AMD Radeon 880M vs NVIDIA Tesla C2075 Comparison

The Verdict

The database comparison between the NVIDIA Tesla C2075 and the AMD Radeon 880M is defined by a single, decisive benchmark result. The AMD Radeon 880M is the unequivocal winner in the only direct head-to-head test recorded, the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark, where it scored 31,285 against the Tesla C2075’s 10,400. This represents a 66.8% advantage for the AMD part, a margin that leaves no ambiguity about which GPU offers superior compute performance in this comparison.

The Tesla C2075, a product from the Fermi era, finds itself relegated to a historical footnote. Its average benchmark score of 10,400 places it at the 48th percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the Radeon 880M, despite a lower overall percentile rank of 43, posts a much higher raw score in the OpenCL test. The Radeon 880M is the clear choice for any workload leveraging OpenCL, which is the only test both products share. For anyone selecting between these two, the data points squarely at the AMD Radeon 880M as the superior compute solution.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two products is generational and profound. The NVIDIA Tesla C2075 is built on the Fermi 2.0 architecture, utilizing the GF110 chip, and was manufactured on a 40 nm process at TSMC. It packs 3,000 million transistors onto a 520 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 5.8M per mm². In stark contrast, the AMD Radeon 880M uses the RDNA 3.5 architecture with the Strix Point chip, built on a 4 nm process, also at TSMC. This newer part integrates a massive 34,000 million transistors onto a much smaller 233 mm² die, achieving a density of 145.9M per mm². The data shows a leap of over an order of magnitude in transistor density, highlighting the efficiency gains of modern manufacturing.

The memory subsystems are fundamentally different as well. The Tesla C2075 is a discrete card with 6 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 150.3 GB/s. The Radeon 880M, as an integrated graphics processor (IGP), relies on System Shared memory, with its bandwidth described as System Dependent. This distinction is critical: the Tesla has its own dedicated high-bandwidth pool, while the Radeon must share system memory, making its performance dependent on the host platform’s memory configuration.

Core configurations also differ significantly. The Tesla C2075 has 448 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs. The Radeon 880M, despite being an IGP, has more shading units at 768, but fewer TMUs (48) and ROPs (16). The Radeon also introduces 12 ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the Fermi-based Tesla. Furthermore, the Radeon’s compute capabilities are far higher: it delivers 4.454 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and the same 4.454 TFLOPS for FP16 (at a 1:1 ratio). The Tesla C2075, by comparison, manages only 1,027.7 GFLOPS of FP32, a figure that is roughly a quarter of the Radeon's output.

Process node, power, and interface differences round out the picture. The Tesla is a 247 W dual-slot card requiring a 550 W suggested PSU and two power connectors, while the Radeon 880M is an IGP with a 15 W TDP and no power connectors. The Tesla uses PCIe 2.0 x16, while the Radeon uses the newer PCIe 4.0 x8. The Tesla supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, while the Radeon supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The Tesla’s display output is a single DVI port, whereas the Radeon’s outputs are described as Portable Device Dependent.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only head-to-head benchmark recorded in the database is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the result is a landslide victory for the AMD Radeon 880M. The Radeon scored 31,285, while the NVIDIA Tesla C2075 managed only 10,400. This translates to a delta of 66.8% in favor of the AMD part. This single data point is the entire basis for the head-to-head comparison, and it shows a massive performance gap in OpenCL compute workloads.

The Tesla C2075’s score of 10,400 places it in the company of older discrete mobile GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6500M with an average score of 10,362 (a 0.4% difference), the AMD Radeon RX 550X with 10,481 (0.8% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A with 10,273 (1.2% lower), and the AMD Radeon R9 M275X with 10,582 (1.7% higher). These margins are all within a few percentage points, indicating that the Tesla C2075 performs at a level consistent with that older generation of mid-range mobile graphics.

The Radeon 880M’s OpenCL score of 31,285 is in a different performance class entirely. Its nearest rivals, based on average benchmark scores, are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX at 8,427 (0.1% lower), the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 at 8,458 (0.3% higher), the AMD Radeon HD 8870M at 8,462 (0.3% higher), and the AMD Radeon R9 M375X at 8,325 (1.3% lower). It is important to note that these rival comparisons are based on the average benchmark score across multiple tests, not the single OpenCL score. The Radeon 880M’s OpenCL score is more than three times higher than its own average benchmark score of 8,436, showing that the OpenCL test is a particularly strong workload for this IGP.

Beyond the head-to-head, the Radeon 880M has a broader set of benchmark results in the database. Its performance in other APIs is notably inconsistent. It scores 40,006 in Geekbench Vulkan, which is even higher than its OpenCL result, indicating strong compute performance across different APIs. However, its Passmark scores are much lower: 31 in DirectX 10, 73 in DirectX 11, 32 in DirectX 12, and 97 in DirectX 9. Its Passmark G2D score is 969, and its G3D score is 7,615. The GPU compute score is 3,719. This pattern suggests the Radeon 880M excels in compute-oriented benchmarks but is far less impressive in legacy DirectX tests, likely due to driver overhead or architectural priorities.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the only direct benchmark comparison?

A: The AMD Radeon 880M wins the Geekbench OpenCL test decisively, scoring 31,285 against the NVIDIA Tesla C2075’s 10,400, a 66.8% advantage.

Q: How does the NVIDIA Tesla C2075 compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Tesla C2075’s average score of 10,400 is within 1.7% of its nearest rivals, which include the AMD Radeon RX 550X (10,481, 0.8% higher), the AMD Radeon R9 M275X (10,582, 1.7% higher), the AMD Radeon RX 6500M (10,362, 0.4% lower), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A (10,273, 1.2% lower).

Q: What are the key architectural differences in memory?

A: The Tesla C2075 uses 6 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus with 150.3 GB/s bandwidth, while the Radeon 880M is an IGP that uses System Shared memory with System Dependent bandwidth.

Q: Does the Radeon 880M support ray tracing?

A: Yes, the Radeon 880M includes 12 ray tracing cores, a feature that is entirely absent from the NVIDIA Tesla C2075.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The Tesla C2075 has a TDP of 247 W and requires a dual-slot cooler with a 550 W suggested PSU, while the Radeon 880M has a TDP of just 15 W and is an IGP with no power connectors.

Q: How does the Radeon 880M perform across different benchmarks?

A: The Radeon 880M shows strong compute performance with 31,285 in OpenCL and 40,006 in Vulkan, but its Passmark scores are much lower, ranging from 31 in DirectX 10 to 97 in DirectX 9, with a G3D score of 7,615.

Where Each One Wins

Based on the recorded data, the AMD Radeon 880M is the clear winner in the compute-heavy OpenCL workload, which is the only test where both products were measured directly. Its 66.8% lead in that benchmark is the defining result of this comparison. The Radeon 880M also demonstrates high compute throughput in Vulkan, scoring 40,006, which suggests it is well-suited for modern, compute-intensive tasks and APIs that leverage its RDNA 3.5 architecture and 12 ray tracing cores.

The NVIDIA Tesla C2075, however, does not win any recorded benchmark in this comparison. Its single OpenCL score of 10,400 is far below the Radeon 880M’s result. The Tesla’s strengths, based on its architecture, lie in its dedicated memory subsystem. With 6 GB of GDDR5 and a 384-bit bus, it has a fixed 150.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which could be an advantage in scenarios where memory bandwidth is critical and cannot be impacted by system memory performance. This is a qualitative advantage, as no direct benchmark in the database tests this specific capability.

For use cases, the data suggests the Radeon 880M is the appropriate choice for any application relying on OpenCL compute, and its Vulkan score indicates broad compute compatibility. Its low 15 W TDP makes it suitable for power-constrained, portable devices, as it is an integrated part of the Strix Point mobile platform. The Tesla C2075, being an end-of-life discrete card from 2011, is not competitive in this comparison. Its higher power draw, older architecture, and lack of modern features like ray tracing make it a poor choice for contemporary workloads. The only potential niche for the Tesla would be in legacy systems requiring a dedicated card with its specific memory configuration, but even then, the Radeon’s compute lead is overwhelming.