NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation vs NVIDIA RTX A4500 Comparison

The Verdict

The data separates these two workstation GPUs cleanly. The NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation sits at the 95th percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the NVIDIA RTX A4500 sits at the 93rd percentile. The RTX 4000 Ada Generation is the newer, more efficient option, built on a 5 nm process from TSMC with 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. The RTX A4500 is the older Ampere design, built on an 8 nm process from Samsung with 28,300 million transistors on a much larger 628 mm² die.

Professionals who prioritize raw compute in OpenCL workloads should choose the RTX 4000 Ada Generation. It scores 146,593 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 3.4% ahead of the RTX A4500's 141,837. The RTX 4000 Ada Generation also delivers higher FP32 throughput at 26.73 TFLOPS compared to 23.65 TFLOPS, and it does so while drawing only 130 W versus 200 W. The database shows it is also the active production card, while the RTX A4500 is end-of-life.

However, the RTX A4500 is not without merit. It wins the Vulkan benchmark decisively, scoring 129,980 against 123,842, a 4.7% advantage. It also has a wider 320-bit memory bus delivering 640.0 GB/s of bandwidth, double the 360.0 GB/s of the RTX 4000 Ada Generation. For workloads that are memory-bandwidth sensitive or that rely on Vulkan performance, the RTX A4500 remains a viable choice despite its age.

The average benchmark score tells a more nuanced story. The RTX 4000 Ada Generation averages 135,218 across its recorded tests, while the RTX A4500 averages only 91,671. This large gap is partly because the RTX A4500 has an additional 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3,196, which lowers its average. The RTX 4000 Ada Generation has no such low result dragging its average down. Users should interpret the averages cautiously, as the test sets differ.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher memory bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A4500 has a 320-bit memory bus and delivers 640.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 4000 Ada Generation uses a 160-bit bus and delivers 360.0 GB/s. The A4500 has exactly 280.0 GB/s more bandwidth.

Q: Which card is more power-efficient?

A: The RTX 4000 Ada Generation has a TDP of 130 W, while the RTX A4500 has a TDP of 200 W. The RTX 4000 Ada Generation also has a higher FP32 throughput (26.73 TFLOPS vs 23.65 TFLOPS), so it delivers more compute per watt in the database.

Q: Are the display outputs the same?

A: Yes, both cards have four DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. They also share the same PCIe 4.0 x16 bus interface and support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: Which card wins in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The RTX 4000 Ada Generation wins with a score of 146,593, which is 3.4% ahead of the RTX A4500's 141,837.

Q: Which card wins in Geekbench Vulkan?

A: The RTX A4500 wins with a score of 129,980, which is 4.7% ahead of the RTX 4000 Ada Generation's 123,842.

Q: What is the production status of each card?

A: The RTX 4000 Ada Generation is listed as Active, while the RTX A4500 is listed as End-of-life. The RTX A4500's predecessor is Quadro Turing, and its successor is Workstation Ada, which is the generation of the RTX 4000 Ada Generation.

Architecture Differences

The RTX 4000 Ada Generation uses the AD104 chip built on Ada Lovelace architecture, fabricated on TSMC's 5 nm process. It contains 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 121.8 million per square millimeter. The RTX A4500 uses the GA102 chip built on Ampere architecture, fabricated on Samsung's 8 nm process. It contains 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die, yielding a density of 45.1 million per square millimeter. The Ada chip is physically much smaller but packs more transistors, a direct result of the denser process node.

The RTX 4000 Ada Generation has 6,144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, 64 raster output pipelines, 48 ray tracing cores, and 192 tensor cores. The RTX A4500 has more of every unit type: 7,168 shading units, 224 TMUs, 96 ROPs, 56 ray tracing cores, and 224 tensor cores. Despite having fewer cores, the RTX 4000 Ada Generation achieves higher clock speeds: 1500 MHz base and 2175 MHz boost, versus 1050 MHz base and 1650 MHz boost for the RTX A4500. The higher clocks compensate for the lower core count, resulting in superior FP32 throughput.

Both cards support the same API set: DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The RTX 4000 Ada Generation has a single-slot form factor, while the RTX A4500 is dual-slot. The power delivery differs as well: the RTX 4000 Ada Generation uses a single 16-pin connector with a suggested PSU of 300 W, while the RTX A4500 uses a single 8-pin connector with a suggested PSU of 550 W. The RTX 4000 Ada Generation is also shorter at 245 mm versus 267 mm for the RTX A4500; both are 112 mm tall.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every specification field. The process node is 5 nm for the RTX 4000 Ada Generation versus 8 nm for the RTX A4500. Transistor count is 35,800 million versus 28,300 million. Die size is 294 mm² versus 628 mm². Transistor density is 121.8 million per mm² versus 45.1 million per mm².

Clock speeds differ substantially: base clock is 1500 MHz versus 1050 MHz, boost clock is 2175 MHz versus 1650 MHz, and memory clock is 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) versus 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective). Memory bus width is 160-bit versus 320-bit, and bandwidth is 360.0 GB/s versus 640.0 GB/s. Both have 20 GB of GDDR6 memory.

Compute resources differ: shading units are 6,144 versus 7,168; TMUs are 192 versus 224; ROPs are 64 versus 96; ray tracing cores are 48 versus 56; tensor cores are 192 versus 224. Pixel rate is 139.2 GPixel/s versus 158.4 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 417.6 GTexel/s versus 369.6 GTexel/s. FP32 is 26.73 TFLOPS versus 23.65 TFLOPS. FP16 is also 26.73 TFLOPS (1:1) versus 23.65 TFLOPS (1:1).

TDP is 130 W versus 200 W. Slot width is single-slot versus dual-slot. Power connector is 1x 16-pin versus 1x 8-pin. Suggested PSU is 300 W versus 550 W. Length is 245 mm versus 267 mm. Release date is August 2023 versus November 2021. Production status is Active versus End-of-life. The RTX A4500 has an additional 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark score of 3,196, which the RTX 4000 Ada Generation does not have.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains two direct head-to-head benchmark comparisons. The first is Geekbench OpenCL. The RTX 4000 Ada Generation scores 146,593, while the RTX A4500 scores 141,837. The delta is 3.4% in favor of the RTX 4000 Ada Generation. This aligns with the FP32 compute difference: the Ada card has 26.73 TFLOPS versus 23.65 TFLOPS, a 13% advantage in raw compute throughput. The OpenCL result is smaller than the compute gap would suggest, likely because memory bandwidth plays a role in this workload, and the RTX A4500 has 640.0 GB/s available.

The second benchmark is Geekbench Vulkan. The RTX A4500 scores 129,980, while the RTX 4000 Ada Generation scores 123,842. The delta is 4.7% in favor of the RTX A4500. This is a notable reversal. The RTX A4500 has 56 ray tracing cores and 224 tensor cores versus 48 and 192 respectively on the Ada card. It also has more shading units, TMUs, and ROPs. The higher core count, combined with the massive bandwidth advantage, appears to give the Ampere card the edge in this particular API.

The head-to-head record is split: each card wins one benchmark. The RTX 4000 Ada Generation wins OpenCL by 3.4%, and the RTX A4500 wins Vulkan by 4.7%. The magnitudes are similar, but the direction is opposite. This suggests that neither card is universally superior; the winner depends on the workload and API.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 4000 Ada Generation wins in OpenCL-based compute workloads. Its 26.73 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is the highest in this comparison, and its 417.6 GTexel/s texture rate exceeds the RTX A4500's 369.6 GTexel/s. The Ada card also achieves a higher pixel rate of 139.2 GPixel/s, although the RTX A4500 counters with 158.4 GPixel/s. For general compute and rendering tasks that rely on FP32 or FP16 with 1:1 ratio, the RTX 4000 Ada Generation is the stronger choice.

The RTX A4500 wins in memory-bandwidth-intensive scenarios. Its 640.0 GB/s bandwidth is nearly double the 360.0 GB/s of the Ada card. This is critical for large datasets, high-resolution textures, or workloads that repeatedly access the same buffer. The Vulkan benchmark result of 129,980 against 123,842 demonstrates that the bandwidth advantage translates into real performance. The RTX A4500 also has more ROPs (96 versus 64), which benefits rasterization-heavy tasks.

The RTX 4000 Ada Generation is the better fit for power-constrained environments. It draws 130 W versus 200 W, requires a 300 W PSU versus 550 W, and fits in a single slot versus dual-slot. Its smaller physical footprint at 245 mm versus 267 mm makes it easier to install in compact chassis. The RTX A4500, despite being end-of-life, remains relevant for users who need maximum memory bandwidth or who run Vulkan-heavy applications. The RTX 4000 Ada Generation is the safer long-term investment, as it is Active in production and represents the newer generation.