GeForce RTX 3070 vs Tesla M40

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3070

2020Core: 1500 MHzBoost: 1725 MHz
RTX family
·······
VS
NVIDIA

Tesla M40

2015Core: 948 MHzBoost: 1112 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce RTX 3070 vs Tesla M40 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.

GeForce RTX 3070 vs Tesla M40: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

GeForce RTX 3070

2020

Why buy it

  • +116.9% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • Costs $2,001 less on MSRP ($499 MSRP vs $2,500 MSRP).
  • Delivers 986.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 4.1 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $2,500 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Tesla M40

2015

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (10,220 vs 22,172).
  • No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
  • 2015 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • 401% HIGHER MSRP
    $2,500 MSRPvs$499 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 4.1 vs 44.4 G3D/$ ($2,500 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce RTX 3070 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 116.9% in PassMark G3D (22,172 vs 10,220), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 3070 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer upscaling stack, DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 8nm process instead of 28nm, 46 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2020 generation instead of 2015. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce RTX 3070 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $2,001 cheaper on MSRP at $499 vs $2,500, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 986.9% (44.4 vs 4.1), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce RTX 3070 vs Tesla M40 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3070

The GeForce RTX 3070 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 1 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1500 MHz to 1725 MHz. It has 5888 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 220W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 46 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 22,172 points. Launch price was $499.

NVIDIA

Tesla M40

The Tesla M40 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in November 10 2015. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 948 MHz to 1112 MHz. It has 3072 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 10,220 points.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3070 scores 22,172 versus the Tesla M40's 10,220 — the GeForce RTX 3070 leads by 116.9%. The GeForce RTX 3070 is built on Ampere while the Tesla M40 uses Maxwell 2.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 5,888 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 3,072 (Tesla M40). Raw compute: 20.31 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 6.832 TFLOPS (Tesla M40). Boost clocks: 1725 MHz vs 1112 MHz.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Tesla M40
G3D Mark Score
22,172+117%
10,220
Architecture
Ampere
Maxwell 2.0
Process Node
8 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
5888+92%
3072
Compute (TFLOPS)
20.31 TFLOPS+197%
6.832 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1725 MHz+55%
1112 MHz
ROPs
96
96
TMUs
184
192+4%
L1 Cache
5.8 MB+427%
1.1 MB
L2 Cache
4 MB+33%
3 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3070 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Tesla M40 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Tesla M40
Upscaling Tech
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
Standard
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 8 GB of GDDR6. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce RTX 3070 and 256-bit on the Tesla M40. L2 Cache: 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 3 MB (Tesla M40) — the GeForce RTX 3070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Tesla M40
VRAM Capacity
8 GB
8 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR6
Bus Width
256-bit
256-bit
L2 Cache
4 MB+33%
3 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 12.0 (Tesla M40). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.5. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 0.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Tesla M40
DirectX
12 Ultimate
12.0
Vulkan
1.4+27%
1.1
OpenGL
4.6+2%
4.5
Max Displays
4
0
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3070) vs NVENC 2.0 (2x) (Tesla M40). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs PureVideo HD VP6. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Tesla M40).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Tesla M40
Encoder
NVENC 7th gen
NVENC 2.0 (2x)
Decoder
NVDEC 5th gen
PureVideo HD VP6
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9
MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3070 draws 220W versus the Tesla M40's 250W — a 12.8% difference. The GeForce RTX 3070 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 650W (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 500W (Tesla M40). Power connectors: 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 242mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 85°C.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Tesla M40
TDP
220W-12%
250W
Recommended PSU
650W
500W-23%
Power Connector
8-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
242mm
267mm
Height
112mm
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
75°C-12%
85°C
Perf/Watt
100.8+146%
40.9
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 3070 came in at $499, while the Tesla M40 launched at $2500. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 3070 was 80% cheaper ($2001 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 44.4 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 4.1 (Tesla M40) — the GeForce RTX 3070 offers 982.9% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3070 (2020 vs 2015).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Tesla M40
MSRP
$499-80%
$2500
Performance per Dollar
44.4+983%
4.1
Codename
GA104
GM200
Release
September 1 2020
November 10 2015
Ranking
#63
#256

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