AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition vs NVIDIA Tesla T4 Comparison

The data presents a clear split: the AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition is the raw compute champion, while the NVIDIA Tesla T4 is the efficiency and feature-set specialist. Based on the available benchmark results, the Vega Frontier Edition holds a significant lead in OpenCL workloads, but the Tesla T4 edges it out in Vulkan. The choice hinges entirely on whether your priority is maximum legacy compute throughput or modern architectural features in a low-power package.

The Verdict

For users whose primary workload is compute-heavy, especially in OpenCL environments, the AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition is the definitive choice. Its average benchmark score of 73,370 places it in the 91st percentile of all GPUs, and it outperforms the NVIDIA Tesla T4 by a substantial margin in the head-to-head OpenCL test. The data shows a 24.2% advantage for AMD in this specific test, which is a decisive factor for any application leveraging that API.

Conversely, the NVIDIA Tesla T4 is the pick for environments where power consumption is critical and where modern API support is non-negotiable. While its average benchmark score of 66,733 is lower (90th percentile), it consumes only 70W compared to the AMD card's 300W TDP. This massive efficiency gap, combined with its support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, makes it the more sensible choice for dense server deployments or edge inference where thermal and power budgets are tight.

The verdict is not about which is "better" overall, but which is better for your specific context. The Vega Frontier Edition is a compute beast that has aged well in raw throughput, while the Tesla T4 is a forward-looking accelerator that trades raw performance for efficiency and feature completeness. If you need the highest possible OpenCL score, go AMD. If you need a single-slot, power-efficient card with modern API support, the choice is clearly NVIDIA.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data shows a 1-1 split in head-to-head tests, but the nature of each win tells a different story. The AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition achieves its victory in the Geekbench OpenCL test, scoring 76,111 against the Tesla T4's 61,276. This is a massive 24.2% lead, indicating that AMD's GCN 5.0 architecture is exceptionally well optimized for this compute API. This is the card's primary strength and likely reflects its design heritage as a workstation-oriented product.

The NVIDIA Tesla T4 wins the Vulkan test, albeit by a narrow margin. Its score of 72,190 edges out the AMD card's 71,937, a delta of just -0.4%. While the margin is slim, it shows that NVIDIA's Turing architecture handles this modern graphics API more effectively. This is particularly relevant for any workload that leverages Vulkan's lower overhead and better multi-threading capabilities. The T4 also wins on a more practical level: it requires no external power connectors, fits in a single slot, and has a suggested PSU of 250W versus the AMD card's 700W requirement.

The use-case split is therefore clear. The AMD card wins where raw compute throughput in OpenCL is the sole criterion. The NVIDIA card wins in scenarios that value power efficiency, physical size, and API modernity. For pure number-crunching in legacy compute stacks, the Vega Frontier Edition is superior. For modern, power-constrained environments, the Tesla T4 is the better fit.

Architecture Differences

The two cards represent fundamentally different architectural philosophies and manufacturing generations. The AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition is built on the GCN 5.0 architecture using a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It houses the Vega 10 chip, which contains 12,500 million transistors on a 495 mm² die. In contrast, the NVIDIA Tesla T4 uses the Turing architecture on a more advanced 12 nm process at TSMC, with the TU104 chip packing 13,600 million transistors onto a larger 545 mm² die.

The core configurations diverge significantly. AMD's card features 4,096 shading units, 256 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. NVIDIA's Tesla T4 has fewer traditional cores, with 2,560 shading units and 160 TMUs, but it compensates with 40 RT cores and 320 Tensor cores. These dedicated hardware units for ray tracing and tensor operations are absent from the AMD card, giving the T4 a distinct advantage in AI inference and ray-traced workloads. The transistor density is nearly identical (25.3M/mm² vs 25.0M/mm²), but the architectural focus is completely different.

Memory subsystems also differ entirely. The AMD card uses 16 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus, delivering 483.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The Tesla T4 uses 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, providing 320.0 GB/s. AMD's memory bandwidth advantage is significant (51% higher), which helps its compute performance. NVIDIA's card compensates with its Tensor cores, which are designed for workloads that don't require massive memory bandwidth. The T4 also supports more modern API standards, including DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, while the AMD card is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition has a significantly higher average benchmark score of 73,370, compared to the NVIDIA Tesla T4's 66,733. This puts the AMD card in the 91st percentile of all GPUs, while the NVIDIA card sits in the 90th percentile.

Q: How do the cards compare in OpenCL performance?

A: The AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition is the clear winner in OpenCL, scoring 76,111 against the Tesla T4's 61,276. This represents a 24.2% advantage for AMD in this specific benchmark.

Q: Does the NVIDIA Tesla T4 win any benchmarks?

A: Yes, the Tesla T4 wins the Geekbench Vulkan test with a score of 72,190, narrowly beating the AMD card's 71,937. The margin is small, at just -0.4%, but it does represent a victory for NVIDIA.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla T4 has a TDP of 70W, which is dramatically lower than the AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition's 300W. The T4 also requires no external power connectors and has a suggested PSU of 250W, while the AMD card needs two 8-pin connectors and a 700W PSU.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition has significantly more shading units at 4,096, compared to the NVIDIA Tesla T4's 2,560. However, the Tesla T4 includes 320 Tensor cores and 40 RT cores, which the AMD card lacks.

Q: What are the memory specifications for each card?

A: Both cards have 16 GB of memory, but they use different types. The AMD card uses HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus with 483.8 GB/s bandwidth, while the NVIDIA card uses GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 320.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data reveals a stark contrast in performance profiles. The most decisive result comes from the Geekbench OpenCL test, where the AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition delivers a crushing 76,111 score against the NVIDIA Tesla T4's 61,276. This 24.2% delta is the single largest performance gap in any comparison, and it underscores the AMD card's dominance in compute-oriented workloads. The Vega Frontier Edition's higher FP32 throughput of 13.11 TFLOPS, compared to the T4's 8.141 TFLOPS, directly contributes to this result.

The Vulkan benchmark tells a different story. Here, the NVIDIA Tesla T4 scores 72,190, narrowly outperforming the AMD card's 71,937. While the delta is a mere -0.4%, it is a meaningful result because it demonstrates that the Turing architecture can match or exceed GCN 5.0 in a modern, low-level graphics API. This is likely due to the T4's superior API support (Vulkan 1.4 vs 1.3) and its dedicated RT and Tensor cores, which can accelerate certain workloads even if they are not explicitly ray-traced or AI-focused.

The average benchmark scores reinforce this narrative. The AMD card's average of 73,370 is 9.9% higher than the Tesla T4's 66,733, placing it in the 91st percentile versus the T4's 90th. The AMD card also outperforms its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64, by 1.4%, and the NVIDIA TITAN X Pascal by 1.8%. The Tesla T4, in contrast, is 2.7% behind the AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 and 3% behind the Intel Arc A770, showing it is competitive but not a top-tier performer in this benchmark suite.

Specification Differences

The specifications reveal two cards designed for entirely different purposes. The AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition uses a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries, while the NVIDIA Tesla T4 uses a 12 nm process at TSMC. The AMD card has a larger transistor count of 12,500 million on a smaller 495 mm² die, while the NVIDIA card has 13,600 million transistors on a larger 545 mm² die. The transistor density is nearly identical at 25.3M/mm² and 25.0M/mm², respectively.

Clock speeds differ significantly in base frequency but converge at boost. The AMD card has a base clock of 1382 MHz and a boost of 1600 MHz. The NVIDIA card has a much lower base clock of 585 MHz but a boost of 1590 MHz, nearly matching AMD's boost. Memory clocks are also different: AMD uses 945 MHz (1890 Mbps effective) HBM2, while NVIDIA uses 1250 MHz (10 Gbps effective) GDDR6.

The compute resources show the biggest divergence. AMD has 4,096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. NVIDIA has 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, but adds 40 RT cores and 320 Tensor cores. This leads to different theoretical rates: AMD achieves 102.4 GPixel/s pixel rate and 409.6 GTexel/s texture rate, while NVIDIA achieves 101.8 GPixel/s and 254.4 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 13.11 TFLOPS for AMD versus 8.141 TFLOPS for NVIDIA, with FP16 at 26.21 TFLOPS and 16.28 TFLOPS, respectively.

Power and physical specifications are starkly different. The AMD card has a 300W TDP, requires two 8-pin power connectors, and a 700W PSU. It is a dual-slot card measuring 267 mm in length. The NVIDIA card has a 70W TDP, requires no power connectors, and only a 250W PSU. It is a single-slot card measuring just 168 mm. The AMD card has display outputs (1x HDMI 2.0b, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a), while the NVIDIA card has no display outputs, confirming its server-oriented design. The AMD card was released in June 2017 with a launch MSRP of 999 USD, while the NVIDIA card was released in September 2018 without a listed MSRP.