NVIDIA Tesla K80 vs NVIDIA TITAN Xp Comparison

The NVIDIA TITAN Xp and NVIDIA Tesla K80 represent two very different philosophies from the same manufacturer, separated by nearly three years of architecture evolution. The data shows a decisive performance gap in the benchmarks where both were tested, but the underlying specs reveal why these cards were built for entirely different purposes. This analysis breaks down where each GPU wins, what the architecture differences mean, and who should consider each card based strictly on the available benchmark and specification data.

Where Each One Wins

The head-to-head benchmark data is unambiguous: the TITAN Xp wins both recorded tests, and the Tesla K80 wins none. In Geekbench OpenCL, the TITAN Xp scores 72,585 against the K80's 18,620, a delta of 289.8%. In Geekbench Vulkan, the gap widens further, with the TITAN Xp at 87,180 and the K80 at 19,111, representing a 356.2% advantage. These are not marginal victories; they are generational sweeps.

However, the use-case split is not about raw speed alone. The TITAN Xp is a GeForce 10-series consumer card with display outputs (1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a), making it suitable for any workload that benefits from visual output or consumer software ecosystems. The Tesla K80 has no display outputs at all, signaling its role as a headless compute accelerator for servers and data centers. The K80's architecture is Kepler 2.0, a compute-focused design that prioritized double-precision and memory capacity over the gaming-oriented features of Pascal. In the tested benchmarks, the TITAN Xp wins purely on execution speed, but the K80's design intent lies in sustained compute tasks where its dual-GPU configuration (implied by its 2,496 shading units across two dies) might excel in parallel throughput — though the data provided does not include such tests.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is enormous. The TITAN Xp uses the GP102 chip on TSMC's 16 nm process, packing 11,800 million transistors into a 471 mm² die. The Tesla K80 uses the GK210 chip on TSMC's 28 nm process, with 7,100 million transistors on a larger 561 mm² die. This means the TITAN Xp achieves a transistor density of 25.1M per mm² versus the K80's 12.7M per mm² — nearly double the density, which directly translates to higher clocks and efficiency.

Clock speeds tell the story of architectural maturity. The TITAN Xp runs at a base of 1405 MHz and boosts to 1582 MHz, while the K80 is dramatically slower at 562 MHz base and 824 MHz boost. This 2.5x frequency advantage is a primary driver of the performance gap. The memory subsystems also differ fundamentally: the TITAN Xp uses 12 GB of GDDR5X at 11.4 Gbps effective, delivering 547.6 GB/s of bandwidth, while the K80 uses 12 GB of GDDR5 at 5 Gbps effective, yielding only 240.6 GB/s. Both have 384-bit buses, but the newer memory technology gives the TITAN Xp more than double the bandwidth.

Compute resources differ sharply as well. The TITAN Xp has 3,840 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, producing 12.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The K80 has 2,496 shading units, 208 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, for 4.113 TFLOPS FP32. The TITAN Xp also offers FP16 at 189.8 GFLOPS (with a 1:64 ratio), while the K80 has no FP16 support listed. The TITAN Xp's pixel rate of 151.9 GPixel/s and texture rate of 379.7 GTexel/s dwarf the K80's 42.85 GPixel/s and 171.4 GTexel/s, reinforcing that the TITAN Xp is not just faster per clock but fundamentally more capable per cycle.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only two shared benchmarks come from Geekbench, and both show overwhelming TITAN Xp victories. In OpenCL, the TITAN Xp's 72,585 crushes the K80's 18,620, a 289.8% margin. This test likely stresses memory bandwidth and compute throughput, where the TITAN Xp's 547.6 GB/s versus 240.6 GB/s and 12.15 TFLOPS versus 4.113 TFLOPS combine to create the massive delta. The Vulkan test is even more lopsided: 87,180 versus 19,111, a 356.2% advantage. Vulkan workloads often favor newer architectures with better driver optimization and hardware features; Pascal's 1.4 API support versus Kepler's 1.2.175 likely contributes to this gap.

Looking at the broader benchmark suite for the TITAN Xp, the data shows consistent strength across legacy and modern APIs. It scores 18,750 in Passmark G3D, 9,430 in GPU Compute, and 883 in G2D. In DirectX tests, it scores 226 in DX9, 152 in DX11, 119 in DX10, and 69 in DX12. The K80 lacks these Passmark results entirely, leaving the Geekbench scores as the only direct comparison. This absence itself is telling: the K80 was never designed for consumer-grade benchmarks or real-time graphics workloads, and its driver support likely prioritizes compute frameworks over gaming APIs.

The TITAN Xp's average benchmark score of 19,177 places it in the 64th percentile of all GPUs, while the K80's average of 18,866 sits at the 63rd percentile. Despite the massive head-to-head deltas, their overall averages are close because the K80's two Geekbench scores (18,620 and 19,111) are much lower than the TITAN Xp's averages across ten tests. The TITAN Xp's nearest rivals include the GeForce GTX 780 (delta 0.1%), Tesla K20m (0.5%), and RTX 4050 Mobile (0.7%), indicating it clusters with mid-range modern hardware. The K80's rivals include the RTX 2070 (0.4%), RTX 2000 Ada Generation (-0.5%), and Quadro K6000 (-0.9%), showing it hangs near older professional cards. Both cards' nearest rival lists include the AMD Radeon RX 6600, with the TITAN Xp 0.7% ahead and the K80 0.9% behind.

The Verdict

The data is decisive: if you need raw compute performance and can tolerate a consumer GPU, the NVIDIA TITAN Xp is the only choice between these two. It wins every shared benchmark by margins of nearly 300% to over 350%, offers 3x the FP32 throughput, more than double the memory bandwidth, and higher transistor density on a newer process node. Its display outputs also make it versatile for workstation tasks that require a monitor, and its API support (DirectX 12_1, Vulkan 1.4) is far ahead of the K80's (DirectX 12 (11_1), Vulkan 1.2.175).

The Tesla K80's case rests on what the data does not show. It has no display outputs, which is a feature for server environments where headless operation is standard. Its 300 W TDP versus the TITAN Xp's 250 W suggests a different power envelope, though the K80's lower clocks mean it trades speed for stability in sustained compute loads. The K80's architecture is Kepler 2.0, a generation known for strong double-precision performance, but no FP64 data is provided in the pack. If your workload is specifically optimized for Kepler-era compute features or requires a card without video outputs, the K80 may still serve — but the benchmark evidence shows it cannot compete with the TITAN Xp on any measured metric.

For most users, the TITAN Xp is the superior hardware by every number in the fact pack. Its launch MSRP was 1,199 USD, and it delivers that investment in the form of leading-edge Pascal performance. The K80, with no launch MSRP listed, was always a niche product for data centers that needed massive memory capacity (12 GB) and dual-GPU density, not speed in consumer benchmarks. The verdict is clear: the TITAN Xp wins on performance, architecture, and feature set; the K80 wins only on the absence of display outputs, which is a requirement for specific server deployments.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA TITAN Xp has 547.6 GB/s bandwidth from GDDR5X memory, while the Tesla K80 has 240.6 GB/s from GDDR5, meaning the TITAN Xp provides more than double the bandwidth.

Q: What is the FP32 performance difference?

A: The TITAN Xp delivers 12.15 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, compared to the Tesla K80's 4.113 TFLOPS, making the TITAN Xp approximately 2.95 times faster in single-precision workloads.

Q: Do both cards support the same DirectX version?

A: No. The TITAN Xp supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the Tesla K80 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), indicating the TITAN Xp has a higher feature level for modern gaming and graphics APIs.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The TITAN Xp has 3,840 shading units, while the Tesla K80 has 2,496, giving the TITAN Xp a 54% advantage in raw shader count.

Q: Are both cards the same physical length?

A: Yes, both the TITAN Xp and Tesla K80 measure 267 mm or 10.5 inches in length, though the TITAN Xp also has specified height and width dimensions (112 mm and 40 mm) while the K80 does not.

Q: Which card draws more power?

A: The Tesla K80 has a TDP of 300 W, which is higher than the TITAN Xp's 250 W, despite the K80 being significantly slower in benchmarks — this suggests the K80's dual-die design is less efficient per watt.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA TITAN Xp | NVIDIA Tesla K80 |

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

| Chip | GP102 | GK210 |

| Architecture | Pascal | Kepler 2.0 |

| Process Node | 16 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 11,800 million | 7,100 million |

| Die Size | 471 mm² | 561 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 25.1M / mm² | 12.7M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1405 MHz | 562 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1582 MHz | 824 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1426 MHz (11.4 Gbps effective) | 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Type | GDDR5X | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bandwidth | 547.6 GB/s | 240.6 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 3840 | 2496 |

| TMUs | 240 | 208 |

| ROPs | 96 | 48 |

| Pixel Rate | 151.9 GPixel/s | 42.85 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 379.7 GTexel/s | 171.4 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 12.15 TFLOPS | 4.113 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 189.8 GFLOPS (1:64) | None |

| TDP | 250 W | 300 W |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | 1x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 600 W | 700 W |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a | No outputs |

| DirectX Support | 12 (12_1) | 12 (11_1) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | 1.2.175 |

| Dimensions (L×H×W) | 267×112×40 mm | 267 mm (length only) |

| Release Date | 2017-04-05 | 2014-11-16 |

| Launch MSRP | 1,199 USD | None |