AMD Radeon HD 7770M vs NVIDIA Tesla K20c Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark database records a single score for each of these two GPUs, and they were not run through the same test suite. The AMD Radeon HD 7770M was measured with Geekbench Metal, scoring 13,536 points. The NVIDIA Tesla K20c was measured with Geekbench OpenCL, scoring 11,479 points. Because the tests differ, a direct numerical comparison is not possible. However, each score can be interpreted through its nearest rivals in the database.

The AMD Radeon HD 7770M's Metal score of 13,536 places it in the 54th percentile of all GPUs. Its closest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, scores 13,543, a difference of just 0.1% in favor of the RX 9070 XT. The HD 7770M is effectively tied with that modern card in this specific Metal workload. It also sits 0.2% above the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570, which scores 13,515. The gap to the NVIDIA P106-090 is 0.5%, with the HD 7770M ahead. Against the AMD Radeon Pro 555, the HD 7770M leads by 1%, as the Pro 555 scores 13,407. These narrow margins indicate that the HD 7770M's Metal performance is competitive with a broad range of GPUs, including some far newer and larger cards.

The NVIDIA Tesla K20c's OpenCL score of 11,479 places it in the 51st percentile. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M, scores 11,528, which is 0.4% ahead of the Tesla. The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT scores 11,627, putting it 1.3% ahead of the Tesla K20c. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 scores 11,680, which is 1.7% ahead. On the other side, the Tesla K20c leads the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M by 1.9%, as that card scores 11,261. The Tesla's position in the 51st percentile shows that its OpenCL performance is near the middle of the database, despite its age and compute-oriented design.

The data shows that the HD 7770M's single recorded benchmark result is higher in absolute terms than the Tesla K20c's. Yet the two scores come from different API tests, so the database does not support a head-to-head winner. The wins tally in the database shows zero wins for each GPU, reflecting that no common benchmark was run on both cards.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon HD 7770M wins in the context of Metal API workloads. Its Geekbench Metal score of 13,536 is the only benchmark recorded for this card, and that score places it above the Tesla K20c's OpenCL result of 11,479. The HD 7770M also demonstrates a stronger standing relative to its nearest rivals. It sits within 0.1% of the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, a much newer and larger GPU, and it leads three of its four nearest rivals. The HD 7770M's 54th percentile ranking is three points higher than the Tesla's 51st percentile. For scenarios that rely on the Metal graphics API, the HD 7770M is the better positioned part according to the recorded data.

The NVIDIA Tesla K20c wins in the context of raw compute resources and memory capacity. The database shows the Tesla has 2,496 shading units, 208 texture mapping units, and 40 raster output units. Its FP32 compute rate is 3.524 TFLOPS. The Tesla also carries 5 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 320-bit bus, yielding 208.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These figures are far higher than the HD 7770M's 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, 16 ROPs, 691.2 GFLOPS FP32, and 1,024 MB of memory on a 128-bit bus with 64.00 GB/s bandwidth. The Tesla's texture rate of 146.8 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 36.71 GPixel/s dwarf the HD 7770M's 21.60 GTexel/s and 10.80 GPixel/s. For workloads that are not bound by the OpenCL benchmark score, such as memory-intensive or throughput-heavy tasks, the Tesla K20c's specifications indicate a clear advantage.

The Tesla also wins on the basis of its recorded OpenCL score when compared to its own nearest rivals. It leads the GeForce GTX 780M by 1.9%, although it trails the Radeon Pro 5500M, RX 7800 XT, and GTX 1660 by small margins. The HD 7770M, by contrast, leads three of its four nearest rivals in Metal. The use-case split is therefore: the HD 7770M for Metal-centric applications, and the Tesla K20c for compute-heavy tasks where its larger memory and shading resources matter.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher recorded benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 7770M has a Geekbench Metal score of 13,536, while the NVIDIA Tesla K20c has a Geekbench OpenCL score of 11,479. However, these are different tests, so they are not directly comparable.

Q: How does the HD 7770M compare to its nearest rival, the RX 9070 XT?

A: The HD 7770M scores 13,536, and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT scores 13,543. The RX 9070 XT is 0.1% ahead, making the two effectively tied in this Metal benchmark.

Q: What is the Tesla K20c's standing against the GeForce GTX 780M?

A: The Tesla K20c scores 11,479 in OpenCL, while the GeForce GTX 780M scores 11,261. The Tesla leads by 1.9%.

Q: Which GPU has more memory?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla K20c has 5 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the AMD Radeon HD 7770M has 1,024 MB (1 GB) of GDDR5 memory.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The Tesla K20c has 208.0 GB/s of bandwidth on a 320-bit bus, while the HD 7770M has 64.00 GB/s on a 128-bit bus.

Q: Which GPU has a higher percentile ranking?

A: The HD 7770M is in the 54th percentile of all GPUs, while the Tesla K20c is in the 51st percentile.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ substantially in nearly every measured specification. The AMD Radeon HD 7770M uses the Chelsea chip, while the NVIDIA Tesla K20c uses the GK110 chip. The HD 7770M has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The Tesla K20c has 2,496 shading units, 208 TMUs, and 40 ROPs. The FP32 compute rates are 691.2 GFLOPS for the HD 7770M and 3.524 TFLOPS for the Tesla. Pixel rates are 10.80 GPixel/s versus 36.71 GPixel/s, and texture rates are 21.60 GTexel/s versus 146.8 GTexel/s.

Memory configurations also diverge. The HD 7770M has 1,024 MB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, with memory clocked at 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective) and 64.00 GB/s bandwidth. The Tesla K20c has 5 GB of GDDR5 on a 320-bit bus, with memory clocked at 1300 MHz (5.2 Gbps effective) and 208.0 GB/s bandwidth. The power envelopes are very different: the HD 7770M has a TDP of 32 W, while the Tesla K20c has a TDP of 225 W and requires a 550 W suggested PSU. The Tesla is a dual-slot card measuring 267 mm (10.5 inches) in length, with 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin power connectors. The HD 7770M has no recorded slot width, length, or power connector data, and its display outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent". The Tesla has no display outputs at all.

The bus interface is the same: PCIe 2.0 x16 for both. The process node is also the same: 28 nm, with TSMC as the foundry for both. The HD 7770M has a die size of 123 mm² and 1,500 million transistors, while the Tesla has a die size of 561 mm² and 7,080 million transistors. Transistor densities are similar: 12.2M / mm² for the HD 7770M and 12.6M / mm² for the Tesla. The launch MSRP for the Tesla K20c is 3,199 USD; the HD 7770M has no launch MSRP recorded. The HD 7770M was released on 2012-04-23, and the Tesla K20c on 2012-11-11. Both are end-of-life.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon HD 7770M is built on the GCN 1.0 architecture, with a generation label of "London (HD 7700M)". The NVIDIA Tesla K20c is built on the Kepler architecture, with a generation label of "Tesla Kepler (Kxx)". Both use a 28 nm process at TSMC, but the transistor counts and die sizes are vastly different. The Tesla K20c's GK110 chip packs 7,080 million transistors onto a 561 mm² die, while the HD 7770M's Chelsea chip has 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die. The transistor density is nearly identical, at 12.6M / mm² for the Tesla and 12.2M / mm² for the HD 7770M, indicating that the node was used similarly by both designs.

The API support differs. The HD 7770M supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The Tesla K20c supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The Vulkan version is slightly newer on the Tesla, while the DirectX feature level is higher on the HD 7770M. Neither GPU has ray tracing cores or tensor cores recorded.

The Tesla K20c's architecture is clearly oriented toward compute, given its 2,496 shading units and 5 GB of memory. The HD 7770M's architecture is more modest, with 512 shading units and 1 GB of memory, and it appears designed for mobile or portable systems, as its display outputs are "Portable Device Dependent". The Tesla has no display outputs, confirming its role as a dedicated compute accelerator. The predecessors and successors also differ: the HD 7770M's predecessor is Vancouver and its successor is Solar System, while the Tesla K20c's predecessor is Tesla Fermi and its successor is Tesla Maxwell. These lineage labels reflect the different product families and design goals of the two cards. The recorded data suggests the HD 7770M was built for graphics in portable devices, while the Tesla K20c was built for high-throughput compute in workstations or servers.