AMD Radeon R9 M275X vs NVIDIA Tesla M10 Comparison

The AMD Radeon R9 M275X and NVIDIA Tesla M10 represent two very different design philosophies from the same 28 nm era. The R9 M275X is a mobile-oriented graphics part from AMD’s GCN 1.0 generation, while the Tesla M10 is a dual-slot, server-focused accelerator from NVIDIA’s Maxwell lineup. Benchmark data from the FACT PACK shows a clear, if narrow, performance edge for the AMD part in the two available compute tests, but the architectural and specification gaps tell a more nuanced story about their intended roles.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon R9 M275X wins both head-to-head benchmark comparisons listed. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 11200 against the Tesla M10’s 10318, a delta of 8.5 percent. In Geekbench Vulkan, the AMD part scores 9964 versus 9130, a 9.1 percent advantage. This makes the R9 M275X the outright winner in raw compute throughput across both APIs tested, with a 2-0 record in the head-to-head section.

The NVIDIA Tesla M10 does not win any benchmark comparison in the FACT PACK. However, its strengths lie in capacity and configuration rather than single-task speed. It carries 8 GB of GDDR5 memory versus the AMD part’s 2 GB, and its memory bandwidth is higher at 83.20 GB/s compared to 72.00 GB/s. For workloads that are memory-bound or require large datasets, the Tesla M10’s larger frame buffer is a practical advantage that the benchmark scores do not capture.

The average benchmark score also favors the AMD part. The R9 M275X has an average score of 10582, while the Tesla M10 sits at 9724. The AMD part ranks at the 49th percentile among all GPUs, while the Tesla M10 ranks at the 47th percentile. These are close positions, but the AMD part holds a slight edge in overall standing.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on the same 28 nm TSMC process, but their internal designs diverge significantly. The AMD Radeon R9 M275X uses the Venus chip based on GCN 1.0 architecture, part of the “Gem System (R9 M200)” generation. It packs 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.2 million per mm². The NVIDIA Tesla M10 uses the GM107 chip based on Maxwell architecture, from the “Tesla Maxwell (Mxx)” generation. It contains 1,870 million transistors on a 148 mm² die, with a density of 12.6 million per mm².

Both parts have identical counts of 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 render output units. This parity in core configuration is striking, yet their clock speeds and power envelopes are entirely different. The AMD part runs at a base clock of 900 MHz and a boost of 925 MHz. The Tesla M10 runs much higher at 1033 MHz base and 1306 MHz boost. That clock advantage translates into higher fill rates for the NVIDIA part: 20.90 GPixel/s pixel rate and 52.24 GTexel/s texture rate, versus 14.80 GPixel/s and 37.00 GTexel/s for the AMD part.

The Tesla M10 also has a much higher thermal design power at 225 W, requiring a dual-slot cooler, a single 8-pin power connector, and a suggested 550 W power supply. The AMD part has no TDP listed, no slot width, and no power connector details in the FACT PACK. The Tesla M10 is 267 mm (10.5 inches) long and has no display outputs, reinforcing its role as a compute accelerator rather than a graphics card.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M275X has an average benchmark score of 10582, which is higher than the NVIDIA Tesla M10’s 9724.

Q: How much memory does each GPU have?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M275X has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the NVIDIA Tesla M10 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory.

Q: What is the difference in memory bandwidth?

A: The Tesla M10 offers 83.20 GB/s of bandwidth, which is higher than the R9 M275X’s 72.00 GB/s.

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla M10 has a boost clock of 1306 MHz, significantly higher than the AMD Radeon R9 M275X’s 925 MHz.

Q: Do both GPUs support DirectX 12?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12, but the AMD part supports version 12 (11_1) while the NVIDIA part supports version 12 (11_0).

Q: Which GPU is larger in physical size?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla M10 is a dual-slot card measuring 267 mm (10.5 inches) in length, whereas the AMD Radeon R9 M275X has no dimensions listed in the FACT PACK.

Specification Differences

The most notable specification differences between the two GPUs are in memory capacity, clock speeds, and power requirements. The Tesla M10 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory across a 128-bit bus, while the R9 M275X has 2 GB on the same 128-bit bus. Memory bandwidth favors the Tesla M10 at 83.20 GB/s versus 72.00 GB/s.

Clock speeds are heavily skewed toward the Tesla M10. Its base clock of 1033 MHz and boost of 1306 MHz dwarf the AMD part’s 900 MHz base and 925 MHz boost. Memory clocks also differ, with the Tesla M10 running at 1300 MHz (5.2 Gbps effective) compared to the AMD part’s 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective).

The Tesla M10 has a TDP of 225 W, requires a dual-slot cooler and 1x 8-pin power connector, and suggests a 550 W power supply. The AMD part has none of these fields populated. The Tesla M10 has no display outputs, while the AMD part’s display outputs are also unlisted. Physical dimensions differ as well: the Tesla M10 is 267 mm long, while the AMD part has no dimensions recorded.

Transistor counts and die sizes differ, with the Tesla M10 holding 1,870 million transistors on a 148 mm² die versus 1,500 million on 123 mm² for the AMD part. The Tesla M10 also supports Vulkan 1.4, while the AMD part supports Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two benchmark results available show a consistent, moderate lead for the AMD Radeon R9 M275X. In Geekbench OpenCL, the AMD part scores 11200 against the Tesla M10’s 10318, a delta of 8.5 percent. This is the larger absolute gap of the two tests. In Geekbench Vulkan, the AMD part scores 9964 versus 9130, a 9.1 percent delta. Interestingly, the percentage advantage is slightly larger in Vulkan despite the smaller absolute score difference.

These results are notable given the Tesla M10’s much higher clock speeds and fill rates. The Maxwell architecture’s 1306 MHz boost clock does not translate into a compute win in these specific tests. The AMD GCN 1.0 design, despite its lower clocks, delivers higher raw compute scores in both OpenCL and Vulkan. This suggests that the R9 M275X’s architecture is more efficient for these particular workloads, or that the Tesla M10’s design priorities lie elsewhere.

The average benchmark scores reinforce this pattern. The R9 M275X’s average of 10582 places it 0.4 percent behind the AMD Radeon RX 6600S, 1 percent ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 550X, 1 percent behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti, and 1.7 percent behind the NVIDIA Quadro K2200. The Tesla M10’s average of 9724 places it 0.1 percent ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla C2070, 0.6 percent behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070, 0.6 percent ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro P4000, and 0.7 percent ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100.

The head-to-head data shows a clear winner in compute performance, but the specification sheet tells a different story for memory-heavy tasks. The Tesla M10’s 8 GB frame buffer and higher bandwidth make it the more capable part for large datasets, even if its raw compute scores are lower. The AMD part wins on speed per test, while the NVIDIA part wins on capacity and power allocation. For users who prioritize compute benchmarks, the R9 M275X is the choice; for those who need memory headroom, the Tesla M10 has the advantage. The data does not show a single overall winner across all metrics, but the benchmark results favor the AMD part in every measured test.