NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti vs NVIDIA Tesla M60 Comparison

The NVIDIA Tesla M60 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti represent two distinct eras of GPU design, with the former built for datacenter compute and the latter for high-end consumer graphics. While both cards are end-of-life products, their benchmark data reveals a stark performance gap. The RTX 2080 Ti decisively outperforms the Tesla M60 in the available head-to-head tests, leveraging its newer architecture and significantly higher specifications.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The data available for direct comparison consists of two compute-focused tests: Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan. In both instances, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti emerges as the clear winner, with the Tesla M60 trailing by a substantial margin.

In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RTX 2080 Ti scores 128,171, while the Tesla M60 manages only 29,506. This translates to a delta of -77% for the M60, meaning the RTX 2080 Ti is approximately 4.3 times faster in this workload. This is a massive generational leap, reflecting the fundamental differences in compute capability between the two cards. The RTX 2080 Ti's FP32 throughput of 13.45 TFLOPS dwarfs the M60's 4.825 TFLOPS, directly contributing to this dominant result.

Similarly, in the Geekbench Vulkan test, the RTX 2080 Ti scores 132,930 against the M60's 31,473, a delta of -76.3%. This consistent performance gap across both OpenCL and Vulkan APIs indicates that the RTX 2080 Ti's advantage is not limited to a single compute framework but is a systemic property of its design. The M60's average benchmark score of 30,490 places it in the 75th percentile of all GPUs, a solid position, but the RTX 2080 Ti's average score of 29,783 is lower than the M60's average, despite winning the head-to-head tests. This is because the RTX 2080 Ti's average is pulled down by its inclusion of a broader range of tests, including legacy DirectX 9 and 10 benchmarks where its modern architecture may not excel, whereas the M60 only has the two Geekbench scores in its profile. The RTX 2080 Ti's nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile, has an average score of 29,928 with a delta of -0.5%, indicating the 2080 Ti is essentially on par with this newer mobile part in aggregate.

Architecture Differences

The architectural chasm between these two GPUs is profound. The Tesla M60 is built on the Maxwell 2.0 architecture using the GM204 chip, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. This older node results in a transistor count of 5,200 million on a 398 mm² die, yielding a density of 13.1M transistors per mm². In contrast, the RTX 2080 Ti is based on the Turing architecture with the TU102 chip, built on a much more advanced 12 nm process, also at TSMC. This allows for a massive 18,600 million transistors on a 754 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 24.7M per mm².

The core configurations differ dramatically. The M60 has 2,048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The RTX 2080 Ti more than doubles this with 4,352 shading units, 272 TMUs, and 88 ROPs. Furthermore, the RTX 2080 Ti includes dedicated hardware that the M60 lacks entirely: 68 RT cores for ray tracing and 544 tensor cores for AI-accelerated workloads. This makes the RTX 2080 Ti a feature-rich card supporting DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), whereas the M60 is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1). The M60 also lacks any display outputs, reinforcing its server-oriented role, while the RTX 2080 Ti provides a full suite of connectivity options including HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4a, and USB Type-C.

Memory subsystems are also generations apart. The M60 uses 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 160.4 GB/s. The RTX 2080 Ti uses 11 GB of GDDR6 on a 352-bit bus, delivering a much higher 616.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This 3.8x increase in memory bandwidth is crucial for high-resolution textures and compute workloads that are memory-bound. The M60's memory clock is listed as 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective), while the RTX 2080 Ti's memory runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), further widening the gap in raw data throughput.

The Verdict

From the data, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti is the unequivocally superior performer for any compute task that scales with raw GPU throughput. Its wins in both OpenCL and Vulkan are by margins of 77% and 76.3%, respectively, which is a decisive and consistent lead. The RTX 2080 Ti's higher shading unit count, TMUs, ROPs, and memory bandwidth, combined with its newer Turing architecture, give it a fundamental advantage that the older Maxwell-based M60 cannot overcome.

The Tesla M60, however, is not without its place. Its 75th percentile ranking and average score of 30,490 are respectable, placing it in the same performance tier as the NVIDIA CMP 70HX (average score 30,476) and the AMD Radeon RX 6700 (average score 30,433). Its lack of display outputs and lower power draw of 300 W (compared to the RTX 2080 Ti's 250 W) suggest it was designed for specific server-side tasks where its dual-chip design and lower transistor density were adequate. For users needing a modern, high-performance GPU with the capability to handle the latest graphics APIs and ray tracing, the RTX 2080 Ti is the only choice based on this data. The M60 should be considered only if its specific compute profile and server-oriented features (like the lack of display outputs and single 8-pin power connector) are a strict requirement.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla M60 has a higher average benchmark score of 30,490, compared to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti's average of 29,783.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 2080 Ti in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The RTX 2080 Ti scores 128,171 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 77% higher than the Tesla M60's score of 29,506.

Q: What is the difference in memory bandwidth between the two cards?

A: The RTX 2080 Ti has a memory bandwidth of 616.0 GB/s, while the Tesla M60 has a bandwidth of 160.4 GB/s.

Q: Does the Tesla M60 support ray tracing?

A: No, the Tesla M60 does not have any RT cores. The RTX 2080 Ti includes 68 RT cores for ray tracing.

Q: What is the transistor density difference?

A: The RTX 2080 Ti has a transistor density of 24.7M per mm², while the Tesla M60 has a density of 13.1M per mm².

Q: Which card has a higher base clock?

A: The RTX 2080 Ti has a base clock of 1350 MHz, which is significantly higher than the Tesla M60's base clock of 557 MHz.

Where Each One Wins

Based strictly on the benchmark data, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti wins in all directly comparable compute benchmarks. It is the clear victor in both Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan tests, with deltas of -77% and -76.3% for the Tesla M60. This advantage is rooted in its architectural superiority, including more shading units (4,352 vs 2,048), a higher boost clock (1545 MHz vs 1178 MHz), and over three times the memory bandwidth (616.0 GB/s vs 160.4 GB/s). It also has the capability for advanced features like ray tracing and tensor-based AI workloads, which the M60 cannot perform.

The NVIDIA Tesla M60's wins are more nuanced. While it loses the head-to-head compute tests, its average benchmark score of 30,490 is higher than the RTX 2080 Ti's average of 29,783. This suggests that in the specific set of benchmarks used to calculate the average, the M60 performs more consistently. Its nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA CMP 70HX and AMD Radeon RX 6700, are within a 0.2% delta of its average score, indicating it sits in a competitive performance tier for its generation. The M60 also has a lower TDP of 300 W compared to the RTX 2080 Ti's 250 W, but it uses a single 8-pin power connector instead of the RTX 2080 Ti's dual 8-pin connectors, which might simplify power cabling in specific server environments. Its lack of display outputs also makes it suitable for headless compute nodes where a display interface is unnecessary.

Specification Differences

This section lists only the fields where the two GPUs differ, based on the provided data.

| Specification | NVIDIA Tesla M60 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti |

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

| Series | null | GeForce 20-series |

| Chip | GM204 | TU102 |

| Architecture | Maxwell 2.0 | Turing |

| Generation | Tesla Maxwell (Mxx) | GeForce 20 |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 12 nm |

| Transistors | 5,200 million | 18,600 million |

| Die Size | 398 mm² | 754 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 13.1M / mm² | 24.7M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 557 MHz | 1350 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1178 MHz | 1545 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective) | 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 8 GB | 11 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus Width | 256 bit | 352 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 160.4 GB/s | 616.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2048 | 4352 |

| TMUs | 128 | 272 |

| ROPs | 64 | 88 |

| RT Cores | null | 68 |

| Tensor Cores | null | 544 |

| Pixel Rate | 75.39 GPixel/s | 136.0 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 150.8 GTexel/s | 420.2 GTexel/s |

| FP32 (float) | 4.825 TFLOPS | 13.45 TFLOPS |

| FP16 (half) | null | 26.90 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 300 W | 250 W |

| Power Connectors | 1x 8-pin | 2x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 700 W | 600 W |

| Display Outputs | No outputs | 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1x USB Type-C |

| DirectX Version | 12 (12_1) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| Height | null | 116 mm (4.6 inches) |

| Width | null | 35 mm (1.4 inches) |

| Release Date | 2015-08-29 | 2018-09-19 |

| Predecessor | Tesla Kepler | GeForce 10 |

| Successor | Tesla Pascal | GeForce 30 |

| Launch MSRP | null | 999 USD |

| Geekbench OpenCL Score | 29506 | 128171 |

| Geekbench Vulkan Score | 31473 | 132930 |