AMD Radeon RX 5500M vs NVIDIA Tesla K20c Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded data splits these two GPUs into very different jobs. The AMD Radeon RX 5500M is a mobile graphics processor aimed at laptops, and the benchmark results show it dominating the compute workloads that were tested. The NVIDIA Tesla K20c, by contrast, is a compute-oriented accelerator with a different set of design goals, and in the single matching test it falls far behind.

In the only direct head-to-head benchmark available, Geekbench OpenCL, the AMD Radeon RX 5500M scores 38,725 points versus 11,479 points for the NVIDIA Tesla K20c. That is a 237.4% advantage for the AMD part. This is not a close contest; the RX 5500M more than triples the Tesla's raw OpenCL output in this measurement.

The RX 5500M also has a broader benchmark footprint. The database includes results for Geekbench Metal (50,359), Geekbench Vulkan (35,693), Passmark DirectX 10 (39), DirectX 11 (35), DirectX 12 (28), DirectX 9 (100), G2D (414), G3D (5,848), and GPU compute (2,316). Its average benchmark score sits at 13,356, placing it in the 54th percentile of all GPUs tracked.

The Tesla K20c has only one recorded benchmark score, the Geekbench OpenCL result of 11,479. Its average benchmark score is identical at 11,479, and it sits in the 51st percentile of all GPUs. The data shows a clear split: the AMD part wins the compute test decisively, while the NVIDIA part appears only in that single test with no other wins to claim.

Architecture Differences

The two chips come from different eras and different design philosophies. The AMD Radeon RX 5500M uses the Navi 14 chip built on RDNA 1.0 architecture, manufactured on a 7 nm process at TSMC. The NVIDIA Tesla K20c uses the GK110 chip based on Kepler architecture, built on a much older 28 nm process, also at TSMC.

Transistor counts tell a story of density versus scale. The Tesla K20c packs 7,080 million transistors on a 561 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 12.6 million per square millimeter. The RX 5500M has fewer transistors overall at 6,400 million, but they sit on a much smaller 158 mm² die, yielding a density of 40.5 million per square millimeter. The AMD part is more than three times denser, a direct consequence of the 7 nm node advantage.

Core configurations also differ significantly. The RX 5500M has 1,408 shading units, 88 texture mapping units, and 32 render output units. The Tesla K20c has far more shading units at 2,496, along with 208 TMUs and 40 ROPs. Despite having fewer cores, the AMD card achieves higher measured throughput in several categories.

Clock speeds are not directly comparable because the Tesla K20c has no recorded base, boost, or game clock values in the database. The RX 5500M runs at 1375 MHz base, 1448 MHz game, and 1645 MHz boost. The Tesla's memory clock is 1300 MHz with 5.2 Gbps effective, while the AMD card's memory runs at 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective.

Memory subsystems diverge in capacity and type. The RX 5500M has 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Tesla K20c has 5 GB of GDDR5 on a 320-bit bus, delivering 208.0 GB/s. The AMD part has higher bandwidth despite a narrower bus, thanks to faster memory technology.

Power and physical characteristics are starkly different. The RX 5500M is rated at 85 W TDP with no power connectors, designed for portable devices. The Tesla K20c consumes 225 W, requires a dual-slot cooler, uses 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin power connectors, and lists a suggested power supply of 550 W. The Tesla also has no display outputs, while the AMD card's outputs are listed as portable device dependent.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 5500M has an average benchmark score of 13,356, while the NVIDIA Tesla K20c averages 11,479. The AMD part sits in the 54th percentile of all GPUs, the Tesla in the 51st percentile.

Q: How much faster is the AMD card in the head-to-head OpenCL test?

A: The RX 5500M scores 38,725 in Geekbench OpenCL versus 11,479 for the Tesla K20c, a difference of 237.4% in favor of the AMD card.

Q: What are the memory capacities and types?

A: The RX 5500M has 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Tesla K20c has 5 GB of GDDR5 on a 320-bit bus with 208.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla K20c has 2,496 shading units, while the AMD Radeon RX 5500M has 1,408. Despite having fewer units, the AMD card achieves higher floating-point performance.

Q: What are the power requirements?

A: The RX 5500M has an 85 W TDP and requires no power connectors. The Tesla K20c has a 225 W TDP, needs a dual-slot cooler, and uses 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin power connectors with a suggested 550 W power supply.

Q: Which GPU has a smaller manufacturing process?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 5500M is built on a 7 nm process, while the NVIDIA Tesla K20c uses a 28 nm process. Both are manufactured at TSMC.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 5500M | NVIDIA Tesla K20c |

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

| Architecture | RDNA 1.0 | Kepler |

| Process node | 7 nm | 28 nm |

| Die size | 158 mm² | 561 mm² |

| Transistors | 6,400 million | 7,080 million |

| Transistor density | 40.5M / mm² | 12.6M / mm² |

| Memory size | 4 GB | 5 GB |

| Memory type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory bus width | 128 bit | 320 bit |

| Memory bandwidth | 224.0 GB/s | 208.0 GB/s |

| Shading units | 1,408 | 2,496 |

| Texture mapping units | 88 | 208 |

| Render output units | 32 | 40 |

| Pixel rate | 52.64 GPixel/s | 36.71 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 144.8 GTexel/s | 146.8 GTexel/s |

| FP32 performance | 4.632 TFLOPS | 3.524 TFLOPS |

| FP16 performance | 9.265 TFLOPS (2:1) | Not recorded |

| TDP | 85 W | 225 W |

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

| Suggested PSU | Not recorded | 550 W |

| Bus interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 2.0 x16 |

| Display outputs | Portable Device Dependent | No outputs |

| Slot width | Not recorded | Dual-slot |

| Length | Not recorded | 267 mm (10.5 inches) |

| Release date | 2019-10-06 | 2012-11-11 |

| Launch MSRP | Not recorded | 3,199 USD |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains exactly one direct comparison between these two GPUs: Geekbench OpenCL. The AMD Radeon RX 5500M scores 38,725 points, while the NVIDIA Tesla K20c scores 11,479 points. The delta of 237.4% makes this a landslide victory for the AMD card.

To contextualize this result, look at the nearest rivals for each GPU. The RX 5500M's closest competitors in the database include the AMD FirePro M6100 with an average score of 13,354 (0% delta), the AMD Radeon HD 8950M at 13,376 (-0.1% delta), the AMD Radeon Pro 555X at 13,321 (0.3% delta), and the AMD Radeon Pro 555 at 13,407 (-0.4% delta). These rivals are all within a fraction of a percent of the RX 5500M's average, showing that the AMD card performs in line with its immediate peers.

The Tesla K20c's nearest rivals paint a different picture. The AMD Radeon Pro 5500M averages 11,528 (-0.4% delta), the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT averages 11,627 (-1.3% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 averages 11,680 (-1.7% delta), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M averages 11,261 (1.9% delta). The Tesla sits within a narrow band around these scores, though it trails the Pro 5500M and RX 7800 XT slightly.

The OpenCL result highlights a fundamental gap. The RX 5500M's score of 38,725 is more than three times the Tesla's 11,479. Even accounting for the Tesla's age and different purpose, the margin is remarkable. The AMD card achieves this with fewer shading units (1,408 versus 2,496), a narrower memory bus (128 bit versus 320 bit), and less memory capacity (4 GB versus 5 GB). Its advantages lie in faster memory technology (GDDR6 versus GDDR5), a much smaller process node (7 nm versus 28 nm), and higher clock speeds where recorded.

The RX 5500M also holds a lead in computed throughput rates. It delivers 52.64 GPixel/s in pixel rate versus 36.71 GPixel/s for the Tesla, and 144.8 GTexel/s in texture rate versus 146.8 GTexel/s, a near tie in that metric. FP32 performance favors the AMD card at 4.632 TFLOPS versus 3.524 TFLOPS. The Tesla's only advantage in raw numbers is its higher shading unit count and larger memory pool, neither of which translates into a benchmark win in the recorded data.

Given the single head-to-head test, the RX 5500M claims all wins in this comparison with a 1-0 record. The Tesla K20c has no recorded victories. The data suggests that the AMD part is the stronger performer in OpenCL compute workloads, and the gap is substantial enough to define the entire comparison.