NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER vs NVIDIA Tesla K40m Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER and the NVIDIA Tesla K40m represent two distinct eras of GPU design, separated by nearly six years of architectural evolution. The data available for direct comparison is limited, but it is decisive. In the sole head-to-head benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 2070 SUPER scores 83,358 points against the Tesla K40m's 19,885 points. This translates to a 319.2% advantage for the newer card, a gap so wide it underscores the generational chasm between the two products. While the Tesla K40m was a professional compute workhorse in its day, the benchmark results indicate the RTX 2070 SUPER completely outclasses it in raw compute throughput.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only common benchmark result between these two GPUs is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the outcome is overwhelmingly one-sided. The RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a score of 83,358, while the Tesla K40m manages 19,885. This represents a 319.2% advantage for the RTX 2070 SUPER, meaning it is over four times faster in this specific compute workload. This is not a marginal victory; it is a complete rout that speaks to the massive architectural and clock speed improvements made between 2013 and 2019.

The delta is so large that it dwarfs the differences seen in each card's own nearest rival comparisons. The RTX 2070 SUPER's average benchmark score of 20,282 places it within 1.5% of rivals like the Intel Arc A750 (20,582) and just 1% behind the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20,480). In contrast, the Tesla K40m's average score of 19,885 places it in a virtual tie with the AMD FirePro W7000 (19,905, a -0.1% delta) and slightly ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT (19,765, a 0.6% delta). These close margins highlight that the K40m is competitive with mid-range GPUs from its own generation, but the RTX 2070 SUPER is competing in an entirely different performance tier, as evidenced by its 319.2% head-to-head lead.

Architecture Differences

The fundamental divide between these two cards is their underlying architecture. The RTX 2070 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture, utilizing the TU104 chip manufactured on a 12 nm process at TSMC. In contrast, the Tesla K40m is based on the much older Kepler architecture, using the GK110B chip on a 28 nm process, also from TSMC. This process node difference alone is significant, allowing the RTX 2070 SUPER to pack 13,600 million transistors into a 545 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 25.0M / mm². The Tesla K40m, with its larger 561 mm² die, houses only 7,080 million transistors, resulting in a much lower density of 12.6M / mm². This means the newer chip fits nearly twice the transistors into a similar physical space.

The architectural leap from Kepler to Turing also brings fundamental feature differences. The RTX 2070 SUPER is equipped with 40 dedicated ray tracing cores and 320 tensor cores, hardware that is entirely absent from the Tesla K40m. This is a generational shift, enabling features like real-time ray tracing and AI-accelerated workloads that the Kepler architecture cannot physically support. Furthermore, the RTX 2070 SUPER supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the Tesla K40m is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1). Both cards support OpenGL 4.6, but the RTX 2070 SUPER boasts Vulkan 1.4 support compared to the K40m's older Vulkan 1.2.175. The RTX 2070 SUPER also has a significant clock speed advantage, with a base clock of 1605 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz, versus the K40m's much lower base of 745 MHz and boost of 876 MHz.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is dramatically faster, scoring 83,358 compared to the Tesla K40m's 19,885. This gives the RTX 2070 SUPER a 319.2% performance advantage in this test.

Q: Does the Tesla K40m support ray tracing?

A: No. The Tesla K40m is based on the Kepler architecture and has no ray tracing cores. The RTX 2070 SUPER, on the other hand, is equipped with 40 dedicated RT cores.

Q: What are the memory specifications for each card?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Tesla K40m has 12 GB of GDDR5 memory on a wider 384-bit bus, but its bandwidth is lower at 288.4 GB/s.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 20,282, while the Tesla K40m has an average score of 19,885. Despite the huge gap in the single OpenCL test, their overall averages are relatively close, likely due to the limited dataset for the K40m.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER has a much higher transistor density at 25.0M / mm², compared to the Tesla K40m's 12.6M / mm². This is due to its more advanced 12 nm manufacturing process versus the K40m's 28 nm process.

Q: What is the difference in thermal design power (TDP)?

A: The Tesla K40m has a higher TDP of 245 W, while the RTX 2070 SUPER has a lower TDP of 215 W, despite being significantly faster. Both cards suggest a 550 W power supply.

Specification Differences

The following table outlines the key specifications where the two GPUs differ.

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER | NVIDIA Tesla K40m |

| :--- | :--- | :--- |

| Architecture | Turing | Kepler |

| Chip | TU104 | GK110B |

| Process Node | 12 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 13,600 million | 7,080 million |

| Die Size | 545 mm² | 561 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 25.0M / mm² | 12.6M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1605 MHz | 745 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1770 MHz | 876 MHz |

| Memory | 8 GB GDDR6 | 12 GB GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus | 256 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Clock | 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) | 1502 MHz (6 Gbps effective) |

| Bandwidth | 448.0 GB/s | 288.4 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2560 | 2880 |

| TMUs | 160 | 240 |

| ROPs | 64 | 48 |

| RT Cores | 40 | None |

| Tensor Cores | 320 | None |

| Pixel Rate | 113.3 GPixel/s | 52.56 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 283.2 GTexel/s | 210.2 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 9.062 TFLOPS | 5.046 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 18.12 TFLOPS (2:1) | None |

| TDP | 215 W | 245 W |

| DirectX Support | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (11_1) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | 1.2.175 |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort, 1x USB Type-C | No outputs |

| Dimensions (Width) | 35 mm | Not specified |

| Launch MSRP | 499 USD | 7,699 USD |

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 2070 SUPER is the clear winner in the only direct benchmark comparison, the Geekbench OpenCL test, by a margin of 319.2%. Its architectural features also give it wins in areas the K40m cannot compete, such as ray tracing and tensor core workloads. It also boasts higher pixel and texture rates, with 113.3 GPixel/s and 283.2 GTexel/s respectively, compared to the K40m's 52.56 GPixel/s and 210.2 GTexel/s. The RTX 2070 SUPER's FP32 performance of 9.062 TFLOPS is nearly double the K40m's 5.046 TFLOPS, and it uniquely offers FP16 performance at 18.12 TFLOPS, a feature the K40m lacks entirely.

The Tesla K40m's advantages are more niche. It offers a larger memory pool of 12 GB compared to 8 GB, which could be beneficial for certain large datasets that fit within its 384-bit bus. It also has more shading units (2880 vs 2560) and more texture mapping units (240 vs 160), though these advantages are completely nullified by its much lower clock speeds and older architecture in practice. The K40m's only real "win" is in its raw memory capacity, but the RTX 2070 SUPER's GDDR6 memory provides significantly higher bandwidth (448.0 GB/s vs 288.4 GB/s), making the K40m's capacity advantage less compelling for most tasks.

The Verdict

For virtually any compute or graphics workload, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is the superior choice based on the data. The 319.2% lead in Geekbench OpenCL is a staggering indicator of its overall performance dominance. Its modern Turing architecture brings features like ray tracing and tensor cores, which are simply non-existent on the Tesla K40m. The RTX 2070 SUPER achieves this higher performance while also consuming less power (215 W vs 245 W) and offering display outputs, making it a far more versatile and practical card. Its lower launch MSRP of 499 USD, compared to the K40m's 7,699 USD, further reinforces its position as the more sensible option.

The Tesla K40m, despite its higher launch price, is only competitive with much older mid-range cards, as shown by its near-tie with the AMD FirePro W7000 in average benchmark score. Its 12 GB of memory is its only notable advantage, but the significantly lower bandwidth and compute performance limit its usefulness. The data suggests that the K40m is a relic of a bygone era, suitable only for very specific legacy compute tasks where its larger memory pool is a hard requirement and performance is not a priority. The RTX 2070 SUPER is the definitive winner, offering a massive performance uplift, modern features, and lower power consumption.