AMD Radeon RX 460 vs NVIDIA Tesla K20m Comparison

The NVIDIA Tesla K20m and AMD Radeon RX 460 represent two very different eras of GPU design, and their benchmark results reflect that divergence. The Tesla K20m, a compute-oriented Kepler part, posts an average benchmark score of 19,089, placing it in the 64th percentile of all GPUs. The RX 460, a low-power GCN 4.0 part, trails with an average score of 18,373, landing in the 62nd percentile. In direct head-to-head testing, the two GPUs split their two shared benchmarks exactly: the AMD card wins one test, the NVIDIA card wins the other. This near-parity in average scores, despite vastly different architectures and intended uses, makes for a nuanced comparison.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only two benchmarks shared by both GPUs are Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan, and the results show a clear split in strengths. In Geekbench OpenCL, the AMD Radeon RX 460 scores 17,855, defeating the NVIDIA Tesla K20m’s score of 16,241. This gives AMD a 9% advantage in that test. The OpenCL result is notable because the Tesla K20m is a compute-focused accelerator with higher raw FP32 throughput, yet the RX 460 outperforms it in this particular workload. The RX 460’s newer GCN architecture and driver optimizations likely contribute to this outcome, even though the Tesla part has more shading units and texture units.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the tables turn. The NVIDIA Tesla K20m scores 21,936, while the AMD Radeon RX 460 manages 20,198. The NVIDIA card wins by 8.6%, a substantial margin that highlights its strength in low-level API workloads. Vulkan is designed to reduce driver overhead and expose more direct hardware control, and the Kepler architecture appears to handle this particularly well. The Tesla K20m also supports Vulkan 1.2.175, while the RX 460 supports Vulkan 1.3, so the newer API version does not automatically translate to a win for AMD here.

Looking at the broader context of the average benchmark scores, the Tesla K20m’s 19,089 average is just 0.2% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile and 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6600, per the nearestRivals data. The RX 460’s 18,373 average is 1.2% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile and 1% behind the AMD Radeon Pro 5700. These deltas indicate that both GPUs sit in a similar performance tier overall, despite their architectural differences. The head-to-head results show that the Tesla K20m has a slight edge in Vulkan, while the RX 460 has a clear edge in OpenCL, but neither GPU dominates the other across both tests.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 460 wins in compute-oriented OpenCL workloads, as evidenced by its 9% lead in the Geekbench OpenCL test. This suggests that for applications that rely on OpenCL for general-purpose compute, such as certain rendering tasks, physics simulations, or data processing, the RX 460 is the better choice. Its GCN 4.0 architecture, built on a 14 nm process from GlobalFoundries, delivers 2.150 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 2.150 TFLOPS of FP16 performance (at a 1:1 ratio). This makes it well-suited for tasks that leverage half-precision arithmetic, a feature the Tesla K20m lacks entirely, as its FP16 field is null. The RX 460 also supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3, giving it broader software compatibility for modern compute and graphics APIs.

The NVIDIA Tesla K20m wins in Vulkan-based workloads, where its 8.6% lead over the RX 460 demonstrates strong low-level API performance. Vulkan is increasingly used in games and professional applications for its efficiency, and the Tesla K20m’s Kepler architecture, with 2,496 shading units and 208 texture mapping units, appears to excel in this environment. The Tesla K20m also delivers higher raw throughput in several areas: its pixel rate is 36.71 GPixel/s versus the RX 460’s 19.20 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 146.8 GTexel/s versus 67.20 GTexel/s. For workloads that are fill-rate limited, the Tesla K20m is clearly superior. Its memory bandwidth of 208.0 GB/s, from a 320-bit bus and 5 GB of GDDR5, also dwarfs the RX 460’s 112.0 GB/s from a 128-bit bus and 2 GB of GDDR5, making the Tesla part more capable for memory-intensive tasks.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures and process nodes. The NVIDIA Tesla K20m uses the GK110 chip, based on the Kepler architecture, manufactured by TSMC on a 28 nm process. It packs 7,080 million transistors into a die size of 561 mm², yielding a transistor density of 12.6 million transistors per square millimeter. In contrast, the AMD Radeon RX 460 uses the Baffin chip, based on GCN 4.0, manufactured by GlobalFoundries on a 14 nm process. It contains 3,000 million transistors on a much smaller die of 123 mm², achieving a transistor density of 24.4 million transistors per square millimeter. This means the RX 460 is more than twice as dense in terms of transistor packing, reflecting the newer manufacturing process.

The core configurations differ significantly. The Tesla K20m has 2,496 shading units, 208 TMUs, and 40 ROPs. The RX 460 has only 896 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. Despite having fewer cores, the RX 460’s higher clocks — with a base of 1090 MHz and boost of 1200 MHz, versus no listed base or boost clock for the Tesla K20m — help it compete in some scenarios. The Tesla K20m’s memory runs at 1300 MHz (5.2 Gbps effective), while the RX 460’s memory runs at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective). However, the Tesla K20m’s wider 320-bit memory bus and larger 5 GB capacity give it a massive bandwidth advantage: 208.0 GB/s versus 112.0 GB/s.

Power and physical specifications also tell a stark story. The Tesla K20m has a TDP of 225 W, requires both a 6-pin and an 8-pin power connector, and suggests a 550 W power supply. It is a dual-slot card, 267 mm long, with no display outputs, reflecting its compute-server orientation. The RX 460, by contrast, has a TDP of just 75 W, needs no power connectors, and suggests a 250 W power supply. It is also dual-slot but much shorter at 170 mm, and it provides 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, and 1x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The bus interfaces differ as well: the Tesla K20m uses PCIe 2.0 x16, while the RX 460 uses PCIe 3.0 x8. API support shows the Tesla K20m is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0), whereas the RX 460 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), and the RX 460 also has a newer Vulkan version (1.3 versus 1.2.175).

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla K20m has an average benchmark score of 19,089, while the AMD Radeon RX 460 scores 18,373. The Tesla K20m is 0.2% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile and 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6600 in the nearestRivals data.

Q: How do they compare in the Vulkan benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla K20m scores 21,936 in Geekbench Vulkan, defeating the AMD Radeon RX 460’s 20,198 by 8.6%. This is the Tesla K20m’s only head-to-head win.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The Tesla K20m has 5 GB of GDDR5 on a 320-bit bus, delivering 208.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 460 has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 112.0 GB/s. The Tesla K20m’s memory clock is 1300 MHz (5.2 Gbps effective), while the RX 460’s is 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective).

Q: Which GPU supports FP16 compute?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 460 supports FP16 at 2.150 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio). The NVIDIA Tesla K20m has no FP16 performance listed, indicating it does not support this feature.

Q: What are the power requirements?

A: The Tesla K20m has a TDP of 225 W, requires 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin power connectors, and suggests a 550 W power supply. The RX 460 has a TDP of 75 W, requires no power connectors, and suggests a 250 W power supply.

Q: Which GPU has better display output capabilities?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 460 provides 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, and 1x DisplayPort 1.4a. The NVIDIA Tesla K20m has no display outputs, as it is designed for compute workloads in server environments.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear choice based on workload requirements. The NVIDIA Tesla K20m is the stronger performer for Vulkan-based applications and any task that demands high fill rates or memory bandwidth. Its 8.6% lead over the RX 460 in Vulkan, combined with its 36.71 GPixel/s pixel rate and 208.0 GB/s memory bandwidth, makes it the preferred option for compute-heavy server tasks or professional rendering that can leverage these capabilities. Its 5 GB of VRAM also provides more headroom for large datasets, and its average benchmark score is slightly higher at 19,089 versus 18,373.

The AMD Radeon RX 460 is the better choice for OpenCL compute workloads, where it beats the Tesla K20m by 9% in the shared benchmark. Its newer GCN 4.0 architecture, 14 nm process, and support for FP16 (2.150 TFLOPS) make it more efficient for modern compute tasks that use half-precision arithmetic. It also offers display outputs, making it a viable option for workstations that need both compute and graphics output. Its lower TDP of 75 W and no power connector requirement mean it can be installed in systems with modest power supplies, and its PCIe 3.0 x8 interface is more modern than the Tesla K20m’s PCIe 2.0 x16.

For users prioritizing raw compute throughput and memory capacity, the Tesla K20m’s 2496 shading units and 5 GB VRAM are decisive. For those needing a balance of compute, modern API support, and display functionality, the RX 460’s 896 shading units and 2 GB VRAM suffice, especially given its 62nd percentile ranking versus the Tesla K20m’s 64th. The two GPUs are nearly tied in average score, but their strengths are polarized: the Tesla K20m wins in Vulkan, the RX 460 wins in OpenCL. Choose accordingly.