NVIDIA H200 NVL vs NVIDIA RTX A5500 Comparison

The Verdict

The NVIDIA H200 NVL is the clear performance leader between these two, winning the only shared benchmark by a massive 91.8% margin in Geekbench OpenCL (334,891 vs 174,637). This is a server-class accelerator designed for the highest-end compute workloads, sitting at the 100th percentile of all GPUs. The RTX A5500, by contrast, is an end-of-life workstation card at the 97th percentile, with an average benchmark score of 165,217 across both OpenCL and Vulkan tests.

If your priority is raw compute throughput, memory capacity, or bandwidth, the H200 NVL is the only choice here — it delivers 141 GB of HBM3e memory versus 24 GB of GDDR6, and 4.89 TB/s of bandwidth versus 768.0 GB/s. The data shows no scenario where the A5500 beats the H200 NVL in raw performance.

However, the RTX A5500 has one practical advantage: it has display outputs (4x DisplayPort 1.4a) while the H200 NVL has none. If you need a GPU that can drive monitors and also handle compute, the A5500 is the only option that physically supports a desktop workflow. The H200 NVL is strictly a headless compute accelerator.

For organizations running large-scale AI training, scientific simulation, or massive data processing, the H200 NVL's 91.8% lead in the only head-to-head benchmark makes it the obvious pick. For individual professionals who need a workstation GPU with visual output capability — and who can tolerate a large performance gap — the A5500 still holds its own at the 97th percentile, sitting within 2% of the AMD Radeon Pro W6900X and 0.2% of the AMD Radeon PRO W7800 in its nearest rival comparisons.

Architecture Differences

The H200 NVL is built on the Hopper architecture (generation: Server Hopper), while the A5500 uses Ampere (generation: Workstation Ampere). The chip difference is significant: the H200 NVL uses the GH100 die, fabricated on a 5 nm TSMC process, containing 80,000 million transistors on a 814 mm² die. That yields a transistor density of 98.3 million per square millimeter. The A5500 uses the GA102 chip on Samsung's 8 nm process, with 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die — a density of 45.1 million per square millimeter. The H200 NVL packs nearly three times the transistors into a die that is only about 30% larger.

Memory architecture is a fundamental divergence. The H200 NVL uses HBM3e across a 6144-bit bus, delivering 141 GB at 4.89 TB/s. The A5500 uses GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus, with 24 GB at 768.0 GB/s. The H200 NVL has nearly 6.4 times the bandwidth and almost 6 times the capacity.

Compute resources differ substantially: the H200 NVL has 16,896 shading units, 528 TMUs, and 528 tensor cores, while the A5500 has 10,240 shading units, 320 TMUs, 80 RT cores, and 320 tensor cores. The H200 NVL does not list RT cores in its specifications, whereas the A5500 explicitly includes them.

The process node advantage (5 nm vs 8 nm) correlates with the H200 NVL's higher clock speeds — base 1365 MHz and boost 1785 MHz versus the A5500's 1080 MHz base and 1665 MHz boost. Despite the much larger compute and memory resources, the H200 NVL draws 600 W compared to the A5500's 230 W, with a suggested PSU of 1000 W versus 550 W.

The H200 NVL offers no display outputs and reports N/A for DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan support. The A5500 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, and provides four DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The bus interface also differs: the H200 NVL uses PCIe 5.0 x16, while the A5500 uses PCIe 4.0 x16.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in compute benchmarks?

A: The H200 NVL wins the only shared test — Geekbench OpenCL — by 91.8%, scoring 334,891 versus the A5500's 174,637. This is a decisive margin that reflects the H200 NVL's much larger compute and memory resources.

Q: Can the H200 NVL drive displays?

A: No. The H200 NVL has no display outputs. The RTX A5500 provides 4x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. If monitor support is required, the A5500 is the only one of the two that can do it.

Q: How do their memory capacities and bandwidths compare?

A: The H200 NVL has 141 GB of HBM3e memory with 4.89 TB/s bandwidth. The A5500 has 24 GB of GDDR6 with 768.0 GB/s. The H200 NVL offers roughly 5.9 times the capacity and 6.4 times the bandwidth.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The H200 NVL has a TDP of 600 W and suggests a 1000 W PSU. The A5500 has a TDP of 230 W and suggests a 550 W PSU. Both are dual-slot cards, and both use 8-pin power connectors (the H200 NVL uses 8-pin EPS, the A5500 uses a single 8-pin).

Q: What is the production status of each GPU?

A: The H200 NVL is marked as Active production, released in November 2024. The A5500 is marked End-of-life, released in March 2022.

Q: How does each card rank against all GPUs?

A: The H200 NVL is at the 100th percentile of all GPUs. The A5500 is at the 97th percentile. The H200 NVL's average benchmark score is 334,891; the A5500's average is 165,217 across both its OpenCL and Vulkan scores.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA H200 NVL | NVIDIA RTX A5500 |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | Hopper | Ampere |

| Chip | GH100 | GA102 |

| Process Node | 5 nm (TSMC) | 8 nm (Samsung) |

| Transistors | 80,000 million | 28,300 million |

| Die Size | 814 mm² | 628 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 98.3M / mm² | 45.1M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1365 MHz | 1080 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1785 MHz | 1665 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1593 MHz (6.4 Gbps effective) | 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 141 GB | 24 GB |

| Memory Type | HBM3e | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus Width | 6144 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 4.89 TB/s | 768.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 16,896 | 10,240 |

| TMUs | 528 | 320 |

| ROPs | 24 | 96 |

| RT Cores | N/A | 80 |

| Tensor Cores | 528 | 320 |

| Pixel Rate | 42.84 GPixel/s | 159.8 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 942.5 GTexel/s | 532.8 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 60.32 TFLOPS | 34.10 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 120.6 TFLOPS (2:1) | 34.10 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 600 W | 230 W |

| Power Connectors | 8-pin EPS | 1x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 1000 W | 550 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 5.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | No outputs | 4x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| DirectX | N/A | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| OpenGL | N/A | 4.6 |

| Vulkan | N/A | 1.4 |

| Production Status | Active | End-of-life |

| Release Date | 2024-11-17 | 2022-03-21 |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only shared benchmark in the data is Geekbench OpenCL, and the result is lopsided. The H200 NVL scores 334,891, while the A5500 scores 174,637. That is a 91.8% advantage for the H200 NVL — nearly doubling the A5500's output. This is not a marginal win; it is a generational leap that corresponds to the H200 NVL's superior architecture, clock speeds, and memory subsystem.

Context matters. The H200 NVL's nearest rivals show it trading blows with the very top of the GPU hierarchy. It sits 3.1% behind the NVIDIA B200 (345,482) and 9.4% behind the NVIDIA B300 SXM6 AC (369,831), while leading the AMD Instinct MI300X by 5.3% (317,994) and the NVIDIA L40S by 13.2% (295,763). The A5500, by contrast, sits in a much more crowded mid-range pack: it is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon PRO W7800, 0.5% behind the NVIDIA RTX 4500 Ada Generation, 1.7% ahead of the NVIDIA A100 PCIe 40 GB, and 2% behind the AMD Radeon Pro W6900X.

The H200 NVL's FP32 throughput of 60.32 TFLOPS is 76.9% higher than the A5500's 34.10 TFLOPS. The FP16 comparison is even more stark: the H200 NVL delivers 120.6 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, while the A5500 provides 34.10 TFLOPS at 1:1 — a 253.7% advantage. Texture rate also favors the H200 NVL at 942.5 GTexel/s versus 532.8 GTexel/s. Interestingly, the A5500 has a higher pixel rate (159.8 GPixel/s vs 42.84 GPixel/s) and more ROPs (96 vs 24), which suggests the workstation card retains some rasterization-oriented capability that the server accelerator does not prioritize.

Where Each One Wins

The H200 NVL wins every compute metric that matters for large-scale workloads. Its FP32 performance is 76.9% higher, its FP16 performance is more than triple, and its memory bandwidth is 6.4 times greater. With 141 GB of HBM3e, it can hold substantially larger models and datasets in memory than the A5500's 24 GB. For AI training, deep learning inference, scientific computing, and big-data analytics, the H200 NVL is the clear choice. Its 100th percentile ranking confirms it sits at the absolute top of the GPU performance distribution.

The A5500's wins are narrower but real. It has 4x more ROPs (96 vs 24) and a pixel rate of 159.8 GPixel/s versus 42.84 GPixel/s — over 3.7 times higher. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the H200 NVL reports none of these APIs. It has display outputs. It draws 370 W less power (230 W vs 600 W) and requires a 550 W PSU instead of 1000 W. Its dual-slot form factor matches the H200 NVL, but its power and cooling requirements are far more modest, making it feasible for a standard workstation chassis. The A5500 also has RT cores, which the H200 NVL's specifications do not list.

For real-time graphics, rendering with display output, or any workload that requires a GPU to also drive monitors, the A5500 is the only functional option. For headless compute density, the H200 NVL's 91.8% benchmark lead and memory advantages are overwhelming. The A5500 sits at the 97th percentile, but the H200 NVL is at the 100th — and in the only direct comparison, it wins by almost double. If your workload fits entirely in the H200 NVL's 141 GB memory and you do not need display output, the choice is unambiguous. If you need a flexible workstation GPU with visual output and lower power draw, the A5500 remains a capable option despite its end-of-life status.