AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL vs NVIDIA Tesla K20m Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL and NVIDIA Tesla K20m represent two very different answers to the question of where GPU compute should live. The Vega M GL is a 14 nm integrated part from 2018, designed to ride along inside a laptop or compact system, while the Tesla K20m is a 28 nm dual-slot accelerator from five years earlier, built for a server rack with external power. The benchmark data shows the newer integrated chip winning both head-to-head tests, but the Tesla’s older, larger design still holds its own in raw throughput metrics. This comparison is less about a single winner and more about how architecture, power budget, and intended use case shape performance.

Where Each One Wins

The data splits cleanly by workload and physical design. The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL wins every benchmark in the head-to-head comparison, taking the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 19549 against the Tesla’s 16241, a 20.4% advantage. It also wins the Vulkan test, scoring 22757 versus 21936, a 3.7% lead. If the metric is a modern, API-rich compute workload, the AMD part is the clear choice.

The NVIDIA Tesla K20m wins in the categories that matter for a dedicated compute card: memory capacity and raw shading power. It carries 5 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 320-bit bus, compared to the AMD’s 4 GB of HBM2 on a 1024-bit bus. The Tesla also has far more execution hardware: 2496 shading units, 208 texture mapping units, and 40 render output units, versus the AMD’s 1280 shaders, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Its peak FP32 throughput is 3.524 TFLOPS, which is 36% higher than the AMD’s 2.588 TFLOPS. The Tesla also has a higher pixel rate (36.71 GPixel/s vs 32.35 GPixel/s) and a much higher texture rate (146.8 GTexel/s vs 80.88 GTexel/s). This suggests that in pure fill-rate-bound or shader-bound scenarios that do not rely on newer APIs, the Tesla can outperform the AMD despite losing the Geekbench tests.

The AMD part wins on efficiency and integration. Its 65 W TDP is a fraction of the Tesla’s 225 W, and it needs no power connectors or suggested PSU rating—it is an IGP with a portable-device-dependent display output. The Tesla requires a 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin power connection, a 550 W suggested PSU, and a dual-slot cooler. For a compact system, the AMD is the only plausible choice.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different foundries, nodes, and design philosophies. The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL uses the Polaris 22 chip, built on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It is based on the GCN 4.0 architecture and belongs to the Vega (Vega M) generation. The chip packs 5,000 million transistors into a 208 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 24.0M per mm². Its memory is 4 GB of HBM2 running at 700 MHz (1400 Mbps effective) across a 1024-bit bus, delivering 179.2 GB/s of bandwidth.

The NVIDIA Tesla K20m is a completely different beast. It uses the GK110 chip, built on a 28 nm process at TSMC, based on the Kepler architecture, and belongs to the Tesla Kepler (Kxx) generation. This is a massive chip: 7,080 million transistors on a 561 mm² die, but with a much lower density of 12.6M per mm². Its memory is 5 GB of GDDR5 running at 1300 MHz (5.2 Gbps effective) across a 320-bit bus, yielding 208.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Tesla has no listed base or boost clock, only a memory clock, whereas the AMD has a base clock of 931 MHz and a boost of 1011 MHz.

API support also differs. The AMD part supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The Tesla supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The AMD has a 1:1 FP16 to FP32 ratio (2.588 TFLOPS for both), while the Tesla has no listed FP16 capability. The AMD has no listed RT or tensor cores, and neither does the Tesla.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only two direct benchmark comparisons available show a consistent, but not uniform, win for the AMD part. In Geekbench OpenCL, the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL scores 19549 against the Tesla K20m’s 16241. That is a 20.4% delta, a substantial margin that reflects the AMD’s modern architecture and its ability to handle OpenCL workloads efficiently despite having fewer shading units and lower peak FP32.

The Vulkan test is much closer. The AMD scores 22757, the Tesla scores 21936, and the delta shrinks to 3.7%. This suggests that the Tesla’s large shader array and high memory bandwidth (208.0 GB/s vs 179.2 GB/s) allow it to close the gap in a newer API, even though the AMD still comes out ahead. The Tesla’s higher texture rate (146.8 GTexel/s vs 80.88 GTexel/s) and pixel rate (36.71 GPixel/s vs 32.35 GPixel/s) also hint that in certain compute patterns, the older card is not far behind.

Looking at the broader benchmark context, the AMD part has an average benchmark score of 21153, placing it in the 66th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon HD 8970M, has an average score of 21237, a delta of -0.4%, meaning the Vega M GL is essentially neck-and-neck with that older mobile part. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 sits just below it at 21035, a 0.6% delta. The NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile is above it at 21379, a -1.1% delta, and the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT is below at 20713, a 2.1% delta.

The Tesla K20m’s average benchmark score is 19089, placing it in the 64th percentile. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile, scores 19049, a 0.2% delta. The AMD Radeon RX 6600 scores 19036, a 0.3% delta, and the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 scores 19030, also a 0.3% delta. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 scores 19164, a -0.4% delta. This puts the Tesla in a tight cluster of older and mid-range parts, all within a fraction of a percent of each other.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL has a higher average benchmark score of 21153, compared to the NVIDIA Tesla K20m’s 19089. This places the AMD part in the 66th percentile and the Tesla in the 64th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: Does the Tesla K20m have any performance advantage in raw compute?

A: Yes. The Tesla K20m has a higher peak FP32 throughput of 3.524 TFLOPS, higher pixel rate of 36.71 GPixel/s, and higher texture rate of 146.8 GTexel/s, compared to the AMD’s 2.588 TFLOPS, 32.35 GPixel/s, and 80.88 GTexel/s, respectively.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL uses 4 GB of HBM2 on a 1024-bit bus with 179.2 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA Tesla K20m uses 5 GB of GDDR5 on a 320-bit bus with 208.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU is more suitable for a compact system?

A: The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL is an IGP with a 65 W TDP, no power connectors, and a portable-device-dependent display output. The Tesla K20m is a dual-slot card requiring a 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin power connector, a 550 W suggested PSU, and a 267 mm length.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in Vulkan performance?

A: The AMD wins the Geekbench Vulkan test with a score of 22757, which is 3.7% higher than the Tesla’s score of 21936.

Q: What are the architectural generations of these two GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL is based on GCN 4.0 architecture on a 14 nm process. The NVIDIA Tesla K20m is based on Kepler architecture on a 28 nm process.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every major specification field. The AMD uses a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries, while the Tesla uses a 28 nm process at TSMC. The AMD chip, Polaris 22, contains 5,000 million transistors on a 208 mm² die, while the Tesla’s GK110 contains 7,080 million transistors on a 561 mm² die. Transistor density is 24.0M / mm² for the AMD, versus 12.6M / mm² for the Tesla.

Clock speeds differ significantly. The AMD has a base clock of 931 MHz and a boost clock of 1011 MHz, with a memory clock of 700 MHz (1400 Mbps effective). The Tesla has no listed base or boost clock, but its memory clock is 1300 MHz (5.2 Gbps effective). Memory size and type also differ: the AMD has 4 GB of HBM2 on a 1024-bit bus, while the Tesla has 5 GB of GDDR5 on a 320-bit bus.

The execution unit counts are heavily in the Tesla’s favor. The Tesla has 2496 shading units, 208 TMUs, and 40 ROPs, versus the AMD’s 1280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. This leads to higher texture and pixel rates for the Tesla, as noted, and higher FP32 throughput. The AMD does list FP16 performance at 2.588 TFLOPS (1:1), while the Tesla has no FP16 data.

Power and physical specs are opposite extremes. The AMD is an IGP with a 65 W TDP, no power connectors, no suggested PSU, and no length listed. The Tesla is a dual-slot card with a 225 W TDP, 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin power connectors, a 550 W suggested PSU, and a length of 267 mm (10.5 inches). The AMD uses an IGP bus interface, while the Tesla uses PCIe 2.0 x16. Display outputs are portable-device-dependent for the AMD, and none for the Tesla. API support differs in DirectX (12_0 vs 11_0) and Vulkan (1.3 vs 1.2.175), but both support OpenGL 4.6. The Tesla K20m has a launch MSRP of 3,199 USD; the AMD has no launch MSRP listed.