AMD Radeon HD 8950M vs NVIDIA Tesla K10 Comparison

# NVIDIA Tesla K10 vs AMD Radeon HD 8950M

The NVIDIA Tesla K10 and AMD Radeon HD 8950M are both end-of-life graphics products, but they target fundamentally different segments. The Tesla K10, a dual-slot professional compute card from the Kepler generation, edges out the AMD mobile GCN 2.0 part in raw OpenCL performance, scoring 14,029 versus 13,772, a 1.9% margin. However, the Radeon HD 8950M counters with superior API compatibility, supporting DirectX 12 (12_0) compared to the Tesla K10's DirectX 12 (11_0), and it carries a significantly lower power draw at 100 W versus 225 W. Benchmark data shows the Tesla K10 sitting at the 55th percentile of all GPUs, while the Radeon HD 8950M sits at 54th, placing both in the mid-range of the performance spectrum.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL benchmarks?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla K10 wins the only head-to-head OpenCL test, scoring 14,029 against the AMD Radeon HD 8950M's 13,772, a 1.9% advantage. The Tesla K10 also has a higher average benchmark score of 14,029 compared to 13,376 for the AMD part.

Q: How do these GPUs compare to their nearest rivals?

A: The Tesla K10's nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680, which scores 14,150, putting the Tesla K10 0.9% behind. The Radeon HD 8950M is most closely matched with the AMD Radeon Pro 555, which scores 13,407, a -0.2% difference, and the AMD Radeon RX 5500M at 13,356, where the HD 8950M leads by 0.2%.

Q: Which GPU has better DirectX support?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8950M supports DirectX 12 (12_0), which is a higher feature level than the NVIDIA Tesla K10's DirectX 12 (11_0). Both GPUs support OpenGL 4.6, but the Tesla K10 has a newer Vulkan version at 1.2.175 versus 1.2.170 for the AMD part.

Q: What are the memory specifications of each GPU?

A: The Tesla K10 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 160.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Radeon HD 8950M has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, providing 88.00 GB/s bandwidth. The Tesla K10 clearly leads in memory capacity and bandwidth.

Q: How do their power requirements differ?

A: The Tesla K10 has a 225 W TDP and requires a 550 W suggested power supply, with 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin power connectors. The Radeon HD 8950M has a 100 W TDP, no listed power connectors, and no suggested PSU, reflecting its mobile MXM Module form factor.

Q: Which GPU was released more recently?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8950M was released on May 13, 2013, while the NVIDIA Tesla K10 was released on April 30, 2012. The AMD part is roughly a year newer.

Architecture Differences

The NVIDIA Tesla K10 is built on the Kepler architecture with the GK104 chip, manufactured by TSMC on a 28 nm process. It packs 3,540 million transistors into a 294 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 12.0M per mm². The AMD Radeon HD 8950M uses the GCN 2.0 architecture with the Saturn chip, also on TSMC's 28 nm node, but with 2,080 million transistors on a much smaller 160 mm² die, yielding a higher density of 13.0M per mm².

The compute resources differ substantially. The Tesla K10 features 1,536 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The Radeon HD 8950M has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 16 ROPs — exactly half the shading units and ROPs, and under half the TMUs. This translates to a significant raw throughput advantage for the NVIDIA card: 2.289 TFLOPS FP32 versus 1.651 TFLOPS, 95.36 GTexel/s versus 51.60 GTexel/s, and 23.84 GPixel/s versus 17.20 GPixel/s.

Memory architecture also diverges. The Tesla K10 uses a 256-bit memory bus with 4 GB GDDR5 at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective), yielding 160.0 GB/s. The Radeon HD 8950M uses a 128-bit bus with 2 GB GDDR5 at 1375 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective), providing 88.00 GB/s. Despite the AMD part having a higher memory clock, the narrower bus cuts its bandwidth nearly in half.

Both GPUs are fabricated by TSMC at 28 nm, but the architectural philosophies differ: Kepler emphasizes raw shader throughput with a massive 1,536 cores, while GCN 2.0 focuses on a more balanced design with fewer, more efficient compute units. The Tesla K10 has no display outputs, being a compute-only card, while the Radeon HD 8950M's outputs are "Portable Device Dependent," reflecting its mobile laptop-oriented design. The Tesla K10 also has a dual-slot form factor with dedicated power connectors, whereas the Radeon HD 8950M is an MXM Module.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split in use cases. For pure compute workloads where OpenCL performance is paramount, the NVIDIA Tesla K10 is the superior choice. It wins the head-to-head OpenCL benchmark by 1.9%, offers 1.4x the FP32 throughput (2.289 TFLOPS versus 1.651 TFLOPS), and provides double the memory bandwidth (160.0 GB/s versus 88.00 GB/s). The Tesla K10's 4 GB memory capacity also gives it a distinct advantage for larger datasets.

However, the AMD Radeon HD 8950M is the more modern and efficient part. It supports DirectX 12 (12_0), a higher feature level than the Tesla K10's 11_0, making it more suitable for gaming or applications that leverage newer DirectX features. Its 100 W TDP is less than half of the Tesla K10's 225 W, making it viable for mobile platforms where power and thermal constraints are critical. The Radeon HD 8950M also has a Vulkan version of 1.2.170, slightly older than the Tesla K10's 1.2.175, but both are comparable.

For a desktop workstation dedicated to compute tasks, the Tesla K10 is the pick. For a laptop or mobile workstation requiring a balance of performance and power efficiency, the Radeon HD 8950M is the better fit. The Tesla K10's launch MSRP was 5,099 USD, reflecting its professional compute positioning, while the Radeon HD 8950M has no listed launch MSRP, typical of mobile OEM parts.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA Tesla K10 | AMD Radeon HD 8950M |

|----------------|------------------|---------------------|

| Chip | GK104 | Saturn |

| Architecture | Kepler | GCN 2.0 |

| Generation | Tesla Kepler (Kxx) | Solar System (HD 8900M) |

| Transistors | 3,540 million | 2,080 million |

| Die Size | 294 mm² | 160 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.0M / mm² | 13.0M / mm² |

| Memory Clock | 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective) | 1375 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 2 GB |

| Memory Bus | 256 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 160.0 GB/s | 88.00 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1536 | 768 |

| TMUs | 128 | 48 |

| ROPs | 32 | 16 |

| Pixel Rate | 23.84 GPixel/s | 17.20 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 95.36 GTexel/s | 51.60 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 2.289 TFLOPS | 1.651 TFLOPS |

| TDP | 225 W | 100 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | MXM Module |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 550 W | None |

| Display Outputs | No outputs | Portable Device Dependent |

| DirectX | 12 (11_0) | 12 (12_0) |

| Vulkan | 1.2.175 | 1.2.170 |

| Dimensions | 272 mm (10.7 inches) length | Not listed |

| Release Date | 2012-04-30 | 2013-05-13 |

| Predecessor | Tesla Fermi | London |

| Successor | Tesla Maxwell | Gem System |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test. The NVIDIA Tesla K10 scores 14,029, while the AMD Radeon HD 8950M scores 13,772, giving the NVIDIA card a 1.9% victory. This is a narrow margin, but it is consistent with the theoretical compute advantages: the Tesla K10 has 2.289 TFLOPS FP32 versus 1.651 TFLOPS, a 38.6% raw compute advantage, yet the OpenCL score difference is much smaller, suggesting the Radeon HD 8950M's GCN architecture is more efficient at translating hardware resources into real-world OpenCL performance.

The Tesla K10's nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680, scores 14,150, which is 0.9% higher. This places the Tesla K10 just below a familiar desktop gaming GPU from the same generation. The Radeon HD 8950M's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro 555, scores 13,407, and the HD 8950M leads it by 0.2%. The HD 8950M also has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 12,979, a test the Tesla K10 does not have data for.

Looking at percentile rankings, the Tesla K10 sits at the 55th percentile of all GPUs, while the Radeon HD 8950M sits at the 54th percentile. This 1-percentile difference aligns with the 1.9% OpenCL win. The average benchmark score for the Tesla K10 is 14,029 (matching its single OpenCL result), while the Radeon HD 8950M averages 13,376 across its two benchmark scores, reflecting the lower Vulkan score dragging down its average.

Where Each One Wins

NVIDIA Tesla K10 Wins:

• OpenCL Compute: Direct head-to-head victory with 14,029 versus 13,772 (1.9% ahead).
• Memory Capacity and Bandwidth: 4 GB versus 2 GB, and 160.0 GB/s versus 88.00 GB/s, providing 81.8% more memory bandwidth.
• Raw Throughput: 2.289 TFLOPS FP32 versus 1.651 TFLOPS, 95.36 GTexel/s versus 51.60 GTexel/s, and 23.84 GPixel/s versus 17.20 GPixel/s.
• Shader Resources: 1,536 shading units versus 768, 128 TMUs versus 48, and 32 ROPs versus 16.
• Vulkan Version: 1.2.175 versus 1.2.170, a marginal but present advantage.
• Form Factor for Desktops: Dual-slot PCIe card with established power connectors, versus an MXM module.

AMD Radeon HD 8950M Wins:

• DirectX Feature Level: Supports DirectX 12 (12_0) versus the Tesla K10's 12 (11_0), enabling newer rendering features.
• Power Efficiency: 100 W TDP versus 225 W, making it suitable for mobile platforms and lower thermal envelopes.
• Release Date: Released May 13, 2013, over a year after the Tesla K10's April 30, 2012 launch, meaning a more modern design.
• Transistor Density: 13.0M / mm² versus 12.0M / mm², indicating a more compact and potentially more efficient design.
• Memory Clock: 1375 MHz versus 1250 MHz, though this advantage is negated by the narrower bus.
• Portability: MXM Module form factor and portable-device-dependent outputs make it viable for laptops, while the Tesla K10 has no display outputs at all.

The trade-off is clear: the Tesla K10 dominates in compute performance and memory resources, while the Radeon HD 8950M wins on efficiency, modernity, and API compatibility. Users needing maximum OpenCL throughput for scientific or professional workloads should choose the Tesla K10. Users requiring a mobile GPU with lower power draw and DirectX 12 (12_0) support should opt for the Radeon HD 8950M.