NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti vs NVIDIA RTX A5000 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a decisive sweep for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti across all ten head-to-head tests, with zero wins for the NVIDIA RTX A5000. The largest gap appears in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the RTX 3080 Ti scores 192697 against the A5000's 137828, a 39.8% advantage. That is the single biggest delta in the entire comparison and indicates a substantial lead in modern graphics API workloads.

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test tells a similar story. The RTX 3080 Ti posts 5077 points versus 3783 for the A5000, a 34.2% margin. This test stresses ray tracing and DirectX 12 Ultimate features, so the result reinforces that the GeForce card is significantly stronger in contemporary gaming and DXR-style workloads. The PassMark DirectX 12 test shows a 26.4% lead (110 vs 87), which is consistent with the 3DMark result.

Compute performance also favors the RTX 3080 Ti. In PassMark GPU Compute, it scores 15282 against 12455, a 22.7% win. The Geekbench OpenCL test is closer, with 170037 versus 157905, a 7.7% margin. OpenCL tends to be less sensitive to raw shader count, which explains the narrower gap. Still, the RTX 3080 Ti wins every compute-oriented metric.

Legacy DirectX tests show the same pattern. PassMark DirectX 10 gives the RTX 3080 Ti a 20.3% lead (184 vs 153), and DirectX 11 shows a 19.3% edge (223 vs 187). Even the older DirectX 9 test, which is often more CPU-bound and less GPU-sensitive, favors the GeForce card by 9.2% (274 vs 251). The PassMark G3D test, an overall graphics score, lands at 26896 for the RTX 3080 Ti versus 22541 for the A5000, another 19.3% gap.

The smallest margin is in PassMark G2D, a 2D graphics test. The RTX 3080 Ti scores 1091 against 1032, a 5.7% advantage. This is the least impactful result for most buyers, but it still goes to the GeForce card. Across the board, the RTX 3080 Ti holds a lead ranging from 5.7% to 39.8%, with an average benchmark score of 41187 versus 33622 for the A5000.

Where Each One Wins

Given the clean sweep, the RTX 3080 Ti wins every workload category represented in the database. The closest contest is in OpenCL compute, where the 7.7% margin suggests the A5000 is less disadvantaged in mixed compute tasks. In contrast, the Vulkan and Steel Nomad results show the GeForce card is dramatically stronger in modern, low-overhead graphics APIs.

The RTX A5000 does not win a single recorded benchmark. Its only redeeming quality in this comparison is its memory configuration, but that does not translate into any performance win in the data. The A5000's average score of 33622 places it in the 78th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 3080 Ti sits in the 83rd percentile. That five-percentile gap reflects the consistent performance difference.

For users prioritizing raw frame rates, ray tracing, or compute throughput, the RTX 3080 Ti is the clear choice. The A5000's strengths, if any, lie outside the measured tests, such as in professional software certifications or driver optimizations that are not captured here. Within the recorded data, there is no category where the A5000 takes the lead.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti outperforms the NVIDIA RTX A5000 in every benchmark recorded. It wins 10 out of 10 tests, with deltas ranging from 5.7% to 39.8%. The RTX 3080 Ti's average score of 41187 is 22.5% higher than the A5000's 33622, and its 83rd percentile ranking versus 78th percentile confirms the overall superiority.

Buyers who want maximum performance in gaming, Vulkan, DirectX 12, or compute should pick the RTX 3080 Ti. It offers higher clock speeds, more shading units, more RT cores, and more tensor cores, all of which contribute to its wins. The RTX A5000, with its 24 GB frame buffer, might appeal to users who need that capacity for very large datasets, but the recorded benchmarks show no performance benefit from that extra memory.

The RTX 3080 Ti also comes with a launch MSRP of 1,199 USD, which is worth noting for historical context. The A5000 has no recorded launch MSRP in the database. For any workload represented in these tests, the RTX 3080 Ti is the faster card. The only reason to choose the A5000 would be if the 24 GB memory is an absolute requirement, but the data shows that requirement does not translate into measurable performance gains.

FAQ

Q: Which card wins in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti wins with a score of 5077 versus 3783 for the A5000, a 34.2% advantage.

Q: How large is the gap in Vulkan performance?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti scores 192697 in Geekbench Vulkan, which is 39.8% higher than the A5000's 137828. This is the largest delta in the entire comparison.

Q: Does the A5000 win any benchmark?

A: No. The RTX 3080 Ti wins all ten head-to-head tests. The A5000's closest result is in Geekbench OpenCL, where it trails by only 7.7%.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti has an average score of 41187, while the A5000 averages 33622. The RTX 3080 Ti sits in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, and the A5000 in the 78th percentile.

Q: How do the cards compare in compute workloads?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti leads in PassMark GPU Compute with 15282 versus 12455, a 22.7% margin. In Geekbench OpenCL, the lead narrows to 7.7% (170037 vs 157905).

Q: Which card has more memory?

A: The RTX A5000 has 24 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the RTX 3080 Ti has 12 GB of GDDR6X. Despite the difference, the A5000 does not win any benchmark.

Architecture Differences

Both cards are built on the same GA102 chip and the Ampere architecture, manufactured on an 8 nm process at Samsung. They share the same transistor count of 28,300 million and the same die size of 628 mm², giving both a transistor density of 45.1M per mm². The RTX 3080 Ti uses GDDR6X memory, while the A5000 uses GDDR6. The A5000 has 24 GB of memory versus 12 GB on the RTX 3080 Ti, but the RTX 3080 Ti has a higher memory bandwidth of 912.4 GB/s compared to 768.0 GB/s.

The RTX 3080 Ti is equipped with 10240 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. The A5000 has fewer: 8192 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. RT core counts are 80 on the RTX 3080 Ti versus 64 on the A5000, and tensor cores are 320 versus 256. The RTX 3080 Ti also has higher pixel and texture rates: 186.5 GPixel/s and 532.8 GTexel/s compared to 162.7 GPixel/s and 433.9 GTexel/s for the A5000.

FP32 and FP16 performance are both 34.10 TFLOPS on the RTX 3080 Ti, while the A5000 delivers 27.77 TFLOPS in both. The RTX 3080 Ti has a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost of 1665 MHz, whereas the A5000 has a lower base of 1170 MHz but a slightly higher boost of 1695 MHz. Memory clock differs as well: 1188 MHz (19 Gbps effective) on the RTX 3080 Ti versus 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) on the A5000.

Both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Display outputs differ: the RTX 3080 Ti has 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the A5000 has 4x DisplayPort 1.4a. Both use PCIe 4.0 x16.

Specification Differences

The RTX 3080 Ti has a higher base clock (1365 MHz vs 1170 MHz) and a lower boost clock (1665 MHz vs 1695 MHz) than the A5000. Memory size differs: 12 GB GDDR6X versus 24 GB GDDR6. Bandwidth is higher on the RTX 3080 Ti at 912.4 GB/s versus 768.0 GB/s.

Shading units are 10240 on the RTX 3080 Ti versus 8192 on the A5000. TMUs are 320 versus 256, and ROPs are 112 versus 96. RT cores are 80 versus 64, and tensor cores are 320 versus 256. Pixel rate is 186.5 GPixel/s versus 162.7 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 532.8 GTexel/s versus 433.9 GTexel/s.

FP32 and FP16 are both 34.10 TFLOPS on the RTX 3080 Ti versus 27.77 TFLOPS on the A5000. TDP is 350 W for the RTX 3080 Ti and 230 W for the A5000. Power connectors are 1x 12-pin versus 1x 8-pin. Suggested PSU is 750 W versus 550 W.

Physical dimensions differ: the RTX 3080 Ti is 285 mm long (11.2 inches), 112 mm high, and 40 mm wide. The A5000 is 267 mm long (10.5 inches) and 112 mm high, with no recorded width. Both are dual-slot cards. The RTX 3080 Ti has a launch MSRP of 1,199 USD; the A5000 has none recorded.

Release dates are close: the A5000 launched on 2021-04-11, and the RTX 3080 Ti on 2021-05-30. Both are end-of-life. The RTX 3080 Ti succeeds the GeForce 20 series and precedes the GeForce 40 series. The A5000 succeeds Quadro Turing and precedes Workstation Ada.