NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 vs NVIDIA Tesla M4 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records a single direct comparison between these two cards, the Geekbench OpenCL test. In that test, the GeForce GTX 780 scores 22,863 points, while the Tesla M4 scores 16,932 points. The resulting delta is 35%, meaning the GTX 780 outperforms the Tesla M4 by a decisive margin in this workload. This is the only head-to-head benchmark available, and it establishes the GTX 780 as the clear winner in raw compute performance, at least as measured by OpenCL.

Looking at the broader benchmark context, the GTX 780 also has a higher average benchmark score of 19,164, compared to the Tesla M4's 16,932. That is a difference of roughly 2,232 points, or about 13% in favor of the GTX 780. The GTX 780 also has three recorded benchmark entries (Geekbench Metal at 10,114, Geekbench OpenCL at 22,863, and Geekbench Vulkan at 24,514), while the Tesla M4 has only the one OpenCL score. The GTX 780's Vulkan result, 24,514, is actually its strongest score, and it exceeds the Tesla M4's only recorded result by more than 7,500 points.

The percentile data reinforces this separation. The GTX 780 sits at the 64th percentile among all GPUs, while the Tesla M4 sits at the 60th percentile. That is a modest gap in the overall distribution, but the head-to-head delta is much larger, suggesting the OpenCL test is particularly favorable to the GTX 780's architecture and memory configuration. The nearest rival data for the GTX 780 shows it is effectively tied with the NVIDIA TITAN Xp (0.1% behind), the Tesla K20m (0.4% ahead), the GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (0.6% ahead), and the AMD Radeon RX 6600 (0.7% ahead). The Tesla M4, by contrast, is 0.5% behind the AMD Radeon HD 7970M, 0.6% behind the GeForce GTX 690, 0.8% ahead of the NVIDIA T400 4 GB, and 0.9% behind the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT. These rival clusters show that the GTX 780 competes in a much higher performance tier, while the Tesla M4 is grouped with older or lower-end parts.

The Verdict

The data points to one clear conclusion: the GeForce GTX 780 is the stronger compute performer. In the only direct comparison, it leads by 35% in OpenCL, and its average benchmark score is about 13% higher. For any workload that depends on raw FP32 throughput, texture fill, or memory bandwidth, the GTX 780 has the advantage. Its recorded scores across Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan all exceed the Tesla M4's single OpenCL result, which indicates a consistent performance lead across multiple API paths.

The Tesla M4, however, is not without a role. Its 50 W TDP is dramatically lower than the GTX 780's 250 W, and it is a single-slot card with no external power connectors, whereas the GTX 780 is dual-slot and requires both a 6-pin and an 8-pin connector. The Tesla M4 also has more memory (4 GB versus 3 GB), and it supports a newer DirectX version (12_1 versus 11_0) as well as a newer Vulkan version (1.4 versus 1.2.175). For a system that prioritizes power efficiency, physical space, or specific API compatibility, the Tesla M4 could be the appropriate pick despite its lower scores. But for pure performance, the GTX 780 wins every measured category.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on different architectures. The GTX 780 uses the GK110 chip, which is based on the Kepler architecture and belongs to the GeForce 700 generation. The Tesla M4 uses the GM206 chip, based on Maxwell 2.0, and belongs to the Tesla Maxwell (Mxx) generation. Both are fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC, and their transistor densities are nearly identical: 12.6 million transistors per square millimeter for the GTX 780 versus 12.9 million for the Tesla M4. The similarity ends there.

The GTX 780 packs 7,080 million transistors on a die size of 561 mm², while the Tesla M4 fits 2,940 million transistors on a 228 mm² die. That is a substantial difference in both scale and physical footprint. The GTX 780's larger die is paired with a wider memory bus: 384 bit versus 128 bit. This bus width difference explains the enormous gap in memory bandwidth, 288.4 GB/s for the GTX 780 versus 88.00 GB/s for the Tesla M4. Despite the Tesla M4 having 4 GB of memory to the GTX 780's 3 GB, the GTX 780's bandwidth advantage is roughly 3.3 times.

The compute resources also differ sharply. The GTX 780 has 2,304 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 48 render output units. The Tesla M4 has 1,024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. These numbers translate directly into the recorded pixel and texture rates: the GTX 780 achieves 43.30 GPixel/s and 173.2 GTexel/s, while the Tesla M4 achieves 34.30 GPixel/s and 68.61 GTexel/s. The FP32 throughput tells the same story: 4.156 TFLOPS for the GTX 780 versus 2.195 TFLOPS for the Tesla M4. Neither card has ray tracing cores or tensor cores, and neither has a recorded FP16 capability.

The Tesla M4 does have a newer API profile. It supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, whereas the GTX 780 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175. Both cards support OpenGL 4.6. The GTX 780 also has display outputs (2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 1x DisplayPort 1.2), while the Tesla M4 has no display outputs at all, confirming its role as a compute-only accelerator.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets for these two cards differ in almost every meaningful field. The GTX 780 has a base clock of 863 MHz and a boost clock of 902 MHz, while the Tesla M4 has a base clock of 872 MHz and a boost clock of 1,072 MHz. The Tesla M4 actually runs at a higher clock speed, but its smaller chip and narrower memory bus prevent it from translating that clock advantage into higher overall performance. The memory clocks also differ: the GTX 780 runs at 1,502 MHz with 6 Gbps effective, while the Tesla M4 runs at 1,375 MHz with 5.5 Gbps effective.

Memory specifications are a major differentiator. The GTX 780 has 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 384 bit bus, yielding 288.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The Tesla M4 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128 bit bus, yielding 88.00 GB/s. The Tesla M4 has more capacity, but far less bandwidth. The GTX 780 also has a much higher TDP at 250 W versus 50 W for the Tesla M4, and its power requirements reflect that: the GTX 780 needs a 600 W suggested PSU and one 6-pin plus one 8-pin connector, while the Tesla M4 needs only a 250 W suggested PSU and no external power connectors. The GTX 780 is dual-slot and measures 267 mm in length, 111 mm in height, and 38 mm in width; the Tesla M4 is single-slot with no recorded dimensions.

The release dates are also far apart. The GTX 780 was released on 2013-05-22, while the Tesla M4 was released on 2015-11-09. Both are end-of-life. The GTX 780 had a launch MSRP of 649 USD; the Tesla M4 has no recorded launch MSRP. The GTX 780's predecessor is the GeForce 600 series and its successor is the GeForce 900 series. The Tesla M4's predecessor is Tesla Kepler and its successor is Tesla Pascal.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The GeForce GTX 780 has an average benchmark score of 19,164, while the Tesla M4 has an average benchmark score of 16,932.

Q: How much faster is the GTX 780 in the OpenCL head-to-head test?

A: The GTX 780 scores 22,863 in Geekbench OpenCL versus the Tesla M4's 16,932, a 35% difference in favor of the GTX 780.

Q: Does the Tesla M4 have more memory than the GTX 780?

A: Yes, the Tesla M4 has 4 GB of GDDR5, while the GTX 780 has 3 GB of GDDR5.

Q: Which card has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The GTX 780 has a 384 bit bus and 288.4 GB/s of bandwidth, while the Tesla M4 has a 128 bit bus and 88.00 GB/s.

Q: Which card draws more power?

A: The GTX 780 has a 250 W TDP, requires a 600 W suggested PSU recommendation, and needs 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin connectors, while the Tesla M4 has a 50 W TDP and a 250 W suggested PSU.

Q: Does the Tesla M4 support display outputs?

A: No, the Tesla M4 has no display outputs, whereas the GTX 780 has 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 1x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 780 wins in every performance category recorded in the database. Its OpenCL score is 35% higher than the Tesla M4's, its average benchmark score is about 13% higher, its FP32 throughput is 4.156 TFLOPS versus 2.195 TFLOPS, its pixel rate is 43.30 GPixel/s versus 34.30 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 173.2 GTexel/s versus 68.61 GTexel/s. It also has higher memory bandwidth at 288.4 GB/s on a wider bus, and it recorded higher Vulkan score at 24,514, Metal scores at 10,114, and it has a higher percentile at 64th versus 60th.

The Tesla M4 wins in the areas of power draw and physical footprint. It draws 50 W versus 250 W, it is single-slot instead of dual-slot, and it requires no power connectors. It also has more memory capacity at 4 GB versus 3 GB. It supports newer API versions including DirectX 12 (12_1 for DirectX and Vulkan 1.4, while the GTX 780 has DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175, and it has a higher boost clock at 1,072 MHz versus 902 MHz. It is also a smaller chip with a die size of 228 mm² versus 561 mm², and it packs fewer transistors at 2,940 million versus 7,080 million. It was released later, on 2015-11-09, versus 2013-05-22.

The use-case split is straightforward. For compute-heavy workloads that need maximum FP32 throughput, high bandwidth, and fast texture fill, the GTX 780 is the pick. For power-constrained environments, space-constrained systems, or applications that require the latest API feature levels, the Tesla M4 is the pick. The GTX 780 leads in every recorded benchmark and the Tesla M4's only advantages are in efficiency, capacity, physical size, and API versioning.