NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti vs NVIDIA RTX A4000 Comparison

The Verdict

The data splits this comparison into two distinct profiles. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti wins 8 of 10 head-to-head benchmarks and carries a higher average benchmark score of 29,783 against the RTX A4000's 26,683. Its percentile ranking among all GPUs is 75, compared to 72 for the A4000. If raw performance is the priority, the 2080 Ti is the stronger card in nearly every compute and graphics test recorded.

The RTX A4000 is not without its own territory. It wins the DirectX 9 and 2D graphics tests, and it offers a larger memory pool of 16 GB versus 11 GB. The A4000 also draws less power, 140 W against 250 W, and fits in a single slot. For a workstation build where memory capacity, thermal footprint, and physical space matter more than peak frame rates, the A4000 is the practical choice. The 2080 Ti is for users who want maximum benchmark scores and can accommodate a dual-slot, higher-power card.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different generations and foundries. The RTX 2080 Ti uses the TU102 chip on a 12 nm TSMC process, with 18,600 million transistors on a 754 mm² die. The RTX A4000 uses the GA104 chip on an 8 nm Samsung process, with 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die. The A4000 packs its transistors much denser, at 44.4M per mm² versus 24.7M per mm² for the 2080 Ti. That density difference explains how the A4000 fits more shading units into a smaller package.

The core configurations differ sharply. The 2080 Ti has 4,352 shading units, 272 texture mapping units, and 88 ROPs. It also carries 68 ray tracing cores and 544 tensor cores. The A4000 has more shading units at 6,144, but fewer TMUs at 192, and more ROPs at 96. Its ray tracing core count drops to 48, and tensor cores drop to 192. The A4000 compensates with higher raw FP32 throughput, 19.17 TFLOPS versus 13.45 TFLOPS for the 2080 Ti. FP16 performance tells a different story: the 2080 Ti reaches 26.90 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, while the A4000 stays at 19.17 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio.

Memory architecture also diverges. The 2080 Ti uses an 11 GB GDDR6 pool on a 352-bit bus, delivering 616.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The A4000 uses 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s. Both run memory at 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective, but the wider bus gives the 2080 Ti a clear bandwidth advantage. The A4000 compensates with more capacity, which matters for large datasets that exceed 11 GB.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 2080 Ti dominates in modern, demanding workloads. Its largest win comes in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, where it scores 3,537 against 2,604, a 35.8% lead. That pattern repeats across API-heavy tests: Geekbench OpenCL shows a 21.2% advantage, and Passmark DirectX 10 and 11 tests show 21.4% and 20.3% leads respectively. Even in DirectX 12, the 2080 Ti stays ahead by 16.7%. For gaming, real-time rendering, or any application that stresses the latest graphics APIs, the 2080 Ti is the clear winner.

The RTX A4000 takes the legacy and 2D tests. It wins Passmark DirectX 9 by 2.1%, scoring 240 against 235. Its Passmark G2D score of 1,024 beats the 2080 Ti's 927, a 9.5% margin. That suggests better performance in 2D desktop workloads and older DirectX 9 titles. The A4000 also has the memory capacity advantage at 16 GB, which helps in memory-bound professional applications, even if the bandwidth is lower at 448.0 GB/s.

The 2080 Ti wins the overall compute tests too. Passmark G3D shows 21,548 versus 19,459, a 10.7% lead. Passmark GPU Compute shows a smaller 3% edge, with 10,056 against 9,760. Geekbench Vulkan is close, with the 2080 Ti ahead by 4.1%. The A4000's single-slot design and 140 W power draw make it a better fit for dense workstations, but the data shows it sacrifices performance in most measured areas.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 2080 Ti has an average benchmark score of 29,783, while the RTX A4000 scores 26,683. The 2080 Ti also ranks in the 75th percentile of all GPUs, versus the 72nd for the A4000.

Q: Does the RTX A4000 have any significant advantage in memory?

A: Yes. The A4000 has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, compared to 11 GB on the 2080 Ti. However, the 2080 Ti has higher memory bandwidth at 616.0 GB/s versus 448.0 GB/s, due to its wider 352-bit bus.

Q: How do the two cards compare in ray tracing and tensor core counts?

A: The 2080 Ti has 68 ray tracing cores and 544 tensor cores. The A4000 has 48 ray tracing cores and 192 tensor cores. The 2080 Ti leads in both counts.

Q: Which card is more power-efficient based on the data?

A: The A4000 has a 140 W TDP and requires a 300 W suggested PSU with a single 6-pin connector. The 2080 Ti has a 250 W TDP, a 600 W suggested PSU, and needs two 8-pin connectors. The A4000 uses less power and fits in a single slot.

Q: In which benchmarks does the RTX A4000 outperform the RTX 2080 Ti?

A: The A4000 wins Passmark DirectX 9 with a score of 240 versus 235, and Passmark G2D with 1,024 versus 927. It loses the remaining eight head-to-head tests.

Q: What is the largest performance gap between the two?

A: The biggest difference is in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, where the 2080 Ti scores 3,537 against 2,604, a 35.8% lead. The smallest 2080 Ti win is in Passmark GPU Compute at 3%.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test is the most lopsided result. The 2080 Ti posts 3,537 points, and the A4000 manages only 2,604. That 35.8% delta is the single largest gap in the dataset. It indicates that the 2080 Ti has a substantial edge in modern DirectX 12 workloads, likely driven by its wider memory bus and higher bandwidth.

Geekbench OpenCL also favors the 2080 Ti heavily. The score of 128,171 versus 105,739 represents a 21.2% advantage. This test stresses general compute, and the 2080 Ti's 544 tensor cores and higher bandwidth appear to help. The Vulkan test is much closer, with 132,930 versus 127,645, a 4.1% gap. Both cards handle Vulkan well, but the 2080 Ti still takes the win.

Passmark's DirectX suite shows a consistent pattern. DirectX 10 yields 153 versus 126, a 21.4% lead. DirectX 11 yields 190 versus 158, a 20.3% lead. DirectX 12 yields 84 versus 72, a 16.7% lead. The 2080 Ti is faster across every modern DirectX version tested. The A4000's only DirectX win is in DirectX 9, where it scores 240 against 235, a 2.1% margin.

The 2D graphics test is another A4000 victory. Its G2D score of 1,024 beats the 2080 Ti's 927 by 9.5%. This suggests the A4000 handles desktop compositing and 2D operations more efficiently, possibly due to its newer architecture and higher shading unit count. For pure 3D rendering, however, the 2080 Ti pulls ahead again: Passmark G3D shows 21,548 versus 19,459, a 10.7% lead.

Compute performance is closer than the gaming tests. Passmark GPU Compute gives the 2080 Ti a 3% edge, 10,056 versus 9,760. That is a smaller margin than the DirectX tests, indicating that both cards are competent for general compute tasks. The A4000's higher FP32 throughput of 19.17 TFLOPS does not translate into a win here, likely because the 2080 Ti's higher bandwidth and tensor core count compensate.

Overall, the head-to-head data shows a clear pattern. The 2080 Ti wins every modern 3D and compute test, often by double-digit percentages. The A4000 wins only legacy DirectX 9 and 2D tests, plus offers more memory. The 2080 Ti scores 8 wins, and the A4000 scores 2.

Specification Differences

The process node is a major divider. The 2080 Ti uses 12 nm TSMC, while the A4000 uses 8 nm Samsung. Transistor counts are close, 18,600 million versus 17,400 million, but the die sizes are very different: 754 mm² for the 2080 Ti and 392 mm² for the A4000. The A4000's transistor density is 44.4M per mm², nearly double the 2080 Ti's 24.7M per mm².

Clock speeds differ in base and boost. The 2080 Ti runs at 1350 MHz base and 1545 MHz boost. The A4000 runs at 735 MHz base and 1560 MHz boost. The A4000 has a much lower base clock but a slightly higher boost clock.

Memory specifications diverge in size and bus width. The 2080 Ti has 11 GB GDDR6 on a 352-bit bus, with 616.0 GB/s bandwidth. The A4000 has 16 GB GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. Both use GDDR6 and run at 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective.

Compute unit counts are asymmetric. The 2080 Ti has 4,352 shading units, 272 TMUs, and 88 ROPs. The A4000 has 6,144 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. Ray tracing cores are 68 versus 48, and tensor cores are 544 versus 192. FP32 output favors the A4000 at 19.17 TFLOPS, while the 2080 Ti reaches 13.45 TFLOPS. FP16 favors the 2080 Ti at 26.90 TFLOPS, while the A4000 stays at 19.17 TFLOPS.

Power and physical design differ substantially. The 2080 Ti has a 250 W TDP, requires a 600 W PSU, and uses two 8-pin connectors. The A4000 has a 140 W TDP, requires a 300 W PSU, and uses one 6-pin connector. The 2080 Ti is dual-slot, while the A4000 is single-slot. The 2080 Ti is 267 mm long, 116 mm tall, and 35 mm wide. The A4000 is 241 mm long and 112 mm tall, with no recorded width.

Interface and outputs also differ. The 2080 Ti uses PCIe 3.0 x16 and outputs 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C. The A4000 uses PCIe 4.0 x16 and outputs 4x DisplayPort 1.4a, with no HDMI or USB Type-C. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The 2080 Ti launched with a 999 USD MSRP, while the A4000 has no recorded launch MSRP.