090 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The data shows a single benchmark result where these two GPUs directly compete: Geekbench OpenCL. The NVIDIA Tesla M2090 wins decisively, scoring 13,075 against the AMD Radeon 740M's 10,172. That represents a 28.5% advantage for the Tesla M2090. This is not a marginal victory; it is a substantial performance gap in compute workloads.

The Radeon 740M, however, counters with a Vulkan score of 15,568, a test the Tesla M2090 does not appear in the FACT PACK for. While the head-to-head table only lists the OpenCL comparison, the Radeon's Vulkan result indicates strengths in modern API environments where the older Tesla is simply absent. The Tesla M2090's OpenCL score of 13,075 places it at the 53rd percentile among all GPUs, and its nearest rivals include the GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER (12,986, within 0.7%), the GeForce GTX 950 (13,189, 0.9% ahead), the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (12,940, 1% behind), and the RX 580 (12,928, 1.1% behind). The Radeon 740M also sits at the 53rd percentile, with an average score of 12,870, placing it near the AMD FirePro W5100 (12,847, 0.2% ahead), Radeon Pro 455 (12,831, 0.3% ahead), GeForce GTX 590 (12,830, 0.3% ahead), and RX 580 (12,928, 0.4% behind).

Interpreting these numbers, the Tesla M2090's OpenCL win is substantial but its overall standing is essentially tied with mid-range cards from several generations. The Radeon 740M, despite losing the OpenCL head-to-head, achieves a higher raw Vulkan score (15,568) than the Tesla's OpenCL result (13,075), suggesting that in a different API context, the newer architecture pulls ahead. The deltaPct values in the rival lists show both cards are tightly clustered with their peers—the Tesla is within 1.1% of its closest competitors, and the Radeon is within 0.4%. This clustering indicates that neither card is an outlier in its performance class; they are both solidly mid-pack performers for their time.

The key takeaway from the head-to-head is that the Tesla M2090 wins the only direct comparison available, but the Radeon 740M offers a modern API capability (Vulkan 1.4) that the Tesla lacks entirely. The Tesla's OpenCL advantage is real, but it comes from a GPU released over a decade earlier, optimized for compute density rather than feature completeness.

The Verdict

Choose the NVIDIA Tesla M2090 if your priority is raw OpenCL compute throughput. The 28.5% lead over the Radeon 740M in Geekbench OpenCL is the single most decisive data point in this comparison. This GPU was built for workstation-class compute, and its 512 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs deliver 1,332.2 GFLOPS of FP32 performance. Its 6 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus provides 177.4 GB/s of bandwidth, which is critical for memory-bound workloads. The Tesla M2090 also has a higher pixel rate (20.83 GPixel/s) and texture rate (41.66 GTexel/s) than the Radeon in the data available, reinforcing its compute-oriented design.

Choose the AMD Radeon 740M if you need modern API support, efficiency, or integrated graphics flexibility. The Radeon's Vulkan score of 15,568 demonstrates capability in a graphics API that the Tesla cannot access at all—the Tesla lists no Vulkan support, while the Radeon supports Vulkan 1.4 and DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). The Radeon also draws only 45 W compared to the Tesla's 250 W, making it suitable for systems without dedicated power connectors or substantial cooling. Its FP32 output of 2.867 TFLOPS, while not directly benchmarked against the Tesla in a compute test, exceeds the Tesla's 1,332.2 GFLOPS on paper. The Radeon's FP16 performance (2.867 TFLOPS at 1:1 ratio) is also a feature the Tesla does not list.

The production status is decisive for long-term use: the Tesla M2090 is end-of-life, released in 2011, while the Radeon 740M is active, released in 2024. For new system builds, the Radeon is the only sensible choice. For legacy compute tasks where OpenCL is the sole metric, the Tesla remains competitive. Benchmark results indicate the Tesla wins the only head-to-head test, but the Radeon wins on architecture, features, and power efficiency.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla M2090 scores 13,075, which is 28.5% higher than the AMD Radeon 740M's 10,172.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon 740M support Vulkan?

A: Yes, the Radeon 740M supports Vulkan 1.4 and achieved a Geekbench Vulkan score of 15,568. The Tesla M2090 has no listed Vulkan support.

Q: What is the power consumption difference between the two cards?

A: The Tesla M2090 has a TDP of 250 W and requires a 600 W power supply, while the Radeon 740M has a TDP of 45 W and requires no dedicated power connectors.

Q: How does the Tesla M2090 compare to its nearest rival, the GTX 1660 SUPER?

A: The Tesla M2090 scores 13,075, which is 0.7% higher than the GTX 1660 SUPER's average score of 12,986.

Q: What is the memory configuration of the AMD Radeon 740M?

A: The Radeon 740M uses System Shared memory, with system-dependent bandwidth, whereas the Tesla M2090 has 6 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory with 177.4 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU is newer?

A: The AMD Radeon 740M was released on 2024-01-30 and is active in production, while the NVIDIA Tesla M2090 was released on 2011-07-24 and is end-of-life.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ dramatically in nearly every core specification. The Tesla M2090 has 512 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, while the Radeon 740M has 256 shading units, 16 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. The Tesla's pixel rate is 20.83 GPixel/s versus the Radeon's 22.40 GPixel/s—the Radeon is slightly higher here. The texture rate favors the Radeon as well: 44.80 GTexel/s versus the Tesla's 41.66 GTexel/s. FP32 performance strongly favors the Radeon at 2.867 TFLOPS versus the Tesla's 1,332.2 GFLOPS, and the Radeon also lists FP16 at 2.867 TFLOPS (1:1), a feature the Tesla does not provide.

Memory is a fundamental split. The Tesla uses 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus with 177.4 GB/s bandwidth and a memory clock of 924 MHz (3.7 Gbps effective). The Radeon uses System Shared memory, with system-dependent bandwidth and no dedicated VRAM. The Tesla's power draw is 250 W, requiring a dual-slot cooler, 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin power connectors, and a 600 W suggested PSU. The Radeon is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) drawing 45 W with no power connectors and no suggested PSU. The Tesla connects via PCIe 2.0 x16, while the Radeon uses PCIe 4.0 x8. The Tesla has no display outputs; the Radeon's outputs are motherboard-dependent. The Tesla's die size is 520 mm² with 3,000 million transistors, while the Radeon's is 137 mm² with 20,900 million transistors.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap is generational. The Tesla M2090 uses the GF110 chip based on Fermi 2.0 architecture, built on a 40 nm process at TSMC. The Radeon 740M uses the Phoenix2 chip based on RDNA 3.0 architecture, built on a 4 nm process, also at TSMC. The process node difference is enormous: 40 nm versus 4 nm. Transistor density reflects this: the Tesla has 5.8 million transistors per mm², while the Radeon has 152.6 million per mm²—a 26-fold density advantage for the Radeon. The Radeon also includes 4 ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the Tesla.

The Tesla's generation is listed as "Tesla Fermi (x20xx)," with a predecessor of "Tesla" and successor of "Tesla Kepler." The Radeon's generation is "Navi III IGP (Phoenix)," with a predecessor of "Navi II IGP" and successor of "Navi III IGP." The Tesla supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but no Vulkan. The Radeon supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The Tesla's cache and RT core features are not listed, while the Radeon's 4 RT cores indicate hardware ray tracing capability. The Tesla's architecture is compute-focused with a high shading unit count, while the Radeon's RDNA 3.0 design emphasizes efficiency and modern feature support. The Radeon's 4 nm process enables a much higher transistor count (20,900 million) in a smaller die (137 mm²), indicating a fundamentally more advanced manufacturing approach.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA Tesla M2090 wins in raw OpenCL compute throughput. Its 13,075 OpenCL score is 28.5% ahead of the Radeon's 10,172. This GPU is designed for workstation compute tasks that rely on OpenCL acceleration. Its dedicated 6 GB GDDR5 memory with 177.4 GB/s bandwidth provides predictable, high-speed memory access that a shared-memory IGP cannot match. The Tesla's 512 shading units and 48 ROPs give it substantial parallel processing capability for dense compute workloads. Its dual-slot design and 250 W power envelope indicate a card built for sustained, high-intensity compute sessions in a desktop workstation.

The AMD Radeon 740M wins in modern graphics API support and efficiency. Its Vulkan score of 15,568 demonstrates superior performance in that specific API, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) versus the Tesla's DirectX 12 (11_0). The Radeon's 2.867 TFLOPS FP32 output exceeds the Tesla's 1,332.2 GFLOPS, and its FP16 support (2.867 TFLOPS at 1:1) is absent from the Tesla entirely. The Radeon's 4 RT cores enable hardware ray tracing, which the Tesla cannot do. The Radeon's 45 W power draw makes it suitable for laptops, mini PCs, and systems without discrete graphics power delivery—its IGP form factor means it requires no power connectors and fits into any motherboard with a compatible CPU. The Radeon's base clock of 800 MHz and boost clock of 2800 MHz indicate a flexible power-management strategy, scaling up when needed and down when idle. Its PCIe 4.0 x8 interface is newer than the Tesla's PCIe 2.0 x16, offering higher bandwidth per lane for data transfer. The Radeon's active production status and 2024 release date mean ongoing driver support and availability, while the Tesla's end-of-life status limits its relevance to legacy systems. For gaming, modern application compatibility, or energy-conscious builds, the Radeon 740M is the clear choice; for pure OpenCL compute density, the Tesla M2090 still holds an edge.