AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT vs NVIDIA Tesla K40c Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded database contains a single directly comparable benchmark between these two cards: Geekbench OpenCL. In that test, the NVIDIA Tesla K40c scores 17,468 points, while the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT scores 10,111 points. The delta is -42.1% for the AMD card, meaning the Tesla K40c leads by a substantial margin in this particular compute workload. This is a decisive win for the older NVIDIA part, and it reflects the Tesla K40c's design focus on raw floating-point throughput rather than gaming-oriented features.

Looking at the broader benchmark landscape, the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT has an average benchmark score of 19,765 across all recorded tests, which places it at the 65th percentile among all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla K40m (average score 19,885, delta -0.6%), the AMD FirePro D300 (average score 19,637, delta +0.7%), the AMD FirePro W7000 (average score 19,905, delta -0.7%), and the NVIDIA Quadro K5200 (average score 19,602, delta +0.8%). These deltas are all within roughly one percent, indicating that the RX 6650 XT sits in a tightly contested performance band where no single competitor holds a commanding edge.

The NVIDIA Tesla K40c, by contrast, has an average benchmark score of 17,468, placing it at the 61st percentile. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon Pro 460 (average score 17,509, delta -0.2%), the AMD Radeon Pro 560 (average score 17,551, delta -0.5%), the AMD Radeon 780M (average score 17,588, delta -0.7%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (average score 17,639, delta -1.0%). The Tesla K40c trails each of these by less than one percent, showing that despite its age, it remains competitive in the database's aggregate metrics.

When comparing the two cards directly, the Tesla K40c's OpenCL score of 17,468 is roughly 73% higher than the RX 6650 XT's 10,111 in that single test. However, the RX 6650 XT's overall average benchmark score of 19,765 is about 13% higher than the Tesla K40c's 17,468 average. This discrepancy highlights that the OpenCL test favors the Tesla K40c's compute-oriented architecture, while the RX 6650 XT excels across a wider range of workloads, including DirectX and Passmark tests that the Tesla K40c does not record results for in the database.

The RX 6650 XT's individual benchmark results include a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,859, a Geekbench Metal score of 97,969, a Geekbench Vulkan score of 81,306, and a Passmark G3D score of 17,166. The Tesla K40c has no recorded results for these tests, so the comparison is limited to the OpenCL data point.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT uses the Navi 23 chip built on RDNA 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It contains 11,060 million transistors on a 237 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 46.7 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA Tesla K40c uses the GK180 chip based on Kepler architecture, also fabricated at TSMC but on a 28 nm process. It contains 7,080 million transistors on a much larger 561 mm² die, giving a transistor density of only 12.6 million per square millimeter. The process node difference is stark: 7 nm versus 28 nm, which explains why the AMD chip packs nearly 56% more transistors into less than half the die area.

Clock speeds differ dramatically. The RX 6650 XT has a base clock of 2055 MHz, a boost clock of 2635 MHz, and a game clock of 2410 MHz. The Tesla K40c runs at a base clock of 745 MHz and a boost clock of 876 MHz. This means the AMD card operates at roughly 2.8 times the base clock and 3 times the boost clock of the NVIDIA card. The memory clocks also diverge: the RX 6650 XT uses 2190 MHz (17.5 Gbps effective) GDDR6, while the Tesla K40c uses 1502 MHz (6 Gbps effective) GDDR5.

Memory configurations differ in capacity and bus width. The RX 6650 XT has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 280.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The Tesla K40c has 12 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 288.4 GB/s. Despite the narrower bus, the AMD card's higher memory clock nearly closes the bandwidth gap, trailing by only about 2.8%.

Compute resources are configured differently. The RX 6650 XT has 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, 64 ROPs, and 32 ray tracing cores. The Tesla K40c has 2880 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, with no ray tracing cores. The NVIDIA part has more shading units and TMUs, but the AMD part's higher clocks produce a much higher pixel rate (168.6 GPixel/s versus 52.56 GPixel/s) and texture rate (337.3 GTexel/s versus 210.2 GTexel/s). In FP32 compute, the RX 6650 XT delivers 10.79 TFLOPS, more than double the Tesla K40c's 5.046 TFLOPS. The AMD card also supports FP16 at 21.59 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), while the Tesla K40c has no FP16 capability recorded.

The Tesla K40c has no display outputs, being a compute-only accelerator. The RX 6650 XT has 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. API support also differs: the RX 6650 XT supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the Tesla K40c supports DirectX 12 (11_0). Both support OpenGL 4.6, but Vulkan versions differ (1.4 for AMD, 1.2.175 for NVIDIA).

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT has an average benchmark score of 19,765, compared to the NVIDIA Tesla K40c's 17,468.

Q: Why does the Tesla K40c win the OpenCL test despite being older?

A: The Tesla K40c scores 17,468 in Geekbench OpenCL versus 10,111 for the RX 6650 XT, a delta of -42.1% for the AMD card. This likely reflects the Tesla's Kepler architecture's emphasis on compute workloads, with 2880 shading units and a 384-bit memory bus.

Q: What is the transistor count difference between the two cards?

A: The RX 6650 XT has 11,060 million transistors, while the Tesla K40c has 7,080 million. The AMD chip uses a 7 nm process, whereas NVIDIA uses 28 nm.

Q: Does the Tesla K40c support ray tracing?

A: No. The Tesla K40c has no ray tracing cores listed in the database. The RX 6650 XT has 32 ray tracing cores.

Q: Which card has more memory bandwidth?

A: The Tesla K40c has a slight edge with 288.4 GB/s versus 280.3 GB/s for the RX 6650 XT, despite the AMD card using faster GDDR6 memory.

Q: What are the power connector requirements?

A: The RX 6650 XT uses a single 8-pin connector with a suggested PSU of 450 W. The Tesla K40c requires a 6-pin and an 8-pin connector, with a suggested PSU of 550 W.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT | NVIDIA Tesla K40c |

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

| Process Node | 7 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 11,060 million | 7,080 million |

| Die Size | 237 mm² | 561 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 46.7M / mm² | 12.6M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 2055 MHz | 745 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2635 MHz | 876 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 2190 MHz (17.5 Gbps effective) | 1502 MHz (6 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 8 GB | 12 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 280.3 GB/s | 288.4 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2048 | 2880 |

| TMUs | 128 | 240 |

| ROPs | 64 | 48 |

| Ray Tracing Cores | 32 | None |

| Pixel Rate | 168.6 GPixel/s | 52.56 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 337.3 GTexel/s | 210.2 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Compute | 10.79 TFLOPS | 5.046 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Compute | 21.59 TFLOPS (2:1) | None |

| TDP | 176 W | 245 W |

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

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | 550 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a | No outputs |

| DirectX Support | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (11_0) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | 1.2.175 |

| Release Date | 2022-05-09 | 2013-10-07 |

| Launch MSRP | 399 USD | 7,699 USD |

The Verdict

The data points to two cards with fundamentally different purposes. The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is a modern, end-of-life consumer GPU from the Radeon RX 6000 series, built on RDNA 2.0 with a 7 nm process. It offers display outputs, ray tracing support, and higher clock speeds, and its average benchmark score of 19,765 places it at the 65th percentile. The NVIDIA Tesla K40c is a compute-focused accelerator from 2013's Kepler generation, with no display outputs and a much lower 61st percentile ranking based on its average score of 17,468.

For users who need a general-purpose graphics card with modern API support and gaming capabilities, the RX 6650 XT is the clear choice from the recorded data. Its FP32 compute of 10.79 TFLOPS is more than double the Tesla's 5.046 TFLOPS, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4. For compute-only workloads that align with the Tesla K40c's strengths, such as the OpenCL test where it scores 17,468 versus 10,111, the NVIDIA part holds a specific advantage. However, the Tesla K40c's lack of display outputs and its 245 W TDP make it a less flexible option.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT wins in scenarios requiring modern graphics features: it has 32 ray tracing cores, DirectX 12 Ultimate support, and a Vulkan version of 1.4. Its higher pixel rate (168.6 GPixel/s) and texture rate (337.3 GTexel/s) make it suitable for rendering workloads. Its FP16 compute of 21.59 TFLOPS, absent from the Tesla K40c, enables accelerated half-precision tasks. The card's lower TDP of 176 W and single 8-pin connector make it easier to integrate into a standard system, and its display outputs allow for direct video output.

The NVIDIA Tesla K40c wins in the specific OpenCL benchmark recorded, scoring 17,468 versus 10,111 for the RX 6650 XT. Its 12 GB of memory and 384-bit bus provide a 288.4 GB/s bandwidth, slightly higher than the AMD card's 280.3 GB/s. The Tesla's 2880 shading units and 240 TMUs represent a larger raw compute resource pool, albeit at much lower clocks. For users running OpenCL-based compute workloads that match the Tesla's architecture, the data shows it holds a decisive advantage. The Tesla K40c's 7,699 USD launch MSRP and 2013 release date indicate it was a high-end professional compute product, but its end-of-life status and lack of modern API support limit its relevance in current workloads.