AMD Radeon RX 6800 vs NVIDIA RTX A5000 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data presents a clear picture: the NVIDIA RTX A5000 wins 7 of the 10 direct benchmark comparisons, while the AMD Radeon RX 6800 takes 3. The margins, however, tell a more nuanced story than the win count alone.

The most dramatic separation appears in Geekbench OpenCL, where the RTX A5000 scores 157905 against the RX 6800's 24508. That is a staggering 544.3% advantage, by far the largest delta in the entire comparison. This is not a marginal gap; it is a category-level difference. The RTX A5000's compute-focused architecture dominates in this raw throughput measurement, and any workload that scales with OpenCL compute will see massive gains on the NVIDIA side.

In the modern DirectX 12 rasterization test, 3DMark Steel Nomad, the RTX A5000 posts 3783 versus 3188. That is an 18.7% lead, a solid and consistent advantage in a current-generation gaming and rendering workload. Similarly, in Geekbench Vulkan, the RTX A5000 scores 137828 against 115107, a 19.7% win. These two modern API tests show the NVIDIA card is not just ahead in legacy compute; it also holds a decisive edge in contemporary graphics workloads.

The legacy DirectX 10 test also favors the RTX A5000, with a score of 153 versus 128, a 19.5% margin. Passmark G3D shows a closer contest: 22541 for the RTX A5000 versus 22067 for the RX 6800, a slim 2.1% lead. Passmark G2D is similarly close, with the RTX A5000 ahead by 4.2% (1032 versus 990). Passmark GPU Compute sees the RTX A5000 win by 14.6% (12455 versus 10864).

The AMD Radeon RX 6800's three wins are all in DirectX legacy tests, and they are narrow. In Passmark DirectX 11, the RX 6800 scores 214 versus 187, a 12.6% advantage. In DirectX 9, it wins 257 versus 251, a 2.3% margin. In DirectX 12, it wins 89 versus 87, a 2.2% margin. These are the only categories where AMD comes out on top, and none of them are modern flagship workloads.

Where Each One Wins

The data splits cleanly into two distinct use-case profiles. The NVIDIA RTX A5000 is the clear winner for compute-heavy tasks, modern API workloads, and overall raw performance. Its OpenCL score is not just higher; it is in a different league, which indicates that scientific simulation, machine learning inference, and other compute offloads will run dramatically faster on the NVIDIA card. The Vulkan and Steel Nomad wins reinforce that the RTX A5000 is also the better choice for current-generation rendering, whether that is game development, DCC applications, or any Vulkan-based engine.

The AMD Radeon RX 6800's wins are confined to older DirectX versions. The DirectX 11 win is notable at 12.6%, suggesting that the RX 6800 retains strong performance in legacy game engines that still rely on DX11. The DirectX 9 and DirectX 12 wins are marginal, under 3%, meaning the RX 6800 is essentially tied with the RTX A5000 in those tests. For a user running a mix of older DX9 and DX11 titles, the RX 6800 will not disappoint. However, these are not workloads that define a modern high-end GPU purchase.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The NVIDIA RTX A5000 uses the GA102 chip on an 8 nm Samsung process, with 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die. The AMD Radeon RX 6800 uses the Navi 21 chip on a 7 nm TSMC process, with 26,800 million transistors on a 520 mm² die. The AMD chip is smaller and denser, at 51.5M transistors per mm² versus NVIDIA's 45.1M per mm². This gives AMD a manufacturing efficiency edge, but the NVIDIA chip has more raw transistor budget.

The RTX A5000 packs 8192 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. It also includes 64 RT cores and 256 tensor cores, making it a fully featured workstation card for both ray tracing and AI acceleration. The RX 6800 has 3840 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, with 60 RT cores but no tensor cores. The shading unit count is more than double on the NVIDIA side, which explains its massive FP32 throughput advantage: 27.77 TFLOPS versus 16.17 TFLOPS.

Memory is another major divergence. The RTX A5000 has 24 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 768.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 6800 has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 512.0 GB/s. The NVIDIA card offers 50% more capacity and 50% more bandwidth, which is critical for large datasets and high-resolution textures.

Clock speeds favor AMD. The RX 6800 has a base clock of 1700 MHz and a boost of 2105 MHz, with a game clock of 1815 MHz. The RTX A5000 has a base of 1170 MHz and a boost of 1695 MHz. Despite the lower clocks, the RTX A5000's higher core count and memory bandwidth carry it to victory in most tests.

Power consumption is comparable: 230 W for the RTX A5000 and 250 W for the RX 6800. The RTX A5000 uses a single 8-pin connector with a suggested 550 W PSU, while the RX 6800 uses dual 8-pin connectors with a suggested 600 W PSU.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous for compute and modern rendering: the NVIDIA RTX A5000 is the superior card. Its 544.3% OpenCL lead, 19.7% Vulkan lead, and 18.7% Steel Nomad lead make it the clear choice for any professional workload, AI development, or high-end 3D rendering. The 24 GB memory buffer and 768 GB/s bandwidth provide headroom that the RX 6800 simply does not offer. The percentile ranking supports this: the RTX A5000 sits at the 78th percentile of all GPUs, while the RX 6800 is at the 75th percentile.

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 is not without merit. Its DirectX 11 performance is 12.6% ahead, and it holds its own in DirectX 9 and DirectX 12 legacy tests. Its lower power draw (250 W versus 230 W, a minor difference) and higher clocks make it a capable card for gamers who primarily run older titles. However, its average benchmark score of 30095 is well below the RTX A5000's 33622, an 11.7% overall deficit.

For a workstation user, the RTX A5000 is the only rational choice. The tensor cores, the massive FP32 throughput, and the compute lead are non-negotiable for many professional applications. For a gamer focused on legacy DirectX titles, the RX 6800 offers a small performance edge in those specific tests, but the modern API tests show it trailing by nearly 20%. The verdict is clear: pick the RTX A5000 for serious compute and modern workloads, and consider the RX 6800 only if your software stack is locked to older DirectX versions.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A5000 has an average benchmark score of 33622, while the AMD Radeon RX 6800 scores 30095. That is an 11.7% gap in favor of the RTX A5000.

Q: How big is the OpenCL performance difference?

A: The RTX A5000 scores 157905 in Geekbench OpenCL, versus 24508 for the RX 6800. This is a 544.3% advantage for the NVIDIA card, the largest single-test margin in the comparison.

Q: Does the RX 6800 win any modern DirectX 12 tests?

A: In Passmark DirectX 12, the RX 6800 wins narrowly with a score of 89 versus 87, a 2.2% margin. However, in the more demanding 3DMark Steel Nomad DirectX 12 test, the RTX A5000 wins by 18.7% (3783 versus 3188).

Q: Which card has more memory and bandwidth?

A: The RTX A5000 has 24 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 768.0 GB/s. The RX 6800 has 16 GB on a 256-bit bus, delivering 512.0 GB/s. The NVIDIA card offers 50% more of both capacity and bandwidth.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The RTX A5000 has a TDP of 230 W, while the RX 6800 has a TDP of 250 W. The RX 6800 uses dual 8-pin connectors and a suggested 600 W PSU, while the RTX A5000 uses a single 8-pin and a suggested 550 W PSU.

Q: Which card has the higher transistor density?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6800 has a transistor density of 51.5M per mm² on its 7 nm TSMC process. The NVIDIA RTX A5000 has 45.1M per mm² on its 8 nm Samsung process. AMD's chip is more compact despite having slightly fewer total transistors.

Specification Differences

| Field | NVIDIA RTX A5000 | AMD Radeon RX 6800 |

|-------|------------------|---------------------|

| Chip | GA102 | Navi 21 |

| Architecture | Ampere | RDNA 2.0 |

| Generation | Workstation Ampere (Ax000) | Navi II (RX 6000) |

| Process Node | 8 nm | 7 nm |

| Foundry | Samsung | TSMC |

| Transistors | 28,300 million | 26,800 million |

| Die Size | 628 mm² | 520 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 45.1M / mm² | 51.5M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1170 MHz | 1700 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1695 MHz | 2105 MHz |

| Game Clock | N/A | 1815 MHz |

| Memory Size | 24 GB | 16 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 384 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 768.0 GB/s | 512.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 8192 | 3840 |

| TMUs | 256 | 240 |

| ROPs | 96 | 96 |

| RT Cores | 64 | 60 |

| Tensor Cores | 256 | None |

| FP32 Performance | 27.77 TFLOPS | 16.17 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 27.77 TFLOPS (1:1) | 32.33 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| Pixel Rate | 162.7 GPixel/s | 202.1 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 433.9 GTexel/s | 505.2 GTexel/s |

| TDP | 230 W | 250 W |

| Power Connectors | 1x 8-pin | 2x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 550 W | 600 W |

| Display Outputs | 4x DisplayPort 1.4a | 1x HDMI 2.1, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1x USB Type-C |

| Release Date | 2021-04-11 | 2020-10-27 |

| Launch MSRP | Not listed | 579 USD |

| Percentile vs All GPUs | 78 | 75 |

| Average Benchmark Score | 33622 | 30095 |