AMD Radeon Pro 5600M vs NVIDIA Tesla K20m Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded benchmark data splits cleanly between the two cards. The AMD Radeon Pro 5600M wins both head-to-head tests, and it wins them by wide margins. In Geekbench OpenCL, the AMD card scores 47,783 against the NVIDIA Tesla K20m's 16,241, a 66% advantage. In Geekbench Vulkan, the AMD card scores 46,425 against 21,936, a 52.7% lead. Those are not close calls; the Radeon Pro 5600M is decisively faster in both compute-oriented workloads that the database tracks.

The NVIDIA Tesla K20m does not win any of the head-to-head comparisons. Its average benchmark score of 19,089 places it in the 64th percentile of all GPUs, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M's average score of 16,351 places it in the 59th percentile. That is an interesting inversion: the AMD card has a lower average across all recorded tests, yet it dominates the two shared tests. The explanation lies in the test mix. The AMD card's average includes several Passmark tests (DirectX 9, 10, 11, 12, G2D, G3D, GPU compute) where scores are modest, while the Geekbench Metal score of 55,030 is exceptionally high. The NVIDIA card has only two recorded benchmarks, both Geekbench, and neither reaches the AMD card's Geekbench scores.

For users who care about raw compute throughput as measured by Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan, the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M is the clear winner. The data shows no scenario where the Tesla K20m takes the lead in the shared tests.

Architecture Differences

These two GPUs come from different design eras and different architectural philosophies. The NVIDIA Tesla K20m uses the GK110 chip, built on the Kepler architecture and a 28 nm process from TSMC. The AMD Radeon Pro 5600M uses the Navi 12 chip, built on RDNA 1.0 and a 7 nm process, also from TSMC. The process node difference is substantial: 28 nm versus 7 nm, which explains much of the efficiency gap.

The transistor counts reflect the generational shift. The NVIDIA chip packs 7,080 million transistors into a 561 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 12.6 million per square millimeter. The AMD chip's transistor count and die size are not recorded in the database, so no direct density comparison is possible. However, the AMD card's power envelope tells a clear story: 50 W TDP versus the NVIDIA card's 225 W. That is a 175 W difference, and it shows in the physical design. The Tesla K20m is a dual-slot card requiring 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin power connectors and a 550 W suggested power supply. The Radeon Pro 5600M is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no power connectors and no suggested PSU, designed for portable devices.

Memory architecture also differs fundamentally. The Tesla K20m uses 5 GB of GDDR5 on a 320-bit bus, delivering 208.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Radeon Pro 5600M uses 8 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus, delivering 394.2 GB/s. The bus width is six times wider, and the bandwidth is nearly double.

Compute resources tell a mixed story. The AMD card has more shading units (2,560 versus 2,496), more texture mapping units (160 versus 208? No: the AMD card has 160 TMUs, the NVIDIA card has 208 TMUs), and more ROPs (64 versus 40). The NVIDIA card actually has more TMUs, but the AMD card wins on shading units and ROPs. Clock speeds are only recorded for the AMD card: 822 MHz base, 1,144 MHz boost. The NVIDIA card's clocks are not listed, so no clock comparison is possible.

The API support differs in the details. The NVIDIA card supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The AMD card supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The AMD card has the newer DirectX feature level and the newer Vulkan version.

The Verdict

The benchmark data points to one conclusion: the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M is the faster card in the two tests both cards took. In Geekbench OpenCL, it is 66% ahead. In Geekbench Vulkan, it is 52.7% ahead. Those are the only head-to-head measurements in the database, and the AMD card wins both.

For a user choosing between these two, the decision depends on the workload. If the task is compute-heavy and measured by OpenCL or Vulkan performance, the Radeon Pro 5600M is the clear pick. It also offers more memory (8 GB versus 5 GB), higher bandwidth (394.2 GB/s versus 208.0 GB/s), and far lower power draw (50 W versus 225 W). The AMD card is also newer, released in June 2020 versus January 2013.

The NVIDIA Tesla K20m does have a few points in its favor in the recorded data. Its average benchmark score is higher (19,089 versus 16,351), and it sits in the 64th percentile versus the AMD card's 59th. It also has a recorded launch MSRP of 3,199 USD, though that is a historical figure rather than a current advantage. Its nearest rivals in the database are the GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (delta 0.2%), the Radeon RX 6600 (delta 0.3%), the Quadro K6000 (delta 0.3%), and the GTX 780 (delta -0.4%). The AMD card's nearest rivals are the Radeon RX 5700 XT (delta -0.1%), the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell (delta -0.3%), the Radeon PRO W7500 (delta -0.4%), and the GeForce RTX 5090 D V2 (delta -0.9%).

But those average scores include tests that only one card took. The AMD card has 10 recorded benchmarks; the NVIDIA card has only 2. The shared tests are the fairest comparison, and the AMD card dominates both.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 5600M scores 47,783 versus the NVIDIA Tesla K20m's 16,241, a 66% advantage.

Q: Which card is faster in Geekbench Vulkan?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 5600M scores 46,425 versus the NVIDIA Tesla K20m's 21,936, a 52.7% advantage.

Q: How do their memory systems compare?

A: The AMD card has 8 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus with 394.2 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA card has 5 GB of GDDR5 on a 320-bit bus with 208.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What is the power draw difference?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 5600M is rated at 50 W TDP, while the NVIDIA Tesla K20m is rated at 225 W TDP.

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla K20m has an average score of 19,089, compared to the AMD card's 16,351. However, the AMD card has 10 recorded benchmarks while the NVIDIA card has only 2.

Q: What are the release dates?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla K20m was released on January 4, 2013. The AMD Radeon Pro 5600M was released on June 14, 2020.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records two head-to-head tests, and the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M wins both by substantial margins.

The first is Geekbench OpenCL. The AMD card scores 47,783, the NVIDIA card scores 16,241. The delta is -66% from the AMD card's perspective, meaning the NVIDIA card is 66% slower. This is the largest gap in any comparison between the two. The AMD card's OpenCL score is nearly triple the NVIDIA card's.

The second is Geekbench Vulkan. The AMD card scores 46,425, the NVIDIA card scores 21,936. The delta is -52.7%. Again, the AMD card wins by more than double.

For context, these scores place the cards in different competitive tiers. The NVIDIA Tesla K20m's average score of 19,089 puts it within 0.2% of the GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile and 0.3% of the Radeon RX 6600 and Quadro K6000. The AMD Radeon Pro 5600M's average score of 16,351 puts it within 0.1% of the Radeon RX 5700 XT and 0.3% of the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell. So the Tesla K20m's average sits alongside mid-range consumer GPUs, while the Radeon Pro 5600M's average sits alongside high-end workstation and enthusiast parts.

Yet when the two cards face each other directly, the Radeon Pro 5600M wins by a wide margin. The average score comparison is misleading because the AMD card's many Passmark tests (DirectX 9: 118, DirectX 10: 62, DirectX 11: 59, DirectX 12: 39, G2D: 679, G3D: 9,279, GPU compute: 4,031) drag its average down. The Geekbench Metal score of 55,030 shows what the card can do in a single intensive test. The NVIDIA card has no Metal score and no Passmark scores, so its average is based purely on two Geekbench results.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every recorded specification. The NVIDIA Tesla K20m uses the GK110 chip on Kepler architecture, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The AMD Radeon Pro 5600M uses the Navi 12 chip on RDNA 1.0, fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC.

The NVIDIA card has 7,080 million transistors on a 561 mm² die with a density of 12.6M per mm². The AMD card's transistor count, die size, and density are not recorded.

Clock speeds: the NVIDIA card's base and boost clocks are not recorded, only its memory clock of 1300 MHz (5.2 Gbps effective). The AMD card has a base clock of 822 MHz, a boost clock of 1,144 MHz, and a memory clock of 770 MHz (1,540 Mbps effective).

Memory: 5 GB GDDR5 on a 320-bit bus with 208.0 GB/s bandwidth versus 8 GB HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus with 394.2 GB/s bandwidth.

Compute units: the NVIDIA card has 2,496 shading units, 208 TMUs, and 40 ROPs. The AMD card has 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs.

Output rates: the NVIDIA card has a pixel rate of 36.71 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 146.8 GTexel/s. The AMD card has a pixel rate of 73.22 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 183.0 GTexel/s.

Floating-point performance: the NVIDIA card has 3.524 TFLOPS FP32, with no FP16 recorded. The AMD card has 5.857 TFLOPS FP32 and 11.71 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1).

Power and physical: the NVIDIA card has a 225 W TDP, is dual-slot, requires 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin power connectors, and a 550 W suggested PSU. It is 267 mm (10.5 inches) long, has no display outputs, and uses PCIe 2.0 x16. The AMD card has a 50 W TDP, is an IGP, has no power connectors, no suggested PSU, no recorded dimensions, has portable-device-dependent display outputs, and uses PCIe 4.0 x16.

APIs: the NVIDIA card supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The AMD card supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3.

Production status: both are end-of-life. The NVIDIA card was released January 4, 2013, with a launch MSRP of 3,199 USD. The AMD card was released June 14, 2020, with no recorded launch MSRP.