NVIDIA Quadro GP100 vs NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile Comparison

The Verdict

The data positions the NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile as the clear performance leader, with an average benchmark score of 113,944 compared to the Quadro GP100's 87,445. In the single head-to-head benchmark available (Geekbench OpenCL), the RTX A5500 Mobile delivers a 42.1% higher score (124,287 vs 87,445). The RTX A5500 Mobile sits at the 94th percentile among all GPUs, while the Quadro GP100 sits just one percentile lower at 93, yet the raw score gap is substantial.

The Quadro GP100's nearest rivals — the AMD Radeon PRO W7600 (87,108, only 0.4% behind) and the NVIDIA CMP 40HX (85,637, 2.1% behind) — show it is clustered with mid-range workstation parts, not top-tier performers. Meanwhile, the RTX A5500 Mobile's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla V100 SXM2 16 GB (114,395, just 0.4% ahead) and the NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation (117,088, 2.7% ahead), placing it in a far more competitive high-end bracket.

For users prioritizing raw compute throughput, the RTX A5500 Mobile is the unambiguous choice. The Quadro GP100 remains relevant only in scenarios where its legacy HBM2 memory interface or specific Pascal-era software compatibility matters, but the benchmark data offers no performance justification for selecting it. The RTX A5500 Mobile is the superior product across every measurable metric in this comparison.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX A5500 Mobile wins the only benchmark test in the dataset, taking the Geekbench OpenCL result with a score of 124,287 against the Quadro GP100's 87,445 — a 42.1% advantage. This is not a marginal lead; it is a decisive gap that reflects the underlying architectural generational leap. The RTX A5500 Mobile also holds a higher percentile ranking (94th vs 93rd), reinforcing its position as the stronger overall performer.

The Quadro GP100 has no benchmark wins in this comparison. However, its strengths lie outside synthetic scores. It offers a 4096-bit memory bus with HBM2 memory, delivering 732.2 GB/s of bandwidth versus the RTX A5500 Mobile's 512.0 GB/s. This bandwidth advantage could translate to real-world gains in memory-bound workloads, though the Geekbench OpenCL score does not reflect such a benefit. The Quadro GP100 also has a higher base clock (1304 MHz vs 975 MHz) and a larger physical die (610 mm² vs 496 mm²), but these factors do not overcome its lower shading unit count (3584 vs 7424) and older Pascal architecture.

In terms of interface, the RTX A5500 Mobile uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the Quadro GP100 is limited to PCIe 3.0 x16. The newer bus standard provides greater theoretical bandwidth for data transfers, though the benchmark data does not isolate this variable.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent distinct architectural generations. The RTX A5500 Mobile is built on the Ampere architecture (GA103 chip) using an 8 nm process at Samsung, while the Quadro GP100 uses the Pascal architecture (GP100 chip) on a 16 nm process at TSMC. This process shrink allows the Ampere chip to pack 22,000 million transistors into a 496 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 44.4 million per mm². The Pascal chip contains 15,300 million transistors spread across a larger 610 mm² die, yielding a density of only 25.1 million per mm².

The compute resources differ dramatically. The RTX A5500 Mobile features 7424 shading units, 232 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs. It also includes 58 RT cores and 232 tensor cores, enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI workloads. The Quadro GP100 has 3584 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, with no RT cores or tensor cores listed. This means the Quadro GP100 cannot accelerate ray tracing or tensor operations in hardware, a significant functional limitation for modern workloads.

Memory architectures also diverge. The RTX A5500 Mobile uses 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, achieving 512.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Quadro GP100 uses 16 GB of HBM2 on a 4096-bit bus, delivering 732.2 GB/s — 43% more bandwidth. This makes the Quadro GP100 potentially better suited for memory-bandwidth-intensive tasks, despite its lower compute throughput.

Clock speeds tell a mixed story. The Quadro GP100 has a higher base clock (1304 MHz vs 975 MHz) but a lower boost clock (1443 MHz vs 1500 MHz). The RTX A5500 Mobile's FP32 throughput is 22.27 TFLOPS, more than double the Quadro GP100's 10.34 TFLOPS. For FP16, the RTX A5500 Mobile maintains a 1:1 ratio at 22.27 TFLOPS, while the Quadro GP100 achieves 20.69 TFLOPS via a 2:1 ratio. The RTX A5500 Mobile also has a higher pixel rate (144.0 GPixel/s vs 138.5 GPixel/s) and texture rate (348.0 GTexel/s vs 323.2 GTexel/s).

Power and physical specifications differ as well. The RTX A5500 Mobile has a 165 W TDP with no power connectors, suitable for mobile integration. The Quadro GP100 draws 235 W, requires a single 8-pin power connector, and is a dual-slot card measuring 267 mm in length. The RTX A5500 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the Quadro GP100 is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance?

A: The RTX A5500 Mobile delivers 22.27 TFLOPS FP32, more than double the Quadro GP100's 10.34 TFLOPS. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RTX A5500 Mobile scores 124,287 versus 87,445 for the Quadro GP100.

Q: Does the Quadro GP100 have any advantage in memory bandwidth?

A: Yes. The Quadro GP100 uses HBM2 memory on a 4096-bit bus, providing 732.2 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX A5500 Mobile's GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus achieves 512.0 GB/s, which is 30% lower.

Q: Can the Quadro GP100 handle ray tracing workloads?

A: No. The Quadro GP100 has no RT cores listed in its specifications. The RTX A5500 Mobile includes 58 RT cores, enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

Q: What API level does each GPU support?

A: The RTX A5500 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4. The Quadro GP100 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Q: How do the power requirements compare?

A: The RTX A5500 Mobile has a 165 W TDP and requires no power connectors. The Quadro GP100 has a 235 W TDP, requires a single 8-pin power connector, and has a suggested PSU of 550 W.

Q: Which GPU is newer and still in production?

A: The RTX A5500 Mobile was released on 2022-03-21 and is end-of-life. The Quadro GP100 was released on 2016-09-30 and is also end-of-life. Both are discontinued.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available is Geekbench OpenCL, where the RTX A5500 Mobile scores 124,287 against the Quadro GP100's 87,445. The delta is 42.1%, meaning the RTX A5500 Mobile outperforms the Quadro GP100 by nearly half its own score. This is a massive generational leap, not an incremental improvement.

To contextualize this gap, consider the nearest rival data. The Quadro GP100's average score of 87,445 places it 4% behind the NVIDIA RTX A4500 Mobile (91,134) and 4.6% behind the NVIDIA RTX A4500 (91,671). The RTX A5500 Mobile's average score of 113,944 places it just 0.4% behind the Tesla V100 SXM2 16 GB (114,395) and 2.7% behind the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation (117,088). The RTX A5500 Mobile is also 2.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon PRO W7900 (110,725).

The FP32 throughput figures reinforce the benchmark result. The RTX A5500 Mobile's 22.27 TFLOPS is 115% higher than the Quadro GP100's 10.34 TFLOPS. The texture rate similarly favors the newer card: 348.0 GTexel/s versus 323.2 GTexel/s, a 7.7% advantage. The pixel rate is closer, with the RTX A5500 Mobile at 144.0 GPixel/s versus 138.5 GPixel/s, a 4% edge.

The Quadro GP100's higher memory bandwidth (732.2 GB/s vs 512.0 GB/s) is its sole specification advantage, but the Geekbench OpenCL result shows this does not translate into a compute win. The Pascal architecture's 3584 shading units simply cannot compete with the Ampere architecture's 7424 shading units, regardless of memory throughput.

In terms of API feature support, the RTX A5500 Mobile's DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 compatibility positions it for modern workloads, while the Quadro GP100's DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3 are one generation behind. The RTX A5500 Mobile's 58 RT cores and 232 tensor cores provide capabilities the Quadro GP100 lacks entirely.

The data tells a consistent story: the RTX A5500 Mobile is the superior GPU in compute performance, feature support, and architectural efficiency. The Quadro GP100's only notable advantage is memory bandwidth, which does not compensate for its significantly lower shading power and lack of modern acceleration features.