AMD Radeon Pro 455 vs NVIDIA Tesla K10 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available in the database is Geekbench OpenCL, and it shows a decisive win for the NVIDIA Tesla K10. The Tesla K10 scores 14,029 points against 10,336 points for the AMD Radeon Pro 455. That is a 35.7% lead for the NVIDIA card, a substantial margin that places the two firmly in different performance tiers for compute workloads.

Looking at the overall average benchmark scores, the Tesla K10 maintains its advantage. The Tesla K10 averages 14,029 points, while the Radeon Pro 455 averages 12,831 points across its benchmark suite. This difference of roughly 9.3% in the aggregate is narrower than the OpenCL gap, because the Radeon Pro 455 has additional benchmark results that boost its average. The Radeon Pro 455 records 15,916 points in Geekbench Metal and 12,240 points in Geekbench Vulkan, results that the Tesla K10 cannot match because it lacks those test scores in the database.

The percentile rankings tell a similar story. The Tesla K10 sits at the 55th percentile of all GPUs, while the Radeon Pro 455 sits at the 52nd percentile. Both are mid-pack performers, but the NVIDIA part is slightly better positioned even though it is four years older.

The nearest rivals for each card provide additional context. The Tesla K10 is effectively tied with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680, which scores 14,150 points, a delta of only -0.9%. It also edges out the AMD Radeon RX 570X (13,871 points, +1.1% for the Tesla), the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile (13,821 points, +1.5%), and the AMD Radeon 660M (13,812 points, +1.6%). These are close margins, indicating that the Tesla K10 trades blows with a cluster of mid-range GPUs from later generations.

The Radeon Pro 455, meanwhile, is dead even with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 at 12,830 points, a 0% delta. It is also within 0.1% of the AMD FirePro W5100 (12,847 points), 0.3% behind the AMD Radeon 740M (12,870 points), and 0.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 (12,773 points). The Radeon Pro 455's nearest rivals are all older or lower-tier parts, and the deltas are all within 1%, meaning the card is right in the middle of a tight pack.

The data shows that in raw OpenCL compute, the Tesla K10 is the clear winner. But the Radeon Pro 455's additional Metal and Vulkan scores suggest it has broader API coverage, which matters for certain workloads. In a head-to-head fight limited to OpenCL, the Tesla K10 wins the only recorded match, but the Radeon Pro 455 counters with better API versatility.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different architectural generations and different foundries. The NVIDIA Tesla K10 uses the GK104 chip built on the Kepler architecture, manufactured by TSMC on a 28 nm process. The AMD Radeon Pro 455 uses the Baffin chip built on GCN 4.0, manufactured by GlobalFoundries on a 14 nm process. The process node difference is significant: 28 nm versus 14 nm gives the AMD part a density advantage. The Tesla K10 packs 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, for a transistor density of 12.0 million per mm². The Radeon Pro 455 has 3,000 million transistors on just 123 mm², a density of 24.4 million per mm², roughly double the Tesla's packing efficiency.

The compute resources differ substantially. The Tesla K10 has 1,536 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operations pipelines. The Radeon Pro 455 has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. So the NVIDIA card has double the shaders, nearly triple the TMUs, and double the ROPs. That hardware advantage explains its OpenCL lead. The Tesla K10 also has much higher throughput rates: 23.84 GPixel/s pixel fill rate and 95.36 GTexel/s texture rate, versus 13.68 GPixel/s and 41.04 GTexel/s for the AMD card.

Memory configurations are also very different. The Tesla K10 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 160.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Radeon Pro 455 has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 81.28 GB/s. The NVIDIA card has twice the memory capacity and nearly double the bandwidth. Memory clocks are close: 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective) for the Tesla, 1270 MHz (5.1 Gbps effective) for the Radeon. The bandwidth gap comes almost entirely from the bus width difference.

Floating-point performance follows the same pattern. The Tesla K10 delivers 2.289 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, while the Radeon Pro 455 delivers 1,313.3 GFLOPS, or roughly 1.31 TFLOPS. The AMD card also has FP16 capability at 1,313.3 GFLOPS (1:1 ratio), while the Tesla K10 has no recorded FP16 performance. The Radeon Pro 455 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), Vulkan 1.3, and OpenGL 4.6. The Tesla K10 supports DirectX 12 (11_0), Vulkan 1.2.175, and OpenGL 4.6. The AMD card has newer API support, particularly for Vulkan.

Power consumption is where the Radeon Pro 455 makes its biggest architectural statement. The Tesla K10 draws 225 W and requires a 550 W power supply, with dual-slot cooling and both a 6-pin and an 8-pin power connector. The Radeon Pro 455 draws only 35 W, uses an MXM Module form factor, and needs no external power connectors. That is a 190 W difference in TDP, which makes the AMD card dramatically more efficient for its performance class.

The Tesla K10 has no display outputs, as it is a compute-oriented accelerator. The Radeon Pro 455 has display outputs described as "Portable Device Dependent," reflecting its mobile workstation design. The bus interfaces also differ: the Tesla uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the Radeon Pro 455 uses PCIe 3.0 x8.

FAQ

Q: Which card wins in raw OpenCL performance?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla K10 wins the only head-to-head benchmark in the database, scoring 14,029 points versus 10,336 points for the AMD Radeon Pro 455, a 35.7% advantage in the Geekbench OpenCL test.

Q: Does the Radeon Pro 455 have any benchmark wins at all?

A: In the recorded head-to-head data, the Radeon Pro 455 has zero wins. However, it has additional scores in Geekbench Metal (15,916 points) and Geekbench Vulkan (12,240 points) that the Tesla K10 does not have in the database.

Q: How do the two cards compare in memory capacity and bandwidth?

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

Q: What is the TDP difference between the two cards?

A: The Tesla K10 is rated at 225 W with a suggested PSU of 550 W, dual-slot cooling, and both a 6-pin and an 8-pin connector. The Radeon Pro 455 is rated at 35 W with no external power connectors and an MXM Module form factor. The Radeon Pro 455 uses a fraction of the power draw.

Q: Which card has better API support for modern software?

A: The Radeon Pro 455 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), Vulkan 1.3, and OpenGL 4.6, plus FP16 at 1,313.3 GFLOPS. The Tesla K10 supports DirectX 12 (11_0), Vulkan 1.2.175, and OpenGL 4.6, with no FP16 recorded.

Q: Are the two cards close in overall standing relative to other GPUs?

A: The Tesla K10 sits at the 55th percentile of all GPUs with an average score of 1,4029 points. The Radeon Pro 455 sits at the 52nd percentile with an average score of 12,831 points across its benchmark suite.

Specification Differences

| Field | NVIDIA Tesla K10 | AMD Radeon Pro 455 |

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

| Architecture | Kepler | GCN 4.0 |

| Process Node | 28 nm 14 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC GlobalFoundries |

| Transistors | 3,540 million | 3,000 million |

| Die Size | 294 mm² | 123 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.0M / mm² | 24.4M / mm² |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 2 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 256 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 160.0 GB/s | 81.28 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1536 | 768 |

| TMUs | 128 | 48 |

| ROPs | 32 | 16 |

| Pixel Rate | 23.84 GPixel/s | 13.68 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 95.36 GTexel/s | 41.04 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 2.289 TFLOPS | 1,313.3 GFLOPS |

| FP16 | None | 1,313.3 GFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 225 W | 35 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | MXM Module |

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

| Suggested PSU | 550 W | None |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x8 |

| Display Outputs | No outputs | Portable Device Dependent |

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

| Vulkan | 1.2.175 | 1.3 |

| Memory Clock | 1250 MHz, 5 Gbps effective | 1270 MHz, 5.1 Gbps effective |

| Release Date | 2012-04-30 | 2016-10-29 |

| Launch MSRP | 5,099 USD | None |

The two cards share the same memory type (GDDR5) and OpenGL version (4.6). Both are end-of-life products. Neither has ray tracing cores or tensor cores. The Tesla K10 has a predecessor in Tesla Fermi and a successor in Tesla Maxwell, while the Radeon Pro 455 has no recorded predecessor or successor.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split: the NVIDIA Tesla K10 is the compute performer, the AMD Radeon Pro 455 is the efficiency and mobility choice. The Tesla K10 wins the only head-to-head benchmark by 35.7% in OpenCL, has double the shading units, double the ROPs, nearly triple the TMUs, double the memory capacity, and double the memory bandwidth. It also has a higher average benchmark score (14,029 versus 12,831) and a better percentile ranking (55th versus 52nd).

However, the Radeon Pro 455 is not without merits. It matches or beats the Tesla K10 in API support, offering DirectX 12 (12_0) versus the Tesla's 12 (11_0), Vulkan 1.3 versus 1.2.175, and FP16 compute at 1,313.3 GFLOPS. It also has a dramatically lower TDP of 35 W versus 225 W, no power connector requirements, and a compact MXM form factor. The Radeon Pro 455 also has display output capability, albeit dependent on the portable device, while the Tesla K10 has no outputs at all.

The Tesla K10's launch MSRP was 5,099 USD, but that figure is historical context. The Radeon Pro 455 never had a recorded launch MSRP.

For a workstation or server environment where compute throughput is the priority and power is available, the Tesla K10 is the stronger card. For a mobile or low-power workstation where efficiency, API coverage, and display output matter, the Radeon Pro 455 is the more practical option.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA Tesla K10 wins in every category that favors raw compute muscle. It is ahead by 35.7% in OpenCL, which is the only direct comparison in the database. It has a 23.84 GPixel/s pixel rate versus 13.68 GPixel/s, a 95.36 GTexel/s texture rate versus 41.04 GTexel/s, and 2.289 TFLOPS of FP32 versus 1,313.3 GFLOPS. Its 4 GB memory capacity on a 256-bit bus with 160.0 GB/s bandwidth is strictly superior to the 2 GB, 128-bit, 81.28 GB/s configuration of the Radeon Pro 455. The Tesla K10 also has more of every compute unit category: 1,536 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs versus 768, 48, and 16.

The AMD Radeon Pro 455 wins in efficiency and modern API support. Its 35 W TDP is a fraction of the Tesla K10's 225 W, and it requires no external power connectors or specialized PSU. It supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3, both newer than the Tesla K10's 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175. It has FP16 capability at 1,313.3 GFLOPS, which the Tesla K10 lacks entirely. It also has recorded Metal (15,916 points) and Vulkan (12,240 points) benchmark scores, giving it a broader tested API coverage than the Tesla K10, which only has an OpenCL result.

The release dates tell the story of the generational gap. The Tesla K10 launched on 2012-04-30, the Radeon Pro 455 on 2016-10-29. The newer AMD part benefits from a 14 nm process and 24.4M transistors per mm² density, versus the older 28 nm process and 12.0M/mm² density of the Tesla. The Radeon Pro 455 achieves 78.4% of the Tesla K10's average benchmark score while drawing only 15.6% of the power. That efficiency gap is the Radeon's strongest argument.

For compute-heavy workloads with power available, the Tesla K10 is the clear pick. For low-power mobile workstations, modern API compatibility, or FP16 workloads, the Radeon Pro 455 is the better choice. The data does not support a single universal winner.