GPU Comparison

AMD Radeon Pro 455 vs NVIDIA Tesla K10: a comparison that pits a 35 W mobile graphics module against a 225 W dual-slot compute accelerator. The data shows a clear split in design philosophy, and the benchmark results reflect that divergence. While the Radeon Pro 455 offers a broader API feature set and modern connectivity, the Tesla K10 dominates in raw compute output, delivering a decisive victory in the only shared benchmark test.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The single benchmark common to both GPUs is Geekbench OpenCL, and the results are not close. The NVIDIA Tesla K10 scores 14,029 points, while the AMD Radeon Pro 455 manages 10,336 points. That translates to a delta of -26.3% for the AMD part. In practical terms, the Tesla K10 is over a third faster in this specific workload. The Radeon Pro 455’s score places it in the 52nd percentile of all GPUs, while the Tesla K10 sits in the 55th percentile, showing the gap between mid-pack and upper-mid-pack performance.

Looking at the Radeon Pro 455’s broader benchmark suite, it scores 15,916 in Geekbench Metal and 12,240 in Geekbench Vulkan, averaging 12,831 across all tests. The Tesla K10 has no Metal or Vulkan results in the data, so its average score is simply its OpenCL result of 14,029. That average puts the Tesla K10 slightly ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680, which scores 14,150 (a -0.9% delta for the Tesla), and comfortably ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 570X at 13,871 (+1.1% delta). The Radeon Pro 455’s average of 12,831 sits within a tight cluster: it is effectively tied with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 (12,830, 0% delta), trails the AMD FirePro W5100 (12,847, -0.1%) and AMD Radeon 740M (12,870, -0.3%), and edges out the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 (12,773, +0.5%).

The head-to-head result is unambiguous: the Tesla K10 wins the only direct comparison, and it wins by a significant margin. However, the Radeon Pro 455 counters with API support that the Tesla K10 cannot match, particularly in Vulkan where it scores 12,240, a result that suggests modern workload compatibility that the older NVIDIA part lacks.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different eras and different design goals. The AMD Radeon Pro 455 is built on the Baffin chip using GCN 4.0 architecture, fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It packs 3,000 million transistors into a 123 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 24.4 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA Tesla K10 uses the GK104 chip with Kepler architecture, built on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It contains 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, with a much lower density of 12.0 million per square millimeter. The process advantage is clear: AMD fits nearly as many transistors in less than half the die area.

Memory configurations differ substantially. The Radeon Pro 455 ships with 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 81.28 GB/s of bandwidth at a memory clock of 1270 MHz (5.1 Gbps effective). The Tesla K10 doubles that: 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, with 160.0 GB/s of bandwidth at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective). The Tesla K10’s bandwidth advantage is exactly double, a crucial factor for compute-heavy workloads.

Compute resources tell a similar story. The Radeon Pro 455 has 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The Tesla K10 has 1536 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, exactly double in every category. This hardware disparity shows up in throughput numbers: the Radeon Pro 455 delivers 1,313.3 GFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the Tesla K10 delivers 2.289 TFLOPS (2,289 GFLOPS). The Tesla K10 also posts pixel and texture rates of 23.84 GPixel/s and 95.36 GTexel/s, versus 13.68 GPixel/s and 41.04 GTexel/s for the Radeon. Interestingly, the Radeon Pro 455 supports FP16 at a 1:1 ratio (1,313.3 GFLOPS), while the Tesla K10 has no listed FP16 support.

Power and physical design are polar opposites. The Radeon Pro 455 is rated at 35 W TDP, uses an MXM Module slot width, and requires no power connectors. The Tesla K10 is rated at 225 W TDP, spans dual-slot width, measures 272 mm (10.7 inches) in length, and needs both a 6-pin and an 8-pin power connector, with a suggested 550 W power supply. The Radeon Pro 455 connects via PCIe 3.0 x8, while the Tesla K10 uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs are also fundamentally different: the Radeon Pro 455’s outputs are described as "Portable Device Dependent," while the Tesla K10 has no outputs at all.

Where Each One Wins

The Tesla K10 wins decisively in raw compute throughput. Its OpenCL score of 14,029 versus the Radeon Pro 455’s 10,336 makes it the clear choice for any workload that relies on OpenCL acceleration. The doubling of shading units, TMUs, ROPs, memory bus width, and bandwidth all point to a GPU designed for heavy parallel number crunching. Its 2.289 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 95.36 GTexel/s texture rate are class-leading figures for its generation, and the 4 GB frame buffer provides more headroom for large datasets.

The Radeon Pro 455 wins in modern API compatibility and energy efficiency. It supports DirectX 12 (12_0) while the Tesla K10 only supports DirectX 12 (11_0). It supports Vulkan 1.3 versus the Tesla K10’s Vulkan 1.2.175. Its Geekbench Vulkan score of 12,240 is respectable, and its Metal score of 15,916 shows strong Apple ecosystem performance, something the Tesla K10 cannot offer at all. The 35 W TDP means it can operate in mobile form factors with no external power, while the Tesla K10 requires a workstation chassis with substantial power delivery and cooling.

For mobile users, the Radeon Pro 455 is the only viable option of the two, given its MXM Module form factor and portable-device-dependent outputs. For server or compute installations where power and space are available, the Tesla K10’s higher compute density and double memory capacity make it the superior workhorse. The Tesla K10 also has a clear lineage advantage in the compute space, being part of the Tesla Kepler generation with a predecessor in Tesla Fermi and a successor in Tesla Maxwell.

The Verdict

The data presents a straightforward choice based on use case. For OpenCL-heavy compute tasks, the NVIDIA Tesla K10 is the clear winner, delivering a 26.3% higher score than the AMD Radeon Pro 455 in their only common benchmark. Its double bandwidth (160.0 GB/s vs 81.28 GB/s), double memory (4 GB vs 2 GB), and double shading units (1536 vs 768) make it a substantially more capable compute device. Its 55th percentile standing among all GPUs, compared to the Radeon’s 52nd, reinforces this edge.

However, the Radeon Pro 455 is the superior choice for modern graphics APIs and mobile deployment. Its Vulkan 1.3 support and DirectX 12 (12_0) compatibility give it a feature set that the Tesla K10 lacks, and its Metal score of 15,916 suggests strong performance in Apple-centric workflows. The 35 W power envelope allows integration into laptops and compact systems, something the 225 W Tesla K10 with its dual-slot cooler and 272 mm length cannot achieve. The Radeon Pro 455’s 14 nm process and GCN 4.0 architecture also provide a transistor density of 24.4M / mm², over twice that of the Tesla K10’s 12.0M / mm², indicating a more modern and efficient design.

The choice comes down to priorities. If the task requires maximum compute throughput and the system can accommodate a 225 W dual-slot card with a 550 W PSU, the Tesla K10 is the data-backed pick. If the task involves modern graphics APIs, mobile form factors, or energy efficiency, the Radeon Pro 455 is the only sensible option. There is no universal winner here; there are two specialized tools for different jobs.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla K10 has an average benchmark score of 14,029 from its single Geekbench OpenCL result, while the AMD Radeon Pro 455 averages 12,831 across Geekbench Metal (15,916), OpenCL (10,336), and Vulkan (12,240).

Q: How much faster is the Tesla K10 in the head-to-head OpenCL test?

A: The Tesla K10 scores 14,029 versus the Radeon Pro 455’s 10,336, a delta of -26.3% for the AMD card, meaning the Tesla K10 is approximately 35.7% faster in that specific benchmark.

Q: Does the Radeon Pro 455 support Vulkan?

A: Yes, the Radeon Pro 455 supports Vulkan 1.3 and scores 12,240 in the Geekbench Vulkan test. The Tesla K10 also supports Vulkan, but only version 1.2.175.

Q: What is the memory capacity and bandwidth difference?

A: The Radeon Pro 455 has 2 GB of GDDR5 with 81.28 GB/s bandwidth on a 128-bit bus. The Tesla K10 has 4 GB of GDDR5 with 160.0 GB/s bandwidth on a 256-bit bus, giving it exactly double the capacity and bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 compute performance?

A: The Tesla K10 delivers 2.289 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the Radeon Pro 455 delivers 1,313.3 GFLOPS (1.313 TFLOPS). The Tesla K10 is significantly ahead in this metric.

Q: What are the power consumption figures for each card?

A: The Radeon Pro 455 has a TDP of 35 W and requires no power connectors. The Tesla K10 has a TDP of 225 W, requires one 6-pin and one 8-pin power connector, and has a suggested power supply rating of 550 W.