NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada Generation vs NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains one direct benchmark comparison between these two accelerators: Geekbench OpenCL. The NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada Generation records a score of 311,629, while the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB records 79,605. This results in a 291.5% advantage for the RTX 6000 Ada Generation, meaning it delivers roughly four times the raw compute throughput in this workload. The magnitude of this gap is substantial even by workstation standards; it is not a marginal generational improvement but a wholesale shift in compute capability.

Context from the nearest rivals reinforces how dominant the RTX 6000 Ada Generation is. Its average benchmark score of 287,237 sits 1.1% above the NVIDIA L40 (284,111) and 14.4% above the NVIDIA L20 (251,147). It trails the AMD Instinct MI300X by 9.7% (317,994) and the NVIDIA L40S by 2.9% (295,763). The Tesla P100, by contrast, averages 79,605, which places it just 0.3% above the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79,396) and 0.8% above the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78,940). It sits 1.7% below the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X (80,959) and 0.3% below the GeForce RTX 5090 (79,842). In percentile terms, the RTX 6000 Ada Generation ranks in the 99th percentile of all GPUs, while the Tesla P100 ranks in the 92nd percentile.

The win tally is one to zero in favor of the RTX 6000 Ada Generation. There is no benchmark category in the database where the Tesla P100 outperforms it. This asymmetry is expected given the architectural distance between the two, but the specific 291.5% delta in OpenCL is worth emphasizing because it quantifies how far compute performance has moved in the intervening years.

Architecture Differences

The RTX 6000 Ada Generation is built on the AD102 chip using the Ada Lovelace architecture, fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It integrates 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 125.3 million per square millimeter. The Tesla P100 uses the GP100 chip with the Pascal architecture, also from TSMC but on a 16 nm process. It contains 15,300 million transistors on a 610 mm² die, for a density of 25.1 million per square millimeter. The die sizes are nearly identical, which makes the density comparison stark: Ada packs roughly five times more transistors into the same physical area.

The feature sets diverge sharply. The RTX 6000 Ada Generation includes 142 RT cores and 568 tensor cores, while the Tesla P100 has none of either. This means hardware-accelerated ray tracing and tensor operations are simply absent from the Pascal part. The RTX 6000 Ada Generation also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, whereas the Tesla P100 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The memory subsystems are fundamentally different as well: the RTX 6000 Ada Generation uses 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384 bit bus, while the Tesla P100 uses 16 GB of HBM2 on a 4096 bit bus. The wider bus on the Tesla P100 does not compensate for the older memory technology; the RTX 6000 Ada Generation still achieves 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth versus 732.2 GB/s.

The clock behavior also differs. The RTX 6000 Ada Generation has a base clock of 915 MHz and a boost clock of 2505 MHz, with memory running at 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective). The Tesla P100 has a higher base clock of 1190 MHz but a much lower boost clock of 1329 MHz, with memory at 715 MHz (1430 Mbps effective). The Ada part relies on a lower base clock but a far higher boost ceiling, which is typical of modern GPU boost behavior. The Tesla P100's fp16 throughput is 19.05 TFLOPS at a 2:1 ratio relative to fp32, while the RTX 6000 Ada Generation achieves 91.06 TFLOPS fp16 at a 1:1 ratio. The fp32 figures are 91.06 TFLOPS versus 9.526 TFLOPS, a 9.6x gap that mirrors the OpenCL benchmark delta.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute throughput in OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada Generation scores 311,629 versus 79,605 for the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, a 291.5% advantage.

Q: Does the Tesla P100 support ray tracing or tensor operations?

A: No. The Tesla P100 has no RT cores and no tensor cores. The RTX 6000 Ada Generation includes 142 RT cores and 568 tensor cores.

Q: How do their memory bandwidth numbers compare?

A: The RTX 6000 Ada Generation delivers 960.0 GB/s from 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384 bit bus. The Tesla P100 delivers 732.2 GB/s from 16 GB of HBM2 on a 4096 bit bus.

Q: What are their transistor densities?

A: The RTX 6000 Ada Generation has a density of 125.3 million transistors per square millimeter on a 5 nm process. The Tesla P100 has 25.1 million per square millimeter on 16 nm.

Q: Which card has a higher boost clock?

A: The RTX 6000 Ada Generation boosts to 2505 MHz, while the Tesla P100 boosts to 1329 MHz.

Q: Do both cards support the same DirectX version?

A: No. The RTX 6000 Ada Generation supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the Tesla P100 supports DirectX 12 (12_1).

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every measurable specification. The RTX 6000 Ada Generation has 18,176 shading units, 568 TMUs, and 192 ROPs. The Tesla P100 has 3,584 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The RTX 6000 Ada Generation has 142 RT cores and 568 tensor cores; the Tesla P100 has neither. Pixel rates are 481.0 GPixel/s versus 127.6 GPixel/s, and texture rates are 1,422.8 GTexel/s versus 297.7 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput is 91.06 TFLOPS versus 9.526 TFLOPS, and FP16 throughput is 91.06 TFLOPS (1:1) versus 19.05 TFLOPS (2:1).

Process node differs: 5 nm versus 16 nm. Transistor count differs: 76,300 million versus 15,300 million. Die size is nearly the same (609 mm² versus 610 mm²), but density is 125.3M per mm² versus 25.1M per mm². Memory size is 48 GB versus 16 GB, type is GDDR6 versus HBM2, bus width is 384 bit versus 4096 bit, and bandwidth is 960.0 GB/s versus 732.2 GB/s. Base clocks are 915 MHz versus 1190 MHz, boost clocks are 2505 MHz versus 1329 MHz, and memory clocks are 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective) versus 715 MHz (1430 Mbps effective).

Power and connectivity also differ. The RTX 6000 Ada Generation has a TDP of 300 W with a 1x 16-pin connector and a suggested PSU of 700 W. The Tesla P100 has a TDP of 250 W with a 1x 8-pin connector and a suggested PSU of 600 W. The RTX 6000 Ada Generation uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the Tesla P100 uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs are 4x DisplayPort 1.4a on the RTX 6000 Ada Generation, while the Tesla P100 has no outputs. The RTX 6000 Ada Generation measures 267 mm (10.5 inches) long and 112 mm (4.4 inches) tall; the Tesla P100 is 267 mm (10.5 inches) long with no recorded height. The RTX 6000 Ada Generation launched with an MSRP of 6,799 USD; the Tesla P100 launched with an MSRP of 5,699 USD.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 6000 Ada Generation wins in every benchmark category recorded in the database. Its 291.5% OpenCL lead makes it the clear choice for compute-heavy workloads such as rendering, simulation, and machine learning inference, especially given the presence of 568 tensor cores and 142 RT cores. The 48 GB memory capacity and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth also make it suitable for large datasets and high-resolution textures that would exceed the Tesla P100's 16 GB capacity. The 99th percentile ranking among all GPUs, combined with an average benchmark score of 287,237, places it in the top tier of accelerators; it trails only the AMD Instinct MI300X and the NVIDIA L40S among its nearest rivals.

The Tesla P100's strengths are narrower. It still ranks in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, and its average score of 79,605 is competitive within its immediate peer group, sitting just 0.3% above the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB and 0.8% above the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT. Its HBM2 memory with a 4096 bit bus provides 732.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is respectable for a 2016-era accelerator. Its 250 W TDP is lower than the RTX 6000 Ada Generation's 300 W, and it uses a standard 8-pin power connector, which may simplify deployment in systems without newer 16-pin power delivery. However, its lack of RT cores, tensor cores, and display outputs limits it to pure compute roles, and its 9.526 TFLOPS fp32 performance is an order of magnitude below the RTX 6000 Ada Generation.

For users choosing between these two, the decision hinges on workload recency and performance requirements. The RTX 6000 Ada Generation is the superior accelerator in all recorded metrics, with the architectural features and memory capacity to handle modern workloads that the Tesla P100 cannot. The Tesla P100 remains functional for legacy compute tasks or environments where its lower power draw and older power connector are advantageous, but the data shows no benchmark category where it outperforms the RTX 6000 Ada Generation. The 291.5% OpenCL delta is the single most informative number in this comparison: it represents not just a generational step but a categorical leap in compute capability.