NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M vs NVIDIA Tesla M10 Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M and the NVIDIA Tesla M10 represent two distinct philosophies from the same manufacturer, separated by two years of architectural evolution. The data shows a clear, if narrow, victory for the mobile-focused GTX 870M in raw compute benchmarks, but the Tesla M10 counters with a substantially larger memory pool and a different performance profile. This comparison is less about a single winner and more about which set of trade-offs suits a specific workload.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and it decisively favors the older mobile chip. The GTX 870M scores 12,630, while the Tesla M10 scores 10,318. This represents a 22.4% advantage for the GTX 870M, a significant margin that suggests the Kepler-based chip's higher shading unit count and wider memory bus translate into superior raw compute throughput in this particular test.

The gap is substantial enough to warrant scrutiny. The GTX 870M achieves this despite having a lower base clock (941 MHz vs 1033 MHz) and a much lower boost clock (967 MHz vs 1306 MHz). This implies that the architectural differences, specifically the GTX 870M's 1,344 shading units versus the Tesla M10's 640, are the dominant factor. The GTX 870M also has 112 texture mapping units and 24 ROPs, compared to 40 TMUs and 16 ROPs on the Tesla M10, reinforcing the idea that the mobile chip is simply a wider, more parallel design.

Looking at the broader benchmark context, the GTX 870M achieves an average benchmark score of 9,959 across all tested workloads, placing it at the 48th percentile of all GPUs. The Tesla M10, with an average score of 9,724, sits just below at the 47th percentile. The delta between their average scores is only 2.4%, which is far smaller than the 22.4% gap seen in the OpenCL test. This suggests that the GTX 870M's advantage is not uniform across all applications, and the Tesla M10 may be more competitive in other types of workloads not captured in the head-to-head data.

The Tesla M10 does have a data point the GTX 870M lacks: a Geekbench Vulkan score of 9,130. While this cannot be directly compared, its existence indicates that the Maxwell architecture in the Tesla M10 supports Vulkan 1.4, whereas the GTX 870M is limited to Vulkan 1.2.175. This could be a meaningful advantage for the Tesla M10 in modern applications that leverage newer graphics APIs.

Where Each One Wins

Based on the available data, the GTX 870M is the clear winner in the single compute benchmark that directly compares the two. Its 22.4% lead in OpenCL performance makes it the superior choice for tasks that are heavily parallel and depend on shader throughput. This would include general-purpose GPU computing, rendering, and other workloads that can utilize the full breadth of its 1,344 shaders.

The Tesla M10's wins are not in raw performance but in capacity and feature support. Its 8 GB of GDDR5 memory is more than double the GTX 870M's 3 GB. While the Tesla M10's memory bandwidth is lower at 83.20 GB/s compared to 120.0 GB/s, the sheer capacity allows it to hold larger datasets, textures, or models in memory without spilling to slower storage. For workloads that are memory-bound rather than compute-bound, this capacity advantage could be decisive.

The Tesla M10 also wins on API support, specifically Vulkan. Its support for Vulkan 1.4 versus the GTX 870M's Vulkan 1.2.175 means it can run applications built on newer graphics standards. This is a forward-looking advantage, as the GTX 870M may struggle with software that requires features introduced in later Vulkan revisions. The Tesla M10's higher boost clock of 1306 MHz, compared to the GTX 870M's 967 MHz, also suggests it can ramp up to higher frequencies under load, potentially improving performance in bursty or lightly threaded workloads.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures. The GTX 870M is based on the Kepler architecture, using the GK104 chip, while the Tesla M10 uses the Maxwell architecture with the GM107 chip. Both are manufactured on the same 28 nm process at TSMC, but their designs diverge significantly.

The GTX 870M's GK104 is a large chip, measuring 294 mm² and containing 3,540 million transistors. This results in a transistor density of 12.0 million per mm². The Tesla M10's GM107 is much smaller at 148 mm², with 1,870 million transistors, giving it a slightly higher density of 12.6 million per mm². This indicates that Maxwell is a more efficient design, packing more transistors into a smaller area.

The most obvious difference is in compute resources. The GTX 870M has more than double the shading units (1,344 vs 640), nearly triple the TMUs (112 vs 40), and 50% more ROPs (24 vs 16). This is a massive difference in parallel processing capability. The GTX 870M also has a wider 192-bit memory bus, compared to the Tesla M10's 128-bit bus, which explains its higher memory bandwidth despite lower effective memory clocks (5 Gbps vs 5.2 Gbps).

The Tesla M10 compensates with a different memory configuration and clock strategy. It has more memory (8 GB vs 3 GB), a higher base clock (1033 MHz vs 941 MHz), and a significantly higher boost clock (1306 MHz vs 967 MHz). The Tesla M10 also features a 1x 8-pin power connector and a 550 W suggested PSU, while the GTX 870M is a portable MXM module with no power connectors. The Tesla M10 is a dual-slot card measuring 267 mm in length, whereas the GTX 870M's dimensions are listed as "Portable Device Dependent." The Tesla M10 also has no display outputs, while the GTX 870M's outputs are also portable-device dependent. Both support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in raw compute performance?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M is significantly faster in the Geekbench OpenCL test, scoring 12,630 against the Tesla M10's 10,318, a 22.4% advantage.

Q: Does the Tesla M10 have any performance advantage over the GTX 870M?

A: In the direct head-to-head benchmark, no. The GTX 870M wins the only shared test. However, the Tesla M10 has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 9,130, for which the GTX 870M has no comparable result.

Q: How much more memory does the Tesla M10 have?

A: The Tesla M10 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory, which is over 2.5 times the 3 GB found on the GTX 870M.

Q: What are the core clock speeds of each GPU?

A: The GTX 870M has a base clock of 941 MHz and a boost clock of 967 MHz. The Tesla M10 has a base clock of 1033 MHz and a boost clock of 1306 MHz.

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The GTX 870M has a slightly higher average benchmark score of 9,959, compared to the Tesla M10's 9,724. The GTX 870M also has a 48th percentile ranking, versus the Tesla M10's 47th.

Q: What are the power requirements for the Tesla M10?

A: The Tesla M10 has a TDP of 225 W and requires a 1x 8-pin power connector, with a suggested PSU of 550 W. The GTX 870M has a lower TDP of 100 W and uses an MXM module with no power connectors.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear choice. For users who prioritize raw compute throughput and shader performance, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M is the superior option. Its 22.4% lead in OpenCL and higher average benchmark score demonstrate a decisive advantage in parallel processing. Its 120.0 GB/s memory bandwidth also suggests better performance in memory-intensive compute tasks, despite its smaller 3 GB capacity.

The NVIDIA Tesla M10 is the better choice for specific use cases that value memory capacity and modern API support over raw compute speed. Its 8 GB of memory is the standout feature, allowing it to handle larger datasets that would not fit in the GTX 870M's 3 GB frame buffer. The Tesla M10's support for Vulkan 1.4 also makes it more future-proof for applications that adopt newer graphics standards. Its lower average score of 9,724 and 47th percentile ranking indicate it is broadly comparable to the GTX 870M in overall performance, but its specific strengths lie elsewhere.

The GTX 870M is for those who need maximum compute performance and are constrained by a mobile form factor. The Tesla M10 is for server or workstation environments where memory capacity and API compatibility are more critical than peak shader throughput. The 22.4% delta in the head-to-head test is the defining statistic, but it does not tell the whole story. The Tesla M10's larger memory pool and superior Vulkan support are qualitative advantages that the benchmark numbers do not fully capture. Both GPUs are end-of-life products, but they serve different masters.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M | NVIDIA Tesla M10 |

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

| Architecture | Kepler | Maxwell |

| Chip | GK104 | GM107 |

| Transistors | 3,540 million | 1,870 million |

| Die Size | 294 mm² | 148 mm² |

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

| Base Clock | 941 MHz | 1033 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 967 MHz | 1306 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective) | 1300 MHz (5.2 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 3 GB | 8 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 192 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 120.0 GB/s | 83.20 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1344 | 640 |

| TMUs | 112 | 40 |

| ROPs | 24 | 16 |

| Pixel Rate | 27.08 GPixel/s | 20.90 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 108.3 GTexel/s | 52.24 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 2.599 TFLOPS | 1.672 TFLOPS |

| TDP | 100 W | 225 W |

| Slot Width | MXM Module | Dual-slot |

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

| Suggested PSU | N/A | 550 W |

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

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | No outputs |

| Vulkan | 1.2.175 | 1.4 |

| Release Date | 2014-03-11 | 2016-05-17 |

| Predecessor | GeForce 700M | Tesla Kepler |

| Successor | GeForce 900M | Tesla Pascal |

| Production Status | End-of-life | End-of-life |