AMD Radeon RX 560 XT vs NVIDIA Tesla M40 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data shows a decisive victory for the NVIDIA Tesla M40 across both recorded tests. In Geekbench OpenCL, the Tesla M40 scores 39,192 points, while the AMD Radeon RX 560 XT scores 31,387 points. That is a 24.9% advantage for the NVIDIA card. The margin is nearly identical in Geekbench Vulkan, where the Tesla M40 reaches 44,602 points against the RX 560 XT's 36,879 points, a 20.9% lead. The Tesla M40 wins both head-to-head matchups, giving it a 2-0 record in this comparison.

The average benchmark score reinforces this gap. The Tesla M40 posts an average score of 41,897, while the RX 560 XT averages 34,133. That places the Tesla M40 roughly 22.7% higher on average, which is consistent with the individual test results. The percentile rankings tell a similar story: the Tesla M40 sits at the 83rd percentile among all GPUs in the database, while the RX 560 XT sits at the 79th percentile. Both are respectable positions, but the Tesla M40 holds a clear edge.

Looking at the nearest rivals for each card provides additional context. The Tesla M40's closest competitor is the NVIDIA Tesla M40 24 GB, which averages 41,707 points, a mere 0.5% difference. The GeForce RTX 3080 Ti sits just 1.7% behind the Tesla M40 with an average score of 41,187, and the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE is 1.9% ahead at 42,723. The AMD Radeon Pro 5300 trails by 2.5% at 40,870. This suggests the Tesla M40 is performing in a competitive band with much newer and more expensive cards, despite its age.

The RX 560 XT's rival list shows a different picture. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB, scores 34,154, just 0.1% ahead. The RTX A1000 is 0.2% ahead at 34,207, while the AMD Radeon RX 480 sits 0.4% behind at 33,997. The AMD Radeon HD 7950 is 0.5% behind at 33,951. The RX 560 XT is clustered tightly with these cards, indicating that its performance level is well established and consistent with its class.

The delta between the two cards in each test is substantial. A 24.9% lead in OpenCL and a 20.9% lead in Vulkan are not marginal differences; they represent a meaningful performance tier separation. The Tesla M40 does not just edge out the RX 560 XT, it outclasses it in both compute and graphics workloads as measured by these benchmarks.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA Tesla M40 wins in every benchmark category recorded. In compute-oriented workloads, as captured by Geekbench OpenCL, the Tesla M40's 39,192 score versus 31,387 for the RX 560 XT shows a 24.9% advantage. This is the larger of the two margins, suggesting the Tesla M40 has a particular strength in OpenCL compute tasks. The card's architecture, with its 3,072 shading units and 96 ROPs, is clearly well suited to the parallel workloads that OpenCL benchmarks exercise.

In graphics-oriented workloads, the Geekbench Vulkan test shows the Tesla M40 scoring 44,602, which is 20.9% ahead of the RX 560 XT's 36,879. While the percentage lead is slightly smaller than in OpenCL, the absolute score is higher for both cards in Vulkan, indicating that both GPUs handle this API well. The Tesla M40 still maintains a commanding lead.

For the RX 560 XT, there are no benchmark wins to highlight. Its best performance comes in the Vulkan test, where its 36,879 score is closer to the Tesla M40's result than in OpenCL, but it still falls short by a significant margin. The RX 560 XT does have a higher base clock at 1,074 MHz compared to the Tesla M40's 948 MHz, and a higher boost clock at 1,226 MHz versus 1,112 MHz, but these clock advantages do not translate into benchmark victories. The Tesla M40 compensates with more shading units, more texture mapping units, and more ROPs.

The use-case split is therefore straightforward: for any workload measured in this database, the Tesla M40 is the stronger performer. The RX 560 XT offers no recorded scenario where it takes the lead. However, the RX 560 XT does have other attributes worth noting, such as a lower TDP of 150 watts versus 250 watts, and display outputs, which the Tesla M40 lacks entirely.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different manufacturers and different architectural generations. The NVIDIA Tesla M40 uses the GM200 chip based on Maxwell 2.0 architecture, built on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The AMD Radeon RX 560 XT uses the Ellesmere chip based on GCN 4.0 architecture, built on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. The process node difference is significant: 28 nm versus 14 nm, which gives the RX 560 XT a manufacturing advantage in terms of density and efficiency.

The transistor counts reflect the different design philosophies. The Tesla M40 packs 8,000 million transistors on a 601 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 13.3 million per square millimeter. The RX 560 XT has 5,700 million transistors on a much smaller 232 mm² die, giving it a transistor density of 24.6 million per square millimeter. The RX 560 XT is nearly twice as dense, a direct result of the more advanced 14 nm process.

Memory configurations differ substantially. The Tesla M40 offers 12 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 288.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 560 XT has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Tesla M40 has triple the memory capacity and 28.7% more bandwidth. The memory clocks also differ: the Tesla M40 runs at 1,502 MHz (6 Gbps effective), while the RX 560 XT runs at 1,750 MHz (7 Gbps effective). The RX 560 XT's faster memory clock partially compensates for its narrower bus, but not enough to close the bandwidth gap.

Compute resources favor the Tesla M40. It has 3,072 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs. The RX 560 XT has 1,792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The Tesla M40 has 71.4% more shading units, 71.4% more TMUs, and triple the ROP count. These differences show up directly in the pixel and texture rates. The Tesla M40 delivers 106.8 GPixel/s and 213.5 GTexel/s, while the RX 560 XT delivers 39.23 GPixel/s and 137.3 GTexel/s.

Floating-point performance follows the same pattern. The Tesla M40 reaches 6.832 TFLOPS in FP32, while the RX 560 XT reaches 4.394 TFLOPS. The RX 560 XT does have a 1:1 FP16 rate, also at 4.394 TFLOPS, while the Tesla M40 has no recorded FP16 capability. This could matter for workloads that use half-precision arithmetic, but the FP32 lead of the Tesla M40 remains substantial.

API support shows minor differences. Both support DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.6. The Tesla M40 supports DirectX 12_1 and Vulkan 1.4, while the RX 560 XT supports DirectX 12_0 and Vulkan 1.3. These are relatively small differences in feature levels and API versions.

Power and physical specifications differ as well. The Tesla M40 has a TDP of 250 watts and requires an 8-pin EPS power connector with a suggested 600 watt PSU. The RX 560 XT has a TDP of 150 watts, uses a single 6-pin connector, and suggests a 450 watt PSU. The Tesla M40 is longer at 267 mm (10.5 inches) versus 241 mm (9.5 inches) for the RX 560 XT. Both are dual-slot cards.

The Tesla M40 has no display outputs, reflecting its compute-focused design. The RX 560 XT offers 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, making it suitable for direct display connection. The Tesla M40 is from the Tesla Maxwell generation, released on 2015-11-09, while the RX 560 XT is from the Polaris RX 500 generation, released on 2019-03-12. Both are end-of-life products.

The Verdict

The data supports a clear conclusion: the NVIDIA Tesla M40 is the stronger GPU in raw performance. It wins both recorded benchmarks by margins of 24.9% and 20.9%, has a higher average score of 41,897 versus 34,133, and ranks at the 83rd percentile compared to the 79th percentile for the RX 560 XT. Its nearest rivals include the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and the Radeon RX 7650 GRE, which places it in a performance tier well above the RX 560 XT's competition.

However, the choice depends on the use case. The Tesla M40 has no display outputs, so it cannot drive a monitor directly. It is designed for compute and server environments where headless operation is standard. The RX 560 XT, with its HDMI 2.0b and DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, is a conventional graphics card that can be installed in a desktop and connected to a display.

The RX 560 XT also draws less power. At 150 watts, it is 100 watts lower than the Tesla M40's 250 watt TDP. It requires a 450 watt PSU versus 600 watts for the Tesla M40, and it uses a single 6-pin connector instead of an 8-pin EPS. For systems with power constraints or smaller PSUs, the RX 560 XT is the more practical option.

Memory capacity is another differentiator. The Tesla M40's 12 GB of GDDR5 is triple the RX 560 XT's 4 GB. For workloads that require large memory footprints, such as certain compute tasks or large datasets, the Tesla M40 is clearly preferable. The RX 560 XT's 4 GB may be limiting for some modern workloads, though its 224.0 GB/s bandwidth is still respectable.

For a user who needs a display-capable card with lower power draw and a smaller physical footprint, the RX 560 XT is the sensible pick. For a user who prioritizes compute performance, memory capacity, and bandwidth, and does not need display outputs, the Tesla M40 is the definitive choice. The benchmark data shows no scenario where the RX 560 XT outperforms the Tesla M40 in raw scores, so the decision comes down to the non-performance factors.

The production status of both cards is end-of-life, so neither is a future-proof investment. But based strictly on the recorded data, the Tesla M40 delivers significantly more performance, while the RX 560 XT offers better efficiency and connectivity.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla M40 has an average benchmark score of 41,897, while the AMD Radeon RX 560 XT averages 34,133.

Q: What is the performance difference in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The Tesla M40 scores 39,192 points, which is 24.9% higher than the RX 560 XT's 31,387 points.

Q: Does the RX 560 XT win any benchmark in this comparison?

A: No. The Tesla M40 wins both recorded benchmarks: Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan, with a 2-0 record.

Q: How much memory does each card have?

A: The Tesla M40 has 12 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the RX 560 XT has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory.

Q: Can the Tesla M40 output video to a display?

A: No. The Tesla M40 has no display outputs. The RX 560 XT has 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The Tesla M40 has a 250 watt TDP and suggests a 600 watt PSU with an 8-pin EPS connector. The RX 560 XT has a 150 watt TDP and suggests a 450 watt PSU with a single 6-pin connector.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA Tesla M40 | AMD Radeon RX 560 XT |

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

| Chip | GM200 | Ellesmere |

| Architecture | Maxwell 2.0 | GCN 4.0 |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 14 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | GlobalFoundries |

| Transistors | 8,000 million | 5,700 million |

| Die Size | 601 mm² | 232 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 13.3M / mm² | 24.6M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 948 MHz | 1074 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1112 MHz | 1226 MHz |

| Memory Size | 12 GB | 4 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 384 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 288.4 GB/s | 224.0 GB/s |

| Memory Clock | 1502 MHz (6 Gbps effective) | 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) |

| Shading Units | 3072 | 1792 |

| TMUs | 192 | 112 |

| ROPs | 96 | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 106.8 GPixel/s | 39.23 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 213.5 GTexel/s | 137.3 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 6.832 TFLOPS | 4.394 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | Not recorded | 4.394 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 250 W | 150 W |

| Power Connectors | 8-pin EPS | 1x 6-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 600 W | 450 W |

| Display Outputs | No outputs | 1x HDMI 2.0b, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| DirectX Support | 12 (12_1) | 12 (12_0) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | 1.3 |

| Length | 267 mm (10.5 inches) | 241 mm (9.5 inches) |

| Release Date | 2015-11-09 | 2019-03-12 |

| Generation | Tesla Maxwell (Mxx) | Polaris (RX 500) |

| Percentile vs All GPUs | 83 | 79 |

| Average Benchmark Score | 41,897 | 34,133 |