NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80 GB vs NVIDIA GB10 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a decisive victory for the NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80 GB in the single available head-to-head benchmark. In Geekbench OpenCL, the A100 scores 207124, while the NVIDIA GB10 scores 120137. That is a 72.4% advantage for the A100, a massive gap that places the two cards in entirely different performance tiers for compute workloads. The A100 also sits in the 99th percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the GB10 sits in the 95th, a meaningful but secondary distinction given the raw score gap.

Looking at the nearest rivals in the database provides additional context. The A100's nearest competitor, the NVIDIA RTX 6000D, scores 195964, which is 5.7% behind the A100. The AMD Radeon PRO W7900D scores 219827, putting it 5.8% ahead of the A100. The NVIDIA Tesla V100S PCIe 32 GB scores 194415, trailing by 6.5%, while the NVIDIA PG506-232 scores 225124, leading the A100 by 8%. The A100's 72.4% lead over the GB10 is therefore far larger than any of its closest rival deltas, confirming that the GB10 is not competing in the same compute class despite being a newer architecture.

The GB10's nearest rivals tell a similar story from the other side. The NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation scores 117088, just 0.3% behind the GB10. The AMD Radeon PRO W7700 scores 118976, 1.3% ahead. The NVIDIA Tesla V100 SXM2 16 GB scores 114395, trailing by 2.6%, and the NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile scores 113944, 3% behind. The GB10 is clustered tightly with these workstation and mobile parts, all within a 3% band, whereas the A100 is separated from the GB10 by a 72.4% margin. Benchmark results indicate that these two products should not be considered substitutes for one another in raw compute throughput.

The GB10 does have a second recorded benchmark, Geekbench Vulkan, where it scores 114648, but no comparable Vulkan score exists for the A100 in the database, so a direct comparison is not possible. The A100's only recorded benchmark is the Geekbench OpenCL score of 207124. The GB10's average benchmark score across its two tests is 117393, while the A100's average benchmark score equals its single OpenCL result of 207124. The data shows a clear hierarchy: the A100 dominates the GB10 in the only metric where both have recorded results.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is substantial. The A100 uses the GA100 chip, built on the Ampere architecture, and is part of the Server Ampere (Axx) generation. It is fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC, with 54,200 million transistors on a die size of 826 mm², giving a transistor density of 65.6M per mm². The GB10 uses the GB20B chip, built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, and belongs to the Server Blackwell (Bxx) generation. It is fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC, with a die size of 382 mm². Transistor count for the GB10 is not recorded in the database.

Clock behavior differs significantly. The A100 has a base clock of 1065 MHz and a boost clock of 1410 MHz. The GB10 has a base clock of 1665 MHz and a boost clock of 2418 MHz. The GB10 runs at substantially higher clocks, which helps explain why its texture rate of 928.5 GTexel/s exceeds the A100's 609.1 GTexel/s despite having fewer texture mapping units. The A100 has 432 TMUs, while the GB10 has 384. The GB10's higher clocks also contribute to its FP32 throughput of 29.71 TFLOPS, which exceeds the A100's 19.49 TFLOPS.

Memory architecture is where the two diverge most sharply. The A100 uses 80 GB of HBM2e on a 5120 bit bus, delivering 1.94 TB/s of bandwidth. The GB10 uses 128 GB of LPDDR5X on a 256 bit bus, delivering 273.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The A100's bandwidth advantage is enormous, roughly seven times that of the GB10, and this directly explains the A100's dominance in the OpenCL benchmark. The GB10 has more capacity, 128 GB versus 80 GB, but far lower bandwidth, a tradeoff that favors the A100 for bandwidth-intensive compute tasks.

Compute unit counts also differ. The A100 has 6912 shading units, 432 tensor cores, and 160 ROPs. The GB10 has 6144 shading units, 384 tensor cores, and only 48 ROPs. The A100 also has a higher pixel rate at 225.6 GPixel/s versus the GB10's 116.1 GPixel/s. The GB10 includes 48 RT cores, while the A100 has no recorded RT core count. FP16 performance shows a notable difference in ratio: the A100 delivers 77.97 TFLOPS FP16 at a 4:1 ratio, while the GB10 delivers 29.71 TFLOPS FP16 at a 1:1 ratio, meaning the A100's FP16 throughput is more than 2.6 times higher.

Power and physical specifications reinforce the different design philosophies. The A100 has a 300 W TDP, requires an 8-pin EPS power connector, and a suggested PSU of 700 W. It is a dual-slot card, 267 mm long and 111 mm high, with no display outputs. The GB10 has a 140 W TDP, no power connectors, and a suggested PSU of 300 W. It is an IGP form factor, 150 mm long, 51 mm high, and 150 mm wide, with one HDMI output. The A100 is a server accelerator with no video outputs; the GB10 is a compact integrated part with a display connection.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80 GB scores 207124 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the NVIDIA GB10 scores 120137. The A100 leads by 72.4%.

Q: How much memory does each GPU have, and what type?

A: The A100 has 80 GB of HBM2e on a 5120 bit bus with 1.94 TB/s bandwidth. The GB10 has 128 GB of LPDDR5X on a 256 bit bus with 273.2 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 compute throughput?

A: The GB10 delivers 29.71 TFLOPS FP32, which is higher than the A100's 19.49 TFLOPS.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The A100 has a 300 W TDP, an 8-pin EPS power connector, and a suggested PSU of 700 W. The GB10 has a 140 W TDP, no power connectors, and a suggested PSU of 300 W.

Q: Does the GB10 support display outputs?

A: Yes, the GB10 has one HDMI output. The A100 has no display outputs.

Q: What is the production status of each GPU?

A: The A100 is end-of-life, while the GB10 is active. The A100 was released on 2021-06-27, and the GB10 on 2025-10-14.

The Verdict

The benchmark data is unambiguous for compute workloads: the NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80 GB is the stronger performer, with a 72.4% lead over the NVIDIA GB10 in Geekbench OpenCL. The A100's 1.94 TB/s memory bandwidth, 80 GB of HBM2e, and 6912 shading units make it the clear choice for bandwidth-bound server compute tasks. Its 99th percentile ranking among all GPUs, alongside a nearest rival delta of only 5.7% to the RTX 6000D, places it firmly in high-end accelerator territory. The GB10, by contrast, sits in the 95th percentile with nearest rivals within 3%, indicating it competes with mid-range workstation and mobile GPUs rather than flagship accelerators.

However, the GB10 is not without advantages in the recorded data. It has higher clock speeds, with a boost of 2418 MHz versus 1410 MHz, and delivers higher FP32 throughput at 29.71 TFLOPS versus 19.49 TFLOPS. It also provides 128 GB of memory, 48 GB more than the A100, and includes 48 RT cores. Its compact IGP form factor, 140 W TDP, and single HDMI output make it suitable for smaller, lower-power systems. The A100, with a 300 W TDP, dual-slot design, and no display outputs, is built exclusively for server racks.

Who should pick which comes down to the workload. For high-bandwidth compute, large model inference, or any task that stresses memory throughput, the A100 is the data-backed choice. Its 72.4% OpenCL advantage reflects exactly that. For FP32-heavy workloads, lower power draw, or a system requiring a display output, the GB10 holds the edge in clock speed and raw FP32 compute. The GB10's active production status and 2025 release date also mean it is currently available, while the A100 is end-of-life. The data does not support calling the GB10 a replacement for the A100; it is a different class of product with different strengths.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every recorded specification. The A100 uses the GA100 chip on Ampere architecture, while the GB10 uses the GB20B chip on Blackwell 2.0 architecture. Process nodes differ: 7 nm for the A100 versus 5 nm for the GB10. The A100 has 54,200 million transistors on an 826 mm² die, while the GB10's transistor count is unknown and its die is 382 mm². Transistor density is recorded only for the A100 at 65.6M per mm².

Clock speeds differ substantially. The A100's base clock is 1065 MHz and boost is 1410 MHz, while the GB10's base is 1665 MHz and boost is 2418 MHz. Memory clocks also differ: the A100 runs at 1512 MHz with 3 Gbps effective, while the GB10 runs at 1067 MHz with 8.5 Gbps effective. Memory capacity, type, bus width, and bandwidth all differ: 80 GB HBM2e on 5120 bit at 1.94 TB/s versus 128 GB LPDDR5X on 256 bit at 273.2 GB/s.

Compute unit counts vary. The A100 has 6912 shading units, 432 TMUs, 160 ROPs, and 432 tensor cores, with no RT cores recorded. The GB10 has 6144 shading units, 384 TMUs, 48 ROPs, 48 RT cores, and 384 tensor cores. Pixel rate is 225.6 GPixel/s for the A100 versus 116.1 GPixel/s for the GB10. Texture rate is 609.1 GTexel/s for the A100 versus 928.5 GTexel/s for the GB10. FP32 is 19.49 TFLOPS versus 29.71 TFLOPS. FP16 is 77.97 TFLOPS at 4:1 versus 29.71 TFLOPS at 1:1.

Power and physical specs differ completely. The A100 has a 300 W TDP, dual-slot width, 8-pin EPS connector, and 700 W suggested PSU. The GB10 has a 140 W TDP, IGP slot width, no power connectors, and 300 W suggested PSU. The A100 is 267 mm long and 111 mm high; the GB10 is 150 mm long, 51 mm high, and 150 mm wide. The A100 has no display outputs; the GB10 has one HDMI. The A100 uses PCIe 4.0 x16; the GB10 uses PCIe 5.0 x16. Production status, release date, predecessor, and successor all differ. The A100's launch MSRP is not recorded; the GB10's launch MSRP is 3,999 USD.

Where Each One Wins

The A100 wins in memory bandwidth, with 1.94 TB/s versus 273.2 GB/s. It wins in shading units, 6912 versus 6144. It wins in tensor cores, 432 versus 384. It wins in ROPs, 160 versus 48. It wins in pixel rate, 225.6 GPixel/s versus 116.1 GPixel/s. It wins in FP16 throughput, 77.97 TFLOPS versus 29.71 TFLOPS. It wins in the only direct benchmark comparison, 207124 versus 120137 in Geekbench OpenCL, a 72.4% margin. It wins in percentile ranking, 99th versus 95th. Its HBM2e memory and 5120 bit bus are the clear performance differentiators.

The GB10 wins in clock speed, with a boost of 2418 MHz versus 1410 MHz. It wins in FP32 throughput, 29.71 TFLOPS versus 19.49 TFLOPS. It wins in texture rate, 928.5 GTexel/s versus 609.1 GTexel/s. It wins in memory capacity, 128 GB versus 80 GB. It wins in power efficiency, with a 140 W TDP versus 300 W. It wins in physical footprint, with an IGP form factor versus dual-slot, and it includes display output capability with one HDMI. It also uses a newer PCIe 5.0 x16 interface and is currently in active production, while the A100 is end-of-life.

Use-case conclusions follow directly from these splits. For AI training, HPC simulation, or any memory-bandwidth-bound server task, the A100's 1.94 TB/s bandwidth and 72.4% OpenCL lead make it the superior choice. For FP32 compute, edge deployments, or compact systems where a 140 W TDP and no external power connectors are required, the GB10's higher clocks and FP32 throughput are more relevant. The GB10 also offers more memory capacity, which matters for very large datasets that fit within 128 GB. The two GPUs are not direct competitors; the data shows complementary strengths in different segments.