NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB vs NVIDIA TITAN X Pascal Comparison

# NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB vs NVIDIA TITAN X Pascal

The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB and the NVIDIA TITAN X Pascal are both end-of-life Pascal-generation accelerators from NVIDIA, yet they target fundamentally different workloads. The data shows a clear split: the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB leads in raw compute-oriented OpenCL performance by a significant margin, while the TITAN X Pascal counters with higher clock speeds, a more conventional memory subsystem, and display outputs. The benchmark results, drawn from Geekbench scores, reveal that the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB achieves an average benchmark score of 79,396, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, whereas the TITAN X Pascal averages 72,098 across its OpenCL and Vulkan scores, sitting in the 91st percentile. This 10% gap in average score underscores the Tesla's compute-focused design, even as both cards share the same 12 GB memory capacity and 250 W TDP.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sole head-to-head benchmark available is Geekbench OpenCL, and it decisively favors the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB. The Tesla scores 79,396, while the TITAN X Pascal scores 66,696, resulting in a 19% advantage for the Tesla. This is a substantial lead that reflects the architectural priorities of each card. The Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB is built around the GP100 chip, which emphasizes FP32 throughput of 9.526 TFLOPS and FP16 compute of 19.05 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio). In contrast, the TITAN X Pascal, powered by the GP102 chip, delivers 10.97 TFLOPS of FP32 but only 171.5 GFLOPS of FP16 (1:64 ratio), indicating that its design favors traditional single-precision workloads over half-precision compute.

Despite the TITAN X Pascal having a higher FP32 rating—10.97 TFLOPS versus 9.526 TFLOPS—the Tesla still wins the OpenCL benchmark by 19%. This suggests that the Tesla's memory subsystem plays a critical role. The P100 PCIe 12 GB uses HBM2 memory with a 3072-bit bus width and 549.1 GB/s bandwidth, while the TITAN X Pascal relies on GDDR5X with a 384-bit bus and 480.4 GB/s bandwidth. The Tesla's 14% higher memory bandwidth likely offsets its lower raw FP32 peak, especially in OpenCL workloads that stress memory access patterns. The TITAN X Pascal does counter with higher pixel and texture rates—147.0 GPixel/s and 342.9 GTexel/s versus the Tesla's 127.6 GPixel/s and 297.7 GTexel/s—but these metrics do not translate into a benchmark win in this test.

Looking at the nearest rivals for context, the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB's score of 79,396 is nearly identical to the Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79,605, a -0.3% delta) and the GeForce RTX 5090 (79,842, -0.6% delta), while it edges out the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78,940, +0.6% delta) and trails the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X (80,959, -1.9% delta). This indicates that the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB sits comfortably in a performance cluster with modern and enterprise-class GPUs, despite its age. The TITAN X Pascal's average score of 72,098, by contrast, is closely matched with the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 (72,379, -0.4% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX 6650M (71,768, +0.5% delta), while it leads the AMD Radeon RX 6600 LE (70,829, +1.8% delta) and trails the AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition (73,370, -1.7% delta). The TITAN X Pascal's 91st percentile ranking is only one point behind the Tesla's 92nd, but the benchmark delta is unmistakable.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB wins the only direct benchmark comparison, the Geekbench OpenCL test, with a 19% margin. This makes it the clear choice for compute-heavy applications that leverage OpenCL, such as scientific simulations, data analytics, and machine learning inference tasks that rely on FP16 or memory bandwidth. The Tesla's HBM2 memory, with its 549.1 GB/s bandwidth and 3072-bit interface, is a decisive advantage in workloads that are memory-bound rather than compute-bound. Additionally, the Tesla's FP16 capability of 19.05 TFLOPS (2:1) versus the TITAN X Pascal's 171.5 GFLOPS (1:64) is a massive 111x difference, making the Tesla vastly superior for half-precision workloads, which are common in AI and deep learning environments.

The NVIDIA TITAN X Pascal, despite losing the OpenCL benchmark, holds advantages in several areas that the data reveals. Its base clock of 1417 MHz and boost clock of 1531 MHz are significantly higher than the Tesla's 1190 MHz base and 1329 MHz boost, translating to a 15% higher boost clock. This clock advantage contributes to its superior pixel rate (147.0 GPixel/s vs 127.6 GPixel/s) and texture rate (342.9 GTexel/s vs 297.7 GTexel/s), which are 15% and 15% higher, respectively. These metrics favor rasterization-heavy workloads like gaming and real-time 3D rendering, where the TITAN X Pascal's higher clocks and traditional GDDR5X memory (480.4 GB/s) provide adequate bandwidth. Furthermore, the TITAN X Pascal supports Vulkan 1.4 and has display outputs (1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a), whereas the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB has no display outputs and supports Vulkan 1.3. This makes the TITAN X Pascal the only option for users who need a visual output or a gaming-capable card.

In terms of benchmark coverage, the TITAN X Pascal has two recorded scores—Geekbench OpenCL (66,696) and Geekbench Vulkan (77,499)—while the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB has only one (Geekbench OpenCL). The TITAN X Pascal's Vulkan score of 77,499 is notably higher than its OpenCL score, suggesting that it performs better in Vulkan-based applications, which are common in modern games and some compute APIs. This is a win for the TITAN X Pascal in the Vulkan ecosystem, though no direct comparison exists since the Tesla lacks a Vulkan benchmark score. The TITAN X Pascal also has a higher FP32 throughput (10.97 TFLOPS vs 9.526 TFLOPS), indicating a 15% advantage in single-precision compute, which could benefit certain scientific and rendering workloads that do not use OpenCL as their primary API.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on the same 16 nm TSMC process node and share the same transistor density of 25.1M per mm², but their chips differ substantially. The Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB uses the GP100 chip, which is a large 610 mm² die containing 15,300 million transistors. The TITAN X Pascal uses the GP102 chip, which is smaller at 471 mm² and packs 11,800 million transistors. This 3,500 million transistor difference reflects the Tesla's focus on compute features, including a larger memory interface and enhanced FP16 support. Both cards have 3584 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs, so the core configuration is identical in raw count, but the underlying architecture differs in how those units are utilized.

The memory architecture is where the most significant divergence occurs. The Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB employs HBM2 memory with a 3072-bit bus width and a bandwidth of 549.1 GB/s, operating at 715 MHz (1430 Mbps effective). The TITAN X Pascal uses GDDR5X memory with a 384-bit bus and 480.4 GB/s bandwidth, running at 1251 MHz (10 Gbps effective). The Tesla's HBM2 offers a 14% bandwidth advantage, which is critical for compute workloads, while the TITAN X Pascal's GDDR5X is more conventional and easier to integrate into a consumer-oriented card. The memory capacity is identical at 12 GB, but the bus width difference (3072-bit vs 384-bit) highlights the Tesla's server-grade design.

Compute capabilities also diverge dramatically. The Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB delivers 9.526 TFLOPS of FP32 and 19.05 TFLOPS of FP16 (2:1 ratio), while the TITAN X Pascal delivers 10.97 TFLOPS of FP32 and only 171.5 GFLOPS of FP16 (1:64 ratio). This means the Tesla has 111x more FP16 throughput, making it far better suited for AI and deep learning tasks that use reduced precision. The TITAN X Pascal's higher FP32 rating (15% more) suggests it is optimized for traditional graphics and single-precision compute, but its FP16 performance is negligible by comparison. Clock speeds also differ: the TITAN X Pascal's base clock of 1417 MHz and boost of 1531 MHz are higher than the Tesla's 1190 MHz base and 1329 MHz boost, offsetting some of the Tesla's architectural advantages in single-precision workloads.

Other differences include the power connectors and display outputs. The Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB uses a single 8-pin connector, while the TITAN X Pascal uses a 6-pin plus 8-pin configuration, though both have a 250 W TDP and a suggested PSU of 600 W. The Tesla has no display outputs, rendering it useless for direct video output, while the TITAN X Pascal offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. Both cards are dual-slot and 267 mm in length, but the TITAN X Pascal adds height (112 mm) and width (40 mm) dimensions. API support is similar, with both supporting DirectX 12 (12_1) and OpenGL 4.6, but the TITAN X Pascal supports Vulkan 1.4 while the Tesla only supports Vulkan 1.3. The launch MSRP for the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB was 4,599 USD, while the TITAN X Pascal launched at 1,199 USD, reflecting their different market positions.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear division of purpose. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB is the superior choice for compute-intensive workloads, particularly those that rely on OpenCL or FP16 arithmetic. Its 19% lead in Geekbench OpenCL, coupled with 111x higher FP16 throughput and 14% more memory bandwidth, makes it the obvious pick for scientific computing, machine learning training, and any task that benefits from HBM2 memory. The Tesla's 92nd percentile ranking and its proximity to modern GPUs like the GeForce RTX 5090 (within 0.6%) underscore its enduring compute strength. However, its lack of display outputs and higher launch MSRP (4,599 USD) position it as a dedicated accelerator, not a general-purpose card.

The NVIDIA TITAN X Pascal is the better choice for users who need a more versatile card. Its higher clock speeds (1417 MHz base, 1531 MHz boost) and superior pixel/texture rates make it more suitable for graphics rendering and gaming, and its display outputs allow for direct monitor connection. The TITAN X Pascal's Vulkan score of 77,499 is strong, and its FP32 throughput of 10.97 TFLOPS exceeds the Tesla's, making it competitive in single-precision compute tasks. The lower launch MSRP of 1,199 USD also reflects its consumer-oriented positioning, though pricing is not a factor in performance analysis. For a user who wants a single card that can handle both compute and display tasks, the TITAN X Pascal is the data-backed choice, despite its lower OpenCL benchmark score.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB scores 79,396, which is 19% higher than the NVIDIA TITAN X Pascal's 66,696.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between the two cards?

A: The Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB has a bandwidth of 549.1 GB/s, while the TITAN X Pascal has 480.4 GB/s, giving the Tesla a 14% advantage.

Q: How do the FP16 compute capabilities compare?

A: The Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB delivers 19.05 TFLOPS of FP16 (2:1 ratio), while the TITAN X Pascal delivers 171.5 GFLOPS (1:64 ratio), a 111x difference in the Tesla's favor.

Q: Does the TITAN X Pascal have any display outputs?

A: Yes, it has 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB has no display outputs.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card?

A: The Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB has an average score of 79,396 based on one Geekbench OpenCL test, while the TITAN X Pascal averages 72,098 across Geekbench OpenCL (66,696) and Geekbench Vulkan (77,499).

Q: Which card has a higher FP32 throughput?

A: The TITAN X Pascal has 10.97 TFLOPS of FP32, which is 15% higher than the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB's 9.526 TFLOPS.