AMD Radeon RX 5700 vs NVIDIA Tesla K20m Comparison

The Verdict

The recorded data positions the AMD Radeon RX 5700 as the clear winner in every head-to-head benchmark available. Across the two shared tests, the RX 5700 secures both wins, while the NVIDIA Tesla K20m records zero victories. The average benchmark score difference is substantial: the RX 5700 averages 22,170 points, while the Tesla K20m averages 19,089 points, a gap of roughly 16% in favor of the AMD part.

For users selecting between these two, the choice depends entirely on workload. The RX 5700 is the superior option for any task involving OpenCL or Vulkan compute, as it outperforms the Tesla K20m by 328.6% in OpenCL and by 192.5% in Vulkan. The Tesla K20m, however, occupies a different niche: it is a compute-oriented accelerator with no display outputs, making it unsuitable for traditional desktop use. Data indicates the RX 5700 is the better all-around card for gaming and general-purpose compute, while the Tesla K20m remains relevant only in specialized server or workstation contexts where its Kepler architecture and 5 GB VRAM configuration might be preferred for legacy compatibility.

The percentile rankings reinforce this split: the RX 5700 sits at the 67th percentile among all GPUs, while the Tesla K20m sits at the 64th percentile. Both are near the middle of the overall distribution, but the RX 5700 edges ahead. Given the benchmark deltas, the RX 5700 is the recommended choice for anyone needing modern API support, higher memory bandwidth, and faster compute throughput. The Tesla K20m should only be selected by users who specifically require a compute card without display output and who are constrained by older software that targets Kepler-era hardware.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different eras and design philosophies. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 uses the Navi 10 chip built on RDNA 1.0 architecture, fabricated on a 7 nm TSMC process. It packs 10,300 million transistors into a 251 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 41.0 million transistors per square millimeter. In contrast, the NVIDIA Tesla K20m uses the GK110 chip based on Kepler architecture, also produced by TSMC but on a much older 28 nm process. It contains 7,080 million transistors spread across a significantly larger 561 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of just 12.6 million transistors per square millimeter.

Memory configurations diverge sharply. The RX 5700 features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Tesla K20m offers 5 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 320-bit bus, but bandwidth drops to 208.0 GB/s, less than half the AMD card. Clock speeds also differ: the RX 5700 runs at a base clock of 1465 MHz, a game clock of 1625 MHz, and a boost clock of 1725 MHz, with memory at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The Tesla K20m lists no base or boost clocks in the database, only a memory clock of 1300 MHz (5.2 Gbps effective).

Shading unit counts are close: the RX 5700 has 2,304 shading units, while the Tesla K20m has 2,496. The texture mapping units favor the NVIDIA card at 208 versus 144, but the raster operation units favor AMD at 64 versus 40. Pixel and texture rates reflect these differences: the RX 5700 achieves 110.4 GPixel/s and 248.4 GTexel/s, while the Tesla K20m manages 36.71 GPixel/s and 146.8 GTexel/s. Floating-point performance tells a similar story: the RX 5700 delivers 7.949 TFLOPS FP32 and 15.90 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1 rate), while the Tesla K20m delivers only 3.524 TFLOPS FP32 and no listed FP16 capability.

Power and interface specifications also differ. The RX 5700 has a TDP of 180 W with a suggested PSU of 450 W, while the Tesla K20m draws 225 W and requires a 550 W PSU. Both use dual-slot coolers and 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin power connectors. The bus interface moves from PCIe 4.0 x16 on the RX 5700 to PCIe 2.0 x16 on the Tesla K20m. Display outputs are fundamentally different: the RX 5700 provides 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the Tesla K20m offers no outputs at all, confirming its compute-only role.

Where Each One Wins

Based on the available benchmark data, the AMD Radeon RX 5700 wins in every recorded comparison. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 69,603 versus the Tesla K20m's 16,241, a 328.6% advantage. In Geekbench Vulkan, the RX 5700 scores 64,166 versus 21,936, a 192.5% lead. These results indicate the RX 5700 is dramatically faster in both general-purpose compute and modern graphics API workloads.

The RX 5700 also wins on architectural grounds. Its RDNA 1.0 architecture supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the Tesla K20m's Kepler architecture only reaches DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175. For users running current games or compute applications that leverage Vulkan, the RX 5700 is the only viable choice. The Tesla K20m's older API support limits it to software written before or adapted to its feature set.

The Tesla K20m does hold an edge in one physical dimension: it is shorter at 267 mm (10.5 inches) versus the RX 5700's 268 mm (10.6 inches), a negligible difference. It also has more texture mapping units (208 versus 144), which could theoretically benefit texturing-heavy workloads, but the benchmark data does not show any test where this translates into a win. The Tesla K20m's 5 GB VRAM capacity, while smaller than the RX 5700's 8 GB, might be sufficient for certain legacy compute tasks, but no recorded benchmark supports a performance advantage.

FAQ

Q: Which card has higher average benchmark scores?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 5700 averages 22,170 points across all its recorded benchmarks, while the NVIDIA Tesla K20m averages 19,089 points. The RX 5700 sits at the 67th percentile of all GPUs, the Tesla K20m at the 64th.

Q: How much faster is the RX 5700 in OpenCL?

A: In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 5700 scores 69,603 compared to the Tesla K20m's 16,241, which represents a 328.6% advantage in favor of the AMD card.

Q: Does the Tesla K20m support display output?

A: No. The Tesla K20m lists "No outputs" as its display configuration, while the RX 5700 provides 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a connections.

Q: What are the memory bandwidth differences?

A: The RX 5700 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Tesla K20m has 5 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 320-bit bus, yielding 208.0 GB/s, less than half the AMD card's throughput.

Q: Which card supports newer graphics APIs?

A: The RX 5700 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The Tesla K20m supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175, so the RX 5700 has more modern API coverage.

Q: What is the transistor density difference?

A: The RX 5700 achieves 41.0 million transistors per square millimeter on a 7 nm process, while the Tesla K20m achieves 12.6 million transistors per square millimeter on a 28 nm process. This reflects the manufacturing node gap between the two.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records two direct comparisons between these cards, and both show overwhelming AMD dominance. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 5700 posts a score of 69,603 against the Tesla K20m's 16,241. The delta is 328.6%, meaning the AMD card delivers more than four times the OpenCL performance. This magnitude of difference suggests the RX 5700's RDNA architecture, combined with its higher clock speeds and doubled memory bandwidth, creates a fundamental throughput advantage.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the gap narrows but remains decisive. The RX 5700 scores 64,166, while the Tesla K20m scores 21,936, yielding a 192.5% advantage for AMD. The Tesla K20m's Vulkan support is limited to version 1.2.175, which may not fully utilize its hardware, but even accounting for driver maturity, the RX 5700's lead is substantial.

The wider benchmark picture reinforces this trend. The RX 5700 has 11 recorded benchmarks covering 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, multiple Geekbench tests, and Passmark suites across DirectX 9 through 12, plus G2D, G3D, and compute tests. Its scores range from 54 in Passmark DirectX 12 to 86,079 in Geekbench Metal. The Tesla K20m has only two recorded benchmarks, both in Geekbench, which limits direct comparison but highlights its narrower testing footprint.

The nearest rival data places each card in context. The RX 5700's closest competitors by average score include the AMD Radeon RX 6700S (22,154, 0.1% lower), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile (22,435, 1.2% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB (21,856, 1.4% lower), and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (22,549, 1.7% higher). The Tesla K20m's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (19,049, 0.2% lower), the AMD Radeon RX 6600 (19,036, 0.3% lower), the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (19,030, 0.3% lower), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 (19,164, 0.4% higher). These figures show the Tesla K20m performing in line with mid-range mobile GPUs, while the RX 5700 approaches higher-tier desktop parts.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every measurable specification. Manufacturing process: the RX 5700 uses 7 nm TSMC, the Tesla K20m uses 28 nm TSMC. Transistor count: 10,300 million versus 7,080 million. Die size: 251 mm² versus 561 mm², meaning the Tesla K20m is physically larger despite having fewer transistors. Transistor density: 41.0M per mm² versus 12.6M per mm².

Memory: 8 GB GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth versus 5 GB GDDR5 on a 320-bit bus with 208.0 GB/s bandwidth. Clock speeds: the RX 5700 has base, game, and boost clocks of 1465, 1625, and 1725 MHz respectively, while the Tesla K20m has no base or boost clocks recorded, only a 1300 MHz memory clock.

Compute units: the RX 5700 has 2,304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The Tesla K20m has 2,496 shading units, 208 TMUs, and 40 ROPs. Pixel rate: 110.4 GPixel/s versus 36.71 GPixel/s. Texture rate: 248.4 GTexel/s versus 146.8 GTexel/s. FP32 performance: 7.949 TFLOPS versus 3.524 TFLOPS. FP16: the RX 5700 delivers 15.90 TFLOPS (2:1), the Tesla K20m has no listed FP16 capability.

Power: 180 W TDP with a 450 W suggested PSU versus 225 W TDP with a 550 W suggested PSU. Both are dual-slot with 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin connectors. Bus interface: PCIe 4.0 x16 versus PCIe 2.0 x16. Display outputs: 1x HDMI 2.0b plus 3x DisplayPort 1.4a versus no outputs. API support: DirectX 12 (12_1) versus 12 (11_0), identical OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 versus 1.2.175. Physical dimensions: 268 mm length versus 267 mm length, with the RX 5700 also listing height and width of 111 mm and 36 mm, while the Tesla K20m lists neither. Release dates: 2019-07-06 versus 2013-01-04. Both are end-of-life products.