NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 vs NVIDIA P102-100 Comparison

The benchmark data is unequivocal: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 completely outclasses the NVIDIA P102-100 in every measurable compute scenario. The RTX 4090 wins both shared head-to-head tests by margins exceeding 300%, establishing it as the dominant performer in this comparison. While both cards occupy the same 88th percentile rank among all GPUs, this is a statistical artifact of their respective peer groups, not an indicator of comparable capability. The P102-100, a mining-era card, simply cannot compete with a modern flagship on any level of performance.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most dramatic evidence of the RTX 4090’s superiority comes from the Geekbench Vulkan test. Here, the RTX 4090 scores 271,631, while the P102-100 manages only 67,454. This represents a delta of 302.7% in favor of the RTX 4090. This is not a marginal victory; it is a generational chasm. The Vulkan API is a low-level interface that exposes raw hardware capabilities, and the results show the Ada Lovelace architecture executing compute workloads at a pace the Pascal-based P102-100 cannot approach.

The Geekbench OpenCL result is even more lopsided. The RTX 4090 scores 255,416, against the P102-100’s 49,602. The delta here is a staggering 414.9%. OpenCL is often used for general-purpose GPU compute, and this score indicates that the RTX 4090 is over five times faster in this specific workload. For any application relying on OpenCL acceleration, the choice is unequivocal. The data shows a complete rout, with the RTX 4090 winning all 2 head-to-head tests, while the P102-100 wins none.

Looking at the broader benchmark landscape, the RTX 4090’s average benchmark score of 60,347 places it in a peer group with professional workstation cards like the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (61,896, a -2.5% delta) and the Intel Arc Pro A60 (60,326, a 0% delta). In contrast, the P102-100’s average of 58,528 puts it alongside gaming cards like the AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT (58,392, a 0.2% delta). This juxtaposition reveals that while the P102-100 can trade blows with older high-end gaming GPUs, it is nowhere near the performance class occupied by the RTX 4090, which is competitive with modern pro-grade hardware.

Architecture Differences

The fundamental gulf between these two cards lies in their architectural generations. The RTX 4090 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, using the AD102 chip, fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. This allows for a massive transistor count of 76,300 million packed into a 609 mm² die. The P102-100, conversely, uses the Pascal architecture with the GP102 chip, built on an older 16 nm process. This results in a far lower transistor count of 11,800 million on a 471 mm² die. The transistor density difference is profound: 125.3M / mm² for the RTX 4090 versus 25.1M / mm² for the P102-100, representing a 5x improvement in integration efficiency.

This architectural leap translates directly into raw computational resources. The RTX 4090 boasts 16,384 shading units, 512 texture mapping units, and 176 raster operation pipelines. The P102-100 is severely limited with only 3,200 shading units, 200 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. The RTX 4090 also includes dedicated hardware absent on the P102-100: 128 ray tracing cores and 512 tensor cores. The P102-100 has none of these, making it a pure compute card with no support for modern graphics features like hardware-accelerated ray tracing or AI-accelerated DLSS.

Memory architecture further separates them. The RTX 4090 is equipped with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. The P102-100 has just 5 GB of GDDR5X on a 320-bit bus, providing 440.3 GB/s of bandwidth. Even the memory clock speeds differ, with the RTX 4090 running at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective) and the P102-100 at 1376 MHz (11 Gbps effective). The RTX 4090’s higher bandwidth is critical for its superior compute throughput.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 60,347, while the NVIDIA P102-100 has an average score of 58,528.

Q: Is the P102-100 competitive with the RTX 4090 in any graphics test?

A: No. In the two tests where both cards have data (Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan), the RTX 4090 wins both, with deltas of 414.9% and 302.7% respectively.

Q: Are these cards from the same generation?

A: No. The RTX 4090 is from the GeForce 40-series (Ada Lovelace architecture), while the P102-100 is from the Mining GPUs generation (Pascal architecture).

Q: Do both cards support modern features like ray tracing and tensor cores?

A: No. The RTX 4090 has 128 ray tracing cores and 512 tensor cores. The P102-100 has neither, with null values for these specifications.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The RTX 4090 has a TDP of 450 W and requires a 850 W power supply, using a single 16-pin connector. The P102-100 has a TDP of 250 W and requires a 600 W power supply, using two 8-pin connectors.

Q: Which card has more memory and bandwidth?

A: The RTX 4090 has 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing 1.01 TB/s bandwidth. The P102-100 has 5 GB of GDDR5X on a 320-bit bus, providing 440.3 GB/s bandwidth.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets for these two cards diverge on nearly every field.

• Process Node: The RTX 4090 uses a 5 nm process, while the P102-100 uses 16 nm.
• Transistors: The RTX 4090 has 76,300 million transistors, versus 11,800 million on the P102-100.
• Die Size: The RTX 4090's die is 609 mm², larger than the P102-100's 471 mm².
• Transistor Density: The RTX 4090 achieves 125.3M / mm², compared to 25.1M / mm² for the P102-100.
• Base Clock: RTX 4090 runs at 2235 MHz, while the P102-100 runs at 1582 MHz.
• Boost Clock: RTX 4090 boosts to 2520 MHz, versus 1683 MHz on the P102-100.
• Memory: The RTX 4090 has 24 GB of GDDR6X, while the P102-100 has 5 GB of GDDR5X.
• Memory Bus: RTX 4090 uses a 384-bit bus, P102-100 uses a 320-bit bus.
• Memory Bandwidth: RTX 4090 has 1.01 TB/s, P102-100 has 440.3 GB/s.
• Shading Units: The RTX 4090 has 16,384, the P102-100 has 3,200.
• TMUs: RTX 4090 has 512, P102-100 has 200.
• ROPs: RTX 4090 has 176, P102-100 has 80.
• RT Cores: RTX 4090 has 128, P102-100 has 0 (null).
• Tensor Cores: RTX 4090 has 512, P102-100 has 0 (null).
• Pixel Rate: RTX 4090 is 443.5 GPixel/s, P102-100 is 134.6 GPixel/s.
• Texture Rate: RTX 4090 is 1,290.2 GTexel/s, P102-100 is 336.6 GTexel/s.
• FP32 Performance: RTX 4090 is 82.58 TFLOPS, P102-100 is 10.77 TFLOPS.
• FP16 Performance: RTX 4090 is 82.58 TFLOPS (1:1), P102-100 is 168.3 GFLOPS (1:64).
• TDP: RTX 4090 is 450 W, P102-100 is 250 W.
• Slot Width: RTX 4090 is Triple-slot, P102-100 is Dual-slot.
• Power Connectors: RTX 4090 uses 1x 16-pin, P102-100 uses 2x 8-pin.
• Suggested PSU: RTX 4090 requires 850 W, P102-100 requires 600 W.
• Bus Interface: RTX 4090 uses PCIe 4.0 x16, P102-100 uses PCIe 1.0 x4.
• Display Outputs: RTX 4090 has 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, P102-100 has No outputs.
• DirectX Support: RTX 4090 supports 12 Ultimate (12_2), P102-100 supports 12 (12_1).
• Release Date: RTX 4090 released 2022-09-19, P102-100 released 2018-02-11.

The Verdict

The verdict is straightforward: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the superior product in every quantifiable way. The data shows a 414.9% advantage in OpenCL and a 302.7% advantage in Vulkan. Its architectural advantages are overwhelming, with more than five times the shading units, four times the texture units, and over twice the ROPs. The RTX 4090 also offers modern features like ray tracing and tensor cores, which the P102-100 completely lacks. Any user requiring maximum compute performance or modern graphics capabilities must choose the RTX 4090.

The P102-100 is not a viable alternative for any workload. Its only context is as a mining card with no display outputs, and its performance in general compute benchmarks is a fraction of the RTX 4090’s. While it has a lower TDP of 250 W compared to 450 W, this does not offset the massive performance deficit. The P102-100's average benchmark score of 58,528 places it near the AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT, but that does not make it competitive with the RTX 4090, which sits in a higher tier alongside professional cards like the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 4090 wins in all performance categories. It is the clear choice for any application that demands high FP32 throughput (82.58 TFLOPS vs 10.77 TFLOPS), high memory bandwidth (1.01 TB/s vs 440.3 GB/s), or any form of ray-traced or AI-accelerated workload. Its support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and its 24 GB of memory make it suitable for the most demanding modern games and professional 3D rendering tasks.

There are no benchmark wins for the P102-100. It is strictly inferior in compute, graphics, and features. Its only potential advantage is its lower power draw (250 W vs 450 W) and smaller physical footprint (Dual-slot vs Triple-slot), which could be relevant in a system with strict power or space constraints. However, given that the P102-100 has no display outputs and is marked as end-of-life, its utility is limited to specific compute scenarios where its PCIe 1.0 x4 interface is not a bottleneck. For virtually every user, the RTX 4090 is the only rational choice.