GPU Comparison

The benchmark data presents a stark generational contrast. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 comprehensively outperforms the Tesla K20m in the available head-to-head tests, with the newer architecture delivering a dominant victory. The Tesla K20m, despite being a former professional-grade workhorse, is decisively outclassed in raw compute and graphics workloads by the modern consumer GPU.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two available benchmark results demonstrate a clear and overwhelming advantage for the GeForce RTX 4060. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RTX 4060 scores 95,057 points, while the Tesla K20m manages only 16,241 points. This represents a delta of -82.9% for the K20m, meaning the RTX 4060 is approximately 5.85 times faster in this compute-heavy workload. This is not a marginal improvement; it is a generational leap that reflects the fundamental changes in GPU design over a decade.

The gap narrows in the Vulkan graphics test, but the RTX 4060 still wins decisively. The RTX 4060 scores 48,643 points, compared to the Tesla K20m's 21,936 points. The delta here is -54.9%, indicating the RTX 4060 is more than twice as fast in this API. While the K20m is closer in relative terms, the absolute difference remains massive. The data shows a 26,707-point gap, a difference that would be clearly perceptible in any modern application that leverages the Vulkan API.

The Tesla K20m records zero wins in the head-to-head benchmarks, while the RTX 4060 secures both. The average benchmark score for the RTX 4060 is 17,639, positioning it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs, while the Tesla K20m has an average score of 19,089, placing it in the 64th percentile. Interestingly, the K20m's average sits higher than the RTX 4060's, but this is due to the limited test set and the historical benchmarks used for the older card. In the direct comparison, the RTX 4060's advantage is undeniable.

Where Each One Wins

The use-case split is starkly defined by the benchmark results. The GeForce RTX 4060 is the clear winner for any modern compute or graphics workload. Its 95,057 OpenCL score indicates exceptional general-purpose compute performance, making it suitable for tasks like video encoding, 3D rendering, and physics simulations. Its 48,643 Vulkan score shows it is also well-equipped for contemporary gaming and applications that use modern graphics APIs. The RTX 4060's architecture includes 24 ray tracing cores and 96 tensor cores, features that are absent from the Tesla K20m, making it the only choice for ray-traced gaming or AI-accelerated workloads.

The Tesla K20m, with its 3.524 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, is not without merit. Its 64th percentile ranking suggests it still holds up for certain legacy tasks. Its 5 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 320-bit bus, delivering 208.0 GB/s of bandwidth, could be sufficient for older professional applications, such as early CUDA-based compute or specific scientific simulations that do not require the latest instruction sets. Its 208 texture mapping units and 40 ROPs provide a baseline level of rasterization performance. However, the data shows its 16,241 OpenCL score is a fraction of the RTX 4060's, indicating that any compute task that scales with the modern API will run significantly slower.

The RTX 4060 wins in all modern scenarios. The K20m's only potential advantage lies in very specific legacy compatibility, but even there, the performance deficit is severe. The benchmark results leave no room for ambiguity: for gaming, content creation, or any modern compute task, the RTX 4060 is the superior choice. The Tesla K20m is relegated to a historical footnote, a capable accelerator for its time that has been surpassed by a newer, more efficient design.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is immense, explaining the performance chasm. The Tesla K20m is built on the Kepler architecture, using the GK110 chip, manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. This is a massive chip, with a die size of 561 mm² and 7,080 million transistors, resulting in a transistor density of 12.6 million per mm². In contrast, the GeForce RTX 4060 uses the Ada Lovelace architecture, with the AD107 chip, built on a much more advanced 5 nm process, also at TSMC. This chip is far smaller at 159 mm², yet packs 18,900 million transistors, achieving a density of 118.9 million per mm². This density advantage is the core of the RTX 4060's efficiency and performance.

The memory subsystems also differ significantly. The K20m uses 5 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 320-bit bus, providing 208.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 4060 uses 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, yet achieves a higher bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s, thanks to its faster 17 Gbps effective memory speed. The RTX 4060's smaller bus is compensated by the higher clock speed, demonstrating a more efficient memory design.

The compute capabilities are starkly different. The K20m has 2,496 shading units, 208 TMUs, and 40 ROPs. The RTX 4060 has 3,072 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. While the RTX 4060 has more shaders, its TMU count is lower, but the raw throughput numbers tell the real story. The K20m's pixel rate is 36.71 GPixel/s and texture rate is 146.8 GTexel/s. The RTX 4060's rates are 118.1 GPixel/s and 236.2 GTexel/s, respectively. The RTX 4060 is over three times faster in pixel fill and 61% faster in texture fill.

The most critical architectural difference is the inclusion of dedicated hardware in the RTX 4060. It has 24 ray tracing cores and 96 tensor cores, which are entirely absent from the Tesla K20m. This allows the RTX 4060 to support hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI-based features, which the K20m cannot do. The FP32 performance also diverges, with the RTX 4060 delivering 15.11 TFLOPS compared to the K20m's 3.524 TFLOPS, and the RTX 4060 also provides FP16 performance at a 1:1 ratio. The API support is also newer on the RTX 4060, with DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the K20m is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175.

The Verdict

The data is unequivocal: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is the superior product for virtually any task. It offers a 5.85x advantage in OpenCL compute, a 2.2x advantage in Vulkan, and has access to modern features like ray tracing and tensor cores that the Tesla K20m cannot even approximate. The RTX 4060 is also significantly more efficient, with a TDP of 115 W compared to the K20m's 225 W, and it requires a 300 W power supply instead of 550 W. The RTX 4060 is the clear choice for anyone needing a GPU for modern gaming, content creation, or general compute workloads.

The Tesla K20m should only be considered by users with a specific, legacy requirement. Its only potential advantage lies in its 5 GB of VRAM, which might be sufficient for a specific older scientific or professional application that has not been updated. Its higher average benchmark score of 19,089, compared to the RTX 4060's 17,639, is misleading and is a result of the different benchmark suites used for each card's historical data. In direct competition, the K20m is not competitive. The data shows it is a product of a bygone era, and its only relevance today is as a historical artifact or for a very narrow set of legacy use cases.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The Tesla K20m has a higher average benchmark score of 19,089, compared to the RTX 4060's 17,639. However, this is based on different benchmark suites and does not reflect their performance in direct head-to-head tests.

Q: What is the performance difference in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The RTX 4060 scores 95,057, while the Tesla K20m scores 16,241. This represents a delta of -82.9%, indicating the RTX 4060 is approximately 5.85 times faster.

Q: Does the Tesla K20m support hardware ray tracing?

A: No, the Tesla K20m has no ray tracing cores. The RTX 4060, in contrast, has 24 ray tracing cores and 96 tensor cores for hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI workloads.

Q: Which GPU has a higher memory bandwidth?

A: The RTX 4060 has a higher memory bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s, despite using a 128-bit bus. The Tesla K20m offers 208.0 GB/s over a 320-bit bus.

Q: What is the difference in power consumption?

A: The RTX 4060 has a TDP of 115 W and a suggested PSU of 300 W. The Tesla K20m has a TDP of 225 W and a suggested PSU of 550 W.

Q: Which GPU has a smaller manufacturing process?

A: The RTX 4060 uses a 5 nm process, while the Tesla K20m uses a 28 nm process. This allows the RTX 4060 to pack more transistors into a smaller die.

Specification Differences

The following specifications differ between the two GPUs:

| Specification | NVIDIA Tesla K20m | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 |

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

| Chip | GK110 | AD107 |

| Architecture | Kepler | Ada Lovelace |

| Generation | Tesla Kepler (Kxx) | GeForce 40 |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 5 nm |

| Transistors | 7,080 million | 18,900 million |

| Die Size | 561 mm² | 159 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.6M / mm² | 118.9M / mm² |

| Base Clock | - | 1830 MHz |

| Boost Clock | - | 2460 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1300 MHz / 5.2 Gbps effective | 2125 MHz / 17 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 5 GB | 8 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus Width | 320 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 208.0 GB/s | 272.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2496 | 3072 |

| TMUs | 208 | 96 |

| ROPs | 40 | 48 |

| RT Cores | - | 24 |

| Tensor Cores | - | 96 |

| Pixel Rate | 36.71 GPixel/s | 118.1 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 146.8 GTexel/s | 236.2 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 3.524 TFLOPS | 15.11 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | - | 15.11 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 225 W | 115 W |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | 1x 12-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 550 W | 300 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 2.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x8 |

| Display Outputs | No outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |

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

| Vulkan Support | 1.2.175 | 1.4 |

| Release Date | 2013-01-04 | 2023-05-17 |

| Launch MSRP | 3,199 USD | 299 USD |