NVIDIA P102-100 vs NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded data splits cleanly along workload type. The NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile wins the OpenCL compute test decisively, while the NVIDIA P102-100 takes the Vulkan graphics workload. Each card leads in exactly one head-to-head benchmark, so the choice depends entirely on whether the intended software path favors OpenCL or Vulkan.

For general compute tasks, OpenCL results show the RTX A3000 Mobile at 79,091 points versus 49,602 for the P102-100, a 59.5% advantage. This is not a small margin; it places the mobile card in a different performance tier. The RTX A3000 Mobile also holds a higher average benchmark score at 70,140 versus 58,528, and sits at the 91st percentile among all GPUs, while the P102-100 ranks at the 88th percentile. If the workload is built around OpenCL, the RTX A3000 Mobile is the clear winner.

For Vulkan-based rendering, the P102-100 posts 67,454 points against 61,189 for the RTX A3000 Mobile, a 9.3% gap. The P102-100 wins this test despite having an older architecture and fewer shading units, which suggests its higher clock speeds and wider memory bus compensate in this specific API. The Vulkan result is closer than the OpenCL result, but the P102-100 still takes the win.

The nearest rival data reinforces this split. The RTX A3000 Mobile sits within 1.7% of cards like the NVIDIA CMP 90HX, AMD Radeon RX 6600 LE, and NVIDIA Quadro P6000, all of which are mainstream or professional parts. The P102-100, by contrast, sits within 0.8% of the AMD Radeon RX 5600 OEM and Intel Arc A570M, which are more mainstream gaming or workstation parts. The P102-100's average score is close to the AMD Radeon PRO V710, with a delta of only 0.2% in favor of the AMD card.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different generations and foundries. The RTX A3000 Mobile uses the GA104 chip on an 8 nm Samsung process with 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die. The P102-100 uses the GP102 chip on a 16 nm TSMC process with 11,800 million transistors on a larger 471 mm² die. The transistor density tells the story: the RTX A3000 Mobile packs 44.4 million transistors per mm², while the P102-100 manages only 25.1 million per mm². The newer process node gives the RTX A3000 Mobile a significant efficiency advantage.

Architecture-wise, the RTX A3000 Mobile is Ampere, while the P102-100 is Pascal. The RTX A3000 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the P102-100 only supports DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. The RTX A3000 Mobile includes 32 ray tracing cores and 128 tensor cores, features entirely absent from the P102-100, which has no RT or tensor core support. This makes the RTX A3000 Mobile the only option for ray-traced workloads or tensor-based AI acceleration.

The memory subsystems differ sharply. The RTX A3000 Mobile has 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, delivering 264.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The P102-100 has 5 GB of GDDR5X on a 320-bit bus, delivering 440.3 GB/s. The P102-100's wider bus and higher bandwidth are notable, but the RTX A3000 Mobile has more memory capacity. Clock speeds also differ: the RTX A3000 Mobile runs at 600 MHz base and 1230 MHz boost, while the P102-100 runs at 1582 MHz base and 1683 MHz boost. The P102-100's clocks are far higher, which explains its Vulkan performance.

Power and physical design diverge completely. The RTX A3000 Mobile has a 70 W TDP, no power connectors, and no fixed slot width, as it is a mobile part. The P102-100 has a 250 W TDP, requires dual-slot cooling, two 8-pin power connectors, and a 600 W suggested PSU. Its length is 267 mm (10.5 inches). The P102-100 has no display outputs, while the RTX A3000 Mobile's outputs are portable device dependent. The P102-100 uses PCIe 1.0 x4, while the RTX A3000 Mobile uses PCIe 4.0 x16. The bus interface difference is substantial, though the benchmark data does not isolate its effect.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The single biggest win belongs to the RTX A3000 Mobile in OpenCL. Its score of 79,091 against the P102-100's 49,602 yields a 59.5% delta. This is a dominant margin, placing the RTX A3000 Mobile in a much higher performance bracket for compute workloads. The P102-100's FP32 throughput of 10.77 TFLOPS is actually higher than the RTX A3000 Mobile's 10.08 TFLOPS, yet the OpenCL result shows the opposite ranking. This indicates that raw FP32 peak does not translate directly to OpenCL performance, and that architectural efficiency, memory bandwidth, and driver optimization matter more.

The P102-100's win in Vulkan is more modest but still clear. Its 67,454 points beat the RTX A3000 Mobile's 61,189 by 9.3%. The P102-100's higher boost clock of 1683 MHz and its 440.3 GB/s memory bandwidth likely contribute to this result. The P102-100 also has more texture mapping units (200 versus 128) and more render output units (80 versus 64), and its texture rate of 336.6 GTexel/s is more than double the RTX A3000 Mobile's 157.4 GTexel/s. These raw throughput advantages show up in the Vulkan API, which is more graphics-bound than OpenCL.

The pixel rate also favors the P102-100 significantly: 134.6 GPixel/s versus 78.72 GPixel/s for the RTX A3000 Mobile. This is a 71% advantage for the older card, and it explains why the Vulkan result trends toward the P102-100. The RTX A3000 Mobile counters with FP16 performance at 10.08 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), while the P102-100's FP16 is severely limited at 168.3 GFLOPS (1:64 ratio). For any FP16 compute, the RTX A3000 Mobile is in a different league.

The average benchmark scores reinforce the overall picture. The RTX A3000 Mobile averages 70,140, while the P102-100 averages 58,528. The RTX A3000 Mobile's closest rivals cluster around 70,000, with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 LE at 70,829 (1% ahead) and the NVIDIA Quadro P6000 at 69,986 (0.2% behind). The P102-100's rivals cluster around 58,500, with the AMD Radeon PRO V710 at 58,657 (0.2% ahead) and the AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT at 58,392 (0.2% behind). These neighboring scores show that the RTX A3000 Mobile competes with significantly faster cards overall.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 70,140, compared to 58,528 for the NVIDIA P102-100. This places the RTX A3000 Mobile at the 91st percentile among all GPUs, while the P102-100 sits at the 88th percentile.

Q: Why does the P102-100 win the Vulkan test despite being older?

A: The P102-100's Vulkan score of 67,454 beats the RTX A3000 Mobile's 61,189 by 9.3%. The P102-100 has much higher clock speeds (1683 MHz boost versus 1230 MHz), a wider 320-bit memory bus, and 440.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which helps in graphics-bound Vulkan workloads.

Q: Does the RTX A3000 Mobile support ray tracing?

A: Yes, the RTX A3000 Mobile includes 32 ray tracing cores and 128 tensor cores. The P102-100 has no ray tracing cores and no tensor cores, so it cannot accelerate ray-traced or tensor-based workloads.

Q: Which GPU has more memory and what type?

A: The RTX A3000 Mobile has 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 264.0 GB/s bandwidth. The P102-100 has 5 GB of GDDR5X on a 320-bit bus with 440.3 GB/s bandwidth. The P102-100 has higher bandwidth, but the RTX A3000 Mobile has more capacity.

Q: How do the power requirements compare?

A: The RTX A3000 Mobile has a 70 W TDP and no power connectors. The P102-100 has a 250 W TDP, requires two 8-pin power connectors, and a suggested PSU of 600 W. The P102-100 is also dual-slot and 267 mm long, while the RTX A3000 Mobile is a mobile part with no slot width specified.

Q: Are these GPUs still in production?

A: Both are end-of-life products. The RTX A3000 Mobile was released in April 2021, while the P102-100 was released in February 2018.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split decision. For OpenCL compute, the RTX A3000 Mobile is the only rational choice. Its 59.5% lead over the P102-100 in that test is decisive, and its higher average score of 70,140 versus 58,528 confirms it is the stronger overall GPU. The RTX A3000 Mobile also brings ray tracing cores, tensor cores, and a modern Ampere architecture with DirectX 12 Ultimate support. If the workload involves AI, ray tracing, or FP16 compute, the P102-100 is not viable at all.

For Vulkan-only workloads, the P102-100 holds a 9.3% advantage. Its higher clocks, wider memory bus, and faster texture and pixel rates give it a genuine edge in that API. If the software stack is exclusively Vulkan and power consumption is not a concern, the P102-100 can deliver more frames or faster rendering. The P102-100 also has a much higher texture rate of 336.6 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 134.6 GPixel/s, which matter for fill-rate-bound tasks.

However, the P102-100 has severe limitations. It has no display outputs, requires 250 W of power, and uses a PCIe 1.0 x4 interface. It is a mining-focused card, not a general-purpose workstation GPU. The RTX A3000 Mobile is a mobile professional card with portable device dependent outputs and a 70 W TDP, making it far more flexible for actual system integration.

The overall verdict from the recorded data: the RTX A3000 Mobile is the better GPU for most users, with a higher average score and a massive OpenCL advantage. The P102-100 only wins in the narrow case where Vulkan performance is the sole criterion and the system can supply 250 W and two 8-pin connectors. For anyone choosing between these two, the RTX A3000 Mobile is the safer, more capable choice unless the specific workload is Vulkan-bound and power is irrelevant.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile | NVIDIA P102-100 |

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

| Architecture | Ampere | Pascal |

| Process Node | 8 nm (Samsung) | 16 nm (TSMC) |

| Transistors | 17,400 million | 11,800 million |

| Die Size | 392 mm² | 471 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 44.4M / mm² | 25.1M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 600 MHz | 1582 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1230 MHz | 1683 MHz |

| Memory Size | 6 GB | 5 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5X |

| Memory Bus | 192 bit | 320 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 264.0 GB/s | 440.3 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 4096 | 3200 |

| Texture Mapping Units | 128 | 200 |

| Render Output Units | 64 | 80 |

| Ray Tracing Cores | 32 | None |

| Tensor Cores | 128 | None |

| Pixel Rate | 78.72 GPixel/s | 134.6 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 157.4 GTexel/s | 336.6 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 10.08 TFLOPS | 10.77 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 10.08 TFLOPS (1:1) | 168.3 GFLOPS (1:64) |

| TDP | 70 W | 250 W |

| Power Connectors | None | 2x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | None listed | 600 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 1.0 x4 |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | No outputs |

| DirectX Support | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (12_1) |

| Release Date | April 2021 | February 2018 |

| Slot Width | Not specified | Dual-slot |

| Length | Not specified | 267 mm (10.5 inches) |