NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 vs NVIDIA Tesla K10 Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 and NVIDIA Tesla K10 are both built on the same GK104 Kepler chip, yet they serve fundamentally different purposes. The GTX 770 is a consumer gaming card aimed at enthusiasts, while the Tesla K10 is a compute-focused accelerator for professional workloads. Despite sharing the same DNA, the data reveals significant divergence in memory configuration, clock speeds, and intended use cases, making the choice between them a matter of workload rather than raw capability.

FAQ

Q: What is the primary benchmark score difference between the two cards?

A: In the only head-to-head benchmark available (Geekbench OpenCL), the GTX 770 scores 15,707 while the Tesla K10 scores 14,029, resulting in a 12% advantage for the GTX 770. This is the sole direct comparison in the data, and it favors the consumer card.

Q: How do their overall performance percentiles compare?

A: The GTX 770 sits at the 57th percentile of all GPUs, while the Tesla K10 is at the 55th percentile. The GTX 770 also has a higher average benchmark score of 14,747 compared to the Tesla K10’s 14,029, confirming a slight overall performance edge.

Q: Which card has more memory, and does that affect its benchmark results?

A: The Tesla K10 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory, double the GTX 770’s 2 GB. However, the GTX 770 compensates with higher memory clocks (7 Gbps effective vs. 5 Gbps effective) and greater bandwidth (224.4 GB/s vs. 160.0 GB/s), which likely contributes to its benchmark win.

Q: Are there any architectural differences between the two cards?

A: No. Both use the same GK104 chip, 28 nm process, 3,540 million transistors, 294 mm² die size, 1,536 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. They are architecturally identical; the differences lie entirely in clocks, memory, and feature configuration.

Q: What is the release date and price difference?

A: The GTX 770 launched on May 29, 2013 with a launch MSRP of 399 USD. The Tesla K10 launched earlier, on April 30, 2012, with a launch MSRP of 5,099 USD. Both are now end-of-life products.

Q: Which card has display outputs?

A: The GTX 770 includes 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2 outputs. The Tesla K10 has no display outputs at all, reinforcing its role as a dedicated compute accelerator rather than a graphics card.

Architecture Differences

The most striking finding is that these two cards are architecturally identical at the silicon level. Both use the GK104 chip, which is built on TSMC’s 28 nm process with 3,540 million transistors packed into a 294 mm² die. The transistor density is the same at 12.0M / mm². Both have 1,536 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operation pipelines. This means the fundamental compute resources are exactly the same.

The differences emerge in how these resources are configured and clocked. The GTX 770 runs at a base clock of 1046 MHz with a boost clock of 1085 MHz, while the Tesla K10’s clock speeds are not listed in the data. The memory subsystem is where they diverge significantly: the GTX 770 uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with an effective speed of 7 Gbps, yielding 224.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The Tesla K10 doubles the capacity to 4 GB but drops the effective speed to 5 Gbps on the same 256-bit bus, resulting in only 160.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is a crucial difference for memory-bound workloads.

Additionally, the GTX 770 has display outputs (2x DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort), while the Tesla K10 has none, confirming its server/compute orientation. Both support the same API levels: DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The power draw is similar but not identical: the GTX 770 is rated at 230 W, while the Tesla K10 is slightly lower at 225 W. Both require a 550 W power supply and use dual-slot cooling with 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin power connectors.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 770 wins in every benchmark category where both have data. It outperforms the Tesla K10 in Geekbench OpenCL (15,707 vs. 14,029, a 12% delta), and it has a higher average benchmark score overall. It also holds a higher percentile rank (57th vs. 55th). The GTX 770’s higher clock speeds and memory bandwidth make it the clear winner for graphics-intensive tasks that benefit from raw throughput and low latency.

The Tesla K10, despite losing on raw scores, wins on memory capacity and power efficiency. Its 4 GB frame buffer is double that of the GTX 770, which is valuable for large datasets or workloads that require more resident data. Its lower TDP of 225 W (vs. 230 W) is a marginal advantage in dense server environments. The Tesla K10’s lack of display outputs also suggests it is designed for headless compute clusters where graphics output is irrelevant.

For gaming, the GTX 770 is the obvious choice due to its display outputs and higher performance. For scientific computing, deep learning inference, or rendering tasks that need more memory, the Tesla K10’s larger frame buffer could be a deciding factor, despite its lower bandwidth. The data does not include gaming-specific benchmarks, so this inference is based on the architectural features and the compute benchmark results.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in several key specification fields, while sharing many others. Here are the notable differences:

• Memory Size: GTX 770 has 2 GB; Tesla K10 has 4 GB.
• Memory Clock: GTX 770 runs at 7 Gbps effective; Tesla K10 runs at 5 Gbps effective.
• Memory Bandwidth: GTX 770 delivers 224.4 GB/s; Tesla K10 delivers 160.0 GB/s.
• Base Clock: GTX 770 has 1046 MHz; Tesla K10 has no listed base clock.
• Boost Clock: GTX 770 has 1085 MHz; Tesla K10 has no listed boost clock.
• Pixel Rate: GTX 770 achieves 34.72 GPixel/s; Tesla K10 achieves 23.84 GPixel/s.
• Texture Rate: GTX 770 reaches 138.9 GTexel/s; Tesla K10 reaches 95.36 GTexel/s.
• FP32 Performance: GTX 770 computes 3.333 TFLOPS; Tesla K10 computes 2.289 TFLOPS.
• TDP: GTX 770 is rated at 230 W; Tesla K10 is rated at 225 W.
• Display Outputs: GTX 770 has 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort; Tesla K10 has none.
• Length: GTX 770 is 267 mm (10.5 inches); Tesla K10 is 272 mm (10.7 inches).
• Release Date: GTX 770 launched May 29, 2013; Tesla K10 launched April 30, 2012.
• Launch MSRP: GTX 770 was 399 USD; Tesla K10 was 5,099 USD.
• Predecessor/Successor: GTX 770 follows GeForce 600 and precedes GeForce 900; Tesla K10 follows Tesla Fermi and precedes Tesla Maxwell.

The cards share the same chip, process, transistor count, die size, shading units, TMUs, ROPs, memory type, bus width, slot width, power connectors, suggested PSU, bus interface, and API support. The differences are concentrated in clocks, memory, power, and form factor specifics.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison in the data is the Geekbench OpenCL test. The GTX 770 scores 15,707, while the Tesla K10 scores 14,029. This gives the GTX 770 a 12% advantage, which is the sole data point for a direct head-to-head. The delta is substantial and indicates that the GTX 770’s higher clocks and memory bandwidth translate into measurable compute performance gains.

Looking at the broader benchmark context, the GTX 770 also has additional scores that the Tesla K10 lacks: Geekbench Metal at 9,369 and Geekbench Vulkan at 19,166. The Tesla K10 only has the OpenCL score. This means the GTX 770 is validated across multiple API environments, while the Tesla K10’s compute capability is only confirmed through OpenCL. The average benchmark score for the GTX 770 is 14,747, which is 718 points higher than the Tesla K10’s average of 14,029.

When placed against their respective nearest rivals, the picture is nuanced. The GTX 770’s closest competitor is the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT, which scores 14,692 (a 0.4% delta from the GTX 770). The Tesla K10’s closest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680, scoring 14,150 (a -0.9% delta from the Tesla K10). This suggests that the GTX 770 is competitive with modern mainstream cards, while the Tesla K10 aligns with older high-end parts. The GTX 770 also outperforms the NVIDIA Quadro M2000 by 1.5% and the AMD Radeon Pro 560X by 2.2%, while trailing the GTX 660 Ti by 2.1%. The Tesla K10, meanwhile, beats the AMD Radeon RX 570X by 1.1%, the RTX A2000 Mobile by 1.5%, and the AMD Radeon 660M by 1.6%.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear performance winner: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770. It beats the Tesla K10 in the only direct benchmark, has a higher average score, a higher percentile rank, and offers triple the API benchmark coverage. For any workload where raw compute throughput matters, the GTX 770 is the better choice, delivering 12% more OpenCL performance, 45.5% higher FP32 throughput (3.333 vs. 2.289 TFLOPS), and 40.3% more memory bandwidth.

However, the Tesla K10 is not without merits. Its 4 GB memory capacity is double that of the GTX 770, which is a meaningful advantage for workloads that need to hold larger datasets on-card. Its slightly lower TDP (225 W vs. 230 W) and earlier release date (April 2012 vs. May 2013) suggest it was designed for a different era of compute servers. The lack of display outputs is a deliberate design choice for headless operation.

For consumers or professionals needing a GPU with graphics output, gaming capability, or general-purpose compute, the GTX 770 is the obvious pick based on the benchmark data. For specialized compute clusters where memory capacity is paramount and display output is unnecessary, the Tesla K10 could still be relevant, but the performance penalty is significant. The launch MSRP differential is stark—399 USD for the GTX 770 versus 5,099 USD for the Tesla K10—but given the 12% performance deficit, the Tesla K10’s value proposition is difficult to justify from a pure performance standpoint. The data suggests that for most users, the GTX 770 is the superior card, while the Tesla K10 serves a narrow niche where its 4 GB frame buffer is the deciding factor.