AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT vs NVIDIA Tesla M40 24 GB Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is decisively faster than the NVIDIA Tesla M40 24 GB, winning both shared benchmark tests by margins of 197.7% and 357.6%. While the Tesla M40 offers a larger 24 GB memory pool, its Maxwell 2.0 architecture is a generation behind, and the data shows it cannot compete with the RX 6800 XT in raw compute or graphics workloads.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT wins every single benchmark where both cards have recorded scores. In Geekbench OpenCL, the AMD card scores 171,304 versus the Tesla M40's 37,439, a delta of 357.6%. That is not a marginal victory; it is a complete rout. In Geekbench Vulkan, the RX 6800 XT scores 136,875 against 45,975 for the Tesla M40, a 197.7% advantage. There are no benchmark categories where the Tesla M40 pulls ahead.

The Tesla M40's only theoretical edge is its 24 GB memory capacity, which is 8 GB more than the RX 6800 XT's 16 GB. However, this advantage is not reflected in any benchmark score in the data. The Tesla M40's memory bandwidth of 288.4 GB/s is far lower than the RX 6800 XT's 512.0 GB/s, and its GDDR5 memory operates at 6 Gbps effective versus the RX 6800 XT's 16 Gbps effective GDDR6. The data indicates that for any workload measured by these tests, the RX 6800 XT is the clear winner. The Tesla M40 is a compute-focused card with no display outputs, while the RX 6800 XT is a full-featured gaming and workstation card. The wins are entirely one-sided.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is vast. The RX 6800 XT uses the Navi 21 chip built on RDNA 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC. The Tesla M40 uses the GM200 chip with Maxwell 2.0 architecture, on a 28 nm process, also from TSMC. This process node difference is significant: the RX 6800 XT packs 26,800 million transistors into a 520 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 51.5M per mm². The Tesla M40 has only 8,000 million transistors on a larger 601 mm² die, yielding a density of just 13.3M per mm².

The RX 6800 XT features 4,608 shading units, 288 texture mapping units, and 128 raster operations pipelines. It also includes 72 dedicated ray tracing cores, which the Tesla M40 lacks entirely. The Tesla M40 has 3,072 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. Clock speeds tell a similar story: the RX 6800 XT has a base clock of 1825 MHz and boost clock of 2250 MHz, while the Tesla M40 operates at a base of 948 MHz and boost of 1112 MHz. The RX 6800 XT's game clock is 2015 MHz, a figure the Tesla M40 cannot approach.

Memory architecture is another major divider. The RX 6800 XT uses 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, while the Tesla M40 uses 24 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus. Despite the narrower bus, the RX 6800 XT achieves much higher bandwidth due to faster memory clocks. The RX 6800 XT supports PCIe 4.0 x16, while the Tesla M40 is limited to PCIe 3.0 x16. The RX 6800 XT also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the Tesla M40 only reaches DirectX 12 (12_1). Both cards support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4, but the RX 6800 XT adds HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, whereas the Tesla M40 has no display outputs at all.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data shows two benchmark results, both won by the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT. The first is Geekbench OpenCL, where the RX 6800 XT scores 171,304 against the Tesla M40's 37,439. The delta is 357.6%, meaning the AMD card is over four and a half times faster in this compute workload. This massive margin reflects the combined advantages of newer architecture, higher clocks, and greater memory bandwidth.

The second benchmark is Geekbench Vulkan, where the RX 6800 XT scores 136,875 versus the Tesla M40's 45,975. The delta here is 197.7%, meaning the AMD card is roughly three times faster. Vulkan is a lower-level API that can expose hardware differences more directly, and the data shows the RX 6800 XT's RDNA 2.0 architecture handles it far more efficiently than Maxwell 2.0.

Looking at the average benchmark scores, the RX 6800 XT averages 48,477 across all its recorded benchmarks, while the Tesla M40 averages 41,707. The RX 6800 XT sits at the 85th percentile of all GPUs, while the Tesla M40 sits at the 83rd percentile. The RX 6800 XT's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile (1.5% ahead), Intel Arc A550M (2.5% behind), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (3% behind). The Tesla M40's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti (1.3% behind), AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (2% behind), and AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE (2.4% behind). These rival comparisons show the RX 6800 XT competing with modern cards, while the Tesla M40 sits near older or lower-tier options.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is the superior GPU for any benchmark workload. It wins both head-to-head tests with deltas of 357.6% and 197.7%. Its average benchmark score of 48,477 is 16.2% higher than the Tesla M40's 41,707. The RX 6800 XT also has a higher percentile ranking at 85 versus 83. Anyone choosing between these two for compute or graphics performance should select the RX 6800 XT without hesitation.

The only argument for the Tesla M40 is its 24 GB memory capacity, which exceeds the RX 6800 XT's 16 GB. If a workload requires more than 16 GB of VRAM, the Tesla M40 is the only option of the two. However, this comes with severe compromises: lower memory bandwidth, older GDDR5 technology, no display outputs, and dramatically lower compute performance. The Tesla M40 also has fewer shading units (3,072 versus 4,608) and lower clock speeds. The RX 6800 XT's transistor density advantage (51.5M/mm² versus 13.3M/mm²) shows a fundamentally more efficient design.

The RX 6800 XT is also the more modern card, released on 2020-10-27 versus the Tesla M40's 2015-11-09. It supports PCIe 4.0, DirectX 12 Ultimate, and has ray tracing cores. The Tesla M40 lacks all of these features. The RX 6800 XT has a launch MSRP of 649 USD, but the Tesla M40 has no recorded launch MSRP. For gaming, workstation graphics, or general compute, the RX 6800 XT is the clear pick. The Tesla M40 is only relevant for niche workloads needing more than 16 GB of VRAM, and even then, its performance limitations are severe.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The RX 6800 XT scores 171,304 versus the Tesla M40's 37,439, a delta of 357.6% in favor of the AMD card.

Q: Does the NVIDIA Tesla M40 24 GB have any benchmark wins over the RX 6800 XT?

A: No. The head-to-head data shows 2 wins for the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT and 0 wins for the NVIDIA Tesla M40 24 GB.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference between the two cards?

A: The Tesla M40 has 24 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the RX 6800 XT has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory. The Tesla M40 has 8 GB more capacity, but the RX 6800 XT has higher bandwidth at 512.0 GB/s versus 288.4 GB/s.

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The RX 6800 XT has an average benchmark score of 48,477, while the Tesla M40 has an average of 41,707. The RX 6800 XT also ranks at the 85th percentile versus the Tesla M40's 83rd percentile.

Q: What are the process node differences between the two GPUs?

A: The RX 6800 XT is built on a 7 nm process at TSMC, while the Tesla M40 uses a 28 nm process at TSMC. This results in transistor densities of 51.5M/mm² for the AMD card versus 13.3M/mm² for the NVIDIA card.

Q: Does the Tesla M40 support display outputs?

A: No. The Tesla M40 has no display outputs, while the RX 6800 XT includes 1x HDMI 2.1, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT | NVIDIA Tesla M40 24 GB |

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

| Architecture | RDNA 2.0 | Maxwell 2.0 |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 26,800 million | 8,000 million |

| Die Size | 520 mm² | 601 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 51.5M / mm² | 13.3M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1825 MHz | 948 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2250 MHz | 1112 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 2000 MHz / 16 Gbps effective | 1502 MHz / 6 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 16 GB | 24 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus Width | 256 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 512.0 GB/s | 288.4 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 4608 | 3072 |

| TMUs | 288 | 192 |

| ROPs | 128 | 96 |

| RT Cores | 72 | null |

| Pixel Rate | 288.0 GPixel/s | 106.8 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 648.0 GTexel/s | 213.5 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 20.74 TFLOPS | 6.832 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 41.47 TFLOPS (2:1) | null |

| TDP | 300 W | 250 W |

| Power Connectors | 2x 8-pin | 8-pin EPS |

| Suggested PSU | 700 W | 600 W |

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

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1x USB Type-C | No outputs |

| DirectX Support | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (12_1) |

| Release Date | 2020-10-27 | 2015-11-09 |