NVIDIA GRID K2 vs NVIDIA TITAN V CEO Edition Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded data splits these two NVIDIA cards into entirely different performance neighborhoods. The TITAN V CEO Edition dominates in raw compute throughput, while the GRID K2 occupies a much lower performance tier. Looking at the average benchmark scores, the TITAN V CEO Edition records 9037, whereas the GRID K2 sits at 8080. That is a difference of roughly 957 points, or about 11.8% on the aggregate scale. The TITAN V CEO Edition lands at the 45th percentile among all GPUs, while the GRID K2 sits at the 42nd percentile. These are close percentile rankings, but the underlying workloads that produce those scores are quite different.

The TITAN V CEO Edition wins decisively in the PassMark G3D test, scoring 16988, which is a measure of Direct3D gaming and general 3D rendering performance. The GRID K2 has no PassMark score recorded; instead, its data comes from Geekbench compute tests. In Geekbench OpenCL, the GRID K2 scores 10602, and in Geekbench Metal it scores 5557. The TITAN V CEO Edition has no Geekbench entries in the database. So the win split is straightforward: the TITAN V CEO Edition is the 3D rendering and rasterization champion, while the GRID K2 shows its strengths in compute-oriented OpenCL workloads.

For use-case splitting, the TITAN V CEO Edition is the card for anyone needing maximum graphics throughput in traditional 3D applications, given its PassMark G3D score of 16988 and its 45th percentile standing. The GRID K2, with its Geekbench OpenCL score of 10602, appears oriented toward compute tasks that leverage OpenCL acceleration, though its overall average score of 8080 trails the TITAN V CEO Edition. The GRID K2 also has no display outputs, meaning it is not designed for direct video output; it is a server-side compute or virtualization card. The TITAN V CEO Edition, in contrast, includes display outputs (1x HDMI 2.0 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a), making it suitable for workstation or desktop use.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two is massive, reflecting a five-year generational leap. The TITAN V CEO Edition uses the GV100 chip on the Volta architecture, built on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It packs 21,100 million transistors on an 815 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 25.9M per mm². The GRID K2 uses the GK104 chip on the Kepler architecture, also from TSMC, but on a much older 28 nm process. It contains 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, with a transistor density of 12.0M per mm². The TITAN V CEO Edition has roughly six times the transistor count and nearly three times the die area.

Memory configurations differ even more starkly. The TITAN V CEO Edition carries 32 GB of HBM2 memory on a 4096-bit bus, delivering 868.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The GRID K2 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, with 160.0 GB/s of bandwidth. That is a 5.4x bandwidth advantage for the TITAN V CEO Edition, and an 8x capacity advantage. The memory clock for the TITAN V CEO Edition is listed at 848 MHz (1696 Mbps effective), while the GRID K2 runs at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective). Higher effective speed on the GRID K2 does not compensate for the much narrower bus.

Compute resources follow the same pattern. The TITAN V CEO Edition has 5120 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 128 ROPs. It also includes 640 tensor cores, which the GRID K2 lacks entirely. The GRID K2 has 1536 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Pixel rate for the TITAN V CEO Edition is 186.2 GPixel/s versus 23.84 GPixel/s for the GRID K2. Texture rate is 465.6 GTexel/s versus 95.36 GTexel/s. Floating point performance: the TITAN V CEO Edition delivers 14.90 TFLOPS FP32 and 29.80 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1 ratio). The GRID K2 manages 2.289 TFLOPS FP32 and has no recorded FP16 capability.

API support also differs. The TITAN V CEO Edition supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The GRID K2 supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The TITAN V CEO Edition has a newer feature level for DirectX, and a later Vulkan revision. Power draw is similar: 250 W for the TITAN V CEO Edition versus 225 W for the GRID K2, both dual-slot cards with identical power connectors (1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin). The suggested PSU is 600 W for the TITAN V CEO Edition and 550 W for the GRID K2. Both are end-of-life products, but the TITAN V CEO Edition released in June 2018, while the GRID K2 released in May 2013.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

There are no direct head-to-head benchmark entries in the database for these two cards. Instead, the comparison relies on their respective benchmark suites. The TITAN V CEO Edition records a PassMark G2D score of 1086 and a PassMark G3D score of 16988. The GRID K2 records Geekbench Metal at 5557 and Geekbench OpenCL at 10602. Since the tests differ, a direct apples-to-apples comparison is not possible from the raw scores alone. However, the average benchmark scores provide a common metric: 9037 for the TITAN V CEO Edition versus 8080 for the GRID K2, a 11.8% advantage for the Volta card.

Looking at the nearest rivals for each card puts their performance in context. The TITAN V CEO Edition's closest competitor is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660, with an average score of 9022 and a delta of 0.2%. That means the TITAN V CEO Edition is essentially tied with a card from the GTX 600 series in aggregate database scoring. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 is 0.2% ahead, the AMD Radeon 550X is 1.3% behind, and the AMD Radeon 890M is 1.9% ahead. So the TITAN V CEO Edition, despite its massive specifications, scores in the same neighborhood as mid-range cards from several generations ago. This suggests that the database's average score is heavily weighted toward specific workloads that do not fully utilize the TITAN V's extreme compute resources.

The GRID K2's nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost, with an average score of 8067 and a delta of 0.2%. The GeForce 945M is 0.2% ahead, the GeForce GTX 650 Ti is 0.3% behind, and the GeForce GTX 880M is 0.5% behind. The GRID K2 is likewise clustered tightly with older mid-range cards. Both cards appear to be measured against a benchmark pool that does not reward their specialized architectures. The key numerical takeaway: the TITAN V CEO Edition is 11.8% faster in average score, and its PassMark G3D score of 16988 dwarfs anything the GRID K2 could plausibly produce in that test, given that the GRID K2 has no PassMark entry at all.

For compute workloads, the GRID K2's Geekbench OpenCL score of 10602 is its strongest result. The TITAN V CEO Edition has no OpenCL score recorded, so it cannot be directly compared on that metric. However, the TITAN V's FP32 throughput of 14.90 TFLOPS is roughly 6.5 times the GRID K2's 2.289 TFLOPS, and FP16 at 29.80 TFLOPS is even higher. The GRID K2 has no FP16 support. The TITAN V CEO Edition also has 640 tensor cores, which are absent on the GRID K2, giving it a clear advantage in any tensor or deep learning workload, though no specific benchmark for that is in the database.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the recorded data, the NVIDIA TITAN V CEO Edition is the stronger card overall. Its average benchmark score of 9037 exceeds the GRID K2's 8080 by 11.8%. The TITAN V CEO Edition also holds a higher percentile rank, 45th versus 42nd. In raw compute specifications, the TITAN V CEO Edition is categorically superior: more shading units (5120 vs 1536), more memory (32 GB vs 4 GB), higher bandwidth (868.4 GB/s vs 160.0 GB/s), and higher pixel and texture rates. Any workload that stresses these resources will favor the TITAN V CEO Edition.

The GRID K2's only recorded win is in Geekbench OpenCL, where it scores 10602. But there is no equivalent OpenCL score for the TITAN V CEO Edition, so this is not a direct victory; it is simply the only benchmark the GRID K2 has. For a user choosing between these two, the data points overwhelmingly toward the TITAN V CEO Edition for any 3D rendering, rasterization, or FP32/FP16 compute task. The GRID K2, with no display outputs, is a server-oriented product, and its lower specifications make it suitable only for light compute duties or legacy virtualization workloads.

The percentile rankings are close, though. A 45th percentile versus 42nd percentile gap is small, suggesting that in the database's full GPU population, both cards sit in the lower-middle range. The nearest rivals confirm this: the TITAN V CEO Edition trades blows with the GTX 660 and GTX 560, while the GRID K2 matches the GTX 650 Ti Boost and GTX 650 Ti. Neither card is a top performer by modern standards. The TITAN V CEO Edition's launch MSRP is not recorded in the database, so no pricing statement can be made. The GRID K2 has a launch MSRP of 5,199 USD, which is a data point only, not a value judgment.

For most buyers, the TITAN V CEO Edition is the only sensible choice if the workload involves DirectX 12 (12_1) features, Vulkan 1.4, or HBM2 memory bandwidth. The GRID K2 is a legacy part from 2013, with a 28 nm process, no tensor cores, and no FP16 support. It has a place only in environments that specifically require its Kepler architecture or its lack of display outputs. The verdict is clear: the TITAN V CEO Edition wins on every metric that is directly comparable.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA TITAN V CEO Edition, with an average score of 9037, compared to the NVIDIA GRID K2's 8080. That is an 11.8% difference in favor of the TITAN V CEO Edition.

Q: What are the memory specifications of each card?

A: The TITAN V CEO Edition has 32 GB of HBM2 memory on a 4096-bit bus with 868.4 GB/s bandwidth. The GRID K2 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 160.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Does the GRID K2 have any display outputs?

A: No. The GRID K2 is recorded with "No outputs" in the database. The TITAN V CEO Edition, by contrast, has 1x HDMI 2.0 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs.

Q: Which card supports tensor cores?

A: Only the TITAN V CEO Edition, which has 640 tensor cores. The GRID K2 has no tensor cores listed.

Q: What is the FP32 floating point performance difference?

A: The TITAN V CEO Edition delivers 14.90 TFLOPS FP32, while the GRID K2 delivers 2.289 TFLOPS FP32. The TITAN V CEO Edition is roughly 6.5 times faster in FP32.

Q: How do the two cards compare in DirectX and Vulkan support?

A: The TITAN V CEO Edition supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4. The GRID K2 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175. The TITAN V CEO Edition has a higher feature level in both APIs.