NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 vs NVIDIA Tesla K20m Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The GeForce RTX 2080 and the Tesla K20m share an NVIDIA badge, but the recorded data shows they occupy completely different performance tiers. The head-to-head comparison in the database includes two compute-oriented workloads, and the RTX 2080 dominates both by a wide margin.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 2080 scores 91,313 points against the Tesla K20m's 16,241 points. That is a 462.2% advantage, meaning the RTX 2080 delivers more than five times the raw OpenCL throughput of the older Tesla board. The gap is slightly smaller but still overwhelming in Geekbench Vulkan, where the RTX 2080 posts 107,797 points versus 21,936 points for the K20m, a 391.4% lead. These are not close contests; they are generational blowouts.

The RTX 2080 wins both recorded head-to-head tests, giving it a 2-0 record in the database's comparative suite. The Tesla K20m, by contrast, fails to take a single test. However, the K20m's average benchmark score of 19,089 places it in the 64th percentile of all GPUs, which is not negligible for a compute card from its era. The RTX 2080, with an average score of 22,895, sits in the 68th percentile. The percentile difference is modest, but the absolute score gap in these two tests is enormous.

Looking at the nearest rivals for each card adds context. The RTX 2080's closest competitor in the database is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, which averages 23,172 points, a delta of -1.2% relative to the RTX 2080. The Intel Arc B580 (23,021 points) and AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (23,061 points) are also within a percentage point. The RTX 2080 essentially trades blows with those cards, sitting just 0.5% behind the Arc B580 and 0.7% behind the RX 580 2048SP. It edges the RTX 4060 Mobile by 0.7%. These are tight margins, indicating that the RTX 2080 remains competitive with much newer hardware in average scoring.

The Tesla K20m's nearest rivals tell a different story. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 averages 19,164 points, just 0.4% ahead of the K20m. The GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (19,049 points) and AMD Radeon RX 6600 (19,036 points) are essentially tied with the K20m, sitting 0.2% and 0.3% behind respectively. The Quadro K6000 matches at 19,030 points. So while the K20m is ancient by consumer GPU standards, the database places it in the same average-performance bracket as some modern mobile and entry-level desktop cards.

The delta percentages in the head-to-head tests are the clearest summary: 462.2% and 391.4% both favor the RTX 2080. No other comparison in the database approaches that scale of difference between these two specific products. The RTX 2080 is not merely faster; it is in a different performance class entirely.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 2080 wins every benchmark category where both cards have recorded data. In Geekbench OpenCL, its 91,313 points dwarf the K20m's 16,241. In Geekbench Vulkan, its 107,797 points crush the K20m's 21,936. The RTX 2080 also has a much broader benchmark footprint in the database, with scores recorded across 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, Passmark DirectX 10, 11, 12, and 9, Passmark G2D, G3D, and GPU Compute. The Tesla K20m has no recorded results in any of those tests, so comparisons are limited to the two Geekbench workloads.

For gaming and DirectX workloads, the RTX 2080 is the only card with data. Its Passmark DirectX 12 score of 72 and DirectX 11 score of 158 show it can handle modern API workloads, while its Passmark G3D score of 18,720 indicates strong general 3D performance. The K20m has no display outputs, making it unsuitable for gaming in any practical sense, and the database reflects that with no DirectX results.

Where the K20m still holds relevance is in its average score relative to its nearest rivals. The K20m's 19,089 average is within 0.4% of the GTX 780 and within 0.3% of the RX 6600. For a compute card released in the Tesla Kepler generation, that is a respectable showing. It is also notably the K20m's FP32 throughput is 3.524 TFLOPS, and while that is far below the RTX 2080's 10.07 TFLOPS, it was a meaningful figure for its time.

The RTX 2080, meanwhile, shows strength across both compute and graphics. Its Geekbench Vulkan score of 107,797 is particularly notable, as Vulkan is a modern cross-platform API that benefits from the Turing architecture's feature set. The K20m's Vulkan score of 21,936, while far lower, still demonstrates that the card can run Vulkan workloads, just at a fraction of the performance.

In terms of use cases, the RTX 2080 is the clear choice for anyone needing both graphics and compute performance. The K20m, with no display outputs and no DirectX 12 Ultimate support, is limited to compute-only roles. Its API support includes DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175, so it is not entirely obsolete, but its performance ceiling is far lower.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different eras of NVIDIA design. The RTX 2080 uses the TU104 chip built on a 12 nm process at TSMC, while the Tesla K20m uses the GK110 chip on a 28 nm process, also at TSMC. The transistor counts reflect the generational leap: the RTX 2080 packs 13,600 million transistors on a 545 mm² die, giving a density of 25.0 million transistors per square millimeter. The K20m has 7,080 million transistors on a slightly larger 561 mm² die, yielding just 12.6 million transistors per square millimeter. The RTX 2080 nearly doubles the transistor density despite the smaller die.

The architectural families are Turing versus Kepler. Turing introduces dedicated ray tracing cores and tensor cores, which the RTX 2080 implements with 46 RT cores and 368 tensor cores. The Kepler-based K20m has neither, as those features did not exist in its generation. The RTX 2080 also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the K20m is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0). Vulkan support also differs: the RTX 2080 runs Vulkan 1.4, the K20m runs 1.2.175.

Memory configurations diverge sharply. The RTX 2080 has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The K20m has 5 GB of GDDR5 on a 320-bit bus, with 208.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Despite the K20m's wider bus, the RTX 2080 more than doubles the bandwidth thanks to faster memory. The RTX 2080's memory runs at 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective speed, while the K20m's memory runs at 1300 MHz with 5.2 Gbps effective.

Compute resources show a mixed picture. The RTX 2080 has 2,944 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. The K20m has 2,496 shading units, 208 TMUs, and 40 ROPs. The K20m actually has more TMUs, but the RTX 2080 wins on shading units and ROPs. The pixel rate tells the story: 109.4 GPixel/s for the RTX 2080 versus 36.71 GPixel/s for the K20m. Texture rate is 314.6 GTexel/s versus 146.8 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 10.07 TFLOPS versus 3.524 TFLOPS. The RTX 2080 also supports FP16 at 20.14 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, while the K20m has no FP16 capability listed.

Power and connectivity differ as well. The RTX 2080 has a TDP of 215 W, the K20m is rated at 225 W, so the newer card is more power-efficient despite delivering far more performance. Both use dual-slot designs and require a 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin power connector, with a 550 W suggested PSU. The RTX 2080 uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the K20m uses PCIe 2.0 x16. The RTX 2080 has display outputs (1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1x USB Type-C), while the K20m has no outputs at all.

Physical dimensions are nearly identical in length: both cards measure 267 mm or 10.5 inches. The RTX 2080 is 116 mm in height and 35 mm in width, while the K20m's height and width are not recorded. Release dates are far apart: the K20m launched in January 2013, the RTX 2080 in September 2018. Both are now end-of-life products.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the RTX 2080 than the Tesla K20m in OpenCL?

A: The RTX 2080 scores 91,313 points in Geekbench OpenCL versus 16,241 for the K20m, a 462.2% advantage.

Q: Does the Tesla K20m support modern APIs?

A: Yes, but at older versions. The K20m supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The RTX 2080 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4.

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

A: The RTX 2080 has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. The K20m has 5 GB of GDDR5 on a 320-bit bus with 208.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Can the Tesla K20m be used for gaming?

A: No. The K20m has no display outputs, making it unsuitable for gaming. The RTX 2080 has HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4a, and USB Type-C outputs.

Q: How do these cards compare to their nearest rivals in average score?

A: The RTX 2080 averages 22,895 points, within 1.2% of the RTX 3080 and within 0.7% of the RX 580 2048SP. The K20m averages 19,089 points, within 0.4% of the GTX 780.

Q: Which card has more shading units and TMUs?

A: The RTX 2080 has 2,944 shading units and 184 TMUs. The K20m has 2,496 shading units but 208 TMUs, so the K20m has more texture mapping units.

The Verdict

The data points to a straightforward conclusion: the GeForce RTX 2080 is the superior product in every measured category. Its 462.2% lead in OpenCL and 391.4% lead in Vulkan are decisive, and its average benchmark score of 22,895 places it in the 68th percentile of all GPUs, compared to the K20m's 19,089 and 64th percentile. The RTX 2080 also offers modern features like ray tracing cores, tensor cores, FP16 support, and DirectX 12 Ultimate, none of which exist on the K20m.

The Tesla K20m is not without merit. Its average score sits within 0.4% of the GTX 780 and within 0.3% of the RX 6600, meaning it can still hold its own against certain mid-range cards from later generations. Its 5 GB of GDDR5 memory and 208.0 GB/s bandwidth, along with 3.524 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, make it a functional compute accelerator for older workloads. But it lacks display outputs, has no ray tracing or tensor cores, and is limited to PCIe 2.0.

For anyone choosing between these two, the RTX 2080 is the clear pick for gaming, modern compute, and any workload that benefits from Turing's architecture. The K20m is only relevant in compute-only environments where its Kepler architecture and 28 nm process are acceptable, and where the 225 W TDP and older API support are not limiting factors. The RTX 2080 wins 2-0 in head-to-head tests, and the performance deltas are so large that no reasonable workload would favor the K20m. The verdict, based strictly on the recorded data, is unambiguous: the RTX 2080 is the better card in nearly every way.