NVIDIA A100 SXM4 40 GB vs NVIDIA RTX 4500 Ada Generation Comparison

The NVIDIA A100 SXM4 40 GB and the NVIDIA RTX 4500 Ada Generation occupy different corners of the professional GPU market. The A100 is a server-focused accelerator built for compute density, while the RTX 4500 is a workstation card designed for graphics and professional visualization. Benchmark data from Geekbench reveals a nuanced picture: the A100 wins both recorded head-to-head tests, but the margin in one is so slim that the practical difference in that workload is negligible. This analysis breaks down the raw scores, architectural implications, and the specification gaps that define these two cards.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data shows the A100 SXM4 40 GB taking a decisive victory in OpenCL compute workloads, while the Vulkan results are nearly a dead heat. In the geekbench_opencl test, the A100 scores 201096 against the RTX 4500's 160786, a delta of 25.1% in favor of the A100. This is a substantial gap, reflecting the A100's design priorities: massive memory bandwidth and tensor core throughput for scientific computing and AI training. The RTX 4500, despite its higher FP32 throughput, cannot compensate for the A100's HBM2e memory subsystem in this type of workload.

The geekbench_vulkan test tells a different story. The A100 posts 173198, while the RTX 4500 trails by a mere 1% with 171401. This near-parity is notable because the A100 has no display outputs and no dedicated RT cores listed in its specifications, yet it still edges out a card explicitly built for graphics. The RTX 4500's 60 RT cores and 240 tensor cores do not translate into a measurable advantage in this synthetic Vulkan test, suggesting that the test is more sensitive to raw shader throughput and memory bandwidth than to ray tracing hardware.

When comparing to their respective nearest rivals, both cards occupy competitive positions. The A100's average benchmark score is 187147, placing it 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation and 1.9% ahead of the A100 SXM4 80 GB. It trails the Tesla V100S PCIe 32 GB by -3.7%, which is surprising given the A100's newer architecture. The RTX 4500's average score of 166094 puts it 0.5% ahead of the RTX A5500 and 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon PRO W7800, while sitting -1.5% behind the AMD Radeon Pro W6900X and 2.2% ahead of the A100 PCIe 40 GB.

The win count is unambiguous: winsA = 2, winsB = 0. The A100 wins both tests, but the Vulkan result is within noise. The OpenCL result, however, is a clear statement of compute superiority. For users running OpenCL-based scientific or data-center workloads, the A100 is the stronger choice by a wide margin. For graphics-oriented Vulkan tasks, the two cards are functionally equivalent despite their architectural differences.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA A100 SXM4 40 GB has an average benchmark score of 187147, which is significantly higher than the RTX 4500 Ada Generation's 166094. This places the A100 in the 98th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 4500 sits in the 97th percentile.

Q: How do the two cards compare in OpenCL performance?

A: The A100 SXM4 40 GB scores 201096 in Geekbench OpenCL, beating the RTX 4500's 160786 by 25.1%. This is the largest performance gap between the two in any recorded benchmark, highlighting the A100's strength in general-purpose compute.

Q: Is the RTX 4500 competitive in Vulkan workloads?

A: Yes. The RTX 4500 scores 171401 in Geekbench Vulkan, just 1% behind the A100's 173198. Despite having fewer shading units and a narrower memory bus, the RTX 4500's higher clocks and dedicated RT cores keep it within striking distance.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The RTX 4500 Ada Generation has a transistor density of 121.1M / mm², which is nearly double the A100's 65.6M / mm². This is due to the RTX 4500's smaller 5 nm process node and 379 mm² die size, compared to the A100's 7 nm node and 826 mm² die.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The A100 SXM4 40 GB offers 1.56 TB/s of bandwidth from its HBM2e memory across a 5120-bit bus. The RTX 4500 provides 432.0 GB/s from GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus. The A100's bandwidth is over 3.6 times higher.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The RTX 4500 has 7680 shading units, while the A100 has 6912. However, the A100 compensates with a higher texture rate of 609.1 GTexel/s versus the RTX 4500's 619.2 GTexel/s, which is actually slightly higher. The RTX 4500 also has more RT cores (60 vs. none listed for the A100).

The Verdict

The data points to a clear division of labor. The NVIDIA A100 SXM4 40 GB is the compute specialist. Its 25.1% lead in OpenCL, combined with a 1.56 TB/s memory bandwidth, makes it the obvious choice for data-center AI training, scientific simulation, and HPC workloads where raw FP32 and memory throughput matter more than graphics features. Its 98th percentile ranking among all GPUs and its position ahead of the RTX 5000 Ada Generation by 1.3% reinforce its status as a top-tier compute accelerator. The lack of display outputs is irrelevant in a server context, where it operates as an SXM module with no power connectors of its own.

The NVIDIA RTX 4500 Ada Generation is the graphics-first workstation card. Its Vulkan score of 171401 is within 1% of the A100, proving that it can handle graphics tasks without compromise. With 60 RT cores, 240 tensor cores, and 4x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, it is purpose-built for professional visualization, CAD, and content creation. Its 39.63 TFLOPS FP32 performance is more than double the A100's 19.49 TFLOPS, which explains why it holds its own in compute despite lower memory bandwidth. The 210 W TDP and dual-slot form factor make it far easier to deploy in a workstation than the A100's 400 W SXM module.

For buyers, the choice depends entirely on the workload. If the primary task is machine learning training or large-scale scientific computing, the A100's 25.1% OpenCL advantage and 1.56 TB/s bandwidth are decisive. If the task involves real-time graphics, ray tracing, or GPU-accelerated design, the RTX 4500's RT cores and display outputs make it the more practical option, with Vulkan performance that effectively matches the A100. The RTX 4500 also benefits from a 5 nm process node, offering higher transistor density and lower power draw, which is a meaningful advantage in space-constrained environments.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every major specification category. The A100 uses a GA100 chip on a 7 nm process from TSMC, while the RTX 4500 uses an AD103 chip on 5 nm from the same foundry. Transistor counts are close at 54,200 million for the A100 and 45,900 million for the RTX 4500, but the die sizes diverge sharply: 826 mm² versus 379 mm². This yields a transistor density of 65.6M / mm² for the A100 versus 121.1M / mm² for the RTX 4500.

Memory is a major differentiator. The A100 has 40 GB of HBM2e on a 5120-bit bus with 1.56 TB/s bandwidth. The RTX 4500 has 24 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 432.0 GB/s bandwidth. Clock speeds also differ, with the A100 boosting to 1410 MHz and the RTX 4500 boosting to 2580 MHz. The RTX 4500 has more shading units (7680 vs. 6912) and more RT cores (60 vs. none listed), but the A100 has more TMUs (432 vs. 240) and ROPs (160 vs. 80). Tensor core counts are 432 for the A100 and 240 for the RTX 4500.

Power and physical requirements diverge significantly. The A100 has a TDP of 400 W and requires an 800 W PSU, while the RTX 4500 has a TDP of 210 W and a suggested 550 W PSU. The A100 is an SXM Module with no power connectors, while the RTX 4500 is a dual-slot card with no power connectors but includes 4x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The RTX 4500 has defined dimensions of 245 mm length and 112 mm height, while the A100 has no listed dimensions. The RTX 4500 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4; the A100 has no listed API support.

Architecture Differences

The architectural split is fundamental. The A100 is built on NVIDIA's Ampere architecture, designed for server and data-center deployments. Its generation is listed as "Server Ampere (Axx)," and it uses HBM2e memory to maximize bandwidth for compute-heavy tasks. The RTX 4500 is built on Ada Lovelace architecture, with a generation of "Workstation Ada (x000A)". This is a consumer-derived architecture with dedicated RT cores for ray tracing and a unified FP32/FP16 pipeline, as indicated by its 1:1 FP16 ratio versus the A100's 4:1 ratio.

The A100's FP16 performance is 77.97 TFLOPS, which is double its FP32 rate of 19.49 TFLOPS, leveraging tensor cores for mixed-precision work. The RTX 4500 offers 39.63 TFLOPS for both FP16 and FP32, reflecting a design where every shader unit can handle both formats at full rate. This makes the RTX 4500 more efficient for general compute but less specialized for the tensor-heavy workloads the A100 accelerates.

The A100 has no RT cores listed, while the RTX 4500 has 60. This is a critical difference for graphics workloads, as ray tracing hardware is essential for modern rendering pipelines. The A100's memory clock is 1215 MHz (2.4 Gbps effective), while the RTX 4500 runs at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective). The A100's pixel rate is 225.6 GPixel/s, slightly higher than the RTX 4500's 206.4 GPixel/s, but the texture rates are nearly identical at 609.1 GTexel/s and 619.2 GTexel/s, respectively.

The production status also differs: the A100 is End-of-life, having been released on May 13, 2020, while the RTX 4500 is Active, released on August 8, 2023. The A100's predecessor is Tesla Turing, and its successor is Server Ada. The RTX 4500's predecessor is Workstation Ampere, and its successor is Blackwell PRO W. These timelines explain the process node difference: the A100 uses the older 7 nm node, while the RTX 4500 leverages the newer 5 nm node, which enables higher clocks and better transistor density.