Radeon RX 590 vs Tesla P4

AMD

Radeon RX 590

2018Core: 1469 MHzBoost: 1545 MHz
VS
NVIDIA

Tesla P4

2016Core: 886 MHzBoost: 1114 MHz

Radeon RX 590 vs Tesla P4 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 RX 590 vs Tesla P4: 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 RX 590

2018

Why buy it

  • Costs $721 less on MSRP ($279 MSRP vs $1,000 MSRP).
  • Delivers 270.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 33.4 vs 9.0 G3D/$ ($279 MSRP vs $1,000 MSRP).
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
  • Tesla P4 is already legacy-tier future-proofing, so Radeon RX 590 is the less risky modern option long term.

Trade-offs

  • Older hardware, 8 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.
  • 133.3% higher power demand at 175W vs 75W.
  • 43.5% longer card at 241mm vs 168mm.

Tesla P4

2016

Why buy it

  • Draws 75W instead of 175W, a 100W reduction.
  • Measures 168mm instead of 241mm, a 73mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
  • 2016 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • 258.4% HIGHER MSRP
    $1,000 MSRPvs$279 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 9.0 vs 33.4 G3D/$ ($1,000 MSRP vs $279 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon RX 590 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 3.5% in PassMark G3D (9,315 vs 9,004), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon RX 590 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 8 GB vs 4 GB of VRAM, the newer feature stack, with FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) and FSR Frame Generation (2023), while Tesla P4 is limited to no meaningful modern upscaling stack and no comparable frame-generation support, a 12nm process instead of 16nm, and a newer 2018 generation instead of 2016. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon RX 590 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $721 cheaper on MSRP at $279 vs $1,000, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 270.8% (33.4 vs 9.0), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Radeon RX 590 vs Tesla P4 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

Radeon RX 590

The Radeon RX 590 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 15 2018. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1469 MHz to 1545 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 175W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,315 points. Launch price was $279.

NVIDIA

Tesla P4

The Tesla P4 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 13 2016. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 886 MHz to 1114 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,004 points.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon RX 590 scores 9,315 and the Tesla P4 reaches 9,004 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon RX 590 is built on GCN 4.0 while the Tesla P4 uses Pascal, both on 12 nm vs 16 nm. Shader units: 2,304 (Radeon RX 590) vs 2,560 (Tesla P4). Raw compute: 7.119 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 590) vs 5.704 TFLOPS (Tesla P4). Boost clocks: 1545 MHz vs 1114 MHz.

FeatureRadeon RX 590Tesla P4
G3D Mark Score
9,315+3%
9,004
Architecture
GCN 4.0
Pascal
Process Node
12 nm
16 nm
Shading Units
2304
2560+11%
Compute (TFLOPS)
7.119 TFLOPS+25%
5.704 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1545 MHz+39%
1114 MHz
ROPs
32
64+100%
TMUs
144
160+11%
L1 Cache
576 KB
960 KB+67%
L2 Cache
2 MB
2 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 590 is support for FSR Frame Generation. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The Tesla P4 does not have comparable native support in the same tier.

FeatureRadeon RX 590Tesla P4
Upscaling Tech
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
FSR Frame Generation
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
AMD Anti-Lag
Standard
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The Radeon RX 590 has 8 GB of VRAM, while the Tesla P4 carries 4 GB. Radeon RX 590 gives you 100% 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 RX 590 and 256-bit on the Tesla P4.

FeatureRadeon RX 590Tesla P4
VRAM Capacity
8 GB+100%
4 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Bus Width
256-bit
256-bit
L2 Cache
2 MB
2 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.0 (Radeon RX 590) vs 12.1 (Tesla P4). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 0.

FeatureRadeon RX 590Tesla P4
DirectX
12.0
12.1
Vulkan
1.2
1.4+17%
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
0
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 3.4 (Radeon RX 590) vs NVENC 6.0 (Tesla P4). Decoder: UVD 6.3 vs PureVideo HD VP6. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (Radeon RX 590) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP8,VP9 (Tesla P4).

FeatureRadeon RX 590Tesla P4
Encoder
VCE 3.4
NVENC 6.0
Decoder
UVD 6.3
PureVideo HD VP6
Codecs
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP8,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon RX 590 draws 175W versus the Tesla P4's 75W — a 80% difference. The Tesla P4 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon RX 590) vs 500W (Tesla P4). Power connectors: 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 241mm vs 168mm, occupying 2 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 75°C.

FeatureRadeon RX 590Tesla P4
TDP
175W
75W-57%
Recommended PSU
500W
500W
Power Connector
8-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
241mm
168mm
Height
111mm
53mm
Slots
2
1-50%
Temp (Load)
80°C
75°C-6%
Perf/Watt
53.2
120.1+126%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon RX 590 came in at $279, while the Tesla P4 launched at $1000. On MSRP, Radeon RX 590 was 72.1% cheaper ($721 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 33.4 (Radeon RX 590) vs 9.0 (Tesla P4) — the Radeon RX 590 offers 271.1% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX 590 (2018 vs 2016).

FeatureRadeon RX 590Tesla P4
MSRP
$279-72%
$1000
Performance per Dollar
33.4+271%
9.0
Codename
Polaris 30
GP104
Release
November 15 2018
September 13 2016
Ranking
#285
#293

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