NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation vs NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell Comparison

NVIDIA’s workstation GPU lineup spans two distinct architectures with the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell and the RTX 4000 Ada Generation. The data shows a clear performance hierarchy, but the gap is not uniform across every workload. The RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell sits in the 98th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 4000 Ada Generation ranks in the 95th percentile. This places both cards in the upper echelon of the database, yet the benchmark deltas between them are substantial, particularly in compute-heavy tasks.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking result comes from Geekbench Vulkan, where the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell scores 282,631 against the RTX 4000 Ada Generation’s 123,842. That is a 128.2% advantage for the newer card, more than doubling the older model’s output. This is a massive leap, indicating that the Blackwell architecture delivers far superior graphics API performance, likely benefiting from its larger shader array and newer memory subsystem.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the gap narrows but remains decisive. The RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell posts 254,116, while the RTX 4000 Ada Generation manages 146,593. The delta here is 73.3%, still a commanding lead, but the smaller percentage difference compared to Vulkan suggests that compute workloads scale differently across the two architectures. The RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell’s FP32 throughput of 66.94 TFLOPS versus 26.73 TFLOPS for the RTX 4000 Ada Generation explains much of this, but the OpenCL result shows that raw compute power does not translate linearly to every benchmark.

Across the two head-to-head tests, the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell wins both, giving it a 2–0 record. There is no benchmark in the database where the RTX 4000 Ada Generation comes out ahead. However, the magnitude of the wins matters more than the count. The Vulkan result is particularly noteworthy because it shows a generational jump that goes beyond simple clock speed or core count increases.

Looking at the broader benchmark averages, the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell’s average score of 182,109 places it in close competition with the NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB, which averages 183,725 (a 0.9% difference). It also sits just ahead of the GeForce RTX 4090 D, which scores 178,050 (2.3% behind). The RTX 4000 Ada Generation, by contrast, averages 135,218, putting it right at parity with the NVIDIA A10M (0% delta) and slightly behind the AMD Radeon PRO W6800 (0.1% difference). This shows that while both cards are strong workstation options, the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell competes at a higher tier of the GPU hierarchy.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell wins in every available benchmark, so the use-case split is largely about degrees of dominance rather than distinct strengths. In Vulkan-based workloads, the 128.2% lead makes it the clear choice for applications that leverage modern graphics APIs, such as real-time rendering engines or Vulkan-accelerated compute. The OpenCL advantage of 73.3% also positions it as the superior option for general-purpose GPU compute, including scientific simulations and data-processing tasks that rely on OpenCL kernels.

The RTX 4000 Ada Generation, despite losing both head-to-head tests, still holds value in scenarios where its smaller footprint and lower power draw are priorities. It is a single-slot card with a 130 W TDP, compared to the dual-slot, 300 W RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell. For dense workstation builds where space is constrained or cooling is limited, the RTX 4000 Ada Generation’s physical design is a practical advantage. It also requires a 300 W suggested PSU versus 700 W for the larger card, making it easier to integrate into existing systems.

Another area where the RTX 4000 Ada Generation arguably wins is in its release timing. It launched in August 2023, while the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell arrived in March 2025. For users who needed a workstation GPU in that interim period, the RTX 4000 Ada Generation was the available option. However, the data shows that anyone who waited for the Blackwell card received a substantial performance uplift.

The RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell also wins on memory capacity. Its 48 GB of GDDR7 memory is more than double the RTX 4000 Ada Generation’s 20 GB of GDDR6. This makes the newer card better suited for large datasets, high-resolution textures, or multi-model inference workloads where VRAM capacity is the bottleneck. The bandwidth difference is equally stark: 1.34 TB/s versus 360.0 GB/s, a factor of roughly 3.7.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on different architectures and different silicon. The RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell uses the GB202 chip on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. The RTX 4000 Ada Generation uses the AD104 chip on Ada Lovelace, also on a 5 nm TSMC process. Both are 5 nm parts, but the transistor counts diverge dramatically. The GB202 packs 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die, while the AD104 has 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. The transistor density is nearly identical (122.9 million per mm² versus 121.8 million per mm²), which means the performance gap comes primarily from the larger die size rather than process efficiency.

Core configs tell a similar story. The RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell has 14,080 shading units, 440 TMUs, 160 ROPs, 110 RT cores, and 440 tensor cores. The RTX 4000 Ada Generation has 6,144 shading units, 192 TMUs, 64 ROPs, 48 RT cores, and 192 tensor cores. That is roughly 2.3 times the shading units and 2.3 times the tensor cores in the Blackwell card. The RT core count is also 2.3 times higher, which should benefit ray-traced workloads proportionally.

Clock speeds are closer than the core counts. The RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell has a base clock of 1740 MHz and a boost of 2377 MHz. The RTX 4000 Ada Generation runs at 1500 MHz base and 2175 MHz boost. The Blackwell part runs about 9–16% faster depending on the clock state, but the core count advantage is what drives the majority of the performance delta.

Memory architecture is another major differentiator. The RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell uses 48 GB of GDDR7 on a 384-bit bus, while the RTX 4000 Ada Generation uses 20 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus. The effective memory speed is 28 Gbps for the Blackwell card versus 18 Gbps for the Ada card. This combination of wider bus, faster memory, and newer memory type results in the 1.34 TB/s versus 360.0 GB/s bandwidth gap.

The bus interface also differs: PCIe 5.0 x16 on the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell versus PCIe 4.0 x16 on the RTX 4000 Ada Generation. Display outputs are different too, with the newer card offering 4x DisplayPort 2.1b compared to 4x DisplayPort 1.4a on the older card. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell in Vulkan workloads?

A: The RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell scores 282,631 in Geekbench Vulkan, which is 128.2% higher than the RTX 4000 Ada Generation’s 123,842 score.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference between these two cards?

A: The RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell has 48 GB of GDDR7 memory, while the RTX 4000 Ada Generation has 20 GB of GDDR6 memory.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor count?

A: The RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell uses the GB202 chip with 92,200 million transistors, whereas the RTX 4000 Ada Generation’s AD104 chip contains 35,800 million transistors.

Q: Are both cards on the same manufacturing process?

A: Yes, both cards are fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC, with nearly identical transistor densities of 122.9 million per mm² for the Blackwell card and 121.8 million per mm² for the Ada card.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card?

A: The RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell has an average benchmark score of 182,109, while the RTX 4000 Ada Generation averages 135,218.

Q: Does the RTX 4000 Ada Generation have a lower power requirement?

A: Yes, the RTX 4000 Ada Generation has a 130 W TDP and a 300 W suggested PSU, compared to the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell’s 300 W TDP and 700 W suggested PSU.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell | NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation |

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

| Chip | GB202 | AD104 |

| Architecture | Blackwell 2.0 | Ada Lovelace |

| Generation | Blackwell PRO W (x000) | Workstation Ada (x000A) |

| Transistors | 92,200 million | 35,800 million |

| Die Size | 750 mm² | 294 mm² |

| Base Clock | 1740 MHz | 1500 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2377 MHz | 2175 MHz |

| Memory Size | 48 GB | 20 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR7 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus Width | 384 bit | 160 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 1.34 TB/s | 360.0 GB/s |

| Effective Memory Speed | 1750 MHz (28 Gbps) | 2250 MHz (18 Gbps) |

| Shading Units | 14080 | 6144 |

| TMUs | 440 | 192 |

| ROPs | 160 | 64 |

| RT Cores | 110 | 48 |

| Tensor Cores | 440 | 192 |

| Pixel Rate | 380.3 GPixel/s | 139.2 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 1,045.9 GTexel/s | 417.6 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 66.94 TFLOPS | 26.73 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 66.94 TFLOPS (1:1) | 26.73 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 300 W | 130 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | Single-slot |

| Suggested PSU | 700 W | 300 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 5.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 4x DisplayPort 2.1b | 4x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| Release Date | 2025-03-17 | 2023-08-08 |

| Launch MSRP | 5,099 USD | Not available |

| Length | 267 mm (10.5 inches) | 245 mm (9.6 inches) |

| Height | 111 mm (4.4 inches) | 112 mm (4.4 inches) |

| Width | 40 mm (1.6 inches) | Not specified |

| Percentile vs All GPUs | 98 | 95 |

| Average Benchmark Score | 182,109 | 135,218 |

| Predecessor | Workstation Ada | Workstation Ampere |

| Successor | None | Blackwell PRO W |