NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 vs NVIDIA Tesla K20c Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records a single head-to-head benchmark between the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 and the NVIDIA Tesla K20c: Geekbench OpenCL. In that test, the GeForce GTX 570 scored 13,515 points, while the Tesla K20c scored 11,479 points. This gives the GTX 570 a decisive win by a delta of 17.7 percent. The win count stands at 1 for the GTX 570 and 0 for the K20c.

The magnitude of this difference is notable when placed in context. The GTX 570's score places it at the 54th percentile among all GPUs in the database, while the K20c sits at the 51st percentile. Both cards land in the middle of the pack, but the GTX 570's edge is consistent with its percentile ranking: it outpaces the K20c by roughly the same margin that separates many mid-tier cards from their immediate rivals.

Looking at the nearest rivals for each card clarifies the picture further. The GTX 570's closest competitors are the AMD Radeon HD 7770M (13,536, delta of -0.2 percent), the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT (13,543, delta of -0.2 percent), the NVIDIA P106-090 (13,470, delta of 0.3 percent), and the AMD Radeon Pro 555 (13,407, delta of 0.8 percent). In other words, the GTX 570 is effectively tied with its nearest neighbors, all within a single percentage point. The K20c, by contrast, faces a slightly wider spread: the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M (11,528, delta of -0.4 percent), the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT (11,627, delta of -1.3 percent), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 (11,680, delta of -1.7 percent), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M (11,261, delta of 1.9 percent). The K20c trails the GTX 1660 by 1.7 percent, a meaningful gap for a single benchmark.

The 17.7 percent delta between the two cards is therefore not a marginal statistical fluctuation. It is a substantial performance lead for the GTX 570 in OpenCL compute workloads. The fact that the GTX 570 achieves this with a smaller die, fewer shading units, and substantially less memory reinforces the significance of the result. The data does not suggest a close contest; it suggests a clear winner.

FAQ

Q: Which card wins the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 wins with a score of 13,515 against the Tesla K20c's 11,479, a delta of 17.7 percent.

Q: How does the GTX 570 compare to its nearest rivals in the database?

A: The GTX 570's score of 13,515 is within 0.8 percent of all four nearest rivals, ranging from the AMD Radeon HD 7770M at 13,536 (delta -0.2 percent) to the AMD Radeon Pro 555 at 13,407 (delta 0.8 percent).

Q: What is the K20c's standing relative to its nearest rivals?

A: The K20c's score of 11,479 trails the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M by 0.4 percent, the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT by 1.3 percent, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 by 1.7 percent, while leading the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M by 1.9 percent.

Q: Which card has a higher percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The GTX 570 ranks at the 54th percentile, while the K20c ranks at the 51st percentile.

Q: Do both cards support the same DirectX version?

A: Yes, both report DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6 in the database.

Q: Is the K20c faster in any recorded benchmark?

A: No. The head-to-head data shows the GTX 570 winning the only recorded test, with the K20c having zero wins.

The Verdict

The choice between these two cards is unambiguous in the recorded data. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 outperforms the NVIDIA Tesla K20c by 17.7 percent in Geekbench OpenCL, the sole benchmark where both are measured. That is a large enough margin to matter for any OpenCL compute workload, and it aligns with the GTX 570's higher percentile rank (54th vs 51st). For a user prioritizing raw compute performance in OpenCL, the GTX 570 is the clear pick.

The K20c does bring advantages in other recorded specifications. It has 2,496 shading units versus 480, a 5 GB memory capacity versus 1,280 MB, and a higher memory bandwidth of 208.0 GB/s versus 152.0 GB/s. It also has a significantly larger transistor count (7,080 million vs 3,000 million) and a more modern process node (28 nm vs 40 nm). However, none of these advantages translate into a benchmark win. The data shows that the GTX 570's architecture and clock configuration deliver a higher OpenCL score despite the K20c's theoretical hardware superiority.

For users who need the larger memory pool or the specific feature set of a Tesla compute card, the K20c may still be worth considering. The database records no display outputs on the K20c, which suggests it is intended for headless compute environments. The GTX 570, by contrast, offers 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a outputs, making it usable in a conventional desktop setup. But if the question is purely about OpenCL benchmark performance, the GTX 570 wins outright.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every major specification category. The GTX 570 is built on the GF110 chip using the Fermi 2.0 architecture, while the K20c uses the GK110 chip with the Kepler architecture. The process node differs: the GTX 570 uses 40 nm, the K20c uses 28 nm. Transistor counts diverge sharply: 3,000 million for the GTX 570 versus 7,080 million for the K20c. Die size is closer, at 520 mm² versus 561 mm², but the transistor density reflects the process gap: 5.8M per mm² for the GTX 570 versus 12.6M per mm² for the K20c.

Memory configurations are very different. The GTX 570 has 1,280 MB of GDDR5 on a 320-bit bus, with a memory clock of 950 MHz (3.8 Gbps effective) and 152.0 GB/s bandwidth. The K20c has 5 GB of GDDR5 on the same 320-bit bus, but with a 1300 MHz memory clock (5.2 Gbps effective) and 208.0 GB/s bandwidth. The K20c's memory capacity is roughly four times larger, and its bandwidth is 37 percent higher.

Compute resources also differ dramatically. The GTX 570 has 480 shading units, 60 texture mapping units, and 40 ROPs. The K20c has 2,496 shading units, 208 TMUs, and 40 ROPs. The K20c's shading unit count is over five times higher. Pixel rate is 21.96 GPixel/s for the GTX 570 versus 36.71 GPixel/s for the K20c, and texture rate is 43.92 GTexel/s versus 146.8 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 1,405.4 GFLOPS for the GTX 570 versus 3.524 TFLOPS for the K20c, a difference of roughly 2.5x.

Power and physical specifications also differ. The GTX 570 has a TDP of 219 W with 2x 6-pin power connectors, while the K20c has a TDP of 225 W with 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin connectors. Both suggest a 550 W PSU. Both are dual-slot and 267 mm (10.5 inches) long. The bus interface is PCIe 2.0 x16 for both. Display outputs differ: the GTX 570 has 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a, while the K20c has no outputs.

Architecture Differences

The architectural split is fundamental. The GTX 570 uses the Fermi 2.0 architecture, a mature design from the GeForce 500 generation. The K20c uses the Kepler architecture, part of the Tesla Kepler (Kxx) generation. Kepler was designed for higher compute throughput per watt, and the data reflects that in the K20c's larger shading unit count and higher FP32 output.

The process node difference is a key enabler: 40 nm for the GTX 570 versus 28 nm for the K20c. This allowed NVIDIA to pack 7,080 million transistors into the K20c's 561 mm² die, versus 3,000 million transistors into the GTX 570's 520 mm² die. The resulting transistor density is 12.6M per mm² for the K20c, more than double the GTX 570's 5.8M per mm².

Cache and feature differences are not directly recorded, but the API support differs: the GTX 570 lists DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and no Vulkan support, while the K20c lists DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The K20c's Vulkan support is a notable feature absent from the GTX 570. The K20c also has no display outputs, aligning it with a compute-only role, while the GTX 570 retains legacy display connectivity.

The release dates place the GTX 570 in December 2010 and the K20c in November 2012, a gap of roughly two years. The GTX 570's predecessor is the GeForce 400 series and its successor is the GeForce 600 series. The K20c's predecessor is Tesla Fermi and its successor is Tesla Maxwell. Both are marked as end-of-life in production status. The launch MSRP for the GTX 570 is 349 USD, and for the K20c it is 3,199 USD.

In summary, the K20c is a newer, larger, more compute-capable part on paper, with more than five times the shading units and four times the memory. Yet the recorded OpenCL benchmark shows the older, smaller GTX 570 delivering a 17.7 percent higher score. This suggests that raw hardware specifications do not automatically translate into benchmark performance in this database, and that architectural efficiency or driver maturity may play a significant role in the observed results.