NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti vs NVIDIA Tesla M2090 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data shows a clear overall winner in the NVIDIA Tesla M2090. In the sole recorded test, Geekbench OpenCL, the Tesla M2090 scores 13,075 points against the GeForce GTX 560 Ti's 10,690 points. That is a 22.3% advantage, a substantial margin that separates the two cards in raw compute workloads.

The Tesla M2090's score places it in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the GTX 560 Ti sits in the 49th percentile. This percentile gap, though modest in absolute terms, reflects the Tesla's stronger position relative to the broader GPU landscape. The Tesla M2090 also sits within a tight competitive cluster: it trails the GTX 950 by only 0.9%, while leading the GTX 1660 SUPER by 0.7%, the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile by 1%, and the RX 580 by 1.1%. These are near-identical scores, meaning the Tesla M2090 is effectively performance-equivalent to that group of modern mainstream cards in this specific OpenCL test.

The GTX 560 Ti, by contrast, finds itself in a lower performance tier. Its nearest rivals include the RX 6600S, which it leads by 0.6%, and the Quadro K2200, which leads it by 0.7%. The R9 M275X trails by 1%, while the Radeon Pro 450 is 1.1% ahead. The GTX 560 Ti's score is thus roughly 20% behind the Tesla M2090's immediate competitor set, confirming that the compute gap between these two Fermi cards is significant.

Notably, the head-to-head advantage is consistent across every recorded benchmark. There is no test in the database where the GTX 560 Ti closes the gap or takes the lead. The win count stands at 1 for the Tesla M2090 and 0 for the GTX 560 Ti. For users comparing these two directly, the data offers no scenario where the GTX 560 Ti emerges ahead in compute performance.

Where Each One Wins

The Tesla M2090 wins decisively in compute-heavy workloads, as demonstrated by its Geekbench OpenCL score. This is a general-purpose compute benchmark, and the Tesla's 22.3% lead indicates that applications relying on GPGPU acceleration, such as scientific simulations, data processing, or rendering tasks that offload to OpenCL, will see measurably better performance on the Tesla M2090. Its larger memory pool and higher memory bandwidth further support this use case, as discussed below.

The GTX 560 Ti, despite losing the compute benchmark, retains a rationale for existence in different workloads. Its display outputs, 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a, make it a functional graphics card for direct monitor connection, whereas the Tesla M2090 has no display outputs at all. The GTX 560 Ti is therefore the only one of the two that can serve as a primary desktop graphics solution for gaming or general visual output. Its texture rate is also higher, 52.67 GTexel/s versus the Tesla's 41.66 GTexel/s, suggesting that texture-bound rendering tasks may favor the GTX 560 Ti despite its lower overall compute score. The data does not include a gaming benchmark, but the texture throughput advantage points to a possible edge in fill-rate-limited scenarios.

For users who need a compute accelerator without any video output requirement, the Tesla M2090 is the clear choice. For users who need a conventional graphics card with display connectivity, the GTX 560 Ti is the functional option, even if its raw compute numbers are lower.

Architecture Differences

Both cards are built on the Fermi 2.0 architecture and use a 40 nm process at TSMC, but they diverge significantly in chip design and resource allocation. The Tesla M2090 uses the GF110 chip, a large 520 mm² die containing 3,000 million transistors. The GTX 560 Ti uses the GF114 chip, a smaller 332 mm² die with 1,950 million transistors. Transistor density is nearly identical, 5.8M per mm² for the Tesla and 5.9M per mm² for the GTX 560 Ti, which indicates the same manufacturing process but different chip sizes.

The Tesla M2090 fields 512 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units. The GTX 560 Ti has 384 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output units. The Tesla thus has 33% more shaders and 50% more ROPs, while both cards share the same TMU count. This resource disparity explains the Tesla's higher pixel rate, 20.83 GPixel/s against the GTX 560 Ti's 13.17 GPixel/s, and its higher FP32 compute, 1,332.2 GFLOPS versus 1,263.4 GFLOPS. The gap in FP32 is narrower than the shader count might suggest, due to the GTX 560 Ti's higher texture rate.

Memory configurations differ as well. The Tesla M2090 carries 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, yielding 177.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 560 Ti has 1,024 MB (1 GB) of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, yielding 128.3 GB/s. The Tesla's memory clock runs at 924 MHz (3.7 Gbps effective), while the GTX 560 Ti's runs at 1,002 MHz (4 Gbps effective). The GTX 560 Ti has a higher memory clock, but the Tesla's wider bus more than compensates, giving it 38% more bandwidth overall.

Both cards support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, with no Vulkan support recorded for either. Neither card has ray tracing cores or tensor cores. Both use a PCIe 2.0 x16 interface and are dual-slot designs. Power characteristics differ: the Tesla M2090 has a 250 W TDP with a 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin power connector setup and a recommended 600 W PSU. The GTX 560 Ti has a 170 W TDP with 2x 6-pin connectors and a recommended 450 W PSU.

Physical dimensions also differ. The Tesla M2090 measures 248 mm (9.8 inches) in length, while the GTX 560 Ti measures 229 mm (9 inches). The Tesla is thus slightly longer, which may matter in compact cases, though both cards are end-of-life products.

FAQ

Q: Which card has higher compute performance in the recorded benchmark?

A: The Tesla M2090 scores 13,075 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 22.3% higher than the GTX 560 Ti's 10,690. The Tesla also ranks in the 53rd percentile, versus the GTX 560 Ti's 49th.

Q: Can the Tesla M2090 be used as a display output card?

A: No. The Tesla M2090 has no display outputs. The GTX 560 Ti has 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a, making it the only one of the two that can connect directly to monitors.

Q: How do the memory capacities compare?

A: The Tesla M2090 has 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, providing 177.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 560 Ti has 1,024 MB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, providing 128.3 GB/s.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The Tesla M2090 has 512 shading units, while the GTX 560 Ti has 384. The Tesla also has 48 ROPs versus 32, and both have 64 TMUs.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The Tesla M2090 has a 250 W TDP with 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin connectors, and a recommended 600 W PSU. The GTX 560 Ti has a 170 W TDP with 2x 6-pin connectors, and a recommended 450 W PSU.

Q: Are both cards based on the same architecture?

A: Yes, both use the Fermi 2.0 architecture on a 40 nm TSMC process. However, the Tesla M2090 uses the GF110 chip with 3,000 million transistors on a 520 mm² die, while the GTX 560 Ti uses the GF114 chip with 1,950 million transistors on a 332 mm² die.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA Tesla M2090 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti |

|---|---|---|

| Chip | GF110 | GF114 |

| Transistors | 3,000 million | 1,950 million |

| Die Size | 520 mm² | 332 mm² |

| Memory Clock | 924 MHz (3.7 Gbps effective) | 1,002 MHz (4 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 6 GB | 1,024 MB |

| Memory Bus Width | 384 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 177.4 GB/s | 128.3 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 512 | 384 |

| ROPs | 48 | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 20.83 GPixel/s | 13.17 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 41.66 GTexel/s | 52.67 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 1,332.2 GFLOPS | 1,263.4 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 250 W | 170 W |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | 2x 6-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 600 W | 450 W |

| Display Outputs | No outputs | 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a |

| Length | 248 mm (9.8 inches) | 229 mm (9 inches) |

| Generation | Tesla Fermi (x20xx) | GeForce 500 |

| Release Date | 2011-07-24 | 2011-01-24 |

| Launch MSRP | None recorded | 249 USD (stated once) |

The Verdict

The benchmark data points to the Tesla M2090 as the superior compute card. Its 22.3% lead in Geekbench OpenCL, combined with a 53rd percentile ranking versus the GTX 560 Ti's 49th, makes it the clear choice for any workload that relies on OpenCL acceleration. The Tesla also offers more than five times the memory capacity, 6 GB versus 1,024 MB, and 38% more memory bandwidth, which are meaningful advantages for large datasets or memory-intensive compute tasks. Its higher shading unit count and ROP count reinforce this position.

The GTX 560 Ti, however, is the only one of the two that can function as a conventional graphics card. Its display outputs allow direct monitor connection, and its higher texture rate, 52.67 GTexel/s versus 41.66 GTexel/s, suggests an advantage in texture-bound rendering. Its lower TDP of 170 W and lower suggested PSU of 450 W also make it easier to integrate into a typical desktop system. The GTX 560 Ti has a launch MSRP of 249 USD, while the Tesla M2090 has no recorded launch MSRP.

The verdict from the data is straightforward. For compute acceleration without display needs, the Tesla M2090 is the stronger performer, with higher scores, more memory, and greater bandwidth. For a graphics card with display outputs and lower power demands, the GTX 560 Ti is the functional choice, despite its lower compute scores. Users should select based on whether the workload is compute-bound or display-bound, as the data shows no scenario where the GTX 560 Ti outperforms the Tesla in raw compute.