NVIDIA A10M vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D Comparison

FAQ

Q: How does the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D compare to the NVIDIA A10M in overall benchmark performance?

A: The RTX 4090 D has an average benchmark score of 178,050, while the A10M scores 135,230. This places the RTX 4090 D in the 98th percentile of all GPUs, versus the 96th percentile for the A10M.

Q: What is the performance difference in the only shared benchmark between the two cards?

A: In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RTX 4090 D scores 278,621, while the A10M scores 135,230. This gives the RTX 4090 D a 106% lead over the A10M — more than double the score.

Q: Which GPU has higher memory bandwidth and capacity?

A: The RTX 4090 D features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, yielding 1.01 TB/s bandwidth. The A10M has 20 GB of GDDR6 on a 320-bit bus, providing 500.2 GB/s — roughly half the bandwidth of the RTX 4090 D.

Q: How do the two cards differ in power requirements?

A: The RTX 4090 D has a TDP of 425 W and requires an 800 W suggested PSU, while the A10M draws only 150 W with a 450 W suggested PSU. The A10M is also single-slot, whereas the RTX 4090 D is triple-slot.

Q: What are the nearest rivals for each card according to the benchmark database?

A: The RTX 4090 D’s closest competitor is the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell (average score 182,109, -2.2% delta). The A10M’s nearest rival is the NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation (average score 135,218, 0% delta).

Q: Do both cards support the same modern graphics APIs?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. However, the RTX 4090 D has display outputs (1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a), while the A10M has no display outputs at all.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 4090 D wins decisively in raw compute performance. In the only head-to-head benchmark available (Geekbench OpenCL), it achieves a 106% higher score than the A10M — a massive margin that reflects its far larger shader core count (14,592 vs 7,168), higher clock speeds, and wider memory interface. The data shows the RTX 4090 D is also the only card of the two with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 result (8,587), indicating it is positioned for demanding graphics workloads, whereas no such score exists for the A10M.

The A10M, by contrast, wins in operational efficiency and form factor. Its 150 W TDP is less than half the RTX 4090 D’s 425 W, and its single-slot design with an 8-pin EPS connector makes it far easier to integrate into dense server chassis. The A10M’s suggested PSU of 450 W versus 800 W further underscores its lower system-level power footprint. Additionally, the A10M has a transistor density of 45.1M per mm² on an 8 nm Samsung process, which, while lower than the RTX 4090 D’s 125.3M per mm², allows it to operate at a much more modest power envelope.

Where the RTX 4090 D clearly wins is in memory throughput. Its 1.01 TB/s bandwidth is 102% higher than the A10M’s 500.2 GB/s, which is critical for large dataset processing and high-resolution texture workloads. The RTX 4090 D also offers 24 GB of VRAM versus 20 GB, providing a 20% capacity advantage. For any task that scales with memory bandwidth or capacity — such as AI inference on large models or rendering massive scenes — the RTX 4090 D is the clear choice.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different NVIDIA architecture generations. The RTX 4090 D is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using the AD102 chip, fabricated on TSMC’s 5 nm process. It packs 76,300 million transistors into a 609 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 125.3M per mm². The A10M, in contrast, is based on the older Ampere architecture with the GA102 chip, manufactured on Samsung’s 8 nm process. It contains 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die, resulting in a density of just 45.1M per mm².

These architectural differences translate directly into compute resources. The RTX 4090 D has 14,592 shading units, 456 TMUs, 176 ROPs, 114 RT cores, and 456 tensor cores. The A10M has 7,168 shading units, 224 TMUs, 80 ROPs, 56 RT cores, and 224 tensor cores — exactly half or fewer of the RTX 4090 D’s counts in every category. This halving pattern is consistent across the board, reflecting the fundamental generational leap in core density and efficiency.

Clock speeds also differ dramatically. The RTX 4090 D runs at a 2280 MHz base and 2520 MHz boost, while the A10M operates at 975 MHz base and 1635 MHz boost. The RTX 4090 D’s boost clock is 54% higher than the A10M’s, compounding the core count advantage. Memory technology also differs: the RTX 4090 D uses GDDR6X at 21 Gbps effective, while the A10M uses GDDR6 at 12.5 Gbps effective.

The RTX 4090 D’s memory clock of 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective) and 384-bit bus achieve 1.01 TB/s, versus the A10M’s 1563 MHz (12.5 Gbps effective) on a 320-bit bus for 500.2 GB/s. The production status of both is end-of-life, but the RTX 4090 D belongs to the GeForce 40 series with a known predecessor (GeForce 30) and successor (GeForce 50), while the A10M is part of the Server Ampere (Axx) generation.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D | NVIDIA A10M |

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

| Architecture | Ada Lovelace | Ampere |

| Process Node | 5 nm (TSMC) | 8 nm (Samsung) |

| Transistors | 76,300 million | 28,300 million |

| Die Size | 609 mm² | 628 mm² |

| Base Clock | 2280 MHz | 975 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2520 MHz | 1635 MHz |

| Memory Size | 24 GB GDDR6X | 20 GB GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus | 384 bit | 320 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 1.01 TB/s | 500.2 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 14,592 | 7,168 |

| TMUs | 456 | 224 |

| ROPs | 176 | 80 |

| RT Cores | 114 | 56 |

| Tensor Cores | 456 | 224 |

| Pixel Rate | 443.5 GPixel/s | 130.8 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 1,149.1 GTexel/s | 366.2 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 73.54 TFLOPS | 23.44 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 73.54 TFLOPS (1:1) | 23.44 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 425 W | 150 W |

| Slot Width | Triple-slot | Single-slot |

| Power Connectors | 1x 16-pin | 8-pin EPS |

| Suggested PSU | 800 W | 450 W |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a | No outputs |

| Dimensions | 304 mm x 137 mm x 61 mm | 267 mm x 112 mm x (width N/A) |

The RTX 4090 D’s launch MSRP is 1,599 USD. The A10M has no listed launch MSRP.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test. The RTX 4090 D scores 278,621, while the A10M scores 135,230. The delta is 106% — meaning the RTX 4090 D is more than twice as fast as the A10M in this compute-heavy workload. This is a staggering margin that reflects every hardware advantage: 2x shading units, 2x tensor cores, 2x RT cores, 54% higher boost clock, and 102% more memory bandwidth.

The RTX 4090 D also has a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 8,587, which places it in the 98th percentile of all GPUs. The A10M has no such score recorded, suggesting it is not typically used for DirectX 12 gaming or real-time graphics benchmarks. The RTX 4090 D’s nearest rivals in the database — the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell (182,109 avg, -2.2%) and A100 SXM4 80 GB (183,725 avg, -3.1%) — all have lower average scores than the RTX 4090 D’s 178,050, though the differences are small (under 5%). This indicates the RTX 4090 D sits at the top tier of consumer/workstation GPUs.

The A10M’s nearest rivals are the RTX 4000 Ada Generation (135,218 avg, 0% delta) and AMD Radeon PRO W6800 (135,396 avg, -0.1%). The A10M’s 135,230 average score is essentially tied with these cards, with deltas under 1%. This places the A10M in a mid-range server compute tier, far below the RTX 4090 D’s performance class. The RTX 4090 D’s average score of 178,050 is 31.6% higher than the A10M’s 135,230, and the OpenCL head-to-head shows an even larger 106% gap because the RTX 4090 D’s OpenCL score (278,621) is much higher than its overall average, while the A10M’s OpenCL score equals its average (135,230).

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D is in a completely different performance class than the NVIDIA A10M. In the only shared benchmark, the RTX 4090 D is 106% faster. It has double the shading units, tensor cores, and RT cores, plus a 54% higher boost clock and 102% more memory bandwidth. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 result (8,587) confirms its ability to handle modern graphics workloads, whereas the A10M has no such result.

However, the A10M serves a distinct purpose. Its 150 W TDP and single-slot design make it suitable for dense server environments where power and space are constrained. The 8-pin EPS connector and 450 W suggested PSU align with standard server power delivery. The RTX 4090 D, at 425 W with a triple-slot cooler and 16-pin connector, is a power-hungry desktop-class card. The A10M also has no display outputs, reinforcing its role as a compute-only accelerator for server inference or rendering farms.

For users prioritizing raw compute performance, the RTX 4090 D is the obvious choice. Its 98th percentile ranking and 24 GB of memory make it suitable for large-scale AI training, high-resolution rendering, and demanding graphics workloads. The 20 GB A10M, at the 96th percentile, is adequate for moderate compute tasks but cannot match the RTX 4090 D’s throughput.

For users prioritizing power efficiency and space, the A10M wins. Its 150 W TDP is 65% lower than the RTX 4090 D’s 425 W, and its single-slot profile allows far higher GPU density per server. The A10M’s performance per watt, while not directly measured, is implied by its much lower power draw for roughly half the compute resources.

The verdict from the data: choose the RTX 4090 D for maximum performance and memory bandwidth, especially in graphics-intensive or compute-heavy workloads. Choose the A10M for power-constrained server deployments where density and efficiency matter more than raw speed. The RTX 4090 D’s nearest rivals (RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell, A100 SXM4 80 GB) are all within 5% of its average score, indicating it occupies a high-performance tier with little competition. The A10M’s rivals (RTX 4000 Ada, Radeon PRO W6800) are within 1%, showing it is a solid mid-range server option but not a performance leader.