NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN BLACK Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the database's head-to-head benchmarks?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN BLACK wins all three recorded head-to-head tests. It leads by 65.6% in Geekbench Metal, 53.1% in Geekbench OpenCL, and 57.1% in Geekbench Vulkan.

Q: How do the two cards compare to their nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 780M sits at the 50th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 11261. Its closest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200, scores 11228, a 0.3% difference. The GTX TITAN BLACK sits at the 46th percentile with an average score of 9474, and its closest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760, scores 9458, also a 0.2% difference.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The GTX 780M has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 160.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX TITAN BLACK has 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 336.0 GB/s bandwidth, which is more than double the bandwidth of the mobile part.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units and texture units?

A: The GTX TITAN BLACK has 2880 shading units and 240 texture mapping units. The GTX 780M has 1536 shading units and 128 TMUs. The TITAN BLACK also has 48 ROPs versus 32 on the 780M.

Q: Are these GPUs from the same architecture?

A: Yes, both use the Kepler architecture and are fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process. However, they use different chips: the GTX 780M uses GK104, while the GTX TITAN BLACK uses GK110B.

Q: What is the production status and release timing?

A: Both are end-of-life products. The GTX 780M was released on 2013-05-10, and the GTX TITAN BLACK was released on 2014-02-17, roughly nine months later.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs share the Kepler architecture, the 28 nm TSMC process, and the same foundry, but the silicon underneath is fundamentally different. The GTX 780M is built on the GK104 chip, while the GTX TITAN BLACK uses the larger GK110B die. The transistor count tells the story: the GK104 packs 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, while the GK110B contains 7,080 million transistors on a 561 mm² die. That is exactly double the transistor count and a 90.8% larger die area. Transistor density is slightly higher on the TITAN BLACK at 12.6 million per mm² versus 12.0 million per mm² on the 780M.

The execution resources scale accordingly. The TITAN BLACK features 2880 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The 780M is configured with 1536 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. In every category, the desktop card has roughly 1.9x the units of the mobile part. This is not a minor architectural tweak; it is a completely different tier of silicon.

Clock speeds also favor the TITAN BLACK. Its base clock is 889 MHz with a boost of 980 MHz, compared to the 780M's 771 MHz base and 797 MHz boost. The memory clocks diverge even more: the TITAN BLACK runs its GDDR5 at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective), while the 780M runs at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective). The combination of more units and higher clocks produces a large compute gap. The TITAN BLACK delivers 5.645 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput versus 2.448 TFLOPS for the 780M, a 130.6% advantage.

The memory subsystem is another major differentiator. The TITAN BLACK has a 384-bit bus and 6 GB of GDDR5, yielding 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The 780M has a 256-bit bus and 4 GB, yielding 160.0 GB/s. The TITAN BLACK's bandwidth is 110% higher. Pixel fill rate follows the same pattern: 58.80 GPixel/s for the TITAN BLACK versus 25.50 GPixel/s for the 780M. Texture rate is 235.2 GTexel/s versus 102.0 GTexel/s.

Power and physical design reflect the different target platforms. The GTX 780M is an MXM module with no power connectors and a 122 W TDP. The GTX TITAN BLACK is a dual-slot PCIe 3.0 x16 card requiring 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin power connectors, with a 250 W TDP and a suggested 600 W PSU. The TITAN BLACK also has dedicated display outputs (2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 1x DisplayPort 1.2), while the 780M's outputs are dependent on the portable device.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded head-to-head data is decisive. In Geekbench Metal, the GTX TITAN BLACK scores 24172 against the GTX 780M's 8319, a 65.6% lead. In Geekbench OpenCL, the TITAN BLACK scores 27218 versus 12769, a 53.1% advantage. In Geekbench Vulkan, the TITAN BLACK scores 29561 versus 12696, a 57.1% lead.

The Vulkan result is the largest absolute gap, with the TITAN BLACK exceeding the 780M by 16865 points. The Metal result shows the largest percentage gap at 65.6%, meaning the 780M only reaches about one-third of the TITAN BLACK's score in that API. The OpenCL gap is the smallest of the three but still represents a comfortable majority lead.

The database's overall average benchmark score also favors the 780M, which is interesting. The 780M averages 11261 across its three recorded Geekbench tests, while the TITAN BLACK averages 9474 across a much broader set of ten tests that includes Passmark DirectX 9, 10, 11, 12, G2D, G3D, and GPU compute. The TITAN BLACK's Passmark G3D score is 9184, and its GPU compute score is 3726. These Passmark figures, which are not present for the 780M, pull the TITAN BLACK's average down. The percentile rankings reflect this: the 780M sits at the 50th percentile of all GPUs, while the TITAN BLACK sits at the 46th.

This creates an intriguing situation where the TITAN BLACK wins every direct head-to-head test but has a lower average benchmark score and percentile ranking. The explanation lies in the test mix. The 780M's average is computed from only three Geekbench tests, all of which are compute-oriented. The TITAN BLACK's average includes older DirectX 9, 10, 11, and 12 tests, where its scores are 133, 47, 73, and 34 respectively. These legacy API tests are not favorable to the architecture, and they drag down the aggregate.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear performance hierarchy. The GTX TITAN BLACK wins all three head-to-head comparisons by margins ranging from 53.1% to 65.6%. Its FP32 throughput of 5.645 TFLOPS is more than double the 780M's 2.448 TFLOPS. Its memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s is more than double the 780M's 160.0 GB/s. Its pixel rate of 58.80 GPixel/s and texture rate of 235.2 GTexel/s are both more than double the 780M's corresponding rates.

For users who need maximum compute performance in a desktop form factor, the GTX TITAN BLACK is the clear choice. It has 6 GB of memory versus 4 GB, a wider 384-bit bus, and substantially more shading units. The 780M, by contrast, is an MXM module designed for laptops. Its 122 W TDP and lack of power connectors make it suitable for portable systems where the TITAN BLACK's 250 W TDP and dual-slot footprint would be impractical.

The average benchmark score discrepancy is worth noting. The 780M's 11261 average versus the TITAN BLACK's 9474 average does not reflect the head-to-head results. The TITAN BLACK's inclusion of Passmark DirectX 9 through 12 tests, where it scores between 34 and 133, significantly lowers its aggregate. Users should weigh the head-to-head Geekbench results more heavily, as they directly compare the same workloads on both GPUs.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M | NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN BLACK |

|---|---|---|

| Chip | GK104 | GK110B |

| Generation | GeForce 700M | GeForce 700 |

| Transistors | 3,540 million | 7,080 million |

| Die Size | 294 mm² | 561 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.0M / mm² | 12.6M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 771 MHz | 889 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 797 MHz | 980 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1250 MHz, 5 Gbps effective | 1750 MHz, 7 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 6 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 256 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 160.0 GB/s | 336.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1536 | 2880 |

| TMUs | 128 | 240 |

| ROPs | 32 | 48 |

| Pixel Rate | 25.50 GPixel/s | 58.80 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 102.0 GTexel/s | 235.2 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 2.448 TFLOPS | 5.645 TFLOPS |

| TDP | 122 W | 250 W |

| Slot Width | MXM Module | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | None | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | None listed | 600 W |

| Bus Interface | MXM-B (3.0) | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 1x DisplayPort 1.2 |

| DirectX Support | 12 (11_0) | 12 (11_1) |

| Release Date | 2013-05-10 | 2014-02-17 |

| Launch MSRP | None listed | 999 USD |

Where Each One Wins

The GTX TITAN BLACK wins every computational category in the direct comparison. In Geekbench Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan, it leads by 65.6%, 53.1%, and 57.1% respectively. Its FP32 throughput of 5.645 TFLOPS is 130.6% higher than the 780M's 2.448 TFLOPS. Its memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s is 110% higher. These advantages make it the superior choice for compute-heavy workloads, including OpenCL and Vulkan applications that can leverage the additional shading units and memory bandwidth.

The GTX 780M's wins are more contextual. Its 122 W TDP is less than half of the TITAN BLACK's 250 W, making it feasible for MXM-based laptops. Its lack of external power connectors simplifies installation in portable systems. Its average benchmark score of 11261 is higher than the TITAN BLACK's 9474, though this is an artifact of the test mix. The 780M also has a higher percentile ranking at 50 versus 46. For users constrained to a laptop form factor, the 780M is the only option of the two, as the TITAN BLACK is a dual-slot desktop card requiring a 600 W PSU.

The legacy DirectX results are exclusive to the TITAN BLACK. Its Passmark DirectX 9 score of 133 is the highest among its DirectX tests, while DirectX 11 scores 73, DirectX 10 scores 47, and DirectX 12 scores 34. These figures suggest the TITAN BLACK handles older DirectX 9 workloads better than newer API versions, but the 780M has no comparable data in the database. The G2D score of 595 for the TITAN BLACK indicates reasonable 2D performance, while its G3D score of 9184 and GPU compute score of 3726 provide additional reference points absent for the 780M.

The choice ultimately depends on the platform and workload. For desktop users prioritizing raw compute, the GTX TITAN BLACK is the definitive winner in every head-to-head test. For mobile users needing Kepler performance in a laptop, the GTX 780M is the only viable form factor. The database records no benchmark where the 780M wins outright, confirming the TITAN BLACK's dominance in direct comparison.