NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM vs NVIDIA Tesla K40c Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records only one common benchmark between these two NVIDIA graphics cards, and the result is decisive. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 60,740 points, while the NVIDIA Tesla K40c scores 17,468 points. That is a delta of -71.2%, meaning the RTX 3050 OEM outperforms the Tesla K40c by roughly 3.5 times in raw compute throughput.

This is not a marginal win. The RTX 3050 OEM's score of 60,740 places it far ahead of the aging Tesla K40c, which was designed for a different era of GPU compute. The Tesla K40c, despite its massive 12 GB of GDDR5 memory and 384-bit memory bus, simply cannot keep pace with the modern Ampere architecture in this OpenCL workload.

Looking at the broader context, the RTX 3050 OEM's average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 15,199, which places it at the 57th percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7600 (average score 15,171, delta 0.2%), the AMD Radeon 680M (15,270, delta -0.5%), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (15,283, delta -0.5%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (15,290, delta -0.6%). The RTX 3050 OEM sits within 1% of all these cards, indicating it is firmly in the mid-range performance tier.

The Tesla K40c, by contrast, has an average benchmark score of 17,468, which puts it at the 61st percentile. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon Pro 460 (17,509, delta -0.2%), the AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17,551, delta -0.5%), the AMD Radeon 780M (17,588, delta -0.7%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (17,639, delta -1%). Interestingly, the Tesla K40c's single OpenCL score is competitive with modern integrated graphics and entry-level discrete cards, despite its age.

The head-to-head data shows only one win for the RTX 3050 OEM and zero wins for the Tesla K40c. This is a one-sided matchup in the recorded benchmarks, with the RTX 3050 OEM holding a 71.2% advantage in the only test they share.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 60,740 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the NVIDIA Tesla K40c scores 17,468. The RTX 3050 OEM leads by 71.2%.

Q: How does the Tesla K40c compare to modern GPUs in its performance percentile?

A: The Tesla K40c sits at the 61st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon Pro 460 with an average score of 17,509, which is only 0.2% higher. It also trails the AMD Radeon Pro 560, AMD Radeon 780M, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 by margins between 0.5% and 1%.

Q: What is the RTX 3050 OEM's position relative to its closest competitors?

A: The RTX 3050 OEM is at the 57th percentile. Its closest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 7600 with an average score of 15,171, which is 0.2% lower. The AMD Radeon 680M, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 all sit within 0.6% of its average score.

Q: Does the Tesla K40c have more memory than the RTX 3050 OEM?

A: Yes, the Tesla K40c has 12 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the RTX 3050 OEM has 8 GB of GDDR6. However, the RTX 3050 OEM's memory runs at 14 Gbps effective, compared to 6 Gbps effective on the Tesla K40c.

Q: Which card has a higher FP32 compute throughput?

A: The RTX 3050 OEM delivers 8.087 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the Tesla K40c delivers 5.046 TFLOPS. The RTX 3050 OEM also supports FP16 at 8.087 TFLOPS (1:1), while the Tesla K40c has no recorded FP16 capability.

Q: Are both cards still in production?

A: No, both are listed as end-of-life in the database. The Tesla K40c was released in 2013, and the RTX 3050 OEM was released in 2022.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3050 OEM wins the only direct benchmark comparison, and it wins across every measurable compute aspect in the database. Its FP32 throughput of 8.087 TFLOPS is 60% higher than the Tesla K40c's 5.046 TFLOPS. It also has a significantly higher pixel rate (56.16 GPixel/s versus 52.56 GPixel/s) despite having fewer ROPs (32 versus 48), thanks to its higher clock speeds.

For gaming and general-purpose graphics workloads, the RTX 3050 OEM is the clear choice. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the Tesla K40c only supports DirectX 12 (11_0). The RTX 3050 OEM also includes 18 RT cores and 72 tensor cores, features that the Tesla K40c lacks entirely. It has display outputs (1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a), whereas the Tesla K40c has no display outputs at all, making it unsuitable for any interactive or visual task.

The Tesla K40c does retain advantages in specific legacy compute scenarios. Its 12 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus provides 288.4 GB/s of bandwidth, which is 28.7% higher than the RTX 3050 OEM's 224.0 GB/s. It also has more TMUs (240 versus 72) and a higher texture rate (210.2 GTexel/s versus 126.4 GTexel/s). For workloads that are heavily memory-bound or texture-bound, the Tesla K40c's wider memory bus could be beneficial, though its lower overall compute performance limits its practical utility.

The Tesla K40c also has a higher transistor count (7,080 million versus 12,000 million) but on a larger die (561 mm² versus 276 mm²), which results in a much lower transistor density (12.6M per mm² versus 43.5M per mm²). This reflects the older 28 nm process node versus the newer 8 nm node.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every specification category. The Tesla K40c uses a 28 nm process from TSMC, while the RTX 3050 OEM uses an 8 nm process from Samsung. The Tesla K40c has a die size of 561 mm² with 7,080 million transistors, while the RTX 3050 OEM has a die size of 276 mm² with 12,000 million transistors.

Clock speeds differ substantially: the Tesla K40c runs at a base of 745 MHz and boost of 876 MHz, while the RTX 3050 OEM runs at 1515 MHz base and 1755 MHz boost. Memory clocks are 1502 MHz (6 Gbps effective) for the Tesla K40c versus 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) for the RTX 3050 OEM.

Memory configuration is a major differentiator. The Tesla K40c has 12 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, yielding 288.4 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 3050 OEM has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, yielding 224.0 GB/s bandwidth.

The compute units also differ: the Tesla K40c has 2,880 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The RTX 3050 OEM has 2,304 shading units, 72 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, but adds 18 RT cores and 72 tensor cores.

Power requirements are starkly different. The Tesla K40c has a TDP of 245 W with a suggested PSU of 550 W, while the RTX 3050 OEM has a TDP of 130 W with a suggested PSU of 300 W. The Tesla K40c requires 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin power connectors, while the RTX 3050 OEM uses a single 8-pin connector.

Bus interfaces differ as well: the Tesla K40c uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the RTX 3050 OEM uses PCIe 4.0 x8. The Tesla K40c has no display outputs, while the RTX 3050 OEM has 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.

API support also differs: the Tesla K40c supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The RTX 3050 OEM supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Architecture Differences

The Tesla K40c is built on the Kepler architecture with the GK180 chip, while the RTX 3050 OEM uses the Ampere architecture with the GA106 chip. This represents two generations of NVIDIA GPU design philosophy.

Kepler was designed for compute efficiency in the Tesla line, with a focus on FP32 throughput and memory bandwidth. The GK180 chip uses a 28 nm process from TSMC, which limits transistor density to 12.6M per mm². The architecture lacks dedicated hardware for ray tracing or tensor operations, and its DirectX support is limited to 12 (11_0).

Ampere, on the other hand, is a gaming-first architecture that also excels at compute. The GA106 chip uses an 8 nm process from Samsung, achieving a transistor density of 43.5M per mm², more than three times higher than Kepler. Ampere introduces dedicated RT cores (18 on this chip) and tensor cores (72 on this chip), enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI workloads. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, which includes features like mesh shaders and variable rate shading.

The memory subsystem also reflects architectural changes. Kepler relies on a wide 384-bit bus with slower GDDR5, while Ampere uses a narrower 128-bit bus with faster GDDR6. This trade-off allows Ampere to achieve high bandwidth with lower power consumption and smaller die area.

The Tesla K40c's architecture was designed for high-end compute in data centers, which explains its lack of display outputs and its high 245 W TDP. The RTX 3050 OEM's architecture targets mainstream desktop users, providing display outputs and a more modest 130 W TDP.

The production timeline reflects this architectural gap: the Tesla K40c was released in 2013 as part of the Tesla Kepler generation, with its predecessor being Tesla Fermi and successor Tesla Maxwell. The RTX 3050 OEM was released in 2022 as part of the GeForce 30 series, with its predecessor being GeForce 20 and successor GeForce 40. Both are now end-of-life products, but they represent very different engineering goals and market positions.