Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) vs Tesla M2070

AMD

Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)

2014Core: 720 MHz
VS
NVIDIA

Tesla M2070

2011Core: 574 MHz

Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) vs Tesla M2070 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.

Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) vs Tesla M2070: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)

2014

Why buy it

  • Costs $2,926 less on MSRP ($173 MSRP vs $3,099 MSRP).
  • Delivers 1684.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 7.5 vs 0.4 G3D/$ ($173 MSRP vs $3,099 MSRP).
  • Draws 30W instead of 225W, a 195W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • 2014 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Tesla M2070

2011

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

  • 2011 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 1691.3% HIGHER MSRP
    $3,099 MSRPvs$173 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0.4 vs 7.5 G3D/$ ($3,099 MSRP vs $173 MSRP).
  • 650% higher power demand at 225W vs 30W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Tesla M2070 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 0.4% in PassMark G3D (1,305 vs 1,300), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer upscaling stack, FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 28nm process instead of 40nm, and a newer 2014 generation instead of 2011. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) makes the most sense to buy today. It is $2,926 cheaper on MSRP at $173 vs $3,099, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 1684.5% (7.5 vs 0.4), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Tesla M2070 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) vs Tesla M2070 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)

The Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 14 2014. It features the GCN architecture. The core clock speed is 720 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,300 points.

NVIDIA

Tesla M2070

The Tesla M2070 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in July 25 2011. It features the Fermi architecture. The core clock speed is 574 MHz. It has 448 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 225W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,305 points. Launch price was $3,099.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) scores 1,300 and the Tesla M2070 reaches 1,305 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) is built on GCN while the Tesla M2070 uses Fermi, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 512 (Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)) vs 448 (Tesla M2070).

FeatureRadeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)Tesla M2070
G3D Mark Score
1,300
1,305
Architecture
GCN
Fermi
Process Node
28 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
512+14%
448

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)Tesla M2070
Upscaling Tech
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
AMD Anti-Lag
Standard
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 512 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) and 64-bit on the Tesla M2070.

FeatureRadeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)Tesla M2070
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
128-bit+100%
64-bit
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) draws 30W versus the Tesla M2070's 225W — a 152.9% difference. The Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)) vs 350W (Tesla M2070). Power connectors: None vs PCIe-powered.

FeatureRadeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)Tesla M2070
TDP
30W-87%
225W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
None
PCIe-powered
Temp (Load)
80°C
Perf/Watt
43.3+647%
5.8
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) came in at $173, while the Tesla M2070 launched at $3099. On MSRP, Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) was 94.4% cheaper ($2926 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 7.5 (Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)) vs 0.4 (Tesla M2070) — the Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) offers 1775% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) (2014 vs 2011).

FeatureRadeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)Tesla M2070
MSRP
$173-94%
$3099
Performance per Dollar
7.5+1775%
0.4
Codename
Kaveri Spectre
GF100
Release
January 14 2014
July 25 2011
Ranking
#830
#698

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