AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 vs NVIDIA Tesla C2070 Comparison

The NVIDIA Tesla C2070 and AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 are both end-of-life professional workstation cards, but they represent radically different eras of GPU design. The data from the Geekbench benchmark suite shows a fascinating split: the Tesla C2070 wins in OpenCL compute, while the Radeon Pro WX 2100 counters with a Vulkan result that the older card cannot match. This analysis breaks down the benchmark results, architectural differences, and practical implications for each card.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark between the two cards is Geekbench OpenCL. In this test, the NVIDIA Tesla C2070 scores 9716 points, while the AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 scores 8536 points. This gives the Tesla a decisive 13.8% victory in raw compute performance. The 9716 score places the Tesla at the 47th percentile of all GPUs, while the Radeon's 8536 score would be lower, though its average benchmark score is computed differently.

Looking at the broader competitive landscape, both cards sit in a surprisingly tight cluster. The Tesla C2070's nearest rival is the NVIDIA Tesla M10 with an average score of 9724, a negligible 0.1% difference. The Quadro P4000 scores 9665, which is 0.5% behind the Tesla. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 itself scores 9653 in average benchmarks, putting it just 0.7% behind the Tesla. This means that while the Tesla wins the OpenCL head-to-head, the Radeon's average score across multiple benchmark types is nearly identical.

The Radeon Pro WX 2100 has its own benchmark result that the Tesla cannot contest: a Geekbench Vulkan score of 10770. The Tesla C2070 has no Vulkan support listed, so this represents a category where the AMD card is entirely unopposed. This Vulkan score is significantly higher than the Radeon's own OpenCL score of 8536, showing a 26.2% improvement in the newer API.

The delta between the two cards in OpenCL is substantial enough to matter for compute workloads. A 13.8% advantage is not trivial, but the average benchmark scores tell a different story. The Radeon's average of 9653 versus the Tesla's 9716 shows only a 0.6% difference when considering all available benchmarks. This suggests that the Radeon's Vulkan performance compensates for its OpenCL deficit.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA Tesla C2070 wins in OpenCL compute workloads. The 13.8% margin over the Radeon Pro WX 2100 indicates that for applications relying on OpenCL acceleration, the Tesla is the stronger choice. This is reinforced by the Tesla's nearest rival comparisons, where it holds a 0.5% edge over the Quadro P4000 and a 0.7% edge over the Radeon itself in average scores.

The AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 wins in Vulkan performance. With a score of 10770, it demonstrates capability in modern graphics APIs that the Tesla C2070 simply cannot offer due to its lack of Vulkan support. The Radeon also shows superior efficiency in its class, though exact power consumption figures are only listed as specifications rather than performance metrics.

For professional use cases, the split is clear. The Tesla C2070 targets compute-heavy workflows that leverage OpenCL, such as scientific simulation or data processing. The Radeon Pro WX 2100, with its Vulkan support and modern display outputs including DisplayPort 1.4a, is better suited for graphics-oriented tasks where API compatibility matters more than raw compute throughput.

The Radeon's Vulkan score of 10770 places it in a different performance tier than its OpenCL result. This is notable because it suggests the card's architecture is better optimized for modern APIs. The Tesla, being from the Fermi generation, lacks this capability entirely, making it a one-trick pony in terms of API support.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from completely different design philosophies. The NVIDIA Tesla C2070 uses the GF100 chip based on the Fermi architecture, manufactured on a 40 nm process at TSMC. This is a massive chip with 3,100 million transistors on a 529 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 5.9 million per square millimeter. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 uses the Lexa chip based on GCN 4.0, manufactured on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. This chip has 2,200 million transistors on a much smaller 103 mm² die, achieving a density of 21.4 million per square millimeter.

The memory configurations highlight the generational gap. The Tesla C2070 features 6 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 143.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The Radeon Pro WX 2100 has only 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 64-bit bus, providing 48.00 GB/s. This is a 3x difference in capacity and a 3x difference in bandwidth, both favoring the Tesla.

Compute unit counts tell a more nuanced story. The Tesla has 448 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs. The Radeon has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. While the Radeon has more shading units, the Tesla has significantly more TMUs and ROPs. This explains why the Tesla achieves a pixel rate of 16.07 GPixel/s and texture rate of 32.14 GTexel/s, while the Radeon achieves 19.50 GPixel/s and 39.01 GTexel/s respectively.

The floating-point performance shows the Radeon's advantage in raw compute density. The Tesla delivers 1,027.7 GFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the Radeon delivers 1,248.3 GFLOPS. The Radeon also supports FP16 at a 1:1 ratio with FP32, a feature the Tesla lacks entirely. This makes the Radeon more versatile for mixed-precision workloads.

FAQ

Q: Which card has higher OpenCL benchmark performance?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla C2070 scores 9716 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 13.8% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100's score of 8536.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 support Vulkan?

A: Yes, it supports Vulkan 1.3 and scores 10770 in Geekbench Vulkan. The NVIDIA Tesla C2070 has no Vulkan support listed.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between these cards?

A: The Tesla C2070 has 143.4 GB/s of bandwidth from its 384-bit bus with 6 GB GDDR5, while the Radeon Pro WX 2100 has 48.00 GB/s from its 64-bit bus with 2 GB GDDR5.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The Tesla C2070 has an average benchmark score of 9716, while the Radeon Pro WX 2100 has an average of 9653. This places them within 0.7% of each other.

Q: Which card has a smaller physical footprint?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 is 168 mm long, shorter than the Tesla C2070's 248 mm length. The Radeon is also single-slot compared to the Tesla's dual-slot design.

Q: What are the power supply requirements?

A: The Tesla C2070 requires a 550 W suggested PSU with 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin connectors, while the Radeon Pro WX 2100 requires only a 200 W PSU and has no power connectors.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA Tesla C2070 | AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 |

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

| Architecture | Fermi | GCN 4.0 |

| Process Node | 40 nm | 14 nm |

| Transistors | 3,100 million | 2,200 million |

| Die Size | 529 mm² | 103 mm² |

| Memory Size | 6 GB | 2 GB |

| Memory Bus | 384 bit | 64 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 143.4 GB/s | 48.00 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 448 | 512 |

| TMUs | 56 | 32 |

| ROPs | 48 | 16 |

| FP32 Performance | 1,027.7 GFLOPS | 1,248.3 GFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | N/A | 1,248.3 GFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 238 W | 35 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | Single-slot |

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

| Suggested PSU | 550 W | 200 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 2.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x8 |

| Display Outputs | 1x DVI | 1x DisplayPort 1.4a, 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a |

| Vulkan Support | N/A | 1.3 |

| Release Date | 2011-07-24 | 2017-06-03 |

The Verdict

The data presents a clear choice based on workload requirements. The NVIDIA Tesla C2070 is the superior card for OpenCL compute workloads, delivering 13.8% higher performance in that specific benchmark. Its 6 GB of memory and 143.4 GB/s bandwidth make it suitable for large datasets that exceed the Radeon's 2 GB capacity. However, this comes at the cost of a 238 W TDP and dual-slot footprint.

The AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 wins on efficiency and modern API support. Its 35 W TDP with no external power connectors makes it dramatically easier to integrate into existing systems. The Vulkan score of 10770 demonstrates stronger performance in that API, and the card's FP16 support at 1:1 ratio with FP32 offers flexibility for mixed-precision workloads. Its 14 nm process node and smaller die size represent a more modern design.

Users who prioritize raw OpenCL compute and memory capacity should choose the Tesla C2070. Users who need Vulkan support, lower power consumption, or modern display outputs like DisplayPort 1.4a should choose the Radeon Pro WX 2100. The average benchmark scores show the two cards are nearly equivalent overall at 9716 versus 9653, so the deciding factor should be specific application requirements rather than general performance.