NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D vs NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB Comparison

The Verdict

The recorded data presents a stark generational divide. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D is the unequivocal performance leader in every measured scenario. Its average benchmark score of 178,050 places it in the 98th percentile of all GPUs, while the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB sits at 79,396, which is still a strong 92nd percentile. The RTX 4090 D should be selected by anyone prioritizing absolute compute throughput, modern feature support, and the highest frame rates in current workloads. The Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB, despite its age, remains relevant only for legacy compute environments where its specific HBM2 memory characteristics or its established driver ecosystem are required. For almost every other task in this comparison, the data indicates the RTX 4090 D is the superior product.

Architecture Differences

The two cards represent different eras of NVIDIA design. The RTX 4090 D is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, utilizing the AD102 chip manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It contains 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 125.3 million per mm². In contrast, the Tesla P100 PCIe uses the Pascal architecture with the GP100 chip, built on a 16 nm process, also at TSMC. It has 15,300 million transistors on a slightly larger 610 mm² die, giving a much lower density of 25.1 million per mm². This fundamental node advantage is the primary driver of the performance gap.

The RTX 4090 D features 14,592 shading units, 456 texture mapping units, and 176 ROPs. It is equipped with 114 dedicated ray tracing cores and 456 tensor cores, making it a fully featured modern GPU. The Tesla P100 has 3,584 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, and notably lacks dedicated ray tracing and tensor cores entirely. The RTX 4090 D also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the P100 is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3.

Memory architecture is another critical differentiator. The RTX 4090 D uses 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384 bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. The Tesla P100 uses 12 GB of HBM2 memory on a much wider 3072 bit bus, but its bandwidth is only 549.1 GB/s. The RTX 4090 D also has a different power profile: it is a triple-slot card with a 425 W TDP and a 1x 16-pin power connector, requiring an 800 W power supply. The P100 is dual-slot with a 250 W TDP and 1x 8-pin connector, needing a 600 W supply. The P100 has no display outputs, while the RTX 4090 D offers 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains one direct comparison test: Geekbench OpenCL. In this test, the RTX 4090 D scores 278,621 points, while the Tesla P100 scores 79,396 points. This results in a delta of 250.9% in favor of the RTX 4090 D. This is a decisive victory, showing that the newer card is more than three and a half times faster in raw compute throughput as measured by this workload.

The RTX 4090 D also has a substantial advantage in other recorded benchmarks. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 8,587 points, a result that contributes to its 98th percentile ranking. In Geekbench Vulkan, it scores 246,941 points. The Tesla P100 has no recorded scores for these other tests in the database, so no direct comparison is possible. The average benchmark score for the RTX 4090 D is 178,050, which is 2.2% higher than the average score of 182,109 for the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell, its nearest rival. The Tesla P100's average score is 79,396, which is 0.6% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, its closest competitor.

The FP32 and FP16 compute figures further underscore the difference. The RTX 4090 D delivers 73.54 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and an identical 73.54 TFLOPS for FP16 at a 1:1 ratio. The Tesla P100 provides 9.526 TFLOPS of FP32 and 19.05 TFLOPS of FP16 at a 2:1 ratio. The raw compute advantage of the RTX 4090 D is overwhelming in both precision formats.

FAQ

Q: Is the RTX 4090 D always faster than the Tesla P100?

A: Yes. The only direct head-to-head test, Geekbench OpenCL, shows the RTX 4090 D is 250.9% faster. The RTX 4090 D also has a much higher average benchmark score and a higher percentile ranking.

Q: Which card has more memory?

A: The RTX 4090 D has 24 GB of GDDR6X memory, while the Tesla P100 has 12 GB of HBM2 memory. The RTX 4090 D also has higher memory bandwidth at 1.01 TB/s compared to 549.1 GB/s.

Q: Does the Tesla P100 support ray tracing?

A: No. The database lists no ray tracing cores for the Tesla P100. The RTX 4090 D has 114 RT cores.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The RTX 4090 D has a TDP of 425 W and requires a 16-pin connector and an 800 W power supply. The Tesla P100 has a TDP of 250 W and requires a single 8-pin connector and a 600 W power supply.

Q: Can either card be used for display output?

A: The RTX 4090 D has 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The Tesla P100 has no display outputs, indicating it is intended for compute-only tasks.

Q: Which card is closer to its nearest rival in performance?

A: The Tesla P100 is extremely close to its nearest rival, the Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, with a delta of only 0.3%. The RTX 4090 D is 2.2% behind the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 4090 D wins in every category where data is available. It is the clear winner for gaming, creative workloads, and any modern compute task that leverages its ray tracing, tensor cores, and high FP32 throughput. Its 98th percentile ranking and substantial lead in the head-to-head benchmark show it is a top-tier performer. It is also the only card in this comparison with display outputs, making it suitable for a desktop workstation.

The Tesla P100, while trailing in raw performance, has its own niche. Its 12 GB of HBM2 memory on a 3072 bit bus, while slower in total bandwidth, may be suited for specific legacy scientific or enterprise applications that were optimized for the Pascal architecture. Its lower power draw (250 W vs 425 W) and dual-slot design might be preferable in systems with strict power or space constraints. However, its lack of display outputs and ray tracing means it has no use outside of server compute.

Specification Differences

The key differences between the two cards are as follows:

• Process Node: RTX 4090 D uses 5 nm, Tesla P100 uses 16 nm.
• Transistors: 76,300 million vs 15,300 million.
• Die Size: 609 mm² vs 610 mm².
• Transistor Density: 125.3M / mm² vs 25.3M / mm².
• Base Clock: 2280 MHz vs 1190 MHz.
• Boost Clock: 2520 MHz vs 1329 MHz.
• Memory Size: 24 GB vs 12 GB.
• Memory Type: GDDR6X vs HBM2.
• Memory Bus Width: 384 bit vs 3072 bit.
• Memory Bandwidth: 1.01 TB/s vs 549.1 GB/s.
• Shading Units: 14592 vs 3584.
• TMUs: 456 vs 224.
• ROPs: 176 vs 96.
• RT Cores: 114 vs null (not present).
• Tensor Cores: 456 vs null (not present).
• Pixel Rate: 443.5 GPixel/s vs 127.6 GPixel/s.
• Texture Rate: 1,149.1 GTexel/s vs 297.7 GTexel/s.
• FP32 Performance: 73.54 TFLOPS vs 9.526 TFLOPS.
• FP16 Performance: 73.54 TFLOPS vs 19.05 TFLOPS.
• TDP: 425 W vs 250 W.
• Slot Width: Triple-slot vs Dual-slot.
• Power Connectors: 1x 16-pin vs 1x 8-pin.
• Suggested PSU: 800 W vs 600 W.
• Bus Interface: PCIe 4.0 x16 vs PCIe 3.0 x16.
• Display Outputs: 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a vs No outputs.
• DirectX Support: 12 Ultimate (12_2) vs 12 (12_1).
• Vulkan Support: 1.4 vs 1.3.
• Dimensions: 304 mm length vs 267 mm length.
• Release Date: 2023-12-27 vs 2016-06-19.