NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB vs NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile Comparison

The NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB and the NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile represent two distinct extremes within NVIDIA’s Ampere generation. The data shows a clear performance hierarchy, but the choice between them depends entirely on the intended workload environment. The A100 SXM4 80 GB is a data center accelerator designed for raw compute throughput, while the RTX A5500 Mobile is a professional laptop GPU balancing performance with portability.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB achieves a Geekbench Vulkan score of 183,725, while the NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile scores 103,601 in the same test. This gives the A100 a 77.3% advantage in the direct head-to-head benchmark.

Q: How do these GPUs compare to their direct rivals?

A: The A100 SXM4 80 GB holds a 98th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with its closest rival being the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation, which scores 184,664, a mere 0.5% difference. The RTX A5500 Mobile sits at the 94th percentile, with its nearest competitor being the NVIDIA Tesla V100 SXM2 16 GB, which scores 114,395, a 0.4% difference.

Q: What are the key memory differences?

A: The A100 SXM4 80 GB uses 80 GB of HBM2e memory with a 5120-bit bus, delivering 2.04 TB/s of bandwidth. The RTX A5500 Mobile uses 16 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 256-bit bus, providing 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 compute performance?

A: Despite having fewer shading units, the RTX A5500 Mobile leads in FP32 performance with 22.27 TFLOPS. The A100 SXM4 80 GB delivers 19.49 TFLOPS with its 6,912 shading units.

Q: What is the difference in thermal design power (TDP)?

A: The A100 SXM4 80 GB has a TDP of 400 W, while the RTX A5500 Mobile has a TDP of 165 W. This reflects the A100’s data center design versus the mobile GPU’s power-constrained laptop chassis.

Q: Do both GPUs support modern graphics APIs?

A: The RTX A5500 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The A100 SXM4 80 GB has no listed API support for DirectX, OpenGL, or Vulkan, confirming its focus on compute rather than graphics rendering.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs share the Ampere architecture but are built on different manufacturing processes and chips. The A100 SXM4 80 GB uses the GA100 chip fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC, incorporating 54,200 million transistors on an 826 mm² die. In contrast, the RTX A5500 Mobile uses the GA103 chip fabricated on an 8 nm process at Samsung, with 22,000 million transistors on a 496 mm² die. This results in a transistor density of 65.6M per mm² for the A100 versus 44.4M per mm² for the mobile part.

The core configurations differ significantly. The A100 SXM4 80 GB has 6,912 shading units, 432 TMUs, 160 ROPs, and 432 tensor cores. The RTX A5500 Mobile has more shading units at 7,424, but fewer TMUs at 232, ROPs at 96, and tensor cores at 232. Notably, the RTX A5500 Mobile includes 58 ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the A100, which has null values for RT cores. This indicates the A100 is optimized for AI and scientific compute, while the A5500 Mobile retains graphics-focused hardware.

Memory architecture also sets them apart. The A100 SXM4 80 GB employs HBM2e across a 5120-bit bus, a design choice for maximum bandwidth. The RTX A5500 Mobile uses GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, which is more conventional for a mobile form factor. Clock speeds see the A100 with a base of 1275 MHz and boost of 1410 MHz, while the A5500 Mobile has a lower base of 975 MHz but a higher boost of 1500 MHz.

The generation labels reflect their target markets: the A100 belongs to the "Server Ampere (Axx)" generation, while the A5500 Mobile is in the "Ampere-MW (Ax000)" generation. The A100 is an OAM Module with no display outputs and no power connectors, whereas the A5500 Mobile has portable device dependent outputs and also lacks power connectors. Both use a PCIe 4.0 x16 bus interface.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only recorded head-to-head benchmark is Geekbench Vulkan, and the result is decisive. The NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB scores 183,725, while the NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile scores 103,601. This represents a 77.3% delta in favor of the A100. This is not a marginal victory; it is a substantial performance gap that places the A100 in a different performance tier.

Contextualizing these scores with the nearest rivals clarifies the positioning. The A100 SXM4 80 GB’s score of 183,725 places it within 0.5% of the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation (184,664) and 0.9% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell (182,109). It trails the A100 SXM4 40 GB variant by 1.8% (187,147) and leads the GeForce RTX 4090 D by 3.2% (178,050). The A100’s 98th percentile ranking confirms it sits near the top of the database.

Meanwhile, the RTX A5500 Mobile’s score of 103,601 is its lower Geekbench result; it also records a Geekbench OpenCL score of 124,287. Its average benchmark score is 113,944. Against its nearest rivals, it is 0.4% behind the Tesla V100 SXM2 16 GB (114,395), 2.7% behind the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation (117,088), 2.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon PRO W7900 (110,725), and 2.9% behind the NVIDIA GB10 (117,393). The 94th percentile ranking shows it is a strong performer, but not at the absolute top tier.

The single benchmark result shows a clear win for the A100 SXM4 80 GB. The Vulkan score difference is not merely a small edge but a dominant 77.3% lead. This aligns with the hardware specifications: the A100’s HBM2e memory bandwidth and massive die size are built for sustained compute workloads, while the A5500 Mobile is constrained by its mobile power envelope.

The Verdict

The data leads to a straightforward conclusion: the NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB is the superior compute platform. Its Geekbench Vulkan score of 183,725 versus 103,601 for the RTX A5500 Mobile, a 77.3% advantage, is the definitive metric in this comparison. The A100 also holds a higher percentile ranking at 98 versus 94, and its nearest rivals are all higher-performing GPUs like the RTX 5000 Ada Generation and RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell.

The A100 SXM4 80 GB is the choice for workloads that demand maximum compute throughput and massive memory bandwidth. Its 80 GB of HBM2e with 2.04 TB/s bandwidth dwarfs the 16 GB GDDR6 with 512.0 GB/s on the mobile part. The 400 W TDP and OAM Module form factor indicate a server rack environment where power and space are not limiting factors.

The RTX A5500 Mobile serves a completely different purpose. Its 165 W TDP and portable device dependent outputs make it suitable for mobile workstations. While it trails in the Vulkan benchmark, it offers unique features like 58 ray tracing cores and full graphics API support (DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.4), which the A100 lacks entirely. For users needing a professional GPU in a laptop, the A5500 Mobile is the only viable option from this pair.

Neither GPU has a launch MSRP listed in the database, so pricing cannot be compared. Instead, the decision hinges on form factor and workload. The A100 SXM4 80 GB wins on raw compute, and the RTX A5500 Mobile wins on portability and graphics feature set.

Specification Differences

The recorded data shows numerous differences between the two GPUs. The A100 SXM4 80 GB uses the GA100 chip on a 7 nm TSMC process, while the RTX A5500 Mobile uses the GA103 chip on an 8 nm Samsung process. Transistor counts are 54,200 million versus 22,000 million, and die sizes are 826 mm² versus 496 mm².

Memory specifications diverge completely. The A100 has 80 GB of HBM2e with a 5120-bit bus and 2.04 TB/s bandwidth. The A5500 Mobile has 16 GB of GDDR6 with a 256-bit bus and 512.0 GB/s bandwidth. The A100’s memory clock is 1593 MHz (3.2 Gbps effective), while the A5500 Mobile’s is 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective).

Core counts differ. The A100 has 6,912 shading units, 432 TMUs, 160 ROPs, and 432 tensor cores. The A5500 Mobile has 7,424 shading units, 232 TMUs, 96 ROPs, and 232 tensor cores. The A5500 Mobile has 58 RT cores; the A100 has none listed.

Compute rates are mixed. The A100 leads in pixel rate (225.6 GPixel/s versus 144.0 GPixel/s) and texture rate (609.1 GTexel/s versus 348.0 GTexel/s). The A5500 Mobile leads in FP32 (22.27 TFLOPS versus 19.49 TFLOPS). FP16 sees a major split: the A100 delivers 77.97 TFLOPS with a 4:1 ratio, while the A5500 Mobile delivers 22.27 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio.

Clock speeds show the A100 at 1275 MHz base and 1410 MHz boost, versus 975 MHz base and 1500 MHz boost for the mobile part. TDP is 400 W versus 165 W. The A100 is an OAM Module with no display outputs; the A5500 Mobile has portable device dependent outputs.

Release dates differ, with the A100 released on 2020-11-15 and the A5500 Mobile on 2022-03-21. Both are end-of-life. Their predecessors and successors also differ: the A100 follows Tesla Turing and precedes Server Ada, while the A5500 Mobile follows Quadro Turing-M and precedes Ada-MW.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB wins in scenarios requiring maximum compute density. Its 77.3% lead in the Vulkan benchmark, combined with 80 GB of HBM2e memory and 2.04 TB/s bandwidth, makes it ideal for large AI models, scientific simulations, and data center workloads. The 400 W TDP and OAM Module form factor suit rack-mounted servers where power is available. Its 98th percentile ranking and proximity to the RTX 5000 Ada Generation (0.5% difference) confirm it competes with the highest-end accelerators.

The NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile wins in portable and graphics-oriented environments. Its 165 W TDP allows operation in a laptop chassis. The inclusion of 58 RT cores and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 enables ray-traced rendering and modern graphics workloads, which the A100 cannot handle due to its lack of display outputs and API support. Its higher FP32 throughput (22.27 TFLOPS versus 19.49 TFLOPS) also provides an edge in certain compute tasks that favor raw FP32 over the A100’s FP16-focused design.

The RTX A5500 Mobile also wins on efficiency per watt for its intended form factor. With a 165 W TDP versus 400 W, it delivers its performance at a fraction of the power. Its nearest rivals, like the Tesla V100 SXM2 16 GB and RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation, are similarly close in score, showing it holds its own in the mobile and compact workstation segment.

In summary, the A100 SXM4 80 GB is the clear winner for pure compute performance and memory bandwidth, while the RTX A5500 Mobile is the winner for mobile deployment and graphics feature support. The choice is not about which is better overall, but which fits the physical and workload requirements of the user.