AMD Radeon RX 7700S vs NVIDIA Tesla P4 Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits the two GPUs almost perfectly down the middle, with each claiming one decisive victory. The AMD Radeon RX 7700S dominates in OpenCL compute workloads, while the NVIDIA Tesla P4 takes the Vulkan graphics test. This is not a case of one product being universally faster; instead, the winner depends entirely on the API and workload type.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 7700S scores 62,983 against the Tesla P4's 34,947. That is an enormous 44.5% advantage for the AMD part, making it the clear choice for compute-heavy tasks that leverage OpenCL. The gap is so large that it dwarfs any other comparison in the head-to-head data. For users running OpenCL-based rendering, simulation, or data processing, the RX 7700S is the only rational pick.

However, in Geekbench Vulkan, the situation reverses. The Tesla P4 posts 40,309 points versus the RX 7700S's 36,380, giving NVIDIA a 10.8% lead. While this margin is smaller than AMD's OpenCL win, it is still a meaningful advantage for Vulkan-based gaming and graphics workloads. The Tesla P4 may be an older architecture, but its Vulkan implementation clearly holds up against the newer RDNA 3 part.

Looking at the broader database context, the Tesla P4 sits at the 81st percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 37,628. The RX 7700S, despite its much higher OpenCL score, lands at the 78th percentile with an average of 33,849. This is because the RX 7700S's Vulkan result drags down its overall average, while the Tesla P4 performs consistently across both tests. The average scores put the Tesla P4 roughly 11% ahead overall, but that figure masks the stark API-dependent split.

The takeaway is straightforward: choose the RX 7700S for OpenCL compute acceleration, and choose the Tesla P4 for Vulkan rendering or gaming. Neither card is a general-purpose winner.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from completely different design philosophies and generations. The NVIDIA Tesla P4 uses the GP104 chip built on Pascal architecture, fabricated on a 16 nm TSMC process. It packs 7,200 million transistors into a 314 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 22.9 million per square millimeter. The AMD Radeon RX 7700S uses the Navi 33 chip with RDNA 3.0 architecture, built on a much newer 6 nm TSMC node. It contains 13,300 million transistors in a smaller 204 mm² die, achieving a far higher density of 65.2 million per square millimeter.

The clock speeds reflect this generational gap. The Tesla P4 runs at a base of 886 MHz with a boost of 1114 MHz. The RX 7700S operates at 1500 MHz base, 2200 MHz game clock, and 2500 MHz boost. That is a massive clock advantage for AMD, more than doubling the boost frequency. The RX 7700S also runs its memory at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) compared to the Tesla P4's 1502 MHz (6 Gbps effective).

Shader configuration differs significantly despite both having 64 ROPs. The Tesla P4 has 2,560 shading units and 160 texture mapping units. The RX 7700S has fewer shading units at 2,048 and fewer TMUs at 128, but its much higher clocks compensate. The RX 7700S also includes 32 ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the Pascal-based Tesla P4, which has no RT cores. Neither GPU has tensor cores.

Memory subsystems take different approaches. The Tesla P4 uses 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, yielding 192.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 7700S also has 8 GB, but uses GDDR6 on a narrower 128-bit bus, achieving 288.0 GB/s. The newer memory type and higher clock speed overcome the narrower bus width, giving AMD a 50% bandwidth advantage.

Power characteristics also diverge. The Tesla P4 is rated at 75 W TDP and is a single-slot card with no power connectors, drawing entirely from the PCIe slot. The RX 7700S is rated at 100 W TDP and is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) for portable devices, also with no power connectors. The Tesla P4 suggests a 250 W power supply, while the RX 7700S has no suggested PSU rating.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla P4 has an average benchmark score of 37,628, while the AMD Radeon RX 7700S averages 33,849. The Tesla P4 sits at the 81st percentile of all GPUs, versus the RX 7700S at the 78th percentile.

Q: How large is the OpenCL performance gap?

A: The RX 7700S scores 62,983 in Geekbench OpenCL compared to the Tesla P4's 34,947. This gives AMD a 44.5% lead, the single largest performance difference recorded between the two cards.

Q: Does the Tesla P4 win any benchmark?

A: Yes, the Tesla P4 wins the Geekbench Vulkan test with 40,309 points against the RX 7700S's 36,380, a 10.8% advantage for NVIDIA.

Q: Which GPU has ray tracing hardware?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7700S includes 32 ray tracing cores. The NVIDIA Tesla P4 has no ray tracing cores at all, as it is based on the older Pascal architecture.

Q: What are the memory bandwidth figures?

A: The RX 7700S delivers 288.0 GB/s using 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus. The Tesla P4 provides 192.3 GB/s using 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus.

Q: Which card is more power-efficient per benchmark point?

A: The Tesla P4 has a 75 W TDP and an average score of 37,628, while the RX 7700S has a 100 W TDP and averages 33,849. The Tesla P4 delivers more average score per watt, though the RX 7700S offers significantly higher raw compute in OpenCL.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every specification category. The process node is 16 nm for NVIDIA versus 6 nm for AMD. Transistor counts are 7,200 million versus 13,300 million. Die sizes are 314 mm² versus 204 mm². Transistor density is 22.9M/mm² versus 65.2M/mm².

Clock speeds show the Tesla P4 at 886 MHz base and 1114 MHz boost, while the RX 7700S runs at 1500 MHz base, 2200 MHz game, and 2500 MHz boost. Memory clocks are 1502 MHz (6 Gbps effective) versus 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective).

Memory type changes from GDDR5 to GDDR6, bus width from 256-bit to 128-bit, and bandwidth from 192.3 GB/s to 288.0 GB/s. Shading units are 2,560 versus 2,048, TMUs are 160 versus 128, and ROPs are identical at 64. The RX 7700S adds 32 ray tracing cores; the Tesla P4 has none.

Pixel rate is 71.30 GPixel/s versus 160.0 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 178.2 GTexel/s versus 320.0 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 5.704 TFLOPS versus 20.48 TFLOPS. FP16 is 89.12 GFLOPS (1:64 ratio) versus 40.96 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio).

TDP is 75 W versus 100 W. Slot width is single-slot versus IGP. The Tesla P4 uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the RX 7700S uses PCIe 4.0 x16. Display outputs are "No outputs" versus "Portable Device Dependent." The Tesla P4 is end-of-life, while the RX 7700S is active production. Release dates are September 2016 versus January 2023.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The direct comparison data contains only two benchmark entries, but they tell a compelling story. The Geekbench OpenCL test is a landslide for the AMD Radeon RX 7700S. It scores 62,983 points against the Tesla P4's 34,947, a delta of 44.5% in AMD's favor. This is the single most decisive result in the head-to-head table. To put it in context, the RX 7700S's OpenCL score is nearly double that of the Tesla P4. For any workload that scales with raw FP32 throughput, the RX 7700S's 20.48 TFLOPS versus the Tesla P4's 5.704 TFLOPS explains the outcome.

The Geekbench Vulkan test flips the result. The Tesla P4 scores 40,309 points, beating the RX 7700S's 36,380 by 10.8%. This is a notable upset given the architectural age difference. The Pascal architecture was released in 2016, yet its Vulkan driver implementation outperforms the RDNA 3.0 part from 2023. The Tesla P4's advantage here may stem from its higher memory bandwidth per memory clock, or simply from more mature Vulkan optimization in NVIDIA's driver stack.

The average benchmark scores reflect these mixed results. The Tesla P4 averages 37,628, which puts it within 0.1% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 and 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56. The RX 7700S averages 33,849, placing it 0.3% behind the AMD Radeon HD 7950 and 0.4% behind the AMD Radeon RX 480. Interestingly, the RX 7700S's nearest rivals are all older GPUs, while the Tesla P4's nearest rivals include modern cards like the RTX 4070 and RTX 4080 Mobile.

The delta percentages tell a nuanced story. The Tesla P4 is 1.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 and 1.3% behind the RTX 4080 Mobile. The RX 7700S is 0.5% ahead of the GTX 1060 5 GB and 0.7% ahead of the RTX A5000. These are tight groupings, indicating that both GPUs perform within a narrow band of their respective competitors.

The Verdict

The data supports a clear but conditional recommendation. For OpenCL compute workloads, the AMD Radeon RX 7700S is the overwhelming choice. Its 44.5% lead in Geekbench OpenCL is decisive, and its 20.48 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is nearly four times that of the Tesla P4. Users running OpenCL-based machine learning inference, scientific simulations, or content creation tools that leverage OpenCL should pick the RX 7700S without hesitation.

For Vulkan-based graphics, the NVIDIA Tesla P4 is the better performer. Its 10.8% lead in Geekbench Vulkan, combined with its higher overall average benchmark score and 81st percentile ranking, makes it the stronger choice for Vulkan gaming or rendering applications. The Tesla P4 also consumes less power at 75 W versus 100 W, and it requires only a 250 W suggested power supply.

The RX 7700S offers more modern features: ray tracing cores, a 6 nm process, PCIe 4.0, and GDDR6 memory. It also has far higher clock speeds and pixel/texture rates. However, these advantages do not translate into Vulkan victories, and its average benchmark score is lower.

The Tesla P4 is a single-slot, end-of-life product with no display outputs, designed for server or compute deployments. The RX 7700S is an active, portable-device IGP. Their physical form factors could not be more different, and that may be the deciding factor for many buyers. If the system requires a discrete single-slot card, the Tesla P4 is the only option. If the target is a laptop or portable device, the RX 7700S is the only option.

In summary: the RX 7700S wins on raw compute and modern features, the Tesla P4 wins on Vulkan performance and average score. Choose based on the primary workload, not on marketing specs.