GPU Comparison

The AMD Radeon 740M and the NVIDIA Tesla K10 represent two completely different eras of GPU design, yet they land surprisingly close in overall benchmark standing. The Radeon 740M is a modern integrated processor built on a 4 nm process, while the Tesla K10 is a dual-slot, end-of-life accelerator from 2012 built on 28 nm. The data shows a single head-to-head benchmark, and the results reveal a clear but narrow victory for the older Tesla part, despite the Radeon's massive architectural advantages.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the result is a decisive win for the NVIDIA Tesla K10. The Tesla K10 scores 14029, while the AMD Radeon 740M scores 10172. This represents a delta of -27.5% for the Radeon 740M, meaning the Tesla K10 outperforms it by over a quarter in this specific compute workload. It is a significant margin, and it flips the expected narrative based on manufacturing process alone. The Radeon 740M, despite being built on a far more advanced 4 nm node, cannot match the raw compute throughput of the older, larger board.

However, the benchmark picture is not entirely one-sided. The Radeon 740M has a second benchmark result in its favor that the Tesla K10 lacks entirely. In the Geekbench Vulkan test, the Radeon 740M scores 15568. The Tesla K10 has no Vulkan score listed, and its API support tops out at Vulkan 1.2.175, while the Radeon 740M supports Vulkan 1.4. This means that in any modern Vulkan-based workload, the Radeon 740M is the only viable option of the two, and its score of 15568 is notably higher than its own OpenCL result of 10172, suggesting it is substantially stronger in that modern graphics API.

Looking at the average benchmark scores, the Tesla K10's single OpenCL result gives it an average score of 14029, which places it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs. The Radeon 740M, pulling from both its OpenCL and Vulkan scores, averages 12870, landing in the 53rd percentile. The gap in percentile is small, just two points, but the underlying scores tell a story of specialization. The Tesla K10 is a compute-focused accelerator that dominates in its one tested discipline, while the Radeon 740M is a more versatile modern GPU that offers competitive performance across different API environments, even if its peak OpenCL score is lower.

The Verdict

The data paints a clear picture for compute-heavy tasks: the NVIDIA Tesla K10 is the winner in raw OpenCL performance, delivering 27.5% higher scores than the AMD Radeon 740M. Its average benchmark score of 14029 also exceeds the Radeon's 12870, and it holds a higher percentile ranking at 55 versus 53. For anyone running legacy CUDA or OpenCL compute workloads that do not require modern rendering features, the Tesla K10 is the data-backed choice. Its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 160.0 GB/s of bandwidth, a figure the Radeon 740M cannot match with its System Shared memory configuration.

Yet, the verdict is not a blanket endorsement of the older card. The Radeon 740M is the only one of the two with a Vulkan benchmark score, achieving 15568, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) compared to the Tesla K10's DirectX 12 (11_0). The Tesla K10 has no display outputs, making it unsuitable for any interactive or graphics-focused use case. The Radeon 740M, as an integrated processor, is motherboard-dependent for outputs and is actively in production, while the Tesla K10 is end-of-life. The Tesla K10's launch MSRP is 5,099 USD, a figure that reflects its enterprise positioning. Therefore, the verdict splits: the Tesla K10 wins on raw compute benchmarks and memory bandwidth, but the Radeon 740M wins on modern API support, versatility, and being a current product.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA Tesla K10 wins in scenarios that demand maximum compute throughput in legacy APIs. Its OpenCL score of 14029 is the definitive metric here, and its architecture is built for parallel processing with 1536 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 render output units. The texture rate of 95.36 GTexel/s is more than double the Radeon 740M's 44.80 GTexel/s, and its pixel rate of 23.84 GPixel/s edges out the Radeon's 22.40 GPixel/s. For server-side compute tasks, dedicated physics simulations, or any workload that can utilize its 4 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory, the Tesla K10 is the superior choice. Its PCIe 3.0 x16 interface also offers a wider bus than the Radeon's PCIe 4.0 x8, though the newer standard on the Radeon may compensate in bandwidth.

The AMD Radeon 740M wins in every scenario that involves modern graphics or general-purpose computing on current software. Its Vulkan score of 15568 is not just higher than its own OpenCL score; it also exceeds the Tesla K10's OpenCL score of 14029 by over 10%. The Radeon 740M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, which includes features like ray tracing via its 4 dedicated RT cores, a capability the Tesla K10 entirely lacks. It also has a higher boost clock at 2800 MHz, and its FP32 throughput of 2.867 TFLOPS is higher than the Tesla K10's 2.289 TFLOPS. For gaming, content creation, or any task that uses modern APIs, the Radeon 740M is the only functional choice, as the Tesla K10 has no display outputs and cannot render to a screen.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla K10 has a higher average benchmark score of 14029, compared to the AMD Radeon 740M's average of 12870.

Q: How much faster is the Tesla K10 in OpenCL?

A: The Tesla K10 scores 14029 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 27.5% higher than the Radeon 740M's score of 10172 in the same test.

Q: Does the Radeon 740M have any benchmark advantage?

A: Yes, the Radeon 740M has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 15568, a test that the Tesla K10 does not have a result for, making the Radeon the only option for Vulkan workloads.

Q: What are the memory specifications of each card?

A: The Tesla K10 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 160.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the Radeon 740M uses System Shared memory with System Dependent bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU supports more advanced graphics APIs?

A: The AMD Radeon 740M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, whereas the NVIDIA Tesla K10 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175.

Q: What is the production status of these two GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon 740M is listed as Active in production, while the NVIDIA Tesla K10 is End-of-life.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is vast, reflecting a decade of progress. The AMD Radeon 740M is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture using a 4 nm process at TSMC, packing 20,900 million transistors into a 137 mm² die. This results in a transistor density of 152.6M per mm². In contrast, the NVIDIA Tesla K10 uses the Kepler architecture on a 28 nm process, also at TSMC, but contains only 3,540 million transistors on a much larger 294 mm² die, yielding a density of just 12.0M per mm². The Radeon is fundamentally a chiplet-based, power-efficient design, while the Tesla is a monolithic, older-generation part.

The compute configurations differ sharply in scale. The Tesla K10 boasts 1536 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, dwarfing the Radeon 740M's 256 shading units, 16 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. However, the Radeon 740M compensates with higher clock speeds, running at a base of 800 MHz and boosting to 2800 MHz, whereas the Tesla K10's clocks are not listed. The Radeon's FP32 performance is 2.867 TFLOPS, and it offers FP16 at a 1:1 ratio of 2.867 TFLOPS, while the Tesla K10's FP32 is 2.289 TFLOPS and it has no FP16 support listed. The Radeon also includes 4 dedicated ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the Tesla K10.

Memory and board design also starkly contrast. The Tesla K10 is a dual-slot card, 272 mm long, with 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus and a fixed bandwidth of 160.0 GB/s. It requires a 6-pin and an 8-pin power connector and has a 225 W TDP with a suggested PSU of 550 W. The Radeon 740M is an IGP with no power connectors, a 45 W TDP, and uses System Shared memory, making its bandwidth System Dependent. The Tesla K10 has no display outputs, while the Radeon 740M's outputs are Motherboard Dependent. The Tesla K10 interfaces via PCIe 3.0 x16, while the Radeon uses PCIe 4.0 x8. Finally, the Radeon 740M is part of the Navi III IGP generation, succeeding Navi II IGP, whereas the Tesla K10 succeeds Tesla Fermi and precedes Tesla Maxwell, positioning them at opposite ends of their respective product lifecycles.