NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 vs NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile Comparison

The NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 represent two distinct generations of GPU design, separated by a significant architectural leap. The data from the FACT PACK reveals a clear hierarchy in raw performance, but also highlights important differences in form factor and intended application. Benchmark results indicate the RTX 5090 is in a different performance class entirely, though the A5500 Mobile’s standing in the 94th percentile of all GPUs shows it remains a capable professional mobile solution.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head comparison is one-sided, with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 dominating both shared benchmark tests. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RTX 5090 scores 334,370 against the RTX A5500 Mobile’s 124,287. This represents a delta of -62.8%, meaning the RTX 5090 delivers roughly 2.7 times the performance. The margin is even wider in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the RTX 5090 posts 376,728 versus the A5500 Mobile’s 103,601, a delta of -72.5%. This indicates the RTX 5090 is over 3.6 times faster in this API, suggesting its newer architecture scales far better with modern compute workloads.

The A5500 Mobile’s average benchmark score is 113,944, placing it in the 94th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla V100 SXM2 16 GB, has an average score of 114,395, a delta of only -0.4%, showing the A5500 Mobile is statistically on par with that datacenter-focused card. It also sits close to the NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation, which scores 117,088 (-2.7%), and the NVIDIA GB10 at 117,393 (-2.9%). Interestingly, the A5500 Mobile is 2.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon PRO W7900, which scores 110,725. These results contextualize the A5500 Mobile as a strong performer within its own generation, though utterly eclipsed by the RTX 5090.

For the RTX 5090, the average benchmark score of 79,842 is lower than the A5500 Mobile’s, but this figure is heavily skewed by its inclusion of legacy PassMark tests like DirectX 9 (395) and DirectX 10 (226). Its headline scores are massive: 39,650 in PassMark G3D and 26,756 in PassMark GPU Compute. The nearest rivals for the RTX 5090 include the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79,605, +0.3%) and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78,940, +1.1%). This pairing of rivals is likely due to the averaging of all benchmarks, which dilutes the RTX 5090’s dominance in modern tests. In the two head-to-head tests that matter, the RTX 5090’s victory is absolute and decisive.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is vast. The RTX A5500 Mobile is built on the Ampere architecture using the GA103 chip, manufactured on an 8 nm process by Samsung. It packs 22,000 million transistors on a 496 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 44.4M per mm². In contrast, the RTX 5090 uses the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB202 chip, fabricated on a 5 nm process by TSMC. This newer node allows for 92,200 million transistors on a larger 750 mm² die, achieving a density of 122.9M per mm². The RTX 5090’s density is nearly three times higher, enabling far more complex logic in the same physical space.

Core counts reinforce this disparity. The A5500 Mobile has 7,424 shading units, 232 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, alongside 58 RT cores and 232 tensor cores. The RTX 5090 nearly triples these figures with 21,760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, plus 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores. This translates directly to compute throughput: the A5500 Mobile delivers 22.27 TFLOPS FP32, while the RTX 5090 reaches 104.8 TFLOPS FP32, a 4.7x advantage. Pixel and texture rates tell the same story, with the RTX 5090 hitting 423.6 GPixel/s and 1,636.8 GTexel/s compared to the A5500 Mobile’s 144.0 GPixel/s and 348.0 GTexel/s.

Memory configurations differ substantially. The A5500 Mobile uses 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, providing 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 5090 doubles capacity to 32 GB of GDDR7 on a 512-bit bus, achieving 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. Clock speeds also favor the newer card: the RTX 5090 boosts to 2407 MHz versus the A5500 Mobile’s 1500 MHz. Power envelopes reflect these specs, with the A5500 Mobile rated at 165 W and the RTX 5090 at 575 W, though the former is a mobile part with no power connectors listed while the latter requires a 16-pin connector and a 950 W suggested PSU. The RTX 5090 is also physically a dual-slot card measuring 304 mm in length, whereas the A5500 Mobile’s dimensions are listed as portable-device dependent.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the superior performer in every shared benchmark, with margins exceeding 60% in OpenCL and 70% in Vulkan. Its architecture delivers roughly 4.7 times the FP32 throughput, 3.5 times the memory bandwidth, and double the VRAM capacity. The RTX 5090 is also based on a much newer 5 nm process, offering higher transistor density and efficiency per unit area. For any workload that can leverage modern compute APIs, the RTX 5090 is the clear choice.

However, the RTX A5500 Mobile is not without merit. Its 94th percentile ranking and near-parity with the Tesla V100 SXM2 in average score show it is a robust professional GPU. Its 165 W power draw and mobile form factor make it suitable for laptop deployments where the RTX 5090’s 575 W requirement and dual-slot, 304 mm length are physically impossible. The A5500 Mobile’s end-of-life status and 2022 release date also contrast with the RTX 5090’s active production and January 2025 launch. The RTX 5090 carries a launch MSRP of 1,999 USD, while the A5500 Mobile has no listed MSRP.

For a workstation user requiring maximum compute in a desktop, the RTX 5090 wins outright. For a mobile professional needing a GPU that fits in a laptop, the A5500 Mobile is the only option between the two, and its performance is still competitive within its own generation. The choice is not about performance parity but about form factor and power constraints.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the RTX 5090 in Geekbench Vulkan compared to the A5500 Mobile?

A: The RTX 5090 scores 376,728 versus the A5500 Mobile’s 103,601, a delta of -72.5% from the A5500 Mobile’s perspective, meaning the RTX 5090 is over 3.6 times faster.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference between the two GPUs?

A: The RTX A5500 Mobile has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the RTX 5090 has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory, doubling the capacity and switching to a newer memory type.

Q: Which GPU has a higher transistor density?

A: The RTX 5090 has a density of 122.9M transistors per mm², compared to the RTX A5500 Mobile’s 44.4M per mm², a difference driven by the 5 nm versus 8 nm process nodes.

Q: What is the power draw difference?

A: The RTX A5500 Mobile is rated at 165 W, while the RTX 5090 is rated at 575 W, requiring a 950 W suggested PSU for the latter.

Q: How does the A5500 Mobile compare to the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation?

A: The A5500 Mobile has an average score of 113,944, which is 2.7% lower than the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation’s 117,088.

Q: What is the release date gap?

A: The RTX A5500 Mobile was released on 2022-03-21 and is end-of-life, while the RTX 5090 was released on 2025-01-29 and is still active.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 5090 wins in every synthetic benchmark present in the FACT PACK. In Geekbench OpenCL, it leads by 62.8%. In Geekbench Vulkan, it leads by 72.5%. It also dominates in PassMark tests where data exists: 39,650 in G3D versus the A5500 Mobile’s absence from that test, and 26,756 in GPU Compute. The RTX 5090’s 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 compute rate makes it the obvious winner for raw number-crunching, AI inference, and high-resolution rendering. Its 1.79 TB/s bandwidth and 32 GB VRAM also make it ideal for large datasets and 8K texture workloads.

The RTX A5500 Mobile wins in the mobility and efficiency domain. Its 165 W TDP is less than a third of the RTX 5090’s 575 W, and its lack of dedicated power connectors indicates it is designed for laptop integration. Its 256-bit bus and 512 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for professional mobile workloads, and its 94th percentile ranking shows it outperforms 94% of all GPUs. For users who need CUDA acceleration in a portable chassis, the A5500 Mobile is the only viable choice between the two. The data also shows it holds its own against workstation-class rivals like the Tesla V100, making it a legitimate mobile workstation option despite being two generations older.