NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile vs NVIDIA Tesla M40 Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile and the NVIDIA Tesla M40 represent two distinct eras of GPU design, separated by a decade of architectural evolution. The data shows a decisive generational leap in raw compute and modern API support, with the mobile part outperforming the older workstation accelerator by a staggering margin in the available shared benchmarks. While the Tesla M40 holds its own in its niche, the benchmark results indicate that it is functionally obsolete for contemporary workloads.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head comparison is brief but unequivocal. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RTX 5090 Mobile scores 201,834, while the Tesla M40 manages 39,192. This translates to a delta of 415% — the newer GPU is over five times faster in this compute-oriented benchmark. The gap is similarly dramatic in Geekbench Vulkan, where the RTX 5090 Mobile posts 198,405 against the Tesla M40's 44,602, a lead of 344.8%. These are not incremental improvements; they are order-of-magnitude shifts in processing capability.

The RTX 5090 Mobile’s FP32 compute rating of 31.80 TFLOPS versus the Tesla M40’s 6.832 TFLOPS explains a large portion of this delta. The data shows a 4.65x raw throughput advantage, which aligns closely with the OpenCL score differential. The texture rate also tells the story: the RTX 5090 Mobile delivers 496.9 GTexel/s compared to the Tesla M40's 213.5 GTexel/s. Even the pixel rate, often less dependent on architecture, favors the newcomer at 169.7 GPixel/s versus 106.8 GPixel/s.

Memory bandwidth is another decisive factor. The RTX 5090 Mobile’s GDDR7 memory provides 896.0 GB/s over a 256-bit bus, while the Tesla M40’s GDDR5 offers just 288.4 GB/s over a wider 384-bit interface. This is a 3.1x bandwidth advantage for the mobile chip, which is critical for feeding the massive shader array. The Geekbench Vulkan result, which is often sensitive to memory subsystem performance, reflects this discrepancy well.

It is worth remembering the RTX 5090 Mobile also has a broader benchmark suite in the data, with scores for Passmark DirectX 9, 10, 11, 12, and GPU Compute. The Tesla M40 lacks these entries entirely, meaning the comparison is limited to the two Geekbench tests. Within that shared scope, the RTX 5090 Mobile wins every single benchmark, and the margins are so large that they dwarf any rival comparisons. For instance, the RTX 5090 Mobile’s nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT, is only 0.5% ahead in average score, while the Tesla M40’s rivals are all within 2.5% of its own average. This indicates that the Tesla M40 is competitive with its direct contemporaries, but those contemporaries are simply not in the same league as the modern mobile flagship.

The Verdict

The verdict is straightforward for anyone needing raw compute performance: choose the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile. The data shows it is 415% faster in OpenCL and 344.8% faster in Vulkan than the Tesla M40. It also carries the modern feature set required for current software, including DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4, and hardware ray tracing cores. The Tesla M40 is end-of-life, supports only DirectX 12 (12_1), and has no RT or tensor cores. Its 83rd percentile ranking versus the RTX 5090 Mobile’s 84th percentile is misleading, as the percentile is based on average scores across different benchmark sets; the head-to-head data reveals the true chasm.

The Tesla M40 might still be relevant for legacy compute tasks that rely on its 12 GB of GDDR5 memory and 384-bit bus, but those are niche scenarios. Its 250 W TDP and dual-slot design also make it a power-hungry server component, whereas the RTX 5090 Mobile is an IGP with a 95 W TDP and no power connectors. For any modern workload, the RTX 5090 Mobile is the only rational choice. The data does not support any scenario where the Tesla M40 outperforms the RTX 5090 Mobile in shared tests.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is vast. The RTX 5090 Mobile is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture using a 5 nm process at TSMC, while the Tesla M40 uses the Maxwell 2.0 architecture on a 28 nm process. This process shrink allows the RTX 5090 Mobile to pack 45,600 million transistors into a 378 mm² die, yielding a density of 120.6M transistors per mm². The Tesla M40, by contrast, has 8,000 million transistors on a much larger 601 mm² die, giving a density of just 13.3M transistors per mm². The efficiency improvement is a direct result of the newer node.

The shader configuration differs dramatically. The RTX 5090 Mobile has 10,496 shading units, 328 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. The Tesla M40 has 3,072 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The RTX 5090 Mobile also includes 82 RT cores and 328 tensor cores, features entirely absent from the Maxwell-based Tesla M40. This makes the RTX 5090 Mobile capable of hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI workloads, while the Tesla M40 is purely a rasterization and compute device.

Memory technology is another differentiator. The RTX 5090 Mobile uses 24 GB of GDDR7 on a 256-bit bus, while the Tesla M40 uses 12 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus. The newer GDDR7 standard runs at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective) versus the older GDDR5's 1502 MHz (6 Gbps effective), resulting in the significant bandwidth advantage noted earlier. The RTX 5090 Mobile also supports PCIe 5.0 x16, while the Tesla M40 is limited to PCIe 3.0 x16.

Power and form factor are polar opposites. The RTX 5090 Mobile is an IGP with a 95 W TDP and no power connectors, designed for laptops. The Tesla M40 is a dual-slot card with an 8-pin EPS connector, a 250 W TDP, and a suggested PSU of 600 W. It measures 267 mm (10.5 inches) in length and has no display outputs, confirming its server-oriented design. The RTX 5090 Mobile's display outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent," reflecting its mobile nature. The Tesla M40 also lacks FP16 support, while the RTX 5090 Mobile offers FP16 at a 1:1 ratio with FP32.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the shared Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile scores 201,834, which is 415% higher than the Tesla M40's 39,192.

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

A: No. The Tesla M40's architecture is Maxwell 2.0, and its specifications list no RT cores and no tensor cores. The RTX 5090 Mobile has 82 RT cores and 328 tensor cores.

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

A: The RTX 5090 Mobile provides 896.0 GB/s of bandwidth using 24 GB of GDDR7 on a 256-bit bus, while the Tesla M40 provides 288.4 GB/s using 12 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus.

Q: Which GPU has a higher transistor density?

A: The RTX 5090 Mobile has a density of 120.6M transistors per mm², compared to the Tesla M40's 13.3M transistors per mm². The RTX 5090 Mobile also uses a smaller 5 nm process versus 28 nm.

Q: Are there any benchmarks where the Tesla M40 wins?

A: In the head-to-head benchmark data, the Tesla M40 wins zero tests. The RTX 5090 Mobile wins both the Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan tests.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The RTX 5090 Mobile has a 95 W TDP and is an IGP with no power connectors. The Tesla M40 has a 250 W TDP, uses a dual-slot design with an 8-pin EPS connector, and recommends a 600 W PSU.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile wins in every measurable category within the data. It dominates compute benchmarks, with a 415% lead in OpenCL and a 344.8% lead in Vulkan. Its architectural features — RT cores, tensor cores, and DirectX 12 Ultimate support — make it the clear choice for modern gaming, ray-traced workloads, and AI inference. The 24 GB of GDDR7 memory at 896.0 GB/s also positions it well for large datasets and high-resolution textures. Its 95 W TDP makes it suitable for high-performance laptops, where power efficiency is paramount.

The NVIDIA Tesla M40 has no benchmark wins in this comparison, but its profile suggests a narrow set of legacy use cases. Its 12 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus could still serve older compute kernels that do not require modern APIs or FP16 support. Its 83rd percentile ranking indicates it performs in line with GPUs like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti (1.7% ahead) and the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE (1.9% behind), which are much newer parts. However, its end-of-life status, 250 W TDP, and lack of display outputs mean it is only viable in a server rack where power is not a constraint and the software stack is frozen. For any new deployment, the RTX 5090 Mobile is the superior product, both in raw performance and in feature completeness.