AMD Radeon 780M vs NVIDIA Tesla M4 Comparison

The AMD Radeon 780M and NVIDIA Tesla M4 represent two fundamentally different approaches to GPU design, separated by nearly a decade of silicon evolution. The 780M is a modern integrated graphics processor built on a 4 nm process, while the Tesla M4 is an end-of-life discrete accelerator from 2015 built on 28 nm. The benchmark data shows a clear, if not overwhelming, performance advantage for the newer AMD part, with the 780M winning the only shared benchmark by a significant margin. This analysis walks through the head-to-head results, architectural differences, and use-case implications strictly from the provided data.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available between the AMD Radeon 780M and NVIDIA Tesla M4 is the Geekbench OpenCL test. In this benchmark, the AMD Radeon 780M scores 18,602 points, while the NVIDIA Tesla M4 scores 16,932 points. This gives the 780M a decisive 9.9% performance advantage. This is a substantial margin in the context of GPU benchmarks, indicating that the integrated RDNA 3.0 part is not merely competitive with the older discrete Tesla, but meaningfully faster in compute workloads.

To contextualize this win, the 780M’s average benchmark score across all tested workloads is 17,588, placing it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. The Tesla M4’s average score is 16,932, putting it in the 60th percentile. Interestingly, the 780M’s closest rival in the database is the AMD Radeon Pro 560, which scores an average of 17,551—a mere 0.2% behind the 780M. The Tesla M4’s nearest rival is the NVIDIA T400 4 GB, which scores 16,792, putting it 0.8% behind the Tesla. This suggests that while the 780M wins the head-to-head, both parts are clustered with similar-performing peers.

The 9.9% delta in OpenCL performance is the single factual point of comparison. It shows the 780M is faster, but the margin is not enormous. The 780M’s advantage is likely a product of its much higher peak theoretical throughput, but the benchmark result alone confirms the performance hierarchy. In other benchmark categories, the 780M has additional scores—3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 at 480 points and Geekbench Vulkan at 33,683 points—but the Tesla M4 has no corresponding data for these tests, so no further direct comparisons can be made.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the AMD Radeon 780M than the NVIDIA Tesla M4 in the shared benchmark?

A: In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the 780M scores 18,602, which is 9.9% higher than the Tesla M4’s score of 16,932.

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score and percentile ranking?

A: The 780M has an average benchmark score of 17,588 and sits in the 61st percentile. The Tesla M4 has an average score of 16,932 and sits in the 60th percentile.

Q: Are there any benchmarks where the NVIDIA Tesla M4 wins?

A: No. In the single head-to-head benchmark available (Geekbench OpenCL), the Tesla M4 loses. The data shows no wins for the Tesla M4.

Q: What are the closest rivals to each GPU based on average benchmark scores?

A: The 780M’s closest rival is the AMD Radeon Pro 560, with an average score of 17,551 (0.2% lower). The Tesla M4’s closest rival is the NVIDIA T400 4 GB, with an average score of 16,792 (0.8% lower).

Q: Does the Tesla M4 support any modern APIs that the 780M does not?

A: No. The 780M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the Tesla M4 supports DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: Which GPU has a higher pixel fill rate?

A: The 780M has a pixel rate of 92.80 GPixel/s, which is significantly higher than the Tesla M4’s 34.30 GPixel/s.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is vast. The AMD Radeon 780M is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, specifically the Phoenix chip, and belongs to the Navi III IGP generation. It is manufactured on a 4 nm process at TSMC, integrating 25,390 million transistors on a 178 mm² die. This yields a transistor density of 142.6 million transistors per square millimeter. The architecture supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), which includes hardware ray tracing via 12 dedicated RT cores.

In contrast, the NVIDIA Tesla M4 is based on the Maxwell 2.0 architecture, using the GM206 chip from the Tesla Maxwell (Mxx) generation. It is built on a 28 nm process, also at TSMC, but packs only 2,940 million transistors on a larger 228 mm² die. This results in a transistor density of just 12.9 million transistors per square millimeter—roughly an order of magnitude lower than the 780M. The Tesla M4 has no RT cores and supports only DirectX 12 (12_1), lacking the full feature set of DirectX 12 Ultimate.

The memory architecture also differs fundamentally. The 780M uses system-shared memory, with its bandwidth described as "system dependent." The Tesla M4 has dedicated 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 88.00 GB/s of bandwidth. This means the Tesla has fixed, dedicated memory resources, while the 780M relies on the host system's memory, which can be a bottleneck or an advantage depending on the platform. The 780M’s clock speeds are also far higher, with a base of 800 MHz and a boost of 2900 MHz, compared to the Tesla’s base of 872 MHz and boost of 1072 MHz.

Specification Differences

Several key specifications differ between the two GPUs. The most obvious is the process node: the 780M uses 4 nm, while the Tesla M4 uses 28 nm. This drives massive differences in transistor count and density, as noted above.

The compute unit configuration also diverges. The 780M has 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 32 ROPs. The Tesla M4 has 1,024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Despite having fewer shading units, the 780M produces significantly higher throughput: 8.909 TFLOPS FP32 versus 2.195 TFLOPS for the Tesla M4. This is due to the much higher clock speeds (2900 MHz boost vs 1072 MHz boost) and architectural efficiency. The 780M also supports FP16 at a 1:1 ratio (8.909 TFLOPS), while the Tesla M4 has no listed FP16 capability.

Power consumption is another differentiator. The 780M is rated at a TDP of 15 W, while the Tesla M4 is rated at 50 W. The Tesla M4 also requires a suggested power supply of 250 W, whereas the 780M uses no power connectors and is an IGP. The 780M interfaces via PCIe 4.0 x8, while the Tesla M4 uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Physically, the 780M is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with motherboard-dependent display outputs, while the Tesla M4 is a single-slot card with no display outputs at all.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon 780M wins the only benchmark where both have data—Geekbench OpenCL—by 9.9%. It also has a higher average benchmark score (17,588 vs 16,932) and a higher percentile ranking (61st vs 60th). Based on the available data, the 780M wins every comparison that can be made.

The 780M’s strengths are clear: it delivers higher compute performance, higher pixel rate (92.80 GPixel/s vs 34.30 GPixel/s), and higher texture rate (139.2 GTexel/s vs 68.61 GTexel/s) while consuming only 15 W of power versus 50 W. It also supports modern features like ray tracing (12 RT cores) and DirectX 12 Ultimate, making it more suitable for contemporary gaming and compute workloads that leverage these APIs.

The NVIDIA Tesla M4, despite losing the benchmark comparison, has its own architectural advantages in the data. It has dedicated GDDR5 memory with 88.00 GB/s of bandwidth, which is fixed and does not depend on system memory. This can be more predictable in certain professional workloads. It also has more shading units (1,024 vs 768), which could theoretically benefit workloads that scale with raw shader count, though the 780M’s higher clocks offset this in practice. The Tesla M4’s PCIe 3.0 x16 interface provides more lanes than the 780M’s PCIe 4.0 x8, which could matter for data transfer in specific server scenarios. Its single-slot form factor is also a distinct physical design consideration.

The Verdict

From the data, the AMD Radeon 780M is the clear performance winner. It beats the Tesla M4 by 9.9% in the shared OpenCL benchmark, has a higher average score, and achieves higher pixel and texture rates. It also does so at a fraction of the power draw (15 W vs 50 W) and with a much more modern feature set, including ray tracing and DirectX 12 Ultimate support. For any user prioritizing raw compute performance, modern API compatibility, or energy efficiency, the 780M is the superior choice based on this data.

The NVIDIA Tesla M4, however, is not without its merits. Its dedicated 4 GB of GDDR5 memory with fixed bandwidth may appeal to workloads that require predictable memory performance independent of the host system. Its higher shading unit count (1,024 vs 768) and PCIe 3.0 x16 interface could be relevant in specific server or professional contexts. Furthermore, the Tesla M4 is a single-slot discrete card, which may be necessary for systems that cannot use an IGP.

The verdict depends on the use case. For gaming, modern compute, or any workload that benefits from RDNA 3.0 features and higher throughput, the AMD Radeon 780M is the data-backed pick. For legacy server environments requiring a low-profile discrete card with dedicated memory, the Tesla M4 remains a functional option, but it is slower and consumes more power. The 780M’s 9.9% lead in the only head-to-head test, combined with its architectural advantages, makes it the recommended GPU for almost all scenarios where performance matters.