NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 vs NVIDIA Tesla K80 Comparison

The NVIDIA Tesla K80 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 represent two distinct eras of GPU design, separated by nearly a decade of architectural evolution. The data shows a clear generational divide, but the specific nature of that divide reveals more than just a raw performance gap. While the RTX 4060 dominates in compute workloads, the K80’s legacy as a compute-focused accelerator still shows in its benchmark profile. This analysis compares the two based strictly on the benchmark data and specifications provided.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two shared benchmark results provide a stark illustration of the performance chasm between these cards. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 4060 scores 95,057, which is a commanding 80.4% higher than the Tesla K80's 18,620. This is not a marginal improvement; it is a complete overhaul in compute throughput. The RTX 4060's score is over five times higher, indicating that the modern architecture handles the OpenCL workload with far greater efficiency.

The Geekbench Vulkan test shows a similar, though less extreme, outcome. The RTX 4060 posts a score of 48,643, defeating the K80's 19,111 by 60.7%. While still a decisive victory, the smaller margin compared to OpenCL is noteworthy. The K80's architecture, which predates Vulkan's maturity, appears to handle this API relatively better than OpenCL, though it still trails significantly. The RTX 4060's advantage is clear in both tests, reinforcing its position as the superior compute performer.

The RTX 4060 wins both head-to-head matchups, securing a 2-0 record. The Tesla K80, by contrast, has no victories in this comparison. However, the K80's average benchmark score of 18,866 places it at the 63rd percentile of all GPUs, which is slightly higher than the RTX 4060's 61st percentile despite the latter's much higher raw scores. This seeming contradiction suggests that the K80's benchmark profile, while lower in absolute terms, is more consistent across a wider range of legacy tests. The RTX 4060's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon HD 7790 with an average score of 17,666, a delta of -0.2%, and the AMD Radeon 780M at 17,588 with a delta of 0.3%. The K80's nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070, which scores 18,789, a delta of 0.4% from the K80's average.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher raw compute performance in the shared benchmarks?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is the clear winner. It outperforms the Tesla K80 by 80.4% in Geekbench OpenCL and by 60.7% in Geekbench Vulkan.

Q: Does the Tesla K80 have any redeeming benchmark qualities compared to the RTX 4060?

A: Yes, its percentile ranking. The K80 sits at the 63rd percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 4060 is at the 61st percentile. This indicates that the K80's average score is relatively higher compared to the broader GPU landscape than the RTX 4060's, despite the latter's superior absolute performance.

Q: How does the RTX 4060's benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 4060's average benchmark score is 17,639. Its closest competitor is the AMD Radeon HD 7790, which scores 17,666, a delta of -0.2%. This places the RTX 4060 essentially on par with that card, while the AMD Radeon 780M trails by 0.3%.

Q: What is the Tesla K80's closest competitor based on average score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 is its nearest rival, with an average score of 18,789. This is a delta of only 0.4% from the K80's score of 18,866, indicating they are statistically equivalent in overall average performance.

Q: In which API does the RTX 4060 have its largest advantage over the K80?

A: The largest delta is in Geekbench OpenCL, where the RTX 4060 is 80.4% faster. The advantage in Geekbench Vulkan is smaller, at 60.7%.

Q: Does the Tesla K80 win any of the direct head-to-head benchmark comparisons?

A: No. The data shows the RTX 4060 wins both head-to-head tests, giving it a 2-0 record in wins. The Tesla K80 has zero wins in this comparison.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gulf between these two GPUs is vast. The Tesla K80 is built on the Kepler 2.0 architecture using the GK210 chip, manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. In contrast, the RTX 4060 uses the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD107 chip, built on a much more advanced 5 nm process, also by TSMC. This process shrink is a primary driver of the performance differential. The K80 packs 7,100 million transistors on a 561 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.7M per mm². The RTX 4060, however, fits 18,900 million transistors onto a much smaller 159 mm² die, achieving a density of 118.9M per mm². This is a nearly tenfold increase in density, enabling far more complex logic in a smaller space.

The two GPUs also differ fundamentally in their feature sets. The RTX 4060 includes 24 dedicated ray tracing cores and 96 tensor cores, which are absent from the Tesla K80 entirely. This makes the RTX 4060 capable of hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI-accelerated workloads, features that simply do not exist on the older Kepler card. The K80's API support tops out at DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.175, while the RTX 4060 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4. This means the RTX 4060 is ready for modern gaming and compute features that the K80 cannot handle.

The memory subsystem also reflects the generational change. The K80 uses 12 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, while the RTX 4060 uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus. Despite the narrower bus, the RTX 4060 achieves higher memory bandwidth at 272.0 GB/s versus the K80's 240.6 GB/s. This is due to the significantly faster memory clock: the RTX 4060's memory runs at 2125 MHz (17 Gbps effective), compared to the K80's 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective). The newer memory technology more than compensates for the reduced bus width.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ on nearly every core specification. The RTX 4060 has a higher base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 2460 MHz, compared to the K80's 562 MHz base and 824 MHz boost. This massive clock speed advantage contributes directly to the RTX 4060's performance lead. In terms of compute units, the RTX 4060 has 3,072 shading units versus the K80's 2,496, and it also has 96 texture mapping units versus the K80's 208. Interestingly, the K80 has more TMUs, but the RTX 4060 still achieves a higher texture rate of 236.2 GTexel/s compared to the K80's 171.4 GTexel/s, again thanks to its higher clocks.

The RTX 4060's pixel rate is 118.1 GPixel/s, far exceeding the K80's 42.85 GPixel/s. In raw floating-point performance, the RTX 4060 delivers 15.11 TFLOPS for FP32, while the K80 manages 4.113 TFLOPS. The RTX 4060 also offers FP16 performance at 15.11 TFLOPS (1:1), a feature the K80 lacks entirely. Power consumption is a major differentiator: the RTX 4060 has a TDP of 115 W with a suggested PSU of 300 W, while the Tesla K80 draws 300 W and recommends a 700 W PSU. The RTX 4060 uses a single 12-pin power connector, while the K80 uses a single 8-pin. The RTX 4060 also includes display outputs (1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a), whereas the K80 has no display outputs, confirming its compute-only design. The physical dimensions also differ, with the RTX 4060 being shorter at 240 mm compared to the K80's 267 mm.

The Verdict

The benchmark data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is the superior performer in every shared test. Its 80.4% lead in OpenCL and 60.7% lead in Vulkan demonstrate a monumental leap in compute capability, driven by its newer architecture, higher clocks, and more efficient process node. Any workload that relies on these APIs will see a dramatic improvement on the RTX 4060. Its support for ray tracing and tensor cores also makes it the only viable choice for modern applications that leverage these features.

The Tesla K80, however, is not without its arguments. Its higher percentile ranking (63rd vs 61st) suggests it holds up better against the broader field of GPUs in the database. Its larger 12 GB memory capacity could also be a draw for specific large-data workloads that fit within its slower memory subsystem. For users with legacy compute tasks that are optimized for Kepler and do not require modern APIs, the K80 may still function, but it will do so at a significant performance disadvantage.

For most users, the choice is clear. The RTX 4060 is the better card for any modern compute, rendering, or gaming application. It delivers vastly higher performance, consumes less power, and supports the latest APIs. The Tesla K80's only appeal lies in its historical context and its higher relative percentile, but the raw numbers show that the RTX 4060 is the definitive winner. The data supports picking the RTX 4060 for its performance and efficiency, while the K80 remains a relic of a bygone compute era.