NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB vs NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains one directly comparable benchmark between the NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB and the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000: Geekbench Vulkan. In this test, the A100 SXM4 80 GB scores 183,725, while the Quadro RTX 6000 scores 129,564. This represents a decisive 41.8% advantage for the A100 SXM4 80 GB, a lead that places the two accelerators in entirely different performance tiers.

To contextualize the A100 SXM4 80 GB result, the database’s nearest rivals list shows it trading blows with the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation (184,664, which is 0.5% higher) and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell (182,109, which is 0.9% lower). The A100 SXM4 80 GB also sits 1.8% behind the NVIDIA A100 SXM4 40 GB (187,147) and 3.2% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D (178,050). These deltas indicate that the 80 GB variant is positioned squarely within the top tier of NVIDIA’s data center and workstation offerings, with performance differences of less than 4% across all four nearest rivals.

For the Quadro RTX 6000, the nearest rivals paint a different picture. Its average benchmark score is 101,872, which is 4.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7900M (97,487) and 4.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro VII (97,131). However, it trails the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo (106,750) by 4.6% and the AMD Radeon Pro W6600X (107,342) by 5.1%. The Quadro RTX 6000 therefore sits in a mid-to-upper tier of workstation graphics, but it is clear that the A100 SXM4 80 GB operates in a higher performance class altogether.

The Vulkan benchmark is the only head-to-head test in the database, and the A100 SXM4 80 GB wins it outright. There are no recorded tests where the Quadro RTX 6000 comes out ahead. The win count reflects this: one win for the A100 SXM4 80 GB, zero for the Quadro RTX 6000. The magnitude of the Vulkan delta, 41.8%, is substantial enough that no amount of workload tuning or driver optimization on the Quadro RTX 6000 would close the gap in this specific API test.

The Verdict

The data points to a simple conclusion: the NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB is the faster accelerator by a wide margin in the recorded Vulkan benchmark. Its score of 183,725 versus 129,564 for the Quadro RTX 6000 represents a 41.8% performance advantage. For any workload that relies heavily on Vulkan compute or graphics, the A100 SXM4 80 GB is the clear choice from a pure performance standpoint.

However, the Quadro RTX 6000 should not be dismissed entirely. It carries a 94th percentile ranking among all GPUs, which means it outperforms the vast majority of graphics cards in the database. Its average benchmark score of 101,872 is respectable, and it includes both a Geekbench OpenCL score of 74,179 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 129,564. The A100 SXM4 80 GB, by contrast, sits at the 98th percentile with an average score of 183,725, but it has no OpenCL result recorded.

Who should pick which? The A100 SXM4 80 GB is for users who need maximum compute throughput and are willing to accept its server-oriented design. The Quadro RTX 6000 is for users who require display outputs, a dual-slot form factor, and standard power connectors, and who do not need the absolute peak performance that the A100 SXM4 80 GB delivers. The benchmark data shows the A100 SXM4 80 GB is 41.8% faster in Vulkan, but the Quadro RTX 6000 offers features that the A100 SXM4 80 GB does not, such as four DisplayPort outputs and a USB Type-C port.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on different architectures from different generations. The NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB uses the GA100 chip based on the Ampere architecture, which is classified in the database as part of the Server Ampere generation. The Quadro RTX 6000 uses the TU102 chip based on the Turing architecture, classified as part of the Quadro Turing generation.

Manufacturing processes differ significantly. The A100 SXM4 80 GB is fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC, while the Quadro RTX 6000 uses a 12 nm process, also at TSMC. This process difference contributes to a major transistor count disparity. The A100 SXM4 80 GB packs 54,200 million transistors on a die size of 826 mm², yielding a transistor density of 65.6 million per square millimeter. The Quadro RTX 6000 has 18,600 million transistors on a 754 mm² die, for a density of 24.7 million per square millimeter. The A100 SXM4 80 GB therefore achieves nearly 2.7 times the transistor density of the Quadro RTX 6000.

Core configurations also differ substantially. The A100 SXM4 80 GB has 6,912 shading units, 432 texture mapping units, 160 render output units, and 432 tensor cores. It has no dedicated ray tracing cores. The Quadro RTX 6000 has 4,608 shading units, 288 texture mapping units, 96 render output units, 576 tensor cores, and 72 ray tracing cores. The A100 SXM4 80 GB has more shading units, TMUs, and ROPs, but the Quadro RTX 6000 has more tensor cores and the only ray tracing hardware of the two.

Memory architecture is another fundamental difference. The A100 SXM4 80 GB uses HBM2e memory with an 80 GB capacity, a 5120-bit bus, and a bandwidth of 2.04 TB/s. The Quadro RTX 6000 uses GDDR6 memory with a 24 GB capacity, a 384-bit bus, and a bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s. The A100 SXM4 80 GB has over three times the memory capacity and over three times the memory bandwidth.

Specification Differences

The two accelerators differ across nearly every specification field in the database.

Process node: the A100 SXM4 80 GB is 7 nm, the Quadro RTX 6000 is 12 nm. Transistors: 54,200 million versus 18,600 million. Die size: 826 mm² versus 754 mm². Transistor density: 65.6 million per mm² versus 24.7 million per mm².

Clock speeds: the A100 SXM4 80 GB has a base clock of 1275 MHz and a boost clock of 1410 MHz. The Quadro RTX 6000 has a base clock of 1440 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz. Memory clocks: the A100 SXM4 80 GB runs at 1593 MHz with 3.2 Gbps effective, while the Quadro RTX 6000 runs at 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective. The Quadro RTX 6000 has higher clock speeds, but the A100 SXM4 80 GB compensates with its wider memory bus and HBM2e technology.

Memory: 80 GB HBM2e with a 5120-bit bus and 2.04 TB/s bandwidth versus 24 GB GDDR6 with a 384-bit bus and 672.0 GB/s bandwidth. Shading units: 6,912 versus 4,608. TMUs: 432 versus 288. ROPs: 160 versus 96. Tensor cores: 432 versus 576. Ray tracing cores: none versus 72.

Pixel rate: 225.6 GPixel/s for the A100 SXM4 80 GB versus 169.9 GPixel/s for the Quadro RTX 6000. Texture rate: 609.1 GTexel/s versus 509.8 GTexel/s. FP32 performance: 19.49 TFLOPS versus 16.31 TFLOPS. FP16 performance: 77.97 TFLOPS (4:1) versus 32.62 TFLOPS (2:1).

Power and form factor: the A100 SXM4 80 GB has a TDP of 400 W, is an OAM module, has no power connectors, and requires an 800 W power supply. The Quadro RTX 6000 has a TDP of 260 W, is dual-slot, uses one 6-pin and one 8-pin power connector, and requires a 600 W power supply. Bus interface: PCIe 4.0 x16 versus PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs: none versus 4x DisplayPort 1.4a and 1x USB Type-C.

API support: the A100 SXM4 80 GB has no recorded DirectX, OpenGL, or Vulkan versions. The Quadro RTX 6000 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Dimensions: the A100 SXM4 80 GB has no recorded length, height, or width, while the Quadro RTX 6000 measures 267 mm (10.5 inches) in length and 111 mm (4.4 inches) in height.

Release dates: the A100 SXM4 80 GB was released on 2020-11-15, and the Quadro RTX 6000 on 2018-08-12. Both are end-of-life. The A100 SXM4 80 GB has a predecessor of Tesla Turing and a successor of Server Ada. The Quadro RTX 6000 has a predecessor of Quadro Volta and a successor of Workstation Ampere.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the recorded Vulkan benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB scores 183,725 in Geekbench Vulkan, while the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 scores 129,564. The A100 SXM4 80 GB is 41.8% faster.

Q: How does the A100 SXM4 80 GB compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The A100 SXM4 80 GB has an average benchmark score of 183,725. It is 0.5% behind the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation (184,664), 0.9% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell (182,109), 1.8% behind the NVIDIA A100 SXM4 40 GB (187,147), and 3.2% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D (178,050).

Q: How does the Quadro RTX 6000 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Quadro RTX 6000 has an average benchmark score of 101,872. It is 4.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7900M (97,487), 4.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro VII (97,131), 4.6% behind the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo (106,750), and 5.1% behind the AMD Radeon Pro W6600X (107,342).

Q: What memory configurations do the two GPUs have?

A: The A100 SXM4 80 GB has 80 GB of HBM2e memory on a 5120-bit bus with 2.04 TB/s bandwidth. The Quadro RTX 6000 has 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus with 672.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Do both GPUs support ray tracing?

A: No. The Quadro RTX 6000 has 72 ray tracing cores. The A100 SXM4 80 GB has no ray tracing cores recorded in the database.

Q: What are the power requirements for each GPU?

A: The A100 SXM4 80 GB has a TDP of 400 W and requires an 800 W power supply. The Quadro RTX 6000 has a TDP of 260 W and requires a 600 W power supply. The A100 SXM4 80 GB has no power connectors, while the Quadro RTX 6000 uses one 6-pin and one 8-pin connector.