NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80 GB vs NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80 GB has an average benchmark score of 207,124, while the NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile has an average score of 113,944. This places the A100 in the 99th percentile of all GPUs, compared to the 94th percentile for the A5500 Mobile.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The A100 PCIe 80 GB scores 207,124, which is 66.6% higher than the A5500 Mobile's 124,287. The A100 is the clear winner in this head-to-head benchmark.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The A100 PCIe 80 GB uses 80 GB of HBM2e memory with a 5120-bit bus and 1.94 TB/s bandwidth. The A5500 Mobile uses 16 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 256-bit bus and 512.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 performance?

A: The RTX A5500 Mobile has a higher FP32 rating at 22.27 TFLOPS, compared to 19.49 TFLOPS for the A100 PCIe 80 GB. However, the A100's FP16 performance is significantly higher at 77.97 TFLOPS (4:1) versus 22.27 TFLOPS (1:1) for the A5500 Mobile.

Q: What are the process node and foundry differences?

A: The A100 PCIe 80 GB is built on TSMC's 7 nm process with 54,200 million transistors on an 826 mm² die. The A5500 Mobile uses Samsung's 8 nm process with 22,000 million transistors on a 496 mm² die.

Q: Does the A5500 Mobile have ray tracing cores?

A: Yes, the RTX A5500 Mobile includes 58 ray tracing cores, while the A100 PCIe 80 GB does not list any RT cores. The A5500 Mobile also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 APIs.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs share the Ampere architecture but diverge significantly in their implementation. The A100 PCIe 80 GB uses the GA100 chip, which is the server-class variant designed for data center workloads. It is fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC, packing 54,200 million transistors into an 826 mm² die. The chip density reaches 65.6 million transistors per square millimeter, reflecting the mature 7 nm node.

The RTX A5500 Mobile uses the GA103 chip, a different die aimed at mobile workstations. It is built on Samsung's 8 nm process, containing 22,000 million transistors across a 496 mm² die. The transistor density is lower at 44.4 million per square millimeter, a direct consequence of the less advanced manufacturing node.

Shader core counts differ, with the A5500 Mobile carrying 7,424 shading units versus 6,912 on the A100. However, the A100 has substantially more texture mapping units (432 versus 232) and render output units (160 versus 96). The A100 also features 432 tensor cores, while the A5500 Mobile has 232 tensor cores and 58 RT cores, the latter being absent from the A100's specification list.

Memory architecture is fundamentally different. The A100 uses HBM2e with a 5120-bit bus, enabling 1.94 TB/s bandwidth. The A5500 Mobile relies on GDDR6 across a 256-bit bus, yielding 512.0 GB/s. The A100's memory clock is listed at 1512 MHz with 3 Gbps effective, while the A5500 Mobile runs at 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective.

The A100 is a dual-slot, 300 W server card with an 8-pin EPS power connector and no display outputs. The A5500 Mobile is a 165 W mobile part with no dedicated power connectors and display outputs described as portable device dependent. Both use PCIe 4.0 x16 interfaces.

Where Each One Wins

The A100 PCIe 80 GB dominates in compute throughput for FP16 workloads. Its FP16 rating of 77.97 TFLOPS (4:1) is more than triple the A5500 Mobile's 22.27 TFLOPS (1:1). This makes the A100 the clear choice for AI training and inference tasks that leverage mixed-precision arithmetic, especially given its 432 tensor cores and massive 80 GB HBM2e memory pool.

The A5500 Mobile wins on raw FP32 performance, posting 22.27 TFLOPS versus 19.49 TFLOPS for the A100. It also has more shading units (7,424 versus 6,912) and includes ray tracing hardware, making it better suited for graphics workloads that rely on DirectX 12 Ultimate features. Its 16 GB GDDR6 memory, while smaller, is still substantial for mobile rendering tasks.

In terms of physical footprint, the A5500 Mobile is designed for portable devices, while the A100 requires a dual-slot server chassis. The A100's lack of display outputs means it must be paired with a separate graphics solution for any visualization needs, whereas the A5500 Mobile's outputs are dependent on the host device.

The A100's 99th percentile ranking versus the A5500 Mobile's 94th percentile shows the server part is closer to the top of the overall GPU hierarchy. However, the A5500 Mobile's nearest rivals include the Tesla V100 SXM2 16 GB with a delta of -0.4%, indicating it is competitively positioned within its own segment.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every major specification category. The process node is 7 nm for the A100 and 8 nm for the A5500 Mobile, with different foundries (TSMC versus Samsung). Transistor counts are 54,200 million versus 22,000 million, and die sizes are 826 mm² versus 496 mm².

Base clocks are 1065 MHz for the A100 and 975 MHz for the A5500 Mobile, but boost clocks favor the mobile part at 1500 MHz versus 1410 MHz. Memory size is 80 GB versus 16 GB, with types of HBM2e versus GDDR6. Bus widths are 5120 bit versus 256 bit, and bandwidth is 1.94 TB/s versus 512.0 GB/s.

Shading units are 6,912 versus 7,424, Tmus are 432 versus 232, and ROPs are 160 versus 96. The A100 has 432 tensor cores, the A5500 Mobile has 232 tensor cores plus 58 RT cores. Pixel rate is 225.6 GPixel/s versus 144.0 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 609.1 GTexel/s versus 348.0 GTexel/s.

FP32 performance is 19.49 TFLOPS versus 22.27 TFLOPS, while FP16 performance is 77.97 TFLOPS (4:1) versus 22.27 TFLOPS (1:1). TDP is 300 W versus 165 W. The A100 is dual-slot with an 8-pin EPS connector and a 700 W suggested PSU, while the A5500 Mobile has no listed slot width, no power connectors, and no suggested PSU.

The A100 has no display outputs and no API entries, while the A5500 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The A100 measures 267 mm in length and 111 mm in height, while the A5500 Mobile has no listed dimensions.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only shared benchmark in the database is Geekbench OpenCL, where the A100 PCIe 80 GB scores 207,124 against the A5500 Mobile's 124,287. This represents a 66.6% advantage for the A100, a substantial margin that reflects the server part's superior memory bandwidth and compute resources.

The A100's OpenCL score places it 5.7% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX 6000D (195,964) and 6.5% ahead of the Tesla V100S PCIe 32 GB (194,415). It trails the AMD Radeon PRO W7900D by 5.8% (219,827) and the NVIDIA PG506-232 by 8% (225,124). These deltas show the A100 is competitive within the high-end workstation and server segment, though not the absolute leader.

The A5500 Mobile's average score of 113,944 sits nearly even with the Tesla V100 SXM2 16 GB, which scores 114,395 for a delta of -0.4%. It is 2.7% behind the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation (117,088) and 2.9% behind the NVIDIA GB10 (117,393). The A5500 Mobile outperforms the AMD Radeon PRO W7900 by 2.9% (110,725).

The 66.6% delta in the head-to-head OpenCL test is the largest gap between any of the rivals listed for either GPU. For context, the widest delta among the A100's nearest rivals is 8% (against the PG506-232), and for the A5500 Mobile it is 2.9% (against the GB10). This indicates that the performance difference between the two compared GPUs is far greater than the typical spread within their respective peer groups.

The Verdict

The data points to the NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80 GB as the superior compute platform for OpenCL workloads. Its 207,124 score is 66.6% higher than the A5500 Mobile's 124,287, and it achieves a 99th percentile ranking versus 94th. The A100's advantage is rooted in its HBM2e memory system, which delivers 1.94 TB/s bandwidth compared to 512.0 GB/s, and its 432 tensor cores that enable 77.97 TFLOPS of FP16 performance.

Users who prioritize FP32 throughput should note that the A5500 Mobile actually leads in this metric at 22.27 TFLOPS versus 19.49 TFLOPS. The mobile GPU also brings ray tracing support and a full modern API stack (DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.4), making it viable for graphics-intensive applications. Its 165 W TDP and portable device dependent outputs position it for mobile workstations where power and space are constrained.

The A100 is end-of-life and designed for server deployment with no display outputs, a 300 W TDP, and a dual-slot form factor. It is best suited for data center environments running AI training, scientific computing, or other FP16-heavy workloads that can fully utilize its memory bandwidth and tensor core count. The A5500 Mobile, also end-of-life, is the logical pick for users who need a mobile GPU with ray tracing, modern API support, and higher raw FP32 performance.

The database shows no benchmark where the A5500 Mobile wins against the A100, but the specification differences suggest complementary roles. The A100 is a throughput monster for compute density, while the A5500 Mobile offers a more balanced feature set for portable graphics and rendering. The choice comes down to workload: FP16-heavy server compute favors the A100 decisively, while FP32-oriented mobile graphics tasks point to the A5500 Mobile.