Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 vs Tesla K20Xm

AMD

Radeon R9 270 / R7 370

2015Core: 925 MHzBoost: 975 MHz
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VS
NVIDIA

Tesla K20Xm

2012Core: 732 MHz
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Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 vs Tesla K20Xm 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 R9 270 / R7 370 vs Tesla K20Xm: 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 R9 270 / R7 370

2015

Why buy it

  • Costs $7,550 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $7,699 MSRP).
  • Delivers 4899.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 28.6 vs 0.6 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs $7,699 MSRP).
  • Draws 110W instead of 235W, a 125W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2015 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Tesla K20Xm

2012

Why buy it

  • 200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 2 GB).

Trade-offs

  • 2012 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 5067.1% HIGHER MSRP
    $7,699 MSRPvs$149 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0.6 vs 28.6 G3D/$ ($7,699 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).
  • 113.6% higher power demand at 235W vs 110W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Tesla K20Xm is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 3.4% in PassMark G3D (4,403 vs 4,260), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 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 and a newer 2015 generation instead of 2012. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $7,550 cheaper on MSRP at $149 vs $7,699, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 4899.3% (28.6 vs 0.6), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Tesla K20Xm still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 vs Tesla K20Xm Technical Specifications

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

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 K20Xm

The Tesla K20Xm is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in November 12 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock speed is 732 MHz. It has 2688 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 235W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,403 points. Launch price was $7,699.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 scores 4,260 and the Tesla K20Xm reaches 4,403 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Tesla K20Xm uses Kepler, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,280 (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370) vs 2,688 (Tesla K20Xm). Raw compute: 2.496 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370) vs 3.935 TFLOPS (Tesla K20Xm).

FeatureRadeon R9 270 / R7 370Tesla K20Xm
G3D Mark Score
4,260
4,403+3%
Architecture
GCN 1.0
Kepler
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
1280
2688+110%
Compute (TFLOPS)
2.496 TFLOPS
3.935 TFLOPS+58%
ROPs
32
48+50%
TMUs
80
224+180%
L1 Cache
384 KB+71%
224 KB
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
1.5 MB+200%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon R9 270 / R7 370Tesla K20Xm
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)

The Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 has 2 GB of VRAM, while the Tesla K20Xm carries 6 GB. Tesla K20Xm gives you 200% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 and 64-bit on the Tesla K20Xm. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370) vs 1.5 MB (Tesla K20Xm) — the Tesla K20Xm has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureRadeon R9 270 / R7 370Tesla K20Xm
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
6 GB+200%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
256-bit+300%
64-bit
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
1.5 MB+200%
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 draws 110W versus the Tesla K20Xm's 235W — a 72.5% difference. The Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370) vs 350W (Tesla K20Xm). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered.

FeatureRadeon R9 270 / R7 370Tesla K20Xm
TDP
110W-53%
235W
Recommended PSU
450W
350W-22%
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
220mm
Height
111mm
Slots
2
Temp (Load)
70
Perf/Watt
38.7+107%
18.7
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 came in at $149, while the Tesla K20Xm launched at $7699. On MSRP, Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 was 98.1% cheaper ($7550 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 28.6 (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370) vs 0.6 (Tesla K20Xm) — the Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 offers 4666.7% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 (2015 vs 2012).

FeatureRadeon R9 270 / R7 370Tesla K20Xm
MSRP
$149-98%
$7699
Performance per Dollar
28.6+4667%
0.6
Codename
Trinidad
GK110
Release
May 5 2015
November 12 2012
Ranking
#456
#473

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