AMD Radeon HD 8970M vs NVIDIA Tesla K80 Comparison

The Verdict

The recorded data separates these two GPUs clearly by workload. The AMD Radeon HD 8970M wins the only shared benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, with a score of 21237 against the NVIDIA Tesla K80’s 18620, a 14.1% advantage. That single result gives AMD one win and NVIDIA zero in the head-to-head comparison. The HD 8970M also carries a higher percentile ranking, sitting at the 66th percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the Tesla K80 sits at the 63rd percentile. For users focused on OpenCL compute throughput, the AMD part is the safer pick. The Tesla K80, however, offers far larger memory capacity and a much higher thermal envelope, which points toward different use cases. The data does not support calling either card a universal winner; it supports matching the card to the task. The HD 8970M suits mobile, portable systems needing a compact MXM module. The Tesla K80 suits server or workstation environments where 12 GB of GDDR5 and a dual-slot cooler are acceptable, and where raw FP32 throughput matters more than the OpenCL result shown here.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations despite sharing the same 28 nm TSMC process node. The AMD Radeon HD 8970M uses the Neptune chip with GCN 1.0 architecture, part of the Solar System generation labeled HD 8900M. The NVIDIA Tesla K80 uses the GK210 chip with Kepler 2.0 architecture, part of the Tesla Kepler generation labeled Kxx. Transistor counts diverge sharply: the AMD chip packs 2,800 million transistors on a 212 mm² die, while the NVIDIA chip holds 7,100 million transistors on a 561 mm² die. Transistor density is close, 13.2M per mm² for AMD versus 12.7M per mm² for NVIDIA, but the raw silicon budget is far larger on the Tesla side. Clock speeds also differ: the HD 8970M runs at a base of 850 MHz and boosts to 900 MHz, while the Tesla K80 runs at a base of 562 MHz and boosts to 824 MHz. The AMD card operates at a higher sustained frequency, while the NVIDIA card relies on more cores and wider memory buses. Shading units favor NVIDIA at 2496 versus AMD’s 1280, and texture mapping units favor NVIDIA at 208 versus AMD’s 80. Render output units favor NVIDIA at 48 versus AMD’s 32. The memory subsystems differ accordingly: the HD 8970M has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256 bit bus with 153.6 GB/s bandwidth, while the Tesla K80 has 12 GB of GDDR5 on a 384 bit bus with 240.6 GB/s bandwidth. API support is similar, with both offering DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan, though the Tesla K80 lists Vulkan 1.2.175 versus the AMD’s 1.2.170.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon HD 8970M wins in the benchmark arena. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 21237 beats the Tesla K80’s 18620 by 14.1%. That result places the AMD card just 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (score 21153) and 1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 (score 21035). It trails the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile by 0.7% (score 21379) and the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 by 1.8% (score 21629). The AMD card also posts a higher average benchmark score of 21237 compared to the Tesla K80’s 18866, which includes a second test result. The Tesla K80 shows a Vulkan score of 19111, a figure the AMD card does not have recorded, so no direct comparison exists for that API. The Tesla K80 wins on memory capacity and bandwidth: 12 GB versus 4 GB, and 240.6 GB/s versus 153.6 GB/s. It also wins on raw throughput metrics: FP32 at 4.113 TFLOPS versus 2.304 TFLOPS, pixel rate at 42.85 GPixel/s versus 28.80 GPixel/s, and texture rate at 171.4 GTexel/s versus 72.00 GTexel/s. The AMD card wins on power efficiency: 100 W TDP versus 300 W TDP, and on physical flexibility with an MXM module form factor versus a dual-slot, 267 mm long board. The AMD card also has display outputs, listed as portable device dependent, while the Tesla K80 has no outputs at all.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8970M scores 21237, which is 14.1% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla K80’s 18620.

Q: Does the Tesla K80 have better memory bandwidth?

A: Yes. The Tesla K80 provides 240.6 GB/s bandwidth from 12 GB of GDDR5 on a 384 bit bus, while the HD 8970M provides 153.6 GB/s from 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256 bit bus.

Q: Can the Tesla K80 output video to a display?

A: No. The Tesla K80 lists no display outputs, whereas the HD 8970M lists outputs as portable device dependent.

Q: How do the two cards compare in terms of power consumption?

A: The HD 8970M has a TDP of 100 W, while the Tesla K80 has a TDP of 300 W, making the AMD card far more power-efficient.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The Tesla K80 has 2496 shading units, while the HD 8970M has 1280. The NVIDIA card also has 208 TMUs and 48 ROPs, versus 80 TMUs and 32 ROPs on the AMD card.

Q: What is the Tesla K80’s Vulkan score?

A: The Tesla K80 records a Geekbench Vulkan score of 19111. The HD 8970M has no Vulkan score in the database.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only shared benchmark in the database is Geekbench OpenCL. The AMD Radeon HD 8970M records 21237 points, and the NVIDIA Tesla K80 records 18620 points. The delta is 14.1% in favor of AMD. That is a decisive margin in a single test. To contextualize, the HD 8970M’s score sits between the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile (21379, 0.7% higher) and the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (21153, 0.4% lower). The Tesla K80’s score sits between the AMD Radeon RX 6600 (19036, 0.9% higher) and the NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation (18954, 0.5% higher). The gap between the two cards in this test is larger than the gaps to their nearest rivals, meaning the HD 8970M is not merely marginally faster here; it is measurably ahead. The Tesla K80 does have an additional benchmark result, Geekbench Vulkan at 19111, but the AMD card has no Vulkan result, so no head-to-head comparison exists for that test. The database records one win for AMD and zero wins for NVIDIA. Still, the Tesla K80’s hardware specifications suggest its strengths lie elsewhere. With 4.113 TFLOPS FP32, 42.85 GPixel/s pixel rate, and 171.4 GTexel/s texture rate, the NVIDIA card has substantially higher theoretical throughput. The AMD card counters with 2.304 TFLOPS, 28.80 GPixel/s, and 72.00 GTexel/s. The OpenCL test measures real-world execution, and the AMD architecture handles that workload better in this comparison. The delta of 14.1% is the single most informative number in the head-to-head data.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs diverge across nearly every specification field. The AMD Radeon HD 8970M uses the Neptune chip with GCN 1.0 architecture, while the NVIDIA Tesla K80 uses the GK210 chip with Kepler 2.0 architecture. Process nodes match at 28 nm, both using TSMC, but transistor counts differ: 2,800 million for AMD versus 7,100 million for NVIDIA. Die sizes also differ, 212 mm² versus 561 mm², leading to transistor densities of 13.2M per mm² for AMD and 12.7M per mm² for NVIDIA. Clock speeds favor AMD on base, 850 MHz versus 562 MHz, and on boost, 900 MHz versus 824 MHz. Memory clocks differ slightly: AMD runs at 1200 MHz with 4.8 Gbps effective, while NVIDIA runs at 1253 MHz with 5 Gbps effective. Memory capacity is 4 GB versus 12 GB, bus width is 256 bit versus 384 bit, and bandwidth is 153.6 GB/s versus 240.6 GB/s. Shading units are 1280 versus 2496, TMUs are 80 versus 208, and ROPs are 32 versus 48. Pixel rate is 28.80 GPixel/s versus 42.85 GPixel/s, texture rate is 72.00 GTexel/s versus 171.4 GTexel/s, and FP32 is 2.304 TFLOPS versus 4.113 TFLOPS. The TDP is 100 W versus 300 W. Form factor differs: the HD 8970M uses an MXM Module, while the Tesla K80 is dual-slot. The Tesla K80 lists one 8-pin power connector and a suggested PSU of 700 W, while the HD 8970M lists neither. Bus interfaces match at PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs differ: AMD lists portable device dependent, NVIDIA lists none. The Tesla K80 measures 267 mm in length, or 10.5 inches, while the HD 8970M has no recorded dimensions. Release dates differ: the HD 8970M launched on May 13, 2013, and the Tesla K80 on November 16, 2014. Both are end-of-life. The AMD card’s predecessor is London and successor is Gem System, while the NVIDIA card’s predecessor is Tesla Fermi and successor is Tesla Maxwell. Neither card has a launch MSRP listed, so no price comparison is possible from the data.