AMD Radeon RX 5500M vs NVIDIA Tesla K20Xm Comparison

# AMD Radeon RX 5500M vs NVIDIA Tesla K20Xm

The benchmark data tells a clear story: the AMD Radeon RX 5500M is the decisively faster card in every measured test, leading the NVIDIA Tesla K20Xm by an average of 526.7% in Geekbench Metal and 124.9% in Geekbench OpenCL. The RX 5500M’s average benchmark score of 13356 places it at the 54th percentile of all GPUs, while the Tesla K20Xm’s 12625 average sits at the 52nd percentile. The RX 5500M wins both head-to-head benchmarks, but the two cards serve fundamentally different purposes: one is a modern mobile gaming GPU, the other is an aging compute accelerator with no display outputs.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 5500M scores an average of 13356 across all benchmarks, compared to the NVIDIA Tesla K20Xm’s 12625. This places the RX 5500M at the 54th percentile of all GPUs, two points above the Tesla’s 52nd percentile.

Q: How large is the performance gap in Geekbench Metal?

A: The RX 5500M scores 50359 in Geekbench Metal, while the Tesla K20Xm manages only 8035. That is a delta of 526.7% in favor of the AMD card, making it the largest single-test margin between the two.

Q: Does the Tesla K20Xm have any benchmark where it wins?

A: No. The head-to-head data shows the RX 5500M winning both available tests (Geekbench Metal and Geekbench OpenCL). The Tesla’s winsA count is 0, and the RX 5500M winsA count is 2.

Q: What are the memory specifications of each card?

A: The RX 5500M has 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Tesla K20Xm has 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 249.6 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has higher raw shader count?

A: The Tesla K20Xm has 2688 shading units, while the RX 5500M has 1408. However, the RX 5500M still achieves higher FP32 throughput at 4.632 TFLOPS versus the Tesla’s 3.935 TFLOPS.

Q: Are both cards still in production?

A: No. Both are listed as end-of-life. The RX 5500M was released on 2019-10-06, and the Tesla K20Xm on 2012-11-11.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 5500M wins in every measured benchmark, but the nature of those wins reveals where each card excels in real-world use. In Geekbench Metal, the RX 5500M’s 50359 score dwarfs the Tesla’s 8035 — a 526.7% advantage. This test reflects modern graphics API performance, and the RX 5500M’s RDNA 1.0 architecture is clearly built for contemporary workloads. The Tesla K20Xm, with its Kepler architecture from 2012, was never designed for Metal; its 8035 score shows it is essentially unusable for modern Apple ecosystem graphics tasks.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the gap narrows but remains decisive: the RX 5500M scores 38725 versus the Tesla’s 17215, a 124.9% difference. OpenCL is a compute-oriented workload, and here the Tesla’s higher shader count (2688 vs 1408) and wider memory bus (384-bit vs 128-bit) help it close some ground. Still, the RX 5500M’s newer architecture and higher FP32 throughput (4.632 TFLOPS vs 3.935 TFLOPS) carry the day.

The Tesla K20Xm’s strengths are in specifications rather than measured performance. It has more memory (6 GB vs 4 GB), higher memory bandwidth (249.6 GB/s vs 224.0 GB/s), more texture mapping units (224 vs 88), and more render output units (48 vs 32). These specs would matter for certain compute or rendering workloads, but the benchmark data shows that in practice, the RX 5500M’s architectural efficiency overcomes these raw advantages.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different eras and 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. It packs 6,400 million transistors into a 158 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 40.5 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA Tesla K20Xm uses the GK110 chip with Kepler architecture, manufactured on a 28 nm process, also at TSMC. It contains 7,080 million transistors spread across a much larger 561 mm² die, with a density of just 12.6 million per square millimeter.

The process node difference is stark: 7 nm versus 28 nm. This explains why the RX 5500M achieves higher performance despite fewer transistors — it fits 40.5M transistors per mm² versus the Tesla’s 12.6M. The RX 5500M’s smaller die (158 mm² vs 561 mm²) also means it consumes far less power (85 W TDP vs 235 W TDP) while delivering higher FP32 throughput.

Architecturally, RDNA 1.0 is a modern graphics-first design with support for DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The Tesla’s Kepler architecture supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175 — a lower DirectX feature level and older Vulkan version. The RX 5500M also supports FP16 at 9.265 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), while the Tesla has no listed FP16 capability. The RX 5500M connects via PCIe 4.0 x8, while the Tesla uses PCIe 3.0 x16.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 5500M | NVIDIA Tesla K20Xm |

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

| Process node | 7 nm | 28 nm |

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

| Die size | 158 mm² | 561 mm² |

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

| Memory size | 4 GB GDDR6 | 6 GB GDDR5 |

| Memory bus | 128 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory bandwidth | 224.0 GB/s | 249.6 GB/s |

| Shading units | 1408 | 2688 |

| TMUs | 88 | 224 |

| ROPs | 32 | 48 |

| Pixel rate | 52.64 GPixel/s | 40.99 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 144.8 GTexel/s | 164.0 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 4.632 TFLOPS | 3.935 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 9.265 TFLOPS (2:1) | None |

| TDP | 85 W | 235 W |

| Bus interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Display outputs | Portable Device Dependent | No outputs |

| Slot width | Not specified | Dual-slot |

| Suggested PSU | Not specified | 550 W |

| DirectX support | 12 (12_1) | 12 (11_0) |

| Vulkan support | 1.4 | 1.2.175 |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two available head-to-head benchmarks both go to the AMD Radeon RX 5500M, but the margins tell different stories. In Geekbench Metal, the RX 5500M posts 50359 against the Tesla’s 8035. The 526.7% delta is enormous — the RX 5500M is more than six times faster. This is a modern vs legacy comparison: Metal is a contemporary API, and the Tesla K20Xm from 2012 was never built for it. The RX 5500M’s RDNA 1.0 architecture handles Metal natively and efficiently, while the Tesla’s Kepler architecture struggles to the point of being non-competitive.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 5500M scores 38725 versus the Tesla’s 17215. The 124.9% delta is still a decisive win for AMD, but the Tesla performs relatively better here. OpenCL is a compute workload, and the Tesla’s 2688 shading units — nearly double the RX 5500M’s 1408 — plus its 249.6 GB/s memory bandwidth help it put up a respectable fight. The Tesla’s higher texture rate (164.0 GTexel/s vs 144.8 GTexel/s) and larger memory pool (6 GB vs 4 GB) also contribute to its stronger relative showing. Yet the RX 5500M still wins by a wide margin, driven by its 4.632 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, 52.64 GPixel/s pixel rate, and far more efficient 7 nm architecture.

The RX 5500M also wins on compute density: it achieves 4.632 TFLOPS from an 85 W TDP, while the Tesla needs 235 W to produce 3.935 TFLOPS. The AMD card delivers 17.7% more FP32 performance while consuming 63.8% less power. The Tesla’s only advantages are in raw specifications — more memory, wider bus, more TMUs and ROPs — but none of these translate into benchmark wins.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon RX 5500M is the faster GPU in every measured test. It wins Geekbench Metal by 526.7% and Geekbench OpenCL by 124.9%, and its average benchmark score of 13356 exceeds the Tesla K20Xm’s 12625. The RX 5500M’s 54th percentile ranking versus the Tesla’s 52nd confirms this hierarchy.

Who should pick the RX 5500M? Anyone needing modern graphics performance, particularly in Metal-based environments. Its 50359 Metal score is in a different league, and its support for DirectX 12 (12_1), Vulkan 1.4, and FP16 (9.265 TFLOPS) makes it suitable for contemporary gaming and compute. Its 85 W TDP and lack of power connectors make it feasible for mobile or low-power systems, and its PCIe 4.0 x8 interface provides modern bandwidth. The RX 5500M’s 4 GB GDDR6 memory is smaller than the Tesla’s 6 GB, but its 224.0 GB/s bandwidth and newer memory type compensate.

Who should pick the Tesla K20Xm? Only those with specific legacy compute needs that require its 6 GB memory capacity, 384-bit bus, and 249.6 GB/s bandwidth. The Tesla’s 2688 shading units and 224 TMUs are higher than the RX 5500M’s, which could matter for certain parallel workloads. But its 235 W TDP, suggested 550 W PSU, dual-slot size, and complete lack of display outputs make it a server-room compute card, not a general-purpose GPU. Its 8035 Metal score is effectively a non-result, and its 17215 OpenCL score is less than half the RX 5500M’s.

The verdict is straightforward: the RX 5500M wins on performance, efficiency, and modern feature support. The Tesla K20Xm’s only arguments are its larger memory pool and wider bus, which do not overcome its massive benchmark deficits. For any workload measured in the data, the AMD Radeon RX 5500M is the clear choice.