AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 vs NVIDIA Tesla T4 Comparison

The NVIDIA Tesla T4 and AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 occupy very different corners of the GPU landscape, one a power-efficient server accelerator and the other a high-consumption desktop flagship. The recorded data shows a split decision in the two shared head-to-head benchmarks, with each card taking one victory. This analysis examines what the measurements reveal about their respective strengths, architectural philosophies, and the use cases where each unit has a clear edge.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two GPUs appear together in exactly two database benchmark entries, and the results are a study in contrasts. In Geekbench OpenCL, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 posts a score of 62552, edging out the NVIDIA Tesla T4’s 61276. The delta is just 2%, a narrow margin that suggests the two cards are nearly equivalent in this particular compute workload. For a server-oriented card with a 70 W TDP to come within 2% of a 295 W desktop flagship is a notable outcome, as raw compute density appears to favor the Tesla T4.

The tables turn decisively in Geekbench Vulkan. Here the Tesla T4 scores 72190, while the RX Vega 64 manages 67032. That is a 7.7% advantage for the NVIDIA part, a more substantial gap than the OpenCL difference. The data indicates that the Tesla T4’s Vulkan implementation is significantly stronger, likely reflecting a more mature driver stack or architectural scheduling advantages for that API. The wins are split one apiece, but the magnitudes matter: the Tesla T4’s Vulkan victory is nearly four times larger than the RX Vega 64’s OpenCL edge.

Looking at broader database context, the Tesla T4 holds a 90th percentile ranking among all GPUs, while the RX Vega 64 sits at the 86th percentile. The average benchmark score for the Tesla T4 is 66733, derived from its two entries. The RX Vega 64’s average is 50001, a figure dragged down by its inclusion of a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 result of 1669 and a Geekbench Metal score of 68750. That Metal result actually tops both of the Tesla T4’s scores, suggesting that on Apple-oriented compute paths the AMD card has real strength.

Rival comparisons reinforce the positioning. The Tesla T4’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon VII (avg score 66004, delta 1.1%), the NVIDIA Tesla P40 (65095, delta 2.5%), the AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 (68562, delta -2.7%), and the Intel Arc A770 (68809, delta -3%). The RX Vega 64’s rivals are led by the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (49957, delta 0.1%), Intel Arc A550M (49737, delta 0.5%), AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (50951, delta -1.9%), and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT (48477, delta 3.1%). The two cards exist in entirely different performance strata when judged by average score, despite their near-tie in the head-to-head OpenCL test.

Architecture Differences

The underlying designs could hardly be more different. The Tesla T4 uses the TU104 chip on NVIDIA’s Turing architecture, built on a 12 nm process at TSMC. The RX Vega 64 uses the Vega 10 chip with AMD’s GCN 5.0 architecture, fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. The transistor counts are close: 13,600 million for the Tesla T4 versus 12,500 million for the RX Vega 64. Die sizes are similarly comparable, 545 mm² for the NVIDIA chip and 495 mm² for the AMD chip, yielding transistor densities of 25.0M / mm² and 25.3M / mm² respectively. The manufacturing processes differ by node, but the density math comes out nearly identical.

Clock behavior reveals a philosophical split. The Tesla T4 has a modest 585 MHz base clock but boosts to 1590 MHz, a 1005 MHz range that speaks to aggressive power management. The RX Vega 64 starts higher at 1247 MHz base and boosts to 1546 MHz, a much tighter 299 MHz range. The AMD card runs closer to its maximum frequency under load, while the NVIDIA part scales up dramatically from a low idle floor. Memory clocks tell a similar story: the Tesla T4 runs its GDDR6 at 1250 MHz (10 Gbps effective), while the RX Vega 64 runs HBM2 at 945 MHz (1890 Mbps effective). The NVIDIA card’s memory clock is higher in raw terms, but the AMD card’s architecture compensates with a vastly wider interface.

Compute resources diverge sharply. The RX Vega 64 packs 4096 shading units and 256 texture mapping units, while the Tesla T4 has 2560 shading units and 160 TMUs. Both have 64 ROPs. The AMD card’s raw shading throughput is higher, reflected in its 12.66 TFLOPS FP32 versus the Tesla T4’s 8.141 TFLOPS. Texture rate also favors AMD at 395.8 GTexel/s versus 254.4 GTexel/s. Pixel rates are nearly even, 98.94 GPixel/s for the RX Vega 64 against 101.8 GPixel/s for the Tesla T4. The NVIDIA card counters with dedicated hardware the AMD card lacks entirely: 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores. These accelerators enable ray tracing and AI workloads that the RX Vega 64 cannot handle with dedicated silicon.

Memory architecture is another stark divergence. The Tesla T4 offers 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256 bit bus, yielding 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX Vega 64 provides 8 GB of HBM2 on a 2048 bit bus, achieving 483.8 GB/s. The AMD card has over 50% more bandwidth, but half the capacity. This tradeoff defines their respective use cases: the Tesla T4 prioritizes capacity for large models and datasets, while the RX Vega 64 prioritizes throughput for bandwidth-hungry rendering tasks. FP16 performance follows the compute ratio, with the RX Vega 64 posting 25.33 TFLOPS versus the Tesla T4’s 16.28 TFLOPS, both at 2:1 ratios.

Power and physical design reinforce the gulf. The Tesla T4 draws a 70 W TDP, needs no power connectors, and fits in a single slot with a 168 mm length. The RX Vega 64 draws 295 W, requires two 8-pin connectors, spans a dual-slot design at 280 mm length, and stands 111 mm tall with a 40 mm width. The suggested PSU ratings are 250 W for the Tesla T4 and 600 W for the RX Vega 64. The NVIDIA card even omits display outputs entirely, while the AMD card offers 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. API support differs as well: the Tesla T4 reaches DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the RX Vega 64 caps at DirectX 12 (12_1) with OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.3.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split verdict based on workload type. The Tesla T4 wins for Vulkan users, server deployment, and AI inference tasks, and any environment where power consumption is a constraint. The RX Vega 4 wins for OpenCL compute, OpenCL workloads, and any application needing high raw bandwidth. The Tesla T4’s Vulkan win is the standout result from the head-to-head data, with a 7.7% lead over the RX Vega 64 in that specific test. Its Vulkan score of 72190 stands as the single highest head-to-head result between the two cards. The RX Vega 64 counters with its Geekbench Metal score of 68750, which outpaces the Tesla T4 in that test category, plus a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 result of 1669 that the NVIDIA card cannot match. The RX Vega 64 OpenCL win is the only head-to-head victory it holds over the Tesla T4, and it is notably the Tesla T4 still beats the RX Vega 64 in average benchmark score overall.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher Geekbench Vulkan score?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla T4 scores 72190 in Geekbench Vulkan, which is 7.7% higher than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64’s 67032.

Q: How do the two compare in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 scores 62552 in Geekbench OpenCL, a 2% advantage over the NVIDIA Tesla T4’s 61276.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The Tesla T4 has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256 bit bus with 320.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the RX Vega 64 has 8 GB of HBM2 on a 2048 bit bus with 483.8 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Does the Tesla T4 support ray tracing?

A: Yes, the Tesla T4 includes 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores. The RX Vega 64 has no RT cores or tensor cores.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 has 4096 shading units, compared to 2560 for the NVIDIA Tesla T4.

Q: What is the power draw difference?

A: The Tesla T4 has a 70 W TDP with no power connectors, while the RX Vega 64 has a 295 W TDP requiring two 8-pin connectors.

Q: Which GPU is the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64’s nearest rival?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is the closest rival to the RX Vega 64, with an average score of 49957 and a delta of 0.1%.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA Tesla T4 is the pick for Vulkan rendering and compute workloads, as its 7.7% head-to-head Vulkan victory demonstrates. Its Vulkan score of 72190 exceeds the RX Vega 64’s 67032 by a wide margin. Vulkan users should prioritize the Tesla T4 for any application leveraging that API. The Tesla T4 also wins on power efficiency scenarios, where a 70 W TDP versus 295 W TDP matters enormously in dense server racks or systems with a 250 W suggested PSU. Server environments favor the Tesla T4 for its 16 GB memory capacity, and it offers a single-slot form factor at 168 mm length with no display outputs. The Tesla T4’s 90th percentile ranking across all GPUs also tops the RX Vega 64’s 86th percentile. The RX Vega 64 wins in raw compute throughput with 12.66 TFLOPS FP32 versus 8.141 TFLOPS, and its 483.8 GB/s memory bandwidth outpaces the Tesla T4’s 320.0 GB/s. OpenCL workloads get a slight edge from the RX Vega 64 based on its 2% head-to-head win, and its Geekbench Metal score of 68750 beats either of the Tesla T4’s recorded benchmarks. The RX Vega 64 also provides display outputs with HDMI 2.0b and DisplayPort 1.4a, making it suitable for direct output duties, while the Tesla T4 has no outputs at all.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every major specification category. The Tesla T4 uses the TU104 chip with Turing architecture on a 12 nm process at TSMC, while the RX Vega 64 uses the Vega 10 chip with GCN 5.0 architecture on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. Transistor counts stand at 13,600 million for the Tesla T4 and 12,500 million for the RX Vega 64, with die sizes of 545 mm² and 495 mm² respectively. Base clocks are 585 MHz for the Tesla T4 and 1247 MHz for the RX Vega 64, while boost clocks are 1590 MHz and 1546 MHz. Memory configurations differ completely: 16 GB GDDR6 on a 256 bit bus versus 8 GB HBM2 on a 2048 bit bus, with bandwidths of 320.0 GB/s and 483.8 GB/s. Shading units number 2560 versus 4096, TMUs 160 versus 256, and both have 64 ROPs. The Tesla T4 has 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores, the RX Vega 64 has none. Pixel rates are 101.8 GPixel/s versus 98.94 GPixel/s, texture rates 254.4 GTexel/s versus 395.8 GTexel/s, and FP32 performance 8.141 TFLOPS versus 12.66 TFLOPS. The TDP difference is dramatic at 70 W versus 295 W, with slot widths of single-slot versus dual-slot and power connector configurations of none versus two 8-pin. The Tesla T4 has no display outputs, while the RX Vega 64 has HDMI 2.0b and DisplayPort 1.4a. Dimensions differ as well: the Tesla T4 is 168 mm long, while the RX Vega 64 is 280 mm long, 111 mm tall, and 40 mm wide. API support favors the Tesla T4 with DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, against the RX Vega 64’s DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3. The RX Vega 64 has a launch MSRP of 499 USD. Release dates are roughly a year apart, with the Tesla T4 arriving in September 2018 and the RX Vega 64 in August 2017.