NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile vs NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB Comparison

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile vs NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB

The data is unambiguous: the GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile dominates the RTX A2000 12 GB in every head-to-head benchmark recorded, with a 278.3% lead in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test and a 149.2% advantage in Geekbench OpenCL. While the A2000 12 GB is a capable workstation card, the RTX 5080 Mobile is in a completely different performance class, as the benchmark results show a gap that is not merely incremental but generational.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking result comes from the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, where the GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile scored 4952 against the RTX A2000 12 GB’s 1309. That is a delta of 278.3% — meaning the RTX 5080 Mobile delivers nearly four times the performance in this modern DirectX 12 workload. This is not a close contest; it is a decisive, multi-generational leap. For comparison, the RTX 5080 Mobile’s average benchmark score of 38349 places it at the 81st percentile among all GPUs, while the A2000 12 GB’s average of 34154 sits at the 79th percentile — a modest overall ranking difference that belies the enormous gap in this specific test.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 5080 Mobile again wins outright, posting 166986 versus the A2000 12 GB’s 66998. The 149.2% delta here confirms that the advantage is not limited to gaming-oriented workloads; it extends to general-purpose compute as well. The RTX 5080 Mobile’s nearest rival in average score is the GeForce MX570 at 38299 (a 0.1% delta) and the GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile at 38135 (0.6% delta), showing that it is surrounded by other high-end mobile parts. Meanwhile, the A2000 12 GB’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 560 XT at 34133 (0.1% delta) and the NVIDIA TITAN V at 34355 (-0.6% delta), placing it firmly in a lower performance tier.

The RTX 5080 Mobile also holds a commanding lead in raw aggregate metrics: its average benchmark score of 38349 is 12.3% higher than the A2000 12 GB’s 34154. Even in the RTX 5080 Mobile’s weakest recorded benchmarks — like Passmark DirectX 9 at 314 — the A2000 12 GB has no corresponding score to challenge it, as its benchmark suite only includes the two tests listed above. The pattern is consistent: every measurable result favors the RTX 5080 Mobile.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent entirely different architectural generations. The RTX 5080 Mobile is built on Blackwell 2.0 architecture using a GB203 chip, fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. The RTX A2000 12 GB uses the older Ampere architecture with a GA106 die, manufactured on an 8 nm process at Samsung. The process node difference alone — 5 nm versus 8 nm — explains a substantial portion of the efficiency and density gap.

Transistor counts tell the story of scale. The RTX 5080 Mobile packs 45,600 million transistors on a 378 mm² die, yielding a density of 120.6M / mm². The A2000 12 GB has just 12,000 million transistors on a 276 mm² die, with a density of 43.5M / mm². That is nearly four times the transistor count and roughly three times the density — a direct reflection of the newer process and larger chip.

Memory subsystems also diverge sharply. The RTX 5080 Mobile uses 16 GB of GDDR7 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 896.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The A2000 12 GB has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, providing only 288.0 GB/s. The bandwidth advantage for the RTX 5080 Mobile is 211% — a critical factor in modern workloads. Clock speeds differ as well: the RTX 5080 Mobile runs at a 975 MHz base and 1500 MHz boost, with memory at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective), while the A2000 12 GB operates at 562 MHz base and 1200 MHz boost, with memory at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective).

Compute resources mirror these differences. The RTX 5080 Mobile has 7680 shading units, 240 TMUs, 96 ROPs, 60 RT cores, and 240 tensor cores. The A2000 12 GB offers 3328 shading units, 104 TMUs, 48 ROPs, 26 RT cores, and 104 tensor cores — roughly 43% of the shading units and 43% of the RT cores. Pixel rate is 144.0 GPixel/s for the RTX 5080 Mobile versus 57.60 GPixel/s for the A2000 12 GB, and texture rate is 360.0 GTexel/s versus 124.8 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 23.04 TFLOPS for the RTX 5080 Mobile against 7.987 TFLOPS for the A2000 12 GB — a 188% lead.

The Verdict

The data is conclusive: the GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile is the superior GPU in every recorded benchmark and every architectural specification. With a 278.3% win in 3DMark Steel Nomad and a 149.2% win in Geekbench OpenCL, there is no scenario in the available data where the RTX A2000 12 GB comes out ahead. The RTX 5080 Mobile also benefits from a newer architecture (Blackwell 2.0 versus Ampere), a smaller process node (5 nm versus 8 nm), and significantly more memory bandwidth (896.0 GB/s versus 288.0 GB/s).

The RTX A2000 12 GB does have a few advantages worth noting: it is a dual-slot card with a 167 mm length and 69 mm height, making it a fixed-size workstation component, whereas the RTX 5080 Mobile is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with portable-device-dependent outputs. The A2000 12 GB also has a defined launch MSRP of 449 USD, while the RTX 5080 Mobile has no listed launch MSRP. But from a pure performance standpoint, the RTX 5080 Mobile wins decisively.

Pick the RTX 5080 Mobile if you need maximum performance in DirectX 12 and OpenCL workloads, and if your system can accommodate an integrated mobile GPU. Pick the RTX A2000 12 GB only if you require a specific dual-slot form factor with four mini-DisplayPort 1.4a outputs and are willing to accept dramatically lower performance — the data shows a 12.3% gap in average benchmark score, but a 278.3% gap in the most demanding test.

Specification Differences

The following fields differ between the two GPUs:

• Chip: GB203 (RTX 5080 Mobile) versus GA106 (A2000 12 GB)
• Architecture: Blackwell 2.0 versus Ampere
• Process Node: 5 nm (TSMC) versus 8 nm (Samsung)
• Transistors: 45,600 million versus 12,000 million
• Die Size: 378 mm² versus 276 mm²
• Transistor Density: 120.6M / mm² versus 43.5M / mm²
• Base Clock: 975 MHz versus 562 MHz
• Boost Clock: 1500 MHz versus 1200 MHz
• Memory Clock: 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective) versus 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective)
• Memory Size: 16 GB versus 12 GB
• Memory Type: GDDR7 versus GDDR6
• Memory Bus: 256 bit versus 192 bit
• Memory Bandwidth: 896.0 GB/s versus 288.0 GB/s
• Shading Units: 7680 versus 3328
• TMUs: 240 versus 104
• ROPs: 96 versus 48
• RT Cores: 60 versus 26
• Tensor Cores: 240 versus 104
• Pixel Rate: 144.0 GPixel/s versus 57.60 GPixel/s
• Texture Rate: 360.0 GTexel/s versus 124.8 GTexel/s
• FP32: 23.04 TFLOPS versus 7.987 TFLOPS
• FP16: 23.04 TFLOPS (1:1) versus 7.987 TFLOPS (1:1)
• TDP: 80 W versus 70 W
• Slot Width: IGP versus Dual-slot
• Suggested PSU: None versus 250 W
• Bus Interface: PCIe 5.0 x16 versus PCIe 4.0 x16
• Display Outputs: Portable Device Dependent versus 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a
• Dimensions: Not listed versus 167 mm (6.6 inches) length, 69 mm (2.7 inches) height
• Production Status: Active versus End-of-life
• Release Date: 2025-04-01 versus 2021-11-22
• Predecessor: GeForce 40 Mobile versus Quadro Turing
• Successor: None versus Workstation Ada
• Launch MSRP: None versus 449 USD

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile wins decisively with a score of 4952 versus the RTX A2000 12 GB’s 1309, a delta of 278.3%.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The RTX 5080 Mobile has 896.0 GB/s of bandwidth from 16 GB of GDDR7 on a 256-bit bus, while the RTX A2000 12 GB has 288.0 GB/s from 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus.

Q: How do the architectures compare?

A: The RTX 5080 Mobile uses Blackwell 2.0 on a 5 nm process with 45,600 million transistors, while the RTX A2000 12 GB uses Ampere on an 8 nm process with 12,000 million transistors.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each?

A: The RTX 5080 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 38349, placing it at the 81st percentile, while the RTX A2000 12 GB has an average of 34154, at the 79th percentile.

Q: Is the RTX A2000 12 GB still in production?

A: No, the RTX A2000 12 GB is marked as end-of-life, with a release date of 2021-11-22 and a successor listed as Workstation Ada. The RTX 5080 Mobile is active, released on 2025-04-01.

Q: What are the FP32 performance figures?

A: The RTX 5080 Mobile delivers 23.04 TFLOPS FP32, while the RTX A2000 12 GB delivers 7.987 TFLOPS — a 188% advantage for the RTX 5080 Mobile.

Where Each One Wins

The GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile wins in every benchmark category where both have data. Its 278.3% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 makes it the clear choice for modern DirectX 12 gaming or ray-traced workloads, and its 149.2% lead in Geekbench OpenCL means it is also far faster for general-purpose compute. With 60 RT cores versus 26, and 240 tensor cores versus 104, the RTX 5080 Mobile is built for parallel processing at scale.

The RTX A2000 12 GB has no benchmark wins, but it does have situational advantages in form factor and interface. It is a dual-slot card with a fixed 167 mm length and 69 mm height, and it offers 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a outputs — making it suitable for a desktop workstation with specific mounting and display requirements. It also has a lower TDP of 70 W versus 80 W, and a listed launch MSRP of 449 USD. However, these are not performance wins; they are physical or configuration preferences.

In terms of raw compute, the RTX 5080 Mobile is the only rational choice from the data. Its pixel rate of 144.0 GPixel/s versus 57.60 GPixel/s, texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s versus 124.8 GTexel/s, and FP32 of 23.04 TFLOPS versus 7.987 TFLOPS mean it will outperform the A2000 12 GB in any GPU-bound task. The A2000 12 GB’s only path to relevance is its dual-slot, mini-DisplayPort configuration — a niche use case that cannot compete with the RTX 5080 Mobile’s overwhelming performance advantage.