NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER vs NVIDIA RTX A5000 Comparison

The NVIDIA RTX A5000 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER are two very different GPUs from two distinct NVIDIA generations, and the benchmark data shows a clear split in their strengths. The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER dominates modern DirectX and compute workloads, winning 9 out of 10 head-to-head tests, while the RTX A5000 claims a single, massive victory in Vulkan performance. The data indicates that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the superior choice for the majority of contemporary tasks, while the A5000 retains a specific niche advantage.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A5000 has a higher average benchmark score of 33622, compared to the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's 31087.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER perform in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test?

A: The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER scores 5569, which is 32.1% higher than the RTX A5000's score of 3783.

Q: Is there any test where the RTX A5000 wins?

A: Yes, the RTX A5000 wins the Geekbench Vulkan test with a score of 137828, which is 156.7% higher than the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's score of 53683.

Q: What are the memory specifications for each card?

A: The RTX A5000 features 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, while the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus.

Q: What is the difference in their manufacturing process nodes?

A: The RTX A5000 is built on an 8 nm process at Samsung, while the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER uses a 5 nm process at TSMC.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER?

A: The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER had a launch MSRP of 799 USD.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark results paint a clear picture of two distinct performance profiles. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the decisive winner in nearly every category, establishing itself as the card for modern gaming and general-purpose high-performance tasks. It wins in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, PassMark DirectX 10, 11, 12, and 9, PassMark G2D, PassMark G3D, and PassMark GPU Compute. Its margins are substantial, ranging from 15.5% in DirectX 10 to 32.7% in DirectX 11.

The NVIDIA RTX A5000's sole victory is in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where it delivers a score of 137828. This is a staggering 156.7% higher than the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's Vulkan score of 53683. This massive delta suggests the A5000's architecture and drivers are particularly well-optimized for the Vulkan API, making it a potentially better choice for specific Vulkan-based workstation applications, despite its overall age.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures from different generations. The RTX A5000 is based on the Ampere architecture and uses the GA102 chip, fabricated on an 8 nm process at Samsung. In contrast, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER uses the newer Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD103 chip, built on a more advanced 5 nm process at TSMC.

These architectural differences are reflected in the chip specifications. The A5000 has a larger die size of 628 mm² but contains fewer transistors (28,300 million) compared to the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's 379 mm² die with 45,900 million transistors. This results in a significantly higher transistor density for the newer card: 121.1M / mm² versus 45.1M / mm².

The compute configurations are similar but not identical. The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER has a slight edge in shading units (8448 vs 8192), texture mapping units (264 vs 256), ray tracing cores (66 vs 64), and tensor cores (264 vs 256). Both GPUs have the same number of ROPs (96). The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER also has a distinct advantage in raw compute power, with an FP32 rating of 44.10 TFLOPS compared to the A5000's 27.77 TFLOPS.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets highlight several key differences beyond the core architecture. The most notable is memory configuration: the RTX A5000 offers 24 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 384-bit bus and 768.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER has 16 GB of GDDR6X with a 256-bit bus and 672.3 GB/s bandwidth. The A5000's larger frame buffer is a significant feature for memory-intensive workloads.

Clock speeds are also quite different. The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER runs at a base clock of 2340 MHz and boosts to 2610 MHz, while the RTX A5000 has a base clock of 1170 MHz and a boost of 1695 MHz. The memory clock also differs: the A5000 runs at 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective), while the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER runs at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective).

Physical specifications diverge as well. The RTX A5000 is a dual-slot card measuring 267 mm in length and 112 mm in height, with a 1x 8-pin power connector. The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is a triple-slot card that is longer (310 mm) and taller (140 mm), with a width of 61 mm and a 1x 16-pin power connector. The A5000 has a lower TDP of 230 W with a suggested PSU of 550 W, while the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER has a TDP of 285 W and requires a 600 W PSU.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The performance gap is stark and consistent. In the most modern gaming test, 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER scores 5569, a 32.1% lead over the A5000's 3783. This trend continues in the PassMark suite, where the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER wins all tests. The largest margin is in DirectX 11, where it scores 278 versus the A5000's 187, a 32.7% difference. In DirectX 12, the margin is 26.9% (119 vs 87), and in DirectX 9, it's 30.3% (360 vs 251).

The compute-oriented benchmarks show similar results. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER scores 199267, which is 20.8% higher than the A5000's 157905. The PassMark GPU Compute test shows a 32.2% advantage for the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER (18372 vs 12455). The PassMark G3D test, a general gaming metric, also favors the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER by 29.1% (31811 vs 22541).

The single exception is Geekbench Vulkan. Here, the RTX A5000 scores 137828, which is a remarkable 156.7% higher than the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's 53683. This result is anomalous given the rest of the data, suggesting a significant software or driver optimization for Vulkan on the Ampere architecture.

The Verdict

The data is overwhelmingly in favor of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER for almost any user. It is faster in every modern benchmark category, from DirectX 12 gaming to OpenCL compute. Its wins are not marginal; they are substantial, often exceeding 30%. For gaming, rendering, or general GPU compute, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the clear choice based on the benchmark results.

The NVIDIA RTX A5000's only claim to superiority is in the Vulkan API, where its performance is over 2.5 times better. This makes it a niche but potentially essential pick for developers or professionals using Vulkan-specific applications. Its larger 24 GB memory buffer is also a spec advantage, though it doesn't translate into a win in the provided compute benchmarks.

Ultimately, a user should pick the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER unless their specific workload is heavily dependent on Vulkan performance. For those users, the RTX A5000's 156.7% lead in that single test is a strong enough reason to consider it, despite its losses elsewhere. For everyone else, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the superior performer across the board.