NVIDIA Tesla P10

The NVIDIA Tesla P10 is a Pascal-generation compute accelerator built on the GP102 chip. The database places it at the 50th percentile among all tracked GPUs, indicating a median level of overall performance. Its defining characteristics are a 24 GB GDDR5X frame buffer and a 384-bit memory interface, yielding 694.3 GB/s of bandwidth, while its FP32 throughput reaches 11.47 TFLOPS. Fabricated on a 16 nm process at TSMC, the chip packs 11,800 million transistors into a 471 mm² die, achieving a density of 25.1 million transistors per square millimeter. The card operates on a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface and was released on 2016-09-12, succeeding the Tesla Maxwell generation and preceding the Tesla Volta generation. It is currently marked as end-of-life, which indicates that it has been superseded in the product stack.

Benchmark Performance

The theoretical peak rates for the Tesla P10 are derived from its clock speeds and core configuration. The base clock is 1025 MHz, which boosts to 1493 MHz. This boost clock represents a 45.7% increase over the base clock, a calculation based on the given figures. With 3840 shading units, 240 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units, the card achieves a pixel rate of 143.3 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 358.3 GTexel/s. The FP32 compute rate of 11.47 TFLOPS is the headline figure for single-precision workloads. In contrast, FP16 throughput is only 179.2 GFLOPS, a 1:64 ratio relative to FP32, which indicates the card is heavily optimized for FP32 arithmetic and offers negligible half-precision acceleration. The memory subsystem is a key strength: 24 GB of GDDR5X runs at an effective 14.5 Gbps, over a 384-bit bus, providing 694.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The 50th percentile ranking suggests that when aggregated across all workloads, the card performs at the median of the database. Without specific benchmark scores or rival deltas, the data points to a balanced compute profile—strong memory capacity and bandwidth, moderate compute throughput, and a clear bias toward FP32 operations. The 16 nm process and 11,800 million transistor count contribute to the efficiency that allows this performance within the 150 W envelope, though the transistor density of 25.1M/mm² is a direct result of the die size of 471 mm². The 96 ROPs and 240 TMUs are consistent with a high-end rasterization pipeline, even though the card lacks display outputs.

Power and Cooling

The Tesla P10 has a thermal design power of 150 W. This modest power envelope is notable given the 24 GB memory buffer and the 11.47 TFLOPS FP32 throughput. The manufacturer recommends a 450 W power supply, and the card draws power through a single 8-pin connector. The physical design is single-slot, measuring 267 mm in length, 97 mm in height, and 20 mm in width. These dimensions require a compact cooling solution that fits within a single slot, which is typical for server-oriented compute cards. The 150 W TDP is low enough to allow for dense server deployments, but the single-slot constraint means thermal dissipation is managed within a slim profile. The absence of display outputs further reinforces its role as a headless compute accelerator, where power and cooling are prioritized over video output. The suggested 450 W PSU provides a comfortable margin for the card's 150 W draw, along with the rest of the system's components. The single 8-pin connector is a standard requirement, and the 150 W TDP is well within the capabilities of most server power supplies.

Who Should Consider It

The Tesla P10 has no display outputs, meaning it is exclusively a compute or rendering accelerator. Its 24 GB memory buffer and 694.3 GB/s bandwidth make it suitable for workloads that require large in-memory datasets, such as high-resolution scientific simulations or large-scale data processing. The 50th percentile ranking indicates it is not a top-tier performer, so it is best suited for tasks that prioritize memory capacity over raw compute speed. For users working with FP32 data, the 11.47 TFLOPS throughput provides a solid baseline. However, the 1:64 FP16 ratio means it is not appropriate for mixed-precision training or inference that relies on half-precision arithmetic. In terms of resolution and settings, since it lacks display outputs, it does not apply to rasterization-based gaming; rather, it addresses off-screen rendering or compute workloads where the 24 GB buffer allows for large textures or geometry. The card's single-slot design and 267 mm length make it compatible with standard server chassis, and its 150 W TDP simplifies cooling requirements. The 97 mm height and 20 mm width further ensure compatibility with standard PCIe slots. Given the 50th percentile, it is not a flagship compute card, but the memory capacity is a differentiator that can justify its use in memory-bound scenarios.

How It Compares

The dataset for the Tesla P10 contains no nearest rival entries, so direct percentage comparisons to other cards are unavailable. The only positional metric is the percentile field, which places it at 50. This means that exactly half of all GPUs in the database outperform it and half underperform it. In the context of its own product lineage, the Tesla P10 is positioned between the Tesla Maxwell generation and the Tesla Volta generation. It was released on 2016-09-12 and is now marked as end-of-life. Without rival scores, the analysis relies on the absolute specifications to infer its standing: a mid-pack compute card with a strong memory subsystem but modest compute throughput relative to the top of the database. The 24 GB memory capacity is a distinguishing feature, as is the 694.3 GB/s bandwidth, which are figures that would typically place it above entry-level compute cards. However, the 11.47 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and the 179.2 GFLOPS FP16 throughput indicate that it is not optimized for the highest-end compute tasks. The 50th percentile is a clear signal that while it is not at the bottom, it does not lead the pack. The absence of rival data means that any comparison must be made against the aggregate database population, which is a broader measure than a direct head-to-head.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

The Tesla P10 does not include dedicated ray tracing cores or tensor cores; both fields are null in the specification data. Consequently, there is no hardware acceleration for ray-traced rendering or for tensor-based AI workloads. The feature set is instead defined by its API support. It supports DirectX 12 with feature level 12_1, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. These APIs provide a modern software interface for compute and graphics workloads, but without RT or tensor cores, the card relies on the general-purpose shading units for all computations. The FP16 throughput of 179.2 GFLOPS, at a 1:64 ratio, further confirms the absence of specialized half-precision hardware. For users requiring ray tracing or tensor operations, this card is not suitable, but for traditional FP32 compute, the 11.47 TFLOPS and 694.3 GB/s bandwidth remain available. The API support for Vulkan 1.4 and OpenGL 4.6 ensures compatibility with current software stacks, while DirectX 12_1 provides a baseline for modern graphics features. The lack of RT and tensor cores means that any ray tracing or AI acceleration would have to be implemented in software, which would be inefficient given the 1:64 FP16 ratio.

FAQ

Q: What is the memory configuration of the Tesla P10?

A: It has 24 GB of GDDR5X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing 694.3 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: Does the Tesla P10 have display outputs?

A: No, it has no display outputs, making it a pure compute accelerator.

Q: What is the power requirement?

A: The TDP is 150 W, with a suggested PSU of 450 W and a single 8-pin power connector.

Q: Does it support ray tracing?

A: No, it has no RT cores or tensor cores, so it lacks dedicated ray tracing and AI acceleration.

Q: What is the FP32 compute throughput?

A: The FP32 throughput is 11.47 TFLOPS, while FP16 is only 179.2 GFLOPS (1:64 ratio).

Q: What is the production status?

A: It is end-of-life, having been released on 2016-09-12.