NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M vs NVIDIA Tesla C2070 Comparison

The NVIDIA Tesla C2070 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M represent two distinct design philosophies from the same manufacturer, separated by three years of architectural evolution. The C2070 is a dual-slot, workstation-oriented compute card built on the Fermi architecture, while the GTX 850M is a mobile graphics processor based on Maxwell. The benchmark data shows a close contest in raw OpenCL performance, but the underlying specifications and use cases diverge significantly.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear choice based on workload. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M wins the only direct head-to-head benchmark, the geekbench_opencl test, scoring 9821 against the Tesla C2070’s 9716. This is a narrow 1.1% margin, indicating near-parity in this specific compute workload. The GTX 850M also delivers higher raw FP32 throughput at 1,154.6 GFLOPS compared to 1,027.7 GFLOPS for the C2070, reinforcing its edge in general-purpose compute tasks despite being a mobile part.

However, the NVIDIA Tesla C2070 is the logical choice for workloads that demand large memory capacity and bandwidth. Its 6 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus delivers 143.4 GB/s of bandwidth, which is over four times the 32.03 GB/s available to the GTX 850M. For data-intensive tasks that fit within 2 GB, the GTX 850M is sufficient and faster. For datasets exceeding 2 GB, the C2070 is the only viable option between the two.

The percentile rankings confirm the closeness. The C2070 sits at the 47th percentile of all GPUs, while the GTX 850M is at the 46th. The C2070’s nearest rival, the Tesla M10, scores 9724, which is just 0.1% higher, while the GTX 850M’s nearest rival, the GTX 465, scores 9294, a 0.1% difference. In short: pick the GTX 850M for efficiency and raw compute density, pick the C2070 for memory capacity and bandwidth.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is substantial. The Tesla C2070 uses the GF100 chip built on the Fermi architecture, manufactured on a 40 nm process at TSMC. The GTX 850M uses the GM107 chip on the Maxwell architecture, built on a 28 nm process, also at TSMC. This process shrink allows the GTX 850M to pack more transistors per square millimeter: 12.6M / mm² versus 5.9M / mm² for the C2070.

The C2070 has a much larger physical die at 529 mm², housing 3,100 million transistors. The GTX 850M has a 148 mm² die with 1,870 million transistors. The Fermi chip is a massive, power-hungry design, while Maxwell is a smaller, more efficient architecture. The C2070’s shading unit count is 448, but the GTX 850M has 640 shading units, despite having fewer total transistors. The Maxwell architecture achieves higher instruction-level parallelism with fewer resources.

Memory subsystems differ completely. The C2070 uses 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit interface, whereas the GTX 850M uses 2 GB of DDR3 on a 128-bit interface. The C2070’s memory clock is 747 MHz (3 Gbps effective), while the GTX 850M’s is 1001 MHz (2 Gbps effective). The C2070’s wider bus and faster memory clock yield 143.4 GB/s versus 32.03 GB/s for the GTX 850M.

API support shows minor differences. Both support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6. The GTX 850M adds Vulkan 1.4 support, while the C2070 lists no Vulkan support. The GTX 850M is also a PCIe 3.0 x16 device, while the C2070 is limited to PCIe 2.0 x16.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher raw compute throughput?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M achieves 1,154.6 GFLOPS of FP32 compute, compared to 1,027.7 GFLOPS for the NVIDIA Tesla C2070.

Q: Does the Tesla C2070 have more memory bandwidth?

A: Yes. The Tesla C2070 provides 143.4 GB/s of bandwidth through a 384-bit bus with 6 GB of GDDR5, while the GTX 850M offers 32.03 GB/s via a 128-bit bus with 2 GB of DDR3.

Q: Which card wins the only direct benchmark comparison?

A: The GTX 850M wins the geekbench_opencl test with a score of 9821, versus 9716 for the C2070, a margin of 1.1%.

Q: Are these GPUs from the same generation?

A: No. The Tesla C2070 is from the Tesla Fermi (x20xx) generation, released in 2011, while the GTX 850M is from the GeForce 800M generation, released in 2014.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The Tesla C2070 has a 238 W TDP and requires 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin power connectors, while the GTX 850M has a 45 W TDP and uses no external power connectors.

Q: Which GPU supports the Vulkan API?

A: The GTX 850M supports Vulkan 1.4, while the Tesla C2070 does not list Vulkan support in its specifications.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every major specification category.

• Process Node: The C2070 uses a 40 nm process, while the GTX 850M uses a 28 nm process.
• Transistors: The C2070 has 3,100 million transistors, the GTX 850M has 1,870 million.
• Die Size: The C2070 measures 529 mm², the GTX 850M measures 148 mm².
• Transistor Density: The C2070 has 5.9M / mm², the GTX 850M has 12.6M / mm².
• Memory Size: The C2070 has 6 GB, the GTX 850M has 2 GB.
• Memory Type: The C2070 uses GDDR5, the GTX 850M uses DDR3.
• Memory Bus Width: The C2070 has a 384-bit bus, the GTX 850M has a 128-bit bus.
• Memory Clock: The C2070 runs at 747 MHz (3 Gbps effective), the GTX 850M at 1001 MHz (2 Gbps effective).
• Memory Bandwidth: The C2070 provides 143.4 GB/s, the GTX 850M provides 32.03 GB/s.
• Shading Units: The C2070 has 448, the GTX 850M has 640.
• TMUs: The C2070 has 56, the GTX 850M has 40.
• ROPs: The C2070 has 48, the GTX 850M has 16.
• Pixel Rate: The C2070 achieves 16.07 GPixel/s, the GTX 850M achieves 14.43 GPixel/s.
• Texture Rate: The C2070 achieves 32.14 GTexel/s, the GTX 850M achieves 36.08 GTexel/s.
• FP32: The C2070 achieves 1,027.7 GFLOPS, the GTX 850M achieves 1,154.6 GFLOPS.
• TDP: The C2070 is rated at 238 W, the GTX 850M at 45 W.
• Slot Width: The C2070 is dual-slot, the GTX 850M is IGP (integrated graphics package).
• Power Connectors: The C2070 needs 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin, the GTX 850M needs none.
• Bus Interface: The C2070 uses PCIe 2.0 x16, the GTX 850M uses PCIe 3.0 x16.
• Display Outputs: The C2070 has 1x DVI, the GTX 850M is portable device dependent.
• Vulkan Support: The C2070 has none, the GTX 850M supports 1.4.
• Release Date: The C2070 was released in 2011-07-24, the GTX 850M in 2014-03-11.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The single head-to-head benchmark, geekbench_opencl, shows a narrow victory for the GTX 850M. The GTX 850M scores 9821, while the C2070 scores 9716. The delta is -1.1% from the perspective of the C2070, meaning the C2070 trails by just over one percent. This is a statistically insignificant margin, but it is a definitive win for the Maxwell-based mobile chip.

The surrounding data supports this result. The GTX 850M’s higher FP32 throughput (1,154.6 GFLOPS) aligns with its higher OpenCL score. The C2070’s lower FP32 (1,027.7 GFLOPS) explains its slightly lower score. The GTX 850M also has more shading units (640 versus 448), which can improve compute throughput in shader-heavy workloads.

However, the C2070 holds advantages in memory-centric metrics. Its pixel rate of 16.07 GPixel/s exceeds the GTX 850M’s 14.43 GPixel/s. Its texture rate of 32.14 GTexel/s is lower than the GTX 850M’s 36.08 GTexel/s, indicating the Maxwell chip is more efficient at texture work. The C2070’s massive memory bandwidth advantage (143.4 GB/s versus 32.03 GB/s) did not translate to an OpenCL win, suggesting the benchmark was not bandwidth-limited.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M wins in scenarios where compute density and power efficiency are paramount. Its 45 W TDP allows it to operate without external power connectors, making it suitable for portable devices. Its higher FP32 output and shading unit count give it an edge in general-purpose compute tasks and shader-heavy applications. The Vulkan 1.4 support also makes it more modern for API compatibility. The GTX 850M’s higher texture rate (36.08 GTexel/s) and superior transistor density (12.6M / mm²) point to better architectural efficiency.

The NVIDIA Tesla C2070 wins in scenarios requiring large memory pools and high bandwidth. Its 6 GB of GDDR5 memory is three times the capacity of the GTX 850M’s 2 GB, and its 143.4 GB/s bandwidth is over four times higher. This makes it suitable for large datasets, scientific computing, and workloads that exceed the 2 GB limit of the GTX 850M. The C2070 also has a higher pixel rate (16.07 GPixel/s) and double the ROP count (48 versus 16), which can benefit certain rendering pipelines. Its PCIe 2.0 interface is older, but the card’s dual-slot design with 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin connectors indicates it is built for sustained, high-power compute tasks in a desktop workstation. The C2070’s nearest rival, the Tesla M10, scores 9724, a 0.1% difference, placing it in a similar performance tier as the GTX 850M’s closest competitor, the GTX 465, which scores 9294. Ultimately, the GTX 850M is the better all-rounder for modern, power-conscious compute, while the C2070 is the specialist for memory-bound applications.