NVIDIA L20 vs NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a decisive victory for the NVIDIA L20 in every measured workload. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the L20 scores 274276 against 124287 for the RTX A5500 Mobile, a lead of 120.7%. The Vulkan result follows the same pattern: the L20 posts 228018 while the RTX A5500 Mobile manages 103601, a delta of 120.1%. These are not marginal differences; they represent a doubling of raw compute throughput in both API environments.

The average benchmark score reinforces this hierarchy. The L20 sits at 251147, placing it in the 99th percentile of all GPUs in the database. The RTX A5500 Mobile averages 113944, which lands in the 94th percentile. While both are high-performing parts, the gap between them is substantial. The L20's nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada Generation at 287237 (12.6% ahead of the L20) and the NVIDIA L40 at 284111 (11.6% ahead), while the L20 itself sits 11.6% above the NVIDIA PG506-232 and 14.2% above the AMD Radeon PRO W7900D. The RTX A5500 Mobile, by contrast, trades blows with the NVIDIA Tesla V100 SXM2 16 GB (0.4% behind), the NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation (2.7% behind), and the NVIDIA GB10 (2.9% behind), while sitting 2.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon PRO W7900.

The data indicates that the L20 is not merely faster; it is in a different performance tier altogether. The 120.7% OpenCL delta and 120.1% Vulkan delta are consistent across both benchmark types, suggesting that the advantage is architectural and not workload-specific. When a GPU doubles the score of another in both available tests, the conclusion is straightforward: the L20 is the dominant compute part in this comparison.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different NVIDIA generations and are built on different process nodes. The L20 uses the AD102 chip, based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 5 nm process. The RTX A5500 Mobile uses the GA103 chip, based on the older Ampere architecture, fabricated by Samsung on an 8 nm process. This process gap is fundamental: the L20 packs 76,300 million transistors into a 609 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 125.3M per mm². The RTX A5500 Mobile contains 22,000 million transistors on a 496 mm² die, for a density of 44.4M per mm². The L20 has nearly 3.5 times the transistor count and roughly 2.8 times the density, which explains much of its performance advantage.

Clock speeds also favor the L20. Its base clock is 1440 MHz with a boost of 2520 MHz, while the RTX A5500 Mobile runs at a 975 MHz base and 1500 MHz boost. Memory clocks differ as well: the L20's memory runs at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective), while the RTX A5500 Mobile's memory runs at 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective).

The memory subsystem diverges sharply. The L20 offers 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 864.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX A5500 Mobile offers 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 512.0 GB/s. That is a 3x capacity advantage and a 68.8% bandwidth advantage for the L20. For workloads that are memory-bound, this difference can be as important as raw compute.

Compute resources follow the same trend. The L20 has 11776 shading units, 368 TMUs, 128 ROPs, 92 RT cores, and 368 tensor cores. The RTX A5500 Mobile has 7424 shading units, 232 TMUs, 96 ROPs, 58 RT cores, and 232 tensor cores. The L20 therefore has roughly 1.6x the shader count, 1.6x the TMUs, 1.3x the ROPs, 1.6x the RT cores, and 1.6x the tensor cores.

The resulting throughput figures are stark. The L20 delivers 59.35 TFLOPS FP32 and the same 59.35 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1 ratio). The RTX A5500 Mobile delivers 22.27 TFLOPS FP32 and 22.27 TFLOPS FP16. The L20's pixel rate is 322.6 GPixel/s versus 144.0 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 927.4 GTexel/s versus 348.0 GTexel/s. In every measured throughput metric, the L20 is between 1.6x and 2.7x faster.

Power and physical characteristics also differ. The L20 has a TDP of 275 W, is a dual-slot card, uses a single 16-pin power connector, and has a suggested PSU of 600 W. It measures 267 mm in length and 111 mm in height. The RTX A5500 Mobile has a TDP of 165 W, uses no power connectors (it is a mobile part), and its dimensions are listed as portable device dependent. The L20 outputs via 4x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the RTX A5500 Mobile's display outputs are also portable device dependent. Both use PCIe 4.0 x16 and support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The L20 remains in active production, while the RTX A5500 Mobile is end-of-life.

Where Each One Wins

The L20 wins every benchmark in the database, so the question is not which GPU wins individual tests but where the margins matter most. The L20's 120.7% OpenCL lead and 120.1% Vulkan lead are both massive, but the L20's real advantage lies in its 48 GB memory capacity and 864.0 GB/s bandwidth. For large model inference, rendering scenes that exceed 16 GB, or any workload that spills past the RTX A5500 Mobile's memory ceiling, the L20 is the only viable option in this pairing.

The RTX A5500 Mobile's strengths are not visible in raw performance but in its form factor and power envelope. At 165 W with no external power connectors, it is designed for mobile workstations where the L20 cannot physically fit. The L20's 275 W TDP, dual-slot cooler, and 267 mm length make it a server or desktop component. The RTX A5500 Mobile can operate in environments where a 275 W card with a 16-pin connector and 600 W suggested PSU is impossible.

In terms of production status, the L20 is active while the RTX A5500 Mobile is end-of-life. The L20's release date is 2023-11-15, and its generation is listed as "Server Ada (Lxx)". The RTX A5500 Mobile was released on 2022-03-21 as part of the "Ampere-MW (Ax000)" generation. The L20's predecessor is Server Ampere and its successor is Server Hopper; the RTX A5500 Mobile's predecessor is Quadro Turing-M and its successor is Ada-MW.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the NVIDIA L20 than the RTX A5500 Mobile in OpenCL?

A: The L20 scores 274276 versus 124287, a 120.7% advantage.

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

A: The L20 has 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus with 864.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX A5500 Mobile has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 512.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has better transistor density?

A: The L20, built on TSMC's 5 nm process, has a density of 125.3M transistors per mm². The RTX A5500 Mobile, built on Samsung's 8 nm process, has a density of 44.4M per mm².

Q: Are both GPUs still in production?

A: No. The L20 is listed as Active, while the RTX A5500 Mobile is listed as End-of-life.

Q: What is the power draw difference?

A: The L20 has a TDP of 275 W and requires a 600 W suggested PSU. The RTX A5500 Mobile has a TDP of 165 W and uses no power connectors.

Q: Do both support the same graphics APIs?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The Verdict

The data points to one conclusion: the NVIDIA L20 is the superior compute part in every measurable way. Its 274276 OpenCL score and 228018 Vulkan score dwarf the RTX A5500 Mobile's 124287 and 103601, respectively. The L20 sits in the 99th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX A5500 Mobile sits in the 94th. The L20's 48 GB memory capacity, 864.0 GB/s bandwidth, 59.35 TFLOPS FP32, and 92 RT cores make it the choice for server-side rendering, AI inference, and any workload that needs large memory or high throughput.

The RTX A5500 Mobile is not without a role. Its 165 W TDP, lack of external power connectors, and portable-device-dependent display outputs make it suited for mobile workstations. It is end-of-life, however, and its 22.27 TFLOPS FP32 and 16 GB memory place it far below the L20 in absolute capability. The RTX A5500 Mobile's nearest rival, the Tesla V100 SXM2 16 GB, is only 0.4% away, indicating that the mobile part is competitive with a previous-generation datacenter GPU but nowhere near the L20's tier.

For buyers who need a server or desktop GPU with active production status and top-tier compute, the L20 is the clear choice. For those who need a mobile workstation GPU and cannot accommodate a dual-slot, 275 W card, the RTX A5500 Mobile remains functional but is at the end of its lifecycle. The recorded benchmark data leaves no ambiguity: the L20 wins both head-to-head tests by more than 120%, and no amount of architectural nuance changes that outcome.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA L20 | NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile |

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

| Architecture | Ada Lovelace | Ampere |

| Generation | Server Ada (Lxx) | Ampere-MW (Ax000) |

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

| Transistors | 76,300 million | 22,000 million |

| Die Size | 609 mm² | 496 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 125.3M / mm² | 44.4M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1440 MHz | 975 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2520 MHz | 1500 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) | 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 48 GB | 16 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus | 384 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 864.0 GB/s | 512.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 11776 | 7424 |

| TMUs | 368 | 232 |

| ROPs | 128 | 96 |

| RT Cores | 92 | 58 |

| Tensor Cores | 368 | 232 |

| Pixel Rate | 322.6 GPixel/s | 144.0 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 927.4 GTexel/s | 348.0 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 59.35 TFLOPS | 22.27 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 59.35 TFLOPS (1:1) | 22.27 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 275 W | 165 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | N/A |

| Power Connectors | 1x 16-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 600 W | N/A |

| Display Outputs | 4x DisplayPort 1.4a | Portable Device Dependent |

| Dimensions | 267 mm length, 111 mm height | N/A |

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

| Release Date | 2023-11-15 | 2022-03-21 |

| Predecessor | Server Ampere | Quadro Turing-M |

| Successor | Server Hopper | Ada-MW |

| OpenCL Score | 274276 | 124287 |

| Vulkan Score | 228018 | 103601 |

| Average Benchmark Score | 251147 | 113944 |

| Percentile vs All GPUs | 99 | 94 |