Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 vs Tesla K20c

AMD

Radeon R9 270 / R7 370

2015Core: 925 MHzBoost: 975 MHz

Popular choices:

VS
NVIDIA

Tesla K20c

2012Core: 706 MHz

Popular choices:

Performance Spectrum - GPU

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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

Radeon R9 270 / R7 370

2015

Why buy it

  • Costs $3,050 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $3,199 MSRP).
  • Delivers 1963.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 28.6 vs 1.4 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs $3,199 MSRP).
  • Draws 110W instead of 225W, a 115W reduction.
  • Measures 220mm instead of 267mm, a 47mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Very weak future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

Tesla K20c

2012

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

  • Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
  • 2047% HIGHER MSRP
    $3,199 MSRPvs$149 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.4 vs 28.6 G3D/$ ($3,199 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).
  • 104.5% higher power demand at 225W vs 110W.
  • 21.4% longer card at 267mm vs 220mm.

Quick Answers

So, is Tesla K20c better than Radeon R9 270 / R7 370?
Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 4,260 vs 4,432 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer Tesla K20c is the overall package: you are getting no meaningful modern upscaling stack.
Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2015 generation instead of 2012 and better upscaling support with FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.
Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?
Tesla K20c is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Tesla K20c is about 2047.0% more expensive on MSRP at $3,199 MSRP versus $149 MSRP, and you are getting 4.0% higher G3D Mark. Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.
When does Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 make more sense than Tesla K20c?
Yes. Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 is still an excellent gaming GPU in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It makes more sense if your priority is newer architecture, lower power draw (110W vs 225W), future-proofing, and staying closer to $149 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Tesla K20c. The trade-off is that Tesla K20c currently gives you 4.0% higher G3D Mark. Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 still holds the G3D-per-dollar lead, so the performance win comes with a real value premium.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

PresetRadeon R9 270 / R7 370Tesla K20c
1080p
low77 FPS102 FPS
medium62 FPS83 FPS
high49 FPS66 FPS
ultra32 FPS39 FPS
1440p
low65 FPS85 FPS
medium53 FPS71 FPS
high37 FPS50 FPS
ultra23 FPS29 FPS
4K
low23 FPS28 FPS
medium22 FPS26 FPS
high14 FPS17 FPS
ultra12 FPS15 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetRadeon R9 270 / R7 370Tesla K20c
1080p
low111 FPS88 FPS
medium82 FPS62 FPS
high63 FPS48 FPS
ultra38 FPS32 FPS
1440p
low63 FPS49 FPS
medium42 FPS32 FPS
high31 FPS24 FPS
ultra20 FPS17 FPS
4K
low23 FPS18 FPS
medium15 FPS12 FPS
high12 FPS9 FPS
ultra8 FPS7 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetRadeon R9 270 / R7 370Tesla K20c
1080p
low192 FPS199 FPS
medium153 FPS160 FPS
high128 FPS133 FPS
ultra96 FPS100 FPS
1440p
low144 FPS150 FPS
medium115 FPS120 FPS
high96 FPS100 FPS
ultra72 FPS75 FPS
4K
low96 FPS100 FPS
medium77 FPS80 FPS
high64 FPS66 FPS
ultra48 FPS50 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetRadeon R9 270 / R7 370Tesla K20c
1080p
low135 FPS182 FPS
medium108 FPS146 FPS
high94 FPS124 FPS
ultra77 FPS94 FPS
1440p
low99 FPS127 FPS
medium81 FPS104 FPS
high71 FPS89 FPS
ultra54 FPS66 FPS
4K
low58 FPS74 FPS
medium44 FPS57 FPS
high35 FPS46 FPS
ultra25 FPS31 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 and Tesla K20c

AMD

Radeon R9 270 / R7 370

The Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 5 2015. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 925 MHz to 975 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 110W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,260 points.

NVIDIA

Tesla K20c

The Tesla K20c is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in November 12 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock speed is 706 MHz. It has 2496 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 225W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,432 points. Launch price was $3,199.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 scores 4,260 and the Tesla K20c reaches 4,432 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Tesla K20c uses Kepler, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,280 (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370) vs 2,496 (Tesla K20c). Raw compute: 2.496 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370) vs 3.524 TFLOPS (Tesla K20c).

FeatureRadeon R9 270 / R7 370Tesla K20c
G3D Mark Score
4,260
4,432+4%
Architecture
GCN 1.0
Kepler
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
1280
2496+95%
Compute (TFLOPS)
2.496 TFLOPS
3.524 TFLOPS+41%
ROPs
32
40+25%
TMUs
80
208+160%
L1 Cache
384 KB+85%
208 KB
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
1.25 MB+150%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon R9 270 / R7 370Tesla K20c
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 feature 2 GB of GDDR5. Bus width: 256-bit vs 64-bit. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370) vs 1.25 MB (Tesla K20c) — the Tesla K20c has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureRadeon R9 270 / R7 370Tesla K20c
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
256-bit+300%
64-bit
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
1.25 MB+150%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_1) (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370) vs 11_0 (Tesla K20c). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 0.

FeatureRadeon R9 270 / R7 370Tesla K20c
DirectX
12 (11_1)+9%
11_0
Max Displays
4
0
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 draws 110W versus the Tesla K20c's 225W — a 68.7% difference. The Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370) vs 350W (Tesla K20c). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 220mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

FeatureRadeon R9 270 / R7 370Tesla K20c
TDP
110W-51%
225W
Recommended PSU
450W
350W-22%
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
220mm
267mm
Height
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
70
Perf/Watt
38.7+96%
19.7
💰

Value Analysis

The Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 launched at $149 MSRP, while the Tesla K20c launched at $3199. The Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 costs 95.3% less ($3050 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 28.6 (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370) vs 1.4 (Tesla K20c) — the Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 offers 1942.9% better value. The Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 is the newer GPU (2015 vs 2012).

FeatureRadeon R9 270 / R7 370Tesla K20c
MSRP
$149-95%
$3199
Performance per Dollar
28.6+1943%
1.4
Codename
Trinidad
GK110
Release
May 5 2015
November 12 2012
Ranking
#456
#549