AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE vs NVIDIA Tesla M40 Comparison

The Verdict

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE and the NVIDIA Tesla M40 occupy entirely different corners of the GPU landscape. The data shows a single head-to-head benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, where the RX 9070 GRE scores 109309 against the Tesla M40's 39192, a delta of 178.9%. That is not a close contest; it is a generational gap expressed in raw compute throughput.

For any modern workload that relies on OpenCL compute, the RX 9070 GRE is the clear choice. Its 34.28 TFLOPS FP32 performance dwarfs the Tesla M40's 6.832 TFLOPS, and its RDNA 4.0 architecture supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, which the Maxwell-based Tesla cannot match. The Tesla M40, however, is a 2015-era compute card with no display outputs, designed for server racks, not desktop workstations. If the task is legacy compute, passive cooling, or a system that only needs a PCIe 3.0 card with 12 GB of memory, the Tesla M40 still has a role. But for anyone building a modern system, the RX 9070 GRE is the only rational pick. Its percentile rank among all GPUs is 87 versus the Tesla's 83, and its average benchmark score of 57367 versus 41897 confirms the RX 9070 GRE sits in a higher performance tier. The verdict is simple: the RX 9070 GRE wins on every measurable axis in this comparison.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two cards is vast. The RX 9070 GRE uses the Navi 48 chip built on RDNA 4.0, fabricated on a 4 nm process at TSMC. The Tesla M40 uses the GM200 chip on Maxwell 2.0, fabricated on a 28 nm process, also at TSMC. The process node difference alone explains much of the performance disparity: 4 nm versus 28 nm means the RX 9070 GRE packs 53,900 million transistors into a 357 mm² die, while the Tesla M40 fits 8,000 million transistors into a much larger 601 mm² die. Transistor density tells the story: 151.0M per mm² for the RX 9070 GRE versus 13.3M per mm² for the Tesla M40. That is an 11x density advantage, which translates directly into higher clock speeds and efficiency.

Clock speeds reinforce the node advantage. The RX 9070 GRE has a base clock of 1420 MHz and a boost clock of 2790 MHz, with a game clock of 2220 MHz. The Tesla M40 has a base clock of 948 MHz and a boost of 1112 MHz. Even at base, the RX 9070 GRE is 50% faster in clock speed, and at boost it is more than 2.5x higher. Memory also differs fundamentally: the RX 9070 GRE uses 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, delivering 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth, while the Tesla M40 uses 12 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 288.4 GB/s. The wider bus on the Tesla does not compensate for the slower memory technology.

Compute features are where the Tesla falls furthest behind. The RX 9070 GRE supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The Tesla M40 only supports DirectX 12 (12_1), with the same OpenGL and Vulkan versions. The RX 9070 GRE includes 48 ray tracing cores, while the Tesla has none. Neither card has tensor cores. The RX 9070 GRE also outputs video through 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1a, whereas the Tesla M40 has no display outputs at all. This is a compute-only accelerator versus a fully featured consumer graphics card.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records one direct benchmark between these two cards: Geekbench OpenCL. The RX 9070 GRE scores 109309, and the Tesla M40 scores 39192. The delta is 178.9%, meaning the RX 9070 GRE is nearly 2.8 times faster in this OpenCL workload. That is the largest single benchmark gap in this comparison, and it is decisive.

There are no other shared benchmarks in the recorded data. The RX 9070 GRE has a separate 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 result of 5424, and the Tesla M40 has a Geekbench Vulkan result of 44602, but these tests do not run on both cards, so they cannot be compared directly. The wins tally is 1 for the RX 9070 GRE and 0 for the Tesla M40. The OpenCL result alone, however, is sufficient to establish the performance hierarchy.

Looking at the average benchmark scores, the RX 9070 GRE averages 57367 across all recorded tests, while the Tesla M40 averages 41897. The RX 9070 GRE is 36.9% higher in average score. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Arc A580 at 57756 (0.7% lower), the AMD Radeon RX 5600 OEM at 58085 (1.2% lower), and the AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT at 58392 (1.8% lower). These are all within 2% of the RX 9070 GRE, showing it sits in a tightly packed performance band. The Tesla M40's nearest rivals include its own 24 GB variant at 41707 (0.5% lower), the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti at 41187 (1.7% higher), and the Radeon RX 7650 GRE at 42723 (1.9% higher). The Tesla M40 is competitive with much newer cards in its specific niche, but that niche is far below the RX 9070 GRE's tier.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in OpenCL compute?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE scores 109309 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the NVIDIA Tesla M40 scores 39192, making the RX 9070 GRE 178.9% faster.

Q: Do both cards have the same amount of memory?

A: Yes, both have 12 GB, but the RX 9070 GRE uses GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 432.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the Tesla M40 uses GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus with 288.4 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Can the Tesla M40 output video to a display?

A: No, the Tesla M40 has no display outputs. The RX 9070 GRE has 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1a outputs.

Q: Which card supports ray tracing?

A: Only the RX 9070 GRE, which has 48 ray tracing cores. The Tesla M40 has no ray tracing cores.

Q: What is the process node difference?

A: The RX 9070 GRE is built on a 4 nm process at TSMC, while the Tesla M40 is built on a 28 nm process at TSMC.

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The RX 9070 GRE averages 57367, while the Tesla M40 averages 41897, a difference of 36.9% in favor of the RX 9070 GRE.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 9070 GRE wins in every category where modern features matter. It is faster in raw FP32 compute (34.28 TFLOPS versus 6.832 TFLOPS), has higher memory bandwidth (432.0 GB/s versus 288.4 GB/s), supports ray tracing, and has display outputs. Its pixel rate is 267.8 GPixel/s versus 106.8 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 535.7 GTexel/s versus 213.5 GTexel/s. For gaming, content creation, or any general-purpose compute task, the RX 9070 GRE is the only viable option.

The Tesla M40 wins in exactly one area: legacy server deployment. It is an end-of-life product from 2015, using an 8-pin EPS power connector and a 600 W suggested PSU, which fits into older server infrastructure. It has a 267 mm length (10.5 inches), making it a compact card for its era. Its 250 W TDP is actually higher than the RX 9070 GRE's 220 W, so it is not more power-efficient. The Tesla M40's only real advantage is that it exists in the used market as a cheap compute accelerator, but that is a price consideration outside the scope of this data. In pure performance terms, the Tesla M40 loses every recorded benchmark and every relevant specification comparison.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every field. The RX 9070 GRE is built on RDNA 4.0 with a Navi 48 chip, while the Tesla M40 uses Maxwell 2.0 with a GM200 chip. The process node is 4 nm versus 28 nm. Transistors: 53,900 million versus 8,000 million. Die size: 357 mm² versus 601 mm². Transistor density: 151.0M per mm² versus 13.3M per mm².

Clock speeds: base 1420 MHz versus 948 MHz, boost 2790 MHz versus 1112 MHz. The RX 9070 GRE has a game clock of 2220 MHz, while the Tesla has none. Memory: 12 GB GDDR6 on 192-bit versus 12 GB GDDR5 on 384-bit. Bandwidth: 432.0 GB/s versus 288.4 GB/s. Shading units are identical at 3072, as are TMUs at 192 and ROPs at 96. The RX 9070 GRE adds 48 ray tracing cores; the Tesla has none.

Pixel rate: 267.8 GPixel/s versus 106.8 GPixel/s. Texture rate: 535.7 GTexel/s versus 213.5 GTexel/s. FP32: 34.28 TFLOPS versus 6.832 TFLOPS. FP16: the RX 9070 GRE delivers 34.28 TFLOPS (1:1), while the Tesla M40 has no recorded FP16 performance. TDP: 220 W versus 250 W. Power connectors: 2x 8-pin versus 8-pin EPS. Suggested PSU: 550 W versus 600 W. Bus interface: PCIe 5.0 x16 versus PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs: 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1a versus none. DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (12_2) versus 12 (12_1). OpenGL and Vulkan are the same at 4.6 and 1.4 respectively. Production status: Active versus End-of-life. Release date: May 2025 versus November 2015. The RX 9070 GRE has a launch MSRP of 549 USD. The Tesla M40 has no recorded launch MSRP.