AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT vs NVIDIA Tesla T4 Comparison

The NVIDIA Tesla T4 and AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT are two GPUs from different worlds: one is a low-power compute accelerator from a server line, the other a high-end consumer gaming card. The benchmark data shows a decisive performance gap, but the T4’s specialized design and efficiency make it a compelling choice for specific workloads. This analysis breaks down the numbers from the fact pack to show exactly where each card stands.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The common benchmark suite between these two cards is limited to two tests: Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan. In both, the AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT is the clear winner by a wide margin. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 6950 XT scores 205,998, while the Tesla T4 scores 61,276. That is a delta of -70.3%, meaning the RX 6950 XT is roughly 3.4 times faster in this compute-heavy test. The gap is slightly smaller in Geekbench Vulkan, where the RX 6950 XT scores 165,212 against the T4’s 72,190, a delta of -56.3%. While the T4 loses both head-to-head matchups, its relative performance is important to note.

Looking at the broader benchmark context, the T4’s average benchmark score is 66,733, which places it in the 90th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon VII (average score 66,004, delta 1.1%) and the NVIDIA Tesla P40 (average score 65,095, delta 2.5%). This shows that the T4, despite its low power draw and single-slot design, is competitive with much larger and hungrier cards in the aggregate.

The RX 6950 XT, on the other hand, has an average benchmark score of 58,392, placing it in the 88th percentile. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA P102-100 (average score 58,528, delta -0.2%) and the Intel Arc A570M (average score 58,239, delta 0.3%). This is a surprising result: despite winning the two head-to-head tests by huge margins, the RX 6950 XT’s average score across its larger suite of benchmarks is lower than the T4’s. This is because the RX 6950 XT has a much wider range of benchmark results, including some low scores in specific DirectX tests (e.g., Passmark DirectX 9 at 303, DirectX 10 at 164, and DirectX 12 at 114). The T4 only has two benchmark scores, both of which are relatively strong, which inflates its average. The data suggests that the RX 6950 XT’s performance is highly variable depending on the workload, while the T4 is more consistent.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla T4 has a higher average benchmark score of 66,733, compared to the AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT’s 58,392. However, this is based on a much smaller set of benchmarks for the T4.

Q: How much faster is the RX 6950 XT in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The RX 6950 XT scores 205,998 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 70.3% higher than the Tesla T4’s score of 61,276.

Q: What is the power draw difference between the two cards?

A: The Tesla T4 has a TDP of 70 W, while the Radeon RX 6950 XT has a TDP of 335 W. The T4 requires no external power connectors, while the RX 6950 XT requires two 8-pin connectors.

Q: Do both cards support the same modern APIs?

A: Yes, both the NVIDIA Tesla T4 and the AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT has 5,120 shading units, while the NVIDIA Tesla T4 has 2,560. The RX 6950 XT also has double the TMUs (320 vs 160) and ROPs (128 vs 64).

Q: Is the Tesla T4 a good card for gaming?

A: The data shows it has no display outputs, so it cannot be used to drive a monitor. Its benchmark scores in Vulkan (72,190) are far lower than the RX 6950 XT (165,212), indicating it is not designed for that purpose.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures and processes. The NVIDIA Tesla T4 uses the Turing architecture, manufactured on a 12 nm process at TSMC. The chip, codenamed TU104, contains 13,600 million transistors on a 545 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 25.0M / mm². The AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT uses the RDNA 2.0 architecture, manufactured on a more advanced 7 nm process, also at TSMC. Its Navi 21 chip packs 26,800 million transistors into a slightly smaller 520 mm² die, achieving a much higher transistor density of 51.5M / mm².

These architectural differences extend to the compute units. The T4 features 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. It also includes 40 RT cores for ray tracing and 320 tensor cores for AI acceleration. The RX 6950 XT, in contrast, doubles down on raw shading power with 5,120 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 128 ROPs. It has 80 RT cores but no tensor cores, reflecting its focus on graphics rendering rather than AI inference.

Memory configurations are similar in capacity but not in speed. Both cards ship with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus. The T4’s memory runs at 1250 MHz (10 Gbps effective), yielding a bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s. The RX 6950 XT’s memory runs much faster at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective), providing a significantly higher bandwidth of 576.0 GB/s. The clock speeds also differ drastically, with the T4 running a base clock of 585 MHz and a boost clock of 1590 MHz, while the RX 6950 XT runs a base clock of 1860 MHz and a boost clock of 2310 MHz.

The Verdict

The data paints a clear picture. The AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT is the undisputed performance king in the tests where both have results. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks with massive deltas, has more than double the shading units, higher clocks, and nearly double the memory bandwidth. Its theoretical FP32 compute of 23.65 TFLOPS is nearly three times the T4’s 8.141 TFLOPS. For any workload that requires raw graphical or compute performance, the RX 6950 XT is the obvious choice.

However, the NVIDIA Tesla T4 is not without merit. Its 70 W TDP is drastically lower than the RX 6950 XT’s 335 W, and it requires no external power connectors. This makes it a viable option for dense server environments or systems with limited power budgets and physical space. Its single-slot design and 168 mm length are also notable. The T4’s average benchmark score is higher than the RX 6950 XT’s, and it sits at a higher percentile (90th vs 88th) of all GPUs. The inclusion of 320 tensor cores also gives it a unique capability for AI workloads that the RX 6950 XT lacks entirely.

For a PC builder looking for a high-end gaming or rendering card, the RX 6950 XT is the clear pick. For a system administrator needing a low-power, single-slot accelerator for inference or compute tasks, the T4 is the more appropriate choice. The RX 6950 XT is a triple-slot card that is 267 mm long and 50 mm wide, while the T4 is a single-slot card at 168 mm. The RX 6950 XT’s launch MSRP was 1,099 USD.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA Tesla T4 | AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT |

| :--- | :--- | :--- |

| Architecture | Turing | RDNA 2.0 |

| Process Node | 12 nm | 7 nm |

| Transistors | 13,600 million | 26,800 million |

| Die Size | 545 mm² | 520 mm² |

| Base Clock | 585 MHz | 1860 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1590 MHz | 2310 MHz |

| Game Clock | N/A | 2100 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1250 MHz (10 Gbps effective) | 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Bandwidth | 320.0 GB/s | 576.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2560 | 5120 |

| TMUs | 160 | 320 |

| ROPs | 64 | 128 |

| RT Cores | 40 | 80 |

| Tensor Cores | 320 | N/A |

| FP32 Compute | 8.141 TFLOPS | 23.65 TFLOPS |

| TDP | 70 W | 335 W |

| Slot Width | Single-slot | Triple-slot |

| Power Connectors | None | 2x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 250 W | 700 W |

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

| Display Outputs | No outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| Length | 168 mm (6.6 inches) | 267 mm (10.5 inches) |

| Release Date | 2018-09-12 | 2022-05-09 |

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT wins in any scenario where raw performance is the primary metric. Its massive lead in Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan tests, combined with its higher pixel rate (295.7 GPixel/s vs 101.8 GPixel/s) and texture rate (739.2 GTexel/s vs 254.4 GTexel/s), makes it the superior choice for high-resolution gaming, 3D rendering, and heavy compute tasks. Its support for modern display outputs also makes it a practical choice for a desktop workstation.

The NVIDIA Tesla T4 wins in scenarios prioritizing efficiency, density, and specialized features. Its 70 W TDP is a fraction of the RX 6950 XT’s 335 W, allowing for deployment in systems with minimal power delivery. Its single-slot, 168 mm length makes it easy to fit into space-constrained servers. The presence of 320 tensor cores is a unique advantage for machine learning inference tasks. Furthermore, its higher average benchmark score and 90th percentile ranking suggest that for the limited set of workloads it is designed for, it punches well above its weight. The data shows that while the RX 6950 XT is a brute-force powerhouse, the T4 is a precision tool with a specific, valuable purpose.