AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT vs NVIDIA Tesla K80 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data presents a strikingly polarized picture for these two accelerators. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the NVIDIA Tesla K80 scores 18,620 points, while the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT manages only 9,524 points. This is a decisive 95.5% advantage for the Tesla K80, a margin that dwarfs most generational comparisons. The K80 effectively delivers nearly double the raw compute throughput in this particular workload, which aligns with its positioning as a data-center oriented processor.

The reverse is true in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT posts 68,310 points against the Tesla K80's 19,111 points. The delta here is recorded as -72%, meaning the AMD card is roughly 3.5 times faster in Vulkan. This is not a marginal victory; it is a complete reversal of fortunes. The K80's Vulkan score of 19,111 is actually very close to its OpenCL result of 18,620, suggesting the older architecture does not scale its performance when moving to Vulkan. In contrast, the RX 5700 XT's Vulkan score is over seven times higher than its OpenCL score, indicating a profound API-specific strength.

With one win apiece, the head-to-head record is balanced. However, the magnitude of each victory matters. The K80's OpenCL win is enormous, but the RX 5700 XT's Vulkan win is even larger in absolute point difference (49,199 points versus 9,096 points). The data suggests that any decision between these two hinges entirely on the software environment. For compute-centric OpenCL workloads, the Tesla K80 is the clear king. For modern graphics APIs, the RX 5700 XT is in a different league.

Architecture Differences

The fundamental design philosophies could not be more different. The Tesla K80 is built on NVIDIA's Kepler 2.0 architecture, using the GK210 chip, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 7,100 million transistors onto a 561 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.7 million per square millimeter. This is a massive, power-hungry chip from 2014, designed for maximum FP32 throughput in scientific and enterprise compute.

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT uses the RDNA 1.0 architecture with the Navi 10 chip. It is built on a 7 nm process, also at TSMC, and integrates 10,300 million transistors onto a much smaller 251 mm² die. This results in a transistor density of 41.0 million per square millimeter, over three times denser than the K80. The 7 nm node allows AMD to pack more transistors into a smaller area, which directly contributes to its higher clock speeds and efficiency.

Clock speeds tell the story of architectural evolution. The Tesla K80 runs at a base clock of 562 MHz and a boost clock of 824 MHz. The RX 5700 XT operates at a base of 1605 MHz, a game clock of 1755 MHz, and a boost of 1905 MHz. The AMD card's boost clock is more than double the K80's boost clock. This clock advantage, combined with the higher transistor density, explains why the RX 5700 XT achieves 9.754 TFLOPS of FP32 performance against the K80's 4.113 TFLOPS, despite having nearly identical shading unit counts (2560 vs 2496).

Memory architecture also diverges sharply. The K80 offers 12 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 240.6 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 5700 XT provides 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, but achieves 448.0 GB/s bandwidth thanks to the faster 14 Gbps effective memory speed. The RX 5700 XT's memory bandwidth is 86% higher despite a narrower bus, evidence of GDDR6's efficiency. The K80's memory clock is listed at 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective), while the RX 5700 XT runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The K80 compensates with a wider 384-bit bus and larger 12 GB capacity, which is advantageous for certain compute workloads that exceed 8 GB.

Feature sets are equally divergent. The K80 has no display outputs, confirming its role as a compute-only accelerator. It supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The RX 5700 XT offers 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, making it a fully functional graphics card. It supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, the latter being a significantly newer API version. The RX 5700 XT also supports FP16 at 19.51 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, while the K80 has no listed FP16 capability.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla K80 has an average benchmark score of 18,866, which places it in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT has an average score of 16,361, placing it in the 59th percentile.

Q: How do the two compare in OpenCL performance?

A: The Tesla K80 is overwhelmingly faster in Geekbench OpenCL, scoring 18,620 versus the RX 5700 XT's 9,524, a 95.5% advantage for the NVIDIA card.

Q: What about Vulkan performance?

A: The RX 5700 XT dominates Vulkan, scoring 68,310 in Geekbench Vulkan compared to the Tesla K80's 19,111, a 72% deficit for the K80 relative to the AMD card.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The Tesla K80 has a TDP of 300 W and requires a 700 W recommended power supply. The RX 5700 XT has a TDP of 225 W and requires a 550 W power supply.

Q: Which card has more memory and what type?

A: The Tesla K80 has 12 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, while the RX 5700 XT has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus.

Q: Do both cards have the same production status?

A: Yes, both are listed as end-of-life products. The Tesla K80 was released in November 2014, while the RX 5700 XT was released in July 2019.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every measurable specification. The most fundamental difference is the process node: the Tesla K80 uses 28 nm, while the RX 5700 XT uses 7 nm. Transistor counts are 7,100 million versus 10,300 million, with die sizes of 561 mm² versus 251 mm². Transistor density is dramatically different at 12.7M/mm² for NVIDIA and 41.0M/mm² for AMD.

Clock speeds are not comparable: the K80 base is 562 MHz and boost is 824 MHz; the RX 5700 XT base is 1605 MHz, game is 1755 MHz, and boost is 1905 MHz. Memory speed differs as well: 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective) for the K80 versus 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) for the RX 5700 XT. Memory size is 12 GB versus 8 GB, with bus widths of 384 bit versus 256 bit, and bandwidth of 240.6 GB/s versus 448.0 GB/s.

Shading units are close (2496 vs 2560), but TMUs differ (208 vs 160) and ROPs differ (48 vs 64). Pixel rate is 42.85 GPixel/s versus 121.9 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 171.4 GTexel/s versus 304.8 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 4.113 TFLOPS versus 9.754 TFLOPS. The RX 5700 XT also has FP16 at 19.51 TFLOPS, which the K80 lacks.

Power requirements differ: TDP is 300 W versus 225 W, with suggested PSUs of 700 W versus 550 W. Power connectors are 1x 8-pin versus 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin. The bus interface is PCIe 3.0 x16 for the K80 and PCIe 4.0 x16 for the RX 5700 XT. Display outputs: the K80 has none, while the RX 5700 XT has 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. Physical dimensions: the K80 is 267 mm long, while the RX 5700 XT is 272 mm long, 111 mm high, and 36 mm wide. The K80 has no listed height or width. API support differs: DirectX 12 (11_1) versus 12 (12_1), Vulkan 1.2.175 versus 1.4. The generation names are "Tesla Kepler (Kxx)" versus "Navi (RX 5000)", with predecessors "Tesla Fermi" versus "Vega", and successors "Tesla Maxwell" versus "Navi II".

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA Tesla K80 wins decisively in OpenCL compute. The recorded data shows it delivers 95.5% more performance than the RX 5700 XT in that specific benchmark. This makes it the obvious choice for legacy compute workloads that rely on OpenCL and require large memory buffers. The 12 GB frame buffer, while slower in bandwidth, provides more capacity for datasets that exceed 8 GB. The K80's 63rd percentile ranking against all GPUs also places it slightly higher than the RX 5700 XT's 59th percentile, despite the latter being a much newer design.

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT wins in Vulkan by an enormous margin, scoring 68,310 versus 19,111. This is the single biggest performance gap in the head-to-head data. The RX 5700 XT also wins in raw FP32 throughput (9.754 TFLOPS versus 4.113 TFLOPS), memory bandwidth (448.0 GB/s versus 240.6 GB/s), pixel rate (121.9 GPixel/s versus 42.85 GPixel/s), and texture rate (304.8 GTexel/s versus 171.4 GTexel/s). Its lower TDP of 225 W versus 300 W makes it more power-efficient, and it offers display outputs, making it usable as a conventional graphics card. The RX 5700 XT also supports a newer DirectX version (12_1) and a much newer Vulkan version (1.4).

For gaming or any modern graphics API workload, the RX 5700 XT is the only sensible choice. For raw compute in OpenCL, the Tesla K80 retains a surprising edge. The K80's nearest rivals include the GeForce RTX 2070 at 0.4% delta and the RTX 2000 Ada Generation at -0.5%, indicating it sits in a competitive performance tier despite its age. The RX 5700 XT's nearest rival is the Radeon Pro 5600M at 0.1% delta, showing it is well-positioned among contemporary mid-range cards.

The Verdict

The data paints a clear picture: these are two specialized tools for different jobs. The NVIDIA Tesla K80 is a compute accelerator from 2014, designed for OpenCL-heavy scientific workloads. Its 95.5% OpenCL advantage over the RX 5700 XT is the single most compelling number in this comparison. Anyone running OpenCL code that fits within 12 GB of memory would see massive performance gains from the K80, despite its age. Its 63rd percentile ranking confirms it still holds its own against modern GPUs in certain tasks.

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT is a modern graphics card from 2019, built on a far more advanced 7 nm process. Its Vulkan performance is in a completely different league, and it offers higher FP32, memory bandwidth, pixel rate, and texture rate. It is also more power-efficient and includes display outputs, making it a functional daily driver. The RX 5700 XT's 59th percentile ranking is lower than the K80's, but this is skewed by the fact that the benchmark suite includes Vulkan tests where the K80 fails badly.

The verdict is straightforward: if the workload is OpenCL compute and memory capacity matters, the Tesla K80 wins decisively. If the workload involves Vulkan, modern graphics APIs, or any gaming, the RX 5700 XT is the only rational pick. The 72% Vulkan deficit for the K80 is disqualifying for any graphics-oriented task. The 95.5% OpenCL deficit for the RX 5700 XT is equally disqualifying for compute-heavy OpenCL tasks. There is no middle ground; the choice depends entirely on the software stack. The database's average scores suggest the K80 has a slight overall edge (18,866 versus 16,361), but this averages across incompatible workloads. A user should select based on the specific benchmark that matches their usage, not the aggregate score.