NVIDIA A2 vs NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A Comparison

# NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A vs NVIDIA A2

The NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A and NVIDIA A2 are both Ampere-generation parts built on the same 8 nm Samsung process with identical transistor counts of 8,700 million and a 200 mm² die size, yet they target fundamentally different use cases. The MX570 A is a mobile-oriented GPU from the GeForce MX (5xx) family, while the A2 belongs to the Workstation Ampere (Ax000) lineup. Despite sharing silicon heritage, benchmark results reveal a clear performance hierarchy, with the MX570 A winning both head-to-head tests by double-digit margins. The average benchmark scores place the MX570 A at 38,691 versus the A2's 34,690, a difference of roughly 11.5% overall. These are not close competitors in raw compute, but the A2 compensates with a vastly larger memory configuration and a different physical design philosophy.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A wins both benchmark tests against the NVIDIA A2. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the MX570 A scores 39,780 against the A2's 35,357, a delta of 12.5%. In the Geekbench Vulkan test, the MX570 A scores 37,601 against the A2's 34,023, a delta of 10.5%. Every benchmark in the comparison favors the MX570 A, giving it a 2-0 win record.

The OpenCL margin is particularly telling. A 12.5% advantage in raw compute throughput aligns with the MX570 A's higher shading unit count (2,048 versus 1,280) and its FP32 output of 4.731 TFLOPS versus the A2's 4.531 TFLOPS. The MX570 A also carries more texture mapping units (64 versus 40) and more RT cores (16 versus 10). Yet the A2 fights back with higher clock speeds—1,440 MHz base and 1,770 MHz boost versus 832 MHz and 1,155 MHz on the MX570 A—which partially compensates for its narrower compute pipeline. The A2's pixel rate of 56.64 GPixel/s actually exceeds the MX570 A's 36.96 GPixel/s, showing that the A2 has strengths in specific rasterization tasks even if the aggregate compute benchmarks favor the MX570 A.

The Vulkan result narrows the gap slightly compared to OpenCL, but the MX570 A still holds a 10.5% edge. This suggests that the MX570 A's architecture is more efficient at handling API-level parallelism, likely due to its higher core counts rather than any software optimization. The A2's lower shading unit count (1,280) and reduced texture rate (70.80 GTexel/s versus 73.92 GTexel/s) place it at a structural disadvantage in graphics-heavy workloads. Interestingly, the A2's memory bandwidth advantage—200.1 GB/s versus 96.00 GB/s—does not translate into benchmark wins, indicating that these particular tests are compute-bound rather than memory-bound.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A has an average benchmark score of 38,691, while the NVIDIA A2 scores 34,690. This places the MX570 A in the 81st percentile of all GPUs, compared to the A2's 79th percentile.

Q: How do the nearest rivals compare to each GPU?

A: The MX570 A's closest rival is the AMD Radeon Pro 580X with an average score of 38,706 and a delta of 0%. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile follows at 38,349 with a 0.9% delta, and the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 is third at 38,299 with a 1% delta. For the A2, the nearest rival is the NVIDIA T1000 8 GB at 34,561 (0.4% delta), followed by the AMD Radeon HD 7970 at 34,541 (0.4% delta) and the NVIDIA TITAN V at 34,355 (1% delta).

Q: What is the memory configuration difference between the two?

A: The MX570 A has 2 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 64-bit bus with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth. The A2 has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 200.1 GB/s bandwidth—eight times the capacity and over twice the bandwidth.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same API feature set?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Neither has an advantage in API compatibility.

Q: Which GPU has higher clock speeds?

A: The A2 operates at a base clock of 1,440 MHz and a boost clock of 1,770 MHz. The MX570 A runs at 832 MHz base and 1,155 MHz boost. The A2's clocks are roughly 73% higher at base and 53% higher at boost.

Q: How does the transistor density compare between the two?

A: Both GPUs are fabricated on the same 8 nm Samsung process with identical transistor counts of 8,700 million and die sizes of 200 mm², resulting in the same transistor density of 43.5M per mm².

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A wins in raw compute benchmarks, as evidenced by its victories in both OpenCL and Vulkan tests. Its higher shading unit count (2,048 versus 1,280) and FP32 throughput (4.731 TFLOPS versus 4.531 TFLOPS) make it the stronger choice for general-purpose compute tasks, particularly those that scale with core count rather than memory bandwidth. The MX570 A's higher texture rate (73.92 GTexel/s versus 70.80 GTexel/s) also gives it a slight edge in texture-heavy workloads. Its 16 RT cores and 64 tensor cores provide more hardware acceleration for ray tracing and AI inference compared to the A2's 10 RT cores and 40 tensor cores. The MX570 A's 25 W TDP and IGP slot width make it suitable for compact, power-constrained systems where space and thermal envelope are limited.

The NVIDIA A2 wins on memory capacity and bandwidth. Its 16 GB GDDR6 frame buffer dwarfs the MX570 A's 2 GB, making it the clear choice for workloads that require large datasets, such as machine learning model training, data analytics, or virtualized GPU environments. The A2's 128-bit memory bus delivers 200.1 GB/s, more than double the MX570 A's 96.00 GB/s, which benefits memory-bound operations like database processing or large matrix multiplications. The A2 also has higher pixel rate (56.64 GPixel/s versus 36.96 GPixel/s), indicating better fill-rate performance for certain rendering tasks. Its single-slot design and lack of display outputs position it as a server-oriented accelerator, not a consumer graphics card. The A2's predecessor is Quadro Turing and its successor is Workstation Ada, confirming its workstation lineage.

Specification Differences

The most striking difference is memory size: the A2 offers 16 GB versus the MX570 A's 2 GB—an eightfold difference. The memory bus width also differs, with the A2 using 128-bit versus the MX570 A's 64-bit, yielding bandwidths of 200.1 GB/s and 96.00 GB/s respectively. Core counts diverge significantly: the MX570 A has 2,048 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, while the A2 has 1,280 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The MX570 A also has more RT cores (16 versus 10) and tensor cores (64 versus 40). Clock speeds reverse this trend—the A2 runs at 1,440 MHz base and 1,770 MHz boost, while the MX570 A sits at 832 MHz base and 1,155 MHz boost.

Pixel and texture rates differ: the A2 achieves 56.64 GPixel/s versus the MX570 A's 36.96 GPixel/s, but the MX570 A has a higher texture rate at 73.92 GTexel/s versus 70.80 GTexel/s. FP32 and FP16 compute ratings are close, with the MX570 A at 4.731 TFLOPS and the A2 at 4.531 TFLOPS—a 4.4% difference. The MX570 A has a 25 W TDP and IGP slot width, while the A2 has a 60 W TDP and single-slot design. The A2 suggests a 250 W PSU, while the MX570 A has no PSU suggestion and no power connectors. The MX570 A's display outputs are portable-device dependent, whereas the A2 has no outputs at all. Both use PCIe 4.0 x8 interfaces.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs are built on NVIDIA's Ampere architecture, fabricated on an 8 nm Samsung process with 8,700 million transistors on a 200 mm² die. The transistor density is identical at 43.5M per mm². The silicon itself is nearly the same—the MX570 A uses the GA107SB chip, while the A2 uses the GA107, suggesting a minor variant difference within the same family. The generations differ: the MX570 A belongs to the GeForce MX (5xx) lineup, while the A2 is part of the Workstation Ampere (Ax000) series.

The architectural divergence lies in core configuration and clock strategy. The MX570 A packs more compute units—2048 shading units, 64 TMUs, 16 RT cores, and 64 tensor cores—but runs them at lower clocks. The A2 scales down to 1,280 shading units, 40 TMUs, 10 RT cores, and 40 tensor cores, yet operates at significantly higher frequencies. This creates a trade-off: the MX570 A is designed for parallel throughput across many cores, while the A2 relies on fewer, faster cores to achieve similar compute output. The A2's higher pixel rate and memory bandwidth indicate a focus on data movement and fill-rate tasks, whereas the MX570 A emphasizes shader and texture compute. Both support identical API levels—DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4—so software compatibility is not a differentiator.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split based on workload requirements. For anyone prioritizing raw compute performance in OpenCL or Vulkan, the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A is the superior choice—it wins both head-to-head benchmarks with deltas of 12.5% and 10.5%, respectively. Its higher shading unit and tensor core counts make it better suited for graphics rendering, general compute, and AI inference tasks where core parallelism dominates. The MX570 A's 81st percentile ranking versus the A2's 79th percentile reinforces its overall performance edge.

However, the NVIDIA A2 is the only sensible option for memory-intensive applications. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 200.1 GB/s bandwidth provide 8x the capacity and over 2x the bandwidth of the MX570 A, making it indispensable for workloads that need to hold large models or datasets in VRAM. The A2's single-slot form factor, lack of display outputs, and 60 W TDP position it as a server accelerator, not a client GPU. Its higher clock speeds (1,440 MHz base, 1,770 MHz boost) and superior pixel rate (56.64 GPixel/s) suggest it handles specific rendering or compute tasks more efficiently despite lower core counts.

Users who need a compact, power-efficient GPU for portable devices will find the MX570 A's 25 W TDP and IGP design attractive. The A2, with its suggested 250 W PSU and server-oriented design, is a different beast entirely. Both are end-of-life products, released within a month of each other—the MX570 A on December 16, 2021, and the A2 on November 9, 2021. The MX570 A's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 580X and RTX 5080 Mobile, while the A2 competes with the T1000 8 GB and RTX A1000. In essence: choose the MX570 A for compute performance in a mobile form factor, or the A2 for massive memory capacity in a server environment. The benchmarks show no scenario where the A2 outperforms the MX570 A in raw speed, but memory capacity is a dimension that no benchmark score can fully capture.