NVIDIA A100 PCIe 40 GB vs NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell Comparison

The NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell and the NVIDIA A100 PCIe 40 GB represent two distinct eras of NVIDIA’s professional computing lineup. The RTX PRO 5000 is a current-generation Blackwell workstation card, while the A100 is an end-of-life Ampere server accelerator. Benchmark data confirms a generational leap in graphics performance for the newer card, but the A100 retains relevance through its massive memory bandwidth and server-oriented design. The following analysis is based strictly on the provided benchmark results and specifications.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data is decisively in favor of the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell, which wins both recorded tests. In the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark, the RTX PRO 5000 scores 254,116 points against the A100’s 178,627 points. This represents a 42.3% advantage for the Blackwell card. The gap is even more pronounced in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the RTX PRO 5000 posts 282,631 points versus the A100’s 146,380 points. That result gives the newer card a 93.1% lead, meaning it nearly doubles the A100’s Vulkan performance.

These deltas are substantial. The OpenCL result shows the RTX PRO 5000 delivering almost 1.4 times the compute throughput of the A100 in a general-purpose compute API. The Vulkan result is even more striking, as it suggests the Blackwell architecture’s graphics-focused design translates into far superior real-time rendering capabilities. The A100, by contrast, was never designed for graphics workloads, and its lack of dedicated RT cores and display outputs reinforces that point.

Looking at the broader benchmark landscape, the RTX PRO 5000’s average benchmark score is 182,109, placing it in the 98th percentile of all GPUs. The A100’s average score is 162,504, which puts it in the 97th percentile. While both cards sit near the top of the performance distribution, the RTX PRO 5000 holds a 12.1% higher average score. This aligns with the head-to-head results, showing that the newer card is consistently faster across the board.

The RTX PRO 5000’s nearest rivals provide context for its standing. It trails the NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB by just 0.9%, sits 1.4% behind the RTX 5000 Ada Generation, and leads the GeForce RTX 4090 D by 2.3%. The A100 SXM4 40 GB is 2.7% ahead. These are tight margins, indicating that the RTX PRO 5000 competes directly with top-tier accelerators from the previous generation. For the A100 PCIe 40 GB, its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro W6800X (1.1% ahead), the AMD Radeon PRO W7800 (1.4% behind), the RTX A5500 (1.6% behind), and the RTX 4500 Ada Generation (2.2% behind). The A100 thus finds itself in a cluster of high-end workstation cards, but it is clearly outpaced by the RTX PRO 5000 in the head-to-head tests.

FAQ

Q: How does the RTX PRO 5000 compare to the A100 in Vulkan performance?

A: The RTX PRO 5000 scores 282,631 in Geekbench Vulkan, which is 93.1% higher than the A100’s score of 146,380. This is the largest performance gap between the two cards in any recorded benchmark.

Q: Does the A100 have any advantage in memory bandwidth?

A: Yes. The A100 features HBM2e memory with a 5120-bit bus, providing 1.56 TB/s of bandwidth. The RTX PRO 5000 uses GDDR7 on a 384-bit bus, yielding 1.34 TB/s. The A100’s bandwidth is approximately 16.4% higher.

Q: What is the difference in FP16 compute performance?

A: The A100 delivers 77.97 TFLOPS FP16 performance with a 4:1 ratio, while the RTX PRO 5000 delivers 66.94 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio. The A100 has higher peak FP16 throughput, but the RTX PRO 5000’s 1:1 ratio means it maintains that performance level across both FP16 and FP32 workloads.

Q: Which card has more shading units and tensor cores?

A: The RTX PRO 5000 has 14,080 shading units and 440 tensor cores. The A100 has 6,912 shading units and 432 tensor cores. The RTX PRO 5000 leads in both counts, with double the shading units and a slight edge in tensor cores.

Q: Is the A100 still in production?

A: No. The A100 is marked as end-of-life, while the RTX PRO 5000 is listed as active in production. The A100 was released in 2020, whereas the RTX PRO 5000 was released in 2025.

Q: What are the API support differences?

A: The RTX PRO 5000 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The A100 lists no supported APIs for DirectX, OpenGL, or Vulkan, consistent with its server-focused design that lacks display outputs.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on fundamentally different architectures and process nodes. The RTX PRO 5000 uses the GB202 chip on NVIDIA’s Blackwell 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It packs 92,200 million transistors into a 750 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 122.9 million per mm². In contrast, the A100 uses the GA100 chip on the older Ampere architecture, built on a 7 nm process. It contains 54,200 million transistors on a larger 826 mm² die, resulting in a lower density of 65.6 million per mm². The RTX PRO 5000’s newer process node allows it to pack nearly 70% more transistors into a slightly smaller physical area.

Core configuration differences are significant. The RTX PRO 5000 features 14,080 shading units, 440 TMUs, and 160 ROPs. It also includes 110 RT cores and 440 tensor cores. The A100 has 6,912 shading units, 432 TMUs, and 160 ROPs, but it has no RT cores at all. Its tensor core count is 432. The RTX PRO 5000 thus has exactly double the shading units and 8 more tensor cores than the A100. The presence of RT cores in the RTX PRO 5000 is a critical distinction, as it enables hardware-accelerated ray tracing, a feature entirely absent from the A100.

Memory architecture also differs substantially. The RTX PRO 5000 uses 48 GB of GDDR7 on a 384-bit bus, achieving 1.34 TB/s bandwidth. The A100 uses 40 GB of HBM2e on a much wider 5120-bit bus, delivering 1.56 TB/s. While the A100 has higher peak bandwidth, the RTX PRO 5000 has 8 GB more capacity. The memory clock speeds reflect this: the RTX PRO 5000 runs at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective), while the A100 runs at 1215 MHz (2.4 Gbps effective). The A100’s advantage comes purely from its extremely wide bus.

Clock speeds show another generational leap. The RTX PRO 5000 has a base clock of 1740 MHz and a boost clock of 2377 MHz. The A100’s base clock is just 765 MHz, with a boost of 1410 MHz. This translates into massive compute differences: the RTX PRO 5000 delivers 66.94 TFLOPS FP32, while the A100 delivers 19.49 TFLOPS. The RTX PRO 5000 is 3.4 times faster in FP32. Pixel and texture rates follow suit, with the RTX PRO 5000 hitting 380.3 GPixel/s and 1,045.9 GTexel/s versus the A100’s 225.6 GPixel/s and 609.1 GTexel/s.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear winner for graphics and general compute workloads: the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks, with a 42.3% lead in OpenCL and a 93.1% lead in Vulkan. Its FP32 performance of 66.94 TFLOPS is more than triple the A100’s 19.49 TFLOPS. The RTX PRO 5000 also offers double the shading units, 110 dedicated RT cores, and 8 GB more memory. For professionals working in rendering, visualization, or real-time graphics, the RTX PRO 5000 is the superior choice on every measurable axis.

The A100 PCIe 40 GB retains a niche appeal. Its 1.56 TB/s memory bandwidth exceeds the RTX PRO 5000’s 1.34 TB/s, and its FP16 throughput of 77.97 TFLOPS is higher than the RTX PRO 5000’s 66.94 TFLOPS. These characteristics make it suited for specific high-bandwidth or FP16-heavy server tasks, such as certain AI inference or scientific computing workloads. However, the A100 is end-of-life, lacks any display outputs, and has no RT cores or consumer API support. Its 97th percentile standing among all GPUs is respectable, but the RTX PRO 5000’s 98th percentile position and higher average benchmark score of 182,109 versus 162,504 indicate superior overall performance.

For most buyers, the RTX PRO 5000 is the logical pick. It is newer, faster in the tested workloads, still in production, and supports modern graphics APIs. The A100 is a legacy product that only makes sense for specialized server deployments where its memory bandwidth or FP16 ratio remains a priority. The benchmark results do not favor the A100 in any head-to-head test, and its nearest rivals all sit within a narrow 2.2% range, showing it is competitive with older workstation cards but not with the current Blackwell generation.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell | NVIDIA A100 PCIe 40 GB |

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

| Architecture | Blackwell 2.0 | Ampere |

| Process Node | 5 nm | 7 nm |

| Transistors | 92,200 million | 54,200 million |

| Die Size | 750 mm² | 826 mm² |

| Base Clock | 1740 MHz | 765 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2377 MHz | 1410 MHz |

| Memory Size | 48 GB | 40 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR7 | HBM2e |

| Memory Bus Width | 384 bit | 5120 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 1.34 TB/s | 1.56 TB/s |

| Shading Units | 14080 | 6912 |

| TMUs | 440 | 432 |

| RT Cores | 110 | null |

| Tensor Cores | 440 | 432 |

| FP32 Performance | 66.94 TFLOPS | 19.49 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 66.94 TFLOPS (1:1) | 77.97 TFLOPS (4:1) |

| TDP | 300 W | 250 W |

| Power Connectors | 1x 16-pin | 8-pin EPS |

| Suggested PSU | 700 W | 600 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 5.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 4x DisplayPort 2.1b | No outputs |

| DirectX Support | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | null |

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | null |

| Production Status | Active | End-of-life |

| Release Date | 2025-03-17 | 2020-06-21 |

| Launch MSRP | 5,099 USD | null |