NVIDIA B200 SXM6 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D Comparison

FAQ

Q: What is the core architectural difference between the B200 SXM6 and the RTX 5090 D?

A: The B200 SXM6 uses the GB100 chip built on the Blackwell architecture (Server Blackwell Bxx generation), while the RTX 5090 D uses the GB202 chip on Blackwell 2.0 (GeForce 50 generation). Both are manufactured by TSMC on a 5 nm process, but the B200 is a server-class module with no display outputs, whereas the RTX 5090 D is a consumer dual-slot card with HDMI and DisplayPort outputs.

Q: How do their memory configurations differ?

A: The B200 SXM6 has 180 GB of HBM3e memory on an 8192-bit bus, delivering 8.19 TB/s bandwidth. The RTX 5090 D has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s. The B200 has over five times the memory capacity and roughly 4.6 times the bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute throughput?

A: The RTX 5090 D delivers 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 and FP16 (1:1), while the B200 SXM6 delivers 69.34 TFLOPS FP32 and FP16 (1:1). The RTX 5090 D is about 51% ahead in FP32 throughput.

Q: What are the clock speed differences?

A: The B200 SXM6 has a base clock of 120 MHz and a boost clock of 1830 MHz. The RTX 5090 D has a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz. The RTX 5090 D runs at significantly higher clock speeds.

Q: What does the benchmark data show for the RTX 5090 D?

A: The RTX 5090 D has an average benchmark score of 77712, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT, which scores 76904 (1.1% lower), followed by the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT at 78940 (1.6% higher).

Q: What is the power requirement for each card?

A: The B200 SXM6 has a TDP of 1000 W with a suggested PSU of 1400 W. The RTX 5090 D has a TDP of 575 W with a suggested PSU of 950 W. The B200 requires substantially more power.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent diverging design philosophies within NVIDIA's Blackwell generation. The B200 SXM6 uses the GB100 chip, described as Server Blackwell (Bxx), with a die size of 1628 mm² and 208,000 million transistors, yielding a transistor density of 127.8M / mm². The RTX 5090 D uses the GB202 chip on Blackwell 2.0, with a die size of 750 mm² and 92,200 million transistors, giving a density of 122.9M / mm². The B200's die is more than twice the physical size and holds over twice the transistor count.

The B200 SXM6 has 18,944 shading units, 592 TMUs, and only 24 ROPs. It lacks dedicated RT cores, but includes 592 tensor cores. The RTX 5090 D has 21,760 shading units, 680 TMUs, 176 ROPs, 170 RT cores, and 680 tensor cores. The RTX 5090 D has more shading units, TMUs, ROPs, and tensor cores, plus dedicated ray tracing hardware that the B200 lacks entirely.

Memory architecture diverges sharply. The B200 uses HBM3e with 180 GB capacity, an 8192-bit bus, and 8.19 TB/s bandwidth. The RTX 5090 D uses GDDR7 with 32 GB, a 512-bit bus, and 1.79 TB/s. The B200's memory subsystem is designed for massive data residency and bandwidth, while the RTX 5090 D balances capacity with consumer-oriented cost and latency.

The B200 SXM6 runs at a 120 MHz base and 1830 MHz boost, with memory at 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective). The RTX 5090 D runs at 2017 MHz base and 2407 MHz boost, with memory at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The RTX 5090 D's much higher core clocks compensate for its smaller die, while the B200 relies on sheer scale and memory bandwidth.

The B200 uses a PCIe 6.0 x16 interface, while the RTX 5090 D uses PCIe 5.0 x16. The B200 is an SXM module with no display outputs, no DirectX, OpenGL, or Vulkan support, and no power connectors listed. The RTX 5090 D is a dual-slot card with 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b, supporting DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The RTX 5090 D uses a single 16-pin power connector and measures 304 mm by 137 mm by 48 mm.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no direct head-to-head benchmark results between the B200 SXM6 and the RTX 5090 D. The B200 SXM6 has an empty benchmark list, an average benchmark score of 0, and a 50th percentile ranking among all GPUs. The RTX 5090 D, by contrast, has ten recorded benchmark scores and an average score of 77712.

The RTX 5090 D's recorded data shows strong results across multiple test suites. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 14326. Geekbench results show 310674 in OpenCL and 376915 in Vulkan. Passmark tests show a G3D score of 44065 and a GPU compute score of 28396. Older DirectX tests show scores of 231 (DX10), 371 (DX11), 219 (DX12), and 434 (DX9), with a G2D score of 1487.

Since the B200 SXM6 has no recorded benchmarks, the comparison relies entirely on architectural specifications. The RTX 5090 D holds advantages in FP32 throughput (104.8 versus 69.34 TFLOPS), pixel rate (423.6 versus 43.92 GPixel/s), and texture rate (1,636.8 versus 1,083.4 GTexel/s). The B200 leads in memory bandwidth (8.19 versus 1.79 TB/s) and memory capacity (180 versus 32 GB).

The nearest rivals for the RTX 5090 D provide context for its performance tier. It sits 1.1% above the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (76904), 1.6% below the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78940), 2.1% above the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79396), and 2.4% above the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79605). These deltas place the RTX 5090 D in a competitive mid-high range, though the B200's lack of data prevents direct comparison.

The absence of B200 benchmarks means its 50th percentile ranking reflects no measured performance, not a true mid-pack result. The RTX 5090 D's 92nd percentile ranking, by contrast, is based on actual recorded scores across ten tests.

The Verdict

The recorded data supports a clear split: the RTX 5090 D is the only one of the two with measurable benchmark performance, while the B200 SXM6 has no benchmark results in the database. For any workload requiring graphics APIs, display output, or gaming features, the RTX 5090 D is the functional choice; the B200 has no DirectX, OpenGL, or Vulkan support and no display outputs.

For compute-heavy tasks, the B200 SXM6 offers advantages in memory capacity and bandwidth that the RTX 5090 D cannot match. The B200's 180 GB HBM3e and 8.19 TB/s bandwidth suit workloads that require holding large datasets on-chip. The RTX 5090 D counters with higher FP32 and FP16 throughput, faster pixel and texture rates, and dedicated RT cores.

The RTX 5090 D's 92nd percentile ranking confirms it as a high-performance consumer GPU. Its nearest rival deltas (1.1% above the RX 6650M XT, 1.6% below the RX 6850M XT) show it sits in a tightly contested performance band. The B200's 50th percentile ranking is uninformative without benchmark data.

Buyers should choose based on workload type. The RTX 5090 D fits graphics, rendering, gaming, and general compute. The B200 SXM6 fits server-scale memory-bound compute, assuming software supports its architecture. The B200's 1000 W TDP and 1400 W suggested PSU versus the RTX 5090 D's 575 W TDP and 950 W suggested PSU also indicate different deployment environments.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA B200 SXM6 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D |

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

| Chip | GB100 | GB202 |

| Architecture | Blackwell | Blackwell 2.0 |

| Generation | Server Blackwell (Bxx) | GeForce 50 |

| Process Node | 5 nm | 5 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | TSMC |

| Transistors | 208,000 million | 92,200 million |

| Die Size | 1628 mm² | 750 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 127.8M / mm² | 122.9M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 120 MHz | 2017 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1830 MHz | 2407 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective) | 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 180 GB | 32 GB |

| Memory Type | HBM3e | GDDR7 |

| Memory Bus Width | 8192 bit | 512 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 8.19 TB/s | 1.79 TB/s |

| Shading Units | 18944 | 21760 |

| TMUs | 592 | 680 |

| ROPs | 24 | 176 |

| RT Cores | None | 170 |

| Tensor Cores | 592 | 680 |

| Pixel Rate | 43.92 GPixel/s | 423.6 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 1,083.4 GTexel/s | 1,636.8 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 69.34 TFLOPS | 104.8 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 69.34 TFLOPS (1:1) | 104.8 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 1000 W | 575 W |

| Slot Width | SXM Module | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | None listed | 1x 16-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 1400 W | 950 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 6.0 x16 | PCIe 5.0 x16 |

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

| DirectX | N/A | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| OpenGL | N/A | 4.6 |

| Vulkan | N/A | 1.4 |

| Dimensions | Not listed | 304 mm x 137 mm x 48 mm |

| Release Date | 2024-10-31 | 2025-01-29 |

| Predecessor | Server Hopper | GeForce 40 |

| Successor | Server Rubin | GeForce 60 |

| Launch MSRP | 34,999 USD | 2,299 USD |

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 5090 D wins in raw compute throughput. Its 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 and FP16 exceed the B200's 69.34 TFLOPS by roughly 51%. It also leads in pixel rate (423.6 versus 43.92 GPixel/s) by a factor of nearly ten, and texture rate (1,636.8 versus 1,083.4 GTexel/s) by about 51%. The RTX 5090 D has more shading units (21760 versus 18944), more TMUs (680 versus 592), more ROPs (176 versus 24), and more tensor cores (680 versus 592). It has 170 RT cores while the B200 has none, making it the only option for ray-traced workloads. The RTX 5090 D also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the B200 supports none of these APIs.

The B200 SXM6 wins in memory capacity and bandwidth. Its 180 GB HBM3e dwarfs the RTX 5090 D's 32 GB GDDR7. Its 8.19 TB/s bandwidth is about 4.6 times the RTX 5090 D's 1.79 TB/s. The B200's 8192-bit bus versus 512-bit bus explains this gap. The B200 also uses a newer PCIe 6.0 x16 interface versus PCIe 5.0 x16, which can benefit data transfer in server environments. Its larger die (1628 mm² versus 750 mm²) and higher transistor count (208,000 versus 92,200 million) indicate a design aimed at scale rather than clock speed.

The benchmark data only exists for the RTX 5090 D. Its 92nd percentile ranking and average score of 77712 confirm it as a strong performer in its class, with nearest rivals within a 2.4% band. The B200's 50th percentile and zero average score reflect no measured results, so its real-world performance cannot be quantified from the database.

For gaming, graphics, rendering, and any consumer-facing workload, the RTX 5090 D is the clear choice based on its API support, display outputs, and higher compute rates. For server-side memory-bound compute, such as large model inference or data processing, the B200 SXM6's 180 GB capacity and 8.19 TB/s bandwidth provide capabilities the RTX 5090 D cannot approach. The B200's lack of display outputs and graphics APIs makes it unsuitable for any interactive or graphics task, while the RTX 5090 D's smaller memory and bandwidth limit its utility for massive dataset residency.