AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT vs NVIDIA Tesla T4 Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT is decisively faster than the NVIDIA Tesla T4 in every directly comparable benchmark, leading by 38.8% in Geekbench OpenCL and 37.8% in Geekbench Vulkan. The RX 6850M XT also holds a higher overall percentile rank (92nd vs 90th) and a higher average benchmark score (78,940 vs 66,733). While the Tesla T4 compensates with double the memory capacity and a dramatically lower power draw, the performance gap is substantial and consistent across API workloads.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The data from the head-to-head comparison shows a clear and consistent victory for the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD part scores 85,040, while the NVIDIA Tesla T4 scores 61,276. This represents a 38.8% advantage for the RX 6850M XT. The margin is nearly identical in the Vulkan API, where the AMD card scores 99,483 compared to the Tesla T4's 72,190, a 37.8% lead.

These are not marginal wins; they are commanding leads across two different compute APIs. The RX 6850M XT's superiority is further reinforced by its average benchmark score of 78,940 across all tests, which is 18.3% higher than the Tesla T4's average of 66,733. While the Tesla T4's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon VII (1.1% ahead) and the NVIDIA Tesla P40 (2.5% ahead), the RX 6850M XT sits in a different performance tier, with its nearest rivals being the NVIDIA Tesla P100 and GeForce RTX 5090. The data leaves no ambiguity: the RX 6850M XT is the faster GPU in this pairing.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT wins on raw compute performance. The 38.8% delta in OpenCL and 37.8% delta in Vulkan indicate that for any task leveraging these APIs—such as general-purpose GPU computing, rendering, or machine learning inference—the AMD part delivers significantly more throughput. Its higher pixel rate (165.2 GPixel/s vs 101.8 GPixel/s) and texture rate (413.0 GTexel/s vs 254.4 GTexel/s) further confirm its advantage in graphics-heavy workloads. The RX 6850M XT also wins on transistor density, packing 51.3M transistors per mm² versus the Tesla T4's 25.0M.

The NVIDIA Tesla T4 wins on memory capacity and power efficiency. It offers 16 GB of GDDR6 memory compared to the RX 6850M XT's 12 GB, a 33% capacity advantage that is critical for large datasets that must reside entirely in VRAM. The T4 also has a much larger memory bus (256-bit vs 192-bit), which partially offsets its lower bandwidth. However, the T4's real edge is its power profile: it consumes only 70 W compared to the RX 6850M XT's 165 W, a 58% reduction. This makes the Tesla T4 a viable option for passively cooled, single-slot server deployments where power and space are at a premium. Its 168 mm length and single-slot width contrast sharply with the RX 6850M XT's IGP form factor, which is dependent on the portable device.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent fundamentally different design philosophies from different eras. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT is built on the Navi 22 chip using the RDNA 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC. This modern node allows AMD to pack 17,200 million transistors into a 335 mm² die, achieving a density of 51.3M transistors per mm². In contrast, the NVIDIA Tesla T4 uses the TU104 chip with the older Turing architecture on a 12 nm process. This results in 13,600 million transistors spread across a much larger 545 mm² die, yielding a lower density of 25.0M transistors per mm².

Clock speeds tell a similar story of generational difference. The RX 6850M XT operates at a base clock of 2321 MHz and boosts to 2581 MHz, while the Tesla T4 has a much lower base clock of 585 MHz and a boost of 1590 MHz. The AMD card's game clock is 2463 MHz, a figure the NVIDIA part cannot approach. Memory configurations also differ: the RX 6850M XT uses a 192-bit bus with 12 GB of GDDR6 at 18 Gbps effective, delivering 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Tesla T4 uses a wider 256-bit bus with 16 GB of GDDR6 at 10 Gbps effective, but its bandwidth is lower at 320.0 GB/s. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The RX 6850M XT has 40 ray tracing cores, while the Tesla T4 has 40 RT cores plus 320 tensor cores, a feature the AMD part lacks entirely. The Tesla T4 uses a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface, while the RX 6850M XT uses PCIe 4.0 x16.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT has an average benchmark score of 78,940, which is significantly higher than the NVIDIA Tesla T4's average of 66,733.

Q: How much faster is the RX 6850M XT in the Geekbench Vulkan test?

A: The RX 6850M XT scores 99,483 in Geekbench Vulkan, which is 37.8% higher than the Tesla T4's score of 72,190.

Q: Does the Tesla T4 have any memory advantage over the RX 6850M XT?

A: Yes, the Tesla T4 has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, which is 4 GB more than the RX 6850M XT's 12 GB. However, the RX 6850M XT has higher memory bandwidth (432.0 GB/s vs 320.0 GB/s).

Q: What is the power consumption difference between the two cards?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla T4 has a TDP of 70 W, while the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT has a TDP of 165 W. The Tesla T4 consumes 95 W less power.

Q: Which GPU has a better transistor density?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT has a transistor density of 51.3M per mm², which is more than double the Tesla T4's density of 25.0M per mm².

Q: Do both GPUs support the same graphics APIs?

A: Yes, both the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT and the NVIDIA Tesla T4 support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The Verdict

The choice between these two GPUs is dictated by the workload, not by a close performance contest. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT is the clear winner for anyone prioritizing raw compute or graphics performance. Its 38.8% lead in OpenCL and 37.8% lead in Vulkan make it the obvious choice for gaming, rendering, or any application where frame rates and throughput are paramount. Its higher pixel and texture rates, combined with a modern 7 nm process and PCIe 4.0 interface, solidify its position as the more capable performer. The data indicates it belongs in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, while the Tesla T4 sits in the 90th.

The NVIDIA Tesla T4 is the appropriate choice when power efficiency and memory capacity are the primary constraints. Its 70 W TDP is less than half of the RX 6850M XT's 165 W, making it suitable for dense server environments with strict power budgets. Its 16 GB of VRAM, which is 33% more than the AMD part, allows it to handle larger models or datasets in a single memory allocation. The T4's single-slot form factor and 168 mm length are also advantageous for space-constrained deployments where the RX 6850M XT's IGP form factor is not applicable. For inference tasks that fit within its memory and tolerate lower throughput, the Tesla T4 is a valid option.

Ultimately, the RX 6850M XT is the superior graphics processor on every performance metric measured. The Tesla T4 wins only on capacity and efficiency. If the question is "which is faster?", the answer is unequivocally the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT. If the question is "which fits a 70 W slot with 16 GB of memory?", the answer is the NVIDIA Tesla T4.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT | NVIDIA Tesla T4 |

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

| Architecture | RDNA 2.0 | Turing |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 12 nm |

| Transistors | 17,200 million | 13,600 million |

| Die Size | 335 mm² | 545 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 51.3M / mm² | 25.0M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 2321 MHz | 585 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2581 MHz | 1590 MHz |

| Memory Size | 12 GB | 16 GB |

| Memory Bus | 192 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 432.0 GB/s | 320.0 GB/s |

| Tensor Cores | None | 320 |

| Pixel Rate | 165.2 GPixel/s | 101.8 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 413.0 GTexel/s | 254.4 GTexel/s |

| FP32 (Single Precision) | 13.21 TFLOPS | 8.141 TFLOPS |

| TDP | 165 W | 70 W |

| Slot Width | IGP | Single-slot |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Release Date | 2022-01-03 | 2018-09-12 |

| Successor | None | Server Ampere |