GPU Comparison

The NVIDIA TITAN V and NVIDIA P104-100 represent two divergent paths from the same manufacturer, targeting entirely different workloads despite sharing a common PCIe form factor. The TITAN V is a compute-oriented flagship built on the Volta architecture, while the P104-100 is a mining-specific card stripped of display outputs and tuned for hash throughput. The benchmark data available shows a decisive performance gulf, but the nuances of memory, bandwidth, and interface differences tell a more complex story than raw scores alone.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The TITAN V wins all three head-to-head benchmark comparisons, and it does so by substantial margins. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the TITAN V scores 3,565 points against the P104-100's 1,413 points, a delta of 152.3%. This is not a marginal victory; the TITAN V more than doubles the P104-100's rendering throughput in this DirectX 12 workload, reflecting the massive gap in shading units (5,120 vs 1,920) and texture mapping units (320 vs 120).

The gap widens further in compute-oriented benchmarks. In Geekbench OpenCL, the TITAN V scores 157,265 against 52,368 for the P104-100, a 200.3% advantage. This result aligns with the FP32 throughput figures: 14.90 TFLOPS for the TITAN V versus 6.655 TFLOPS for the P104-100. The TITAN V's Volta architecture also brings 640 tensor cores, which the P104-100 lacks entirely, contributing to its dominance in workloads that leverage these units.

The most lopsided result appears in Geekbench Vulkan, where the TITAN V scores 152,117 versus 45,165 for the P104-100, a 236.8% delta. This near-tripling of performance suggests that the TITAN V's memory subsystem, 12 GB of HBM2 on a 3072-bit bus delivering 651.3 GB/s, provides a decisive advantage in Vulkan's API overhead and memory access patterns. The P104-100's 4 GB of GDDR5X on a 256-bit bus yields only 320.3 GB/s, roughly half the bandwidth.

The P104-100 does not win a single benchmark in this comparison. Its average benchmark score of 32,982 places it in the 77th percentile of all GPUs, which is respectable but clearly below the TITAN V's 79th percentile and 34,355 average score. The TITAN V's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB (0.6% ahead) and the AMD Radeon HD 7970 (0.5% behind), while the P104-100 sits near the NVIDIA T600 Mobile (0.4% ahead) and the GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile (0.6% behind). The TITAN V's performance class is roughly 4% higher than the P104-100's on average, but the head-to-head deltas show that in specific workloads, the difference is far more dramatic.

FAQ

Q: Which card has higher raw compute throughput?

A: The NVIDIA TITAN V delivers 14.90 TFLOPS FP32 and 29.80 TFLOPS FP16, while the NVIDIA P104-100 provides 6.655 TFLOPS FP32 and 104.0 GFLOPS FP16. The TITAN V offers over double the FP32 performance and roughly 286 times the FP16 throughput.

Q: Why does the TITAN V win by such a large margin in Geekbench Vulkan?

A: The TITAN V scores 152,117 versus 45,165 for the P104-100, a 236.8% difference. This likely stems from the TITAN V's 3072-bit HBM2 interface with 651.3 GB/s bandwidth, compared to the P104-100's 256-bit GDDR5X bus at 320.3 GB/s. Vulkan workloads often stress memory bandwidth and latency, where the TITAN V has a fundamental advantage.

Q: Is the P104-100 suitable for gaming given its mining origins?

A: The P104-100 has no display outputs, meaning it cannot drive a monitor directly. Its bus interface is PCIe 1.0 x4, which is significantly slower than the TITAN V's PCIe 3.0 x16. While the P104-100 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, the lack of outputs and limited interface make it impractical for standard gaming use.

Q: How do the memory configurations compare?

A: The TITAN V has 12 GB of HBM2 with a 3072-bit bus and 651.3 GB/s bandwidth. The P104-100 has 4 GB of GDDR5X with a 256-bit bus and 320.3 GB/s bandwidth. The TITAN V offers three times the capacity and roughly double the bandwidth.

Q: Which card has better driver and API support?

A: Both cards support DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The TITAN V additionally features 640 tensor cores and is based on the Volta architecture, which provides hardware acceleration for workloads that the Pascal-based P104-100 cannot handle.

Q: What is the percentile ranking difference between the two cards?

A: The TITAN V ranks in the 79th percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 34,355. The P104-100 ranks in the 77th percentile with an average score of 32,982. Despite the large head-to-head deltas, both cards sit in a similar overall performance tier when compared against the full range of GPUs.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear hierarchy: the NVIDIA TITAN V is the superior performer in every measured benchmark, with deltas ranging from 152.3% to 236.8%. For any workload involving DirectX 12 rendering, OpenCL compute, or Vulkan graphics, the TITAN V is the only rational choice between these two. Its 12 GB HBM2 memory, 5,120 shading units, and 640 tensor cores provide a level of compute capability that the P104-100 cannot approach.

The P104-100's strengths are more situational. Its 16 nm process node, lower transistor count (7,200 million versus 21,100 million), and smaller die size (314 mm² versus 815 mm²) suggest lower power consumption, though the the benchmark database lists no TDP for the P104-100. The suggested PSU of 200 W versus 600 W for the TITAN V indicates a significantly lighter power draw. For applications that do not require the TITAN V's massive compute resources, the P104-100 could be a more efficient option, but the lack of display outputs and PCIe 1.0 x4 interface severely limit its use cases.

Benchmark results indicate that the TITAN V's 152.3% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad is the smallest of the three wins, suggesting that its advantage in pure graphics workloads is narrower than in compute. Still, a lead of that magnitude is decisive. Users who need the TITAN V's FP16 performance (29.80 TFLOPS) or tensor core capabilities will find the P104-100 completely inadequate, as it offers only 104.0 GFLOPS FP16 and no tensor cores.

The P104-100's average benchmark score of 32,982 places it near the NVIDIA T550 Mobile and GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile, indicating that it performs at a mid-range mobile GPU level. The TITAN V's 34,355 average score places it near the RTX A2000 12 GB and Radeon HD 7970, a higher tier overall. The percentile gap is small (79th vs 77th), but the head-to-head data shows that the TITAN V's peak performance is far above what the P104-100 can deliver.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every core specification. The TITAN V uses the GV100 chip on a 12 nm process, while the P104-100 uses GP104 on 16 nm. Transistor counts are 21,100 million versus 7,200 million, and die sizes are 815 mm² versus 314 mm². The TITAN V has 5,120 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 96 ROPs; the P104-100 has 1,920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 64 ROPs.

Memory configurations are fundamentally different: the TITAN V has 12 GB HBM2 on a 3072-bit bus with 651.3 GB/s bandwidth, while the P104-100 has 4 GB GDDR5X on a 256-bit bus with 320.3 GB/s. Clock speeds favor the P104-100 at base (1607 MHz vs 1200 MHz) and boost (1733 MHz vs 1455 MHz), but the TITAN V's wider architecture more than compensates.

The TITAN V's FP32 throughput is 14.90 TFLOPS versus 6.655 TFLOPS for the P104-100. FP16 performance is 29.80 TFLOPS versus 104.0 GFLOPS. Pixel rate is 139.7 GPixel/s versus 110.9 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 465.6 GTexel/s versus 208.0 GTexel/s. The TITAN V has a 250 W TDP with 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin power connectors and a 600 W suggested PSU; the P104-100 has no listed TDP, uses 1x 8-pin, and suggests a 200 W PSU.

Bus interfaces differ significantly: PCIe 3.0 x16 for the TITAN V versus PCIe 1.0 x4 for the P104-100. Display outputs are 1x HDMI 2.0 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a for the TITAN V, while the P104-100 has no outputs. Physical dimensions are identical in length (267 mm), but the TITAN V adds height (112 mm) and width (40 mm) specifications.

Architecture Differences

The TITAN V is built on the Volta architecture, NVIDIA's first architecture to introduce tensor cores. It includes 640 of these dedicated AI compute units, which the P104-100's Pascal architecture lacks entirely. This is the most significant architectural divergence, as tensor cores enable accelerated deep learning and inference workloads that the P104-100 cannot perform efficiently.

The process nodes differ: 12 nm for the TITAN V versus 16 nm for the P104-100, both from TSMC. The TITAN V's transistor density is 25.9M per mm², slightly higher than the P104-100's 22.9M per mm², despite the TITAN V's much larger die. The TITAN V is part of the GeForce 10 generation, while the P104-100 belongs to the Mining GPUs generation, reflecting their intended markets.

Memory technology is a key architectural differentiator. The TITAN V uses HBM2, a stacked memory design that achieves 651.3 GB/s bandwidth on a 3072-bit bus. The P104-100 uses GDDR5X, a traditional discrete memory layout on a 256-bit bus delivering 320.3 GB/s. HBM2 also consumes less physical space and power per byte, contributing to the TITAN V's superior efficiency despite its higher TDP.

The TITAN V's FP16 support is rated at 2:1 ratio, meaning it can process half-precision at twice the FP32 rate. The P104-100's FP16 is rated at 1:64, indicating a fundamental architectural limitation in half-precision throughput. The TITAN V also has a predecessor in GeForce 900 and a successor in GeForce 20, while the P104-100 has neither, suggesting it was a one-off design for a specific market segment.