NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti vs NVIDIA RTX A1000 Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark database splits these two NVIDIA GPUs along a very clear line: the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti wins every single recorded head-to-head test, while the RTX A1000 does not claim a single victory in the shared benchmark suite. Out of three direct comparisons, the 2080 Ti takes all three, a clean sweep that leaves no ambiguity about raw performance hierarchy.

The RTX A1000, however, occupies a different role entirely. Its design targets professional workstation workloads with a focus on efficiency and compactness, not raw frame rates. The data shows the A1000 sitting at the 79th percentile among all GPUs in the database, while the 2080 Ti sits at the 75th percentile. This percentile gap is interesting: the A1000 has a higher percentile ranking despite losing every head-to-head test, which indicates its average benchmark score across all recorded tests is higher than the 2080 Ti's average, even though the 2080 Ti dominates in the specific tests where both were measured together.

The A1000's wins are not in the head-to-head suite but in its overall profile. Its average benchmark score of 34207 exceeds the 2080 Ti's average of 29783, a difference of about 14.8%. This suggests the A1000 performs relatively better in the broader set of workstation-oriented tests that contribute to its average, even though the shared tests favor the 2080 Ti decisively. For use cases involving professional applications that leverage compute and OpenCL/Vulkan workloads differently than gaming tests, the A1000's standing in the percentile ranks tells a more favorable story.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different NVIDIA architectures and manufacturing processes. The RTX A1000 uses the GA107 chip on the Ampere architecture, built on an 8 nm process at Samsung. It packs 8,700 million transistors into a 200 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 43.5 million per square millimeter. The RTX 2080 Ti uses the TU102 chip on the Turing architecture, built on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It holds 18,600 million transistors on a much larger 754 mm² die, with a lower density of 24.7 million per square millimeter.

The A1000 represents a newer generation (Workstation Ampere, Ax000 series) released in April 2024, while the 2080 Ti belongs to the GeForce 20 series from September 2018 and is now marked end-of-life. The A1000's predecessor is the Quadro Turing line, and its successor is Workstation Ada. The 2080 Ti's predecessor is GeForce 10, and its successor is GeForce 30.

Feature-wise, both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so API compatibility is identical. The A1000 includes 18 RT cores and 72 tensor cores, while the 2080 Ti has 68 RT cores and 544 tensor cores. The A1000's FP16 performance matches its FP32 at 6.737 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), whereas the 2080 Ti doubles its FP16 to 26.90 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio). The 2080 Ti also has significantly more shading units (4352 vs 2304), TMUs (272 vs 72), and ROPs (88 vs 32).

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The largest margin comes in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. The RTX 2080 Ti scores 3537, while the RTX A1000 scores 969. This is a delta of -72.6% for the A1000, meaning the 2080 Ti outperforms it by roughly 265% in this DirectX 12 workload. That is a massive gap, reflecting the 2080 Ti's much higher shading unit count and pixel throughput.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the 2080 Ti scores 128171 against the A1000's 52078, a delta of -59.4%. The 2080 Ti leads by about 146% here. This compute-oriented test shows the 2080 Ti's advantage persists outside of gaming-specific benchmarks, though the margin narrows compared to the DX12 test.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the 2080 Ti scores 132930 versus the A1000's 49574, a delta of -62.7%. The 2080 Ti leads by roughly 168%. Vulkan performance follows a similar pattern to OpenCL, with the 2080 Ti maintaining a commanding lead but not quite reaching the extreme margin seen in Steel Nomad.

Across all three shared tests, the 2080 Ti's smallest win is in OpenCL at -59.4% delta, and its largest is in Steel Nomad at -72.6%. The A1000 never gets closer than roughly 2.5x behind in any head-to-head measurement.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every major specification category. The A1000 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 192.0 GB/s bandwidth. The 2080 Ti has 11 GB of GDDR6 on a 352-bit bus, delivering 616.0 GB/s bandwidth. That is more than three times the memory bandwidth for the 2080 Ti.

Clock speeds also differ. The A1000 runs at a base of 727 MHz and boosts to 1462 MHz, with memory at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective). The 2080 Ti runs at a base of 1350 MHz and boosts to 1545 MHz, with memory at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective).

Power and physical characteristics diverge sharply. The A1000 has a TDP of 50 W, is single-slot, requires no power connectors, and suggests a 250 W PSU. The 2080 Ti has a TDP of 250 W, is dual-slot, requires two 8-pin connectors, and suggests a 600 W PSU. The A1000 measures 163 mm in length and 69 mm in height; the 2080 Ti measures 267 mm in length, 116 mm in height, and 35 mm in width.

The bus interface differs: the A1000 uses PCIe 4.0 x8, while the 2080 Ti uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs also vary: the A1000 has four mini-DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, while the 2080 Ti has one HDMI 2.0, three DisplayPort 1.4a, and one USB Type-C.

Pixel and texture rates reflect the 2080 Ti's advantage: it achieves 136.0 GPixel/s and 420.2 GTexel/s, versus the A1000's 46.78 GPixel/s and 105.3 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 13.45 TFLOPS for the 2080 Ti versus 6.737 TFLOPS for the A1000.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The RTX A1000 has an average benchmark score of 34207, while the RTX 2080 Ti has 29783. The A1000 leads by approximately 14.8% in this aggregate metric.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 2080 Ti in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12?

A: The 2080 Ti scores 3537 versus the A1000's 969, a delta of -72.6% for the A1000. The 2080 Ti is about 2.65 times faster in this test.

Q: What are the memory capacities and bandwidths?

A: The A1000 has 8 GB GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 192.0 GB/s bandwidth. The 2080 Ti has 11 GB GDDR6 on a 352-bit bus with 616.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Do both cards support the same graphics APIs?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The A1000 has a 50 W TDP with no power connectors and a suggested 250 W PSU. The 2080 Ti has a 250 W TDP with two 8-pin connectors and a suggested 600 W PSU.

Q: Which card has more RT and tensor cores?

A: The 2080 Ti has 68 RT cores and 544 tensor cores. The A1000 has 18 RT cores and 72 tensor cores.

The Verdict

The data points to two very different purchasing decisions depending on the workload. For any scenario where raw performance in the shared benchmark tests matters, the RTX 2080 Ti is the clear choice. It wins all three head-to-head tests by margins ranging from -59.4% to -72.6% in delta terms, meaning it is roughly 2.5 to 2.65 times faster. Its 13.45 TFLOPS FP32 compute, 616.0 GB/s memory bandwidth, and 4352 shading units give it an overwhelming advantage in compute-heavy and graphics-intensive tasks.

However, the RTX A1000's higher percentile ranking (79th versus 75th) and higher average benchmark score (34207 versus 29783) indicate that in the broader database of tests, it holds its own better than the head-to-head results suggest. This likely reflects its suitability for professional workstation applications that reward its Ampere architecture features, including a 1:1 FP16 ratio and lower power draw.

The A1000 is also the only one of the two that remains in active production. Its 50 W TDP, single-slot design, and lack of power connectors make it suitable for compact or power-constrained systems. The 2080 Ti, while end-of-life and much more power-hungry, offers over three times the memory bandwidth and nearly double the FP32 throughput.

For users prioritizing maximum performance in DX12, OpenCL, and Vulkan workloads where the 2080 Ti was measured, the choice is straightforward: the 2080 Ti dominates. For users who value efficiency, compactness, active production status, and a better overall percentile standing across the full database, the A1000 presents a compelling alternative despite losing every shared test. The recorded data does not support recommending the A1000 for raw speed, but it does support recommending it for specific professional contexts where its architectural advantages and lower power envelope matter more than peak throughput.