NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 vs NVIDIA Tesla K10 Comparison

NVIDIA Tesla K10 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080: The data presents a clear generational divide. The GTX 1080 wins the only shared benchmark decisively, but the Tesla K10’s legacy lies in its specialized compute positioning. This analysis breaks down where each card wins based on recorded measurements, specification differences, and architectural evolution.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark results are unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 wins the sole head-to-head test, the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark, with a score of 51204 against the Tesla K10’s 14029. This represents a 72.6% advantage for the GTX 1080, a dominant margin that reflects the massive performance gap between the two generations.

The Tesla K10, despite its loss, holds a distinct position in the database. Its average benchmark score of 14029 places it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs, slightly higher than the GTX 1080’s 51st percentile. This percentile ranking, despite a lower absolute score, suggests the K10’s performance profile is more competitive within its own peer group. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 (scoring 14150, a 0.9% difference) and the AMD Radeon RX 570X (scoring 13871, a 1.1% difference), indicating it sits in a tight cluster of mid-range performance. The K10’s win condition is not raw speed but rather its specific compute-oriented design, which the benchmark data does not directly capture.

The GTX 1080, conversely, is defined by its multi-faceted benchmark dominance. Beyond the OpenCL win, it posts strong scores across a range of tests: 15586 in Passmark G3D, 7614 in Passmark GPU Compute, and 23824 in Geekbench Metal. Its only loss in the recorded data is to itself, with a 2.9% delta to the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT and a 2.4% delta to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660. These are all cases where the GTX 1080 is the winner, not the loser. The GTX 1080’s use-case is clear: it is a general-purpose graphics card that excels in both compute and rendering workloads, as evidenced by its broad benchmark coverage.

In summary, the GTX 1080 wins on performance, while the Tesla K10 wins on niche positioning within its own era. The data shows no scenario where the K10 outperforms the GTX 1080 in a shared test.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 scores 51204 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the NVIDIA Tesla K10 scores 14029. The GTX 1080 leads by 72.6% in this test.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The Tesla K10 has an average benchmark score of 14029, placing it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs. The GTX 1080 has an average score of 11960, placing it in the 51st percentile, despite having a much higher peak score in individual tests.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The Tesla K10 features 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 160.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 1080 features 8 GB of GDDR5X memory on a 256-bit bus with 320.3 GB/s bandwidth, double the capacity and bandwidth.

Q: Which card has a higher pixel rate?

A: The GTX 1080 has a pixel rate of 110.9 GPixel/s, which is significantly higher than the Tesla K10’s 23.84 GPixel/s. This indicates the GTX 1080 can fill the screen with pixels much faster.

Q: What are the DirectX version supports?

A: The Tesla K10 supports DirectX 12 (11_0), while the GTX 1080 supports DirectX 12 (12_1). The GTX 1080 supports a newer feature level of the DirectX 12 API.

Q: Which GPU has a higher transistor density?

A: The GTX 1080, built on a 16 nm process, has a transistor density of 22.9M / mm². The Tesla K10, built on a 28 nm process, has a density of 12.0M / mm², a much lower figure.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available in the database is the Geekbench OpenCL test. In this test, the GTX 1080 achieves a score of 51204, while the Tesla K10 achieves 14029. The delta is -72.6% for the K10, meaning the GTX 1080 is nearly 3.7 times faster in this workload. This is a decisive victory for the Pascal architecture, reflecting its newer design and higher clock speeds.

This single data point is telling. The GTX 1080’s score is more than triple the K10’s, and it is not a close contest. The K10’s score of 14029 is comparable to its nearest rivals, such as the GeForce GTX 680 (14150) and the Radeon RX 570X (13871), but those are older or lower-tier cards. The GTX 1080’s score of 51204 places it in a different performance class entirely.

The GTX 1080 also shows its strength in other tests, though they have no direct K10 counterpart. Its Passmark G3D score of 15586 and Passmark GPU Compute score of 7614 are indicative of strong general and compute performance. The K10’s only recorded benchmark is the OpenCL test, so its performance in DirectX or other APIs remains unmeasured. The data indicates the GTX 1080 is the clear winner in every measurable category where both cards have results.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ fundamentally in their memory and compute specifications. The Tesla K10 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the GTX 1080 has 8 GB of GDDR5X. The GTX 1080’s memory bandwidth is 320.3 GB/s, exactly double the K10’s 160.0 GB/s. This doubling of capacity and bandwidth is a major factor in the GTX 1080’s performance advantage.

The compute resources also show a significant gap. The GTX 1080 has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The Tesla K10 has 1536 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. This means the GTX 1080 has nearly 67% more shading units, 25% more TMUs, and double the ROPs. Consequently, the GTX 1080’s texture rate is 277.3 GTexel/s versus the K10’s 95.36 GTexel/s, and its FP32 throughput is 8.873 TFLOPS versus 2.289 TFLOPS.

The power profiles are also distinct. The GTX 1080 has a TDP of 180 W, which is lower than the K10’s 225 W, despite being significantly faster. The GTX 1080 requires a single 8-pin power connector and a 450 W power supply, while the K10 needs a 6-pin and an 8-pin connector with a 550 W power supply. The GTX 1080 is more power-efficient per unit of performance. The K10 has no display outputs, while the GTX 1080 offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap is a generational shift. The Tesla K10 is built on the Kepler architecture using the GK104 chip, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The GTX 1080 uses the Pascal architecture with the GP104 chip, fabricated on a 16 nm process at the same foundry. This process shrink allows the GTX 1080 to pack 7,200 million transistors into a 314 mm² die, compared to the K10’s 3,540 million transistors in a 294 mm² die. The resulting transistor density is 22.9M / mm² for the GTX 1080 versus 12.0M / mm² for the K10.

The memory type differs as well: the K10 uses GDDR5, while the GTX 1080 uses GDDR5X. This newer memory standard contributes to the GTX 1080’s higher bandwidth. The API support also differs, with the K10 supporting DirectX 12 (11_0) and the GTX 1080 supporting DirectX 12 (12_1). The GTX 1080 also supports Vulkan 1.4, while the K10 supports Vulkan 1.2.175.

The GTX 1080’s clock speeds are recorded: a base of 1607 MHz and a boost of 1733 MHz. The K10’s base and boost clocks are not recorded, though its memory clock is 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective), while the GTX 1080’s memory clock is 1251 MHz (10 Gbps effective). The effective memory speed is double on the GTX 1080, aligning with its doubled bandwidth. The GTX 1080 also has a recorded FP16 throughput of 138.6 GFLOPS (1:64), while the K10 has no recorded FP16 figures.

The Verdict

The data is clear: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 is the superior performer for any workload measured in the database. It wins the only shared benchmark by a 72.6% margin, offers double the memory capacity and bandwidth, and has nearly four times the FP32 throughput. Its lower TDP of 180 W versus 225 W makes it more efficient. For any user seeking a graphics card for gaming, general compute, or content creation, the GTX 1080 is the definitive choice.

The NVIDIA Tesla K10, however, is not without its place. Its 55th percentile ranking versus the GTX 1080’s 51st percentile suggests that within its own contemporary peer group, it was a solid performer. Its nearest rivals, the GTX 680 and RX 570X, are within a 1.1% margin, indicating it was a competitive card for its time. The K10’s lack of display outputs and its dual-slot design point to its intended use as a dedicated compute accelerator in a server or workstation environment, not as a desktop graphics solution.

The verdict is straightforward: the GTX 1080 is the winner for almost all use cases. The Tesla K10 is a historical footnote, a capable compute card from the Kepler era that is now end-of-life and vastly outclassed. The only reason to choose the K10 would be for a specific legacy compute workload that requires its exact architecture, but the benchmark data does not support any performance advantage. The GTX 1080’s higher scores, newer architecture, and better efficiency make it the clear recommendation from the recorded evidence.