AMD Radeon Vega 11 vs NVIDIA Tesla K20Xm Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits cleanly by workload type. The AMD Radeon Vega 11 dominates in the Metal API, scoring 17392 against the Tesla K20Xm's 8035, a 116.5% advantage. This is a massive margin, more than double the NVIDIA card's result. For any application that leverages Apple's Metal graphics API, the Vega IGP is the clear choice, likely due to its newer architecture and driver optimization for that interface.

The NVIDIA Tesla K20Xm strikes back in OpenCL compute. It scores 17215 versus the Vega 11's 13392, a 22.2% lead. This is the Tesla's home turf: high-throughput parallel compute workloads that scale across its larger GPU. The data suggests that if your workload is built around OpenCL, the older NVIDIA card still holds a decisive edge despite its age.

The Vega 11 also holds a significant advantage in overall average benchmark score, sitting at 14352 compared to the Tesla K20Xm's 12625. This places the AMD part in the 56th percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the Tesla sits in the 52nd percentile. The AMD IGP is thus not only competitive but slightly ahead on aggregate performance across the recorded tests.

One area where the Tesla K20Xm has no recorded data is Vulkan. The Vega 11 scores 12273 in that API, but there is no comparable figure for the NVIDIA card. This means the AMD part is the only one of the two with verified Vulkan performance in the database, making it the safer choice for Vulkan-based applications or games.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Vega 11 has an average benchmark score of 14352, which is 13.7% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla K20Xm's 12625.

Q: How does the Tesla K20Xm compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Tesla K20Xm is 0.7% behind the AMD Radeon RX 7600M XT, 1.2% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670, and 1.6% behind both the GeForce GTX 590 and AMD Radeon Pro 455.

Q: What is the biggest single-test victory for the AMD Vega 11?

A: In the Geekbench Metal test, the Vega 11 scores 17392 versus 8035 for the Tesla, a 116.5% advantage. This is the largest margin recorded between the two cards.

Q: Does the Tesla K20Xm win any benchmark at all?

A: Yes, in Geekbench OpenCL the Tesla scores 17215 against the Vega 11's 13392, a 22.2% lead.

Q: What memory configuration does the Vega 11 use?

A: The Vega 11 uses system shared memory, with a bus width, type, and bandwidth all listed as system dependent. The Tesla K20Xm instead has 6 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus.

Q: Which card has a higher pixel fill rate?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla K20Xm has a pixel rate of 40.99 GPixel/s, well above the Vega 11's 11.20 GPixel/s.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two recorded head-to-head tests paint opposite pictures. In Geekbench Metal, the AMD Radeon Vega 11 achieves 17392 points. The NVIDIA Tesla K20Xm manages only 8035. That is a delta of 116.5% in favor of the AMD part. No other comparison in the database comes close to this margin. The Vega 11 effectively doubles the Tesla's output in this API, suggesting a fundamental advantage in Metal-accelerated workloads, likely tied to its GCN 5.0 architecture and more recent driver stack.

The Geekbench OpenCL test flips the result. The Tesla K20Xm scores 17215, while the Vega 11 trails at 13392. The 22.2% deficit for the AMD card is significant but far smaller than the Metal gap. This indicates that while the Tesla is the stronger OpenCL compute device, it does not dominate to the same degree that the Vega 11 dominates in Metal. The Tesla's 2688 shading units and 224 texture mapping units give it raw throughput advantages that show up in this test.

Looking at the overall averages, the Vega 11's 14352 versus the Tesla's 12625 means the AMD card is ahead by roughly 13.7% when both tests are weighted equally. This average, however, is heavily influenced by the Metal result, where the Vega 11's performance is exceptional. The Tesla's OpenCL win, while solid, is not enough to overcome the Metal deficit.

The nearest rival data provides additional context. The Vega 11's closest competitor is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN at 14373, a mere 0.1% difference. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 is 0.2% behind, and the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics is 0.3% ahead of the Vega 11. This cluster of scores within a fraction of a percent suggests the Vega 11 sits at a very competitive performance tier. The Tesla K20Xm, by contrast, has its nearest rival the AMD Radeon RX 7600M XT at 0.7% ahead, with the GeForce GTX 670 1.2% ahead and the GeForce GTX 590 and Radeon Pro 455 both 1.6% ahead.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ dramatically in almost every measured specification. The AMD Radeon Vega 11 is an integrated graphics processor with an IGP slot width and no power connectors, while the NVIDIA Tesla K20Xm is a dual-slot discrete card with a 267 mm length and a suggested 550 W power supply.

Memory is a major divergence. The Vega 11 uses system shared memory with system dependent bandwidth, meaning its performance scales with the host system's RAM. The Tesla K20Xm has a fixed 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 249.6 GB/s of dedicated bandwidth. The Tesla's memory clock is listed at 1300 MHz, or 5.2 Gbps effective, while the Vega 11's memory clock is listed as system shared.

The compute resources also differ substantially. The Vega 11 has 704 shading units, 44 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. The Tesla K20Xm has 2688 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. This gives the Tesla a 3.8x advantage in shading units and a 5.1x advantage in TMUs, though the Vega 11's higher boost clock of 1400 MHz (versus no listed base or boost clocks for the Tesla) helps close the gap in some workloads.

Rates reflect this: the Tesla's texture rate is 164.0 GTexel/s versus 61.60 GTexel/s for the Vega 11, and the Tesla's pixel rate is 40.99 GPixel/s versus 11.20 GPixel/s. FP32 compute is 3.935 TFLOPS for the Tesla and 1.971 TFLOPS for the Vega 11. The Vega 11 does support FP16 at 3.942 TFLOPS (2:1), while the Tesla has no listed FP16 capability.

Power consumption is a stark contrast. The Vega 11 has a 15 W TDP, while the Tesla K20Xm draws 235 W. The Vega 11 needs no external power connectors, and the Tesla's connector configuration is not specified, though its suggested PSU of 550 W indicates a substantial power draw.

The bus interface also differs: the Vega 11 is an IGP with no external bus, while the Tesla uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs are motherboard dependent for the Vega 11, while the Tesla has no outputs at all, reflecting its compute-only design.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs spans nearly a decade of development. The AMD Radeon Vega 11 is built on the Picasso chip using GCN 5.0 architecture, fabricated on a 12 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It contains 4,940 million transistors on a 210 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 23.5 million per square millimeter. Its generation is listed as Vega IGP (Picasso), and it was released later, succeeding GCN 3.0 IGP and preceding Vega II IGP.

The NVIDIA Tesla K20Xm uses the GK110 chip with Kepler architecture, built on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 7,080 million transistors into a 561 mm² die, but its transistor density is only 12.6 million per square millimeter. This reflects the older, less dense manufacturing process. Its generation is Tesla Kepler (Kxx), and it is the predecessor to Tesla Maxwell, with Tesla Fermi as its predecessor.

The Vega 11 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The Tesla K20Xm supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The Vega 11's newer architecture brings a higher DirectX feature level and a newer Vulkan version, which may explain its superior Metal and Vulkan performance.

Neither card has ray tracing cores or tensor cores, so those features are absent from both. The Vega 11's FP16 support at a 2:1 ratio is a notable architectural feature, as the Tesla has no FP16 capability listed. This makes the Vega 11 more flexible for workloads that can use reduced precision.

The Vega 11's status as an IGP means it shares memory with the host CPU, while the Tesla's dedicated GDDR5 pool gives it predictable, high-bandwidth memory access. The Tesla's 561 mm² die is nearly 2.7 times larger than the Vega 11's 210 mm², and its transistor count is 43% higher, but the Vega 11's denser 12 nm process allows for more transistors per area.

The Verdict

The data supports a clear split based on workload. For Metal-based applications, the AMD Radeon Vega 11 is the only rational choice. Its 116.5% advantage in Geekbench Metal is overwhelming, and the Tesla K20Xm has no Vulkan score recorded, leaving the Vega 11 as the sole verified option for that API as well. Users working in Apple-centric environments or with Vulkan-based software should select the Vega 11 without hesitation.

For OpenCL compute, the NVIDIA Tesla K20Xm is the stronger performer, leading by 22.2%. Its 2688 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 249.6 GB/s of dedicated memory bandwidth make it a serious compute device despite its age. Anyone running OpenCL-heavy workloads, such as scientific computing or certain rendering tasks, will find the Tesla's performance advantage meaningful.

The overall average benchmark score favors the Vega 11 at 14352 versus 12625, a 13.7% margin. The Vega 11 also holds a higher percentile rank at 56 versus 52. This makes the AMD part the better all-rounder in the database's recorded tests, despite the Tesla's OpenCL strength.

Power and form factor considerations reinforce the split. The Vega 11's 15 W TDP is negligible compared to the Tesla's 235 W, and the Vega 11 requires no power connectors or dedicated PSU. The Tesla demands a 550 W suggested power supply and occupies a dual-slot, 267 mm footprint. For system builders prioritizing efficiency and simplicity, the Vega 11 is clearly superior.

The Tesla K20Xm's launch MSRP was 7,699 USD, and it targets compute-focused users who need its OpenCL throughput and dedicated memory. The Vega 11, as an integrated solution, is for users who need competent graphics and compute without a discrete card. The final choice depends entirely on whether the workload favors Metal and Vulkan (Vega 11) or OpenCL (Tesla K20Xm).