NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti vs NVIDIA Tesla K10 Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti and the NVIDIA Tesla K10 represent two very different eras of GPU design, separated by over five years of architectural evolution. The data shows a single direct benchmark comparison, but that result is decisive: in the Geekbench OpenCL test, the GTX 1070 Ti scores 49,219 points, which is a massive 250.8% higher than the Tesla K10’s 14,029 points. This single head-to-head result sets the tone for the entire analysis, though the broader benchmark suites and architectural specifications provide additional context for why these two cards are in entirely different performance classes.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct head-to-head benchmark available is Geekbench OpenCL, and it is a landslide. The GTX 1070 Ti achieves a score of 49,219, while the Tesla K10 trails at 14,029. The delta of 250.8% means the GTX 1070 Ti is roughly three and a half times faster in this compute-oriented test. This is not a marginal victory; it is a generational gap made visible through raw numbers.

Looking at the broader benchmark landscape, the GTX 1070 Ti has a much richer dataset. Its average benchmark score across all tests is 14,277, which places it at the 56th percentile of all GPUs. In contrast, the Tesla K10’s average score is 14,029, sitting at the 55th percentile. Interestingly, the average scores are remarkably close — a difference of only 1.8% — but this is misleading because the GTX 1070 Ti’s average is pulled down by its low scores in older DirectX tests (e.g., PassMark DirectX 9 at 207, DirectX 10 at 90, DirectX 11 at 107, DirectX 12 at 51). The Tesla K10 only has the one OpenCL benchmark in its suite, so its average is entirely composed of that single result.

The nearest rivals for the GTX 1070 Ti illustrate its position in the mid-range market. Its average score of 14,277 is just 0.3% below the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (14,315) and 0.5% below the AMD Radeon Vega 11 (14,352). It is also 0.7% below both the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN (14,373) and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (14,385). These deltaPct values show that, on average, the GTX 1070 Ti is essentially tied with these older or integrated solutions in aggregate scoring, despite its massive lead in modern compute workloads.

For the Tesla K10, its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680, which scores 14,150 — just 0.9% higher. The AMD Radeon RX 570X is 1.1% lower at 13,871, the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile is 1.5% lower at 13,821, and the AMD Radeon 660M is 1.6% lower at 13,812. This clustering suggests the K10’s single OpenCL score is representative of a GPU that performs around the level of a mid-range card from 2012, which makes sense given its release date.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 1070 Ti wins in every meaningful category where data exists. It has 11 benchmark results spanning modern and legacy APIs, including Geekbench Metal (22,180), Geekbench Vulkan (61,006), and PassMark G3D (14,674). Its PassMark GPU Compute score is 7,165, and its PassMark G2D score is 876. These numbers indicate strong performance across both compute and graphics workloads, with particularly impressive results in Vulkan and OpenCL.

The Tesla K10’s sole benchmark is Geekbench OpenCL at 14,029. It has no data for DirectX, Vulkan, Metal, or PassMark tests. This lack of results is itself a finding: the K10’s architecture was not designed for consumer-facing graphics APIs in the same way, and its benchmark presence is limited to compute workloads. Its only win, if it can be called that, is having any benchmark score at all in the OpenCL category, but the absolute value is far below the GTX 1070 Ti.

In terms of use cases, the GTX 1070 Ti is the clear choice for any workload that benefits from modern API support. Its DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4 support are current, whereas the K10’s DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175 are older. The GTX 1070 Ti’s pixel rate of 107.7 GPixel/s and texture rate of 255.8 GTexel/s dwarf the K10’s 23.84 GPixel/s and 95.36 GTexel/s. For compute, the GTX 1070 Ti’s FP32 throughput of 8.186 TFLOPS is more than three times the K10’s 2.289 TFLOPS.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap is stark. The GTX 1070 Ti is built on the Pascal architecture using the GP104 chip, fabricated on a 16 nm TSMC process. It contains 7,200 million transistors on a 314 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 22.9 million per square millimeter. The Tesla K10, by contrast, uses the Kepler architecture with the GK104 chip on a 28 nm TSMC process. It has 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, resulting in a density of just 12.0 million per square millimeter.

Memory configurations diverge significantly. The GTX 1070 Ti offers 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The K10 provides only 4 GB of GDDR5 on the same 256-bit bus, but its bandwidth drops to 160.0 GB/s. The GTX 1070 Ti’s memory clock is 2002 MHz (8 Gbps effective), while the K10 runs at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective). This directly explains the bandwidth deficit.

Compute unit counts favor the newer card. The GTX 1070 Ti has 2,432 shading units, 152 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation units. The K10 has 1,536 shading units, 128 TMUs, and only 32 ROPs. The GTX 1070 Ti also supports FP16 at 127.9 GFLOPS (1:64 ratio), while the K10 has no FP16 capability listed. Neither card has ray tracing or tensor cores, as both predate the RTX series.

Power and physical specifications differ as well. The GTX 1070 Ti has a TDP of 180 W and requires a single 8-pin power connector, with a suggested PSU of 450 W. The K10 draws 225 W and needs both a 6-pin and an 8-pin connector, with a suggested PSU of 550 W. The GTX 1070 Ti is 267 mm long (10.5 inches), while the K10 is slightly longer at 272 mm (10.7 inches). The GTX 1070 Ti has display outputs (1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a), whereas the K10 has no display outputs at all — it is a compute-only accelerator.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti is the superior product for virtually any workload. Its 250.8% lead in the sole head-to-head OpenCL benchmark is evidence of a generational leap in compute performance. The GTX 1070 Ti also offers more memory (8 GB vs 4 GB), higher bandwidth (256.3 GB/s vs 160.0 GB/s), more shading units (2,432 vs 1,536), and more ROPs (64 vs 32). Its FP32 throughput of 8.186 TFLOPS is 3.6 times the K10’s 2.289 TFLOPS.

The Tesla K10, released in 2012, is an end-of-life product from the Kepler era. Its 55th percentile standing and average score of 14,029 place it in the same league as the GTX 680 and RX 570X, but it lacks the modern API support and raw compute power of the GTX 1070 Ti. The K10’s only advantage, if any, is its lower launch MSRP of 5,099 USD — but that is a historical figure, not a current value proposition.

For users seeking a card that can handle modern games, compute workloads, or any API from the last decade, the GTX 1070 Ti is the only rational choice. The K10 is a legacy compute accelerator with no display outputs and limited software support. The GTX 1070 Ti’s 56th percentile ranking and diverse benchmark suite show it remains a capable card, while the K10’s single benchmark result and 55th percentile ranking reveal a product that has been left behind.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the GTX 1070 Ti than the Tesla K10 in OpenCL?

A: The GTX 1070 Ti scores 49,219 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 250.8% higher than the Tesla K10’s score of 14,029.

Q: Which GPU has more memory bandwidth?

A: The GTX 1070 Ti has 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth, while the Tesla K10 has 160.0 GB/s. The GTX 1070 Ti also has 8 GB of memory versus the K10’s 4 GB.

Q: Do either of these GPUs support ray tracing?

A: No. Both the GTX 1070 Ti and the Tesla K10 have null values for RT cores and tensor cores in the data, meaning neither supports ray tracing or tensor acceleration.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each GPU?

A: The GTX 1070 Ti has an average benchmark score of 14,277, while the Tesla K10 has an average score of 14,029. They are within 1.8% of each other in this aggregate metric.

Q: Does the Tesla K10 have any display outputs?

A: No. The Tesla K10 has "No outputs" listed for its display outputs, making it a compute-only card. The GTX 1070 Ti has 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.

Q: Which GPU has a higher transistor count?

A: The GTX 1070 Ti has 7,200 million transistors, while the Tesla K10 has 3,540 million. The GTX 1070 Ti is also built on a smaller 16 nm process versus the K10’s 28 nm process.