NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti vs NVIDIA Tesla T4 Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins in raw compute benchmarks?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti dominates every recorded benchmark. In Geekbench OpenCL it scores 212,363 versus 61,276 for the Tesla T4, a 71.1% advantage. In Geekbench Vulkan the gap is similar: 225,122 versus 72,190, which is 67.9% ahead.

Q: Are the two cards even in the same performance tier?

A: No. The Tesla T4 sits at the 90th percentile among all GPUs, while the RTX 5070 Ti sits at the 86th percentile. However, the average benchmark scores tell a different story: the T4 averages 66,733, while the RTX 5070 Ti averages 49,957. The T4's percentile is high because it was a specialized compute card, not a general-purpose gaming GPU.

Q: What kind of memory does each card use, and does it matter?

A: Both cards have 16 GB of memory, but the type differs. The Tesla T4 uses GDDR6 with a 256-bit bus and 320.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 5070 Ti uses GDDR7 with the same 256-bit bus but delivers 896.0 GB/s, which is nearly three times the bandwidth. This directly impacts high-resolution textures and compute workloads.

Q: Which card is more power-efficient?

A: The Tesla T4 has a 70 W TDP and requires no power connectors, with a suggested PSU of 250 W. The RTX 5070 Ti draws 300 W and needs a 1x 16-pin connector with a 700 W suggested PSU. The T4 is clearly the low-power option, while the RTX 5070 Ti trades efficiency for performance.

Q: Are these cards aimed at the same use case?

A: No. The Tesla T4 is a server-oriented, single-slot card with no display outputs, built for datacenter inference and virtualization. The RTX 5070 Ti is a dual-slot consumer gaming card with HDMI 2.1b and three DisplayPort 2.1b outputs. The T4's end-of-life status and 2018 release date contrast with the RTX 5070 Ti's active production and 2025 release.

Q: How do the nearest rivals compare for each card?

A: The Tesla T4's nearest rival is the AMD Radeon VII (1.1% ahead), followed by the NVIDIA Tesla P40 (2.5% behind) and the AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 (2.7% behind). The RTX 5070 Ti's closest competitor is the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 (0.1% behind), with the Intel Arc A550M (0.4% ahead) and AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (2% ahead).

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 5070 Ti wins every single benchmark comparison in the database. The Geekbench OpenCL result of 212,363 versus 61,276 is a decisive 71.1% margin. The Vulkan result of 225,122 versus 72,190 is equally lopsided at 67.9%. There is no benchmark where the Tesla T4 comes out ahead.

Where the Tesla T4 wins is in form factor and power envelope. It is a single-slot card with no power connectors and a 70 W TDP, making it suitable for dense server installations where space and thermals are constrained. The RTX 5070 Ti requires a dual-slot footprint, a 16-pin connector, and a 300 W TDP, which is a different class of physical requirement.

The Tesla T4 also holds an edge in its position within the benchmark percentile. It ranks at the 90th percentile versus the RTX 5070 Ti's 86th, reflecting its strong performance in its intended compute niche. However, the absolute scores from the head-to-head tests show that the newer card is far faster in general compute.

For users with specific server workloads, the T4's lack of display outputs and its Turing architecture with 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores may be more appropriate for inference tasks. The RTX 5070 Ti, with 70 RT cores and 280 tensor cores, offers newer Blackwell 2.0 features and a 1:1 FP16 ratio, which is more flexible for mixed-precision work.

Architecture Differences

The Tesla T4 uses the TU104 chip on a 12 nm TSMC process, built on the Turing architecture. It packs 13,600 million transistors into a 545 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 25.0 million per mm². The RTX 5070 Ti uses the GB203 chip on a 5 nm TSMC process, built on Blackwell 2.0. It contains 45,600 million transistors in a 378 mm² die, for a density of 120.6 million per mm². The node difference is dramatic: 5 nm versus 12 nm, and the density is nearly five times higher.

Clock behavior reflects the architectural gap. The Tesla T4's base clock is 585 MHz with a boost of 1590 MHz. The RTX 5070 Ti runs at 2295 MHz base and 2452 MHz boost. The newer card's higher clocks are not just a process advantage; they reflect a design optimized for higher frequency operation.

The memory subsystem differs in type and speed. The T4 uses GDDR6 at 1250 MHz (10 Gbps effective), while the RTX 5070 Ti uses GDDR7 at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). Both have 256-bit buses, but the effective bandwidth jumps from 320.0 GB/s to 896.0 GB/s.

The compute architecture also differs in FP16 capability. The Tesla T4 lists FP16 as 16.28 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio to FP32 (8.141 TFLOPS). The RTX 5070 Ti lists FP16 as 43.94 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio to FP32 (43.94 TFLOPS). This means the newer card does not halve throughput for FP16, which is a significant advantage for AI and scientific workloads.

The T4 has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The RTX 5070 Ti has 8960 shading units, 280 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The RT core counts are 40 versus 70, and tensor core counts are 320 versus 280. The T4 has more tensor cores, but they are older generation and operate on the Turing architecture.

Specification Differences

The most obvious differences are in physical dimensions. The Tesla T4 is 168 mm (6.6 inches) long, single-slot, with no power connectors. The RTX 5070 Ti is 304 mm (12 inches) long, 137 mm (5.4 inches) high, 48 mm (1.9 inches) wide, dual-slot, with a 1x 16-pin power connector. The T4 requires a 250 W PSU; the RTX 5070 Ti requires 700 W.

The bus interfaces differ: PCIe 3.0 x16 for the T4 versus PCIe 5.0 x16 for the RTX 5070 Ti. Display outputs are entirely absent on the T4, while the RTX 5070 Ti has 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b.

The pixel rate is 101.8 GPixel/s for the T4 versus 235.4 GPixel/s for the RTX 5070 Ti. Texture rate is 254.4 GTexel/s versus 686.6 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 8.141 TFLOPS versus 43.94 TFLOPS.

The TDP is 70 W versus 300 W. Production status is end-of-life for the T4 and active for the RTX 5070 Ti. Release dates are September 2018 for the T4 and February 2025 for the RTX 5070 Ti. The RTX 5070 Ti has a launch MSRP of 749 USD.

Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Both have 16 GB of memory. The transistor count, die size, and process node all favor the RTX 5070 Ti.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records two head-to-head tests, and the RTX 5070 Ti wins both by wide margins.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 5070 Ti scores 212,363 against the Tesla T4's 61,276. That is a delta of 71.1% in favor of the newer card. This test measures general compute performance across a range of workloads, including memory-bound and math-heavy tasks. The 896.0 GB/s bandwidth of the GDDR7 memory and the 43.94 TFLOPS FP32 throughput are the primary drivers of this result.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the RTX 5070 Ti scores 225,122 against 72,190 for the T4. The delta is 67.9%. Vulkan is a low-level graphics API, so this result reflects not only compute power but also the efficiency of the Blackwell 2.0 architecture in handling draw calls and shader workloads. The RTX 5070 Ti's 8960 shading units and 235.4 GPixel/s fill rate are likely responsible for the large margin.

The Tesla T4's best result in the database is its Geekbench Vulkan score of 72,190, which is still far behind the RTX 5070 Ti's lowest recorded score of 127 in Passmark DirectX 12 (a different test suite). The T4's average benchmark score of 66,733 is higher than the RTX 5070 Ti's average of 49,957, but this is because the T4 only has two benchmark entries, both from Geekbench, whereas the RTX 5070 Ti has ten entries including several Passmark tests that pull its average down.

The nearest rivals data confirms the positioning. The Tesla T4 sits within 3% of AMD Radeon VII, Tesla P40, Radeon Instinct MI25, and Intel Arc A770. The RTX 5070 Ti sits within 3.1% of AMD RX Vega 64, Intel Arc A550M, RX 6900 XT, and RX 6800 XT. These are entirely different performance brackets, with the RTX 5070 Ti's rivals being older high-end gaming cards and the T4's rivals being server and workstation parts.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is the faster card by a massive margin in every recorded benchmark. It delivers 71.1% higher OpenCL scores and 67.9% higher Vulkan scores. If raw performance is the only criterion, the RTX 5070 Ti is the clear choice.

The NVIDIA Tesla T4 is a different product for a different purpose. Its 70 W TDP, single-slot design, and lack of display outputs make it suitable for server environments where power and space are scarce. Its 90th percentile ranking among all GPUs reflects its efficiency for its era, but it was released in 2018 and is now end-of-life. The Turing architecture, 12 nm process, and GDDR6 memory are all generations behind.

For a PC builder assembling a gaming or workstation rig, the RTX 5070 Ti is the obvious pick. It has display outputs, a dual-slot cooler, a 16-pin connector, and a 300 W TDP that any modern high-end PSU can handle. Its 896.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 43.94 TFLOPS FP32 compute will handle current games and creative applications without issue. The 5 nm process and Blackwell 2.0 architecture provide a 1:1 FP16 ratio, which is essential for AI workloads.

For a datacenter operator needing a low-power inference card, the Tesla T4 may still be relevant. Its 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores provide hardware acceleration for ray tracing and neural network inference. The lack of power connectors simplifies deployment in pre-existing servers. However, the RTX 5070 Ti's 16 GB of GDDR7 and higher compute throughput would outperform it in most compute tasks, if the power budget allows.

The verdict is straightforward: choose the RTX 5070 Ti for any performance-sensitive application. Choose the Tesla T4 only if the 70 W power envelope and single-slot form factor are non-negotiable constraints. The benchmark results show no scenario where the T4 wins on speed, but there are scenarios where its physical specifications are the deciding factor.