NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile vs NVIDIA RTX A4000 Comparison

The NVIDIA RTX A4000 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile are both Ampere-generation parts, but they target different worlds: one is a single-slot workstation card, the other a high-end laptop GPU. Benchmark data shows a 5-5 split in wins, with the A4000 taking compute and legacy API tests while the mobile chip dominates in modern DirectX and OpenCL workloads. The RTX A4000 holds a slight overall edge with an average benchmark score of 26,683 versus 25,740 for the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile, a difference of about 3.7%. The A4000 also sits at the 72nd percentile of all GPUs, one point above the mobile part's 71st.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most decisive victory belongs to the RTX A4000 in the Passmark G2D test, where it scores 1,024 against the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile's 818 — a 25.2% advantage. This is a clear indicator of superior 2D and desktop composition performance, likely tied to the workstation card's dedicated display outputs and driver optimizations. Similarly, in Vulkan compute via Geekbench, the A4000 posts 127,645 versus 107,502, a commanding 18.7% lead. The workstation card also wins the legacy DirectX 9 test by 19.4% (240 vs 201) and the Passmark GPU Compute benchmark by 15.2% (9,760 vs 8,471). In the overall Passmark G3D score, the A4000 edges out the mobile chip by a narrow 0.9% (19,459 vs 19,288), making it the only DirectX-oriented test where the workstation part comes out ahead.

The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile fights back hardest in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, scoring 2,869 against the A4000's 2,604 — a 9.2% margin. It also wins the Passmark DirectX 12 test by 18.2% (88 vs 72), showing a strong affinity for modern API workloads. In Geekbench OpenCL, the mobile part takes a 10.3% lead (117,866 vs 105,739), which is notable given the A4000's advantage in Vulkan. The remaining wins for the mobile GPU are narrower: 3.8% in Passmark DirectX 10 (131 vs 126) and 3.7% in Passmark DirectX 11 (164 vs 158). These results paint a picture of a mobile chip that is tuned for gaming-era APIs, while the workstation card excels in compute and older rendering paths.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A4000, with an average score of 26,683 compared to 25,740 for the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile. This places the A4000 at the 72nd percentile of all GPUs, while the mobile part sits at the 71st.

Q: How do the two compare in raw compute workloads?

A: The RTX A4000 wins the Passmark GPU Compute test decisively, scoring 9,760 versus 8,471 for the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile — a 15.2% advantage. However, the mobile chip takes Geekbench OpenCL by 10.3% (117,866 vs 105,739), while the A4000 leads Geekbench Vulkan by 18.7% (127,645 vs 107,502).

Q: Which card performs better in DirectX 12?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile is the clear winner in DirectX 12. It scores 2,869 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 (9.2% ahead) and 88 in Passmark DirectX 12 (18.2% ahead), compared to the A4000's 2,604 and 72, respectively.

Q: What about legacy DirectX performance?

A: The RTX A4000 dominates in DirectX 9, scoring 240 versus 201 (19.4% ahead). The mobile part wins DirectX 10 and 11 by smaller margins of 3.8% (131 vs 126) and 3.7% (164 vs 158), respectively.

Q: Is there a difference in memory bandwidth?

A: Yes. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile has 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth versus 448.0 GB/s for the RTX A4000. Both use 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, but the mobile chip runs its memory at 16 Gbps effective versus 14 Gbps effective.

Q: Which GPU has better 2D performance?

A: The RTX A4000 is significantly better in 2D workloads, scoring 1,024 in the Passmark G2D test compared to 818 for the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile — a 25.2% gap. This is the largest single-test difference between the two.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX A4000 is the pick for compute-heavy tasks and legacy API compatibility. Its 15.2% win in Passmark GPU Compute and 18.7% lead in Geekbench Vulkan make it suitable for OpenCL-style workloads, scientific computing, and any environment that leverages Vulkan compute. The 25.2% advantage in Passmark G2D also makes it the better choice for multi-monitor productivity setups where 2D rendering and desktop responsiveness matter. Additionally, the 19.4% win in DirectX 9 suggests it handles older applications and legacy rendering pipelines with more headroom. The narrow 0.9% edge in Passmark G3D, while small, means it is also slightly better for general 3D rendering in that specific benchmark suite.

The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile is the winner for modern gaming and DirectX 12-centric workloads. Its 9.2% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and 18.2% advantage in Passmark DirectX 12 show a clear optimization for current-generation game engines. The 10.3% win in Geekbench OpenCL also makes it a strong option for applications that rely on that compute API. The mobile part's wins in DirectX 10 (3.8%) and DirectX 11 (3.7%) are modest but consistent, indicating broad compatibility across the DirectX feature levels. For users prioritizing frame rates in DX12 titles or OpenCL acceleration, the mobile chip is the better performer.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ most notably in their chip configurations. The RTX A4000 uses the GA104 chip with 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die, while the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile uses the GA103 chip with 22,000 million transistors on a 496 mm² die. Both are built on Samsung's 8 nm process, yielding identical transistor density of 44.4M per mm². The mobile part has more shading units (7,424 vs 6,144), more texture mapping units (232 vs 192), and more RT cores (58 vs 48) and tensor cores (232 vs 192). Both have 96 ROPs.

Clock speeds tell a different story: the A4000 has a higher boost clock of 1,560 MHz versus 1,260 MHz for the mobile chip, though the mobile part starts at a higher base clock of 810 MHz versus 735 MHz. This clock advantage helps the A4000 achieve higher pixel rate (149.8 GPixel/s vs 121.0 GPixel/s) and slightly higher texture rate (299.5 GTexel/s vs 292.3 GTexel/s). The FP32 compute rating is nearly identical, with the A4000 at 19.17 TFLOPS and the mobile part at 18.71 TFLOPS. Memory bandwidth favors the mobile chip at 512.0 GB/s versus 448.0 GB/s, reflecting its higher 16 Gbps effective memory clock versus 14 Gbps.

Power and physical design are starkly different. The A4000 is a single-slot card with a 140 W TDP, a 1x 6-pin power connector, a suggested 300 W PSU, and dimensions of 241 mm in length and 112 mm in height. It has 4x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile has a 115 W TDP, no power connectors (portable device dependent), and its display outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent." The A4000 is a desktop card, while the mobile part is designed for laptops, which explains the lack of dimensions and slot width data.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs are based on NVIDIA's Ampere architecture, but they belong to different generations within that family. The RTX A4000 is part of the "Workstation Ampere (Ax000)" generation, released on April 11, 2021, succeeding the Quadro Turing line. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile is part of the "GeForce 30 Mobile" generation, released on January 24, 2022, succeeding the GeForce 20 Mobile series. Both share the same API support: DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The chip-level differences are significant. The GA103 in the mobile part is a larger, more complex die with 22,000 million transistors versus 17,400 million in the GA104. This translates to more execution resources: the mobile part has 21% more shading units (7,424 vs 6,144), 21% more TMUs (232 vs 192), and 21% more RT cores (58 vs 48). Tensor core counts follow the same pattern, with 232 in the mobile chip versus 192 in the workstation card. However, the A4000 compensates with higher boost clocks, achieving nearly identical FP32 throughput (19.17 vs 18.71 TFLOPS).

The memory architecture is one area where they are similar: both use 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus. But the mobile part's faster 16 Gbps effective memory clock gives it a 14.3% bandwidth advantage (512.0 GB/s vs 448.0 GB/s). The workstation card's higher pixel rate (149.8 GPixel/s vs 121.0 GPixel/s) suggests better fill-rate efficiency per clock, likely due to its higher boost frequency. Both are end-of-life products, but the A4000 has a designated successor in the Workstation Ada generation, while the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile lists no successor. The RTX A4000's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary (0.5% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 (1.3% delta), while the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile sits closest to the AMD Radeon Pro W5700 (0.1% delta) and AMD FirePro W7100 (-0.4% delta).