NVIDIA Quadro GV100 vs NVIDIA RTX A6000 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a clean sweep: the NVIDIA RTX A6000 wins all nine head-to-head benchmark comparisons against the NVIDIA Quadro GV100. The most decisive margin comes in the Passmark GPU compute test, where the A6000 scores 14,110 against the GV100's 9,069, a 55.6% advantage. This is the largest gap between the two cards in any measured workload, and it reflects the A6000's substantial lead in raw compute throughput.

Geekbench OpenCL results also favor the A6000 heavily, with a score of 193,937 versus 150,004, a 29.3% difference. The Vulkan test shows a narrower but still clear victory: 164,462 against 139,526, a 17.9% edge. These two cross-platform compute benchmarks reinforce the pattern set by the Passmark compute result, indicating that the A6000 is consistently faster in general-purpose GPU workloads.

In legacy DirectX tests, the A6000 leads in every case. The Passmark DirectX 9 score is 245 versus 207, an 18.4% advantage. DirectX 11 shows 191 against 168, a 13.7% gap. DirectX 10 is closer at 155 versus 140, a 10.7% margin, while DirectX 12 shows the smallest difference of the entire comparison: 87 versus 84, only 3.6% apart. The DirectX 12 result is notable because it suggests that in modern graphics API scenarios, the two cards are much closer in performance than the raw specification differences might imply.

The Passmark G3D score, which represents overall 3D graphics performance, gives the A6000 a 22,577 to 19,650 win, a 14.9% margin. The 2D test also goes to the A6000: 913 versus 836, a 9.2% difference. Across every measured category, from compute to rasterization to 2D, the A6000 holds the advantage. The average benchmark score for the A6000 is 44,075, placing it at the 84th percentile among all GPUs in the database. The GV100's average is 35,520, good for the 80th percentile. The A6000's nearest rivals include the GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile at 43,667 (0.9% behind) and the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti at 44,795 (1.6% ahead), while the GV100 sits near the RTX 5070 Ti Mobile at 35,435 (0.2% behind) and the AMD Radeon Pro Duo at 35,860 (0.9% ahead).

Where Each One Wins

The A6000 wins every benchmark in the database, so the practical question is not which card wins a given test, but where the GV100 remains competitive. The narrowest A6000 margin is in DirectX 12, at 3.6%, which means the GV100 is nearly on par in that specific API. For users whose workloads are built around DirectX 12, the performance difference between the two cards may be negligible in practice.

The GV100 does retain a theoretical edge in memory bandwidth. Its HBM2 memory delivers 868.4 GB/s across a 4096-bit bus, compared to the A6000's 768.0 GB/s over a 384-bit bus. However, the benchmark data does not show this bandwidth advantage translating into a win in any recorded test. The A6000's 48 GB of GDDR6 memory also exceeds the GV100's 32 GB of HBM2, which gives the A6000 a capacity advantage for large datasets.

The A6000 also wins decisively in compute-heavy workloads. Its Passmark GPU compute score is 55.6% higher, and its Geekbench OpenCL score is 29.3% higher. These results indicate that the A6000 is the stronger choice for GPU compute tasks such as rendering, simulation, and machine learning inference. The GV100's fp16 throughput of 33.32 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio) is higher than its fp32 rate of 16.66 TFLOPS, but the A6000 matches its fp32 and fp16 rates at 38.71 TFLOPS each, which explains its compute dominance.

For legacy graphics workloads, the A6000 leads by margins between 10.7% and 18.4% across DirectX 9, 10, and 11. The GV100's closest result in this group is DirectX 10, where it trails by 10.7%. The A6000's lead in 2D performance, 9.2%, is modest but consistent with its overall graphics advantage.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on different architectures, processes, and memory technologies. The RTX A6000 uses the GA102 chip on the Ampere architecture, fabricated by Samsung on an 8 nm process. It packs 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 45.1 million per mm². The Quadro GV100 uses the GV100 chip on the Volta architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 12 nm process, with 21,100 million transistors on a much larger 815 mm² die, giving a density of 25.9 million per mm². The A6000 achieves higher density and more transistors on a smaller die, a direct benefit of the newer process node.

The A6000 has 10,752 shading units, 336 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, compared to the GV100's 5,120 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 128 ROPs. The A6000 more than doubles the shading unit count, while the GV100 has slightly more ROPs. The A6000 also includes 84 dedicated ray tracing cores and 336 tensor cores. The GV100 has no ray tracing cores and 640 tensor cores, which is nearly double the A6000's tensor core count. This is a significant architectural difference: the GV100's Volta architecture emphasized tensor operations, while the A6000's Ampere design integrates ray tracing hardware alongside a higher shading unit count.

The memory subsystems differ substantially. The A6000 uses 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus, with 768.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GV100 uses 32 GB of HBM2 on a 4096-bit bus, with 868.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The GV100 has a bandwidth advantage of 100.4 GB/s, but the A6000 has 16 GB more capacity. Clock speeds also differ: the A6000 runs at 1410 MHz base and 1800 MHz boost, while the GV100 runs at 1132 MHz base and 1627 MHz boost. The A6000's memory runs at 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective), while the GV100's memory runs at 848 MHz (1696 Mbps effective).

The bus interface differs as well: the A6000 uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the GV100 uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Both cards are dual-slot designs with four DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The A6000 has a 300 W TDP with an 8-pin EPS power connector and a suggested 700 W PSU, while the GV100 has a 250 W TDP with a single 8-pin connector and a suggested 600 W PSU. API support also differs: the A6000 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the GV100 supports DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

FAQ

Q: Which card has more memory?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A6000 has 48 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the NVIDIA Quadro GV100 has 32 GB of HBM2 memory.

Q: Is the Quadro GV100 faster in any benchmark?

A: No. The recorded head-to-head results show the A6000 winning all nine benchmark comparisons, with margins ranging from 3.6% in Passmark DirectX 12 to 55.6% in Passmark GPU compute.

Q: Which card has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The GV100 has higher memory bandwidth at 868.4 GB/s, compared to the A6000's 768.0 GB/s. The GV100 achieves this with HBM2 memory on a 4096-bit bus, while the A6000 uses GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus.

Q: Does the A6000 support ray tracing?

A: Yes. The A6000 includes 84 dedicated ray tracing cores as part of its Ampere architecture. The GV100 has no ray tracing cores.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The A6000 has an average benchmark score of 44,075, placing it at the 84th percentile among all GPUs. The GV100 has an average score of 35,520, placing it at the 80th percentile.

Q: Which card has more tensor cores?

A: The GV100 has 640 tensor cores, while the A6000 has 336. Despite this, the A6000 wins the Passmark GPU compute benchmark by 55.6%.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA RTX A6000 | NVIDIA Quadro GV100 |

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

| Architecture | Ampere | Volta |

| Process node | 8 nm (Samsung) | 12 nm (TSMC) |

| Transistors | 28,300 million | 21,100 million |

| Die size | 628 mm² | 815 mm² |

| Transistor density | 45.1M / mm² | 25.9M / mm² |

| Base clock | 1410 MHz | 1132 MHz |

| Boost clock | 1800 MHz | 1627 MHz |

| Memory size | 48 GB GDDR6 | 32 GB HBM2 |

| Memory bus | 384 bit | 4096 bit |

| Memory bandwidth | 768.0 GB/s | 868.4 GB/s |

| Shading units | 10752 | 5120 |

| TMUs | 336 | 320 |

| ROPs | 112 | 128 |

| RT cores | 84 | None |

| Tensor cores | 336 | 640 |

| FP32 performance | 38.71 TFLOPS | 16.66 TFLOPS |

| FP16 performance | 38.71 TFLOPS (1:1) | 33.32 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| Pixel rate | 201.6 GPixel/s | 208.3 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 604.8 GTexel/s | 520.6 GTexel/s |

| TDP | 300 W | 250 W |

| Power connectors | 8-pin EPS | 1x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 700 W | 600 W |

| Bus interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

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

| Launch MSRP | 4,649 USD | 8,999 USD |

The Verdict

The benchmark data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA RTX A6000 outperforms the NVIDIA Quadro GV100 in every recorded test. The A6000 wins by 55.6% in GPU compute, 29.3% in OpenCL, and 17.9% in Vulkan, with smaller but consistent margins across all DirectX versions and the 2D test. Its average benchmark score of 44,075 versus 35,520 places it four percentile points higher in the overall GPU distribution.

Users who prioritize compute performance, modern API support, or memory capacity should choose the A6000. Its 48 GB of GDDR6 memory exceeds the GV100's 32 GB, its DirectX 12 Ultimate support is a generation ahead, and its PCIe 4.0 interface doubles the bandwidth of the GV100's PCIe 3.0 connection. The A6000 also achieves all of this with a lower launch MSRP of 4,649 USD compared to the GV100's 8,999 USD.

The GV100 retains some theoretical advantages: higher memory bandwidth at 868.4 GB/s, more tensor cores at 640, and a lower TDP of 250 W versus 300 W. However, none of these advantages produce a benchmark win in the recorded data. The GV100's closest result is the 3.6% margin in DirectX 12, where the two cards are nearly equivalent. For workloads that depend heavily on that specific API, the GV100 may be acceptable, but for everything else, the A6000 is the clear choice based on measured performance.