NVIDIA P106-100 vs NVIDIA RTX A4000 Comparison

NVIDIA’s RTX A4000 is a workstation-focused Ampere card with 16 GB of memory and full ray tracing support, while the P106-100 is a Pascal-era mining GPU with 6 GB of memory and no display outputs. The data in the database shows a clear performance hierarchy, but the P106-100 still holds a niche for specific compute tasks due to its low power draw and legacy architecture. The following analysis breaks down the recorded benchmark results, architectural differences, and practical use cases for both cards.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains three overlapping benchmark results for these two GPUs, and the RTX A4000 wins all three by substantial margins. The largest gap appears in Geekbench Vulkan, where the A4000 scores 127,645 against the P106-100’s 32,897, a delta of 288%. This is not a marginal lead; it represents a fundamental difference in compute capability, likely driven by the A4000’s dedicated tensor cores and modern shader architecture. The P106-100, lacking any ray tracing or tensor hardware, simply cannot compete in API-level workloads that leverage these features.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the A4000 posts 105,739 points versus 35,951 for the P106-100, a 194.1% advantage. This test stresses raw compute throughput, and the A4000’s 19.17 TFLOPS FP32 performance versus the P106-100’s 4.375 TFLOPS explains the gap. The A4000 also shows a 189.7% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, scoring 2,604 against 899. This is a modern DX12 workload, and the A4000’s support for DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) gives it a feature-set advantage over the P106-100’s older DirectX 12 (12_1) implementation.

The average benchmark score in the database reinforces this: the A4000 sits at 26,683, while the P106-100 averages 23,249. However, the percentile rankings tell a nuanced story. The A4000 is in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs, while the P106-100 is in the 68th. This means the P106-100 is not a weak card overall; it is merely outclassed by the A4000 in every shared test. The A4000’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary (0.5% behind) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 (1.3% behind), placing it in a competitive mid-range tier. The P106-100, by contrast, sits within 0.3% of the AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 and the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, showing it is still relevant in its own performance bracket.

FAQ

Q: Can the P106-100 be used as a display adapter?

A: No. The database lists its display outputs as “No outputs,” meaning it cannot connect to a monitor. It is strictly a compute or mining card.

Q: Which card has more memory bandwidth?

A: The RTX A4000 has 448.0 GB/s bandwidth over a 256-bit bus with GDDR6 memory. The P106-100 has 192.2 GB/s over a 192-bit bus with GDDR5 memory. The A4000’s bandwidth is more than double.

Q: Does the P106-100 support ray tracing?

A: No. The P106-100 has no RT cores or tensor cores listed in the database. The RTX A4000 includes 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores.

Q: What is the power draw difference?

A: The RTX A4000 has a 140 W TDP, while the P106-100 is rated at 120 W. Both require a 300 W suggested power supply and use a single 6-pin connector.

Q: Which card has better Vulkan performance?

A: The RTX A4000 scores 127,645 in Geekbench Vulkan, which is 288% higher than the P106-100’s 32,897. The A4000 is the clear winner in this API.

Q: Are both cards still in production?

A: No. Both are listed as end-of-life. The A4000 was released on 2021-04-11, and the P106-100 on 2017-06-18.

Architecture Differences

The RTX A4000 is built on the GA104 chip using Ampere architecture on an 8 nm process from Samsung. It contains 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die, with a transistor density of 44.4 million per mm². The P106-100 uses the GP106 chip with Pascal architecture on a 16 nm process from TSMC, packing 4,400 million transistors into a 200 mm² die, yielding a density of 22.0 million per mm². This process difference explains the A4000’s ability to cram nearly four times the transistors into roughly double the die area.

The A4000 has 6,144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs. It also includes 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores, enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI-based workloads. The P106-100 has 1,280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, with no RT or tensor cores. This is a massive compute gap: the A4000 delivers 19.17 TFLOPS FP32 and 19.17 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1), while the P106-100 only manages 4.375 TFLOPS FP32 and a paltry 68.36 GFLOPS FP16 (1:64). The FP16 ratio alone shows the P106-100 was never designed for modern AI or deep learning tasks.

Memory configuration further separates them. The A4000 uses 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, while the P106-100 uses 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus. The A4000’s effective memory speed is 14 Gbps, versus 8 Gbps for the P106-100. The A4000 also has a higher pixel rate (149.8 GPixel/s vs 82.03 GPixel/s) and texture rate (299.5 GTexel/s vs 136.7 GTexel/s). The bus interface differs too: the A4000 runs PCIe 4.0 x16, while the P106-100 is stuck on PCIe 1.0 x16, which can bottleneck data transfer in modern systems.

The Verdict

The RTX A4000 is the superior card in every measurable way. It wins all three shared benchmarks by margins between 189.7% and 288%, has more memory, higher bandwidth, newer architecture, and supports features like ray tracing and tensor acceleration. The P106-100 is an end-of-life mining card with no display outputs, and its only advantages are a lower TDP (120 W vs 140 W) and a shorter physical length (250 mm vs 241 mm, though the P106-100 is actually longer). The A4000 also has a smaller slot footprint, being single-slot versus the P106-100’s dual-slot design.

For anyone building a workstation, the A4000 is the obvious choice if the data matters. Its 16 GB of memory and 448 GB/s bandwidth can handle large datasets, and its 72nd percentile ranking places it above the P106-100’s 68th. The P106-100 is still competitive in its own bracket, sitting within 0.3% of the AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700, but it cannot be used for display output, making it impractical for general desktop use. The A4000 supports 4x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, while the P106-100 has none. If you need a GPU for rendering, compute, or AI tasks, the A4000 is the only viable option between these two.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA RTX A4000 | NVIDIA P106-100 |

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

| Architecture | Ampere | Pascal |

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

| Transistors | 17,400 million | 4,400 million |

| Die Size | 392 mm² | 200 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 44.4M / mm² | 22.0M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 735 MHz | 1506 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1560 MHz | 1709 MHz |

| Memory Size | 16 GB GDDR6 | 6 GB GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus | 256 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 448.0 GB/s | 192.2 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 6144 | 1280 |

| TMUs | 192 | 80 |

| ROPs | 96 | 48 |

| RT Cores | 48 | None |

| Tensor Cores | 192 | None |

| FP32 Performance | 19.17 TFLOPS | 4.375 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 19.17 TFLOPS (1:1) | 68.36 GFLOPS (1:64) |

| TDP | 140 W | 120 W |

| Slot Width | Single-slot | Dual-slot |

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

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

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

| Release Date | 2021-04-11 | 2017-06-18 |

Where Each One Wins

The RTX A4000 wins in every benchmark category where both cards were tested: 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, Geekbench OpenCL, and Geekbench Vulkan. Its strengths are most pronounced in Vulkan, where the 288% lead reflects the A4000’s modern architecture and driver support. It also dominates in compute-heavy tasks due to its 19.17 TFLOPS FP32 and 1:1 FP16 ratio, making it suitable for scientific computing, machine learning inference, and video rendering. The 16 GB memory capacity is another clear win for large textures or datasets that would exceed the P106-100’s 6 GB limit.

The P106-100 has no benchmark wins in this comparison, but its lower 120 W TDP means it draws less power under load. It also has a higher base clock (1506 MHz vs 735 MHz) and boost clock (1709 MHz vs 1560 MHz), though this does not translate into real-world performance advantages in the recorded tests. The P106-100’s 68th percentile ranking shows it is still a capable compute card for its era, especially for tasks that do not require display output or modern API features. Its PCIe 1.0 interface is a limitation, but for pure compute workloads in legacy systems, it could be a low-power option. However, the lack of display outputs and absence of RT/tensor cores makes it unsuitable for any modern workstation task, while the A4000 remains a well-rounded professional GPU.