NVIDIA Tesla C2070
NVIDIA graphics card specifications and benchmark scores
At a Glance
NVIDIANVIDIA Tesla C2070 Specifications
GPU Core
Shader units and compute resources
The NVIDIA Tesla C2070 GPU core specifications define its raw processing power for graphics and compute workloads. Shading units (also called CUDA cores, stream processors, or execution units depending on manufacturer) handle the parallel calculations required for rendering. TMUs (Texture Mapping Units) process texture data, while ROPs (Render Output Units) handle final pixel output. Higher shader counts generally translate to better GPU benchmark performance, especially in demanding games and 3D applications.
Tesla C2070 Clock Speeds
GPU and memory frequencies
Clock speeds directly impact the Tesla C2070's performance in GPU benchmarks and real-world gaming. The base clock represents the minimum guaranteed frequency, while the boost clock indicates peak performance under optimal thermal conditions. Memory clock speed affects texture loading and frame buffer operations. The Tesla C2070 by NVIDIA dynamically adjusts frequencies based on workload, temperature, and power limits to maximize performance while maintaining stability.
NVIDIA's Tesla C2070 Memory
VRAM capacity and bandwidth
VRAM (Video RAM) is dedicated memory for storing textures, frame buffers, and shader data. The Tesla C2070's memory capacity determines how well it handles high-resolution textures and multiple displays. Memory bandwidth, measured in GB/s, affects how quickly data moves between the GPU and VRAM. Higher bandwidth improves performance in memory-intensive scenarios like 4K gaming. The memory bus width and type (GDDR6, GDDR6X, HBM) significantly influence overall GPU benchmark scores.
Tesla C2070 by NVIDIA Cache
On-chip cache hierarchy
On-chip cache provides ultra-fast data access for the Tesla C2070, reducing the need to fetch data from slower VRAM. L1 and L2 caches store frequently accessed data close to the compute units. AMD's Infinity Cache (L3) dramatically increases effective bandwidth, improving GPU benchmark performance without requiring wider memory buses. Larger cache sizes help maintain high frame rates in memory-bound scenarios and reduce power consumption by minimizing VRAM accesses.
Tesla C2070 Theoretical Performance
Compute and fill rates
Theoretical performance metrics provide a baseline for comparing the NVIDIA Tesla C2070 against other graphics cards. FP32 (single-precision) performance, measured in TFLOPS, indicates compute capability for gaming and general GPU workloads. FP64 (double-precision) matters for scientific computing. Pixel and texture fill rates determine how quickly the GPU can render complex scenes. While real-world GPU benchmark results depend on many factors, these specifications help predict relative performance levels.
Fermi Architecture & Process
Manufacturing and design details
The NVIDIA Tesla C2070 is built on NVIDIA's Fermi architecture, which defines how the GPU processes graphics and compute workloads. The manufacturing process node affects power efficiency, thermal characteristics, and maximum clock speeds. Smaller process nodes pack more transistors into the same die area, enabling higher performance per watt. Understanding the architecture helps predict how the Tesla C2070 will perform in GPU benchmarks compared to previous generations.
Power & Thermal
TDP and power requirements
Power specifications for the NVIDIA Tesla C2070 determine PSU requirements and thermal management needs. TDP (Thermal Design Power) indicates the heat output under typical loads, guiding cooler selection. Power connector requirements ensure adequate power delivery for stable operation during demanding GPU benchmarks. The suggested PSU wattage accounts for the entire system, not just the graphics card. Efficient power delivery enables the Tesla C2070 to maintain boost clocks without throttling.
Tesla C2070 by NVIDIA Physical & Connectivity
Dimensions and outputs
Physical dimensions of the NVIDIA Tesla C2070 are critical for case compatibility. Card length, height, and slot width determine whether it fits in your chassis. The PCIe interface version affects bandwidth for communication with the CPU. Display outputs define monitor connectivity options, with modern cards supporting multiple high-resolution displays simultaneously. Verify these specifications against your case and motherboard before purchasing to ensure a proper fit.
NVIDIA API Support
Graphics and compute APIs
API support determines which games and applications can fully utilize the NVIDIA Tesla C2070. DirectX 12 Ultimate enables advanced features like ray tracing and variable rate shading. Vulkan provides cross-platform graphics capabilities with low-level hardware access. OpenGL remains important for professional applications and older games. CUDA (NVIDIA) and OpenCL enable GPU compute for video editing, 3D rendering, and scientific applications. Higher API versions unlock newer graphical features in GPU benchmarks and games.
Tesla C2070 Product Information
Release and pricing details
The NVIDIA Tesla C2070 is manufactured by NVIDIA as part of their graphics card lineup. Release date and launch pricing provide context for comparing GPU benchmark results with competing products from the same era. Understanding the product lifecycle helps evaluate whether the Tesla C2070 by NVIDIA represents good value at current market prices. Predecessor and successor information aids in tracking generational improvements and planning future upgrades.
About NVIDIA Tesla C2070
Launched in mid-2011 on the 40 nm Fermi architecture, the NVIDIA Tesla C2070 is a compute-oriented card with 6 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 143.4 GB/s of bandwidth. Its benchmark results place it in the 46th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 9716. The data shows a card that trades blows with entry-level mobile and desktop parts from several generations later, making its relevance today a matter of specific compute workloads rather than general gaming performance.
How It Compares
The closest rival is the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100, which posts an average score of 9738. The Tesla C2070 trails by just 0.2%, a negligible margin that places the two cards in a statistical tie. This is notable because the WX 3100 is a much younger, lower-power professional card, yet the C2070's raw FP32 throughput of 1,027.7 GFLOPS keeps it competitive in OpenCL compute tasks.
Against the AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100, the Tesla C2070 leads by 0.4%, with the rival scoring 9675. This advantage is small but consistent with the C2070's higher shading unit count of 448 versus the WX 2100's more modest configuration. In practical terms, the difference amounts to a few frames or a slightly faster compute kernel, not a transformative gap.
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, a mobile part from a later generation, scores 9670, putting the Tesla C2070 ahead by 0.5%. The C2070's dual-slot design and 238 W TDP are far less efficient than the 960M's mobile footprint, yet the older card still edges out the laptop GPU in raw compute performance, likely due to its wider memory bus and higher shading unit count.
Finally, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost scores 9659, a 0.6% deficit to the Tesla C2070. This desktop card from the Kepler generation has fewer shading units (448 vs. the 650 Ti Boost's lower count not listed here), but the C2070 compensates with faster memory bandwidth. The delta is within run-to-run variance, so the two are effectively equivalent in this benchmark.
Ray Tracing and Feature Set
The Tesla C2070 has no dedicated ray tracing cores and no tensor cores. It is a pure Fermi-generation compute card, relying on its 448 shading units for all graphics and compute work. The architecture predates hardware-accelerated ray tracing, so any ray-traced workloads would fall back to shader-based implementations, which the data shows are not its strength.
API support includes DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6. The DirectX 12 support is limited to the 11_0 feature level, meaning it cannot leverage DirectX 12 Ultimate features like mesh shaders or variable rate shading. Vulkan is not supported at all. This restricts the card to older graphics APIs, which aligns with its primary design purpose as a compute accelerator rather than a gaming or modern rendering solution.
The card's compute capabilities are defined by its FP32 performance of 1,027.7 GFLOPS, a figure that drives its OpenCL benchmark score. With 56 TMUs and 48 ROPs, the C2070 offers texture fill of 32.14 GTexel/s and pixel fill of 16.07 GPixel/s. These numbers are modest by modern standards but were substantial in 2011, and they explain why the card still holds its own against much newer entry-level parts.
Who Should Consider It
Benchmark results indicate the Tesla C2070 is suitable for legacy compute workloads that rely on OpenCL and do not require modern API features. Its 6 GB of GDDR5 memory across a 384-bit bus provides 143.4 GB/s of bandwidth, which is adequate for datasets that fit within that capacity. Users working with older scientific or engineering applications that were optimized for Fermi-era compute will find the card serviceable.
The 46th percentile ranking places it squarely in the lower half of all GPUs, so it is not a candidate for high-end rendering or AI training. For 1080p gaming at medium settings, the card's performance is comparable to a GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost, which suggests it can handle older titles but will struggle with modern releases. The lack of Vulkan support and limited DirectX 12 feature level further narrow its gaming viability.
Professionals who need a cheap, functional compute card for legacy code that specifically targets Fermi's instruction set may consider it, but the data shows no advantage over the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 or WX 2100 in raw OpenCL scores. Those rivals offer similar performance with likely better driver support and lower power requirements. The C2070 is best viewed as a historical artifact or a stopgap for systems that require its specific 6 GB memory configuration.
FAQ
Q: How does the Tesla C2070 perform in OpenCL benchmarks?
A: It scores 9716 in Geekbench OpenCL, placing it in the 46th percentile of all GPUs. This is within 0.6% of the GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost and 0.2% behind the Radeon Pro WX 3100.
Q: Does the Tesla C2070 support ray tracing?
A: No. It has no ray tracing cores or tensor cores, and its DirectX 12 support is limited to the 11_0 feature level. Hardware ray tracing is not available on this Fermi-based card.
Q: What memory configuration does the Tesla C2070 use?
A: It has 6 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, with a memory clock of 747 MHz (3 Gbps effective) and bandwidth of 143.4 GB/s.
Q: What power supply is recommended for this card?
A: The suggested PSU is 550 W. The card has a TDP of 238 W and requires one 6-pin and one 8-pin power connector.
Q: Is the Tesla C2070 good for modern gaming?
A: No. Its performance is comparable to a GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost, which is a low-end desktop card from a previous generation. It lacks Vulkan support and has limited DirectX 12 features, making it unsuitable for most modern games.
Q: How does it compare to the AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100?
A: The Tesla C2070 leads by 0.4% in average benchmark score (9716 vs. 9675). This is a negligible difference, though the C2070 offers more memory (6 GB vs. the WX 2100's unspecified capacity here).
Benchmark Performance
The Geekbench OpenCL score of 9716 is the sole benchmark data point, and it serves as the basis for all comparisons. Against the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100, the C2070 is 0.2% slower, a delta of 22 points. This is within normal test variance, so the two cards should be considered equivalent for compute tasks.
The margin flips against the AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100, where the C2070 is 0.4% faster, a 41-point advantage. This small lead likely stems from the C2070's wider memory interface and higher shading unit count, which provide an edge in memory-bound OpenCL kernels.
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M is 0.5% slower, scoring 9670. The C2070's 46-point advantage is notable given the 960M's much newer architecture and lower power envelope. This suggests the C2070's compute throughput is not entirely obsolete, even against a mobile GPU from several years later.
The GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost trails by 0.6%, with a score of 9659. The 57-point gap is the largest among the rivals, though still small in absolute terms. The C2070's higher FP32 throughput of 1,027.7 GFLOPS likely contributes to this lead, as does its higher memory bandwidth of 143.4 GB/s.
Overall, the benchmark data paints a picture of a card that sits at the 46th percentile, surrounded by much newer low-end parts. Its performance is consistent with a compute-focused design from 2011, and it neither dominates nor is dominated by its nearest rivals. The deltas are all under 1%, meaning any of these cards would deliver similar OpenCL results.
Power and Cooling
The Tesla C2070 has a TDP of 238 W, which is substantial for a dual-slot card from its era. The suggested power supply is 550 W, a recommendation that accounts for the card's peak draw along with typical system components. Power is delivered via one 6-pin and one 8-pin connector, a configuration that was common for high-end cards in 2011.
The card measures 248 mm (9.8 inches) in length, making it compatible with most mid-tower cases, though the dual-slot design requires adequate clearance for airflow. The cooling solution is not specified in the data, but the dual-slot form factor and 238 W TDP imply a robust heatsink and fan assembly capable of dissipating the heat generated by the GF100 chip.
The 40 nm process node from TSMC packs 3,100 million transistors into a 529 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 5.9 million transistors per square millimeter. This relatively low density contributes to the card's high power draw, as the Fermi architecture was not known for efficiency. Users should ensure their case has adequate ventilation, as the C2070's power characteristics are more demanding than the rival Radeon Pro WX cards, which likely run cooler and quieter despite similar performance.
Detailed benchmark scores and charts for the NVIDIA Tesla C2070 are below.
Benchmark Scores
geekbench_openclSource
Geekbench OpenCL tests GPU compute performance using the cross-platform OpenCL API. This shows how NVIDIA Tesla C2070 handles parallel computing tasks like video encoding and scientific simulations.
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