NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation vs NVIDIA Tesla T4 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data shows a decisive performance advantage for the NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation across both recorded tests. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation scores 124,812, while the Tesla T4 manages 61,276. That is a delta of 103.7%, meaning the newer card delivers more than double the OpenCL compute performance. The margin is substantial enough that the Tesla T4 is not competitive in raw compute workloads that leverage OpenCL.

The Vulkan results tell a similar but slightly narrower story. The RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation posts 109,364, against the Tesla T4's 72,190, for a 51.5% advantage. While the gap is still significant, it is roughly half the margin seen in OpenCL, suggesting the Tesla T4's architecture holds up relatively better in graphics-oriented or driver-optimized Vulkan paths. Still, the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation wins both head-to-head tests, giving it a clean 2-0 record in the database's direct comparisons.

Context from the nearest rival tables reinforces the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation's standing. Its average benchmark score of 117,088 places it at the 95th percentile of all GPUs, just 0.3% behind the NVIDIA GB10 (117,393) and 1.6% behind the AMD Radeon PRO W7700 (118,976). It sits ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla V100 SXM2 16 GB by 2.4% and the NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile by 2.8%. The Tesla T4, meanwhile, has an average score of 66,733, good for the 90th percentile. It trails the AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 by 2.7% and the Intel Arc A770 by 3%, while leading the AMD Radeon VII by 1.1% and the NVIDIA Tesla P40 by 2.5%. The percentile gap, 95 versus 90, understates how large the raw score difference is: the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation's average is 75.4% higher than the Tesla T4's.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation wins every benchmark category recorded in the database. There is no single test where the Tesla T4 comes out ahead. The closest contest is Vulkan, where the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation's 51.5% lead is the smaller of the two deltas. That suggests the Tesla T4 is relatively more competitive in real-time graphics or compute workloads that map well to Vulkan's explicit control model. The larger OpenCL gap indicates the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation's advantage expands when workloads rely on OpenCL's more general compute execution paths.

For use-case splitting, the data points to the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation as the choice for OpenCL-heavy compute, deep learning inference, or any task where raw FP32 throughput matters. Its FP32 rating of 19.17 TFLOPS is more than double the Tesla T4's 8.141 TFLOPS. The Tesla T4, however, has a notable edge in FP16 throughput: 16.28 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, versus the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation's 19.17 TFLOPS at 1:1. That means the Tesla T4 can execute FP16 operations at a higher rate relative to its FP32 capability, which historically has made it useful for certain inference workloads that use reduced precision. The RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation still has more absolute FP16 throughput, but the Tesla T4's ratio is more specialized.

Memory bandwidth is another area where the Tesla T4 shows a relative strength. Its 320.0 GB/s bandwidth exceeds the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation's 280.0 GB/s, despite the latter having more memory (20 GB versus 16 GB). The Tesla T4 also uses a 256-bit bus versus the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation's 160-bit bus. For memory-bound tasks that fit within 16 GB, the Tesla T4 could be competitive, but the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation counters with 20 GB capacity and a much newer architecture.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation is the superior product on every benchmark recorded. It wins OpenCL by 103.7% and Vulkan by 51.5%, and its average benchmark score of 117,088 dwarfs the Tesla T4's 66,733. The RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation also carries a 95th percentile ranking versus the Tesla T4's 90th, and it is the only one of the two still marked as "Active" in production status. The Tesla T4 is listed as "End-of-life," which aligns with its older Turing architecture and 2018 release date.

Who should pick the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation? Anyone prioritizing compute performance, modern features, or longevity. It has double the FP32 throughput, more memory, a smaller 5 nm process node versus 12 nm, and a higher transistor density (121.8M per mm² versus 25.0M per mm²). It also has display outputs (4x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a), while the Tesla T4 has no outputs, making the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation far more flexible for workstation use.

Who should pick the Tesla T4? The data offers limited justification. The only areas where the Tesla T4 leads are memory bandwidth (320.0 GB/s versus 280.0 GB/s) and FP16 ratio (2:1 versus 1:1). For a very specific inference workload that is memory-bound and uses FP16, the Tesla T4 could theoretically hold its own, but the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation's absolute FP16 is still higher. The Tesla T4 is also single-slot versus dual-slot, which may matter in dense server chassis, but the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation matches it on power (both 70 W TDP) and length (168 mm). The verdict: the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation is the clear choice from the benchmark data, and the Tesla T4's advantages are niche at best.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation in OpenCL?

A: It scores 124,812 versus the Tesla T4's 61,276, a 103.7% advantage.

Q: What about Vulkan performance?

A: The RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation scores 109,364, while the Tesla T4 scores 72,190, giving the newer card a 51.5% lead.

Q: Which GPU has more memory?

A: The RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation has 20 GB GDDR6, while the Tesla T4 has 16 GB GDDR6.

Q: Does the Tesla T4 have any advantage in memory bandwidth?

A: Yes, the Tesla T4 offers 320.0 GB/s, which is higher than the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation's 280.0 GB/s.

Q: Which card uses a newer architecture?

A: The RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation is built on Ada Lovelace with a 5 nm process, while the Tesla T4 uses Turing on a 12 nm process.

Q: Is the Tesla T4 still in production?

A: No, it is marked as "End-of-life," whereas the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation is listed as "Active."

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent different generations of NVIDIA design. The RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation uses the AD104 chip with Ada Lovelace architecture, fabricated on TSMC's 5 nm process. It packs 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 121.8M per mm². The Tesla T4 uses the TU104 chip with Turing architecture, built on a 12 nm process. It contains 13,600 million transistors on a much larger 545 mm² die, which works out to 25.0M per mm². The Ada chip is smaller, denser, and far more efficient in transistor packing.

Core counts differ substantially. The RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation has 6,144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. It also includes 48 ray tracing cores and 192 tensor cores. The Tesla T4 has 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, plus 40 ray tracing cores and 320 tensor cores. The ray tracing core counts are closer than the shading unit counts, and the Tesla T4 actually has more tensor cores. That could be relevant for certain AI workloads, though the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation's newer tensor core design likely offers better per-core efficiency.

Clock speeds show a mixed picture. The RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation has a lower base clock of 720 MHz but boosts to 1560 MHz. The Tesla T4 starts lower at 585 MHz but boosts slightly higher to 1590 MHz. Memory clocks differ too: the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation runs at 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective, while the Tesla T4 runs at 1250 MHz with 10 Gbps effective. The RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation's memory is faster per pin, but the Tesla T4 compensates with a wider 256-bit bus.

Power characteristics are identical in TDP: both are rated at 70 W. Both also use no power connectors and suggest a 250 W PSU. The RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation is dual-slot, while the Tesla T4 is single-slot. Both are 168 mm long, though the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation has a recorded height of 69 mm. The bus interface differs: PCIe 4.0 x16 for the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation versus PCIe 3.0 x16 for the Tesla T4. Display outputs also separate them, with the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation offering 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a and the Tesla T4 having none. API support is identical on paper, with both supporting DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, but the Ada architecture's implementation is newer. Release dates reinforce the generational gap: the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation launched in March 2023, while the Tesla T4 launched in September 2018.