NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 vs NVIDIA T400 4 GB Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded benchmark data shows a clear performance hierarchy between these two NVIDIA offerings. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 scores 22,863 points against 17,320 for the NVIDIA T400 4 GB, a 32% advantage for the older card. The gap widens further in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the GTX 780 reaches 24,514 points while the T400 4 GB manages 16,263, putting the GTX 780 ahead by 50.7%. Out of the two head-to-head tests, the GTX 780 wins both, while the T400 4 GB records no wins.

Looking at the broader database context, the GTX 780 sits at the 64th percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 19,164. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA TITAN Xp at 19,177 (a mere 0.1% delta), the NVIDIA Tesla K20m at 19,089 (0.4% ahead of the GTX 780), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile at 19,049 (0.6% behind), and the AMD Radeon RX 6600 at 19,036 (0.7% behind). This places the GTX 780 in a competitive band where performance differences against its closest peers are negligible.

The T400 4 GB, by contrast, holds the 60th percentile with an average score of 16,792. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 7600S at 16,696 (0.6% behind), the NVIDIA Tesla M4 at 16,932 (0.8% ahead), the AMD Radeon HD 7970M at 17,019 (1.3% ahead), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 at 17,037 (1.4% ahead). The T400 4 GB trails its closest rivals by a small margin, while the GTX 780 effectively trades blows with its own nearest competitors.

The benchmark numbers reveal that the GTX 780 is not only faster than the T400 4 GB; it is substantially faster. A 32% lead in OpenCL is significant, and a 50.7% lead in Vulkan is dominant. The GTX 780's average score of 19,164 versus the T400 4 GB's 16,792 represents a 14.1% overall difference. The Vulkan result is particularly telling, as it suggests the GTX 780's architecture handles the lower-level API workload with much greater efficiency relative to the T400 4 GB.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different eras and architectural families. The GTX 780 uses the GK110 chip built on Kepler architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process. The T400 4 GB uses the TU117 chip on Turing architecture, also from TSMC but on a 12 nm process. The node difference is substantial: 28 nm versus 12 nm, and the transistor density reflects that. The GTX 780 packs 7,080 million transistors across a 561 mm² die, yielding a density of 12.6 million transistors per square millimeter. The T400 4 GB fits 4,700 million transistors into a much smaller 200 mm² die, achieving 23.5 million transistors per square millimeter. The Turing card is denser by a wide margin, nearly doubling the transistor density of the Kepler part.

Core configurations diverge sharply. The GTX 780 carries 2,304 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units. The T400 4 GB has 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The GTX 780 has six times the shading units, eight times the TMUs, and three times the ROPs. Neither card features ray tracing cores or tensor cores; both rely on traditional compute pipelines.

Clock behavior differs in an interesting way. The GTX 780 has a base clock of 863 MHz and a boost clock of 902 MHz. The T400 4 GB starts much lower at 420 MHz base but boosts to 1,425 MHz. The T400 4 GB's boost clock is substantially higher, but its base clock is less than half of the GTX 780's base. Memory clocks also differ: the GTX 780 runs at 1,502 MHz with 6 Gbps effective, while the T400 4 GB runs at 1,250 MHz with 10 Gbps effective. The T400 4 GB's memory is faster per pin, but the GTX 780 compensates with a far wider bus.

Memory capacity and bandwidth show a split. The GTX 780 has 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 288.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The T400 4 GB has 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus, delivering 80.00 GB/s. The GTX 780 has 3.6 times the memory bandwidth, while the T400 4 GB has 33% more capacity. For bandwidth-heavy workloads, the GTX 780 holds a decisive edge.

Compute rates follow the core counts. The GTX 780 produces 4.156 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput, 43.30 GPixel/s of pixel rate, and 173.2 GTexel/s of texture rate. The T400 4 GB delivers 1,094.4 GFLOPS of FP32, 22.80 GPixel/s, and 34.20 GTexel/s. The GTX 780 is 3.8 times faster in FP32, 1.9 times faster in pixel rate, and 5.1 times faster in texture rate. The T400 4 GB does have FP16 capability at 2.189 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, a feature the GTX 780 lacks entirely, as its FP16 field is null.

Power characteristics are night and day. The GTX 780 has a TDP of 250 W, requires dual-slot cooling, and needs a 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin power connector with a suggested 600 W power supply. The T400 4 GB has a TDP of 30 W, is single-slot, requires no external power connectors, and works with a suggested 200 W power supply. The T400 4 GB draws 88% less power, making it far more efficient per watt. The GTX 780 is also physically larger: 267 mm long, 111 mm tall, and 38 mm wide, while the T400 4 GB has no recorded dimensions in the database.

API support shows a generational gap. The GTX 780 supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The T400 4 GB supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The Turing card has a higher DirectX feature level and a newer Vulkan version. Display outputs also differ: the GTX 780 offers 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2, while the T400 4 GB provides 3x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a.

The release timeline places the GTX 780 on 2013-05-22, with the T400 4 GB arriving on 2021-05-05. Both are marked end-of-life. The GTX 780 belongs to the GeForce 700 generation, succeeding GeForce 600 and preceding GeForce 900. The T400 4 GB belongs to the Quadro Turing (Tx000) generation, succeeding Quadro Volta and preceding Workstation Ampere. The GTX 780 had a launch MSRP of 649 USD; the T400 4 GB has no recorded launch MSRP.

The Verdict

The data supports a straightforward conclusion: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 is the faster card in raw compute and graphics workloads. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks, with a 32% lead in OpenCL and a 50.7% lead in Vulkan. Its FP32 throughput of 4.156 TFLOPS dwarfs the T400 4 GB's 1,094.4 GFLOPS. Its texture rate of 173.2 GTexel/s is five times the T400 4 GB's 34.20 GTexel/s. Its memory bandwidth of 288.4 GB/s is 3.6 times the T400 4 GB's 80.00 GB/s. For anyone prioritizing performance, the GTX 780 is the clear choice from the benchmark data.

The NVIDIA T400 4 GB, however, wins on efficiency and modern features. Its 30 W TDP versus 250 W means it draws a fraction of the power. It needs no external power connectors, fits in a single slot, and requires a 200 W power supply instead of 600 W. It has 4 GB of memory versus 3 GB, supports DirectX 12_1 versus 11_0, and runs Vulkan 1.4 versus 1.2.175. Its FP16 capability, absent on the GTX 780, adds flexibility for workloads that use half precision. The T400 4 GB is also from a much newer generation, released in 2021 versus 2013.

The choice depends entirely on the use case. The GTX 780 suits performance-driven tasks where power draw and physical size are secondary. The T400 4 GB suits constrained environments where low power, low profile, and modern API support matter more than raw throughput. The GTX 780's 64th percentile versus the T400 4 GB's 60th percentile reflects its overall performance advantage in the database.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 has an average benchmark score of 19,164, while the NVIDIA T400 4 GB scores 16,792. The GTX 780 also sits at the 64th percentile versus the T400 4 GB's 60th percentile.

Q: How large is the performance gap in the Vulkan test?

A: The GTX 780 scores 24,514 in Geekbench Vulkan, while the T400 4 GB scores 16,263. This gives the GTX 780 a 50.7% lead.

Q: Does the T400 4 GB have any memory capacity advantage?

A: Yes. The T400 4 GB has 4 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the GTX 780 has 3 GB of GDDR5. However, the GTX 780's bandwidth is 288.4 GB/s versus 80.00 GB/s for the T400 4 GB.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The GTX 780 has a TDP of 250 W and needs a 600 W suggested power supply. The T400 4 GB has a TDP of 30 W and needs only a 200 W suggested power supply.

Q: Which card supports a newer DirectX version?

A: The T400 4 GB supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the GTX 780 supports DirectX 12 (11_0). The T400 4 GB also supports Vulkan 1.4 versus Vulkan 1.2.175 for the GTX 780.

Q: Are either of these cards still in production?

A: No. Both are marked as end-of-life in the database. The GTX 780 was released on 2013-05-22, and the T400 4 GB on 2021-05-05.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 780 wins in every measured compute benchmark. Its OpenCL score of 22,863 beats the T400 4 GB's 17,320 by 32%. Its Vulkan score of 24,514 beats the T400 4 GB's 16,263 by 50.7%. Its FP32 performance of 4.156 TFLOPS is nearly four times the T400 4 GB's 1,094.4 GFLOPS. Its pixel rate of 43.30 GPixel/s is nearly double the T400 4 GB's 22.80 GPixel/s. Its texture rate of 173.2 GTexel/s is five times the T400 4 GB's 34.20 GTexel/s. For any workload that stresses raw throughput, the GTX 780 is the winner.

The T400 4 GB wins in efficiency and feature support. Its 30 W TDP is 88% lower than the GTX 780's 250 W. It requires no power connectors, while the GTX 780 needs a 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin. Its single-slot design contrasts with the GTX 780's dual-slot footprint. It has 4 GB of memory versus 3 GB, which helps capacity-bound tasks. Its DirectX 12_1 support and Vulkan 1.4 support exceed the GTX 780's DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175. Its FP16 capability at 2.189 TFLOPS adds a precision mode the GTX 780 cannot offer. For low-power, modern-API, or capacity-sensitive environments, the T400 4 GB is the better fit.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every specification category. The GTX 780 uses the GK110 chip on Kepler architecture at 28 nm, while the T400 4 GB uses the TU117 chip on Turing architecture at 12 nm. Transistor counts are 7,080 million versus 4,700 million, with die sizes of 561 mm² versus 200 mm². Transistor density is 12.6 million per mm² for the GTX 780 and 23.5 million per mm² for the T400 4 GB.

Clocks differ: the GTX 780 runs at 863 MHz base and 902 MHz boost, while the T400 4 GB runs at 420 MHz base and 1,425 MHz boost. Memory clocks are 1,502 MHz with 6 Gbps effective for the GTX 780 and 1,250 MHz with 10 Gbps effective for the T400 4 GB. Memory size is 3 GB GDDR5 for the GTX 780 versus 4 GB GDDR6 for the T400 4 GB. Bus widths are 384-bit versus 64-bit, and bandwidth is 288.4 GB/s versus 80.00 GB/s.

Core counts diverge massively: 2,304 shading units versus 384, 192 TMUs versus 24, and 48 ROPs versus 16. Neither card has ray tracing or tensor cores. Pixel rates are 43.30 GPixel/s versus 22.80 GPixel/s. Texture rates are 173.2 GTexel/s versus 34.20 GTexel/s. FP32 is 4.156 TFLOPS versus 1,094.4 GFLOPS. The T400 4 GB has FP16 at 2.189 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, while the GTX 780 has no recorded FP16 value.

Power and physical specifications show the largest contrast: 250 W TDP versus 30 W, dual-slot versus single-slot, 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin connectors versus none, and 600 W suggested PSU versus 200 W. The GTX 780 measures 267 mm by 111 mm by 38 mm, while the T400 4 GB has no recorded dimensions. Both use PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs differ: 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 1x DisplayPort 1.2 for the GTX 780, and 3x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a for the T400 4 GB. API support differs in DirectX version (12 (11_0) versus 12 (12_1)) and Vulkan version (1.2.175 versus 1.4), with OpenGL 4.6 shared by both.