NVIDIA N1X 40SM vs NVIDIA RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation Comparison

FAQ

Q: What is the NVIDIA N1X 40SM's architecture and process node?

A: The NVIDIA N1X 40SM uses the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB20B chip, built on TSMC's 5 nm process. It is part of the Blackwell IGP (N1x) generation.

Q: What is the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation's architecture and process node?

A: The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation uses the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD103 chip, also built on TSMC's 5 nm process. It belongs to the Ada-MW generation.

Q: How do the memory configurations compare between the two GPUs?

A: The N1X 40SM has 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 273.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 576.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: What is the FP32 compute performance difference?

A: The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation delivers 41.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, which is significantly higher than the N1X 40SM's 24.02 TFLOPS.

Q: What is the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation's benchmark score?

A: The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation scores 3596 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, which places it at the 21st percentile among all GPUs in the database.

Q: What is the N1X 40SM's production status and release date?

A: The N1X 40SM is listed as Active in production, with a release date of May 31, 2026. The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation is also Active, released on March 20, 2023.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear performance hierarchy. The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation is the stronger compute device by a substantial margin across raw throughput metrics. Its FP32 output of 41.15 TFLOPS, pixel rate of 236.9 GPixel/s, and memory bandwidth of 576.0 GB/s place it well ahead of the N1X 40SM, which delivers 24.02 TFLOPS, 93.84 GPixel/s, and 273.2 GB/s respectively.

However, the N1X 40SM is not without its own advantages. It carries 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory, eight times the capacity of the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation's 16 GB. This makes the N1X 40SM the appropriate choice for workloads where memory capacity dominates over raw bandwidth or compute speed, such as large dataset processing or model residency.

The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation is the choice for anyone prioritizing rendering performance, texture throughput, or ray tracing capability. It has 76 RT cores versus 40, 304 tensor cores versus 160, and 9728 shading units versus 5120. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 3596 provides a concrete reference point, though the N1X 40SM has no recorded benchmark score in the database.

The N1X 40SM's integration as an IGP with no power connectors and a PCIe 5.0 x16 interface suggests a platform-level solution. The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation, with a 120 W TDP and PCIe 4.0 x16, is a discrete mobile part. The choice between them depends on whether the platform can accommodate a discrete GPU and whether the workload demands the RTX 5000's compute advantages.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

Direct benchmark comparisons between these two GPUs are not recorded in the database. The head-to-head benchmark section contains no entries, and neither GPU has a win count assigned. The N1X 40SM has an empty benchmark array, while the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation has a single entry: 3596 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test.

That score, however, places the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation at the 21st percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 545 at 3594, the GeForce GT 735M at 3616, the GeForce GTX 1050 at 3629, and the AMD Radeon HD 6770 at 3649. The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation is within 1.5% of all four rivals, with deltas of +0.1%, -0.6%, -0.9%, and -1.5% respectively.

These figures indicate that the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation's benchmark performance clusters tightly with older, less capable desktop parts. Its raw compute specifications are far higher than those rivals, which suggests the benchmark result does not fully reflect its theoretical throughput. The N1X 40SM has no comparable data point, making a direct performance comparison impossible from the recorded information.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every major specification. The N1X 40SM uses the GB20B chip with Blackwell 2.0 architecture, while the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation uses the AD103 chip with Ada Lovelace architecture. Both are built on TSMC's 5 nm process, but the transistor counts differ: the N1X 40SM's is unknown, while the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation has 45,900 million transistors. Die sizes are close, at 382 mm² for the N1X 40SM and 379 mm² for the RTX 5000.

Clock speeds diverge significantly. The N1X 40SM has a base clock of 741 MHz and a boost clock of 2346 MHz. The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation has a higher base clock of 1425 MHz but a lower boost clock of 2115 MHz. Memory clocks also differ: the N1X 40SM runs at 1067 MHz with 8.5 Gbps effective, while the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation runs at 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective.

Compute resources are heavily skewed toward the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation. It has 9728 shading units versus 5120, 304 tensor cores versus 160, and 76 RT cores versus 40. The N1X 40SM has more texture mapping units at 320 versus 304, but the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation has more ROPs at 112 versus 40.

Memory capacity favors the N1X 40SM at 128 GB of LPDDR5X versus 16 GB of GDDR6. Bus width is identical at 256 bits, but bandwidth favors the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation at 576.0 GB/s versus 273.2 GB/s. The N1X 40SM has a 5 nm process node, matching the RTX 5000, but its interface is PCIe 5.0 x16 versus PCIe 4.0 x16.

The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation has a TDP of 120 W, while the N1X 40SM's TDP is unknown. Both are IGP slot width with no power connectors. Display outputs differ: the N1X 40SM has 1x HDMI, while the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation is portable device dependent.

API support is another major difference. The N1X 40SM lists DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan as N/A. The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is generational. The N1X 40SM is built on Blackwell 2.0, the newer architecture, while the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation uses Ada Lovelace. Despite the N1X 40SM being newer, its feature set appears constrained by its IGP positioning within the Blackwell IGP (N1x) generation.

Ray tracing hardware differs substantially. The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation has 76 RT cores, nearly double the N1X 40SM's 40. Tensor core counts follow the same pattern: 304 versus 160. These figures indicate that the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation is designed for heavier ray tracing and AI-accelerated workloads.

The N1X 40SM's texture rate is higher at 750.7 GTexel/s versus 643.0 GTexel/s, despite having more TMUs. Its pixel rate is much lower at 93.84 GPixel/s versus 236.9 GPixel/s, reflecting the significant ROP disparity. The FP16 to FP32 ratio is 1:1 for both GPUs, with the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation delivering 41.15 TFLOPS in each, versus 24.02 TFLOPS for the N1X 40SM.

The N1X 40SM's transistor density is not recorded, while the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation has a density of 121.1M per mm². The N1X 40SM's transistor count is also unknown, making die-level comparisons incomplete. Both use TSMC's 5 nm process, so the architectural differences are primarily in core organization and feature support.

The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation has a predecessor, Ampere-MW, and a successor, Blackwell-MW. The N1X 40SM has no predecessor or successor listed. The RTX 5000's generation is listed as Ada-MW, while the N1X 40SM's generation is Blackwell IGP (N1x).

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation wins decisively in raw compute throughput. Its FP32 and FP16 performance of 41.15 TFLOPS is 71% higher than the N1X 40SM's 24.02 TFLOPS. Pixel rate favors the RTX 5000 at 236.9 GPixel/s versus 93.84 GPixel/s, a difference driven by its 112 ROPs versus 40. Memory bandwidth is also superior at 576.0 GB/s versus 273.2 GB/s, despite the identical 256-bit bus width.

The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation also wins on API compatibility. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the N1X 40SM lists all three as N/A. This makes the RTX 5000 the appropriate choice for modern gaming and graphics applications that require these APIs.

The N1X 40SM wins on memory capacity. Its 128 GB of LPDDR5X is eight times the RTX 5000's 16 GB of GDDR6. For workloads that require large memory footprints, such as holding large models or datasets entirely in GPU memory, the N1X 40SM is the clear choice. Its texture rate of 750.7 GTexel/s also edges out the RTX 5000's 643.0 GTexel/s, indicating a relative strength in texture-heavy operations.

The N1X 40SM also uses the newer PCIe 5.0 x16 interface versus PCIe 4.0 x16, which can matter for data transfer speeds to the host system. Its boost clock of 2346 MHz is higher than the RTX 5000's 2115 MHz, though its base clock is much lower at 741 MHz versus 1425 MHz.

The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation has a recorded benchmark score of 3596 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it at the 21st percentile. The N1X 40SM has no benchmark score, so its real-world performance cannot be positioned against the RTX 5000 or any other GPU in the database. The RTX 5000's nearest rivals, all within 1.5% in score, suggest that its measured performance is modest relative to its theoretical specs.

For ray tracing and AI acceleration, the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation is the stronger part. It has nearly double the RT cores and tensor cores of the N1X 40SM. For memory capacity and texture throughput, the N1X 40SM holds the advantage. The choice depends on whether the workload is limited by compute, bandwidth, or capacity.