NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database has a single direct head-to-head benchmark between these two GPUs: Geekbench Vulkan. The results show a decisive victory for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D. The RTX 5090 D scored 376,915 points, while the NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB scored 183,725 points. This translates to a delta of -51.3% for the A100, meaning the RTX 5090 D is more than twice as fast in this particular test.

To contextualize the A100's performance, its average benchmark score of 183,725 places it in the 98th percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation, which scores 184,664 (0.5% higher), and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell at 182,109 (0.9% lower). Interestingly, the A100 SXM4 80 GB is slightly behind its 40 GB sibling, which scores 187,147 (a 1.8% advantage for the 40 GB model). It also leads the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D by 3.2%, which scores 178,050. These figures show that while the A100 is a top-tier performer in its own right, it is not the absolute peak of the database even within its immediate family.

The RTX 5090 D, despite its win in the head-to-head, has a different benchmark profile. Its average benchmark score is 77,712, which puts it in the 92nd percentile. This lower average is due to the inclusion of several less demanding tests in its benchmark suite, such as Passmark DirectX 9 (score of 434) and Passmark G2D (score of 1487). Its nearest rivals in the overall average are a different class of hardware entirely, including the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (76,904, 1.1% lower) and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78,940, 1.6% higher). This comparison indicates that the RTX 5090 D's average is heavily weighted by its performance across a diverse set of legacy and compute tests, not just the single Vulkan result.

The data from the Geekbench Vulkan test is the only direct measurement available for comparison. The RTX 5090 D's score of 376,915 is a clear outlier in its own benchmark list, far exceeding its Geekbench OpenCL score of 310,674. This suggests that the architecture is particularly well-suited to Vulkan's API. The A100's single benchmark entry, 183,725 in Vulkan, represents its entire measured performance in the database. Therefore, while the A100 is a highly consistent performer at the 98th percentile, the RTX 5090 D demonstrates a higher peak in this specific API.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent fundamentally different design philosophies. The A100 is built on the Ampere architecture, fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC. The RTX 5090 D uses the newer Blackwell 2.0 architecture on a 5 nm node, also from TSMC. This process shrink is a key factor in the performance differential. The A100's chip, designated GA100, contains 54,200 million transistors on a die size of 826 mm². The RTX 5090 D's GB202 chip packs 92,200 million transistors onto a smaller 750 mm² die. This results in a significant difference in transistor density: 65.6M transistors per mm² for the A100 versus 122.9M per mm² for the RTX 5090 D.

Memory configurations are also starkly different. The A100 is equipped with 80 GB of HBM2e memory on a 5120-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 2.04 TB/s. The RTX 5090 D uses 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. The A100 has a wider memory bus and higher bandwidth, which is typical for a compute accelerator handling large datasets. In contrast, the RTX 5090 D has a smaller capacity but uses faster GDDR7 technology, achieving a high effective speed of 28 Gbps.

The compute resources differ dramatically. The RTX 5090 D has 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units (TMUs), 176 render output units (ROPs), and 680 tensor cores. It also has 170 dedicated ray tracing cores. The A100 has 6,912 shading units, 432 TMUs, 160 ROPs, and 432 tensor cores, with no dedicated ray tracing cores listed. This gives the RTX 5090 D a massive advantage in raw shader throughput. Its FP32 compute is 104.8 TFLOPS, compared to the A100's 19.49 TFLOPS. The FP16 performance is also notable: the RTX 5090 D achieves 104.8 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, while the A100 reaches 77.97 TFLOPS with a 4:1 ratio, indicating a different approach to mixed-precision workloads.

Clock speeds and power characteristics also set them apart. The RTX 5090 D has a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz, significantly higher than the A100's 1275 MHz base and 1410 MHz boost. The RTX 5090 D's thermal design power (TDP) is 575 W, requiring a 950 W power supply, while the A100 has a 400 W TDP with an 800 W suggested PSU. The physical form factors reflect their intended environments: the A100 is an OAM module with no display outputs, designed for server racks, while the RTX 5090 D is a dual-slot consumer card with HDMI 2.1b and DisplayPort 2.1b outputs.

Where Each One Wins

Based on the recorded data, the use cases are clear. The RTX 5090 D wins in the only direct benchmark comparison, the Geekbench Vulkan test. Its score of 376,915 versus 183,725 indicates a decisive advantage in graphics-oriented APIs. This is supported by its architecture, which includes ray tracing cores and a much higher shader count. The RTX 5090 D also has a significantly higher pixel rate (423.6 GPixel/s versus 225.6 GPixel/s) and texture rate (1,636.8 GTexel/s versus 609.1 GTexel/s). For rendering, gaming, or any workload that relies on DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4, or OpenGL 4.6, the RTX 5090 D is the stronger choice. Its active production status and recent release date (January 2025) also suggest it is the more current option for new systems.

The A100's strengths lie in its memory capacity and bandwidth, not in raw graphics throughput. With 80 GB of HBM2e memory and 2.04 TB/s of bandwidth, it is designed for large-scale compute tasks such as training massive neural networks or processing huge datasets that do not fit into the 32 GB frame buffer of the RTX 5090 D. The A100's 98th percentile ranking in the database, based on its average benchmark score, reflects its consistency in high-performance compute environments. Its nearest rivals include other professional and server-grade cards, such as the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell and the RTX 5000 Ada Generation, which underscores its positioning in the workstation and data center market.

The RTX 5090 D also shows strong compute performance in its own benchmark suite. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 310,674 is substantial, and its Passmark GPU Compute score of 28,396 indicates solid general-purpose compute capability. However, its average benchmark score is dragged down by lower scores in legacy DirectX tests, such as Passmark DirectX 9 (434) and DirectX 10 (231). This suggests that while it excels in modern APIs, it may not be optimized for older software. The A100, with no API support listed for DirectX or Vulkan, is not designed for such legacy compatibility at all.

The Verdict

The data presents a straightforward verdict for most users. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the superior choice for any workload that involves graphics rendering, ray tracing, or modern game APIs. Its Geekbench Vulkan score is 51.3% higher than the A100's, and its FP32 compute power is over five times greater (104.8 TFLOPS versus 19.49 TFLOPS). It is also an active product with a launch MSRP of 2,299 USD. For a desktop workstation, content creation, or high-end gaming, the RTX 5090 D is the clear winner based on the measured data.

The NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB is not a consumer graphics card. It is an end-of-life server accelerator with no display outputs. Its value proposition is entirely different: 80 GB of memory and 2.04 TB/s of bandwidth are its primary assets. The database shows it sits at the 98th percentile, just behind the RTX 5000 Ada Generation and the A100 SXM4 40 GB, but ahead of the RTX 4090 D. For data center operators who need large memory capacity for inference or training workloads that cannot be split across multiple GPUs, the A100 remains a relevant, albeit older, option. Its 7 nm process and 400 W TDP also make it a more power-efficient choice per unit of memory capacity, though the RTX 5090 D offers far more compute per watt in raw FP32 terms.

Benchmark results indicate that if the workload is graphics-intensive, the RTX 5090 D wins without contest. If the workload requires massive memory capacity and the software is optimized for HBM2e bandwidth, the A100 is the only option of the two that provides it. The RTX 5090 D's 32 GB is substantial but not comparable to 80 GB. The choice hinges entirely on the application's memory footprint versus its compute requirements. For most modern, graphics-driven tasks, the RTX 5090 D is the definitive pick.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher Geekbench Vulkan score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D scores 376,915, which is 51.3% higher than the NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB's score of 183,725.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference between the two cards?

A: The A100 SXM4 80 GB has 80 GB of HBM2e memory, while the RTX 5090 D has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory.

Q: Does the A100 support ray tracing?

A: No, the database lists no ray tracing cores for the A100. The RTX 5090 D has 170 dedicated ray tracing cores.

Q: What is the FP32 compute performance of each GPU?

A: The RTX 5090 D achieves 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, while the A100 SXM4 80 GB achieves 19.49 TFLOPS.

Q: Which GPU has a higher transistor density?

A: The RTX 5090 D has a transistor density of 122.9M per mm², compared to the A100's 65.6M per mm².

Q: What is the production status of each card?

A: The A100 SXM4 80 GB is listed as end-of-life, while the RTX 5090 D is listed as active.