AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 vs NVIDIA Tesla M40 Comparison

The NVIDIA Tesla M40 and AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 are two professional-grade GPUs from different architectural eras, and their benchmark results show a split decision. In the shared OpenCL test, the AMD card edges ahead, while the NVIDIA card dominates the Vulkan test. The average benchmark scores place them within a few percent of each other, with the Tesla M40 at 41897 and the WX 7100 at 40063, a difference of roughly 4.6 percent. Both cards occupy similar percentile positions among all GPUs, with the M40 at the 83rd percentile and the WX 7100 at the 82nd.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two cards were tested in two common compute APIs, and each card claims one victory. In Geekbench OpenCL, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 scores 40148, which is 2.4 percent higher than the NVIDIA Tesla M40’s 39192. This is a modest win, but it is consistent with the AMD card's slightly higher average score in its nearest rival comparisons. The WX 7100’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 580 (scoring 40318, a delta of -0.6 percent) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 (scoring 40377, a delta of -0.8 percent), indicating it is well-positioned within its performance class.

The Vulkan test tells a very different story. Here, the NVIDIA Tesla M40 scores 44602, which is 12.4 percent higher than the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100’s 39683. This is a substantial margin and represents the largest performance gap between the two cards in any shared test. The M40’s Vulkan score is also significantly higher than its own OpenCL score, suggesting that the Maxwell architecture handles this API particularly well. For context, the M40’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla M40 24 GB (averaging 41707, a 0.5 percent delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti (averaging 41187, a 1.7 percent delta), showing that the M40’s average score is competitive with much newer hardware.

The head-to-head data shows that the Tesla M40 is the stronger card in Vulkan workloads, while the WX 7100 holds a slight advantage in OpenCL. The overall average benchmark score reflects this balance: the M40’s 41897 average is 4.6 percent higher than the WX 7100’s 40063, driven entirely by its exceptional Vulkan performance. The WX 7100 also has a Geekbench Metal score of 40357, which is not directly comparable to the M40 since the NVIDIA card lacks a Metal result in the data.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different manufacturers and entirely different architectural generations. The NVIDIA Tesla M40 is built on the GM200 chip and uses the Maxwell 2.0 architecture, while the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 uses the Ellesmere chip and the GCN 4.0 architecture. This fundamental difference explains many of the performance characteristics observed in the benchmarks.

The process technology differs significantly. The M40 is fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC, whereas the WX 7100 uses a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. This translates into a major difference in transistor density: the M40 packs 8,000 million transistors into a die size of 601 mm², giving a density of 13.3M transistors per mm². The WX 7100, by contrast, has 5,700 million transistors on a much smaller 232 mm² die, yielding a density of 24.6M transistors per mm². The newer process allows the AMD card to be more compact and power-efficient.

The compute resources also differ substantially. The Tesla M40 has 3072 shading units, 192 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 96 render output units (ROPs). The WX 7100 has 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and only 32 ROPs. Despite having fewer shading units, the AMD card achieves a higher base clock of 1188 MHz and a boost clock of 1243 MHz, compared to the M40’s 948 MHz base and 1112 MHz boost. This clock advantage helps the WX 7100 close the gap in raw compute throughput.

Neither card features ray tracing cores or tensor cores, as both predate those technologies. The API support shows minor differences: the M40 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the WX 7100 supports DirectX 12 (12_0). Both cards support OpenGL 4.6, but the M40 supports Vulkan 1.4, whereas the WX 7100 supports Vulkan 1.3.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data suggests a clear use-case split between the two cards, primarily driven by their performance in different APIs. The NVIDIA Tesla M40 is the clear winner in Vulkan workloads, with its 44602 score representing a 12.4 percent advantage over the WX 7100. This makes it the better choice for applications that leverage Vulkan for compute or rendering tasks. The M40 also has a higher average benchmark score overall (41897 vs 40063), which may indicate broader strengths across various workloads not captured in the head-to-head tests.

The AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 wins in OpenCL, where its 40148 score edges out the M40’s 39192 by 2.4 percent. This suggests that for OpenCL-based compute tasks, the WX 7100 offers a slight performance advantage. The WX 7100 also has a Metal score of 40357, which is relevant for macOS or iOS development environments, though the M40 has no comparable data point.

The WX 7100’s power efficiency is another area where it wins. Its 130 W TDP is significantly lower than the M40’s 250 W, making it a more attractive option for systems with power constraints or for multi-GPU configurations. The WX 7100 also has a lower suggested PSU requirement of 300 W versus 600 W for the M40, and it uses a single-slot design with a single 6-pin power connector, whereas the M40 is dual-slot and requires an 8-pin EPS connector.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every major specification category. The memory subsystem is a key differentiator: the Tesla M40 has 12 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 288.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The WX 7100 has 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, providing 224.0 GB/s. The M40’s larger memory capacity and wider bus make it better suited for large datasets, while the WX 7100’s lower bandwidth is offset by its higher memory clock of 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) versus the M40’s 1502 MHz (6 Gbps effective).

Compute throughput shows the M40 ahead in raw FP32 performance: 6.832 TFLOPS versus 5.728 TFLOPS for the WX 7100. The AMD card matches its FP32 with FP16 performance at 5.728 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), while the M40 has no listed FP16 capability. Pixel and texture rates also favor the M40, with 106.8 GPixel/s and 213.5 GTexel/s, versus the WX 7100’s 39.78 GPixel/s and 179.0 GTexel/s.

Physical specifications differ as well. The M40 measures 267 mm (10.5 inches) in length, while the WX 7100 is shorter at 241 mm (9.5 inches) and also has a listed height of 112 mm (4.4 inches). The M40 has no display outputs, making it strictly a compute card, whereas the WX 7100 features 4x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, enabling direct display connectivity. The M40 uses a dual-slot design with an 8-pin EPS power connector, while the WX 7100 is single-slot with a 1x 6-pin connector.

The release dates are close, with the M40 launching on November 9, 2015, and the WX 7100 launching exactly one year later on November 9, 2016. The M40 is part of the Tesla Maxwell generation, with Tesla Kepler as its predecessor and Tesla Pascal as its successor. The WX 7100 belongs to the Radeon Pro Polaris generation, succeeding Radeon Pro GCN and preceding Radeon Pro Vega.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher average benchmark scores?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla M40 has an average benchmark score of 41897, which is 4.6 percent higher than the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100’s 40063.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in Vulkan performance?

A: The Tesla M40 scores 44602 in Geekbench Vulkan, which is 12.4 percent higher than the WX 7100’s 39683, making it the clear winner in this API.

Q: What is the difference in memory capacity and bandwidth?

A: The M40 has 12 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus with 288.4 GB/s bandwidth, while the WX 7100 has 8 GB on a 256-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card has better power efficiency?

A: The WX 7100 has a 130 W TDP and a 300 W suggested PSU, while the M40 has a 250 W TDP and a 600 W suggested PSU, making the AMD card significantly more power-efficient.

Q: Do either of these GPUs support ray tracing or tensor cores?

A: Neither card features ray tracing cores or tensor cores, as both are from older architectural generations.

Q: What display outputs does each card have?

A: The Tesla M40 has no display outputs, while the Radeon Pro WX 7100 has 4x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear choice based on workload priorities. For users whose applications rely heavily on Vulkan, the NVIDIA Tesla M40 is the superior option, offering a 12.4 percent performance advantage in that API. Its larger memory capacity (12 GB vs 8 GB) and higher memory bandwidth (288.4 GB/s vs 224.0 GB/s) also make it better suited for memory-intensive compute tasks. The M40’s higher FP32 throughput (6.832 TFLOPS vs 5.728 TFLOPS) and higher pixel/texture rates further solidify its lead in raw compute performance.

For users prioritizing power efficiency, physical footprint, or display connectivity, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 is the better choice. Its 130 W TDP is nearly half the M40’s 250 W, and its single-slot design with a 6-pin connector is far more accommodating in dense systems. The WX 7100 also provides 4x DisplayPort outputs, making it a functional workstation card, whereas the M40 is compute-only. The AMD card’s slight OpenCL advantage (2.4 percent) and its Metal support add to its versatility.

The percentile rankings show both cards are comparable in overall standing, with the M40 at the 83rd percentile and the WX 7100 at the 82nd. The M40’s nearest rivals include the Tesla M40 24 GB and RTX 3080 Ti, while the WX 7100 sits near the Radeon Pro 580 and RTX 5070. Ultimately, the Tesla M40 delivers more raw compute performance and memory capacity, while the Radeon Pro WX 7100 offers power efficiency and display features. The choice depends entirely on whether the workload favors Vulkan and memory capacity (M40) or OpenCL, power constraints, and display output (WX 7100).