AMD Radeon RX 580 vs NVIDIA Tesla M2090 Comparison

The NVIDIA Tesla M2090 and AMD Radeon RX 580 are two very different graphics cards that happen to land at nearly the same overall benchmark percentile. The Tesla M2090, a compute-oriented accelerator from 2011, and the RX 580, a consumer gaming card from 2017, both sit at the 53rd percentile in the database, and their average benchmark scores are nearly identical. However, the data shows a stark divergence in raw compute performance, architectural design, and practical usability, making the choice between them less about raw score and more about what workload you are actually feeding them.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark in the data is Geekbench OpenCL, and the results are decisively one-sided. The AMD Radeon RX 580 scores 37,453, while the NVIDIA Tesla M2090 scores 13,075. This translates to a deltaPct of -65.1% for the Tesla, meaning the RX 580 is roughly 2.9 times faster in this specific compute-heavy test. This is not a marginal win; it is a generational gap in raw execution throughput.

Looking at the nearest rival data for the Tesla M2090, its 13,075 score puts it just 0.7% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER (12,986) and 1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (12,940). It is also 1.1% ahead of the RX 580 based on the average score comparison, which seems contradictory to the head-to-head result. This discrepancy highlights that the average benchmark score across all tests is not the same as a single OpenCL run; the RX 580 has a much higher peak in OpenCL, but its average is dragged down by other tests. The Tesla M2090 is 0.9% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 (13,189) in average performance, placing it in a cluster of mid-range GPUs from a much later era.

For the RX 580, the nearest rivals show a tight grouping. It is 0.1% behind the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (12,940) and 0.4% behind the GTX 1660 SUPER (12,986), while sitting 0.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon 740M (12,870) and 0.6% ahead of the AMD FirePro W5100 (12,847). The RX 580’s average score of 12,928 places it in a competitive mid-range bracket, but its OpenCL result of 37,453 shows it can punch far above that average when the workload is right. The Tesla M2090, by contrast, has no such high-water mark; its OpenCL score is its only benchmark, making its average score a true reflection of its single-test capability.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two cards is vast. The Tesla M2090 uses NVIDIA’s Fermi 2.0 architecture on a 40 nm process at TSMC, packing 3,000 million transistors onto a 520 mm² die. This yields a transistor density of 5.8 million per square millimeter. In contrast, the RX 580 uses AMD’s GCN 4.0 architecture on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries, with 5,700 million transistors on a much smaller 232 mm² die, achieving a density of 24.6 million per square millimeter. The newer process node allows the RX 580 to fit nearly twice the transistors in less than half the silicon area.

The compute resources tell a similar story of generational progression. The Tesla M2090 has 512 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs. The RX 580 has 2,304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. While the RX 580 has fewer ROPs, its massively higher shader count and TMU count drive its performance advantage. The Tesla’s FP32 performance is 1,332.2 GFLOPS, while the RX 580 delivers 6,175 GFLOPS, a 4.6x difference. The RX 580 also has FP16 performance at 6,175 GFLOPS (1:1), a feature the Tesla M2090 lacks entirely, as its FP16 field is null.

Memory configurations differ significantly in capacity and bandwidth. The Tesla M2090 uses 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 177.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 580 uses 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 256.0 GB/s. Despite the narrower bus, the RX 580’s faster memory clock (2000 MHz vs 924 MHz) gives it a 44% bandwidth advantage. The Tesla also lacks display outputs, while the RX 580 provides 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, making the Tesla a pure compute accelerator and the AMD card a fully functional display adapter.

Where Each One Wins

The data is unambiguous about where each card wins. The RX 580 wins the only head-to-head benchmark, and it wins by a massive margin. Its 37,453 OpenCL score versus the Tesla’s 13,075 means that for any general-purpose compute workload leveraging OpenCL, the RX 580 is the clear choice. The RX 580 also wins on every practical metric for a desktop user: it has display outputs, supports Vulkan 1.3, and features DirectX 12 (12_0) support. The Tesla M2090 has no display outputs and no Vulkan support, with DirectX 12 (11_0) being its maximum API level.

The Tesla M2090’s only nominal advantage is in the average benchmark comparison, where its 13,075 average score is 1.1% higher than the RX 580’s 12,928. However, this is a statistical artifact of the RX 580’s broader test suite, which includes lower scores in PassMark and other 3DMark tests. When comparing the single common benchmark, the Tesla loses decisively. The Tesla’s hardware specifications, such as its 48 ROPs versus the RX 580’s 32, do not translate into a win in any tested scenario. The pixel rate of 20.83 GPixel/s for the Tesla is also lower than the RX 580’s 42.88 GPixel/s, and the texture rate of 41.66 GTexel/s is dwarfed by the RX 580’s 193.0 GTexel/s.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every specification field. The process node is 40 nm for the Tesla and 14 nm for the RX 580. The Tesla uses 3,000 million transistors, while the RX 580 uses 5,700 million. Die size is 520 mm² versus 232 mm². Transistor density is 5.8M / mm² versus 24.6M / mm². The Tesla has no base or boost clock listed, while the RX 580 has a 1257 MHz base and 1340 MHz boost clock. Memory clock is 924 MHz (3.7 Gbps effective) for the Tesla versus 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective) for the RX 580.

Memory size is 6 GB versus 8 GB, bus width is 384-bit versus 256-bit, and bandwidth is 177.4 GB/s versus 256.0 GB/s. Shading units are 512 versus 2304, TMUs are 64 versus 144, and ROPs are 48 versus 32. Pixel rate is 20.83 GPixel/s versus 42.88 GPixel/s, texture rate is 41.66 GTexel/s versus 193.0 GTexel/s, and FP32 is 1,332.2 GFLOPS versus 6,175 GFLOPS. The Tesla has no FP16 data, while the RX 580 has 6,175 GFLOPS (1:1). TDP is 250 W for the Tesla versus 185 W for the RX 580, and the suggested PSU is 600 W versus 450 W. Power connectors are 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin for the Tesla versus 1x 8-pin for the RX 580. The bus interface is PCIe 2.0 x16 versus PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs are "No outputs" for the Tesla versus 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a for the RX 580. The Tesla’s memory is 6 GB, and the RX 580’s is 8 GB. The Tesla’s release date is 2011-07-24, while the RX 580’s is 2017-04-17.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 580 scores 37,453, while the NVIDIA Tesla M2090 scores 13,075, giving the RX 580 a 65.1% lead in that specific benchmark.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The Tesla M2090 has an average benchmark score of 13,075, while the RX 580 has an average of 12,928. The Tesla is 1.1% ahead in this aggregate metric.

Q: Does the Tesla M2090 support display outputs?

A: No, the Tesla M2090 has no display outputs, making it unsuitable for connecting monitors. The RX 580 includes 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.

Q: What is the difference in memory bandwidth?

A: The Tesla M2090 has a 384-bit bus and delivers 177.4 GB/s, while the RX 580 has a 256-bit bus and delivers 256.0 GB/s, a 44% higher bandwidth for the AMD card.

Q: Which card has a higher TDP and power requirement?

A: The Tesla M2090 has a 250 W TDP and suggests a 600 W PSU, while the RX 580 has a 185 W TDP and suggests a 450 W PSU.

Q: What are the API supports for each card?

A: The RX 580 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The Tesla M2090 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support.

The Verdict

The data points to a single clear conclusion for almost any user: the AMD Radeon RX 580 is the superior card. It wins the only direct benchmark by a 65.1% margin, has more than double the memory capacity, higher bandwidth, massive shader count advantage, and a full set of modern display outputs and API support. The RX 580 also does all this while consuming less power, with a 185 W TDP versus the Tesla’s 250 W, and requiring a smaller PSU. For gaming, general compute, or any task involving a monitor, the RX 580 is the only sensible choice.

The NVIDIA Tesla M2090’s only statistical win is its 1.1% higher average benchmark score, which stems from having a single benchmark result. This is a deceptive metric, as it does not reflect the Tesla’s actual performance in the OpenCL test where it loses by a wide margin. The Tesla’s architecture, with its older Fermi 2.0 design, lower transistor count on a larger die, and lack of display outputs, makes it a relic suited only for very specific legacy compute tasks that do not benefit from modern API features. If your workload is exclusively limited to that one OpenCL test and you ignore the 65.1% performance gap, the Tesla might appear viable, but the RX 580’s comprehensive victory in the head-to-head comparison and its practical usability make it the definitive winner for the vast majority of use cases. The RX 580 is faster, more efficient, more capable, and more versatile. The Tesla M2090 is a historical footnote.