NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile vs NVIDIA Tesla M40 Comparison

The NVIDIA Tesla M40 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile represent two very different eras of GPU design, and the benchmark data reflects that divide starkly. While the Tesla M40 is an end-of-life workstation accelerator from the Maxwell generation, the RTX 4080 Mobile is an active Ada Lovelace laptop part. The data shows a decisive performance advantage for the newer mobile chip, but the older card still holds its own in specific architectural metrics. This analysis breaks down where each GPU wins, what separates their designs, and who should consider which part based solely on the provided facts.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two benchmark results available in the data paint a clear picture of overall performance. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 4080 Mobile scores 159,575, while the Tesla M40 scores 39,192. The delta is -75.4% from the perspective of the M40, meaning the RTX 4080 Mobile delivers roughly four times the raw compute performance. This is a massive gap, reflecting not just a difference in clock speeds but a fundamental leap in architecture efficiency.

The Geekbench Vulkan test shows a similar trend, though the margin narrows slightly. The RTX 4080 Mobile posts 145,807, against the Tesla M40’s 44,602. The delta here is -69.4%, still a dominant win for the mobile part. Notably, the Vulkan scores for both cards are lower than their OpenCL scores, but the RTX 4080 Mobile’s advantage remains overwhelming. It is worth remembering the Tesla M40’s average benchmark score across all its tests is 41,897, while the RTX 4080 Mobile’s average is 38,135. This discrepancy exists because the RTX 4080 Mobile has a broader set of benchmarks, including DirectX and Passmark tests, which pull its average down, while the M40 only has the two Geekbench results.

Looking at the nearest rivals for context, the Tesla M40 sits at the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 41,897. Its closest competitor is the Tesla M40 24 GB, which scores 41,707, a mere 0.5% difference. The RTX 4080 Mobile, despite its lower average score of 38,135, is at the 81st percentile, and its closest rival is the GeForce MX570, which scores 38,299, a -0.4% delta. This suggests that while the RTX 4080 Mobile wins the head-to-head tests decisively, its overall benchmark profile is more diverse, and its average is dragged down by older DirectX tests that are less relevant to its modern feature set.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 4080 Mobile wins every benchmark where both parts are tested. Its OpenCL score is 307% higher than the M40’s, and its Vulkan score is 227% higher. This makes it the clear choice for any workload that leverages general-purpose compute or modern graphics APIs. The data indicates a 75.4% lead in OpenCL, which translates to significantly faster performance in compute-heavy tasks like rendering, simulation, or machine learning inference.

The Tesla M40, however, has no benchmark wins in the head-to-head data. Its sole advantage lies in its architectural positioning and historical context. As a Tesla-branded product, it was designed for data center compute, not gaming or consumer graphics. Its 12 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus provides 288.4 GB/s of bandwidth, which is respectable for its era but far behind the RTX 4080 Mobile’s 432.0 GB/s. In terms of raw fill rates, the M40’s pixel rate of 106.8 GPixel/s is lower than the RTX 4080 Mobile’s 133.2 GPixel/s, and its texture rate of 213.5 GTexel/s is dwarfed by the mobile part’s 386.3 GTexel/s.

Where the M40 might still be relevant is in legacy compute environments that do not support the newer features of Ada Lovelace. Its DirectX 12 (12_1) support is older than the RTX 4080 Mobile’s DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). For applications that rely on older CUDA kernels or specific Maxwell-era optimizations, the M40 could be a functional, if slow, option. The data does not provide any evidence of the M40 winning in any specific workload, so the only reason to pick it would be for compatibility with older software stacks.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is enormous. The Tesla M40 uses the GM200 chip on TSMC’s 28 nm process, featuring 8,000 million transistors on a 601 mm² die. This yields a transistor density of 13.3 million transistors per mm². In contrast, the RTX 4080 Mobile uses the AD104 chip on TSMC’s 5 nm process, packing 35,800 million transistors into a much smaller 294 mm² die, achieving a density of 121.8 million transistors per mm². This is a 9.2x increase in density, explaining how the newer chip fits over four times more transistors into less than half the silicon area.

The memory subsystems differ significantly. The M40 uses 12 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, while the RTX 4080 Mobile uses 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus. Despite the narrower bus, the RTX 4080 Mobile’s memory runs at 18 Gbps effective, giving it 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth compared to the M40’s 288.4 GB/s. This means the newer card achieves 50% more bandwidth with half the bus width, evidence of the efficiency of modern memory technology.

The compute resources are also vastly different. The RTX 4080 Mobile has 7,424 shading units, 232 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, alongside 58 RT cores and 232 tensor cores. The M40 has 3,072 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, with no dedicated RT or tensor cores. The RTX 4080 Mobile’s FP32 throughput is 24.72 TFLOPS, and its FP16 throughput matches at 24.72 TFLOPS (1:1), while the M40 only lists FP32 at 6.832 TFLOPS with no FP16 capability. The RTX 4080 Mobile also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the M40 is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

Power and physical design are polar opposites. The M40 is a dual-slot, 250 W card requiring an 8-pin EPS connector and a 600 W suggested PSU, with no display outputs. The RTX 4080 Mobile is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with a 110 W TDP, no power connectors, and portable-device-dependent display outputs. The M40 measures 267 mm in length, while the RTX 4080 Mobile has no listed dimensions, as it is designed to be soldered onto a laptop motherboard.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance in OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile scores 159,575 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 75.4% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla M40’s score of 39,192.

Q: Does the Tesla M40 support ray tracing or tensor cores?

A: No. The Tesla M40 has no RT cores and no tensor cores. The RTX 4080 Mobile, by contrast, has 58 RT cores and 232 tensor cores.

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

A: The RTX 4080 Mobile provides 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth with its 12 GB GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus. The Tesla M40 provides 288.4 GB/s with 12 GB GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus.

Q: Which card has a higher pixel fill rate?

A: The RTX 4080 Mobile has a pixel rate of 133.2 GPixel/s, which is higher than the Tesla M40’s 106.8 GPixel/s.

Q: Are both GPUs compatible with Vulkan 1.4?

A: Yes, both the Tesla M40 and the RTX 4080 Mobile support Vulkan 1.4 and OpenGL 4.6.

Q: What is the process node difference between the two?

A: The Tesla M40 is built on TSMC’s 28 nm process, while the RTX 4080 Mobile is built on TSMC’s 5 nm process.

Specification Differences

The following table highlights the key specifications where the two GPUs differ, based solely on the FACT PACK data.

| Specification | NVIDIA Tesla M40 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile |

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

| Architecture | Maxwell 2.0 | Ada Lovelace |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 5 nm |

| Transistors | 8,000 million | 35,800 million |

| Die Size | 601 mm² | 294 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 13.3M / mm² | 121.8M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 948 MHz | 1290 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1112 MHz | 1665 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1502 MHz / 6 Gbps effective | 2250 MHz / 18 Gbps effective |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus Width | 384 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 288.4 GB/s | 432.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 3072 | 7424 |

| TMUs | 192 | 232 |

| ROPs | 96 | 80 |

| RT Cores | None | 58 |

| Tensor Cores | None | 232 |

| Pixel Rate | 106.8 GPixel/s | 133.2 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 213.5 GTexel/s | 386.3 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 6.832 TFLOPS | 24.72 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | None | 24.72 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 250 W | 110 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | IGP |

| Power Connectors | 8-pin EPS | None |

| Suggested PSU | 600 W | None |

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

| Display Outputs | No outputs | Portable Device Dependent |

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

| Production Status | End-of-life | Active |

| Release Date | 2015-11-09 | 2023-01-02 |

| Predecessor | Tesla Kepler | GeForce 30 Mobile |

| Successor | Tesla Pascal | GeForce 50 Mobile |

The Verdict

The benchmark data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile is the superior performer in every measured test. Its OpenCL score of 159,575 and Vulkan score of 145,807 are more than triple the Tesla M40’s respective scores. For anyone running modern compute workloads, gaming, or any application that benefits from ray tracing or tensor cores, the RTX 4080 Mobile is the only viable choice. Its 24.72 TFLOPS of FP32 and FP16 performance, combined with 58 RT cores and 232 tensor cores, puts it in a different performance class entirely.

The Tesla M40, however, is not without its niche. As an end-of-life product with no display outputs and a 250 W power draw, it is clearly designed for server racks, not desktops. Its 12 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus still offers respectable bandwidth for older compute tasks, but its lack of FP16 support and modern features like RT and tensor cores limits its utility. The M40 also sits at the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, slightly higher than the RTX 4080 Mobile’s 81st percentile, but this is a statistical artifact of the M40’s limited benchmark pool.

Who should pick which? The RTX 4080 Mobile is for anyone needing portable high performance, whether in a gaming laptop or a mobile workstation. The data shows it is over 200% faster in the tested APIs and offers modern feature support. The Tesla M40 is for legacy systems that require Maxwell-era compute capabilities or need a dual-slot accelerator with 12 GB of memory and no video output. Its lower average score and end-of-life status make it a poor choice for new builds, but its 83rd percentile ranking suggests it can still handle basic compute tasks. For any new purchase, the RTX 4080 Mobile is the data-backed winner.