NVIDIA A10M vs NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile Comparison

The comparison between the NVIDIA A10M and the NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile is a study in contrasts. Both are built on the same fundamental Ampere architecture, yet they are engineered for entirely different environments: one is a single-slot server workhorse, and the other is a high-performance mobile solution. The data reveals a nuanced picture where raw compute potential meets practical design constraints, and the benchmark results offer a starting point for understanding their relative strengths.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available is in the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the results show a clear, if modest, victory for the A10M. The A10M scores 135,230, while the RTX A5500 Mobile scores 124,287. This translates to an 8.8% advantage for the desktop/server-oriented card. This is a significant margin across professional GPUs, suggesting that the A10M's design, with its higher boost clock and specific memory configuration, delivers a tangible performance edge in this compute-heavy workload.

However, the RTX A5500 Mobile has a data point that the A10M lacks entirely: a Geekbench Vulkan score of 103,601. While not a direct head-to-head comparison, this figure is crucial context. It indicates that the mobile GPU is capable of substantial performance in graphics and compute APIs, even if its OpenCL score is lower. The A10M, with no display outputs, is not designed for graphics workloads, making the Vulkan test irrelevant to its intended function. The 8.8% delta in OpenCL is the primary quantitative differentiator, but the existence of the Vulkan score for the mobile part hints at a broader, though not directly comparable, capability set.

Looking at the broader competitive landscape, the A10M's score is nearly identical to its closest rival, the NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation, with a deltaPct of 0. It also edges out the AMD Radeon PRO W6800 by 0.1%. This places it in a very specific performance tier. Conversely, the RTX A5500 Mobile's average score of 113,944 (which includes its lower Vulkan score) pits it against different competitors, such as the NVIDIA Tesla V100 SXM2, from which it trails by only 0.4%. The data suggests that while the A10M is a top-tier performer in its class, the A5500 Mobile is also highly competitive, but the two are not benchmarking in the same performance neighborhood on the OpenCL front.

Architecture Differences

The most fundamental difference lies in the GPU chips themselves. The A10M is built on the GA102 chip, while the RTX A5500 Mobile uses the GA103. This distinction is not merely a name change; it reflects different physical designs. The A10M's GA102 chip is larger, containing 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die. In contrast, the GA103 in the mobile part is smaller, with 22,000 million transistors on a 496 mm² die. Both are manufactured on Samsung's 8 nm process, which explains their similar transistor densities of 45.1M / mm² and 44.4M / mm², respectively.

Despite the smaller chip, the RTX A5500 Mobile actually has more of nearly every compute unit. It boasts 7,424 shading units, 232 TMUs, 96 ROPs, 58 RT Cores, and 232 Tensor Cores. The A10M, while larger, has fewer of these: 7,168 shading units, 224 TMUs, 80 ROPs, 56 RT Cores, and 224 Tensor Cores. This is a fascinating inversion. The mobile chip is more densely packed with execution resources, but the A10M compensates with higher clock speeds. The A10M's boost clock is 1635 MHz, significantly higher than the A5500 Mobile's 1500 MHz. This clock advantage allows the A10M to achieve a higher pixel rate (130.8 GPixel/s vs 144.0 GPixel/s) and a higher texture rate (366.2 GTexel/s vs 348.0 GTexel/s), despite having fewer TMUs. The result is a higher FP32 compute rating for the A10M at 23.44 TFLOPS, compared to the A5500 Mobile's 22.27 TFLOPS.

Memory configurations also diverge sharply. The A10M is equipped with 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus, resulting in a bandwidth of 500.2 GB/s. The A5500 Mobile, on the other hand, has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, but its memory runs at a higher effective speed of 16 Gbps, giving it a slightly higher bandwidth of 512.0 GB/s. The A10M uses slower 12.5 Gbps effective memory. This is a key architectural trade-off: the A10M offers more total capacity, while the mobile part achieves slightly higher bandwidth with less capacity. The power profiles are also distinct, with the A10M rated at 150 W TDP and the A5500 Mobile at 165 W TDP, a surprising detail given the latter's mobile orientation.

Where Each One Wins

The A10M wins in scenarios where raw compute throughput and large memory capacity are paramount. Its higher FP32 performance (23.44 TFLOPS) and larger 20 GB frame buffer make it well-suited for massive datasets in server-side AI inference, scientific simulations, or complex rendering tasks that need to keep large textures or models resident in memory. Its single-slot design and 8-pin EPS power connector are also clear indicators of a server environment, where density and predictable power delivery are critical. The 8.8% lead in the OpenCL benchmark directly supports this advantage in general-purpose compute.

The RTX A5500 Mobile, despite its lower OpenCL score, wins in the domain of versatility and its intended form factor. Its existence as a mobile part, with no fixed power connectors and "Portable Device Dependent" display outputs, means it is designed to be integrated into a laptop. For a professional on the go, this is the only choice. Its higher memory bandwidth (512.0 GB/s) could offer an advantage in memory-bandwidth-bound tasks, even if its overall compute is slightly lower. The presence of a Vulkan benchmark score, even if not comparable to the A10M, suggests it is capable of handling graphics-adjacent workloads that the A10M, with "No outputs," cannot. The A5500 Mobile also has more shading units and RT cores, which could theoretically provide an edge in specific ray-tracing or compute tasks that scale well with those resources, even at lower clocks.

The data suggests a clear split: the A10M is the superior pure compute performer, while the A5500 Mobile is the superior choice for a mobile, all-in-one solution. The A10M's win count of 1 in the head-to-head confirms its compute dominance. The A5500 Mobile's 0 wins in that specific test do not tell the whole story, as it offers capabilities the A10M simply does not have.

The Verdict

The choice between these two GPUs is not about which is "better" in an absolute sense, but rather which is better for a specific use case. The benchmark data shows the NVIDIA A10M is the stronger compute card, delivering an 8.8% higher score in Geekbench OpenCL. Its architecture, with a higher boost clock and more total memory (20 GB vs 16 GB), is clearly optimized for sustained, high-throughput server workloads. Its 96th percentile standing among all GPUs and its close competition with the RTX 4000 Ada Generation reinforce its position as a top-tier compute accelerator.

The NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile is the answer for a different question. Its 94th percentile rank is still excellent, but its design philosophy is different. With a smaller chip yet more shading units, it is built for efficiency within a thermal and power envelope. The higher memory bandwidth, despite less capacity, is a sign of a design aimed at different bottlenecks. For a professional who needs workstation-class performance in a laptop, the A5500 Mobile is the only data-backed option here. The verdict is clear: pick the A10M for a dedicated server compute node, and pick the RTX A5500 Mobile for a mobile workstation. The data does not support using the mobile part for a server or the server part for a mobile rig.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA A10M is faster, scoring 135,230 compared to the RTX A5500 Mobile's 124,287, a difference of 8.8%.

Q: Does the RTX A5500 Mobile have more memory than the A10M?

A: No. The A10M has 20 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the RTX A5500 Mobile has 16 GB.

Q: Is there a difference in the number of shading units?

A: Yes. The RTX A5500 Mobile has 7,424 shading units, while the A10M has 7,168.

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock speed?

A: The A10M has a higher boost clock of 1635 MHz, compared to the RTX A5500 Mobile's 1500 MHz.

Q: Are both GPUs based on the same architecture?

A: Yes, both are based on NVIDIA's Ampere architecture, but they use different chips (GA102 for the A10M and GA103 for the A5500 Mobile).

Q: Does the A10M have any display outputs?

A: No, the A10M has "No outputs," whereas the RTX A5500 Mobile's outputs are "Portable Device Dependent."

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA A10M | NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile |

|:--- |:--- |:--- |

| Chip | GA102 | GA103 |

| Generation | Server Ampere (Axx) | Ampere-MW (Ax000) |

| Transistors | 28,300 million | 22,000 million |

| Die Size | 628 mm² | 496 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 45.1M / mm² | 44.4M / mm² |

| Boost Clock | 1635 MHz | 1500 MHz |

| Memory Speed | 1563 MHz (12.5 Gbps effective) | 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 20 GB | 16 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 320 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 500.2 GB/s | 512.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 7168 | 7424 |

| TMUs | 224 | 232 |

| ROPs | 80 | 96 |

| RT Cores | 56 | 58 |

| Tensor Cores | 224 | 232 |

| Pixel Rate | 130.8 GPixel/s | 144.0 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 366.2 GTexel/s | 348.0 GTexel/s |

| FP32 (Single Precision) | 23.44 TFLOPS | 22.27 TFLOPS |

| TDP | 150 W | 165 W |

| Slot Width | Single-slot | Not specified |

| Power Connectors | 8-pin EPS | None |

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | Not specified |

| Display Outputs | No outputs | Portable Device Dependent |

| Release Date | Not specified | 2022-03-21 |

| Geekbench OpenCL Score | 135230 | 124287 |

| Geekbench Vulkan Score | Not available | 103601 |

| Percentile vs All GPUs | 96 | 94 |

| Avg Benchmark Score | 135230 | 113944 |