NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 vs NVIDIA Tesla K10 Comparison

The Verdict

The data is decisive: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 is the superior product in nearly every measurable way. The recorded benchmark results show the GTX 1660 delivering a Geekbench OpenCL score of 47,850 against the Tesla K10's 14,029, a 70.7% advantage. For any workload that relies on general compute or modern API support, the GTX 1660 is the clear choice.

The Tesla K10 is an end-of-life compute card from 2012 with no display outputs. Its only benchmark score, 14,029 in Geekbench OpenCL, places it at the 55th percentile among all GPUs, slightly behind the GeForce GTX 680 (14,150, a 0.9% deficit). The GTX 1660, meanwhile, sits at the 51st percentile with an average benchmark score of 11,680, though its individual Geekbench OpenCL result of 47,850 is dramatically higher than its average, indicating strong compute performance in specific tests.

For buyers, the choice depends on use case. If the requirement is a functional graphics card for gaming or modern display output, the GTX 1660 is the only viable option, as the Tesla K10 has no display outputs at all. If the requirement is purely computational density in a legacy server environment, the Tesla K10 offers dual-GPU compute in a single dual-slot card, but its performance is far behind. The GTX 1660 wins on raw compute, efficiency, and usability.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 1660 wins the only direct head-to-head benchmark recorded. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 47,850 versus the Tesla K10's 14,029, a 70.7% lead. This is not a marginal difference; it is a generational gap that reflects the architectural improvements between Kepler and Turing.

The Tesla K10 does not win any recorded benchmark. However, its profile shows strengths in specific areas: it has more shading units (1,536 versus 1,408) and more texture mapping units (128 versus 88). These specifications suggest it could excel in texture-heavy compute workloads, though the benchmark data does not confirm this. The recorded data only shows a loss in the single common test.

The GTX 1660 also wins on memory capacity and bandwidth. It offers 6 GB of GDDR5 memory with a 192-bit bus and 192.1 GB/s bandwidth, versus the Tesla K10's 4 GB, 256-bit bus, and 160.0 GB/s. The GTX 1660's higher bandwidth and larger capacity make it better suited for modern workloads that require larger datasets and faster memory access.

The GTX 1660 additionally supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while the Tesla K10 only reaches DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175. For any modern application using these APIs, the GTX 1660 is the only card that can fully comply.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent entirely different architectural eras. The Tesla K10 is built on the Kepler architecture using the GK104 chip, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 3,540 million transistors into a 294 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.0 million per square millimeter. The GTX 1660 uses the Turing architecture with the TU116 chip, fabricated on a 12 nm process, also at TSMC. It contains 6,600 million transistors in a 284 mm² die, for a density of 23.2 million per square millimeter.

Clock speeds differ substantially. The Tesla K10 has no recorded base or boost clock, but its memory runs at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective). The GTX 1660 has a base clock of 1530 MHz and a boost clock of 1785 MHz, with memory at 2001 MHz (8 Gbps effective). The GTX 1660's higher clocks contribute directly to its performance advantage.

The Tesla K10 has 1,536 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The GTX 1660 has 1,408 shading units, 88 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. While the Tesla K10 has more shading units and TMUs, the GTX 1660 has more ROPs and much higher clock speeds. The pixel rate tells the story: the GTX 1660 reaches 85.68 GPixel/s versus 23.84 GPixel/s for the Tesla K10. The texture rate similarly favors the GTX 1660 at 157.1 GTexel/s versus 95.36 GTexel/s.

FP32 compute shows the GTX 1660 at 5.027 TFLOPS against the Tesla K10's 2.289 TFLOPS, a 119% advantage. The GTX 1660 also supports FP16 at 10.05 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), a feature the Tesla K10 lacks entirely.

Power consumption is another major divider. The Tesla K10 draws 225 W and requires both a 6-pin and an 8-pin power connector, with a suggested PSU of 550 W. The GTX 1660 draws only 120 W, requires a single 8-pin connector, and runs on a suggested 300 W PSU. The efficiency gain is substantial: the GTX 1660 delivers more than double the FP32 performance at nearly half the power.

Physical dimensions also differ. The Tesla K10 measures 272 mm (10.7 inches) in length, while the GTX 1660 is 229 mm (9 inches) long, 111 mm (4.4 inches) tall, and 35 mm (1.4 inches) wide. Both are dual-slot cards.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance?

A: The GTX 1660. It delivers 5.027 TFLOPS of FP32 compute versus 2.289 TFLOPS for the Tesla K10, a 119% advantage.

Q: Can the Tesla K10 output video to a display?

A: No. The Tesla K10 has no display outputs. The GTX 1660 includes 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 1x DisplayPort 1.4a.

Q: Which card supports newer graphics APIs?

A: The GTX 1660 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while the Tesla K10 only supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Q: How do their memory systems compare?

A: The GTX 1660 has 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus with 192.1 GB/s bandwidth. The Tesla K10 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 160.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 1660 offers more capacity and higher bandwidth.

Q: Which card requires less power?

A: The GTX 1660 has a TDP of 120 W and a suggested PSU of 300 W. The Tesla K10 has a TDP of 225 W and a suggested PSU of 550 W.

Q: What is the performance gap in the only shared benchmark?

A: In Geekbench OpenCL, the GTX 1660 scores 47,850 versus the Tesla K10's 14,029, a 70.7% lead for the GTX 1660.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records only one benchmark where both cards were tested under identical conditions: Geekbench OpenCL. The results are not close. The GTX 1660 scores 47,850, while the Tesla K10 manages 14,029. The delta is 70.7% in favor of the GTX 1660, which is a massive gap by any standard.

To put this in context, the Tesla K10's nearest rivals in the database include the GeForce GTX 680 at 14,150 (0.9% ahead), the Radeon RX 570X at 13,871 (1.1% behind), the RTX A2000 Mobile at 13,821 (1.5% behind), and the Radeon 660M at 13,812 (1.6% behind). The Tesla K10 sits in a cluster of mid-range GPUs from its era, all scoring in the 13,800 to 14,200 range. Its 14,029 score is competitive with those cards, but those cards are all far behind the GTX 1660.

The GTX 1660's nearest rivals include the Radeon RX 7800 XT at 11,627 (0.5% behind), the Radeon Pro 5500M at 11,528 (1.3% behind), the Radeon RX 6500 XT at 11,842 (1.4% ahead), and the Tesla K20c at 11,479 (1.8% behind). Note that these rivals are compared against the GTX 1660's average benchmark score of 11,680, not its Geekbench OpenCL score. The GTX 1660's average is pulled down by its other benchmark results, such as Passmark G3D at 11,646, Passmark GPU Compute at 4,963, and Passmark DirectX 9 at 177.

The GTX 1660 also records strong results in other tests: Geekbench Vulkan at 50,137, 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 at 1,065, Passmark DirectX 11 at 79, Passmark DirectX 10 at 61, Passmark DirectX 12 at 49, and Passmark G2D at 776. None of these tests have corresponding Tesla K10 results in the database, so a direct comparison is not possible. However, the magnitudes suggest the GTX 1660 performs well across both compute and graphics workloads.

The conclusion from the head-to-head data is unambiguous: the GTX 1660 outperforms the Tesla K10 in the only shared test by a wide margin, and its additional benchmark results show a well-rounded profile. The Tesla K10, by contrast, has only one recorded benchmark and loses that one decisively.

Specification Differences

The following fields differ between the two cards:

Architecture and Process: Kepler (GK104) on 28 nm versus Turing (TU116) on 12 nm.

Transistors and Die: 3,540 million transistors on 294 mm² (12.0M / mm² density) versus 6,600 million on 284 mm² (23.2M / mm² density).

Clocks: Tesla K10 has no base or boost clock recorded, memory at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective). GTX 1660 has base 1530 MHz, boost 1785 MHz, memory at 2001 MHz (8 Gbps effective).

Memory: 4 GB GDDR5 on 256-bit bus at 160.0 GB/s versus 6 GB GDDR5 on 192-bit bus at 192.1 GB/s.

Compute Units: 1,536 shading units, 128 TMUs, 32 ROPs versus 1,408 shading units, 88 TMUs, 48 ROPs.

Rates: Pixel rate 23.84 GPixel/s versus 85.68 GPixel/s. Texture rate 95.36 GTexel/s versus 157.1 GTexel/s.

FP32: 2.289 TFLOPS versus 5.027 TFLOPS. FP16 is not supported on the Tesla K10; the GTX 1660 offers 10.05 TFLOPS (2:1).

Power: TDP 225 W with 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin connectors and 550 W suggested PSU versus TDP 120 W with 1x 8-pin connector and 300 W suggested PSU.

Display Outputs: None versus 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.4a.

API Support: DirectX 12 (11_0) versus DirectX 12 (12_1). Vulkan 1.2.175 versus Vulkan 1.4. Both share OpenGL 4.6.

Dimensions: 272 mm (10.7 inches) length versus 229 mm (9 inches) length, 111 mm (4.4 inches) height, 35 mm (1.4 inches) width.

Release Date: 2012-04-30 versus 2019-03-13.

Predecessor and Successor: Tesla K10's predecessor is Tesla Fermi and successor is Tesla Maxwell. GTX 1660's predecessor is GeForce 10 and successor is GeForce 20.

Launch MSRP: The Tesla K10 launched at 5,099 USD. The GTX 1660 launched at 219 USD.

Generation: The Tesla K10 belongs to the Tesla Kepler (Kxx) generation, while the GTX 1660 belongs to the GeForce 16 generation with a GeForce 10-series series designation.