Radeon R9 270 vs Tesla K20c

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 vs Tesla K20c FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

Radeon R9 270 vs Tesla K20c: 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

2013

Why buy it

✅Costs $3,020 less on MSRP ($179 MSRP vs $3,199 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1636.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 24.1 vs 1.4 G3D/$ ($179 MSRP vs $3,199 MSRP).
✅Draws 150W instead of 225W, a 75W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌2013 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Tesla K20c

2012

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌2012 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
1687.2% HIGHER MSRP
$3,199 MSRPvs$179 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.4 vs 24.1 G3D/$ ($3,199 MSRP vs $179 MSRP).
❌50% higher power demand at 225W vs 150W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Tesla K20c is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 2.9% in PassMark G3D (4,432 vs 4,306), 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 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 2013 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 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $3,020 cheaper on MSRP at $179 vs $3,199, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 1636.3% (24.1 vs 1.4), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Tesla K20c still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

Radeon R9 270 vs Tesla K20c Technical Specifications

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

Radeon R9 270

The Radeon R9 270 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 13 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 925 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,306 points. Launch price was $179.

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 scores 4,306 and the Tesla K20c reaches 4,432 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 270 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) vs 2,496 (Tesla K20c). Raw compute: 2.368 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 270) vs 3.524 TFLOPS (Tesla K20c).

Feature	Radeon R9 270	Tesla K20c
G3D Mark Score	4,306	4,432+3%
Architecture	GCN 1.0	Kepler
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1280	2496+95%
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.368 TFLOPS	3.524 TFLOPS+49%
ROPs	32	40+25%
TMUs	80	208+160%
L1 Cache	320 KB+54%	208 KB
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	1.25 MB+150%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon R9 270	Tesla 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 ship with 2 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the Radeon R9 270 and 64-bit on the Tesla K20c. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (Radeon R9 270) vs 1.25 MB (Tesla K20c) — the Tesla K20c has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon R9 270	Tesla 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%

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 270 draws 150W versus the Tesla K20c's 225W — a 40% difference. The Radeon R9 270 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon R9 270) vs 350W (Tesla K20c). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered.

Feature	Radeon R9 270	Tesla K20c
TDP	150W-33%	225W
Recommended PSU	500W	350W-30%
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	—	267mm
Slots	—	2
Perf/Watt	28.7+46%	19.7

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon R9 270 came in at $179, while the Tesla K20c launched at $3199. On MSRP, Radeon R9 270 was 94.4% cheaper ($3020 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 24.1 (Radeon R9 270) vs 1.4 (Tesla K20c) — the Radeon R9 270 offers 1621.4% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R9 270 (2013 vs 2012).

Feature	Radeon R9 270	Tesla K20c
MSRP	$179-94%	$3199
Performance per Dollar	24.1+1621%	1.4
Codename	Curacao	GK110
Release	November 13 2013	November 12 2012
Ranking	#476	#549

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