GPU Comparison

NVIDIA’s Tesla P40 and GeForce RTX 5080 occupy opposite ends of the GPU timeline, yet both appear in modern benchmark databases. The data shows a stark generational divide: the RTX 5080 wins every shared head-to-head test by a massive margin, while the Tesla P40 retains relevance only in specific legacy or compute-oriented contexts. This analysis breaks down where each card wins, what the benchmark numbers imply, and who should consider which based strictly on the provided facts.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 5080 dominates every benchmark where the two cards share a test. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 5080 scores 235,901 against the Tesla P40’s 62,017, a delta of -73.7% from the P40’s perspective, meaning the RTX 5080 is roughly 3.8 times faster. Geekbench Vulkan tells the same story: 255,450 versus 68,172, a -73.3% delta. These are not close contests; the RTX 5080 wins both head-to-head tests decisively, giving it a 2-0 record in wins.

The Tesla P40’s only “win” is contextual. It has no display outputs, making it a pure compute or server card. Its 24 GB of GDDR5 memory exceeds the RTX 5080’s 16 GB of GDDR7, which could matter for workloads that need capacity over bandwidth. However, the P40’s memory bandwidth is 347.1 GB/s versus 960.0 GB/s for the RTX 5080, so the capacity advantage comes with a severe speed penalty. The P40 also has a lower TDP at 250 W versus 360 W, but that is a power draw figure, not a performance win.

The RTX 5080’s benchmark wins span broader test coverage. It has scores in 3DMark Steel Nomad (8,637), PassMark DirectX 9/10/11/12 (389, 208, 324, 151), PassMark G2D (1,415), G3D (36,565), and GPU Compute (21,789). The Tesla P40 only has Geekbench results. So the RTX 5080 wins on test diversity, raw performance, and modern API support, while the P40’s edge is purely in memory capacity and lower power draw, neither of which shows up as a benchmark score.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The Tesla P40 has a higher average benchmark score of 65,095, compared to the RTX 5080’s 56,083. However, this is misleading because the P40 only has two Geekbench results, while the RTX 5080 includes ten tests across 3DMark and PassMark suites, which drag its average down.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 5080 in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The RTX 5080 scores 235,901 versus the P40’s 62,017, a delta of -73.7% from the P40’s perspective. That means the RTX 5080 is approximately 3.8 times faster in this specific test.

Q: Does the Tesla P40 support ray tracing?

A: No. The P40’s specifications list no RT cores, while the RTX 5080 has 84 RT cores. The P40 is based on Pascal architecture, which predates hardware ray tracing.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference?

A: The Tesla P40 has 24 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the RTX 5080 has 16 GB of GDDR7. The P40 has 8 GB more capacity, but the RTX 5080’s bandwidth is 960.0 GB/s versus the P40’s 347.1 GB/s.

Q: Which card has a higher pixel rate?

A: The RTX 5080 has a pixel rate of 293.1 GPixel/s, more than double the P40’s 147.0 GPixel/s. This indicates the RTX 5080 can fill frames much faster, which is critical for high-resolution rendering.

Q: Are both cards the same physical size?

A: No. The Tesla P40 is 267 mm long and 111 mm high, while the RTX 5080 is 304 mm long, 137 mm high, and 40 mm wide. The RTX 5080 is larger in every dimension.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only shared benchmarks are Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan, and the RTX 5080 wins both by overwhelming margins. In OpenCL, the RTX 5080’s 235,901 score is 173,884 points higher than the P40’s 62,017. The delta of -73.7% means the P40 scores only 26.3% of the RTX 5080’s result. This is not a marginal improvement; it is a generational leap.

In Vulkan, the gap is similar. The RTX 5080 scores 255,450, while the P40 manages 68,172. The delta is -73.3%, meaning the P40 achieves just 26.7% of the RTX 5080’s Vulkan performance. Both tests show the RTX 5080 delivering roughly 3.7 to 3.8 times the performance of the P40.

The RTX 5080’s additional benchmarks provide context for its strengths. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 8,637 indicates strong modern gaming performance. PassMark G3D at 36,565 and GPU Compute at 21,789 show solid general-purpose and compute capabilities. The P40 has no comparable scores, so direct comparisons beyond Geekbench are impossible from the data. The wins are lopsided: 2-0 for the RTX 5080, with deltas exceeding 73% in both cases.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every core specification. The Tesla P40 uses a GP102 chip on a 16 nm process, while the RTX 5080 uses GB203 on a 5 nm process. Transistor counts jump from 11,800 million to 45,600 million, despite the RTX 5080’s die being smaller at 378 mm² versus 471 mm². Transistor density rises from 25.1M per mm² to 120.6M per mm², reflecting the newer manufacturing node.

Clock speeds are higher on the RTX 5080: base clock of 2,295 MHz versus 1,303 MHz, and boost clock of 2,617 MHz versus 1,531 MHz. Memory types differ entirely, GDDR5 on the P40 versus GDDR7 on the RTX 5080, with effective speeds of 7.2 Gbps versus 30 Gbps. The RTX 5080 has a narrower 256-bit bus but achieves 960.0 GB/s bandwidth versus the P40’s 384-bit bus and 347.1 GB/s.

Shading units favor the RTX 5080 at 10,752 versus 3,840. TMUs are 336 versus 240, and ROPs are 112 versus 96. The RTX 5080 adds 84 RT cores and 336 tensor cores; the P40 has none. FP32 compute is 56.28 TFLOPS versus 11.76 TFLOPS. FP16 also differs dramatically: the RTX 5080 has 56.28 TFLOPS (1:1), while the P40 has only 183.7 GFLOPS (1:64).

Power and interface specs differ too. The P40 uses an 8-pin EPS connector and suggests a 600 W PSU, while the RTX 5080 uses a 1x 16-pin connector and suggests 750 W. The P40 is PCIe 3.0 x16; the RTX 5080 is PCIe 5.0 x16. Display outputs are absent on the P40, while the RTX 5080 has 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b. The P40 is end-of-life with a 2016 release date; the RTX 5080 is active with a 2025 release date.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap is fundamental. The Tesla P40 uses Pascal, a 2016 architecture from the Tesla Pascal generation. The RTX 5080 uses Blackwell 2.0, from the GeForce 50 generation. Pascal lacks dedicated ray tracing and tensor cores, which explains the P40’s null RT cores and tensor cores. Blackwell 2.0 includes 84 RT cores and 336 tensor cores, enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI workloads.

The process node difference, 16 nm versus 5 nm, drives the massive transistor density change. Pascal’s 11,800 million transistors on 471 mm² yields 25.1M per mm², while Blackwell 2.0 packs 45,600 million into 378 mm² for 120.6M per mm². This density improvement enables the RTX 5080’s higher clocks and shader counts within a smaller die.

Memory architecture also reflects generational change. The P40’s GDDR5 with a 384-bit bus provides 347.1 GB/s, while the RTX 5080’s GDDR7 with a 256-bit bus delivers 960.0 GB/s. The newer memory technology more than compensates for the narrower bus. API support differs: the P40 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the RTX 5080 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

The P40’s FP16 performance is severely limited at 183.7 GFLOPS (1:64 ratio), indicating it was not designed for half-precision compute. The RTX 5080’s FP16 is 56.28 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), matching its FP32 output, which is typical for modern GPUs handling AI and machine learning workloads. These architectural differences explain why the RTX 5080 wins benchmarks by such wide margins, it is simply a more advanced design.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is the superior card by every measurable performance metric. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks by over 73%, offers 84 RT cores and 336 tensor cores that the Tesla P40 lacks, and delivers 56.28 TFLOPS FP32 versus 11.76 TFLOPS. The RTX 5080 also has a higher pixel rate (293.1 GPixel/s versus 147.0 GPixel/s), higher texture rate (879.3 GTexel/s versus 367.4 GTexel/s), and nearly three times the memory bandwidth (960.0 GB/s versus 347.1 GB/s).

Who should pick the Tesla P40? Only those who specifically need 24 GB of memory capacity in a 250 W power envelope and do not require display outputs, ray tracing, or modern API features. The P40’s 89th percentile ranking versus all GPUs is respectable, but its 65,095 average benchmark score comes from just two tests. In contrast, the RTX 5080’s 87th percentile ranking is based on ten tests, including 3DMark and PassMark suites that stress modern workloads.

Who should pick the RTX 5080? Anyone who needs performance across gaming, compute, or AI tasks. Its 2-0 head-to-head record, massive score advantages, and broader test coverage make it the clear choice. The RTX 5080’s launch MSRP is 999 USD, and it offers 16 GB of GDDR7 memory, which is less capacity than the P40 but with far superior bandwidth. For any workload where speed matters more than raw capacity, the RTX 5080 wins. The only scenario where the P40 makes sense is a niche, legacy compute environment that prioritizes memory size over everything else, and even then, the bandwidth penalty is severe. The data leaves no room for doubt: the RTX 5080 is the modern choice, and the P40 is a relic of a previous era.