NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D vs NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile Comparison

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D vs NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile

The database records a decisive performance gap between these two NVIDIA workstation-oriented GPUs, separated by architecture, power envelope, and intended use case. The desktop RTX 4090 D, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, delivers benchmark scores that dwarf the mobile Ampere-based RTX A5500 in every recorded test. The head-to-head data shows the RTX 4090 D winning both shared benchmark tests with substantial margins, while the RTX A5500 Mobile, despite its lower absolute scores, still ranks in the 94th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is far from a weak performer in its own right. The following analysis breaks down the measured differences, architectural foundations, and the specific workloads where each card holds an advantage.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The direct comparison between these two GPUs is limited to two shared tests, and in both, the RTX 4090 D asserts overwhelming dominance. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RTX 4090 D scores 278,621 points against the RTX A5500 Mobile's 124,287 points, producing a delta of 124.2%. This is not a marginal lead; it is a doubling of raw compute throughput in a general-purpose API workload. The Geekbench Vulkan test shows an even wider gap, with the RTX 4090 D scoring 246,941 points versus 103,601 points for the RTX A5500 Mobile, a delta of 138.4%. Vulkan, being a lower-level API, tends to expose raw hardware capabilities more directly, and the data indicates the desktop card's execution resources are vastly superior.

Beyond these two shared tests, the RTX 4090 D also has a recorded 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 8,587, a test the RTX A5500 Mobile was not run on in the database. While no direct comparison is possible for this specific workload, the 3DMark result reinforces the pattern: the RTX 4090 D is a high-end desktop part with a 98th percentile ranking across all GPUs, while the RTX A5500 Mobile sits at the 94th percentile. The average benchmark score metric tells a similar story: the RTX 4090 D averages 178,050 points across its tested workloads, while the RTX A5500 Mobile averages 113,944 points. This represents a 56.3% advantage for the desktop card in aggregate, though the exact percentage is not recorded in the database, the raw numbers speak clearly.

Examining the nearest rivals for each card provides context for their respective standings. The RTX 4090 D's closest competitor in the database is the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell, which scores 182,109 on average, putting the RTX 4090 D 2.2% behind. It also trails the NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB by 3.1%, the RTX 5000 Ada Generation by 3.6%, and the A100 SXM4 40 GB by 4.9%. This places the RTX 4090 D at the top of the consumer-adjacent workstation tier, just below the highest-end data center accelerators. The RTX A5500 Mobile, by contrast, sits in a lower tier, with its nearest rival being the NVIDIA Tesla V100 SXM2 16 GB, which scores 114,395 on average, a mere 0.4% ahead. The RTX A5500 Mobile also trails the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation by 2.7% and the NVIDIA GB10 by 2.9%, while it leads the AMD Radeon PRO W7900 by 2.9%. This proximity to mid-range rivals confirms that the mobile card is positioned for professional mobile workstations, not for competing with flagship desktop parts.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is stark and explains the performance gap. The RTX 4090 D is built on the AD102 chip using the Ada Lovelace architecture, fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It packs 76,300 million transistors into a 609 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 125.3 million per square millimeter. In contrast, the RTX A5500 Mobile uses the GA103 chip on the older Ampere architecture, manufactured on an 8 nm process at Samsung. This chip contains 22,000 million transistors on a 496 mm² die, with a much lower transistor density of 44.4 million per square millimeter. The newer process node and higher density give the RTX 4090 D a fundamental advantage in raw compute capacity.

The compute resources differ by nearly every measure. The RTX 4090 D features 14,592 shading units, 456 texture mapping units, 176 raster operations pipelines, 114 ray tracing cores, and 456 tensor cores. The RTX A5500 Mobile, by comparison, has 7,424 shading units, 232 TMUs, 96 ROPs, 58 ray tracing cores, and 232 tensor cores. In every category, the desktop card has roughly twice the execution units, which directly translates to the observed benchmark deltas. The pixel rate for the RTX 4090 D is 443.5 GPixel/s, while the RTX A5500 Mobile manages 144.0 GPixel/s. Texture rate follows the same pattern: 1,149.1 GTexel/s for the desktop card versus 348.0 GTexel/s for the mobile card. FP32 compute is listed at 73.54 TFLOPS for the RTX 4090 D and 22.27 TFLOPS for the RTX A5500 Mobile, with FP16 performance being identical to FP32 at a 1:1 ratio for both cards.

Memory subsystems also diverge significantly. The RTX 4090 D ships with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. The RTX A5500 Mobile has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The desktop card's memory clock is listed at 1313 MHz with 21 Gbps effective speed, while the mobile card runs at 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective. The combination of wider bus and faster memory gives the RTX 4090 D exactly double the bandwidth of its mobile counterpart, a critical factor for memory-intensive workloads. Clock speeds also favor the desktop card: the RTX 4090 D has a base clock of 2280 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz, while the RTX A5500 Mobile runs at 975 MHz base and 1500 MHz boost. Even accounting for the mobile card's lower power target, the clock deficit is substantial.

The power and physical characteristics reflect their different design goals. The RTX 4090 D has a TDP of 425 W, requires a triple-slot cooler, uses a single 16-pin power connector, and needs an 800 W suggested power supply. It measures 304 mm in length, 137 mm in height, and 61 mm in width. The RTX A5500 Mobile has a TDP of 165 W, uses no external power connectors, and its dimensions are listed as portable device dependent, meaning it is designed to be integrated into a laptop chassis. Both cards support PCIe 4.0 x16, share the same DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 API support, and both have reached end-of-life production status. The RTX 4090 D was released on December 27, 2023, succeeding the GeForce 30 series and preceding the GeForce 50 series, while the RTX A5500 Mobile launched on March 21, 2022, succeeding Quadro Turing-M and preceding Ada-MW.

Where Each One Wins

The data makes it clear that the RTX 4090 D wins in every measured benchmark category, but the nature of that win matters for real-world use cases. In OpenCL workloads, which are common in scientific computing, video encoding, and general-purpose GPU compute, the RTX 4090 D's 124.2% lead over the RTX A5500 Mobile positions it as a far more capable compute engine. The Vulkan result, with a 138.4% delta, reinforces this for graphics-heavy applications that leverage Vulkan's explicit control over GPU resources. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 8,587 for the RTX 4090 D, while not directly comparable to the mobile card, suggests strong DirectX 12 gaming and rendering performance, a domain where the RTX A5500 Mobile, with its 144.0 GPixel/s pixel rate, would struggle to keep up.

The RTX A5500 Mobile, however, has a clear domain where it wins: portability and power efficiency per unit of performance. With a 165 W TDP and no external power connectors, it can operate in a laptop or compact mobile workstation, while the RTX 4090 D requires a 425 W power budget and a triple-slot chassis. The mobile card's transistor density is lower, but its 94th percentile ranking means it still outperforms the vast majority of GPUs in the database. For a mobile professional who needs CUDA acceleration, ray tracing, and 16 GB of VRAM in a field-deployable system, the RTX A5500 Mobile is the only viable option of the two, since the RTX 4090 D cannot be installed in a portable form factor.

Looking at the nearest rival comparisons, the RTX 4090 D sits just below the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell and the A100 series in average score, which indicates it is best suited for high-end desktop workstations where maximum throughput is required and power constraints are minimal. The RTX A5500 Mobile, by contrast, sits near the Tesla V100 SXM2 16 GB and the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation, a tier of GPUs designed for professional workloads in constrained environments. The mobile card's 2.9% lead over the AMD Radeon PRO W7900 shows it can compete with some desktop workstation cards, but only those in a lower performance class. In summary, the RTX 4090 D wins on absolute performance, memory bandwidth, and compute density, while the RTX A5500 Mobile wins on deployability and power efficiency, though the database does not record any benchmark where the mobile card outperforms the desktop card.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score in the database?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D has an average benchmark score of 178,050 points, while the NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile averages 113,944 points, a difference of 64,106 points in favor of the desktop card.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 4090 D in the Geekbench Vulkan test?

A: The RTX 4090 D scores 246,941 points in Geekbench Vulkan, compared to 103,601 points for the RTX A5500 Mobile, resulting in a delta of 138.4% in favor of the RTX 4090 D.

Q: What are the memory capacities and bandwidths of each card?

A: The RTX 4090 D has 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus with 1.01 TB/s bandwidth. The RTX A5500 Mobile has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 512.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which architecture and process node does each GPU use?

A: The RTX 4090 D uses the Ada Lovelace architecture on a 5 nm TSMC process with the AD102 chip. The RTX A5500 Mobile uses the Ampere architecture on an 8 nm Samsung process with the GA103 chip.

Q: What is the power consumption difference between the two cards?

A: The RTX 4090 D has a TDP of 425 W, while the RTX A5500 Mobile has a TDP of 165 W. The mobile card uses no external power connectors, while the desktop card requires a single 16-pin connector and an 800 W suggested power supply.

Q: How do the nearest rivals compare to each card's average score?

A: The RTX 4090 D's closest rival is the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell at 182,109 points, which is 2.2% ahead. The RTX A5500 Mobile's closest rival is the NVIDIA Tesla V100 SXM2 16 GB at 114,395 points, which is 0.4% ahead. The RTX A5500 Mobile leads the AMD Radeon PRO W7900 by 2.9%.

The Verdict

The recorded data supports a clear split in purchasing decisions. For any user who requires maximum compute performance and has a desktop workstation with adequate power and cooling, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D is the superior choice. Its benchmark scores are 124.2% higher in OpenCL and 138.4% higher in Vulkan compared to the RTX A5500 Mobile, and its average score of 178,050 places it in the 98th percentile of all GPUs. The 24 GB of GDDR6X memory with 1.01 TB/s bandwidth makes it suitable for large datasets, high-resolution rendering, and compute-heavy simulations. Its nearest rivals, the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell and the A100 series, are only slightly ahead in average score, indicating the RTX 4090 D is near the top of the workstation GPU hierarchy.

For a user who needs a professional GPU in a laptop or other portable system, the NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile is the only option between the two, as the RTX 4090 D cannot operate in a mobile form factor. The A5500 Mobile's 165 W TDP and lack of external power connectors make it feasible for mobile workstations, and its 94th percentile ranking shows it is a capable performer. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory with 512.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for many professional workloads, and its average score of 113,944 places it just behind the Tesla V100 SXM2 16 GB and ahead of the AMD Radeon PRO W7900. However, the data does not record any benchmark where the RTX A5500 Mobile outperforms the RTX 4090 D, so users who can accept a desktop form factor should select the RTX 4090 D without hesitation. The RTX A5500 Mobile is a compromise, not a competitor, and the benchmark data reflects that reality.