NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB vs NVIDIA Tesla T4 Comparison

The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB and the NVIDIA Tesla T4 are both end-of-life data center accelerators, but they represent fundamentally different design philosophies from NVIDIA. The data shows a clear performance hierarchy, with the older P100 delivering substantially higher raw compute throughput, while the T4 offers a far more power-efficient and feature-rich package. Benchmark results indicate the P100 wins the single available head-to-head comparison decisively, but the T4 counters with superior architecture, modern API support, and dramatically lower power requirements.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison in the data is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the result is not close. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB scores 79,396 points, while the NVIDIA Tesla T4 scores 61,276 points. This gives the P100 a 29.6% advantage in this test, representing a substantial performance lead in general-purpose compute workloads.

This 29.6% delta is consistent with the raw specifications of both cards. The P100’s FP32 throughput is 9.526 TFLOPS, compared to the T4’s 8.141 TFLOPS, a difference of roughly 17% in raw compute capacity. However, the P100’s advantage is amplified in the benchmark by its memory subsystem. The P100 uses HBM2 memory with a 3072-bit bus and 549.1 GB/s of bandwidth, while the T4 uses GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 320.0 GB/s. That 71.6% bandwidth advantage for the P100 likely allows it to feed its shader cores more effectively in OpenCL workloads.

In the broader context of the benchmark database, the P100’s score places it at the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, while the T4 sits at the 90th percentile. The P100’s nearest rival is the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, which scores 79,605, just 0.3% higher. The T4’s nearest rival is the AMD Radeon VII at 66,004, which the T4 trails by 1.1%. The T4 also sits close to the NVIDIA Tesla P40, which scores 65,095, putting the T4 2.5% ahead of that older Pascal card.

It is important to note that the T4 has a second benchmark result in its record: a Geekbench Vulkan score of 72,190. The P100 has no Vulkan score listed. While the OpenCL comparison favors the P100, the T4’s Vulkan capability suggests it may be more versatile across different compute APIs, a point that is relevant for certain software stacks.

Where Each One Wins

The P100 wins unequivocally in raw compute performance. Its 29.6% lead in the OpenCL benchmark is the defining metric. This advantage is rooted in its higher FP32 throughput (9.526 vs 8.141 TFLOPS), higher FP16 throughput (19.05 vs 16.28 TFLOPS), and dramatically higher memory bandwidth (549.1 vs 320.0 GB/s). For workloads that are heavily dependent on raw floating-point math and memory access speed, the P100 is the clear choice.

The T4 wins in every other measurable category. Power consumption is the most striking difference: the T4 has a TDP of 70 W, while the P100 draws 250 W. This is a 72% reduction in power draw for the T4, which has profound implications for server density and cooling costs. The T4 also requires no external power connectors, while the P100 needs a single 8-pin connector. The T4’s suggested PSU is 250 W, versus 600 W for the P100, making the T4 far easier to integrate into existing systems.

The T4 also wins on physical size. It is a single-slot card measuring 168 mm in length, while the P100 is a dual-slot card at 267 mm. This makes the T4 far more flexible for space-constrained chassis. The T4’s architecture is also more modern, supporting DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the P100 is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3. The T4’s feature set is further expanded by its 320 Tensor Cores and 40 RT Cores, which are entirely absent from the P100.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB has an average benchmark score of 79,396, while the NVIDIA Tesla T4 averages 66,733. The P100’s score is based on a single OpenCL test, while the T4’s average is derived from its OpenCL and Vulkan results.

Q: How much faster is the P100 than the T4 in OpenCL?

A: The P100 scores 79,396 versus the T4’s 61,276 in the Geekbench OpenCL test, resulting in a 29.6% performance advantage for the P100.

Q: Does the T4 have any hardware features that the P100 lacks?

A: Yes, the T4 includes 320 Tensor Cores and 40 RT Cores, while the P100 has none. The T4 also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, compared to the P100’s DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3.

Q: How do the power requirements compare?

A: The T4 has a TDP of 70 W and requires no external power connectors, with a suggested PSU of 250 W. The P100 has a TDP of 250 W, requires a single 8-pin connector, and needs a 600 W PSU.

Q: Which card has more memory bandwidth?

A: The P100 has significantly more memory bandwidth at 549.1 GB/s, compared to the T4’s 320.0 GB/s. The P100 uses HBM2 memory with a 3072-bit bus, while the T4 uses GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus.

Q: Are there any differences in their physical dimensions?

A: Yes, the P100 is a dual-slot card measuring 267 mm (10.5 inches) in length, while the T4 is a single-slot card at 168 mm (6.6 inches) in length.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ on nearly every specification point. The P100 features 3,584 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs, while the T4 has 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The P100’s pixel rate is 127.6 GPixel/s versus the T4’s 101.8 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 297.7 GTexel/s versus the T4’s 254.4 GTexel/s.

Memory configurations are markedly different. The P100 has 12 GB of HBM2 on a 3072-bit bus with 549.1 GB/s bandwidth, while the T4 has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 320.0 GB/s bandwidth. The P100’s memory runs at 715 MHz (1430 Mbps effective), while the T4’s runs at 1250 MHz (10 Gbps effective).

Clock speeds tell a different story. The P100 has a base clock of 1190 MHz and a boost clock of 1329 MHz, while the T4 has a much lower base clock of 585 MHz but a higher boost clock of 1590 MHz. This suggests the T4 is designed to boost aggressively when needed but idle at very low power states.

Physical and power specifications diverge completely. The P100 is dual-slot with a 250 W TDP, one 8-pin power connector, and a 600 W suggested PSU. The T4 is single-slot with a 70 W TDP, no power connectors, and a 250 W suggested PSU. The T4 is also shorter at 168 mm versus the P100’s 267 mm.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide is generational. The P100 is built on the Pascal architecture, using the GP100 chip, fabricated on a 16 nm process at TSMC. It contains 15,300 million transistors on a 610 mm² die, for a transistor density of 25.1M per mm². The T4 uses the Turing architecture with the TU104 chip, fabricated on a 12 nm process, also at TSMC. It contains 13,600 million transistors on a 545 mm² die, for a density of 25.0M per mm².

The P100 belongs to the Tesla Pascal generation, while the T4 belongs to the Tesla Turing generation. The P100’s predecessor is listed as Tesla Maxwell and its successor as Tesla Volta. The T4’s predecessor is Tesla Volta and its successor is Server Ampere. This places the P100 one full architectural generation ahead of the T4 in terms of release chronology, but the T4 benefits from being a later design.

The most significant architectural difference is the presence of specialized compute units. The T4 includes 320 Tensor Cores designed for AI and deep learning workloads, as well as 40 RT Cores for ray tracing. The P100 has neither. This makes the T4 fundamentally different in its capabilities, despite its lower raw FP32 throughput.

API support also reflects the architectural gap. The T4 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the P100 is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3. Both cards support OpenGL 4.6. The T4’s newer architecture provides better future-proofing for software that leverages the latest graphics and compute APIs.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear binary choice. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB is the performance champion. Its 29.6% lead in the OpenCL benchmark, combined with a 92nd percentile ranking, makes it the superior choice for pure compute throughput. Its 549.1 GB/s of memory bandwidth and higher FP32/FP16 throughput are decisive for scientific computing, simulation, and any workload that saturates memory bandwidth.

The NVIDIA Tesla T4 is the efficiency and feature champion. Its 70 W TDP, single-slot form factor, and lack of external power connectors make it a superior choice for dense server deployments where power and space are at a premium. The inclusion of 320 Tensor Cores and 40 RT Cores provides hardware acceleration for AI inference and ray tracing workloads that the P100 simply cannot handle. Its support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 also makes it more compatible with modern software stacks.

For users prioritizing raw performance above all else, the P100 is the data-backed recommendation. For users prioritizing power efficiency, modern features, and deployment flexibility, the T4 is the clear winner. The benchmark results show a performance gap, but the specification differences show a capability gap that is arguably more important for certain modern workloads. The choice comes down to whether raw compute or efficiency and features are the primary requirement.