NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile vs NVIDIA Tesla K40c Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile and the NVIDIA Tesla K40c represent two very different eras of GPU design, separated by nearly a decade of architectural evolution and targeting entirely different use cases. The RTX 3060 Mobile is a modern Ampere-based laptop chip designed for gaming and consumer workloads, while the Tesla K40c is a Kepler-based compute accelerator built for datacenter and professional scientific tasks. The benchmark data available shows a stark performance gap, but the Tesla K40c’s legacy in compute density and memory capacity remains relevant for specific workloads. This analysis breaks down the architectural, performance, and specification differences to help determine which GPU fits a given build scenario.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the available head-to-head benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile wins the only shared test, Geekbench OpenCL, with a score of 79,483 against the Tesla K40c’s 17,468. This represents a massive 355% delta in favor of the RTX 3060 Mobile.

Q: How do the two GPUs rank against all other GPUs?

A: The RTX 3060 Mobile sits at the 62nd percentile, while the Tesla K40c is at the 61st percentile. Despite the large gap in their head-to-head result, they are statistically close in overall standing among all GPUs.

Q: What are the closest rivals to each GPU based on average benchmark scores?

A: For the RTX 3060 Mobile, the closest rival is the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 with a deltaPct of -0.2%, followed by the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER at +0.4%. For the Tesla K40c, the closest rival is the AMD Radeon Pro 460 at -0.2%, with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 at -1.0%.

Q: Does the Tesla K40c support any modern rendering features like ray tracing?

A: No. The Tesla K40c has no RT cores and no tensor cores, and its DirectX support is limited to 12 (11_0). The RTX 3060 Mobile, in contrast, includes 30 RT cores and 120 tensor cores, with DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) support.

Q: What is the difference in memory capacity and type between the two?

A: The Tesla K40c offers 12 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, while the RTX 3060 Mobile has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus. The RTX 3060 Mobile has higher bandwidth at 336.0 GB/s versus 288.4 GB/s.

Q: Which GPU has a higher power draw requirement?

A: The Tesla K40c has a TDP of 245 W and requires 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin power connectors with a suggested PSU of 550 W. The RTX 3060 Mobile has a TDP of 80 W and requires no power connectors, as it is portable device dependent.

Architecture Differences

The fundamental architectural split is between NVIDIA’s Ampere and Kepler generations. The RTX 3060 Mobile is built on the GA106 chip using Samsung’s 8 nm process, packing 12,000 million transistors into a 276 mm² die. This yields a transistor density of 43.5M per mm². In contrast, the Tesla K40c uses the GK180 chip on TSMC’s 28 nm process, with 7,080 million transistors spread across a much larger 561 mm² die, resulting in a lower density of 12.6M per mm².

The compute core configurations diverge significantly. The RTX 3060 Mobile features 3,840 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. More importantly, it adds 30 dedicated RT cores for ray tracing and 120 tensor cores for AI acceleration. The Tesla K40c has 2,880 shading units and 240 TMUs, but the same 48 ROPs. It lacks RT and tensor cores entirely, reflecting its Kepler-era design focused purely on raw FP32 compute.

Clock speeds and power efficiency tell the story of process node maturity. The RTX 3060 Mobile runs at a base clock of 900 MHz and a boost of 1425 MHz, while the Tesla K40c operates at a lower 745 MHz base and 876 MHz boost. The RTX 3060 Mobile achieves this higher frequency with an 80 W TDP, whereas the Tesla K40c draws 245 W. The memory architecture also differs: the RTX 3060 Mobile uses 6 GB of GDDR6 at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), while the Tesla K40c uses 12 GB of GDDR5 at 1502 MHz (6 Gbps effective). The newer memory interface on the RTX 3060 Mobile provides higher bandwidth despite the narrower bus.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available is Geekbench OpenCL, and the result is decisively in favor of the RTX 3060 Mobile. The RTX 3060 Mobile scores 79,483, while the Tesla K40c scores 17,468, giving a delta of 355%. This is not a marginal win; it is a generational leap. The RTX 3060 Mobile’s FP32 throughput of 10.94 TFLOPS more than doubles the Tesla K40c’s 5.046 TFLOPS, and its support for FP16 at a 1:1 ratio (10.94 TFLOPS) further widens the gap in mixed-precision tasks.

However, the Tesla K40c does show relative strength in certain throughput metrics. Its texture rate of 210.2 GTexel/s is actually higher than the RTX 3060 Mobile’s 171.0 GTexel/s, thanks to its 240 TMUs. This suggests that in texture-bound legacy workloads, the Tesla K40c could hold its own. The pixel rates are closer as well, with 52.56 GPixel/s for the Tesla K40c versus 68.40 GPixel/s for the RTX 3060 Mobile. Still, the overall benchmark average tells the story: the RTX 3060 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 18,159, while the Tesla K40c sits at 17,468.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile | NVIDIA Tesla K40c |

|---|---|---|

| Chip | GA106 | GK180 |

| Architecture | Ampere | Kepler |

| Process Node | 8 nm (Samsung) | 28 nm (TSMC) |

| Transistors | 12,000 million | 7,080 million |

| Die Size | 276 mm² | 561 mm² |

| Base Clock | 900 MHz | 745 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1425 MHz | 876 MHz |

| Memory Size | 6 GB GDDR6 | 12 GB GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus | 192 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 336.0 GB/s | 288.4 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 3840 | 2880 |

| TMUs | 120 | 240 |

| ROPs | 48 | 48 |

| RT Cores | 30 | None |

| Tensor Cores | 120 | None |

| FP32 Compute | 10.94 TFLOPS | 5.046 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Compute | 10.94 TFLOPS (1:1) | None |

| TDP | 80 W | 245 W |

| Power Connectors | None | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | No outputs |

| DirectX Support | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (11_0) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | 1.2.175 |

| Release Date | 2021-01-11 | 2013-10-07 |

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3060 Mobile wins decisively in raw compute performance and modern feature support. Its 355% lead in Geekbench OpenCL, combined with FP32 throughput of 10.94 TFLOPS and FP16 capability, makes it the clear choice for any workload that leverages current APIs, ray tracing, or tensor core acceleration. Its 80 W TDP means it can operate in mobile form factors with no external power connectors, making it suitable for laptops. The RTX 3060 Mobile also has a higher pixel rate (68.40 GPixel/s) and more than double the FP32 performance, which translates to better gaming and real-time rendering performance.

The Tesla K40c wins in memory capacity and texture throughput. Its 12 GB of VRAM is double the RTX 3060 Mobile’s 6 GB, which is crucial for workloads that require large datasets resident in VRAM, such as certain scientific simulations or deep learning inference with large batch sizes. The Tesla K40c also has a higher texture rate (210.2 GTexel/s) due to its 240 TMUs, which could benefit legacy applications optimized for Kepler’s texture pipeline. Its dual-slot form factor and 267 mm length suggest it was designed for server racks, not consumer desktops. The Tesla K40c’s 288.4 GB/s bandwidth, while lower than the RTX 3060 Mobile’s 336.0 GB/s, is still substantial for its era.

The Verdict

The data makes a compelling case for the RTX 3060 Mobile as the superior general-purpose GPU. Its 355% advantage in the head-to-head Geekbench OpenCL test is overwhelming, and its modern architecture with RT cores, tensor cores, and higher FP32 throughput positions it for longevity in both gaming and compute applications. The RTX 3060 Mobile’s 62nd percentile ranking versus the Tesla K40c’s 61st percentile is nominally higher, but the gap in their shared benchmark is what truly matters for most users.

The Tesla K40c is a niche product for a specific audience. Its 12 GB memory capacity is its single biggest advantage, and for workloads that require that capacity without needing modern API features, it remains functional. Its 245 W TDP and requirement for 550 W PSU make it a power-hungry option, but for a legacy server or compute node, that may be acceptable. The Tesla K40c’s higher texture rate could also be leveraged in specific texture-bound scenarios.

For a gamer, content creator, or AI researcher using modern frameworks, the RTX 3060 Mobile is the only rational choice. For a researcher with a legacy codebase that is memory-bound and optimized for Kepler’s compute model, the Tesla K40c’s 12 GB VRAM might justify its use, despite its lower raw performance. Ultimately, the RTX 3060 Mobile wins on nearly every measurable metric, and the Tesla K40c’s only real argument is capacity over speed.