NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 vs NVIDIA RTX 4500 Ada Generation Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data contains two direct head-to-head comparisons between the NVIDIA RTX 4500 Ada Generation and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090, and the results are decisive. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 5090 scores 334,370 against the RTX 4500 Ada's 160,786, a delta of 51.9% in favor of the newer card. The Geekbench Vulkan test tells a similar story: the RTX 5090 posts 376,728 versus 171,401, a 54.5% advantage. These are not marginal gains; the RTX 5090 roughly doubles the RTX 4500 Ada's compute output in both API workloads.

The RTX 4500 Ada's average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 166,094, placing it in the 97th percentile of all GPUs in the database. The RTX 5090, by contrast, has an average benchmark score of 79,842, which lands in the 92nd percentile. This discrepancy is explained by the test mix: the RTX 5090's recorded benchmarks include several Passmark legacy DirectX tests with very low scores (such as 185 in DirectX 12, 226 in DirectX 10, 341 in DirectX 11, and 395 in DirectX 9), which drag down its average despite its massive wins in OpenCL and Vulkan. The RTX 4500 Ada has only two recorded benchmarks, both of which are strong compute scores.

Looking at the RTX 5090's broader benchmark profile, its Passmark G3D score of 39,650 and Passmark GPU Compute score of 26,756 are substantial. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 result of 18,355 confirms strong modern gaming and D3D12 performance. The RTX 4500 Ada has no equivalent 3DMark or Passmark entries in the database, so direct comparisons in those workloads are not possible from the recorded measurements. What the data does show is that in the two shared tests, the RTX 5090 wins both outright, and by a wide margin.

The nearest rival data for each card provides useful context. The RTX 4500 Ada sits within 2.2% of the NVIDIA A100 PCIe 40 GB (162,504), within 1.5% of the AMD Radeon Pro W6900X (168,574), and just 0.5% above the NVIDIA RTX A5500 (165,217). The RTX 5090's nearest rivals by average score are much older or lower-tier parts: the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79,605) is 0.3% behind, the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79,396) is 0.6% behind, and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78,940) trails by 1.1%. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X (80,959) leads the RTX 5090 by 1.4% in that average, which reflects the skewing effect of the legacy Passmark tests rather than any real compute advantage.

The Verdict

The data points to two very different products for two very different purposes. The RTX 4500 Ada Generation is a workstation-focused card with a 97th percentile standing among all GPUs, an average benchmark score of 166,094, and a narrow competitive window against professional cards like the RTX A5500 and Radeon PRO W7800. Its performance profile is consistent: both recorded benchmarks, OpenCL and Vulkan, land in the 160,000 to 171,000 range. That consistency, combined with a 210 W TDP, no external power connectors, and a dual-slot 245 mm design, makes it a fit for professional environments where stability and power efficiency matter more than raw peak throughput.

The RTX 5090 is a different animal entirely. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 334,370 and Vulkan score of 376,728 are roughly double the RTX 4500 Ada's results. It carries 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512 bit bus with 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth, versus 24 GB of GDDR6 on a 192 bit bus with 432.0 GB/s. The RTX 5090 also has far more compute resources: 21,760 shading units, 680 tensor cores, and 170 RT cores, compared to 7,680 shading units, 240 tensor cores, and 60 RT cores. Its FP32 throughput of 104.8 TFLOPS is 2.6 times the RTX 4500 Ada's 39.63 TFLOPS. The RTX 5090 is the clear winner for anyone who prioritizes raw compute, modern API performance, or high-resolution memory bandwidth. Its 575 W TDP, 950 W suggested PSU, and 1x 16-pin power connector reflect that this is a high-power part.

For professional workstation buyers, the choice depends on whether the workload is compute-bound or power-bound. The RTX 5090 delivers more performance in the two shared benchmarks, but it also demands far more power and a larger physical footprint at 304 mm long, 137 mm tall, and 40 mm wide. The RTX 4500 Ada, at 245 mm long and 112 mm tall, fits into more compact chassis and requires no external power connector. The RTX 4500 Ada's launch MSRP is not recorded in the database, so no cost comparison is possible from the data.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different architecture generations. The RTX 4500 Ada Generation uses the AD103 chip based on Ada Lovelace architecture, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It integrates 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 121.1 million per mm². The RTX 5090 uses the GB202 chip based on Blackwell 2.0 architecture, also on a 5 nm TSMC process, but with 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die. Its transistor density is 122.9 million per mm², marginally higher than the Ada part despite the massive difference in absolute transistor count and die area.

Memory architecture differs substantially. The RTX 4500 Ada has 24 GB of GDDR6 on a 192 bit bus, with 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth and a memory clock of 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective). The RTX 5090 has 32 GB of GDDR7 on a 512 bit bus, with 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth and a memory clock of 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The bus width and memory type changes drive the bandwidth difference: the RTX 5090 delivers more than four times the memory bandwidth of the RTX 4500 Ada.

Compute resources scale accordingly. The RTX 4500 Ada has 7,680 shading units, 240 TMUs, 80 ROPs, 60 RT cores, and 240 tensor cores. The RTX 5090 has 21,760 shading units, 680 TMUs, 176 ROPs, 170 RT cores, and 680 tensor cores. Pixel rate increases from 206.4 GPixel/s on the Ada card to 423.6 GPixel/s on the RTX 5090. Texture rate jumps from 619.2 GTexel/s to 1,636.8 GTexel/s. FP32 and FP16 throughput are both 39.63 TFLOPS on the RTX 4500 Ada and 104.8 TFLOPS on the RTX 5090, with both cards maintaining a 1:1 FP16 to FP32 ratio.

Interface and power delivery also differ. The RTX 4500 Ada uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the RTX 5090 uses PCIe 5.0 x16. Display outputs are 4x DisplayPort 1.4a on the Ada card, versus 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b on the RTX 5090. The Ada card has no power connectors and a 210 W TDP with a 550 W suggested PSU, while the RTX 5090 requires a 1x 16-pin connector, a 575 W TDP, and a 950 W suggested PSU. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 scores 334,370 in Geekbench OpenCL, compared to the RTX 4500 Ada Generation's 160,786, a 51.9% difference in favor of the RTX 5090.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between the two cards?

A: The RTX 5090 has 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth from 32 GB of GDDR7 on a 512 bit bus. The RTX 4500 Ada has 432.0 GB/s from 24 GB of GDDR6 on a 192 bit bus.

Q: How do their thermal design power ratings compare?

A: The RTX 4500 Ada has a 210 W TDP and requires no power connectors, with a 550 W suggested PSU. The RTX 5090 has a 575 W TDP, uses a 1x 16-pin power connector, and needs a 950 W suggested PSU.

Q: Are both cards on the same process node?

A: Yes, both are built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. The RTX 4500 Ada has a 379 mm² die with 45,900 million transistors, while the RTX 5090 has a 750 mm² die with 92,200 million transistors.

Q: Which card has more RT cores and tensor cores?

A: The RTX 5090 has 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores. The RTX 4500 Ada has 60 RT cores and 240 tensor cores.

Q: What is the percentile ranking of each card in the database?

A: The RTX 4500 Ada ranks in the 97th percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 166,094. The RTX 5090 ranks in the 92nd percentile with an average score of 79,842, though this average is heavily influenced by low legacy Passmark scores.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 5090 wins every shared benchmark in the database. It is faster in Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan by margins of 51.9% and 54.5%, respectively. Its FP32 throughput of 104.8 TFLOPS, texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s, and pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s are all far above the RTX 4500 Ada's 39.63 TFLOPS, 619.2 GTexel/s, and 206.4 GPixel/s. The RTX 5090 also has double the memory capacity at 32 GB versus 24 GB, and its GDDR7 memory on a 512 bit bus provides 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth, which is critical for large datasets, high-resolution textures, and AI inference workloads that are memory-bandwidth bound. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 18,355 and Passmark G3D score of 39,650 further indicate strong modern graphics performance.

The RTX 4500 Ada wins where efficiency and physical integration matter. It operates at 210 W with no external power connectors, meaning it can be installed in systems with a 550 W PSU, and its 245 mm length and 112 mm height allow it to fit in compact workstation chassis. Its 97th percentile ranking reflects a consistently strong performance across its limited benchmark set, and its nearest rivals are all professional or workstation-class cards with similar average scores. The RTX 4500 Ada also uses PCIe 4.0 x16, which is compatible with a wider range of existing workstation motherboards, whereas the RTX 5090 requires PCIe 5.0 x16 for full bandwidth.

For compute-heavy professional workloads where raw throughput is the only metric, the RTX 5090 is the obvious pick from the data. For power-constrained environments, multi-GPU configurations, or systems where physical size and thermal envelope are limiting factors, the RTX 4500 Ada is the safer choice. The recorded data does not include gaming benchmarks for the RTX 4500 Ada, so any assessment of gaming performance for that card is not supported by the database. The RTX 5090's Passmark DirectX scores, while low in absolute terms, confirm that it supports DirectX 9, 10, 11, and 12 workloads, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score indicates strong DirectX 12 capability.