NVIDIA Tesla V100 PCIe 32 GB vs NVIDIA TITAN X Pascal Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a decisive victory for the NVIDIA Tesla V100 PCIe 32 GB across both benchmark tests. In Geekbench OpenCL, the V100 scores 168,763 points, which is 153% higher than the TITAN X Pascal's 66,696 points. This is not a marginal lead; it represents a complete tier separation in raw compute throughput. The Vulkan test tells a similar story, with the V100 scoring 131,847 against the TITAN X Pascal's 77,499, a 70.1% advantage. While the OpenCL gap is more than double the Vulkan gap, both results firmly place the V100 in a different performance class.

The context becomes clearer when examining each card's position relative to its own nearest rivals. The V100's average benchmark score of 150,305 places it just 1.1% behind the NVIDIA A10G (151,963), 6.5% behind the AMD Radeon Pro W6800X (160,671), and 7.5% behind the NVIDIA A100 PCIe 40 GB (162,504). Meanwhile, it sits 8.1% ahead of the AMD Instinct MI100 (139,035). This shows the V100 is competitive with modern accelerators, despite being an end-of-life product. The TITAN X Pascal, with an average score of 72,098, is essentially neck-and-neck with its nearest rivals: 0.4% behind the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 (72,379), 1.7% behind the AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition (73,370), and just 0.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6650M (71,768). The TITAN X Pascal's performance is typical for a high-end consumer card of its generation, but it cannot approach the V100's compute density.

The win count is 2-0 in favor of the V100, and the delta percentages confirm that no benchmark in the database shows the TITAN X Pascal winning. The V100's percentile ranking among all GPUs is 96, compared to the TITAN X Pascal's 91. That five-point percentile gap reflects the V100's superior standing in the overall distribution of recorded scores. The average benchmark score difference, 150,305 versus 72,098, means the V100 achieves more than double the average score of its rival. There is no scenario in this data where the TITAN X Pascal closes the gap, even in Vulkan, which is often more favorable to gaming-oriented hardware.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla V100 PCIe 32 GB has an average benchmark score of 150,305, while the NVIDIA TITAN X Pascal has an average score of 72,098. The V100 is 108.5% higher in this metric.

Q: How large is the V100's lead in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The V100 scores 168,763 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 153% higher than the TITAN X Pascal's 66,696. This is the largest performance gap recorded between the two cards.

Q: Does the TITAN X Pascal win any benchmark?

A: No. The head-to-head data shows the V100 winning both tests: Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan. The TITAN X Pascal has zero wins in the recorded comparisons.

Q: How does the V100 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The V100 is 1.1% behind the NVIDIA A10G, 6.5% behind the AMD Radeon Pro W6800X, 7.5% behind the NVIDIA A100 PCIe 40 GB, and 8.1% ahead of the AMD Instinct MI100. This places it in a competitive mid-tier position among accelerators.

Q: What is the TITAN X Pascal's standing among its nearest rivals?

A: The TITAN X Pascal is 0.4% behind the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64, 1.7% behind the AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition, 0.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6650M, and 1.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6600 LE. Its performance is tightly clustered with these cards.

Q: Which card has a higher percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The V100 is in the 96th percentile, while the TITAN X Pascal is in the 91st percentile. The V100 ranks higher overall.

Architecture Differences

The NVIDIA Tesla V100 PCIe 32 GB is built on the Volta architecture using the GV100 chip, fabricated on a 12 nm process at TSMC. The TITAN X Pascal uses the Pascal architecture with the GP102 chip, fabricated on a 16 nm process, also at TSMC. The process node difference is significant: 12 nm versus 16 nm, which contributes to the V100's higher transistor density. The V100 packs 21,100 million transistors on a die size of 815 mm², yielding a density of 25.9 million transistors per mm². The TITAN X Pascal has 11,800 million transistors on a much smaller die of 471 mm², with a density of 25.1 million per mm². The V100 has nearly double the transistor count, but its die is also larger, so the density advantage is modest.

The memory subsystem is a major differentiator. The V100 uses 32 GB of HBM2 memory with a 4096-bit bus and a bandwidth of 897.0 GB/s. The TITAN X Pascal uses 12 GB of GDDR5X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 480.4 GB/s. The V100's bandwidth is 86.7% higher, and its memory capacity is 2.67 times larger. The bus width difference, 4096-bit versus 384-bit, is a fundamental architectural choice: HBM2 enables a wide, low-power interface, while GDDR5X relies on a narrower bus with higher per-pin speeds. The V100's memory clock is 876 MHz (1752 Mbps effective), while the TITAN X Pascal's memory runs at 1251 MHz (10 Gbps effective). The TITAN X Pascal uses a higher clock to compensate for its narrower bus, but the V100 still achieves far greater total bandwidth.

The compute core configurations also differ. The V100 has 5120 shading units, 320 texture mapping units, and 128 render output units. The TITAN X Pascal has 3584 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The V100's shading unit count is 42.9% higher, its TMU count is 42.9% higher, and its ROP count is 33.3% higher. The V100 also includes 640 tensor cores, which are absent from the TITAN X Pascal. Tensor cores are dedicated hardware for matrix operations, a feature introduced with Volta. The TITAN X Pascal has no tensor cores. The clock speeds tell a contrasting story: the TITAN X Pascal has a higher base clock of 1417 MHz versus 1230 MHz, and a higher boost clock of 1531 MHz versus 1380 MHz. Despite lower clocks, the V100's wider architecture delivers higher throughput: its FP32 rate is 14.13 TFLOPS versus 10.97 TFLOPS, and its texture rate is 441.6 GTexel/s versus 342.9 GTexel/s. The pixel rate is 176.6 GPixel/s versus 147.0 GPixel/s.

The FP16 capability is a stark divergence. The V100 achieves 28.26 TFLOPS FP16 at a 2:1 ratio relative to FP32. The TITAN X Pascal manages only 171.5 GFLOPS FP16 at a 1:64 ratio. This means the V100 is designed for mixed-precision workloads, while the TITAN X Pascal is nearly 165 times slower in FP16 relative to its own FP32 output. The V100's power consumption is rated at 250 W, identical to the TITAN X Pascal, but the V100 delivers this performance with a dual-slot cooler and two 8-pin power connectors. The TITAN X Pascal also uses a dual-slot design but requires one 6-pin and one 8-pin connector. Both share a 600 W suggested power supply and PCIe 3.0 x16 interface. The V100 has no display outputs, while the TITAN X Pascal provides 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. The TITAN X Pascal has physical dimensions of 267 mm length, 112 mm height, and 40 mm width; the database does not list dimensions for the V100.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA Tesla V100 PCIe 32 GB is the superior performer in every measurable benchmark. Its 153% lead in OpenCL and 70.1% lead in Vulkan are not close calls. The V100's average benchmark score of 150,305 is more than double the TITAN X Pascal's 72,098. For anyone prioritizing raw compute throughput, the V100 is the clear choice. The TITAN X Pascal holds no benchmark wins, and its percentile ranking of 91 versus the V100's 96 confirms the gap.

However, the TITAN X Pascal is not without purpose. It has a higher base and boost clock, which may benefit lightly threaded or latency-sensitive tasks, but the database does not record such tests. Its display outputs make it usable with a monitor, whereas the V100 has no outputs. The TITAN X Pascal also has a smaller physical footprint, with recorded dimensions, making it easier to fit in standard cases. Its launch MSRP was 1,199 USD, but the database does not list a launch MSRP for the V100, so no direct price comparison is possible. The V100 is a compute accelerator designed for servers and workstations, while the TITAN X Pascal is a consumer card with a gaming heritage.

The verdict from the data is straightforward: choose the V100 for maximum compute performance, especially in FP16 or tensor-core workloads. Choose the TITAN X Pascal if display output is required, or if the higher clock speeds are relevant for a specific use case not covered by the benchmarks. The V100's 32 GB of HBM2 memory with 897.0 GB/s bandwidth dwarfs the TITAN X Pascal's 12 GB GDDR5X at 480.4 GB/s, making the V100 more suitable for large datasets. The TITAN X Pascal's 250 W TDP matches the V100, so power draw is not a deciding factor. The V100's 640 tensor cores are a unique feature that the TITAN X Pascal cannot match, and the FP16 throughput difference (28.26 TFLOPS versus 171.5 GFLOPS) is a chasm in favor of the V100.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every core specification. The process node is 12 nm for the V100 and 16 nm for the TITAN X Pascal. Transistor count is 21,100 million versus 11,800 million. Die size is 815 mm² versus 471 mm². Transistor density is 25.9M per mm² versus 25.1M per mm². The V100 has 5120 shading units, 320 TMUs, 128 ROPs, and 640 tensor cores. The TITAN X Pascal has 3584 shading units, 224 TMUs, 96 ROPs, and no tensor cores. Base clock is 1230 MHz versus 1417 MHz; boost clock is 1380 MHz versus 1531 MHz. Memory clock is 876 MHz versus 1251 MHz. Memory size is 32 GB versus 12 GB. Memory type is HBM2 versus GDDR5X. Bus width is 4096-bit versus 384-bit. Bandwidth is 897.0 GB/s versus 480.4 GB/s.

Pixel rate is 176.6 GPixel/s versus 147.0 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 441.6 GTexel/s versus 342.9 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 14.13 TFLOPS versus 10.97 TFLOPS. FP16 compute is 28.26 TFLOPS (2:1) versus 171.5 GFLOPS (1:64). Power connectors are 2x 8-pin versus 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin. Display outputs are "No outputs" versus 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. The TITAN X Pascal has recorded dimensions (267 mm length, 112 mm height, 40 mm width); the V100 has none listed. The TITAN X Pascal has a launch MSRP of 1,199 USD; the V100 has no launch MSRP in the database. The V100's release date is 2018-03-26, while the TITAN X Pascal's is 2016-08-01. Both are end-of-life, use PCIe 3.0 x16, have 250 W TDP, dual-slot width, 600 W suggested PSU, and identical API support for DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Where Each One Wins

The V100 wins in every recorded benchmark, but its advantages are most pronounced in specific areas. The OpenCL test shows a 153% lead, indicating a massive advantage in general-purpose compute workloads that use OpenCL. This is likely driven by the V100's higher FP32 throughput (14.13 TFLOPS versus 10.97 TFLOPS), wider memory bus, and tensor cores. The Vulkan test shows a 70.1% lead, which is still decisive but smaller, suggesting the V100's advantage is somewhat less in graphics-oriented or Vulkan-specific tasks. The V100 also wins on memory capacity (32 GB versus 12 GB), bandwidth (897.0 GB/s versus 480.4 GB/s), and FP16 compute (28.26 TFLOPS versus 171.5 GFLOPS). For workloads that involve large matrices, mixed-precision training, or data sets exceeding 12 GB, the V100 is the only viable option.

The TITAN X Pascal does not win any recorded benchmark, but it has qualitative advantages in the database. Its higher base and boost clocks (1417 MHz and 1531 MHz versus 1230 MHz and 1380 MHz) could favor scenarios where clock speed matters more than raw core count, though no such test is recorded. Its display outputs (1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a) make it usable as a display adapter, which the V100 cannot do. Its smaller physical footprint (267 mm length) and single 6-pin plus 8-pin power connector may simplify installation in consumer cases. The TITAN X Pascal also has a launch MSRP of 1,199 USD, providing a reference point for its original market positioning, while the V100 has no such figure.

In terms of use-case split, the V100 is for compute-heavy server or workstation tasks: deep learning, scientific simulation, or any workload that can exploit its tensor cores and 897.0 GB/s memory bandwidth. The TITAN X Pascal is for a desktop user who needs a GPU that can also drive a display, or who values its higher clock speeds in older or less parallel code. The data does not support any scenario where the TITAN X Pascal outperforms the V100 in raw compute, but its feature set (display outputs, dimensions, clock speeds) gives it a role in non-benchmark contexts. The V100's 96th percentile ranking versus the TITAN X Pascal's 91st percentile underscores that the V100 belongs to a higher tier of hardware, even among all GPUs ever tested.