NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 vs NVIDIA RTX A1000 Comparison

# Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits these two workstation cards along predictable architectural lines. The NVIDIA RTX A1000 and NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 compete in different tiers, with the RTX 8000 dominating in raw compute throughput while the A1000 holds its own as a low-power entry point.

The Quadro RTX 8000 wins both head-to-head benchmark comparisons recorded in the database. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 8000 scores 101,883 against the A1000's 52,078, a delta of 48.9% in favor of the larger card. In Geekbench Vulkan, the gap widens further: the RTX 8000 posts 122,637 versus the A1000's 49,574, a 59.6% advantage. These are not marginal differences; they represent a fundamental performance tier separation.

The A1000's wins are not in raw scores but in efficiency and form factor. The database records the A1000 as a single-slot card with no power connectors, drawing 50 W TDP, while the RTX 8000 is dual-slot, requires one 6-pin and one 8-pin connector, and pulls 260 W. The A1000 uses PCIe 4.0 x8, while the RTX 8000 uses PCIe 3.0 x16. For systems where space and power delivery are constrained, the A1000's design is the clear advantage, even if its benchmark numbers lag.

The average benchmark scores reinforce this split. The A1000 has an average score of 34,207, placing it in the 79th percentile of all GPUs. The RTX 8000 averages 28,421, which lands in the 74th percentile. Despite losing both head-to-head tests, the A1000 actually has a higher average score across its recorded benchmarks. This is because the A1000's benchmark set includes 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 (score 969), a test not recorded for the RTX 8000, and its Geekbench scores, while lower, are still substantial.

The RTX 8000's nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon R9 M295X (0.6% lower average score), the AMD FirePro S7150 (1.1% higher), the AMD Radeon RX 570 (1.2% lower), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (1.4% higher). The A1000's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB (0.2% higher), the AMD Radeon RX 560 XT (0.2% higher), the NVIDIA TITAN V (0.4% lower), and the AMD Radeon RX 480 (0.6% higher). These rival clusters show that each card competes in a different performance neighborhood.

# The Verdict

The choice between these two cards depends entirely on workload requirements and system constraints, based on the recorded data.

Pick the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 if you need maximum compute throughput. It delivers roughly double the OpenCL score (101,883 versus 52,078) and more than double the Vulkan score (122,637 versus 49,574) of the A1000. It also offers 48 GB of memory versus 8 GB, a 384-bit bus versus 128-bit, and 672.0 GB/s bandwidth versus 192.0 GB/s. The RTX 8000 boasts 4,608 shading units, 288 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, compared to the A1000's 2,304, 72, and 32 respectively. Its FP32 throughput of 16.31 TFLOPS more than doubles the A1000's 6.737 TFLOPS. For large datasets, multi-GPU rendering, or compute-heavy simulations, the RTX 8000 is the data-backed choice.

Pick the NVIDIA RTX A1000 if you need a compact, low-power card that still delivers respectable performance. The A1000 draws 50 W versus 260 W, requires no external power connectors, fits in a single slot, and measures 163 mm in length versus 267 mm. It is also an active production card released in 2024, while the RTX 8000 is end-of-life with a 2018 release date. The A1000's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory is sufficient for many workstation tasks, and its 79th percentile ranking actually exceeds the RTX 8000's 74th percentile in the overall GPU distribution. The A1000 also uses the newer Ampere architecture on an 8 nm Samsung process, versus the Turing architecture on 12 nm TSMC.

There is no universal winner. The data shows two different products for two different use cases. The RTX 8000 is the performance king; the A1000 is the efficiency champion. The RTX 8000's launch MSRP was 9,999 USD, reflecting its top-tier positioning at release.

# Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records two direct comparisons between these cards, and the RTX 8000 wins both decisively.

Geekbench OpenCL: The RTX 8000 scores 101,883, while the A1000 scores 52,078. This represents a 48.9% delta in favor of the RTX 8000. The gap is nearly double, indicating that the RTX 8000's larger shader count (4,608 versus 2,304) and higher memory bandwidth (672.0 GB/s versus 192.0 GB/s) translate directly into compute performance. OpenCL workloads that scale with parallel throughput will see substantial benefits on the RTX 8000.

Geekbench Vulkan: The RTX 8000 scores 122,637, while the A1000 scores 49,574. The delta here is 59.6%, even larger than OpenCL. Vulkan's low-overhead API appears to favor the RTX 8000's architecture more strongly. The RTX 8000's higher boost clock (1770 MHz versus 1462 MHz) and greater texture rate (509.8 GTexel/s versus 105.3 GTexel/s) likely contribute to this wider margin.

The A1000 has no recorded wins in head-to-head tests. Its only additional benchmark, 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, scores 969, but no comparable RTX 8000 result exists in the database. The A1000's average benchmark score of 34,207 does exceed the RTX 8000's 28,421, but this is due to different benchmark sets rather than direct superiority.

For context on the RTX 8000's position, its nearest rival in the database, the AMD Radeon R9 M295X, scores 28,580, just 0.6% above the RTX 8000's average. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti scores 28,020, 1.4% below. The A1000's nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB, scores 34,154, a mere 0.2% above the A1000's 34,207. These small deltas suggest that both cards are tightly grouped with their respective competitors.

# FAQ

Q: Which card has better raw compute performance?

A: The Quadro RTX 8000. It scores 101,883 in Geekbench OpenCL versus 52,078 for the RTX A1000, and 122,637 in Geekbench Vulkan versus 49,574. Its FP32 throughput is 16.31 TFLOPS compared to 6.737 TFLOPS.

Q: What are the memory differences?

A: The RTX 8000 has 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus with 672.0 GB/s bandwidth. The A1000 has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 192.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card is more power efficient?

A: The RTX A1000. It has a 50 W TDP and requires no power connectors, while the RTX 8000 has a 260 W TDP and needs one 6-pin and one 8-pin connector. The A1000 also suggests a 250 W PSU versus 600 W for the RTX 8000.

Q: What are the physical size differences?

A: The A1000 is single-slot, measuring 163 mm by 69 mm. The RTX 8000 is dual-slot, measuring 267 mm by 111 mm.

Q: Which card is more recent?

A: The RTX A1000 was released on 2024-04-15 and is still in active production. The Quadro RTX 8000 was released on 2018-08-12 and is end-of-life.

Q: How do their overall rankings compare?

A: The A1000 sits in the 79th percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 34,207. The RTX 8000 sits in the 74th percentile with an average score of 28,421.

# Architecture Differences

The two cards represent different generations of NVIDIA workstation architecture, and the database records substantial differences in their construction.

Process and Foundry: The RTX A1000 uses the GA107 chip built on an 8 nm Samsung process with 8,700 million transistors on a 200 mm² die. The Quadro RTX 8000 uses the TU102 chip built on a 12 nm TSMC process with 18,600 million transistors on a 754 mm² die. The A1000's smaller process node allows for higher transistor density at 43.5M per mm², versus 24.7M per mm² for the RTX 8000.

Architecture Generation: The A1000 is based on Ampere architecture, part of the Workstation Ampere (Ax000) generation. The RTX 8000 is based on Turing architecture, part of the Quadro Turing (Tx000) generation. The A1000's predecessor is Quadro Turing, and its successor is Workstation Ada. The RTX 8000's predecessor is Quadro Volta, and its successor is Workstation Ampere.

Compute Units: The RTX 8000 has 4,608 shading units, 288 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The A1000 has 2,304 shading units, 72 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. In ray tracing and tensor cores, the RTX 8000 again leads with 72 RT cores and 576 tensor cores, versus the A1000's 18 RT cores and 72 tensor cores.

Clock Speeds: The RTX 8000 runs at a base clock of 1395 MHz and boosts to 1770 MHz. The A1000 runs at 727 MHz base and boosts to 1462 MHz. Despite lower clocks, the A1000 achieves its performance through architectural efficiency.

Memory Architecture: The RTX 8000's memory runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) on a 384-bit bus. The A1000's memory runs at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective) on a 128-bit bus. This accounts for the massive bandwidth gap: 672.0 GB/s versus 192.0 GB/s.

Outputs and Connectivity: The A1000 offers 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The RTX 8000 offers 4x DisplayPort 1.4a plus 1x USB Type-C. The A1000 uses PCIe 4.0 x8, while the RTX 8000 uses PCIe 3.0 x16.

API Support: Both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so software compatibility is identical.

FP16 Performance: The RTX 8000 has a notable advantage in FP16 with 32.62 TFLOPS at a 2:1 ratio, versus the A1000's 6.737 TFLOPS at a 1:1 ratio. This makes the RTX 8000 particularly suited for workloads that leverage mixed-precision computation.