NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 vs NVIDIA RTX A4000 Comparison

NVIDIA’s RTX A4000 and GeForce RTX 5060 sit at opposite ends of the product spectrum but land nearly identical average benchmark scores. The RTX A4000 averages 26,683 points across its benchmark suite, while the RTX 5060 averages 26,331 points, a difference of roughly 1.3%. Both parts occupy the 72nd percentile among all GPUs. The RTX A4000’s nearest rivals include the RTX 5060 itself, with a delta of 1.3%, while the RTX 5060’s closest competitor is the AMD Radeon 860M at -0.3%. Despite the similar overall averages, the two cards win in very different ways across individual tests.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The RTX 5060 wins 8 of the 10 head-to-head tests, and its largest victory is decisive. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the RTX 5060 scores 3,628 against the RTX A4000’s 2,604, a 28.2% advantage. This is the single biggest gap in either direction and suggests the newer architecture handles modern DX12 workloads substantially better. The RTX 5060 also leads in Passmark DirectX 11 by 21% (200 vs 158) and in Passmark G2D by 11.3% (1,154 vs 1,024). Its compute lead is solid but smaller: Passmark GPU Compute shows 10,899 vs 9,760, a 10.5% edge. Geekbench OpenCL favors the RTX 5060 by 6.2% (112,787 vs 105,739), and Passmark G3D shows a 6.9% lead (20,891 vs 19,459). The remaining RTX 5060 wins are narrow: Passmark DirectX 12 (77 vs 72, 6.5%), Passmark DirectX 10 (127 vs 126, 0.8%), and Geekbench Vulkan.

The RTX A4000 takes the other two tests, and both are worth noting. In Geekbench Vulkan, the A4000 scores 127,645 against 113,321, a 12.6% win — its largest margin. This indicates the A4000’s driver stack or hardware configuration is particularly strong for Vulkan compute or graphics. The A4000 also wins Passmark DirectX 9 by 6.7% (240 vs 225), a legacy API test where the older card retains an edge. When looking at the overall pattern, the RTX 5060 dominates modern APIs and compute, while the RTX A4000 holds its ground in Vulkan and older DirectX versions. The average benchmark scores tell the same story: the A4000’s 26,683 average is higher, but the RTX 5060’s 26,331 average is within 1.3%, making the two effectively peers in overall performance despite the stark architectural differences.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from fundamentally different design eras. The RTX A4000 uses the GA104 chip on a Samsung 8 nm process, while the RTX 5060 uses the GB206 chip on a TSMC 5 nm node. The transistor counts reflect this: the GA104 packs 17,400 million transistors across a 392 mm² die, giving a density of 44.4 million transistors per mm². The GB206 contains 21,900 million transistors on a much smaller 181 mm² die, achieving 121.0 million transistors per mm². The RTX 5060’s transistor density is roughly 2.7 times higher, a direct result of the smaller process node.

The core configurations differ significantly. The RTX A4000 has 6,144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, 96 raster output units, 48 ray tracing cores, and 192 tensor cores. The RTX 5060 has fewer of everything: 3,840 shading units, 120 TMUs, 48 ROPs, 30 RT cores, and 120 tensor cores. Yet the RTX 5060 achieves nearly identical raw throughput. Its FP32 compute is 19.18 TFLOPS versus the A4000’s 19.17 TFLOPS, and its texture rate is 299.6 GTexel/s versus 299.5 GTexel/s. The RTX 5060’s pixel rate, however, is lower at 119.9 GPixel/s compared to the A4000’s 149.8 GPixel/s, likely due to the halved ROP count. Clock speeds explain the compute parity: the RTX 5060 boosts to 2,497 MHz while the A4000 boosts to 1,560 MHz, with base clocks of 2,280 MHz and 735 MHz respectively.

Memory configurations also diverge sharply. The RTX A4000 carries 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, while the RTX 5060 has 8 GB of GDDR7 on a 128-bit bus. Both deliver exactly 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, so memory throughput is a wash. The memory clock is effective 14 Gbps for the A4000 and 28 Gbps for the RTX 5060. The RTX 5060 uses a PCIe 5.0 x8 interface versus the A4000’s PCIe 4.0 x16. Display outputs also differ: the A4000 offers 4x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the RTX 5060 offers 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b. The A4000 is a single-slot card with a 1x 6-pin power connector, while the RTX 5060 is dual-slot with a 1x 8-pin connector. Both share the same 300 W suggested PSU rating and identical DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 API support.

FAQ

Q: Which card has higher average benchmark scores?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A4000 has a higher average benchmark score of 26,683, compared to the RTX 5060’s 26,331. The RTX 5060 is 1.3% behind the A4000 in this metric, and both cards sit in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs.

Q: How does the RTX 5060 perform in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12?

A: The RTX 5060 scores 3,628 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 28.2% higher than the RTX A4000’s 2,604. This is the largest performance gap in any head-to-head test between the two cards.

Q: In which benchmark does the RTX A4000 achieve its biggest win?

A: The RTX A4000 wins Geekbench Vulkan with a score of 127,645, beating the RTX 5060’s 113,321 by 12.6%. This is the A4000’s only double-digit victory, and it also wins Passmark DirectX 9 by 6.7%.

Q: Do the two cards have the same memory bandwidth?

A: Yes, both cards deliver 448.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. However, the RTX A4000 uses 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, while the RTX 5060 uses 8 GB of GDDR7 on a 128-bit bus.

Q: What is the FP32 compute performance difference?

A: The FP32 compute performance is virtually identical. The RTX A4000 delivers 19.17 TFLOPS, and the RTX 5060 delivers 19.18 TFLOPS, a difference of 0.01 TFLOPS in favor of the RTX 5060.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The RTX A4000 has 6,144 shading units, which is 2,304 more than the RTX 5060’s 3,840. The RTX 5060 compensates with higher clock speeds (2,497 MHz boost vs 1,560 MHz boost) to achieve nearly equal FP32 throughput.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every physical and architectural specification. The process node moves from 8 nm Samsung on the A4000 to 5 nm TSMC on the RTX 5060. Transistor count increases from 17,400 million to 21,900 million, while die size shrinks from 392 mm² to 181 mm². Transistor density rises from 44.4M per mm² to 121.0M per mm². Clock speeds are dramatically different: the A4000 runs at 735 MHz base and 1,560 MHz boost, while the RTX 5060 runs at 2,280 MHz base and 2,497 MHz boost. Memory size halves from 16 GB to 8 GB, and memory type changes from GDDR6 to GDDR7. Bus width drops from 256-bit to 128-bit, while effective memory clock doubles from 14 Gbps to 28 Gbps. Bandwidth remains identical at 448.0 GB/s.

Core counts all favor the A4000: shading units (6,144 vs 3,840), TMUs (192 vs 120), ROPs (96 vs 48), RT cores (48 vs 30), and tensor cores (192 vs 120). Pixel rate is higher on the A4000 (149.8 GPixel/s vs 119.9 GPixel/s), but texture rate is nearly equal (299.5 vs 299.6 GTexel/s). FP32 and FP16 TFLOPS are effectively the same at 19.17/19.17 for the A4000 and 19.18/19.18 for the RTX 5060. TDP is 140 W for the A4000 and 145 W for the RTX 5060. The A4000 is single-slot with a 6-pin connector, while the RTX 5060 is dual-slot with an 8-pin connector. Bus interface changes from PCIe 4.0 x16 to PCIe 5.0 x8. Display outputs differ: 4x DisplayPort 1.4a versus 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b. Dimensions are nearly identical in length and height (241 mm and 112/111 mm), but the RTX 5060 adds a 40 mm width. Release dates are far apart: April 2021 for the A4000 versus May 2025 for the RTX 5060. The A4000 is end-of-life, while the RTX 5060 is active. The RTX 5060 has a launch MSRP of 299 USD.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 5060 wins in modern DX12 and DX11 workloads. Its 28.2% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and 21% lead in Passmark DirectX 11 make it the clear choice for current-generation gaming and DX12-centric applications. It also leads in Passmark G3D by 6.9%, Passmark GPU Compute by 10.5%, Geekbench OpenCL by 6.2%, Passmark G2D by 11.3%, and Passmark DirectX 12 by 6.5%. The RTX 5060 wins 8 of 10 head-to-head tests, making it the more consistent performer across the benchmark suite. Its higher boost clock (2,497 MHz vs 1,560 MHz) and GDDR7 memory likely contribute to these wins, even with fewer cores.

The RTX A4000 wins in Vulkan and DirectX 9. Its Geekbench Vulkan score of 127,645 is 12.6% higher than the RTX 5060’s, and its Passmark DirectX 9 score of 240 beats 225 by 6.7%. The A4000 also has a higher average benchmark score overall (26,683 vs 26,331), so it edges out the RTX 5060 in aggregate performance. The A4000’s 16 GB memory capacity and 256-bit bus make it more suitable for memory-intensive workloads, even though bandwidth is identical. Its higher pixel rate (149.8 GPixel/s vs 119.9 GPixel/s) suggests advantages in fill-rate-bound scenarios. The A4000’s single-slot design and 6-pin connector also make it easier to fit in dense workstation builds.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split. The RTX 5060 is the better all-around performer for modern APIs and compute, winning 8 of 10 benchmark tests with decisive margins in DX12 and DX11. Its 28.2% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 is the largest single gap, and it maintains leads in compute, OpenCL, and 2D tests. For anyone running current DX12 games or compute-heavy workloads, the RTX 5060 is the stronger choice based on benchmark results.

The RTX A4000 wins in Vulkan and DirectX 9, and it retains a higher overall average score (26,683 vs 26,331). Its 16 GB memory capacity doubles the RTX 5060’s 8 GB, which matters for large datasets even though bandwidth is equal. The A4000’s higher pixel rate and single-slot form factor give it niche advantages. For Vulkan-centric applications or legacy DirectX 9 workloads, the A4000 holds a measurable edge. Both cards sit at the 72nd percentile, and their average scores are within 1.3% of each other, so the choice ultimately depends on which API or workload type dominates the user’s use case. The RTX 5060 is the default pick for modern workloads, while the RTX A4000 is preferable for Vulkan, legacy APIs, and memory-heavy tasks.