NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D vs NVIDIA RTX A4500 Comparison

# NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D vs NVIDIA RTX A4500

The database records three benchmark comparisons between these two NVIDIA workstation-class graphics cards, and the GeForce RTX 4090 D wins all three tests by substantial margins. The RTX 4090 D posts an average benchmark score of 178,050 across all recorded tests, placing it in the 98th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX A4500 averages 91,671, which lands in the 93rd percentile. These are both high-end cards, but the performance gap between them is wide enough that they serve fundamentally different workloads.

Where Each One Wins

The GeForce RTX 4090 D wins in every recorded benchmark category. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, a demanding graphics test that stresses modern rendering pipelines, the RTX 4090 D scores 8,587 against the RTX A4500's 3,196, a delta of 168.7%. This is the largest margin in the entire comparison, and it indicates that the RTX 4090 D is in a different performance class for GPU-bound rendering workloads.

In compute-oriented tests, the RTX 4090 D similarly dominates. Geekbench OpenCL shows the RTX 4090 D at 278,621 versus 141,837 for the RTX A4500, a 96.4% advantage. The Vulkan result follows the same pattern: 246,941 for the RTX 4090 D against 129,980, a 90% lead. These are not marginal wins; the RTX 4090 D roughly doubles the RTX A4500's output in every measured scenario.

The RTX A4500's strongest position is in the context of its own nearest rivals, not against the RTX 4090 D. The database shows the RTX A4500 sits within 5.2% of the AMD Radeon PRO W7600 and 4.8% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro GP100. Against the RTX 4090 D, however, there is no single test where the RTX A4500 comes out ahead. The RTX 4090 D also outperforms its own nearest rivals: it is 2.2% behind the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell, 3.1% behind the NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB, 3.6% behind the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation, and 4.9% behind the NVIDIA A100 SXM4 40 GB. The RTX A4500 cannot close that gap.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different NVIDIA architectures and different manufacturing generations. The RTX 4090 D uses the AD102 chip built on Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC, while the RTX A4500 uses the GA102 chip built on Ampere architecture with an 8 nm process from Samsung. This architectural gap explains much of the performance difference. The RTX 4090 D packs 76,300 million transistors onto a 609 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 125.3 million per square millimeter. The RTX A4500 has 28,300 million transistors on a slightly larger 628 mm² die, giving a density of just 45.1 million per square millimeter.

The core configurations are equally divergent. The RTX 4090 D features 14,592 shading units, 456 texture mapping units, and 176 raster operation units. The RTX A4500 has 7,168 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, so the RTX 4090 D has roughly double the shader count, double the texture units, and double the ROPs. Ray tracing resources follow the same ratio: the RTX 4090 D has 114 RT cores and 456 tensor cores, while the RTX A4500 has 56 RT cores and 224 tensor cores. Every computational resource on the RTX 4090 D is approximately twice that of the RTX A4500.

Memory configurations also differ significantly. The RTX 4090 D carries 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus with 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, while the RTX A4500 has 20 GB of GDDR6 on a 320-bit bus with 640.0 GB/s. The RTX 4090 D's memory clocks run at 1313 MHz with 21 Gbps effective data rate; the RTX A4500's memory runs at 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective. The RTX 4090 D's memory bandwidth advantage of roughly 58% is substantial for large data sets and high-resolution textures.

Clock speeds are another differentiator. The RTX 4090 D has a base clock of 2280 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz, while the RTX A4500 runs at 1050 MHz base and 1650 MHz boost. These higher clocks combine with the larger core count to produce the performance gap. The RTX 4090 D achieves a pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 1,149.1 GTexel/s, versus 158.4 GPixel/s and 369.6 GTexel/s for the RTX A4500. Floating-point throughput is 73.54 TFLOPS for the RTX 4090 D and 23.65 TFLOPS for the RTX A4500 in both FP32 and FP16, with 1:1 ratios on both cards.

The physical and power profiles differ as well. The RTX 4090 D is a triple-slot card with a 425 W TDP and a single 16-pin power connector, requiring a suggested 800 W power supply. The RTX A4500 is a dual-slot card with a 200 W TDP, a single 8-pin connector, and a suggested 550 W power supply. The RTX 4090 D measures 304 mm in length, 137 mm in height, and 61 mm in width; the RTX A4500 is 267 mm long and 112 mm tall. Display outputs also differ: the RTX 4090 D offers one HDMI 2.1 and three DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, while the RTX A4500 provides four DisplayPort 1.4a outputs.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test shows the largest performance delta. The RTX 4090 D scores 8,587, which is 168.7% higher than the RTX A4500's 3,196. This test is particularly relevant for gaming and real-time rendering workloads, and the result indicates that the RTX 4090 D delivers nearly 2.7 times the raw rendering throughput of the RTX A4500. The RTX 4090 D's pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,149.1 GTexel/s provide the hardware foundation for this result.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 4090 D scores 278,621 against 141,837 for the RTX A4500, a 96.4% delta. This benchmark exercises general-purpose compute across the GPU, and the RTX 4090 D's higher shader count, higher clocks, and doubled tensor core count all contribute to the near-doubling of performance. The RTX A4500's FP32 throughput of 23.65 TFLOPS is less than a third of the RTX 4090 D's 73.54 TFLOPS, which aligns with the measured OpenCL gap.

The Geekbench Vulkan test shows the RTX 4090 D at 246,941 versus 129,980 for the RTX A4500, a 90% delta. Vulkan is a low-level graphics API, and the RTX 4090 D's architectural advantages in raw geometry throughput and memory bandwidth manifest clearly here. The RTX 4090 D's 1.01 TB/s memory bandwidth versus 640.0 GB/s for the RTX A4500 is a meaningful advantage in bandwidth-bound Vulkan workloads.

Across all three tests, the RTX 4090 D's smallest win is 90%, which means the RTX A4500 never comes within even a factor of two of the RTX 4090 D's performance. The RTX A4500's nearest rivals in the database are all cards of similar or lower performance, such as the RTX A4500 Mobile (0.6% ahead) and the AMD Radeon Instinct MI60 (0.9% behind). This places the RTX A4500 in a performance tier far below the RTX 4090 D.

FAQ

Q: Which card has more memory bandwidth?

A: The RTX 4090 D has 1.01 TB/s of memory bandwidth from 24 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus. The RTX A4500 has 640.0 GB/s from 20 GB of GDDR6 on a 320-bit bus.

Q: How do the power requirements compare?

A: The RTX 4090 D has a 425 W TDP and requires a suggested 800 W power supply with a single 16-pin connector. The RTX A4500 has a 200 W TDP, a suggested 550 W power supply, and uses a single 8-pin connector.

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

A: The largest delta is in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, where the RTX 4090 D scores 8,587 versus 3,196 for the RTX A4500, a 168.7% advantage.

Q: Are both cards the same physical size?

A: No. The RTX 4090 D is triple-slot and measures 304 mm by 137 mm by 61 mm. The RTX A4500 is dual-slot and measures 267 mm by 112 mm, with no width recorded.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The RTX 4090 D has 14,592 shading units, while the RTX A4500 has 7,168. The RTX 4090 D also has 456 TMUs and 176 ROPs versus 224 TMUs and 96 ROPs on the RTX A4500.

Q: How do the ray tracing and tensor cores compare?

A: The RTX 4090 D has 114 RT cores and 456 tensor cores. The RTX A4500 has 56 RT cores and 224 tensor cores, which is exactly half of the RTX 4090 D's counts.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear conclusion: the GeForce RTX 4090 D is the superior card in every recorded benchmark. Its 98th percentile standing among all GPUs, combined with an average score of 178,050, places it well above the RTX A4500's 93rd percentile and 91,671 average. The RTX 4090 D wins all three head-to-head tests with deltas of 168.7%, 96.4%, and 90%, so there is no workload category in the database where the RTX A4500 is competitive.

Buyers who need maximum rendering throughput, whether for 3DMark-style DX12 workloads, OpenCL compute, or Vulkan rendering, should choose the RTX 4090 D. Its 24 GB of GDDR6X memory, 73.54 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth make it the stronger choice for graphics-intensive tasks. The RTX 4090 D also carries a launch MSRP of 1,599 USD, which is the only price reference in the database.

The RTX A4500 is the better choice only for users who require its specific form factor or power profile. It is a dual-slot card with a 200 W TDP and a single 8-pin connector, making it easier to fit into constrained chassis or systems with limited power delivery. It also provides four DisplayPort outputs versus the RTX 4090 D's one HDMI and three DisplayPort configuration. For users who need those physical characteristics, the RTX A4500 remains a capable workstation card, as its 93rd percentile ranking shows. But for pure performance, the RTX 4090 D is the clear winner in every measured test, and the margin is not close.