NVIDIA Tesla V100 PCIe 16 GB vs NVIDIA TITAN X Pascal Comparison

FAQ

Q: How does the NVIDIA Tesla V100 PCIe 16 GB compare to the NVIDIA TITAN X Pascal in average benchmark score?

A: The Tesla V100 PCIe 16 GB records an average benchmark score of 138063, while the TITAN X Pascal scores 72098. The Tesla V100 leads by roughly 91.5% in average score, placing it in the 96th percentile of all GPUs versus the 91st percentile for the TITAN X.

Q: Which card wins in OpenCL and Vulkan tests?

A: The Tesla V100 PCIe 16 GB wins both recorded benchmarks. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 163063 against 66696 for the TITAN X, a delta of 144.5%. In Geekbench Vulkan, it scores 113062 versus 77499, a delta of 45.9%.

Q: What are the memory specifications for each card?

A: The Tesla V100 PCIe 16 GB has 16 GB of HBM2 memory on a 4096-bit bus, delivering 897.0 GB/s bandwidth. The TITAN X Pascal has 12 GB of GDDR5X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 480.4 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: How do their compute capabilities differ?

A: The Tesla V100 offers 5120 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 128 ROPs, with FP32 performance of 14.13 TFLOPS. The TITAN X Pascal has 3584 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, with FP32 performance of 10.97 TFLOPS. The V100 also includes 640 tensor cores, which the TITAN X lacks.

Q: What are the power requirements?

A: The Tesla V100 has a TDP of 300 W and requires a 700 W suggested PSU with 2x 8-pin power connectors. The TITAN X has a TDP of 250 W, a 600 W suggested PSU, and uses 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin connectors.

Q: Which card has display outputs?

A: The TITAN X Pascal provides 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The Tesla V100 PCIe 16 GB has no display outputs, making it a compute-only accelerator.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous. The NVIDIA Tesla V100 PCIe 16 GB is the far stronger compute card, winning both recorded benchmarks against the TITAN X Pascal. Its average benchmark score of 138063 crushes the TITAN X's 72098, and the 96th percentile placement versus the 91st confirms a significant performance gap. Anyone needing maximum throughput for scientific, AI, or data-center workloads should choose the V100 without hesitation.

The TITAN X Pascal, however, is not without merit. It is the only one of the two with display outputs, offering 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. Its lower TDP of 250 W and 600 W suggested PSU make it easier to integrate into a desktop workstation. For users who need a GPU that can both render to a screen and deliver solid compute, the TITAN X is the practical pick, but only if the workload fits within its 12 GB GDDR5X memory and lower FP32 ceiling.

In head-to-head terms, the V100 wins 2-0. There is no scenario in the recorded data where the TITAN X outpaces the V100. The choice reduces to necessity: compute-only acceleration with massive memory bandwidth favors the V100, while a dual-purpose card with display connectivity favors the TITAN X. The V100 is the performance leader; the TITAN X is the functional alternative.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench OpenCL test shows the largest gap. The Tesla V100 scores 163063, while the TITAN X manages 66696. That is a 144.5% delta, meaning the V100 more than doubles the TITAN X's OpenCL result. The TITAN X does not approach the V100 in any recorded metric, and the OpenCL score reflects the V100's architectural advantage in raw compute throughput.

The Geekbench Vulkan test narrows the margin but still decisively favors the V100. The V100 scores 113062 versus 77499 for the TITAN X, a 45.9% delta. Vulkan is a lower-level API that can mask some hardware differences, yet the V100 still leads by a wide margin. The TITAN X's 77499 is respectable, but it is not competitive with the V100's 113062.

In the two-test sample, the V100 wins both. The average benchmark score confirms the trend: 138063 for the V100 versus 72098 for the TITAN X. The nearest rival to the V100, the AMD Instinct MI100, scores 139035, only 0.7% higher, while the AMD Radeon PRO V620 trails by 1.2% at 136472. The TITAN X's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition, scores 73370, 1.7% ahead, but that is still far below the V100's baseline.

Specification Differences

Memory is a major divergence. The V100 uses 16 GB of HBM2 on a 4096-bit bus with 897.0 GB/s bandwidth. The TITAN X uses 12 GB of GDDR5X on a 384-bit bus with 480.4 GB/s bandwidth. The V100's bandwidth is nearly double, and its memory type is designed for sustained compute workloads.

Clock speeds differ notably. The TITAN X has a base clock of 1417 MHz and a boost of 1531 MHz, while the V100 runs at 1245 MHz base and 1380 MHz boost. Despite lower clocks, the V100 achieves higher throughput due to its larger shader array and memory subsystem.

Shading resources favor the V100 heavily. It has 5120 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 128 ROPs. The TITAN X has 3584 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. Pixel rate and texture rate follow: the V100 records 176.6 GPixel/s and 441.6 GTexel/s, versus 147.0 GPixel/s and 342.9 GTexel/s for the TITAN X.

FP32 performance is 14.13 TFLOPS for the V100 and 10.97 TFLOPS for the TITAN X. FP16 performance is even more stark: the V100 delivers 28.26 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), while the TITAN X manages only 171.5 GFLOPS (1:64 ratio). This makes the V100 vastly superior for mixed-precision workloads.

Power and physical specs also differ. The V100 has a 300 W TDP, a 700 W suggested PSU, and 2x 8-pin connectors. The TITAN X has a 250 W TDP, a 600 W suggested PSU, and 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin. The TITAN X is a dual-slot card measuring 267 mm in length, 112 mm in height, and 40 mm in width. The V100 is also dual-slot but has no listed dimensions. Display outputs exist only on the TITAN X.

Architecture Differences

The V100 is built on the Volta architecture with the GV100 chip, fabricated on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It packs 21,100 million transistors on an 815 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 25.9M per mm². The TITAN X uses the Pascal architecture with the GP102 chip, on a 16 nm process, also at TSMC. It contains 11,800 million transistors on a 471 mm² die, with a density of 25.1M per mm².

The V100's Volta architecture introduces 640 tensor cores, which are absent from the Pascal-based TITAN X. Tensor cores accelerate specific matrix math operations, and their presence explains the V100's FP16 advantage: 28.26 TFLOPS versus 171.5 GFLOPS. This is an architectural feature, not just a clock advantage.

The V100 belongs to the Tesla Volta generation, while the TITAN X is part of the GeForce 10 generation. The V100's predecessor is Tesla Pascal, and its successor is Tesla Turing. The TITAN X's predecessor is GeForce 900, and its successor is GeForce 20. Both cards are end-of-life, but the V100 released in June 2017, while the TITAN X launched in August 2016.

Both support DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so API compatibility is identical. The key architectural split is the V100's Volta tensor core design and HBM2 memory versus the TITAN X's Pascal layout and GDDR5X. The V100's die is 344 mm² larger, and its transistor count is nearly double, reflecting a fundamentally more complex compute engine.

Where Each One Wins

The Tesla V100 PCIe 16 GB wins in every recorded benchmark. It dominates OpenCL by 144.5% and Vulkan by 45.9%. Its 16 GB HBM2 memory with 897.0 GB/s bandwidth is a decisive advantage for large datasets, matrix operations, and AI inference. The 640 tensor cores and 28.26 TFLOPS FP16 make it the clear choice for mixed-precision training and inference tasks. The 96th percentile placement confirms its standing among all GPUs, and its nearest rivals are all high-end accelerators like the AMD Instinct MI100, which scores only 0.7% higher.

The TITAN X Pascal wins in practical versatility. It is the only card with display outputs, so it can drive a monitor directly. Its 250 W TDP and 600 W suggested PSU are more modest, making system integration simpler. The 12 GB GDDR5X memory is sufficient for many rendering or compute tasks, and its 10.97 TFLOPS FP32 is still a solid figure. But in pure compute, it trails the V100 by a wide margin, and its 91st percentile places it below the V100's 96th.

For users with compute-only workloads, the V100 is the only rational choice. For users who need a GPU for both rendering and occasional compute, the TITAN X offers the necessary connectivity and lower power draw. The data does not support any scenario where the TITAN X outperforms the V100, but it does support a scenario where the TITAN X is the more practical desktop card.