NVIDIA Tesla D870

The NVIDIA Tesla D870 is an end-of-life compute accelerator built on the G80 chip with the Tesla architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 90 nm process. It packs 681 million transistors on a 484 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 1.4M / mm². Released in May 2007, this dual-slot card carries a launch MSRP of 7,499 USD. It is a compute-oriented product with no display outputs, and its benchmark percentile against all GPUs stands at 50. The card connects via PCIe 1.0 x16, reflecting its era's interface standard. With a shading unit count of 128, 32 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, it presents a specific compute profile that the following sections will dissect. The 90 nm process and 484 mm² die size are notable for the era, indicating a large, complex chip designed for sustained throughput rather than consumer graphics.

Memory Subsystem

The Tesla D870 is equipped with 1536 MB of GDDR3 memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 76.80 GB/s. The memory clock runs at 800 MHz, translating to 1600 Mbps effective. The wide 384-bit interface is a key design choice for this era, as it provides a substantial data path for large compute workloads. For high-resolution rendering or large dataset processing, the 1536 MB capacity is significant, though the 76.80 GB/s bandwidth is a limiting factor compared to later memory technologies. The data suggests that the memory subsystem is optimized for throughput rather than latency, typical for a Tesla product. The 384-bit bus width, combined with the 1536 MB capacity, indicates that the card was designed to handle large working sets without frequent data swaps. In the context of high-resolution textures or scientific data arrays, this configuration offers a balanced ratio of capacity to bandwidth. The effective 1600 Mbps memory speed is modest by today's standards, but it aligns with the 90 nm process generation. The absence of any smaller memory bus options in the fact pack underscores that this is a high-capacity, high-bandwidth configuration, which is a critical attribute for compute tasks that iterate over large memory regions.

Power and Cooling

With a TDP of 520 W, the Tesla D870 demands robust power delivery. The suggested power supply is 900 W, which is a high requirement even for its time. The card uses a dual-slot cooling solution to manage the thermal output. No specific power connector details are provided in the fact pack, but the 520 W TDP and 900 W PSU recommendation indicate that this is a power-hungry component. The dual-slot design ensures adequate heatsink surface area for passive or active cooling, though the exact cooling mechanism is unspecified. The 520 W figure places it in a high-power tier, necessitating careful system planning. A 900 W PSU provides a significant headroom over the card's own draw, suggesting that the system may include other power-hungry components. The absence of connector details in the fact pack leaves a gap in the power delivery analysis, but the TDP alone dictates that a dedicated power circuit is essential. The dual-slot form factor also implies that the card occupies two expansion slots in a chassis, which is a physical consideration for system builders. The thermal design must dissipate the 520 W of heat effectively, and the dual-slot height provides the necessary volume for a large heatsink or fan assembly.

Who Should Consider It

Given its compute-focused design with no display outputs, the Tesla D870 is not intended for gaming or desktop use. Benchmark results indicate it sits at the 50th percentile of all GPUs, meaning it is a mid-range performer in the historical database. Its 1536 MB memory and 384-bit bus make it suitable for compute tasks that require large working sets, such as scientific simulations or early GPGPU applications. The FP32 performance of 345.6 GFLOPS, along with a pixel rate of 14.40 GPixel/s and texture rate of 38.40 GTexel/s, positions it as a capable, if not leading, compute card for its generation. Users seeking a legacy compute accelerator with substantial memory bandwidth would consider it, but its end-of-life status limits modern applicability. The lack of display outputs means it cannot drive monitors, so it is strictly a secondary compute device. For researchers or hobbyists working with vintage GPGPU code, the 128 shading units offer a specific parallel processing profile. However, the 50th percentile ranking suggests it does not excel in any particular metric, making it a general-purpose compute card rather than a specialist. The card's 1536 MB memory is a defining feature, as many consumer cards of the time had less. For compute workloads that involve large matrices or volumetric data, this capacity is advantageous. The 384-bit bus ensures that this memory is accessible with minimal bottlenecking, a critical factor for GPGPU tasks.

How It Compares

The fact pack provides no nearest rival data for the Tesla D870, so a direct comparison against specific competing cards is not possible from the given information. Without rival scores or delta percentages, the analysis must rely on absolute specifications and the overall percentile. The card's 50th percentile ranking against all GPUs places it squarely in the middle of the performance distribution. Its G80 chip and Tesla architecture are unique to this product line, and the lack of display outputs distinguishes it from consumer graphics cards. The data shows that while it lacks the feature set of later GPUs, its raw compute metrics (345.6 GFLOPS FP32) are respectable for a 90 nm part. The absence of rivals in the fact pack means that any comparative statements would be speculative, so the focus remains on its internal characteristics. The 50th percentile is a neutral position, indicating that half of all GPUs are faster and half are slower. This places the D870 in a comfortable middle ground, though the 0 average benchmark score complicates the interpretation, as no standardized tests were recorded. The card's position within the Tesla generation, as noted in the fact pack, suggests it is part of a broader product family, but no specific sibling comparisons are available.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

The Tesla D870 has no dedicated ray tracing cores or tensor cores, as these fields are null in the fact pack. This is consistent with its 2007 release, predating the introduction of such hardware. On the API front, it supports DirectX 11.1 (10_0) and OpenGL 3.3, but Vulkan is not listed, indicating no Vulkan support. The absence of RT and tensor cores means that any ray tracing or AI acceleration would rely on the general-purpose FP32 units, which are limited to 345.6 GFLOPS. For compute workloads, the feature set is basic, focusing on raw shader throughput rather than specialized accelerators. The DirectX 11.1 (10_0) support implies a feature level of 10_0, which is a legacy baseline. OpenGL 3.3 is also an older specification, limiting modern compatibility. The lack of Vulkan is a notable omission, as Vulkan is a cross-platform API that later GPUs adopted. This feature set aligns with the card's compute-oriented purpose, where API support is secondary to raw compute density. The absence of tensor cores also means that any machine learning tasks would have to be executed on the FP32 units, which is inefficient for modern neural network workloads.

FAQ

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the NVIDIA Tesla D870?

A: The launch MSRP is 7,499 USD.

Q: Does the Tesla D870 have any display outputs?

A: No, it has no display outputs, confirming its compute-only design.

Q: What is the memory configuration?

A: It features 1536 MB of GDDR3 memory on a 384-bit bus with 76.80 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What are the power requirements?

A: The TDP is 520 W, and the suggested power supply is 900 W.

Q: Does it support ray tracing?

A: No, the fact pack lists no ray tracing cores or tensor cores.

Q: What is the process node and transistor count?

A: It is fabricated on a 90 nm process with 681 million transistors.

Q: What APIs does it support?

A: It supports DirectX 11.1 (10_0) and OpenGL 3.3, but Vulkan is not listed.

Benchmark Performance

The average benchmark score for the Tesla D870 is recorded as 0, indicating that no standardized benchmark results are available in the database for this card. However, its percentile rank against all GPUs is 50, placing it at the exact median of the performance distribution. This suggests that while it is not a top-tier performer, it is also not a low-end part. The FP32 compute rate of 345.6 GFLOPS is a key metric, and the pixel rate of 14.40 GPixel/s and texture rate of 38.40 GTexel/s provide insight into its rasterization capabilities, despite lacking display outputs. The data implies that the card's performance is balanced but unremarkable in a modern context, with its value derived from its large memory bus and capacity rather than raw speed. Without rival delta percentages, these absolute figures serve as the primary reference points for its compute potential. The 50th percentile is a strong indicator of its historical standing, but the zero average score suggests that the database lacks test data for this specific model. The FP32 figure of 345.6 GFLOPS translates to a theoretical peak that is modest compared to later generations. The pixel and texture rates, at 14.40 and 38.40 respectively, are derived from the ROP and TMU counts, providing a consistent picture of its throughput capabilities. The shading unit count of 128, combined with the 32 TMUs and 24 ROPs, defines a specific ratio that favors compute over pixel pushing, which is appropriate for a Tesla product.