AMD Radeon R9 M380 vs NVIDIA Tesla K40c Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records a single common benchmark between the NVIDIA Tesla K40c and the AMD Radeon R9 M380: Geekbench OpenCL. The results are decisively in favor of the Tesla K40c. It scores 17,468 points against the R9 M380's 12,565 points, a 39% advantage. This is not a marginal lead; it is a substantial gap that places the two cards in different performance tiers for compute workloads.

The Tesla K40c's OpenCL score of 17,468 places it at the 61st percentile among all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 460 (17,509, 0.2% ahead), the AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17,551, 0.5% ahead), the AMD Radeon 780M (17,588, 0.7% ahead), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (17,639, 1% ahead). The data shows the K40c is essentially neck-and-neck with these modern chips, trailing them by less than a single percentage point. This is remarkable for a card launched in 2013, as its raw compute throughput remains competitive with much newer hardware.

The AMD Radeon R9 M380's OpenCL score of 12,565 is considerably lower. Its average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 15,521, which reflects the inclusion of its Geekbench Metal score of 18,476, a test the Tesla K40c cannot run due to its lack of display outputs and different driver ecosystem. In the OpenCL test, the R9 M380 sits at the 58th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (15,548, 0.2% ahead), the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (15,679, 1% ahead), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (15,290, 1.5% behind), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (15,283, 1.6% behind). The R9 M380's average score is thus bracketed by a mix of high-end desktop cards from different generations, but its raw OpenCL showing is clearly the weaker of the two comparison points.

The 39% delta in OpenCL performance is the headline figure. It is a direct measure of the compute throughput each card can sustain, and the Tesla K40c's advantage is rooted in its far larger silicon and memory subsystem. The benchmark results indicate that for any OpenCL-bound workload, the K40c is the faster card by a wide margin. The R9 M380 does not win a single head-to-head benchmark in the recorded data, and its only counterpoint is the Metal test, which the K40c does not participate in at all.

Where Each One Wins

The primary differentiator is the test type. The NVIDIA Tesla K40c wins the only directly comparable benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, by 39%. This makes it the clear choice for any application that relies on OpenCL compute. The database shows the K40c's score of 17,468 is within 1% of modern GPUs like the RTX 4060 and Radeon 780M, meaning its compute performance has aged gracefully. For users running scientific simulations, data processing, or other GPGPU tasks that leverage OpenCL, the K40c is demonstrably superior to the R9 M380.

The AMD Radeon R9 M380, however, wins where the K40c cannot compete: the Metal API. The R9 M380 records a Geekbench Metal score of 18,476, which is higher than its own OpenCL score of 12,565 and higher than the K40c's OpenCL score. The Tesla K40c has no display outputs, so it is not designed for graphics rendering or any API that requires a connected display. The R9 M380, by contrast, is a mobile-class GPU that can drive displays and thus supports Metal, Apple's graphics API. For any workload that uses Metal, the R9 M380 is the only option among these two, and its Metal score indicates strong performance in that specific environment.

In terms of memory, the K40c offers 12 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 288.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The R9 M380 offers 4 GB on a 128-bit bus, with 96.00 GB/s. The K40c's bandwidth advantage is 200% higher, which directly supports its compute lead. The R9 M380's advantage is in efficiency and form factor, though the database does not record a TDP for it, making direct power comparisons impossible. The K40c is a dual-slot card with no display outputs, designed for servers and compute clusters. The R9 M380 is a mobile chip, designed for laptops and small form factor systems where the K40c simply cannot fit.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on the same 28 nm TSMC process node, but they diverge sharply in every other architectural aspect. The NVIDIA Tesla K40c uses the GK180 chip, based on the Kepler architecture, and belongs to the Tesla Kepler generation. It packs 7,080 million transistors on a 561 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.6 million per mm². The AMD Radeon R9 M380 uses the Strato chip, based on GCN 2.0, and belongs to the Gem System (R9 M300) generation. It contains 2,080 million transistors on a 160 mm² die, for a density of 13.0 million per mm². The density figures are nearly identical, but the K40c's die is 3.5 times larger, which explains its massive resource advantage.

The K40c has 2,880 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The R9 M380 has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The K40c's shading unit count is 3.75 times higher, and its TMU and ROP counts are 5 times and 3 times higher, respectively. This translates directly into higher fill rates: the K40c achieves 52.56 GPixel/s and 210.2 GTexel/s, while the R9 M380 manages 16.00 GPixel/s and 48.00 GTexel/s. The K40c's FP32 throughput is 5.046 TFLOPS, versus 1.536 TFLOPS for the R9 M380, a 3.3x difference.

Clock speeds tell a different story. The R9 M380 runs at a base clock of 900 MHz and a boost clock of 1000 MHz, while the K40c runs at 745 MHz base and 876 MHz boost. The R9 M380's higher clocks partially compensate for its smaller architecture, but not nearly enough to close the gap. Memory clocks are similar: the K40c runs at 1502 MHz (6 Gbps effective), and the R9 M380 runs at 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective). Both use GDDR5, but the K40c's 384-bit bus versus the R9 M380's 128-bit bus is the decisive factor in bandwidth.

API support differs in one key area. The K40c supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The R9 M380 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The R9 M380's DirectX 12 (12_0) feature level is higher, which matters for gaming on Windows. The K40c's DirectX 12 (11_0) is a limitation, but since the card has no display outputs, it is irrelevant for gaming. The K40c is a compute-only card, and its API support reflects that.

The power requirements also differ, though the database only records the K40c's TDP at 245 W, with a suggested PSU of 550 W and power connectors of 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin. The R9 M380 has no recorded TDP, slot width, power connectors, or suggested PSU, indicating it is a mobile chip with variable power characteristics. The K40c is a dual-slot card, 267 mm long, designed for a server chassis. The R9 M380 has no recorded dimensions, consistent with its mobile deployment.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher OpenCL performance?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla K40c scores 17,468 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the AMD Radeon R9 M380 scores 12,565. The K40c is 39% faster in this test.

Q: Can the Tesla K40c run graphics workloads?

A: No. The K40c has no display outputs, so it cannot drive a monitor. It is a compute-only card. The R9 M380, by contrast, can output video, though the database does not list its specific outputs.

Q: How does the R9 M380's Metal performance compare to its OpenCL performance?

A: The R9 M380 scores 18,476 in Geekbench Metal and 12,565 in Geekbench OpenCL. Its Metal score is 47% higher than its OpenCL score, and it is higher than the K40c's OpenCL score of 17,468.

Q: What is the memory capacity and bandwidth difference?

A: The K40c has 12 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, providing 288.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The R9 M380 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, providing 96.00 GB/s. The K40c has 3 times the memory and 3 times the bandwidth.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The K40c has 2,880 shading units, while the R9 M380 has 768. The K40c also has 240 TMUs and 48 ROPs, versus 48 TMUs and 16 ROPs on the R9 M380.

Q: What are the process nodes for these GPUs?

A: Both are manufactured by TSMC on a 28 nm process. The K40c uses the GK180 chip with 7,080 million transistors on a 561 mm² die. The R9 M380 uses the Strato chip with 2,080 million transistors on a 160 mm² die.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous for compute workloads. The NVIDIA Tesla K40c is the faster card by a 39% margin in OpenCL, and its 12 GB memory and 288.4 GB/s bandwidth make it a superior choice for large datasets and heavy parallel processing. Its score of 17,468 places it within 1% of the RTX 4060 and Radeon 780M, which is a strong indicator of sustained compute relevance despite its age. If the task is OpenCL-based, the K40c is the correct pick.

The AMD Radeon R9 M380 is the right choice only if the workload requires the Metal API or if a display output is necessary. Its Metal score of 18,476 is higher than the K40c's OpenCL score, but the two are not directly comparable due to different APIs. The R9 M380's OpenCL score of 12,565 is significantly lower, and its 4 GB memory and 96.00 GB/s bandwidth are limiting factors for large-scale compute. It also has a higher DirectX 12 feature level (12_0 versus 11_0), which matters for gaming, but the K40c's lack of display outputs makes it irrelevant for that use case.

For a database-driven verdict: choose the Tesla K40c for raw compute throughput, memory capacity, and bandwidth. Choose the Radeon R9 M380 for Metal compatibility and any graphics output requirement. The K40c wins the only head-to-head benchmark, and the R9 M380 wins no recorded comparison. The K40c is the stronger card overall, with the R9 M380 serving a narrow but valid niche.