NVIDIA A10M vs NVIDIA PG506-232 Comparison

The NVIDIA PG506-232 and NVIDIA A10M are both server-oriented Ampere GPUs, but the benchmark data shows they are not in the same performance class. In the single available benchmark, the PG506-232 delivers a Geekbench OpenCL score of 225,124, which is 66.5% higher than the A10M’s score of 135,230. The PG506-232 also sits in the 99th percentile of all GPUs, while the A10M ranks in the 96th percentile. This gap is decisive, but the two cards are built on fundamentally different chips and memory architectures, which explains their divergent profiles.

Where Each One Wins

The PG506-232 wins the only head-to-head benchmark available, and it wins by a wide margin. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 225,124 places it 66.5% ahead of the A10M’s 135,230. In the broader field, the PG506-232 outperforms the AMD Radeon PRO W7900D by 2.4% (219,827) and the NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80 GB by 8.7% (207,124). It also leads the NVIDIA RTX 6000D by 14.9% (195,964). However, it trails the NVIDIA L20 by 10.4% (251,147). This indicates the PG506-232 is a high-end compute part, competitive with top-tier accelerators.

The A10M, by contrast, sits in a much lower performance tier. Its score of 135,230 is statistically tied with the NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation (135,218, deltaPct 0%), the AMD Radeon PRO W6800 (135,396, -0.1%), the AMD Radeon Pro W6800X Duo (135,774, -0.4%), and the AMD Radeon PRO V620 (136,472, -0.9%). These are all within 1% of each other, making the A10M a mid-range compute option rather than a flagship. For workloads that rely on raw OpenCL throughput, the PG506-232 is the clear winner, while the A10M offers a more modest but still respectable level of performance.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from the same Ampere generation but use different chips and manufacturing processes. The PG506-232 is built on the GA100 chip using a 7 nm process from TSMC, with 54,200 million transistors on a 826 mm² die. The A10M uses the GA102 chip on Samsung’s 8 nm process, with 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die. This is a fundamental difference: the PG506-232 packs nearly twice the transistor count into a larger die, while the A10M uses a smaller, denser chip with fewer transistors.

Memory is another major divergence. The PG506-232 features 24 GB of HBM2 memory on a 3072-bit bus, delivering 933.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The A10M has 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus, providing 500.2 GB/s. The PG506-232’s memory bandwidth is 86.5% higher, which is critical for memory-bound compute tasks. The PG506-232 also has a higher pixel rate (138.2 GPixel/s vs 130.8 GPixel/s) and a lower texture rate (322.6 GTexel/s vs 366.2 GTexel/s). In terms of shading, the A10M has far more shading units (7,168 vs 3,584) and reaches a higher boost clock (1,635 MHz vs 1,440 MHz), resulting in much higher FP32 throughput (23.44 TFLOPS vs 10.32 TFLOPS). Both cards have 224 tensor cores, but the A10M adds 56 ray-tracing cores, which the PG506-232 lacks.

The A10M also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the PG506-232 lists no API support in the data. Both are dual-slot (PG506-232) or single-slot (A10M) cards with no display outputs, use a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface, and require a 450 W suggested PSU. The PG506-232 has a TDP of 165 W, while the A10M is slightly lower at 150 W. The PG506-232 was released on 2021-04-11, while the A10M has no release date listed. Both are end-of-life products with a predecessor of Tesla Turing and a successor of Server Ada.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the benchmark data, the NVIDIA PG506-232 is the superior performer for compute-intensive workloads. Its OpenCL score of 225,124 is 66.5% higher than the A10M’s, and it ranks in the 99th percentile of all GPUs versus the A10M’s 96th. The PG506-232 also leads several high-end rivals, including the AMD Radeon PRO W7900D by 2.4% and the NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80 GB by 8.7%. If raw compute throughput is the priority, the PG506-232 is the clear choice.

The A10M, however, should not be dismissed. Its score of 135,230 is exactly on par with the NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation (135,218) and within 0.9% of the AMD Radeon PRO V620 (136,472). It offers more than double the FP32 performance (23.44 TFLOPS vs 10.32 TFLOPS) and includes 56 ray-tracing cores, making it more flexible for mixed workloads that include graphics or ray tracing, despite its lower raw OpenCL score. The A10M also has a lower TDP (150 W vs 165 W) and a single-slot design, which could be advantageous in dense server configurations. For users prioritizing memory bandwidth and overall OpenCL compute, the PG506-232 wins; for those needing higher FP32 throughput and API support, the A10M is the better fit.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA PG506-232 scores 225,124, which is 66.5% higher than the NVIDIA A10M’s score of 135,230.

Q: How does the PG506-232 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The PG506-232 is 2.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon PRO W7900D (219,827) and 8.7% ahead of the NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80 GB (207,124), but 10.4% behind the NVIDIA L20 (251,147).

Q: What are the memory differences between the two cards?

A: The PG506-232 has 24 GB of HBM2 memory with a 3072-bit bus and 933.1 GB/s bandwidth, while the A10M has 20 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 320-bit bus and 500.2 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Does the A10M support ray tracing?

A: Yes, the A10M has 56 ray-tracing cores, while the PG506-232 has none listed.

Q: Which card has higher FP32 performance?

A: The A10M delivers 23.44 TFLOPS FP32, which is more than double the PG506-232’s 10.32 TFLOPS.

Q: Are both cards the same physical size?

A: Yes, both have the same dimensions: 267 mm in length and 112 mm in height, but the PG506-232 is dual-slot while the A10M is single-slot.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison is Geekbench OpenCL, where the PG506-232 scores 225,124 against the A10M’s 135,230. This is a 66.5% advantage for the PG506-232, a massive gap that defines the performance hierarchy. To put it in context, the PG506-232’s score is closer to the NVIDIA L20 (251,147) than to the A10M, and it even beats the NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80 GB (207,124) by 8.7%. The A10M, on the other hand, is nearly identical to the NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation (135,218) and the AMD Radeon PRO W6800 (135,396), with differences of 0% and -0.1%, respectively.

The PG506-232’s victory is driven by its HBM2 memory, which provides 933.1 GB/s of bandwidth versus the A10M’s 500.2 GB/s. This 86.5% bandwidth advantage is likely the key factor in OpenCL workloads that stress memory throughput. The A10M’s higher FP32 rate (23.44 TFLOPS vs 10.32 TFLOPS) does not translate into a higher OpenCL score, indicating that the benchmark is more memory-bound than compute-bound. The PG506-232 also has a higher pixel rate (138.2 GPixel/s vs 130.8 GPixel/s), though the A10M counters with a higher texture rate (366.2 GTexel/s vs 322.6 GTexel/s). Overall, the PG506-232 wins the only benchmark that matters here, and it does so decisively.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA PG506-232 | NVIDIA A10M |

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

| Chip | GA100 | GA102 |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 8 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | Samsung |

| Transistors | 54,200 million | 28,300 million |

| Die Size | 826 mm² | 628 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 65.6M / mm² | 45.1M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 930 MHz | 975 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1440 MHz | 1635 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1215 MHz (2.4 Gbps effective) | 1563 MHz (12.5 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 24 GB | 20 GB |

| Memory Type | HBM2 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus Width | 3072 bit | 320 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 933.1 GB/s | 500.2 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 3584 | 7168 |

| TMUs | 224 | 224 |

| ROPs | 96 | 80 |

| Ray Tracing Cores | None | 56 |

| Tensor Cores | 224 | 224 |

| Pixel Rate | 138.2 GPixel/s | 130.8 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 322.6 GTexel/s | 366.2 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 10.32 TFLOPS | 23.44 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 10.32 TFLOPS (1:1) | 23.44 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 165 W | 150 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | Single-slot |

| Power Connectors | 8-pin EPS | 8-pin EPS |

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | 450 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | No outputs | No outputs |

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

| OpenGL | None | 4.6 |

| Vulkan | None | 1.4 |

| Release Date | 2021-04-11 | None |