NVIDIA PG506-232 vs NVIDIA Tesla V100S PCIe 32 GB Comparison

The NVIDIA PG506-232 and NVIDIA Tesla V100S PCIe 32 GB are both end-of-life server accelerators from NVIDIA, but they represent two distinct architectural generations. The PG506-232, built on the 7 nm Ampere GA100 chip, is the newer part, while the V100S is a 12 nm Volta GV100 product. Benchmark data from Geekbench OpenCL reveals a clear performance hierarchy, with the PG506-232 achieving a score of 225,124 against the V100S’s 194,415, a 15.8% advantage. This places the PG506-232 in the 99th percentile of all GPUs, while the V100S sits in the 98th percentile. The following analysis breaks down the architectural, specification, and performance differences between these two data center compute cards.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA PG506-232 scores 225,124, which is 15.8% higher than the Tesla V100S’s score of 194,415. This makes the PG506-232 the winner in the only head-to-head benchmark test recorded.

Q: How does the PG506-232 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The PG506-232 is 2.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon PRO W7900D and 8.7% ahead of the NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80 GB. However, it trails the NVIDIA L20 by 10.4%, while leading the NVIDIA RTX 6000D by 14.9%.

Q: Where does the Tesla V100S rank among its competitors?

A: The V100S is nearly tied with the NVIDIA RTX 6000D, trailing it by just 0.8%. It is 3.9% ahead of the A100 SXM4 40 GB, 5.3% ahead of the RTX 5000 Ada Generation, and 5.8% ahead of the A100 SXM4 80 GB.

Q: What are the memory capacities and types for each card?

A: The PG506-232 has 24 GB of HBM2 memory on a 3072-bit bus, while the Tesla V100S has a larger 32 GB of HBM2 memory on a 4096-bit bus. The V100S also offers higher memory bandwidth at 1.13 TB/s versus 933.1 GB/s for the PG506-232.

Q: Which card has a higher FP32 (single-precision) compute rating?

A: The Tesla V100S leads in FP32 with 16.35 TFLOPS, which is substantially higher than the PG506-232’s 10.32 TFLOPS. The V100S also has a higher FP16 rating, but the architecture handles it differently.

Q: How do their power requirements differ?

A: The PG506-232 has a TDP of 165 W and requires a single 8-pin EPS power connector, with a suggested 450 W power supply. The Tesla V100S has a higher TDP of 250 W, needs two 8-pin connectors, and suggests a 600 W power supply.

Architecture Differences

The fundamental architectural split between these two cards is the node and chip design. The PG506-232 uses the GA100 chip on TSMC’s 7 nm process, packing 54,200 million transistors onto an 826 mm² die. This results in a transistor density of 65.6 million per mm². In contrast, the Tesla V100S uses the GV100 chip on a 12 nm process, with 21,100 million transistors on a similar 815 mm² die, yielding a much lower density of 25.9 million per mm². The newer process node allows the PG506-232 to integrate more than double the transistors in nearly the same physical space.

The compute architectures diverge significantly. The PG506-232 is based on the Ampere generation, while the V100S is based on Volta. This is reflected in their core counts and compute paths. The PG506-232 has 3,584 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, along with 224 tensor cores. The V100S, conversely, has a larger number of traditional cores: 5,120 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 128 ROPs, plus a much higher count of 640 tensor cores. Despite having fewer shading units, the PG506-232’s architecture yields a lower FP32 throughput of 10.32 TFLOPS compared to the V100S’s 16.35 TFLOPS.

Clock speeds and memory architecture also differ. The PG506-232 has a base clock of 930 MHz and a boost of 1440 MHz, while the V100S runs higher at 1245 MHz base and 1597 MHz boost. The PG506-232’s memory runs at 1215 MHz (2.4 Gbps effective), while the V100S memory runs at 1107 MHz (2.2 Gbps effective). The V100S’s wider 4096-bit bus gives it a bandwidth advantage of 1.13 TB/s over the PG506-232’s 3072-bit bus and 933.1 GB/s. The PG506-232 features PCIe 4.0 x16, whereas the V100S uses the older PCIe 3.0 x16 interface. Both cards have no display outputs, but the V100S lists support for DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the PG506-232 has no API entries listed.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the benchmark data, the NVIDIA PG506-232 is the clear performance winner. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 225,124 is 15.8% higher than the V100S’s 194,415. This performance gap is consistent with the PG506-232’s higher percentile ranking (99th vs 98th) and its competitive position against modern rivals. For workloads that rely on raw OpenCL compute throughput, the PG506-232 is the better choice.

However, the Tesla V100S offers distinct advantages in specific areas. It provides 32 GB of memory versus 24 GB, which is a 33% capacity increase. It also delivers higher memory bandwidth (1.13 TB/s vs 933.1 GB/s) and significantly higher FP32 compute (16.35 TFLOPS vs 10.32 TFLOPS). The V100S also has a much higher FP16 rating at 32.71 TFLOPS, though this is achieved via a 2:1 ratio, whereas the PG506-232 offers 10.32 TFLOPS at a 1:1 ratio.

The choice hinges on the workload. Data center operators prioritizing maximum OpenCL performance and newer architecture features should select the PG506-232. Those needing larger memory capacity, higher raw FP32 performance, or the specific Volta compute characteristics might prefer the V100S. The PG506-232 also has a lower TDP of 165 W against the V100S’s 250 W, making it more power-efficient in the data provided.

Specification Differences

• Chip and Process: PG506-232 uses GA100 on a 7 nm process; V100S uses GV100 on a 12 nm process.
• Transistor Count: PG506-232 has 54,200 million; V100S has 21,100 million.
• Transistor Density: PG506-232 is 65.6M / mm²; V100S is 25.9M / mm².
• Base Clock: PG506-232 is 930 MHz; V100S is 1245 MHz.
• Boost Clock: PG506-232 is 1440 MHz; V100S is 1597 MHz.
• Memory Clock: PG506-232 is 1215 MHz (2.4 Gbps effective); V100S is 1107 MHz (2.2 Gbps effective).
• Memory Size: PG506-232 has 24 GB; V100S has 32 GB.
• Memory Bus Width: PG506-232 is 3072-bit; V100S is 4096-bit.
• Memory Bandwidth: PG506-232 is 933.1 GB/s; V100S is 1.13 TB/s.
• Shading Units: PG506-232 has 3,584; V100S has 5,120.
• TMUs: PG506-232 has 224; V100S has 320.
• ROPs: PG506-232 has 96; V100S has 128.
• Tensor Cores: PG506-232 has 224; V100S has 640.
• Pixel Rate: PG506-232 is 138.2 GPixel/s; V100S is 204.4 GPixel/s.
• Texture Rate: PG506-232 is 322.6 GTexel/s; V100S is 511.0 GTexel/s.
• FP32 Performance: PG506-232 is 10.32 TFLOPS; V100S is 16.35 TFLOPS.
• FP16 Performance: PG506-232 is 10.32 TFLOPS (1:1); V100S is 32.71 TFLOPS (2:1).
• TDP: PG506-232 is 165 W; V100S is 250 W.
• Power Connectors: PG506-232 is 8-pin EPS; V100S is 2x 8-pin.
• Suggested PSU: PG506-232 is 450 W; V100S is 600 W.
• Bus Interface: PG506-232 is PCIe 4.0 x16; V100S is PCIe 3.0 x16.
• APIs: PG506-232 has none listed; V100S lists DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.
• Release Date: PG506-232 is 2021-04-11; V100S is 2019-11-25.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only recorded head-to-head benchmark is Geekbench OpenCL, and the results are decisive. The NVIDIA PG506-232 scores 225,124, which is 15.8% higher than the Tesla V100S’s 194,415. This is the single largest data point in the comparison, and it establishes the PG506-232 as the faster card in this test.

The PG506-232’s score of 225,124 places it ahead of several notable rivals. It is 8.7% faster than the NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80 GB (207,124) and 14.9% faster than the NVIDIA RTX 6000D (195,964). It also edges out the AMD Radeon PRO W7900D by 2.4%. However, it does not lead the field, as the NVIDIA L20 scores 251,147, which is 10.4% higher than the PG506-232.

For the Tesla V100S, its score of 194,415 puts it in a tight competitive cluster. It is nearly identical to the RTX 6000D, which scores 195,964, a difference of just 0.8%. The V100S holds a modest advantage over the A100 SXM4 variants, being 3.9% ahead of the 40 GB model (187,147) and 5.8% ahead of the 80 GB model (183,725). It is also 5.3% ahead of the RTX 5000 Ada Generation (184,664).

When interpreting these numbers, the PG506-232’s 15.8% lead over the V100S is substantial in the context of these margins. The V100S’s closest rival is within 1% of its score, while the PG506-232’s lead over its closest named rival is 2.4%. This suggests that the PG506-232 occupies a higher performance tier in the OpenCL benchmark, while the V100S is more aligned with the mid-range of the data center GPU spectrum. The benchmark results indicate that for applications sensitive to OpenCL performance, the architectural improvements in the PG506-232 provide a significant, measurable advantage over the older Volta-based V100S.