NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN X vs NVIDIA Tesla M60 Comparison

The Verdict

The benchmark database positions the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN X and NVIDIA Tesla M60 as two Maxwell 2.0 era accelerators with sharply different roles. The recorded data shows the TITAN X wins both head-to-head tests, with a 40.6% lead in Geekbench OpenCL and a 57% lead in Geekbench Vulkan. Its average benchmark score of 36,530 places it at the 80th percentile of all GPUs, while the Tesla M60 sits at the 75th percentile with an average of 30,490. For raw compute throughput, the TITAN X is the clear choice. However, the Tesla M60 is a server-oriented card with no display outputs, so it is not competing for the same buyer. The TITAN X targets desktop users who need a display output and high single-GPU performance. The Tesla M60 targets datacenter or virtualized environments where headless operation is expected. Given the data, the TITAN X is the pick for anyone who needs maximum measured performance in OpenCL and Vulkan workloads. The Tesla M60 is the pick only for systems that require a card without display outputs and can tolerate lower benchmark scores.

Where Each One Wins

The TITAN X wins every recorded benchmark comparison. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 41,471 against the Tesla M60's 29,506. In Geekbench Vulkan, it scores 49,397 against 31,473. The TITAN X also has a higher average benchmark score by 6,040 points. The Tesla M60 does not win any test in the head-to-head set. Its strengths lie elsewhere: it uses a smaller die (398 mm² versus 601 mm²), consumes 300 W versus 250 W, and has a higher boost clock of 1178 MHz versus 1089 MHz. But those figures do not translate into benchmark victories. The TITAN X wins on memory size (12 GB versus 8 GB), memory bandwidth (336.6 GB/s versus 160.4 GB/s), shading units (3072 versus 2048), texture mapping units (192 versus 128), and render output units (96 versus 64). It also has a higher base clock (1000 MHz versus 557 MHz). For any user prioritizing compute performance in the recorded tests, the TITAN X is the only winner.

Architecture Differences

Both cards use the Maxwell 2.0 architecture and are fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process. The TITAN X uses the GM200 chip, while the Tesla M60 uses the GM204 chip. The TITAN X packs 8,000 million transistors into a 601 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 13.3 million per mm². The Tesla M60 has 5,200 million transistors on a 398 mm² die, with a density of 13.1 million per mm². The TITAN X belongs to the GeForce 900 generation, while the Tesla M60 is part of the Tesla Maxwell (Mxx) generation. The TITAN X has 3072 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The Tesla M60 has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. Memory differs substantially: the TITAN X offers 12 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus with 336.6 GB/s bandwidth, while the Tesla M60 offers 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 160.4 GB/s bandwidth. Neither card has ray tracing cores or tensor cores. Both support DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The TITAN X has display outputs (1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.2), while the Tesla M60 has no outputs. The TITAN X requires a 6-pin plus 8-pin power connector and a 600 W suggested PSU, while the Tesla M60 requires a single 8-pin connector and a 700 W suggested PSU.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN X has an average benchmark score of 36,530, which is 6,040 points higher than the Tesla M60's average of 30,490.

Q: Does the Tesla M60 win any head-to-head benchmark?

A: No. The recorded head-to-head results show the TITAN X winning both Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan tests, with no wins recorded for the Tesla M60.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The TITAN X has a memory bandwidth of 336.6 GB/s, while the Tesla M60 has 160.4 GB/s. That is a difference of 176.2 GB/s in favor of the TITAN X.

Q: Which card has a higher boost clock?

A: The Tesla M60 has a higher boost clock of 1178 MHz compared to the TITAN X's 1089 MHz. However, the TITAN X has a higher base clock of 1000 MHz versus 557 MHz.

Q: Do both cards support the same APIs?

A: Yes. Both support DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: Which card has no display outputs?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla M60 has no display outputs, while the TITAN X includes 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.2 outputs.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded head-to-head data contains two tests. In Geekbench OpenCL, the TITAN X scores 41,471 versus the Tesla M60's 29,506. That is a 40.6% advantage. In Geekbench Vulkan, the TITAN X scores 49,397 versus 31,473, a 57% advantage. These are large margins. The Vulkan gap is especially wide, with the TITAN X outperforming by 17,924 points. The OpenCL gap is 11,965 points. The TITAN X's higher shading unit count (3072 versus 2048) and memory bandwidth (336.6 GB/s versus 160.4 GB/s) likely explain these results. The Tesla M60's higher boost clock does not compensate. The relative performance is also visible in the nearest rival data. The TITAN X's closest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 5300M, has an average score of 36,529, a 0% delta. The Tesla M60's closest rival, the NVIDIA CMP 70HX, has an average of 30,476, also a 0% delta. The TITAN X sits 6,040 points above the Tesla M60 in average score, which aligns with the head-to-head margins. The data shows a consistent performance gap across both API tests.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in several key specification fields. The chip is GM200 for the TITAN X and GM204 for the Tesla M60. Transistor count is 8,000 million versus 5,200 million. Die size is 601 mm² versus 398 mm². Transistor density is 13.3M per mm² versus 13.1M per mm². Base clock is 1000 MHz versus 557 MHz. Boost clock is 1089 MHz versus 1178 MHz. Memory clock is 1753 MHz (7 Gbps effective) versus 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective). Memory size is 12 GB versus 8 GB. Memory bus width is 384 bit versus 256 bit. Memory bandwidth is 336.6 GB/s versus 160.4 GB/s. Shading units are 3072 versus 2048. TMUs are 192 versus 128. ROPs are 96 versus 64. Pixel rate is 104.5 GPixel/s versus 75.39 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 209.1 GTexel/s versus 150.8 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 6.691 TFLOPS versus 4.825 TFLOPS. TDP is 250 W versus 300 W. Power connectors are 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin versus 1x 8-pin. Suggested PSU is 600 W versus 700 W. Display outputs are 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.2 versus no outputs. The TITAN X has a launch MSRP of 999 USD, while the Tesla M60 has no recorded launch MSRP. Dimensions are identical in length at 267 mm (10.5 inches), but the TITAN X has recorded height of 111 mm (4.4 inches) and width of 38 mm (1.5 inches), while the Tesla M60 has no recorded height or width. Both are dual-slot cards with PCIe 3.0 x16 interfaces. Both are end-of-life products. Release dates differ: the TITAN X launched on 2015-03-16, the Tesla M60 on 2015-08-29. The TITAN X's predecessor is GeForce 700 and successor is GeForce 10. The Tesla M60's predecessor is Tesla Kepler and successor is Tesla Pascal.