AMD Radeon Pro 5700 vs NVIDIA Tesla K40c Comparison

The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 and NVIDIA Tesla K40c represent two distinct eras of GPU design, separated by seven years of architectural evolution. The data shows a decisive victory for the newer AMD part in the only shared benchmark, with the Radeon Pro 5700 delivering over triple the raw OpenCL performance of the Tesla K40c while consuming nearly half the power.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sole direct comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and it is not close. The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 scores 52,787 points, while the NVIDIA Tesla K40c manages only 17,468 points. This translates to a 202.2% advantage for the AMD card — the Radeon Pro 5700 is roughly three times faster in this compute-oriented workload. The magnitude of this gap underscores how much GPU compute performance has advanced since the Tesla K40c’s release.

Looking at the broader benchmark landscape, the Radeon Pro 5700’s average benchmark score of 18,189 places it in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile (18,159, just 0.2% behind) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER (18,093, 0.5% behind). The AMD Radeon RX 460 sits 1% higher at 18,373, while the Intel Arc A770M leads by 1.1% with 18,383. These tight margins indicate that the Radeon Pro 5700 delivers performance squarely in the mid-range tier of modern graphics hardware.

The Tesla K40c, by contrast, holds a 61st percentile ranking with its average score of 17,468. Its nearest rivals are all AMD integrated or professional parts: the AMD Radeon Pro 460 (17,509, 0.2% faster), the AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17,551, 0.5% faster), and the AMD Radeon 780M (17,588, 0.7% faster). The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 leads by a single percentage point at 17,639. This clustering shows that the Tesla K40c’s compute capability is roughly equivalent to modern entry-level integrated graphics, a remarkable fall from its original workstation positioning.

The Radeon Pro 5700 also demonstrates versatility across multiple API benchmarks. It scores 60,126 in Geekbench Metal, 51,289 in Geekbench Vulkan, and 11,583 in Passmark G3D. Its Passmark compute score of 4,961 further confirms its compute-oriented strengths. The Tesla K40c has no comparable data in these tests, leaving the OpenCL result as the only quantitative head-to-head evidence.

Architecture Differences

The architectural chasm between these two GPUs explains the benchmark disparity. The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 uses the Navi 10 chip built on RDNA 1.0 architecture, fabricated on TSMC’s 7 nm process node. The NVIDIA Tesla K40c relies on the GK180 chip with Kepler architecture, built on TSMC’s 28 nm process. This process node difference alone — 7 nm versus 28 nm — accounts for massive efficiency gains in the newer part.

Transistor counts tell a similar story. The Radeon Pro 5700 packs 10,300 million transistors into a 251 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 41.0 million per square millimeter. The Tesla K40c contains 7,080 million transistors spread across a much larger 561 mm² die, resulting in just 12.6 million transistors per square millimeter. The Radeon Pro 5700 achieves nearly 3.3 times the transistor density of the Tesla K40c, enabling far more compute resources in a smaller footprint.

The Radeon Pro 5700 features 2,304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units. The Tesla K40c counters with 2,880 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. Despite having fewer shading units and TMUs, the Radeon Pro 5700 achieves higher pixel throughput at 86.40 GPixel/s versus 52.56 GPixel/s for the Tesla K40c. The AMD card’s texture rate of 194.4 GTexel/s trails the Tesla’s 210.2 GTexel/s, but its FP32 compute of 6.221 TFLOPS comfortably exceeds the Tesla’s 5.046 TFLOPS.

Memory configurations diverge substantially. The Radeon Pro 5700 uses 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Tesla K40c offers 12 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, but its bandwidth is lower at 288.4 GB/s. Clock speeds favor AMD decisively: the Radeon Pro 5700 runs at 1243 MHz base and 1350 MHz boost, while the Tesla K40c operates at just 745 MHz base and 876 MHz boost. Memory clocks tell a similar tale, with the Radeon running at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective) versus the Tesla’s 1502 MHz (6 Gbps effective).

Power requirements highlight the efficiency revolution. The Radeon Pro 5700 has a TDP of 130 W and requires no power connectors, while the Tesla K40c draws 245 W and needs both a 6-pin and 8-pin power connector. The suggested PSU rating is 300 W for the AMD card versus 550 W for the NVIDIA card. The Radeon Pro 5700 is an IGP form factor, while the Tesla K40c is a dual-slot card measuring 267 mm.

Feature support also differs. The Radeon Pro 5700 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The Tesla K40c supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. Both cards have no display outputs, reflecting their compute-focused design. Bus interface differs as well: PCIe 4.0 x16 for AMD versus PCIe 3.0 x16 for NVIDIA.

The Verdict

The data points to an unambiguous recommendation for the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 in nearly every scenario. Its 202.2% OpenCL performance advantage over the Tesla K40c is overwhelming, and it achieves this with less than half the power draw — 130 W versus 245 W. The Radeon Pro 5700’s modern 7 nm process, higher clock speeds, and faster memory make it the superior choice for compute workloads.

The Tesla K40c retains two advantages from the data: memory capacity and form factor considerations. Its 12 GB of VRAM exceeds the Radeon Pro 5700’s 8 GB, which could matter for workloads exceeding 8 GB of data. The Tesla K40c also has a higher texture rate at 210.2 GTexel/s versus 194.4 GTexel/s, though this narrow margin is unlikely to offset its massive compute deficit.

For users running modern compute tasks, the Radeon Pro 5700 is the clear pick. Its benchmark scores place it in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs, with performance comparable to the RTX 3060 Mobile and RTX 2060 SUPER. The Tesla K40c sits at the 61st percentile, but its nearest rivals are integrated graphics like the Radeon 780M — a telling sign of its age. The Tesla K40c’s launch MSRP was 7,699 USD, reflecting its original enterprise positioning, but benchmark results indicate its compute capabilities have been thoroughly surpassed.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon Pro 5700 | NVIDIA Tesla K40c |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | RDNA 1.0 | Kepler |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 10,300 million | 7,080 million |

| Die Size | 251 mm² | 561 mm² |

| Base Clock | 1243 MHz | 745 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1350 MHz | 876 MHz |

| Memory Size | 8 GB GDDR6 | 12 GB GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus | 256 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 384.0 GB/s | 288.4 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2304 | 2880 |

| TMUs | 144 | 240 |

| ROPs | 64 | 48 |

| FP32 Performance | 6.221 TFLOPS | 5.046 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 12.44 TFLOPS (2:1) | Not available |

| TDP | 130 W | 245 W |

| Power Connectors | None | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 300 W | 550 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | 1.2.175 |

| DirectX Support | 12 (12_1) | 12 (11_0) |

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 than the NVIDIA Tesla K40c in OpenCL?

A: The Radeon Pro 5700 scores 52,787 in Geekbench OpenCL versus 17,468 for the Tesla K40c, a 202.2% advantage for the AMD card.

Q: Which GPU has more memory?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla K40c has 12 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory.

Q: What is the power consumption difference between these two cards?

A: The Radeon Pro 5700 has a 130 W TDP with no power connectors required, while the Tesla K40c draws 245 W and needs both a 6-pin and 8-pin connector. The suggested PSU rating is 300 W for AMD versus 550 W for NVIDIA.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The Radeon Pro 5700 has an average benchmark score of 18,189, placing it in the 62nd percentile. The Tesla K40c averages 17,468, sitting in the 61st percentile.

Q: Which GPU supports newer API versions?

A: The Radeon Pro 5700 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while the Tesla K40c supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Q: Do either of these cards have display outputs?

A: No. Both the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 and NVIDIA Tesla K40c feature no display outputs, reflecting their compute-focused design purpose.