NVIDIA GeForce GT 640 vs NVIDIA RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents an unusual comparison. The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation has a single recorded 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3596, placing it in the 21st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in that test are the GT 545 (3594, a 0.1% difference), the GT 735M (3616, -0.6%), the GTX 1050 (3629, -0.9%), and the Radeon HD 6770 (3649, -1.5%). This means the RTX 5000 Mobile trails the GTX 1050 by 0.9% and the Radeon HD 6770 by 1.5% in this specific workload, while essentially matching the GT 545.

The GT 640, on the other hand, has no overlapping benchmark tests. Its three Geekbench scores are 2086 in Metal, 3736 in OpenCL, and 3809 in Vulkan. Its average benchmark score across these tests is 3210, with a 20th percentile ranking. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Arc Pro B60 (3182, 0.9% faster), the Quadro P1000 (3163, 1.5% faster), the GeForce 920M (3287, -2.3%), and the GT 730M (3316, -3.2%). The GT 640 sits roughly in the middle of that pack, beating the Arc Pro B60 by 0.9% and the Quadro P1000 by 1.5% while losing to the 920M by 2.3% and the GT 730M by 3.2%.

Because there are no head-to-head benchmark results shared between the two cards, direct score comparison is impossible. The data shows the RTX 5000 Mobile achieves 3596 in a single DX12 test, while the GT 640 averages 3210 across three compute-oriented Geekbench tests. The gap in raw scores is 386 points, but the differing test suites make that number meaningless as a performance delta. What is clear is that both cards sit in the low 20th percentile of all GPUs, indicating neither is a top-tier performer by modern standards, though the RTX 5000 Mobile's single test result is a modern DX12 workload while the GT 640's tests are compute benchmarks.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation's single benchmark win is in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, a modern DirectX 12 Ultimate workload. This test requires hardware features like ray tracing and mesh shaders, which the GT 640 cannot run at all. The RTX 5000 Mobile scores 3596 in this test, and its average benchmark score is identical at 3596. This indicates the card is designed for contemporary gaming and professional 3D workloads that leverage the full DirectX 12 feature set.

The GT 640 wins in versatility of benchmark coverage, with three recorded Geekbench scores. Its Vulkan score of 3809 is its highest, followed by OpenCL at 3736 and Metal at 2086. The large gap between its Metal score and its Vulkan/OpenCL scores suggests the card is significantly weaker in Apple's Metal API than in cross-platform compute APIs. Its average of 3210 reflects this mixed performance. The GT 640 also wins on the basis of being an established, end-of-life product with a known launch MSRP of 99 USD, whereas the RTX 5000 Mobile has no launch MSRP listed.

For use-case splits, the data indicates the RTX 5000 Mobile is purpose-built for DX12 gaming and professional rendering, given its 3DMark result and Ada Lovelace architecture. The GT 640, with its Geekbench compute scores, appears more suited to general-purpose compute tasks and older API workloads. The GT 640's Vulkan score of 3809 outperforms its Metal score by 1723 points, which is a 82.6% advantage, showing a clear strength in Vulkan compute over Metal. The RTX 5000 Mobile's lone score gives no such comparative insight, but its 41.15 TFLOPS FP32 rate suggests massive compute headroom relative to the GT 640's 692.7 GFLOPS.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is generational. The RTX 5000 Mobile uses the AD103 chip on a 5 nm TSMC process, while the GT 640 uses the GK107 chip on a 28 nm TSMC process. The transistor counts tell the story: the RTX 5000 Mobile packs 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die, yielding a density of 121.1 million transistors per mm². The GT 640 has 1,270 million transistors on a 118 mm² die, for a density of 10.8 million per mm². That is an 11.2x difference in transistor density and a 36.1x difference in total transistor count.

The RTX 5000 Mobile is built on Ada Lovelace architecture, featuring 9728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, 112 ROPs, 76 ray tracing cores, and 304 tensor cores. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The GT 640 uses the older Kepler architecture with 384 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, with no ray tracing or tensor cores. It supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The RTX 5000 Mobile's FP32 throughput is 41.15 TFLOPS, while the GT 640 manages 692.7 GFLOPS — a 59.4x difference. The RTX 5000 Mobile also has 1:1 FP16 performance at 41.15 TFLOPS, while the GT 640 lists no FP16 capability.

Memory architecture differs completely. The RTX 5000 Mobile uses 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 576.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GT 640 uses 2 GB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 28.51 GB/s. That is a 20.2x bandwidth advantage for the RTX 5000 Mobile. The RTX 5000 Mobile has a base clock of 1425 MHz and a boost clock of 2115 MHz, with memory at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective). The GT 640 has no base or boost clock listed, only a memory clock of 891 MHz (1782 Mbps effective). Power draw is 120 W for the RTX 5000 Mobile versus 65 W for the GT 640, with the GT 640 suggesting a 250 W PSU.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation has an average benchmark score of 3596, while the GT 640 averages 3210. The RTX 5000 Mobile leads by 386 points, though the scores come from different test suites.

Q: Do both GPUs support ray tracing?

A: No. The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation has 76 ray tracing cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). The GT 640 has no ray tracing cores and only supports DirectX 12 (11_0), which does not include ray tracing requirements.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The RTX 5000 Mobile has 576.0 GB/s bandwidth from 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus. The GT 640 has 28.51 GB/s from 2 GB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus. The RTX 5000 Mobile offers 20.2x more bandwidth.

Q: How do their percentiles compare?

A: The RTX 5000 Mobile sits in the 21st percentile of all GPUs, while the GT 640 sits in the 20th percentile. Despite the massive architectural differences, both rank near the bottom of the overall GPU performance distribution.

Q: What is the transistor density difference?

A: The RTX 5000 Mobile has 121.1 million transistors per mm² on a 5 nm process, while the GT 640 has 10.8 million transistors per mm² on a 28 nm process. The RTX 5000 Mobile is 11.2x denser.

Q: Does the GT 640 have any advantage in API support?

A: The GT 640 supports Vulkan 1.2.175 and OpenGL 4.6, but only DirectX 12 (11_0). The RTX 5000 Mobile supports Vulkan 1.4, OpenGL 4.6, and DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), making it superior in every API generation.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear verdict: the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation is the superior GPU by every measurable architectural metric. Its single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3596 exceeds the GT 640's average of 3210, and it does so in a far more demanding workload. The FP32 compute difference is 59.4x, the memory bandwidth difference is 20.2x, and the transistor count difference is 36.1x. The RTX 5000 Mobile also has 76 ray tracing cores and 304 tensor cores, features the GT 640 lacks entirely.

However, the GT 640 is an end-of-life product from 2012 with a 65 W TDP and a 250 W suggested PSU, making it suitable for low-power or legacy systems. Its Vulkan score of 3809 is respectable for its class, and its 2 GB DDR3 memory is adequate for basic compute tasks. The RTX 5000 Mobile, at 120 W and IGP slot width, is a mobile workstation part with no power connectors, designed for laptops. Its 16 GB GDDR6 memory and 576.0 GB/s bandwidth make it suited for professional 3D rendering and modern gaming.

Who should pick which? The RTX 5000 Mobile is the choice for anyone running DirectX 12 Ultimate workloads, ray-traced content, or AI inference via tensor cores. The GT 640 is only viable for legacy systems, basic 2D output, or Vulkan compute tasks where its 3809 Vulkan score is sufficient. The 21st versus 20th percentile rankings are misleading — the RTX 5000 Mobile's percentile is based on one modern test, while the GT 640's is averaged from older compute benchmarks. The RTX 5000 Mobile is the architecturally dominant product, and the GT 640 is a relic that cannot compete on any level beyond power consumption and legacy compatibility.

Specification Differences

| Specification | RTX 5000 Mobile Ada | GT 640 |

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

| Architecture | Ada Lovelace | Kepler |

| Process Node | 5 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 45,900 million | 1,270 million |

| Die Size | 379 mm² | 118 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 121.1M / mm² | 10.8M / mm² |

| Shading Units | 9728 | 384 |

| TMUs | 304 | 32 |

| ROPs | 112 | 16 |

| RT Cores | 76 | None |

| Tensor Cores | 304 | None |

| FP32 | 41.15 TFLOPS | 692.7 GFLOPS |

| FP16 | 41.15 TFLOPS (1:1) | None |

| Memory Size | 16 GB | 2 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | DDR3 |

| Memory Bus | 256 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 576.0 GB/s | 28.51 GB/s |

| Base Clock | 1425 MHz | None |

| Boost Clock | 2115 MHz | None |

| TDP | 120 W | 65 W |

| Slot Width | IGP | Single-slot |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| DirectX | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (11_0) |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | 1.2.175 |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 1x DisplayPort 1.2 |

| Production Status | Active | End-of-life |

| Release Date | 2023-03-20 | 2012-06-04 |

| Suggested PSU | None | 250 W |

| Launch MSRP | None | 99 USD |