NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80 GB vs NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell Comparison

The NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80 GB and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell represent two distinct eras of NVIDIA’s professional GPU lineup, with the former optimized for dense datacenter compute and the latter built for modern workstation versatility. Benchmark data shows the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell holding a decisive advantage in the only shared test, yet the A100’s legacy strengths in memory capacity and bandwidth keep it relevant for specific high-memory workloads.

Where Each One Wins

The data draws a clear line between these two cards. The RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell wins the only head-to-head benchmark available, scoring 254,116 in Geekbench OpenCL against the A100’s 207,124. That is an 18.5% lead, a substantial margin that indicates the newer architecture handles general-purpose compute far more efficiently. The RTX PRO 5000 also posts strong scores in other tests: 9,579.5 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and 282,631 in Geekbench Vulkan, both of which the A100 cannot attempt due to its lack of display outputs and modern graphics API support.

However, the A100 PCIe 80 GB wins on memory capacity and bandwidth, which are critical for large model inference and training datasets. Its 80 GB of HBM2e memory provides 1.94 TB/s of bandwidth, far exceeding the RTX PRO 5000’s 48 GB of GDDR7 at 1.34 TB/s. For workloads that require holding massive models in VRAM, the A100’s extra 32 GB is a practical advantage that no benchmark score can fully capture. The A100 also holds a higher percentile rank among all GPUs at 99, versus the RTX PRO 5000’s 98, indicating its raw compute throughput remains elite even in an older generation.

The RTX PRO 5000 counters with raw shading power. Its FP32 throughput of 66.94 TFLOPS is more than triple the A100’s 19.49 TFLOPS, and its texture rate of 1,045.9 GTexel/s dwarfs the A100’s 609.1 GTexel/s. This makes the newer card the obvious choice for real-time graphics, rendering, and simulation tasks where pixel and texture throughput dominate. The A100, with no display outputs, is strictly a compute accelerator, while the RTX PRO 5000 offers 4x DisplayPort 2.1b outputs and full DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 support.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap is generational. The A100 uses the GA100 chip on TSMC’s 7 nm process, packing 54,200 million transistors into an 826 mm² die. The RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell uses the GB202 chip on a 5 nm process, which crams 92,200 million transistors into a slightly smaller 750 mm² die. That translates to a transistor density of 122.9 million per mm² for the Blackwell chip, nearly double the A100’s 65.6 million per mm². This density jump explains how the RTX PRO 5000 achieves far higher clock speeds—1,740 MHz base and 2,377 MHz boost versus the A100’s 1,065 MHz base and 1,410 MHz boost—while staying within the same 300 W TDP.

Core configurations differ fundamentally. The A100 has 6,912 shading units, 432 TMUs, and 160 ROPs, with 432 tensor cores and no dedicated RT cores. The RTX PRO 5000 fields 14,080 shading units, 440 TMUs, and 160 ROPs, plus 110 RT cores and 440 tensor cores. The RTX PRO 5000’s shading unit count is more than double the A100’s, which directly drives its massive FP32 advantage. The addition of RT cores is a major functional difference, enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing that the A100 lacks entirely.

Memory architecture also diverges sharply. The A100 uses HBM2e with a 5,120-bit bus, a design optimized for maximum bandwidth on a single package. The RTX PRO 5000 uses GDDR7 on a 384-bit bus, which is more conventional for workstation cards but offers lower peak bandwidth. The A100’s memory runs at effectively 3 Gbps, while the RTX PRO 5000’s GDDR7 runs at 28 Gbps effective, though the narrower bus limits total throughput. The A100’s FP16 performance is 77.97 TFLOPS with a 4:1 ratio, while the RTX PRO 5000 delivers 66.94 TFLOPS at a 1:1 ratio, meaning the newer card does not rely on reduced precision to achieve high throughput.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The single direct comparison available is Geekbench OpenCL, and it strongly favors the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell. The newer card scores 254,116 against the A100’s 207,124, a delta of 18.5%. This is not a marginal victory; it represents a clear generational leap in compute efficiency. The RTX PRO 5000’s nearest rivals in the average benchmark score include the A100 SXM4 80 GB at 183,725 (0.9% slower) and the RTX 5000 Ada Generation at 184,664 (1.4% slower), while the A100 PCIe’s rivals include the RTX 6000D at 195,964 (5.7% faster) and the AMD Radeon PRO W7900D at 219,827 (5.8% faster). This context shows the RTX PRO 5000 beating its direct predecessor and the A100’s SXM counterpart, while the A100 PCIe trails several newer or higher-tier cards.

The RTX PRO 5000’s 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 9,579.5 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 282,631 further cement its lead in modern graphics workloads. The A100 has no comparable results because it lacks the necessary hardware features and API support. The Vulkan score is particularly notable, as it exceeds the OpenCL result, suggesting the card’s scheduling and driver optimizations are well-tuned for modern compute APIs. The A100’s average benchmark score of 207,124 is its only data point, while the RTX PRO 5000’s average of 182,109 is dragged down by the DX12 test, which is not directly comparable to OpenCL results.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in OpenCL compute?

A: The RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell is 18.5% faster, scoring 254,116 versus the A100’s 207,124 in Geekbench OpenCL.

Q: Does the A100 have any advantage in memory?

A: Yes, the A100 offers 80 GB of HBM2e with 1.94 TB/s bandwidth, compared to the RTX PRO 5000’s 48 GB of GDDR7 at 1.34 TB/s.

Q: Can the RTX PRO 5000 be used for graphics output?

A: Yes, it has 4x DisplayPort 2.1b outputs and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The A100 has no display outputs.

Q: What is the transistor density difference between the two chips?

A: The RTX PRO 5000’s GB202 chip has 122.9 million transistors per mm², nearly double the A100’s 65.6 million per mm² on the GA100.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The RTX PRO 5000 has 14,080 shading units, more than double the A100’s 6,912, which explains its 66.94 TFLOPS FP32 versus 19.49 TFLOPS.

Q: Are both cards dual-slot with the same power draw?

A: Yes, both are dual-slot with a 300 W TDP and a suggested 700 W PSU, though the A100 uses an 8-pin EPS connector while the RTX PRO 5000 uses a single 16-pin.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every major specification category. The A100 uses the GA100 chip on a 7 nm process, while the RTX PRO 5000 uses the GB202 chip on 5 nm. Transistor counts are 54,200 million versus 92,200 million, with die sizes of 826 mm² versus 750 mm². Clock speeds favor the RTX PRO 5000 significantly: base 1,740 MHz versus 1,065 MHz, and boost 2,377 MHz versus 1,410 MHz. Memory configuration is a major split: the A100 offers 80 GB of HBM2e on a 5,120-bit bus, while the RTX PRO 5000 offers 48 GB of GDDR7 on a 384-bit bus, yielding bandwidth of 1.94 TB/s versus 1.34 TB/s.

Shading units jump from 6,912 on the A100 to 14,080 on the RTX PRO 5000, while TMUs go from 432 to 440 and ROPs remain equal at 160. The RTX PRO 5000 adds 110 RT cores and 440 tensor cores, while the A100 has 432 tensor cores and no RT cores. Pixel rate improves from 225.6 GPixel/s to 380.3 GPixel/s, and texture rate from 609.1 GTexel/s to 1,045.9 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput triples from 19.49 TFLOPS to 66.94 TFLOPS, while FP16 changes from 77.97 TFLOPS (4:1) to 66.94 TFLOPS (1:1). The bus interface advances from PCIe 4.0 x16 to PCIe 5.0 x16, and display outputs go from none to 4x DisplayPort 2.1b. Power connectors differ (8-pin EPS versus 1x 16-pin), and physical dimensions are identical at 267 mm length and 111 mm height, except the RTX PRO 5000 has a specified width of 40 mm while the A100’s is unlisted. Production status is end-of-life for the A100 and active for the RTX PRO 5000.