AMD Radeon HD 8870M vs NVIDIA Tesla C2075 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only recorded benchmark comparison between these two cards is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the results are decisive. The NVIDIA Tesla C2075 scores 10,400 points, while the AMD Radeon HD 8870M scores 8,462 points. This gives the Tesla a 22.9% lead in raw compute throughput as measured by this workload.

To put that margin into context, the Tesla sits at the 48th percentile among all GPUs in the database, while the Radeon HD 8870M sits at the 43rd percentile. That five-point gap in percentile ranking reflects the meaningful distance between them in overall compute capability. The Tesla's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6500M at 10,362 points (only 0.4% behind) and the AMD Radeon RX 550X at 10,481 points (0.8% ahead). The Radeon HD 8870M, by contrast, is bracketed by the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 at 8,458 points (0.1% behind) and the Intel Arc A380 at 8,558 points (1.1% ahead).

The 22.9% delta between these two cards is substantial. In practical terms, the Tesla C2075 completes the same OpenCL workload in roughly 18% less time than the Radeon HD 8870M. This is not a close contest; the Tesla wins the only head-to-head benchmark in the database by a wide margin.

The Radeon HD 8870M does not win any recorded benchmark against the Tesla. The wins tally stands at 1 for the Tesla and 0 for the Radeon. While the Radeon is a newer product by release date, the benchmark data shows it trailing the older Tesla in raw compute performance.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla C2075 scores 10,400 points in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 22.9% higher than the AMD Radeon HD 8870M's 8,462 points.

Q: How does the Tesla C2075 compare to its nearest rivals in the database?

A: The Tesla's closest competitors are the AMD Radeon RX 6500M (10,362 points, 0.4% slower) and the AMD Radeon RX 550X (10,481 points, 0.8% faster). The Tesla sits at the 48th percentile among all GPUs.

Q: How does the Radeon HD 8870M compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Radeon HD 8870M's nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 at 8,458 points (only 0.1% behind), with the AMD Radeon 880M at 8,436 points (0.3% behind) and the Intel Arc A380 at 8,558 points (1.1% ahead). It sits at the 43rd percentile.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8870M has 640 shading units, while the NVIDIA Tesla C2075 has 448 shading units. Despite having fewer shading units, the Tesla achieves the higher benchmark score.

Q: What are the memory capacities of these two cards?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla C2075 has 6 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, while the AMD Radeon HD 8870M has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus. The Tesla's memory bandwidth is 150.3 GB/s versus 72.00 GB/s for the Radeon.

Q: Which card supports Vulkan?

A: Only the AMD Radeon HD 8870M supports Vulkan (version 1.2.170). The NVIDIA Tesla C2075 does not list Vulkan support. Both cards support DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.6.

Architecture Differences

The NVIDIA Tesla C2075 is built on the Fermi 2.0 architecture using the GF110 chip, manufactured on a 40 nm process at TSMC. This is a large, power-hungry design: the die measures 520 mm² and contains 3,000 million transistors, yielding a transistor density of 5.8 million transistors per square millimeter. The Fermi architecture was designed for compute-heavy workloads, which is reflected in the Tesla's professional positioning.

The AMD Radeon HD 8870M uses the Graphics Core Next (GCN) 1.0 architecture with the Venus chip, built on a 28 nm process, also at TSMC. The die is much smaller at 123 mm² but contains 1,500 million transistors, giving a transistor density of 12.2 million per square millimeter. GCN 1.0 was AMD's first generation of the GCN design, which was engineered with a focus on compute efficiency and scalability.

The process node difference is significant: 40 nm versus 28 nm. The smaller node allows the Radeon to pack over twice the transistor density into a much smaller die. However, the Tesla compensates with a much larger die and more than double the total transistor count. This is a classic tradeoff between an older, larger, compute-oriented design and a newer, denser, mobile-oriented design.

Memory architecture differs substantially as well. The Tesla uses a 384-bit memory bus with 6 GB of GDDR5, delivering 150.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The Radeon uses a 128-bit bus with 2 GB of GDDR5, delivering 72.00 GB/s. The Tesla's memory bandwidth is more than double that of the Radeon, which is a key factor in compute workloads that are memory-bound.

The clock speeds tell a different story. The Tesla's memory runs at 783 MHz (3.1 Gbps effective), while the Radeon's memory runs at 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective). The Radeon also has a base clock of 725 MHz and a boost clock of 775 MHz, while the Tesla does not list base or boost clocks in the database.

Both cards are end-of-life products. The Tesla was released on 2011-07-24, while the Radeon HD 8870M was released on 2013-03-31. The Tesla's predecessor is listed as "Tesla" and its successor as "Tesla Kepler". The Radeon's predecessor is "London" and its successor is "Gem System".

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA Tesla C2075 is the faster card by a 22.9% margin in the only recorded benchmark. It also holds a higher percentile rank (48th versus 43rd) and has significantly more memory bandwidth and capacity. For any workload that resembles the Geekbench OpenCL test, the Tesla is the clear choice.

The AMD Radeon HD 8870M, however, is a smaller, newer, and more power-efficient design on a 28 nm process. It has more shading units (640 versus 448), a higher memory clock (1125 MHz versus 783 MHz), and supports Vulkan, which the Tesla does not. If the workload requires Vulkan support or benefits from a more modern feature set, the Radeon becomes the only option.

The Tesla's advantages are decisive for compute throughput: 6 GB of memory versus 2 GB, 384-bit bus versus 128-bit, 150.3 GB/s versus 72.00 GB/s, and a 22.9% benchmark lead. The Radeon's advantages are architectural: newer process node, higher density, more shading units, and Vulkan support.

For a builder prioritizing raw compute performance and memory bandwidth, the Tesla C2075 is the pick. For a builder needing Vulkan compatibility or a smaller, more modern design, the Radeon HD 8870M is the only choice that offers those features.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every specification category. The NVIDIA Tesla C2075 uses a 40 nm process, while the AMD Radeon HD 8870M uses 28 nm. The Tesla's die is 520 mm² with 3,000 million transistors; the Radeon's die is 123 mm² with 1,500 million transistors. Transistor density favors the Radeon at 12.2M per mm² versus 5.8M per mm² for the Tesla.

Memory configuration is starkly different: the Tesla has 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus with 150.3 GB/s bandwidth, while the Radeon has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 72.00 GB/s bandwidth. The Tesla's memory clock is 783 MHz (3.1 Gbps effective); the Radeon's is 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective). The Radeon lists base and boost clocks (725 MHz and 775 MHz), while the Tesla lists none.

Compute resources differ: the Tesla has 448 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, while the Radeon has 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. Pixel rate favors the Tesla at 16.07 GPixel/s versus 12.40 GPixel/s. Texture rates are nearly identical: 32.14 GTexel/s for the Tesla versus 31.00 GTexel/s for the Radeon. FP32 performance is close: 1,027.7 GFLOPS for the Tesla versus 992.0 GFLOPS for the Radeon.

The Tesla has a TDP of 247 W, uses dual-slot cooling, requires 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin power connectors, and suggests a 550 W power supply. The Radeon lists none of these specifications. The Tesla uses PCIe 2.0 x16; the Radeon uses PCIe 3.0 x16. The Tesla has a single DVI output; the Radeon lists no display outputs.

API support: both support DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.6, but the DirectX version differs (11_0 for the Tesla, 11_1 for the Radeon). Only the Radeon supports Vulkan (1.2.170). The Tesla is 248 mm long (9.8 inches); the Radeon lists no dimensions.

Where Each One Wins

NVIDIA Tesla C2075 wins on: raw compute performance (22.9% ahead in Geekbench OpenCL), memory capacity (6 GB versus 2 GB), memory bandwidth (150.3 GB/s versus 72.00 GB/s), memory bus width (384-bit versus 128-bit), pixel rate (16.07 GPixel/s versus 12.40 GPixel/s), texture rate (32.14 GTexel/s versus 31.00 GTexel/s), FP32 throughput (1,027.7 GFLOPS versus 992.0 GFLOPS), and ROP count (48 versus 16).

AMD Radeon HD 8870M wins on: shading unit count (640 versus 448), process node (28 nm versus 40 nm), transistor density (12.2M per mm² versus 5.8M per mm²), memory clock speed (1125 MHz versus 783 MHz), base and boost clocks (725 MHz and 775 MHz versus none listed), PCIe generation (3.0 versus 2.0), and Vulkan support (1.2.170 versus none). The Radeon also has a newer release date (2013-03-31 versus 2011-07-24).

For compute-heavy tasks that stress memory bandwidth and raw FP32 throughput, the Tesla C2075 is the superior choice. Its 6 GB frame buffer and 384-bit bus make it well-suited for large datasets that would exceed the Radeon's 2 GB capacity. For tasks that require Vulkan rendering or benefit from a higher shading unit count, the Radeon HD 8870M offers capabilities the Tesla simply does not have. The Radeon's smaller die and newer process node also suggest lower power draw, though no TDP figure is recorded for it.