AMD Radeon 740M vs NVIDIA Tesla K10 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded head-to-head data contains a single OpenCL benchmark, and the result is decisive. The NVIDIA Tesla K10 posts a Geekbench OpenCL score of 14,029, while the AMD Radeon 740M scores 10,172. That gives the Tesla K10 a 37.9% lead, a substantial margin in raw compute throughput. The K10 wins the only direct comparison in the database, giving it a 1-0 record over the Radeon 740M.

Context from the broader database reinforces the K10's standing. Its average benchmark score of 14,029 places it at the 55th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 at 14,150 (the K10 trails by 0.9%), the AMD Radeon RX 570X at 13,871 (K10 leads by 1.1%), the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile at 13,821 (K10 leads by 1.5%), and the AMD Radeon 660M at 13,812 (K10 leads by 1.6%). The K10 sits in a tight cluster, but it is a cluster above the Radeon 740M's own neighborhood.

The Radeon 740M, by contrast, has an average benchmark score of 12,870 across its two recorded tests (OpenCL and Vulkan). That places it at the 53rd percentile. Its nearest rivals are the AMD FirePro W5100 at 12,847 (740M leads by 0.2%), the AMD Radeon Pro 455 at 12,831 (740M leads by 0.3%), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 at 12,830 (740M leads by 0.3%), and the AMD Radeon RX 580 at 12,928 (740M trails by 0.4%). The 740M's average is marginally lower than the K10's single OpenCL score, but the 740M also has a separate Vulkan result of 15,568, which is higher than its OpenCL score and higher than the K10's OpenCL result. The database does not include a Vulkan score for the K10, so cross-API comparisons are limited.

The key takeaway from the head-to-head data is that the K10 is the stronger OpenCL performer by a wide margin. A 37.9% delta is not a marginal difference; it represents a generationally different level of compute throughput in that specific workload. However, the 740M's Vulkan score suggests it has strengths in other APIs that the K10 cannot match, at least based on available data. The single recorded head-to-head test favors the older card, but the newer card shows broader API versatility.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from entirely different eras and design philosophies. The NVIDIA Tesla K10 is built on the Kepler architecture, using the GK104 chip, and belongs to the Tesla Kepler generation. It is fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC, with 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. That works out to a transistor density of 12.0 million per mm², a figure typical of early-2010s design. The K10 was released on April 30, 2012, making it a product of the Fermi-to-Maxwell transition era, with Tesla Fermi as its predecessor and Tesla Maxwell as its successor.

The AMD Radeon 740M is a much more modern design. It uses the Phoenix2 chip, built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, and belongs to the Navi III IGP (Phoenix) generation. The process node is 4 nm, also at TSMC, with 20,900 million transistors on a 137 mm² die. That gives a transistor density of 152.6 million per mm², more than 12 times higher than the K10's density. The 740M was released on January 30, 2024, and is still an active product. Its predecessor is Navi II IGP, and its successor is Navi III IGP.

The transistor count difference is stark: the 740M packs nearly six times more transistors than the K10, but on a die less than half the size. This is the clearest illustration of process technology advancement between 2012 and 2024. The K10's 28 nm node allowed 3.54 billion transistors; the 740M's 4 nm node fits 20.9 billion into a much smaller footprint.

Core configurations also differ sharply. The K10 has 1,536 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operation units. The 740M has only 256 shading units, 16 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. Despite having far fewer shaders, the 740M achieves higher FP32 throughput: 2.867 TFLOPS versus the K10's 2.289 TFLOPS. The 740M also supports FP16 at a 1:1 ratio, delivering 2.867 TFLOPS in half precision, while the K10 has no recorded FP16 capability. The 740M additionally includes 4 ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the K10.

Memory architecture is fundamentally different. The K10 has 4 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, with 160.0 GB/s of bandwidth and memory clocked at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective). The 740M uses system shared memory, with no dedicated VRAM, no fixed bus width, and bandwidth that is system dependent. This gives the K10 a deterministic memory subsystem, while the 740M's performance depends on the host platform's memory configuration.

Clock behavior also diverges. The K10 lists no base or boost clock in the database, only its memory clock. The 740M has a base clock of 800 MHz and a boost clock of 2800 MHz. The 740M's boost clock is 3.5 times its base, a characteristic of modern mobile-class GPUs. The K10's pixel rate is 23.84 GPixel/s and its texture rate is 95.36 GTexel/s; the 740M posts 22.40 GPixel/s and 44.80 GTexel/s. The K10 wins both rates, despite its lower FP32, because it has far more TMUs and ROPs.

Power and physical design could not be more different. The K10 has a TDP of 225 W, requires a dual-slot cooler, and needs 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin power connectors, with a suggested PSU of 550 W. It is 272 mm long (10.7 inches) and has no display outputs, reflecting its compute-only design. The 740M is an IGP with a 45 W TDP, no power connectors, no dedicated slot, and motherboard-dependent display outputs. The K10 uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the 740M uses PCIe 4.0 x8.

API support also separates them. The K10 supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The 740M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The 740M's higher DirectX feature level and newer Vulkan version reflect its modern architecture. The K10's DirectX 12 support is limited to the 11_0 feature level, meaning it cannot access newer DX12 features.

The Verdict

The data paints a clear picture of two products built for different jobs. The NVIDIA Tesla K10 wins the only direct head-to-head benchmark, posting a 37.9% higher OpenCL score than the AMD Radeon 740M. Its average benchmark score of 14,029 also sits above the 740M's average of 12,870, and its 55th percentile rank is two points higher than the 740M's 53rd. For pure OpenCL compute throughput, the K10 is the stronger card.

But the K10's advantages come with severe caveats. It is an end-of-life product from 2012, with a 225 W TDP, dual-slot cooling, external power connectors, and no display outputs. It cannot function as a general-purpose graphics card; it is a compute accelerator. The 740M, by contrast, is an active, modern IGP with a 45 W TDP, no power connectors, and motherboard-dependent display outputs. It is designed to be integrated into a laptop or compact desktop, not to sit in a server chassis.

The 740M also shows a significant Vulkan score of 15,568, which is higher than the K10's OpenCL result. While the database does not list a Vulkan score for the K10, the 740M's API support includes Vulkan 1.4 and DirectX 12 Ultimate, while the K10 is limited to Vulkan 1.2.175 and DirectX 12 (11_0). The 740M also has ray tracing cores, FP16 support, and a much higher transistor density, all of which point to modern feature support that the K10 lacks.

The verdict depends on the use case. For a workstation or server workload that relies on OpenCL compute and can tolerate the K10's power draw and physical footprint, the K10 is the data-backed choice. For any workload that needs modern graphics APIs, ray tracing, FP16, or low power consumption, the 740M is the only viable option, despite its lower OpenCL score. The K10 wins the benchmark, but the 740M wins the broader feature war.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla K10 scores 14,029 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the AMD Radeon 740M scores 10,172. The K10 leads by 37.9%.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon 740M have any benchmark where it scores higher than the K10's OpenCL result?

A: Yes. The 740M scores 15,568 in Geekbench Vulkan, which is higher than the K10's OpenCL score of 14,029. The database does not list a Vulkan score for the K10.

Q: What are the TDP ratings for these two GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla K10 has a TDP of 225 W and requires a dual-slot cooler with 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin power connectors. The AMD Radeon 740M has a TDP of 45 W and requires no power connectors.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla K10 has 1,536 shading units, while the AMD Radeon 740M has 256 shading units. Despite this, the 740M achieves higher FP32 throughput at 2.867 TFLOPS versus the K10's 2.289 TFLOPS.

Q: What is the process node difference between the two GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla K10 is built on a 28 nm process at TSMC, while the AMD Radeon 740M uses a 4 nm process, also at TSMC. The 740M's transistor density is 152.6 million per mm², compared to the K10's 12.0 million per mm².

Q: Does the AMD Radeon 740M support ray tracing?

A: Yes. The 740M has 4 ray tracing cores. The NVIDIA Tesla K10 has no ray tracing cores listed in the database.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA Tesla K10 wins in raw OpenCL compute. Its 14,029 score is 37.9% ahead of the 740M's 10,172 in the head-to-head test. It also has a higher average benchmark score (14,029 versus 12,870) and a higher percentile rank (55th versus 53rd). The K10's memory subsystem is dedicated, with 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus delivering 160.0 GB/s, which is predictable and independent of host memory. Its pixel rate of 23.84 GPixel/s and texture rate of 95.36 GTexel/s are both higher than the 740M's 22.40 GPixel/s and 44.80 GTexel/s. For anyone running OpenCL-heavy workloads on a system that can supply 550 W and accommodate a 272 mm dual-slot card, the K10 is the data-supported winner.

The AMD Radeon 740M wins in modern feature support and efficiency. Its FP32 throughput is higher (2.867 TFLOPS versus 2.289 TFLOPS), and it adds FP16 at 1:1 ratio, which the K10 lacks entirely. It has 4 ray tracing cores, supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, and uses PCIe 4.0 x8. Its TDP is 45 W versus 225 W, and it needs no power connectors, making it suitable for compact systems. Its Vulkan score of 15,568 exceeds the K10's OpenCL score, and its transistor density of 152.6M per mm² versus 12.0M per mm² demonstrates a far more advanced manufacturing process. For any workload that relies on Vulkan, ray tracing, FP16 compute, or low power draw, the 740M is the clear choice.

The split is simple: the K10 is a legacy compute accelerator with a narrow but strong OpenCL advantage, while the 740M is a modern IGP that trades some OpenCL performance for broad API support, efficiency, and integration flexibility. The database records 1 win for the K10 and 0 wins for the 740M in direct head-to-head tests, but the 740M's feature set and Vulkan performance make it the more versatile product for contemporary workloads.