NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D Comparison

The NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D represent two distinct philosophies from the same manufacturer: one is a server compute accelerator, the other a consumer flagship graphics card. While both sit at the 98th percentile of all GPUs, the benchmark data reveals a clear split in their capabilities, with the GeForce card taking the sole head-to-head win.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is the Geekbench Vulkan test, and the results heavily favor the GeForce RTX 4090 D. The RTX 4090 D scores 246,941, while the A100 SXM4 80 GB trails significantly with 183,725. This represents a 25.6% advantage for the GeForce card in this graphics-oriented workload. The delta is substantial; in practical terms, the RTX 4090 D completes the same Vulkan rendering tasks roughly a quarter faster than the A100.

This outcome is not unexpected when examining the underlying specifications. The GeForce card is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process, while the A100 uses the older Ampere architecture on a 7 nm node. The RTX 4090 D also carries dedicated ray tracing cores (114) and a much higher boost clock of 2520 MHz compared to the A100's 1410 MHz. In a graphics API test like Vulkan, these features translate directly into higher frame throughput and better geometry handling.

However, the A100 does not lose by a wide margin in the aggregate. Its average benchmark score is 183,725, which places it just 3.2% behind the RTX 4090 D's 178,050. The deltaPct in the nearestRivals data shows the A100 actually leads the GeForce card by 3.2% when comparing their average scores across all tests. This apparent contradiction—losing the Vulkan test by 25.6% but winning the average—indicates that the A100 excels in other, non-graphics workloads that are not captured in this limited head-to-head set. The A100's nearest rival, the RTX 5000 Ada Generation, scores 184,664, just 0.5% higher, showing the A100 is competitive with modern workstation cards in general compute.

The GeForce RTX 4090 D, for its part, shows strong performance in OpenCL as well, scoring 278,621 in that test. This suggests its compute capabilities, while not as specialized as the A100's, are still robust for a consumer card. The data shows a clear pattern: the RTX 4090 D is the faster graphics processor, but the A100 holds its own in broader compute benchmarks, likely due to its massive memory bandwidth and tensor core configuration.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB has a higher average benchmark score of 183,725, compared to the GeForce RTX 4090 D's 178,050. The A100 leads by 3.2% in this aggregate measure.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 4090 D in the Geekbench Vulkan test?

A: The RTX 4090 D scores 246,941 versus the A100's 183,725, making it 25.6% faster in that specific graphics workload.

Q: What are the memory capacities of the two cards?

A: The A100 SXM4 80 GB comes with 80 GB of HBM2e memory, while the RTX 4090 D has 24 GB of GDDR6X memory. The A100 also has a wider 5120-bit bus, yielding 2.04 TB/s bandwidth versus 1.01 TB/s on the GeForce.

Q: Do both cards support the same PCIe interface?

A: Yes, both use a PCIe 4.0 x16 bus interface.

Q: What is the launch MSRP for the RTX 4090 D?

A: The RTX 4090 D had a launch MSRP of 1,599 USD.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The GeForce RTX 4090 D, built on a 5 nm process, has a transistor density of 125.3M per mm². The A100, on a 7 nm node, has 65.6M per mm².

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is generational. The A100 SXM4 80 GB is built on the Ampere architecture, released in November 2020, using TSMC's 7 nm process. It packs 54,200 million transistors on an 826 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 65.6M per mm². The RTX 4090 D, released in December 2023, uses the newer Ada Lovelace architecture on TSMC's 5 nm node. It contains 76,300 million transistors on a smaller 609 mm² die, achieving a much higher density of 125.3M per mm².

This process advantage gives the GeForce card significantly higher clock speeds: a base of 2280 MHz and boost of 2520 MHz, versus the A100's 1275 MHz base and 1410 MHz boost. The RTX 4090 D also has more shading units (14,592 vs. 6,912), more texture mapping units (456 vs. 432), and more ROPs (176 vs. 160). Critically, the RTX 4090 D includes 114 ray tracing cores, while the A100 has none listed—a clear indicator of their different target markets.

The A100 counters with its memory subsystem. It uses 80 GB of HBM2e with a 5120-bit bus, delivering 2.04 TB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 4090 D uses 24 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus, providing 1.01 TB/s—roughly half the bandwidth. The A100 also has 432 tensor cores, which are essential for AI and deep learning workloads, while the RTX 4090 D has 456 tensor cores but pairs them with its ray tracing hardware for a more gaming-focused feature set.

The FP32 compute figures illustrate the divide: the A100 delivers 19.49 TFLOPS, while the RTX 4090 D achieves 73.54 TFLOPS—a 3.8x advantage. However, the A100's FP16 performance is 77.97 TFLOPS (4:1 ratio), which is higher than its FP32, indicating its design for mixed-precision AI workloads. The RTX 4090 D's FP16 is 73.54 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), matching its FP32 output. The A100 also has a higher pixel rate of 225.6 GPixel/s, but the RTX 4090 D nearly doubles that with 443.5 GPixel/s.

The Verdict

The data paints a clear picture for different use cases. The GeForce RTX 4090 D is the superior choice for graphics-intensive applications. Its 25.6% lead in Vulkan, combined with its ray tracing cores, higher clock speeds, and 73.54 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, makes it the go-to for real-time rendering, gaming, and any workload that relies on rasterization or ray tracing. Its 24 GB of GDDR6X memory is ample for high-resolution textures, and its triple-slot design with a 16-pin connector indicates it is built for desktop performance.

The NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB is the better option for server and AI workloads, despite its lower raw compute numbers. Its 80 GB of HBM2e memory with 2.04 TB/s bandwidth is unmatched by the GeForce card, and its 77.97 TFLOPS FP16 performance (4:1) suggests it is optimized for neural network training and inference where memory capacity and bandwidth are critical. Its higher average benchmark score (183,725 vs. 178,050) and 3.2% lead over the RTX 4090 D in aggregate further support this, indicating it excels in tests beyond graphics.

For a workstation that needs both graphics and compute, the RTX 5000 Ada Generation—which scores within 0.5% of the A100—might be a more balanced alternative, but the data provided does not include its full specifications. Ultimately, the RTX 4090 D wins on graphics, the A100 wins on memory-bound compute, and the choice between them rests entirely on the primary workload.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D |

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

| Architecture | Ampere | Ada Lovelace |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 5 nm |

| Transistors | 54,200 million | 76,300 million |

| Die Size | 826 mm² | 609 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 65.6M / mm² | 125.3M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1275 MHz | 2280 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1410 MHz | 2520 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1593 MHz (3.2 Gbps effective) | 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 80 GB | 24 GB |

| Memory Type | HBM2e | GDDR6X |

| Memory Bus Width | 5120 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 2.04 TB/s | 1.01 TB/s |

| Shading Units | 6912 | 14592 |

| TMUs | 432 | 456 |

| ROPs | 160 | 176 |

| RT Cores | None | 114 |

| Tensor Cores | 432 | 456 |

| Pixel Rate | 225.6 GPixel/s | 443.5 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 609.1 GTexel/s | 1,149.1 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 19.49 TFLOPS | 73.54 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 77.97 TFLOPS (4:1) | 73.54 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 400 W | 425 W |

| Slot Width | OAM Module | Triple-slot |

| Power Connectors | None | 1x 16-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 800 W | 800 W |

| Display Outputs | No outputs | 1x HDMI 2.13x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| DirectX | None | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| OpenGL | None | 4.6 |

| Vulkan | None | 1.4 |

| Length | — | 304 mm (12 inches) |

| Height | — | 137 mm (5.4 inches) |

| Width | — | 61 mm (2.4 inches) |

| Release Date | 2020-11-15 | 2023-12-27 |

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

| Predecessor | Tesla Turing | GeForce 30 |

| Successor | Server Ada | GeForce 50 |

| Launch MSRP | — | 1,599 USD |