NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER vs NVIDIA Tesla K20m Comparison

# The Verdict

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the clear winner in every benchmark where both cards appear. The data shows the RTX 2060 SUPER scoring 76,957 in Geekbench OpenCL versus 16,241 for the Tesla K20m, a 78.9% advantage. In Geekbench Vulkan, the RTX 2060 SUPER posts 77,402 against 21,936, a 71.7% lead. The Tesla K20m holds no benchmark wins in this comparison. For any task involving compute or graphics workloads measured by these tests, the RTX 2060 SUPER is the only rational choice.

That said, the Tesla K20m is not without purpose. It launched with a 3,199 USD MSRP as a compute-oriented accelerator with no display outputs. The RTX 2060 SUPER launched at 399 USD and includes full display connectivity. The Tesla targets professional compute environments where its 5 GB GDDR5 memory and Kepler architecture serve specific workloads. The RTX 2060 SUPER targets general-purpose use with gaming, content creation, and compute. Choose the RTX 2060 SUPER for nearly everything. Choose the Tesla K20m only if you specifically need a legacy Kepler compute card with its particular memory configuration and no display output requirement.

# Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different NVIDIA architectures entirely. The Tesla K20m uses the GK110 chip on the Kepler architecture, built on a 28 nm process at TSMC with 7,080 million transistors on a 561 mm² die. The RTX 2060 SUPER uses the TU106 chip on the Turing architecture, built on a 12 nm process at TSMC with 10,800 million transistors on a 445 mm² die. The transistor density tells the story: the RTX 2060 SUPER packs 24.3M transistors per mm², nearly double the Tesla's 12.6M per mm².

The Kepler chip predates the Turing chip by over six years, and the architectural leap shows. The RTX 2060 SUPER includes 34 ray tracing cores and 272 tensor cores, features entirely absent from the Tesla K20m. These cores enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI workloads that the Kepler card cannot perform. The RTX 2060 SUPER also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the Tesla K20m only reaches DirectX 12 (11_0). Vulkan support also differs: the RTX 2060 SUPER supports Vulkan 1.4, whereas the Tesla K20m supports Vulkan 1.2.175.

Memory technology differs substantially. The Tesla K20m uses 5 GB of GDDR5 on a 320-bit bus, delivering 208.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 2060 SUPER uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s. The RTX 2060 SUPER achieves more than double the bandwidth despite a narrower bus, thanks to faster memory clocks. The Tesla's memory runs at 1300 MHz (5.2 Gbps effective), while the RTX 2060 SUPER runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The RTX 2060 SUPER also has explicit base and boost clocks of 1470 MHz and 1650 MHz, whereas the Tesla K20m lists no base or boost clock figures, only its memory clock.

# Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The available head-to-head data covers two compute-oriented tests, and the RTX 2060 SUPER dominates both. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 2060 SUPER scores 76,957 against the Tesla K20m's 16,241. That is a 78.9% delta in favor of the RTX 2060 SUPER. In Geekbench Vulkan, the RTX 2060 SUPER scores 77,402 against 21,936, a 71.7% delta. The RTX 2060 SUPER wins both matchups, giving it a 2-0 record in this comparison.

The magnitude of these wins matters. The RTX 2060 SUPER is not merely faster; it is roughly 4.7 times faster in OpenCL and about 3.5 times faster in Vulkan. The Tesla K20m's average benchmark score of 19,089 places it at the 64th percentile of all GPUs. The RTX 2060 SUPER's average of 18,093 places it at the 62nd percentile. The Tesla's higher percentile despite lower raw scores reflects its closer proximity to rival cards in its score range. The Tesla's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (19,049, 0.2% delta), AMD Radeon RX 6600 (19,036, 0.3% delta), and NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (19,030, 0.3% delta). The RTX 2060 SUPER's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile (18,159, -0.4% delta) and AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (18,189, -0.5% delta).

The RTX 2060 SUPER also has additional benchmark data beyond the head-to-head tests. It scores 2,011 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 16,462 in Passmark G3D, and 6,721 in Passmark GPU Compute. Its Passmark scores across DirectX versions show 111 in DirectX 10, 130 in DirectX 11, 61 in DirectX 12, and 218 in DirectX 9. The Tesla K20m has no corresponding data in these tests, so no direct comparison is possible. The RTX 2060 SUPER's FP32 throughput of 7.181 TFLOPS is more than double the Tesla's 3.524 TFLOPS, and its texture rate of 224.4 GTexel/s exceeds the Tesla's 146.8 GTexel/s. The RTX 2060 SUPER also delivers 105.6 GPixel/s pixel rate versus 36.71 GPixel/s for the Tesla.

# FAQ

Q: Which card has higher raw compute performance?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER delivers 7.181 TFLOPS FP32 versus 3.524 TFLOPS for the Tesla K20m. The RTX 2060 SUPER also offers 14.36 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1), while the Tesla K20m lists no FP16 capability.

Q: How do memory capacities and bandwidth compare?

A: The Tesla K20m has 5 GB GDDR5 on a 320-bit bus with 208.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 2060 SUPER has 8 GB GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 2060 SUPER has more capacity and more than double the bandwidth.

Q: Which card supports ray tracing?

A: Only the RTX 2060 SUPER supports ray tracing, with 34 RT cores. The Tesla K20m has no RT cores listed. The RTX 2060 SUPER also has 272 tensor cores for AI workloads, which the Tesla lacks.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The Tesla K20m has a 225 W TDP with a suggested 550 W PSU and requires 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin power connectors. The RTX 2060 SUPER has a 175 W TDP with a suggested 450 W PSU and requires a single 8-pin connector.

Q: Can the Tesla K20m output video to displays?

A: No. The Tesla K20m has no display outputs. The RTX 2060 SUPER includes 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C.

Q: How do the cards compare in their nearest rival context?

A: The Tesla K20m sits at the 64th percentile with an average score of 19,089, nearly matching the RTX 4050 Mobile (19,049, 0.2% delta). The RTX 2060 SUPER sits at the 62nd percentile with an average of 18,093, slightly behind the RTX 3060 Mobile (18,159, -0.4% delta).

# Where Each One Wins

The RTX 2060 SUPER wins in every measured benchmark category. It dominates in Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan, the only tests where both cards have scores. It offers more than double the FP32 throughput, nearly double the texture rate, and almost triple the pixel rate. It has more memory, faster memory, and additional compute features like RT cores and tensor cores. It supports newer DirectX and Vulkan versions, includes display outputs, and consumes less power with a lower suggested PSU. The RTX 2060 SUPER is also physically smaller at 229 mm length versus 267 mm for the Tesla.

The Tesla K20m wins only in specific niche scenarios based on its design characteristics. It has more shading units (2,496 versus 2,176) and more TMUs (208 versus 136). It has a wider memory bus at 320-bit versus 256-bit, though the RTX 2060 SUPER compensates with faster GDDR6 memory. The Tesla's higher transistor count on a larger die reflects its compute-focused design. Its 5 GB memory capacity, while smaller than the 8 GB on the RTX 2060 SUPER, may suit specific legacy workloads. The Tesla also has a higher percentile ranking at 64 versus 62, though its average score is lower. The Tesla launched with a 3,199 USD MSRP versus 399 USD for the RTX 2060 SUPER, reflecting different market positioning.

For practical purposes, the RTX 2060 SUPER is the card to buy for any modern workload. It wins on compute, graphics, memory, power efficiency, connectivity, and API support. The Tesla K20m is a legacy compute accelerator that should only be considered for specific Kepler-based compute tasks where its unique characteristics are required. The data does not support choosing the Tesla for general use.

# Specification Differences

The following fields differ between the two cards:

• Process Node: Tesla K20m 28 nm, RTX 2060 SUPER 12 nm
• Transistors: Tesla K20m 7,080 million, RTX 2060 SUPER 10,800 million
• Die Size: Tesla K20m 561 mm², RTX 2060 SUPER 445 mm²
• Transistor Density: Tesla K20m 12.6M/mm², RTX 2060 SUPER 24.3M/mm²
• Memory Clock: Tesla K20m 1300 MHz (5.2 Gbps effective), RTX 2060 SUPER 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective)
• Memory Size: Tesla K20m 5 GB, RTX 2060 SUPER 8 GB
• Memory Type: Tesla K20m GDDR5, RTX 2060 SUPER GDDR6
• Memory Bus: Tesla K20m 320-bit, RTX 2060 SUPER 256-bit
• Memory Bandwidth: Tesla K20m 208.0 GB/s, RTX 2060 SUPER 448.0 GB/s
• Shading Units: Tesla K20m 2,496, RTX 2060 SUPER 2,176
• TMUs: Tesla K20m 208, RTX 2060 SUPER 136
• ROPs: Tesla K20m 40, RTX 2060 SUPER 64
• RT Cores: Tesla K20m none, RTX 2060 SUPER 34
• Tensor Cores: Tesla K20m none, RTX 2060 SUPER 272
• Pixel Rate: Tesla K20m 36.71 GPixel/s, RTX 2060 SUPER 105.6 GPixel/s
• Texture Rate: Tesla K20m 146.8 GTexel/s, RTX 2060 SUPER 224.4 GTexel/s
• FP32: Tesla K20m 3.524 TFLOPS, RTX 2060 SUPER 7.181 TFLOPS
• FP16: Tesla K20m none, RTX 2060 SUPER 14.36 TFLOPS (2:1)
• TDP: Tesla K20m 225 W, RTX 2060 SUPER 175 W
• Power Connectors: Tesla K20m 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin, RTX 2060 SUPER 1x 8-pin
• Suggested PSU: Tesla K20m 550 W, RTX 2060 SUPER 450 W
• Bus Interface: Tesla K20m PCIe 2.0 x16, RTX 2060 SUPER PCIe 3.0 x16
• Display Outputs: Tesla K20m none, RTX 2060 SUPER 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1x USB Type-C
• DirectX Support: Tesla K20m 12 (11_0), RTX 2060 SUPER 12 Ultimate (12_2)
• Vulkan Support: Tesla K20m 1.2.175, RTX 2060 SUPER 1.4
• Dimensions: Tesla K20m 267 mm / 10.5 inches, RTX 2060 SUPER 229 mm / 9 inches
• Release Date: Tesla K20m January 2013, RTX 2060 SUPER July 2019
• Launch MSRP: Tesla K20m 3,199 USD, RTX 2060 SUPER 399 USD