NVIDIA CMP 40HX vs NVIDIA Tesla T4 Comparison

The NVIDIA CMP 40HX and NVIDIA Tesla T4 are both Turing-architecture GPUs from NVIDIA, but they serve entirely different purposes and deliver vastly different performance profiles. The benchmark data clearly shows the CMP 40HX as the dominant performer, winning both head-to-head tests, with its lead ranging from a modest 7.9% in Vulkan to a commanding 52.4% in OpenCL. However, the Tesla T4 counters with a significantly lower power draw and a larger memory pool, making the choice between them highly workload-dependent rather than a simple matter of raw speed.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench OpenCL test delivers the most decisive result in this comparison. The NVIDIA CMP 40HX scores 93,395, while the NVIDIA Tesla T4 manages only 61,276. This represents a 52.4% advantage for the CMP 40HX, a massive gap that highlights the fundamental difference in their design targets. The CMP 40HX was built for maximum compute throughput, and its OpenCL score reflects that focus. In contrast, the T4's 61,276 score places it closer to rivals like the AMD Radeon VII (66,004) and NVIDIA Tesla P40 (65,095), showing that the T4 is not simply a weak card but rather one optimized for a different balance of capabilities.

The Vulkan results tell a closer story. The CMP 40HX scores 77,879, edging out the T4's 72,190 by just 7.9%. This narrower margin suggests that in graphics-adjacent or modern API workloads, the architectural similarities between the two Turing-based cards narrow the performance gap. The T4's Vulkan score of 72,190 is notably stronger relative to its OpenCL showing, indicating that the card handles the lower-level API more efficiently. Meanwhile, the CMP 40HX's Vulkan score of 77,879, while lower than its OpenCL result, still represents a solid performance level that keeps it ahead of both its own OpenCL rival comparisons and the T4.

When looking at the broader benchmark context, the CMP 40HX's average benchmark score of 85,637 places it in the 93rd percentile of all GPUs. This is a strong position, sitting just 1.7% below the AMD Radeon PRO W7600 (87,108) and 2.1% below the NVIDIA Quadro GP100 (87,445). The T4, by contrast, averages 66,733, which lands it in the 90th percentile — still respectable but clearly a tier below. The T4's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon VII (66,004, 1.1% higher) and the NVIDIA Tesla P40 (65,095, 2.5% lower), showing that the T4 competes in a lower performance band entirely. The CMP 40HX also beats its nearest rivals, coming in 4.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon PRO W6600 (81,995) and 5.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X (80,959).

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA CMP 40HX has a significantly higher average benchmark score of 85,637, compared to the NVIDIA Tesla T4's 66,733. This puts the CMP 40HX in the 93rd percentile of all GPUs, while the T4 sits in the 90th percentile.

Q: How much faster is the CMP 40HX in OpenCL?

A: The CMP 40HX scores 93,395 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 52.4% higher than the T4's 61,276. This is the largest performance gap between the two cards in any benchmark.

Q: What is the TDP difference between these two cards?

A: The NVIDIA CMP 40HX has a TDP of 185 W, while the NVIDIA Tesla T4 has a TDP of 70 W. This makes the T4 substantially more power-efficient, requiring only a 250 W suggested PSU compared to the CMP 40HX's 450 W suggestion.

Q: How do their memory configurations differ?

A: The Tesla T4 offers 16 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 256-bit bus and 320.0 GB/s bandwidth. The CMP 40HX has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, also on a 256-bit bus, but with higher bandwidth at 448.0 GB/s due to faster 14 Gbps effective memory clocks versus the T4's 10 Gbps.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The Tesla T4 has 2,560 shading units, which is 256 more than the CMP 40HX's 2,304. The T4 also has more texture mapping units (160 vs 144) and more tensor cores (320 vs 288).

Q: What is the release date difference?

A: The Tesla T4 was released on September 12, 2018, while the CMP 40HX came later on February 24, 2021. Both cards are now end-of-life products.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs are built on the Turing architecture using a 12 nm process node at TSMC, but they use different chips. The CMP 40HX utilizes the TU106 chip, while the Tesla T4 uses the TU104 chip. The TU104 is the larger die, measuring 545 mm² with 13,600 million transistors, compared to the TU106's 445 mm² and 10,800 million transistors. This gives the TU104 a slightly higher transistor density of 25.0M per mm² versus 24.3M per mm² for the TU106.

Despite the T4's larger chip, the CMP 40HX achieves higher clock speeds. The CMP 40HX has a base clock of 1470 MHz and a boost clock of 1650 MHz, while the T4 runs at a much lower 585 MHz base but boosts to 1590 MHz. This clock advantage helps the smaller CMP 40HX chip deliver superior raw compute performance in most scenarios.

The two cards also differ in their ray tracing and tensor core configurations. The CMP 40HX has 36 RT cores and 288 tensor cores, while the T4 has 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores. This gives the T4 a theoretical advantage in ray tracing and AI-accelerated workloads, though the benchmark data shows the CMP 40HX still wins in the tested applications. Both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, and neither has display outputs.

Specification Differences

The most striking specification difference is power consumption. The CMP 40HX draws 185 W, more than 2.5 times the T4's 70 W. This is reflected in their physical designs: the CMP 40HX is a dual-slot card requiring a single 8-pin power connector, while the T4 is a single-slot card with no power connectors at all. The suggested PSU ratings also differ, with 450 W for the CMP 40HX and 250 W for the T4.

Memory capacity and bandwidth present another clear split. The T4 offers double the memory at 16 GB, but the CMP 40HX provides higher bandwidth at 448.0 GB/s versus 320.0 GB/s. Both use GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, but the CMP 40HX's memory runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) compared to the T4's 1250 MHz (10 Gbps effective). The physical dimensions also differ, with the CMP 40HX measuring 229 mm in length (9 inches) and the T4 being shorter at 168 mm (6.6 inches). The CMP 40HX also has a taller profile at 111 mm (4.4 inches) and a width of 35 mm (1.4 inches), while the T4's height and width are not specified.

The bus interface differs as well, with the CMP 40HX using PCIe 1.0 x4 while the T4 uses PCIe 3.0 x16 — a significant interface advantage for the T4 that may affect data transfer in certain workloads. The CMP 40HX was released later, in 2021, with a launch MSRP of 699 USD, while the T4 came out in 2018 and has no recorded launch MSRP. The T4 has a documented predecessor (Tesla Volta) and successor (Server Ampere), while the CMP 40HX has neither.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous on raw performance: the NVIDIA CMP 40HX wins both head-to-head benchmarks and has a substantially higher average score. If the priority is maximum compute throughput, the CMP 40HX is the clear choice, offering 52.4% higher OpenCL performance and 7.9% higher Vulkan performance. Its average benchmark score of 85,637 versus 66,733 places it in a different performance class, with the CMP 40HX competing near the AMD Radeon PRO W7600 and NVIDIA Quadro GP100, while the T4 sits alongside the AMD Radeon VII and NVIDIA Tesla P40.

However, the Tesla T4's advantages cannot be ignored for specific use cases. Its 16 GB memory capacity is double the CMP 40HX's 8 GB, making it better suited for workloads with large memory footprints. More critically, the T4's 70 W TDP is a fraction of the CMP 40HX's 185 W, and its single-slot, connector-free design makes it far easier to deploy in dense server environments. The T4 also benefits from a faster PCIe 3.0 x16 interface versus the CMP 40HX's PCIe 1.0 x4, which could matter for data-intensive tasks. For users prioritizing power efficiency, memory capacity, or ease of integration, the T4 is the rational pick despite its lower benchmark scores.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA CMP 40HX wins in every benchmark category measured. Its 52.4% OpenCL lead indicates a significant advantage in general-purpose compute workloads, while its 7.9% Vulkan advantage shows it also handles modern graphics APIs better. The CMP 40HX's higher clock speeds (1470 MHz base, 1650 MHz boost) and greater memory bandwidth (448.0 GB/s) support its superior benchmark results. This card is the better choice for applications where raw compute performance is the primary constraint, such as high-throughput processing or demanding compute tasks.

The NVIDIA Tesla T4 wins on efficiency and capacity. Its 70 W TDP makes it dramatically more power-efficient than the CMP 40HX's 185 W, and its 16 GB memory capacity provides twice the headroom for large datasets. The T4's PCIe 3.0 x16 interface is also a clear upgrade over the CMP 40HX's PCIe 1.0 x4, offering better host communication. The T4 is the better option for power-constrained environments, memory-hungry inference workloads, or systems where the card's smaller footprint and lack of power connectors simplify deployment. The T4 also has a lower suggested PSU requirement (250 W versus 450 W), making it compatible with more modest system power budgets.