FirePro M40003 vs Tesla M2090

FirePro M40003

2012Core: 675 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
NVIDIA

Tesla M2090

2011Core: 651 MHz
Similar parts
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FirePro M40003 vs Tesla M2090 Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

FirePro M40003 vs Tesla M2090: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

FirePro M40003

2012

Why buy it

  • Costs $2,350 less on MSRP ($150 MSRP vs $2,500 MSRP).
  • Delivers 1523.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 9.1 vs 0.6 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs $2,500 MSRP).
  • 700% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 512 MB).
  • Draws 33W instead of 250W, a 217W reduction.
  • Measures 82mm instead of 248mm, a 166mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • 2012 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Tesla M2090

2011

Why buy it

  • Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2011 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 1566.7% HIGHER MSRP
    $2,500 MSRPvs$150 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0.6 vs 9.1 G3D/$ ($2,500 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
  • 657.6% higher power demand at 250W vs 33W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Tesla M2090 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 2.6% in PassMark G3D (1,400 vs 1,364), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
FirePro M40003 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 4 GB vs 512 MB of VRAM, a 28nm process instead of 40nm, and a newer 2012 generation instead of 2011. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
FirePro M40003 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $2,350 cheaper on MSRP at $150 vs $2,500, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 1523.8% (9.1 vs 0.6), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Tesla M2090 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

FirePro M40003 vs Tesla M2090 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

AMD

FirePro M40003

The FirePro M40003 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 27 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 675 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 33W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,364 points.

NVIDIA

Tesla M2090

The Tesla M2090 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in July 25 2011. It features the Fermi 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 651 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,400 points.

Graphics Performance

The FirePro M40003 scores 1,364 and the Tesla M2090 reaches 1,400 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FirePro M40003 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Tesla M2090 uses Fermi 2.0, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 512 (FirePro M40003) vs 512 (Tesla M2090). Raw compute: 0.6912 TFLOPS (FirePro M40003) vs 1.332 TFLOPS (Tesla M2090).

FeatureFirePro M40003Tesla M2090
G3D Mark Score
1,364
1,400+3%
Architecture
GCN 1.0
Fermi 2.0
Process Node
28 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
512
512
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.6912 TFLOPS
1.332 TFLOPS+93%
ROPs
16
48+200%
TMUs
32
64+100%
L1 Cache
0.13 MB
1 MB+669%
L2 Cache
256 KB
768 KB+200%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureFirePro M40003Tesla M2090
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
Standard
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The FirePro M40003 has 4 GB of VRAM, while the Tesla M2090 carries 512 MB. FirePro M40003 gives you 700% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the FirePro M40003 and 64-bit on the Tesla M2090. L2 Cache: 256 KB (FirePro M40003) vs 768 KB (Tesla M2090) — the Tesla M2090 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureFirePro M40003Tesla M2090
VRAM Capacity
4 GB+700%
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
64-bit
L2 Cache
256 KB
768 KB+200%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FirePro M40003) vs 12 (FL 11_0) (Tesla M2090). OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 0.

FeatureFirePro M40003Tesla M2090
DirectX
12
12 (FL 11_0)
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
6
0
🎬

Media & Encoding

Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (FirePro M40003) vs CUDA,OpenCL (Tesla M2090).

FeatureFirePro M40003Tesla M2090
Encoder
VCE 1.0
Decoder
UVD 4.0
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4
CUDA,OpenCL
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro M40003 draws 33W versus the Tesla M2090's 250W — a 153.4% difference. The FirePro M40003 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro M40003) vs 350W (Tesla M2090). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 82mm vs 248mm, occupying 1 vs 2 slots.

FeatureFirePro M40003Tesla M2090
TDP
33W-87%
250W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
PCIe-powered
Length
82mm
248mm
Height
0mm
111mm
Slots
1-50%
2
Temp (Load)
75°C
Perf/Watt
41.3+638%
5.6
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro M40003 came in at $150, while the Tesla M2090 launched at $2500. On MSRP, FirePro M40003 was 94% cheaper ($2350 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 9.1 (FirePro M40003) vs 0.6 (Tesla M2090) — the FirePro M40003 offers 1416.7% better value. The newer card here is FirePro M40003 (2012 vs 2011).

FeatureFirePro M40003Tesla M2090
MSRP
$150-94%
$2500
Performance per Dollar
9.1+1417%
0.6
Codename
Chelsea
GF110
Release
June 27 2012
July 25 2011
Ranking
#752
#530

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