NVIDIA B200 SXM6 vs NVIDIA RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation Comparison

FAQ

Q: What are the core architectural differences between the NVIDIA B200 SXM6 and the NVIDIA RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation?

A: The B200 SXM6 uses the GB100 chip with the Blackwell architecture, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC with 208,000 million transistors on a 1628 mm² die. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation uses the AD104 chip with Ada Lovelace architecture, also on TSMC 5 nm, but with 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die.

Q: How do the memory subsystems compare?

A: The B200 SXM6 has 180 GB of HBM3e memory on an 8192-bit bus, delivering 8.19 TB/s bandwidth. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 432.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU offers higher FP32 compute throughput?

A: The B200 SXM6 delivers 69.34 TFLOPS FP32, while the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation delivers 15.82 TFLOPS FP32. The B200 SXM6 is approximately 4.4 times higher in raw FP32 throughput.

Q: What are the power and interface specifications?

A: The B200 SXM6 has a TDP of 1000 W, uses an SXM Module slot width, and connects via PCIe 6.0 x16. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation has a TDP of 100 W, uses an IGP slot width, and connects via PCIe 4.0 x16.

Q: Do both GPUs support standard graphics APIs?

A: The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The B200 SXM6 lists N/A for DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan, indicating no display outputs or conventional graphics API support.

Q: What are the release dates and production statuses?

A: The B200 SXM6 was released on 2024-10-31 and is marked Active. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation was released on 2023-03-20 and is also marked Active.

Architecture Differences

The NVIDIA B200 SXM6 and the NVIDIA RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation represent two distinct branches of NVIDIA's product stack. The B200 SXM6 is a server-oriented accelerator built on the GB100 chip, using the Blackwell architecture. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation is a mobile workstation GPU built on the AD104 chip, using the Ada Lovelace architecture. Both use TSMC 5 nm process technology, but the die sizes differ dramatically: the B200 SXM6 has a 1628 mm² die, while the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation has a 294 mm² die.

Transistor counts reflect this scale difference. The B200 SXM6 packs 208,000 million transistors, giving a transistor density of 127.8M per mm². The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation has 35,800 million transistors, with a density of 121.8M per mm². The B200 SXM6's larger die allows for substantially more compute resources: 18,944 shading units, 592 TMUs, and 592 tensor cores. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation has 5,120 shading units, 160 TMUs, 40 RT cores, and 160 tensor cores. Notably, the B200 SXM6 has only 24 ROPs, while the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation has 64 ROPs.

Memory architecture is another major divergence. The B200 SXM6 uses 180 GB of HBM3e across an 8192-bit bus, achieving 8.19 TB/s bandwidth. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation uses 12 GB of GDDR6 across a 192-bit bus, with 432.0 GB/s bandwidth. The B200 SXM6's memory clock is listed as 2000 MHz with 8 Gbps effective, while the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation runs at 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective.

The B200 SXM6 has no display outputs and lists N/A for DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan support. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, with display outputs described as "Portable Device Dependent." The B200 SXM6 uses an SXM Module slot width, while the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation uses an IGP form factor.

Power requirements are vastly different: the B200 SXM6 has a TDP of 1000 W with a suggested PSU of 1400 W, while the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation has a TDP of 100 W and no power connectors. The B200 SXM6 uses PCIe 6.0 x16, whereas the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation uses PCIe 4.0 x16.

The Verdict

The recorded data indicates that the NVIDIA B200 SXM6 and NVIDIA RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation serve completely different purposes. The B200 SXM6 is a server accelerator designed for massive parallel compute workloads, with its 180 GB HBM3e memory and 8.19 TB/s bandwidth, 69.34 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, and 1000 W TDP. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation is a mobile workstation GPU, with 12 GB GDDR6 memory, 432.0 GB/s bandwidth, 15.82 TFLOPS FP32, and a 100 W TDP that suits portable devices.

For users requiring maximum compute density and memory capacity in a server context, the B200 SXM6 is the clear choice based on its specifications. For mobile workstations needing graphics API support and a compact IGP form factor, the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation is the appropriate selection. The B200 SXM6 has no display outputs and no graphics API support, making it unsuitable for conventional graphics tasks. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, making it viable for rendering and graphics workloads on portable systems.

The B200 SXM6's predecessor is Server Hopper and its successor is Server Rubin, while the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation's predecessor is Ampere-MW and its successor is Blackwell-MW. This positions the B200 SXM6 in the server accelerator line and the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation in the mobile workstation line. The B200 SXM6 has a launch MSRP of 34,999 USD, while the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation has no launch MSRP listed.

Specification Differences

The following fields differ between the NVIDIA B200 SXM6 and the NVIDIA RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation:

• Chip: GB100 vs AD104
• Architecture: Blackwell vs Ada Lovelace
• Generation: Server Blackwell (Bxx) vs Ada-MW
• Transistors: 208,000 million vs 35,800 million
• Die Size: 1628 mm² vs 294 mm²
• Transistor Density: 127.8M / mm² vs 121.8M / mm²
• Base Clock: 120 MHz vs 1110 MHz
• Boost Clock: 1830 MHz vs 1545 MHz
• Memory Clock: 2000 MHz 8 Gbps effective vs 2250 MHz 18 Gbps effective
• Memory Size: 180 GB vs 12 GB
• Memory Type: HBM3e vs GDDR6
• Memory Bus Width: 8192 bit vs 192 bit
• Memory Bandwidth: 8.19 TB/s vs 432.0 GB/s
• Shading Units: 18944 vs 5120
• TMUs: 592 vs 160
• ROPs: 24 vs 64
• RT Cores: null vs 40
• Tensor Cores: 592 vs 160
• Pixel Rate: 43.92 GPixel/s vs 98.88 GPixel/s
• Texture Rate: 1,083.4 GTexel/s vs 247.2 GTexel/s
• FP32: 69.34 TFLOPS vs 15.82 TFLOPS
• FP16: 69.34 TFLOPS (1:1) vs 15.82 TFLOPS (1:1)
• TDP: 1000 W vs 100 W
• Slot Width: SXM Module vs IGP
• Power Connectors: null vs None
• Suggested PSU: 1400 W vs null
• Bus Interface: PCIe 6.0 x16 vs PCIe 4.0 x16
• Display Outputs: No outputs vs Portable Device Dependent
• APIs: DirectX N/A, OpenGL N/A, Vulkan N/A vs DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.4
• Release Date: 2024-10-31 vs 2023-03-20
• Predecessor: Server Hopper vs Ampere-MW
• Successor: Server Rubin vs Blackwell-MW
• Launch MSRP: 34,999 USD vs null

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no direct benchmark scores for either GPU. The average benchmark score is 0 for both, and the percentile vs all GPUs is 50 for both. There are no nearest rivals listed for either product, and the head-to-head benchmark section is empty. Consequently, the analysis relies entirely on recorded specification data.

The most significant compute advantage for the B200 SXM6 is in FP32 throughput: 69.34 TFLOPS versus 15.82 TFLOPS for the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation. This is a 4.38 times difference in raw floating-point performance. FP16 throughput follows the same pattern, with the B200 SXM6 delivering 69.34 TFLOPS (1:1) and the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation delivering 15.82 TFLOPS (1:1).

Memory bandwidth is another area of clear dominance for the B200 SXM6. Its 8.19 TB/s bandwidth is approximately 18.96 times higher than the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation's 432.0 GB/s. The B200 SXM6 also has a much larger memory pool at 180 GB versus 12 GB, a 15 times difference. The memory bus width of 8192 bit versus 192 bit supports this bandwidth advantage.

Texture rate favors the B200 SXM6, with 1,083.4 GTexel/s versus 247.2 GTexel/s, a 4.38 times difference that aligns with the FP32 ratio. However, pixel rate favors the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation: 98.88 GPixel/s versus 43.92 GPixel/s for the B200 SXM6. This is a 2.25 times advantage for the mobile part, likely due to its higher ROP count of 64 versus 24.

The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation also has dedicated RT cores (40) while the B200 SXM6 lists none. This indicates ray tracing capability in the mobile part that the server accelerator does not advertise. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation also has a higher base clock (1110 MHz versus 120 MHz) and a higher memory clock (2250 MHz versus 2000 MHz), though the B200 SXM6 has a higher boost clock (1830 MHz versus 1545 MHz).

The B200 SXM6's transistor density is slightly higher at 127.8M per mm² versus 121.8M per mm², despite the massive difference in absolute transistor count. The B200 SXM6 uses PCIe 6.0 x16, which is two generations newer than the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation's PCIe 4.0 x16 interface.

In terms of power efficiency, the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation delivers 15.82 TFLOPS FP32 at 100 W TDP, which is 0.1582 TFLOPS per watt. The B200 SXM6 delivers 69.34 TFLOPS at 1000 W TDP, which is 0.06934 TFLOPS per watt. The mobile part shows higher compute per watt in the recorded data, though the B200 SXM6 offers far greater absolute throughput.

The B200 SXM6's release date of 2024-10-31 is approximately 19 months after the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation's release on 2023-03-20. Both are listed as Active in production status. The B200 SXM6's launch MSRP is 34,999 USD, while the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation has no launch MSRP recorded.