AMD Radeon Pro 560X vs NVIDIA Tesla K10 Comparison

AMD Radeon Pro 560X and NVIDIA Tesla K10 are both end-of-life graphics cards, but they target fundamentally different workloads and use cases. The single head-to-head benchmark available shows the Tesla K10 winning decisively in OpenCL compute, yet the Radeon Pro 560X holds advantages in API support, efficiency, and specific benchmark suites. The data paints a clear picture: one is a legacy compute accelerator, the other a mobile-oriented GPU with broader software compatibility.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA Tesla K10 wins the only direct head-to-head comparison available. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the Tesla K10 scores 14,029 against the Radeon Pro 560X’s 9,663, a delta of -31.1% for the AMD part. This is a substantial margin, indicating the Tesla K10 is the stronger raw compute performer in this specific workload. The Tesla K10 also has higher absolute peak numbers in several theoretical specifications, including FP32 throughput (2.289 TFLOPS vs 2.056 TFLOPS), texture fill rate (95.36 GTexel/s vs 64.26 GTexel/s), and pixel rate (23.84 GPixel/s vs 16.06 GPixel/s).

The AMD Radeon Pro 560X wins in overall benchmark averaging across multiple tests. Its average benchmark score is 15,082, compared to the Tesla K10’s 14,029. This is driven by the Radeon’s performance in Geekbench Metal (18,763) and Geekbench Vulkan (16,819) tests, which the Tesla K10 does not have data for. The Radeon Pro 560X also places in the 57th percentile of all GPUs, versus the Tesla K10’s 55th percentile. In terms of efficiency and practical deployment, the Radeon Pro 560X has a 75 W TDP versus the Tesla K10’s 225 W TDP, and it uses an integrated form factor (IGP) with no power connectors, while the Tesla K10 requires a dual-slot cooler and both a 6-pin and 8-pin power connector.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 560X has an average benchmark score of 15,082, while the NVIDIA Tesla K10 scores 14,029. The Radeon’s score is buoyed by its Metal and Vulkan results, which are not present in the Tesla K10’s data set.

Q: How does the Tesla K10 compare to the Radeon Pro 560X in OpenCL performance?

A: The Tesla K10 is significantly faster in OpenCL, scoring 14,029 versus the Radeon’s 9,663. This represents a 31.1% advantage for the NVIDIA card in this specific compute test.

Q: What are the memory bandwidth differences between the two cards?

A: The Tesla K10 offers 160.0 GB/s of bandwidth over a 256-bit bus, while the Radeon Pro 560X provides 94.08 GB/s over a 128-bit bus. The Tesla K10 also runs its memory at a higher effective speed of 5 Gbps versus 5.9 Gbps for the Radeon, though the Radeon’s memory clock is higher, the bus width difference is the dominant factor.

Q: Which card supports more modern APIs?

A: The Radeon Pro 560X supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The Tesla K10 supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175, making the Radeon the more modern choice for API compatibility.

Q: Is the Tesla K10 a more power-hungry card?

A: Yes, the Tesla K10 has a 225 W TDP and requires a 550 W suggested PSU, along with a 6-pin and 8-pin power connector. The Radeon Pro 560X has a 75 W TDP, uses no power connectors, and is designed as an integrated part (IGP) of a portable device.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 560X has a transistor density of 24.4M / mm², which is roughly double the Tesla K10’s 12.0M / mm², despite the Tesla having more total transistors (3,540 million vs 3,000 million).

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison in the data is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and it is a clear victory for the NVIDIA Tesla K10. The Tesla K10 scores 14,029 points, while the AMD Radeon Pro 560X scores 9,663 points. The delta percentage of -31.1% indicates the Radeon is nearly a third slower in this test. This is a significant gap that aligns with the Tesla K10’s higher raw compute specifications, including its larger shading unit count (1,536 vs 1,024) and greater texture mapping unit count (128 vs 64).

Beyond the direct comparison, the average benchmark scores tell a different story. The Radeon Pro 560X achieves an average score of 15,082, which is 7.5% higher than the Tesla K10’s 14,029. This is because the Radeon Pro 560X has additional benchmark results in Metal and Vulkan that the Tesla K10 lacks. In the Geekbench Metal test, the Radeon scores 18,763, and in Vulkan, it scores 16,819. These scores suggest that the Radeon is better suited for graphics-oriented workloads that leverage these APIs, while the Tesla K10’s sole OpenCL result points to a compute-focused design.

When placed against their respective nearest rivals, the two cards perform differently. The Radeon Pro 560X sits near the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti (15,063, delta 0.1%) and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 (15,171, delta -0.6%). The Tesla K10 is close to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 (14,150, delta -0.9%) and the AMD Radeon RX 570X (13,871, delta 1.1%). This indicates that the Radeon Pro 560X is competitive with a much newer GPU like the RX 7600, while the Tesla K10 is comparable to older high-end parts from its own generation.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ substantially in nearly every major specification category. The Radeon Pro 560X uses a 14 nm process node from GlobalFoundries, while the Tesla K10 uses a 28 nm node from TSMC. The Tesla K10 has a larger die (294 mm² vs 123 mm²) and more transistors (3,540 million vs 3,000 million), but the Radeon has a much higher transistor density (24.4M / mm² vs 12.0M / mm²).

Memory configurations differ in bus width and bandwidth: the Tesla K10 has a 256-bit bus and 160.0 GB/s bandwidth, whereas the Radeon Pro 560X has a 128-bit bus and 94.08 GB/s. Both have 4 GB of GDDR5 memory, but the Tesla’s memory clock is 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective) while the Radeon’s is 1470 MHz (5.9 Gbps effective). The Tesla K10 has more shading units (1,536 vs 1,024), TMUs (128 vs 64), and ROPs (32 vs 16).

Physical and power characteristics are polar opposites. The Radeon Pro 560X is an integrated part (IGP) with no power connectors and a 75 W TDP, while the Tesla K10 is a dual-slot card requiring a 6-pin and 8-pin connector, a 225 W TDP, and a 550 W suggested PSU. The Tesla K10 also has a physical length of 272 mm (10.7 inches) and has no display outputs, whereas the Radeon’s display outputs are portable device dependent. The Radeon uses a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface, while the Tesla uses a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface. Release dates are far apart: the Radeon launched on 2018-07-15, while the Tesla launched on 2012-04-30.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is foundational. The AMD Radeon Pro 560X is built on the GCN 4.0 architecture using the Polaris 21 chip, part of the Radeon Pro Mac (500X Series) generation. The NVIDIA Tesla K10 is based on the Kepler architecture using the GK104 chip, part of the Tesla Kepler (Kxx) generation. The Radeon supports FP16 compute at a 1:1 ratio with FP32, both rated at 2.056 TFLOPS, while the Tesla K10 has no listed FP16 capability, focusing entirely on FP32 performance at 2.289 TFLOPS.

API support reflects the newer design of the Radeon. It supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3, while the Tesla K10 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The Radeon Pro 560X has no display outputs of its own, but it is designed for portable devices with dependent outputs. The Tesla K10 has no display outputs at all, indicating it is purely a compute accelerator. The Tesla K10’s predecessor is Tesla Fermi and its successor is Tesla Maxwell, while the Radeon Pro 560X has no listed predecessor or successor within its series.

The Verdict

The data supports a clear split: choose the NVIDIA Tesla K10 for pure compute performance in OpenCL, and the AMD Radeon Pro 560X for broader software compatibility and modern graphics workloads. The Tesla K10’s 31.1% lead in OpenCL over the Radeon Pro 560X is decisive, and its higher theoretical throughput in FP32, texture, and pixel rates reinforces this position. However, the Tesla K10 is a power-hungry, dual-slot card with no display outputs and older API support, making it suitable only for specific compute tasks in a controlled environment.

The AMD Radeon Pro 560X, despite losing the OpenCL test, wins on aggregate metrics. Its average benchmark score of 15,082 is higher than the Tesla K10’s 14,029, and its 57th percentile ranking versus the Tesla’s 55th percentile shows it performs better relative to the entire GPU landscape. The Radeon’s support for Vulkan 1.3 and DirectX 12 (12_0), along with its 75 W TDP and integrated form factor, make it a far more practical choice for a portable device. Users needing Metal or Vulkan performance have no option with the Tesla K10, as it lacks data for those tests. The Radeon Pro 560X is the better-rounded card for general use, while the Tesla K10 is a specialized compute part with a single, albeit strong, benchmark result.