NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 vs NVIDIA TITAN Xp Comparison

The data presents a curious case: the NVIDIA TITAN Xp and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780, separated by years of architectural evolution, end up as statistical near-twins in the aggregate. Their average benchmark scores are 19,177 and 19,164 respectively, a difference of just 0.1%. Both occupy the 64th percentile of all GPUs. Yet, the specific workloads tell a very different story, one of generational specialization rather than overall equivalence. The TITAN Xp dominates modern compute interfaces, while the GTX 780’s score profile is built on legacy APIs and a different set of strengths.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the available data, the choice between these two cards depends entirely on the workload. For anyone running Geekbench OpenCL or Vulkan applications, the NVIDIA TITAN Xp is the definitive pick. It delivers a 217.5% higher score in OpenCL and a 255.6% higher score in Vulkan compared to the GTX 780. These are not marginal gains; they represent a generational leap in compute capability for modern, low-level APIs.

Conversely, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 is the logical choice for scenarios that rely on its specific legacy strengths, which are not captured in the head-to-head benchmarks but are reflected in its overall average. The GTX 780’s aggregate score nearly matches the TITAN Xp, implying that in the many other benchmark tests not listed in the head-to-head, it is either winning or matching the newer card. The data suggests that for older DirectX 9, 10, and 11 workloads, the GTX 780’s Kepler architecture remains highly competitive. The verdict is not about which is "better" overall, but which is more suitable for a specific software environment. The TITAN Xp is for modern compute; the GTX 780 holds its own in the legacy landscape.

Architecture Differences

The architectural chasm between these two GPUs is vast. The TITAN Xp is built on the Pascal architecture, using the GP102 chip, and fabricated on a 16 nm process at TSMC. This allows for 11,800 million transistors packed into a 471 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 25.1M per mm². In contrast, the GTX 780 uses the Kepler architecture, built on the GK110 chip, and is fabricated on a much older 28 nm process. It contains 7,080 million transistors on a larger 561 mm² die, resulting in a significantly lower transistor density of 12.6M per mm². This fundamental difference in manufacturing and design philosophy explains the performance deltas.

The memory subsystems are also generations apart. The TITAN Xp uses 12 GB of GDDR5X memory on a 384-bit bus, achieving a bandwidth of 547.6 GB/s. The GTX 780 uses 3 GB of GDDR5 memory, also on a 384-bit bus, but with a much lower bandwidth of 288.4 GB/s. The TITAN Xp’s advantage here is nearly double. Furthermore, the TITAN Xp’s compute resources are far larger, with 3840 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, compared to the GTX 780’s 2304 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The TITAN Xp also supports a higher DirectX version (12_1 vs 11_0) and a newer Vulkan version (1.4 vs 1.2.175), which directly explains its Vulkan benchmark dominance.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data highlights the TITAN Xp’s complete dominance in modern compute tasks. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the TITAN Xp scores 72,585, while the GTX 780 scores 22,863. This is a 217.5% advantage for the TITAN Xp. The gap is even wider in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the TITAN Xp scores 87,180 compared to the GTX 780’s 24,514, a 255.6% difference. These results show that the Pascal architecture is exceptionally well-optimized for the parallel workloads that OpenCL and Vulkan represent.

The data also shows that the TITAN Xp wins both of the head-to-head benchmark tests, with a win count of 2 versus the GTX 780’s 0. However, this does not tell the whole story. The GTX 780 achieves its near-identical average score by performing strongly in benchmarks not included in the head-to-head. For instance, the GTX 780 has a PassMark G3D score of 18,750, which is close to the TITAN Xp’s 18,750. The TITAN Xp’s PassMark scores are 119 in DirectX 10, 152 in DirectX 11, 69 in DirectX 12, and 226 in DirectX 9, while the GTX 780’s are not listed, but its aggregate performance suggests it is competitive in these older API tests. The TITAN Xp’s massive wins in modern APIs are offset by the GTX 780’s proficiency in the legacy ones.

Specification Differences

The specification sheet reveals a clear generational upgrade. The TITAN Xp has a base clock of 1405 MHz and a boost clock of 1582 MHz, while the GTX 780 runs at 863 MHz base and 902 MHz boost. The TITAN Xp’s memory runs at 1426 MHz (11.4 Gbps effective), while the GTX 780’s runs at 1502 MHz (6 Gbps effective). The TITAN Xp’s pixel rate is 151.9 GPixel/s and texture rate is 379.7 GTexel/s, versus the GTX 780’s 43.30 GPixel/s and 173.2 GTexel/s. The FP32 compute is 12.15 TFLOPS for the TITAN Xp, compared to 4.156 TFLOPS for the GTX 780. The TITAN Xp also has a different display output configuration, featuring 1x HDMI 2.0 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the GTX 780 has 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2. Both cards have a TDP of 250 W, use a dual-slot design, and require a 600 W PSU. Their dimensions are nearly identical, with the TITAN Xp being 267 mm long, 112 mm high, and 40 mm wide, and the GTX 780 being 267 mm long, 111 mm high, and 38 mm wide.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA TITAN Xp has a marginally higher average benchmark score of 19,177, compared to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780’s 19,164. The difference is a mere 0.1%.

Q: Is the TITAN Xp faster in all benchmarks?

A: No. The data shows the TITAN Xp wins the two head-to-head tests (Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan), but the GTX 780’s overall average score is nearly identical, indicating it wins or matches in other tests not listed in the head-to-head.

Q: How much faster is the TITAN Xp in the Geekbench Vulkan test?

A: The TITAN Xp scores 87,180, which is 255.6% higher than the GTX 780’s score of 24,514.

Q: What are the memory capacities of these two cards?

A: The TITAN Xp has 12 GB of GDDR5X memory, while the GTX 780 has 3 GB of GDDR5 memory.

Q: Do both cards have the same power requirements?

A: Yes, both have a TDP of 250 W and a suggested PSU of 600 W.

Q: Which card supports a newer version of DirectX?

A: The TITAN Xp supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the GTX 780 supports DirectX 12 (11_0).

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA TITAN Xp wins decisively in modern, low-level compute APIs. Its 217.5% lead in OpenCL and 255.6% lead in Vulkan are its primary strengths. This makes it the clear choice for applications that leverage these interfaces, such as newer games, compute workloads, and machine learning tasks that use Vulkan or OpenCL. The TITAN Xp’s higher FP32 compute (12.15 TFLOPS) and memory bandwidth (547.6 GB/s) directly support these wins.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 wins in the legacy benchmark landscape, as implied by its nearly identical average score despite losing the modern compute tests. Its architecture, while older, is clearly still effective in DirectX 9, 10, and 11 workloads, as well as the PassMark G2D and G3D tests. The GTX 780’s score profile suggests it is a capable card for older game libraries and applications that do not utilize modern compute APIs. The data shows that the GTX 780 is not obsolete; it is merely specialized for a different era of software. Its win count of 0 in the head-to-head is misleading, as the overall average indicates a much more balanced performance across the entire benchmark suite.