NVIDIA PG506-232 vs NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The dataset contains one direct benchmark comparison between the NVIDIA PG506-232 and the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation: Geekbench OpenCL. The PG506-232 scores 225,124, while the RTX 5000 Ada scores 175,286. That is a 28.4% advantage for the PG506-232, making it the clear winner in this particular test. In the overall head-to-head tally, the PG506-232 takes 1 win, with 0 wins for the RTX 5000 Ada.

This OpenCL result is notable because the two cards sit in different market segments, and the PG506-232's margin is substantial. To put it in perspective, the PG506-232's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon PRO W7900D, scores 219,827, which is 2.4% lower. The PG506-232 also beats the NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80 GB by 8.7% and the NVIDIA RTX 6000D by 14.9%. Only the NVIDIA L20, with a score of 251,147, is ahead of the PG506-232, by 10.4%. The PG506-232 sits at the 99th percentile of all GPUs, indicating that its OpenCL performance is near the top of the entire database.

The RTX 5000 Ada, in contrast, has a lower OpenCL score but a more complex benchmark profile. Its Geekbench OpenCL result of 175,286 places it at the 98th percentile, but it also has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 194,041, which is not recorded for the PG506-232. In OpenCL, the RTX 5000 Ada is closely matched with its nearest rivals: the NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB scores 183,725 (0.5% higher), the A100 SXM4 40 GB scores 187,147 (1.3% higher), the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell scores 182,109 (1.4% higher), and the GeForce RTX 4090 D scores 178,050 (3.7% higher). The RTX 5000 Ada's average benchmark score across both tests is 184,664, which is below the PG506-232's single-test average of 225,124.

The headline is that the PG506-232 leads in the only shared test, but the RTX 5000 Ada's Vulkan result suggests it has a different performance profile. The data does not include a Vulkan score for the PG506-232, so a direct comparison in that API is impossible. What can be stated is that in OpenCL—a common compute workload—the PG506-232 holds a commanding lead, and that lead is larger than the deltas seen among either card's closest rivals.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA PG506-232 wins decisively, scoring 225,124 versus 175,286 for the RTX 5000 Ada Generation, a 28.4% advantage.

Q: Does the RTX 5000 Ada have any benchmark advantage over the PG506-232?

A: The RTX 5000 Ada has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 194,041, but the PG506-232 has no recorded Vulkan score in the data, so no direct comparison is possible. In the only shared test (OpenCL), the PG506-232 wins.

Q: How does the PG506-232 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The PG506-232 is 2.4% faster than the AMD Radeon PRO W7900D (219,827), 8.7% faster than the NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80 GB (207,124), and 14.9% faster than the NVIDIA RTX 6000D (195,964). It trails the NVIDIA L20 by 10.4% (251,147).

Q: How does the RTX 5000 Ada stack up against its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 5000 Ada's OpenCL score of 175,286 is 0.5% lower than the A100 SXM4 80 GB (183,725), 1.3% lower than the A100 SXM4 40 GB (187,147), 1.4% lower than the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell (182,109), and 3.7% lower than the GeForce RTX 4090 D (178,050). Its average score across OpenCL and Vulkan is 184,664.

Q: What are the percentile rankings for each GPU?

A: The PG506-232 is at the 99th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 5000 Ada is at the 98th percentile. This indicates both are high-performing, but the PG506-232 sits one tier higher in the overall distribution.

Q: Are both GPUs the same physical size?

A: Yes, both have identical dimensions: 267 mm in length (10.5 inches) and 112 mm in height (4.4 inches). Both are dual-slot cards.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations. The PG506-232 is built on the Ampere architecture, using the GA100 chip, while the RTX 5000 Ada Generation uses the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD102 chip. This generational gap explains many of the performance and feature disparities.

The manufacturing process differs significantly. The PG506-232 uses a 7 nm process at TSMC, while the RTX 5000 Ada uses a 5 nm process, also at TSMC. The transistor counts reflect this: the PG506-232 packs 54,200 million transistors on a 826 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 65.6 million per mm². The RTX 5000 Ada has 76,300 million transistors on a smaller 609 mm² die, giving a much higher density of 125.3 million per mm². This means the RTX 5000 Ada fits roughly 40% more transistors into a die that is about 26% smaller, a direct consequence of the newer process node.

Core configuration is another major differentiator. The PG506-232 has 3,584 shading units, 224 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 96 raster operation processors (ROPs). The RTX 5000 Ada has 12,800 shading units, 400 TMUs, and 176 ROPs. The RTX 5000 Ada has roughly 3.6 times the shading units and 1.8 times the ROPs. Additionally, the RTX 5000 Ada includes 100 dedicated ray tracing cores, whereas the PG506-232 has no RT cores listed. Tensor core counts also differ: the PG506-232 has 224, while the RTX 5000 Ada has 400.

Memory architecture is fundamentally different. The PG506-232 uses 24 GB of HBM2 with a 3072-bit bus, while the RTX 5000 Ada uses 32 GB of GDDR6 with a 256-bit bus. The HBM2 configuration gives the PG506-232 a massive bandwidth advantage of 933.1 GB/s versus 576.0 GB/s for the RTX 5000 Ada. However, the RTX 5000 Ada has more total memory capacity.

The production status also differs. The PG506-232 is end-of-life, released in April 2021, while the RTX 5000 Ada is active, released in August 2023. The PG506-232's predecessor is Tesla Turing and its successor is Server Ada; the RTX 5000 Ada's predecessor is Workstation Ampere and its successor is Blackwell PRO W.

Specification Differences

The following specifications differ between the two cards:

• Process Node: PG506-232 is 7 nm; RTX 5000 Ada is 5 nm.
• Transistors: PG506-232 has 54,200 million; RTX 5000 Ada has 76,300 million.
• Die Size: PG506-232 is 826 mm²; RTX 5000 Ada is 609 mm².
• Transistor Density: PG506-232 is 65.6M / mm²; RTX 5000 Ada is 125.3M / mm².
• Base Clock: PG506-232 is 930 MHz; RTX 5000 Ada is 1155 MHz.
• Boost Clock: PG506-232 is 1440 MHz; RTX 5000 Ada is 2550 MHz.
• Memory Clock: PG506-232 is 1215 MHz (2.4 Gbps effective); RTX 5000 Ada is 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective).
• Memory Size: PG506-232 has 24 GB; RTX 5000 Ada has 32 GB.
• Memory Type: PG506-232 uses HBM2; RTX 5000 Ada uses GDDR6.
• Memory Bus Width: PG506-232 is 3072 bit; RTX 5000 Ada is 256 bit.
• Memory Bandwidth: PG506-232 is 933.1 GB/s; RTX 5000 Ada is 576.0 GB/s.
• Shading Units: PG506-232 has 3,584; RTX 5000 Ada has 12,800.
• TMUs: PG506-232 has 224; RTX 5000 Ada has 400.
• ROPs: PG506-232 has 96; RTX 5000 Ada has 176.
• RT Cores: PG506-232 has none; RTX 5000 Ada has 100.
• Tensor Cores: PG506-232 has 224; RTX 5000 Ada has 400.
• Pixel Rate: PG506-232 is 138.2 GPixel/s; RTX 5000 Ada is 448.8 GPixel/s.
• Texture Rate: PG506-232 is 322.6 GTexel/s; RTX 5000 Ada is 1,020.0 GTexel/s.
• FP32 Performance: PG506-232 is 10.32 TFLOPS; RTX 5000 Ada is 65.28 TFLOPS.
• FP16 Performance: PG506-232 is 10.32 TFLOPS (1:1); RTX 5000 Ada is 65.28 TFLOPS (1:1).
• TDP: PG506-232 is 165 W; RTX 5000 Ada is 250 W.
• Power Connectors: PG506-232 uses 8-pin EPS; RTX 5000 Ada uses 1x 16-pin.
• Suggested PSU: PG506-232 is 450 W; RTX 5000 Ada is 600 W.
• Display Outputs: PG506-232 has no outputs; RTX 5000 Ada has 4x DisplayPort 1.4a.
• API Support: PG506-232 has no DirectX, OpenGL, or Vulkan versions listed; RTX 5000 Ada supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.
• Production Status: PG506-232 is end-of-life; RTX 5000 Ada is active.
• Release Date: PG506-232 is April 2021; RTX 5000 Ada is August 2023.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear split between compute-centric and graphics-centric workloads. The PG506-232 wins the only shared benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, by 28.4%, and it sits at the 99th percentile versus the RTX 5000 Ada's 98th. In raw compute throughput, the PG506-232's memory bandwidth (933.1 GB/s) is 62% higher than the RTX 5000 Ada's (576.0 GB/s), and its HBM2 memory bus is 12 times wider. This makes the PG506-232 the stronger choice for memory-bound compute tasks, as evidenced by its OpenCL victory.

However, the RTX 5000 Ada dominates in almost every other specification. Its FP32 performance of 65.28 TFLOPS is more than six times higher than the PG506-232's 10.32 TFLOPS. Its pixel rate (448.8 GPixel/s) is 3.2 times higher, and its texture rate (1,020.0 GTexel/s) is 3.2 times higher as well. It has 100 RT cores, which the PG506-232 lacks entirely, and it offers display outputs, API support, and a larger memory pool of 32 GB versus 24 GB.

The production status is also important. The PG506-232 is end-of-life, while the RTX 5000 Ada is active. For any new deployment, the RTX 5000 Ada has a future, whereas the PG506-232 is a legacy product. The PG506-232's only recorded benchmark is OpenCL, and it has no Vulkan score, no DirectX support, and no display outputs, making it unsuitable for graphics work despite its compute lead in the one test.

Where Each One Wins

The PG506-232 wins in memory bandwidth and OpenCL compute. Its 933.1 GB/s bandwidth is unmatched in this comparison, and its 225,124 OpenCL score puts it ahead of the RTX 5000 Ada by 28.4% and ahead of three of its four nearest rivals. The data supports using the PG506-232 for compute-heavy tasks that rely on HBM2 bandwidth, particularly in server environments where its 165 W TDP is lower than the RTX 5000 Ada's 250 W. Its 24 GB of memory is substantial, and its 99th percentile ranking indicates it outperforms the vast majority of GPUs in the database.

The RTX 5000 Ada wins in almost every other measurable category. Its 65.28 TFLOPS FP32 and FP16 performance is 6.3 times higher than the PG506-232, making it far better suited for general-purpose parallel compute that leverages shading units. Its 100 RT cores enable ray tracing, a feature the PG506-232 does not have. Its 32 GB of GDDR6 memory offers 33% more capacity, which is critical for large datasets or high-resolution textures. Its display outputs and full API support (DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.4) make it a functional graphics card, whereas the PG506-232 has no outputs. The RTX 5000 Ada's Vulkan score of 194,041, while not directly comparable, indicates it has a strong graphics API performance profile.

In practical terms, the PG506-232 is a specialized compute accelerator with a narrow but strong skill set, while the RTX 5000 Ada is a versatile workstation card that excels at graphics, ray tracing, and high-throughput FP32 work. The choice depends entirely on whether the workload prioritizes memory bandwidth (PG506-232) or raw shader throughput, ray tracing, and display capability (RTX 5000 Ada). The PG506-232's end-of-life status and lack of display outputs limit its long-term utility, while the RTX 5000 Ada's active status and broader feature set make it the more future-proof option for mixed workloads.