NVIDIA A2 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB Comparison

The NVIDIA A2 and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB represent two distinct approaches to GPU design, separated by a generation of architecture and intended for different workloads. The A2 is a low-power Ampere workstation part, while the GTX 1060 5 GB is a Pascal-based consumer graphics card. Despite their differing origins, benchmark data shows that the A2 holds a consistent, albeit sometimes narrow, performance advantage over its older counterpart.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

In the available head-to-head comparisons, the NVIDIA A2 wins both benchmark tests. The most significant victory for the A2 comes in the Geekbench OpenCL test, where it scores 35,357 points against the GTX 1060 5 GB's 33,397 points. This represents a 5.9% performance delta, a meaningful margin that indicates the A2's architecture handles compute workloads more efficiently. The lead is not trivial; it places the A2 in a higher performance tier, with an average benchmark score of 34,690 compared to the GTX 1060 5 GB's 33,694.

The second benchmark, Geekbench Vulkan, tells a different story in terms of magnitude. Here, the A2 scores 34,023, while the GTX 1060 5 GB is extremely close behind at 33,991. The delta is a mere 0.1%, which is effectively a statistical tie. This near-identical performance in a graphics API suggests that when the workload is heavily graphics-oriented, the two cards are functionally equivalent, despite their architectural differences. The A2's overall win count stands at 2, with the GTX 1060 5 GB failing to secure a single victory in these tests.

The average benchmark scores further contextualize this relationship. The A2's average of 34,690 places it in the 79th percentile of all GPUs, while the GTX 1060 5 GB's average of 33,694 puts it in the 78th percentile. This single-percentile difference in overall standing confirms that the A2 is the faster card, but the proximity in percentile ranks highlights how close the two are in raw performance, especially when considering Vulkan workloads.

Where Each One Wins

The data suggests a clear split in workload suitability. The NVIDIA A2 wins decisively in OpenCL compute, a scenario that leverages its Ampere architecture's strengths. This is likely due to its support for newer compute features and its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, which provides a substantial buffer for large datasets. For tasks that are memory-bound or require extensive parallel processing, the A2's 5.9% lead in OpenCL would be the deciding factor.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB, while losing both head-to-head tests, does not trail by a wide margin. Its Vulkan score of 33,991 is within 0.1% of the A2's, indicating that for real-time graphics rendering, the older Pascal card remains highly competitive. The GTX 1060 5 GB also holds a significant advantage in texture processing capabilities, featuring 80 TMUs and a texture rate of 136.7 GTexel/s, which is nearly double the A2's 70.80 GTexel/s. This suggests that in games or applications that are heavily texture-bound, the GTX 1060 5 GB could potentially outperform the A2, despite the A2's higher average benchmark score.

The A2's advantage in pixel rate is smaller, at 56.64 GPixel/s versus 68.36 GPixel/s for the GTX 1060 5 GB, further indicating that the A2 is not optimized for pure rasterization throughput. The A2's win is therefore rooted in compute efficiency and memory capacity, not in raw graphics throughput. Users with compute-centric workloads, such as AI inference or data processing, would find the A2 superior, while those focused on traditional 3D rendering might see equivalent performance from the older, less power-hungry card.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is substantial. The NVIDIA A2 is built on the Ampere architecture using an 8 nm process at Samsung, featuring the GA107 chip. It integrates 8,700 million transistors on a 200 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 43.5M / mm². This modern node allows for advanced features like 10 dedicated RT cores and 40 tensor cores, enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI processing. The A2 also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), a feature set absent on the older card.

In contrast, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB uses the older Pascal architecture on a 16 nm process at TSMC, with the GP106 chip. It packs 4,400 million transistors on an equally sized 200 mm² die, but due to the larger process node, its transistor density is significantly lower at 22.0M / mm². The Pascal architecture lacks RT cores and tensor cores entirely, making it incapable of hardware ray tracing or tensor-based AI acceleration. It supports DirectX 12 (12_1), a slightly older version of the API without the Ultimate feature set.

The process node difference is a major factor in their respective power profiles, although the architectural feature gap is more significant for workload performance. The Ampere architecture in the A2 is designed for a generation that prioritizes mixed compute and graphics, while Pascal was focused on pure rasterization efficiency. The presence of tensor cores in the A2 gives it a distinct advantage in machine learning tasks, a workload category where the GTX 1060 5 GB cannot compete. The A2's memory clock of 1,563 MHz (12.5 Gbps effective) also indicates a more modern memory controller design compared to the GTX 1060 5 GB's 2,002 MHz (8 Gbps effective).

Specification Differences

The specification sheets reveal stark contrasts in almost every category except for core count and die size. Both cards feature 1280 shading units, but the similarities end there. The NVIDIA A2 relies on 40 TMUs and 32 ROPs, while the GTX 1060 5 GB doubles the TMU count to 80 and increases ROPs to 40. This explains the GTX 1060 5 GB's superior texture and pixel rates. The A2 compensates with a higher boost clock of 1,770 MHz versus 1,709 MHz, but its base clock is lower at 1,440 MHz compared to 1,506 MHz.

Memory is a key differentiator. The A2 offers 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 200.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 1060 5 GB provides only 5 GB of GDDR5 on a wider 160-bit bus, yielding 160.2 GB/s. Despite the narrower bus, the A2's newer memory type provides 25% more bandwidth. The A2's FP32 compute is rated at 4.531 TFLOPS, slightly ahead of the GTX 1060 5 GB's 4.375 TFLOPS, and its FP16 performance is a full 1:1 ratio, whereas the GTX 1060 5 GB operates at a severely reduced 1:64 ratio.

Power and physical characteristics diverge significantly. The A2 has a TDP of 60 W and is a single-slot card with no power connectors, requiring only a 250 W power supply. The GTX 1060 5 GB consumes 120 W, is a dual-slot design with a single 6-pin connector, and recommends a 300 W PSU. The A2 also uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface, while the GTX 1060 5 GB uses the older PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs also differ, with the A2 having none, while the GTX 1060 5 GB offers a full suite of outputs including DVI, HDMI 2.0, and three DisplayPort 1.4a connections.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA A2 has a higher average benchmark score of 34,690, compared to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB's average of 33,694.

Q: How much faster is the NVIDIA A2 in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The NVIDIA A2 is 5.9% faster in the Geekbench OpenCL test, scoring 35,357 versus 33,397 for the GTX 1060 5 GB.

Q: Does the GTX 1060 5 GB win any head-to-head benchmark tests?

A: No, the GTX 1060 5 GB loses both available head-to-head benchmark tests (Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan) to the NVIDIA A2.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between the two cards?

A: The NVIDIA A2 has a memory bandwidth of 200.1 GB/s, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB has a lower bandwidth of 160.2 GB/s.

Q: Can the GTX 1060 5 GB perform hardware-accelerated ray tracing?

A: No, the GTX 1060 5 GB is based on the Pascal architecture and lacks RT cores, so it cannot perform hardware-accelerated ray tracing, unlike the NVIDIA A2 which has 10 RT cores.

Q: What is the transistor count of the NVIDIA A2?

A: The NVIDIA A2 contains 8,700 million transistors, whereas the GTX 1060 5 GB contains 4,400 million transistors.